Preparing...
Advent season started last Sunday. Our Japanese Parish Priest, Fr. Michi Chihara, smiled when he was informed that the choir would be singing Christmas songs from that day, the First Sunday of Advent. O Come o Come Emmanuel and When a Child is Born were among the songs included that day. Fr. Michi told his parishioners, mostly Filipinos, that he remembers when he was in the Philippines, Christmas songs had started to be aired as early as September, the first of the BER months.
Not only songs but the bible readings have been reminding us to prepare and get ready spiritually for two main events: the first coming of our Lord Jesus Christ during the Nativity and His second coming at the end of the world.
Getting ready for Christmas includes a conscious countdown until the 25th of December, decorating homes, offices and stores. Throw in shopping for gifts, planning parties and reunions, and for some trips within and abroad.
While we are busy preparing for ourselves and our family, the gospel of December 3 reminds us to remember to include the hungry and needy in our spiritual preparation for Christmas. This is a practice many still have to learn to include, and not only for the Christmas season.
Aside from the materially needy, do we include as well, for our Christmas preparation, prayers for the sick in body and in spirit, the grieving, the wounded, the afflicted? Shall we also start to include for our Christmas preparation special prayers and effort to reach out to those who do not yet know about the love of God, about the true meaning of Christ's coming and birth? Shall we also include those who are lost and those who have given up their faith in God and in this world, that from this Christmas on, they will discover the wonderful gift of God, His unconditional and immeasurable love for them and for all?
December 16 will see thousands of Filipinos waking up early to start Simbang Gabi or the Misa de Gallo. May all of the churchgoers from that date include in their prayers all others mentioned above. Can we also all add and pray for those caught in wars and conflicts as well?
Yesterday's report warned about the possible entry in our country of yet another typhoon- Hagupit or Ruby. Let us join hands and pray that our people and our country are spared from the wrath of this December typhoon. May our people be spared from another deadly and destructive typhoon and please Lord, not another typhoon that will result in a very sad Christmas for the affected.
We have witnessed how typhoons have dampened the spirit of the disaster victims, especially those affected by December typhoons and the November disasters. Let us include all the disaster-affected families and communities in our country and all throughout the world in our prayers this Christmas season.
In the midst of global warming, getting ready for Christmas in this present- environmentally challenged world means preparing as well for disasters, in terms of prevention and mitigation. While preparing gifts for our families and all others we can share blessings with, perhaps starting this Christmas or even from this day forward, we can start to give Mother Earth our daily present of keeping our environment safe and sustainable for all.
We can plan parties and presents that do not generate so much waste. We can include plants and recycled items among our presents. We can even include tree planting or a garden- in- every- home Christmas or New Year events.
Preparing for Christmas both spiritually and materially should include love and concern for others and our earth as well. Happy preparation, everyone and do please keep safe in the wake of the forecasted typhoon. We join you pray you and our people are spared yet another strong destructive typhoon this week.
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