Unli(mited) and Unco(nditional)

THE story is told about a man who posted and sent this Christmas message: “To all my inaanak (baptismal godchildren), in order to get a gift from me, please bring with you your birth certificate, baptismal certificate and your baptismal picture with me. Deadline for claiming gift is until Dec. 31, 2011 only.”

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The first day of the New Year is dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God, who is with us every single day of the year. She is also our mother who loves us in an unlimited and in an unconditional way.

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This Sunday is also a day of World Peace. It is our fervent prayer that our world will take the road of harmony and peace and leave behind the road of violence and tyranny. May we learn to live as brothers and sisters, to reach and go beyond the conditions and limits we have set on each other. No more walls. No more wars. Peace!

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In today’s Gospel (Lk. 2, 16-21) we hear of the shepherds who visited Joseph, Mary and the Infant in the manger. They were witnesses of the Divine Plan unfolding before their very eyes just as it had been foretold. Indeed, God is faithful. As we face the new year ahead, let us be confident that there is someone in control and that this someone is a faithful and loving God.

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The Incarnation started with simple people of humble beginnings. Why? Perhaps God wanted to make sure that His plan would be carried out. In other words, God needs obedient rather than efficient people to carry out His plan. God has a hard time dealing with those who are big, or who think of themselves as big.

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Last Christmas Day, I visited a fellow priest in a retirement house. He used to be “big time” in his younger days. He was popular and powerful, and he was always on the go, then. It was a different brother priest I met in a very simple room that Christmas morning.  Now wheelchair-bound after a stroke, he has become very Eucharistic and Marian, and humble. It doesn’t have to be, but I hope we don’t have to go through failure, catastrophe or sickness before we realize that there is someone greater than you and I.

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After visiting “Father Big Time,” I passed by the chapel to praise and thank God for His unconditional and unlimited love and forgiveness for myself as well. Yes, unworthy as we are, God continues to call and use us. Yes, God is merciful, generous, understanding. It is really he who is “Father Big Time”!

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It is not as if Mary was sure of everything happening. As the events of the Incarnation unfolded, she was constantly surprised and amazed, “reflecting on them in her heart.” Like Mary, may we continue to be tenacious in our belief that God has a plan, and that He makes all things beautiful in His time. There are many things we cannot explain or understand in this life. We just continue to believe.

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As we start our journey in 2012, let us not forget to bring along with us “a prayer in our pockets, a smile on our faces, and love in our hearts.” These are the most basic provisions we need as we journey on.

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Please remember too that no matter what we do, 2012 will unfold one day at a time. So one basic rule is that we should stop pressing the fast-forward button and the rewind button. Let it play. Let it be. One day at a time.

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Here’s a beautiful reminder for 2012: “Just for today, decide to be happy and to live with what is yours. If you can’t have what you want, maybe you can like what you have. Just for today, decide to be kind, cheerful, agreeable and understanding. Be your best, talk kindly, be optimistic, praise people. Try it, after all, it is just for a day. Who knows, you might like it, and do it again tomorrow!”

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I like to take this opportunity to thank all those who helped make 2011 beautiful with their prayers, gifts and messages. Thank you too for those who criticized or corrected us. What matters is that we did what we did for love.

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One thing we need to balance in our journey is that of getting things done and being one. Let us not become so busy becoming a somebody with all our functions, and to forget to be a someone as a person. In other words, we must balance between being on call for our people and being online with God; being a missionary and being a religious.

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Christmas is not just a day. It is a spirit we carry with us all throughout the 365 days ahead of us. Here’s wishing you all Christmas spirit-filled days all throughout the New Year. A happy and better New Year ahead, in all aspects, in Jesus’ name!

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A moment with the Lord:

Lord, thank you for your unlimited and unconditional love for us. Help us to try to love likewise. Amen.