Christmas stories

The modern-day Christmas has become a rather strange and twisted affair. Everybody complains about the traffic, about the hordes of kids in the streets harrassing motorists and commuters with off-key carols. Every year people say business is bad and proclaim that this is the worst Christmas yet in terms of sales. We lament that we have lost sight of the true spirit of the season–we let commercialism crowd out compassion, we let the merchandise take centerstage instead of the manger, and we let "gimme" become the key word instead of giving.

We hate to admit it, but we’ve fallen prey to the holiday blahs, and we’ve done our share of complaining and had more than our share of bad temper, especially on the road.

But in the midst of all the hullabaloo we were gifted with people whose stories made us pause and take a good look around us. At a dinner a couple of weeks ago we were introduced to a woman, a ranking executive in a multinational bank, who told a remarkable story not of multi-million dollar corporate deals, but a story of total dependence on God, bereft of any human ability, competence or resource. Agnes Mondoñedo experienced first-hand what complete trust means, and every day she lives with a miracle in the person of her son.

At a dinner/concert a few months ago we had the joy of listening to and then sitting next to soprano Rachelle Gerodias, who has blossomed into a truly fine singer who continually does us proud with her artistry. We also admire the perseverance and achievement of lawyer Zosing Evangelista, who was not tied down by prejudice, and the creativity of doctor turned entrepreneur Romeo Balderama, whose decor items can be found in stores and homes worldwide.

As we were closing this issue we heard about the heroism and sacrifice of a man who one can probably best describe as ordinary, a security guard that many people probably didn’t even notice on their way in and out of the office where he worked. And yet when confronted with a situation that demanded extraordinary courage he measured up to the challenge and then some–Justo Peregrino literally gave his life to save others.

In this Christmas issue therefore we tell their stories and celebrate the human spirit. They remind us that there is goodness and hope, which is the essence of Christmas. Maligayang Pasko!