Child at heart
The story is told about a little boy who was asked by his teacher: “Where are you from?”
The boy responded: “From Tondo, Ma’am.”
“And where is Tondo?”
“In Manila, Ma’am.”
“And where is Manila?”
“In the Philippines, Ma’am!”
“And where is the Philippines?”
“In the world, Ma’am.”
“And where is the world?”
“In the hand of the Santo Niño, Ma’am!”
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Today is the Feast of the Santo Niño, Holy Childhood Day. In today’s Gospel (Lk. 2, 41-52), we read the story about the 12-year-old Jesus getting lost in the temple, and the subsequent reunion with His parents after three days. Imagine the worry and the anxiety of Joseph and Mary! But early on, right there and then, Jesus told them that He belonged to God more than to them, and that He was God’s more than theirs to own.
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“Why were you looking for me?” He told Joseph and Mary. “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” Parents would do well to ponder on these words of Jesus. One of the hardest, but very important, lessons that parents need to learn well and early on with regard to parenting is that of letting go and letting God. It’s easier said than done, but it has to be said and it has to be done. Otherwise, the children never really grow up, and the parents never really move on.
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“Stop, in the name of love!” This line from a song way back when is a timely reminder for parents who cannot stop playing the game of ICE—Imposition, Control, Expectation. They swear that they are doing it out of love, and out of their God-given duty, and that they mean well. The problem with well-meaning people is that they end up being mean. Parents must learn to fade away, leave the center of the stage, and eventually make their exit. Otherwise, the children will not get to fully play their God-given role and fulfill their mission.
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We adults have much to learn and relearn from children, such as humility and simplicity. Many of us have become so proud and complicated. Joy is also something we must bring back into our lives—the joy which the world cannot give or take away. Pray for the grace of joy that is not conditioned by anything or anyone in this world. If your joy is fragile and fleeting, perhaps you are building your joy on people and situations. Build joy on God, the source of true and lasting joy.
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What is adultery? It is the sin of adults, not so much in the sense of the sixth commandment, as in the sense of our tendency to “adulterate” life. May God give us the grace to capture and recapture our childhood innocence, trust, spontaneity, joy, and openness to grace itself! What happened to you? May our disappointments, sufferings, defeats and disillusions in life not make us callous to the many blessings and surprises around us. May the heart and the spirit of a child be still within each one of us.
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When we think of who to elect as our next set of leaders in May, please consider the children and their future. We adults are on our way out, while the children have their whole future ahead of them. Let us not leave behind our garbage for them to inherit. To the best of our ability, let us prepare for them a cleaner, safer, richer, and, yes, happier Philippines!
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“For somewhere in my youth or childhood/ I must have done something good.” This beautiful line from a song in “The Sound of Music” reminds us of the time when we were “good.” But goodness is not a thing of the past. Let it be our constant mode. We adults should perhaps sing “For somewhere in our senior years/ we will still do something good.” How’s that for a song? Goodness should be the constant theme song of our lives.
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Think about this: “Power and money are fruits of life, but family, faith and friends are the roots of life.” May we live fruitful lives, but more so, root-ful lives!
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Sharing with you a “must read” thought by Kahlil Gibran on children: “Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of life’s longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, and though they are with you, yet they belong not to you. You may give them your love, but not your thoughts. For they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls, for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams. You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.”
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A moment with the Lord:
Lord, help us to remember that we are Your children, and help us not to forget that spirit of the child within. Amen.
