Counting our blessings

Even as we pray harder and ardently storm the heavens to spare us from nature’s wrath, parts of our country are still battered by strong typhoons. It is already the season to be jolly, yet some of our hapless and helpless countrymen are still gloomy as they bear the brunt of harsh ecological conditions brought about by the on-going climate change. Obviously, the message here is that we should not only pray harder and more ardently but also exert all our human efforts and endeavors to take better care of our environment.

But more importantly perhaps, those of us who have been spared from the devastating calamities should continue to focus our attention on the event we have been celebrating yearly when the only begotten Son of God our Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth to be with us and show us the way to eternal life of bliss in heaven. We should not lose sight of the reason for the Christmas season: to be grateful for the graces we receive, to have trust and faith in our gracious Lord above. So it would be better if we just pause and count our blessings instead of delving on the many calamities befalling our country.

Indeed receiving and continuing to possess the precious gift of life and having a closely knit family are already enough reasons for us to “be happy always, thank God for everything and to pray under all circumstances” as exhorted by St. Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians (5:16). And much more so if we consider that He has also enabled us to sustain our existence in this world in a way befitting our human dignity. To be sure, there are many others among us in this country who are fortunate enough to have a more decent and pleasant life and should therefore be more thankful especially during this time of the year.

And perhaps one of the most appropriate ways of expressing our gratitude is to share our blessings with others who are less fortunate in this life and who continue to wallow in poverty and deprivation especially victims of calamities. This aspect of sharing involves not only giving them gifts during Christmas time or extending humanitarian services to the less fortunate especially in times of calamities and disasters. More importantly it involves assisting them on how they will one day be able to live a more decent and dignified life as a human being.

And one week before Christmas as we commemorate on the first coming of Christ in Bethlehem, our eyes should also turn now on Christ’s coming. We hear in the Gospel (Mt. 24:37-44) the loving admonition of Christ, “Stay awake, be prepared; you cannot know the day your Lord is coming.” With this, the Church makes us aware that Advent (which means “coming” or “arrival”), is not only a time of nostalgic reminiscence and of emotional admiration to the little Baby Jesus, but also a time of looking forward. It is not only a time of preparing Christmas presents, but also a time of preparing our hearts for Christ who is to come at a time we do not expect. It is a time of cleaning and decorating not only our homes, but more so our souls, so that Christ will find a well-prepared temple to dwell in.

The arrival of a visitor can trigger different emotions in us. We can wait trembling in fear or expectant in joy; with anxiety or with hope. What kind of feelings accompany our waiting for the arrival of Christ?

We live between the first and the second coming of Christ. In looking back to His first appearance on earth, we come to know whom we have to expect in the future. He is a God who is just, a God who is merciful, a God who is Love, a God who understands the human situation because He experienced in Christ human poverty, rejection, temptation, pain and even the agony of death. And so we can “hope against all expectations” (Rom. 4:18) that in spite of our often miserable performance on earth, we will find understanding and be carried into the world to come by the love of God.

This hope is not a “pain-killer,” nor a kind of “opium” that makes us numb against the miseries of our present life. Christian hope is a strength that helps us endure the present situation and makes us able to change what can be changed. It is a strength that keeps us going in spite of the many downfalls, trials and difficulties in life. Christian hope makes us optimistic in a pessimistic world and keeps us alert and awake for the Master’s coming. Christian hope is not a false hope. It never deceives. We experience in Christ who was born 2000 years ago, what we will one day enjoy fully, because through Him and the Holy Spirit, “the love of God has already been poured into our hearts” (Rom 5:5).

There is a “Third” coming of Christ. He approaches us daily through our fellowmen, especially in the hungry; the thirsty, the poor and the suffering around us (Mt. 25:34-45). Through these encounters in our daily life, Christ prepares us for the final encounter at the end of time.

And so, advent is really not only a time for shopping, caroling and writing Christmas cards, but a time of becoming more aware that we must try to recognize Christ who came 2000 years ago, and who will come again at the end of time. Advent is a time to recognize Christ today, whenever He meets us through another person. It is a time to welcome Him into our life in order to “stay awake and be prepared” for our final encounter with Him. Our Christmas gifts therefore, should be given, not out of duty, not to please somebody, nor to “bribe” but to serve and worship Christ who “comes” to us through our fellowmen.

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