There are only five days before Christmas and surely by now, everyone is eagerly awaiting the day that celebrates the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Christmas is often associated with gift-giving and receiving, brightly lit malls and houses, continuing feasts and reunions and other happy, merry events.
Beyond the earthly interpretations of this very happy day is the divine message of Christ's birth: God the Father's immense love for us epitomized in sending His divine Son to become human in order to restore us humans back to our divine roots. Through Christ, we are assured of being reunited with our Father in our heavenly home. The birth of Christ, then, is the best family reunion ever as it will reunite all who believe in God our Father who loves us most!
Christ's birth rightfully merited heavenly feasting and rejoicing but if we all recall, no human choir, no grand ceremony accompanied the entry of our Lord into this earth in a lowly manger, amidst animals, but to wholly obedient and selfless hearted parents, Mama Mary and Joseph. Later, led by heavenly signs, humble shepherds and just as humble Kings traveled without their regalia of guards and entourage to kneel and bow down before the King of Kings! Earth's wealthy and powerful kings united with the lowly, poor shepherds in a lowly manger to behold the Divine Gift of the Lord born to pure-hearted, loving parents!
The three kings had that transformation when they sought the Lord on their own, casting aside their earthly power and grandeur to pay homage to the true King of kings. The shepherds too underwent their own internal renewal by being obedient to the divine invitation, leaving behind their flock, to see and marvel at the best gift not only for them then , but for all of humanity forever. The earthly rich and the poor, the rulers and the ruled bent their knees in humility, obedience, and united worship before the Holy Family, before the best Father of all, God.
Hence, the call for Character change of the CBCP as well as the call of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) kindly sent to us by Fr. Roderick Salazar, CEAP President and Region 7 Director is really a contemporary yet continuing theme highlighted since the first Christmas! No attempt to change any human law or system or society will succeed without corresponding internal character change. We all have to change ourselves, to love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves and to love God with all our heart, our soul, our mind, our strength, with our utmost!
Just as it took from Christ's birth to His death on the Cross for salvation to be completed, character change takes time. God in His wonderful kindness gave us all our own will which will need obedience, humility and united worship to change, to be transformed into His will.
As acknowledged in the CEAP Statement, "To be sure, character development is a lifetime task and challenge. And if that is all we do, it may be argued, then we may never get to change our Constitution at all. We agree. But if there is also no desired change in what we believe and how we behave, then Charter Change no matter how beautiful it may seem to be, will not really lead to the betterment of our nation...
...those who are against Charter Change now are being portrayed as against reform. We are not. We are for reform - but the right ones at the right time. We are for reforms that really help the poor; changes that strengthen democracy; moves that improve politics as it is practiced today. If those rushing Charter Change are really sincere about reforms, then let them first reform the electoral system and restore its trustworthiness - starting with a thorough revamp of the Commission on Elections (Comelec). Make the 2007 elections truly credible. Then, when the necessary safeguards against self-interest shall have been set, and after a massive education campaign, maybe we can resurrect the plan to change the Constitution...
We watch and pray, as Jesus in the Agony in the Garden told his disciples, so we do not fall into temptation. We urge our members to pray that we, our legislators, and our nation as a whole may have the humility to ask to be guided by the Holy Spirit and the strength of will to follow His lead. May we not yield to the temptation to make another Constitution for our country but forget to remake the constitution of our hearts.
What we more urgently need to do now is to watch, pray, and work to change - not our Charter but our Character."
To change our character is really to change ourselves for our neighbors and for the Lord. Then, we can see kings unite with shepherds, with humility, obedience and worship, in a very simple place (our hearts) where the most central character is Jesus, God and His love for us all!
Discussion on the Christ Jesus.
? unsay tan.aw ninyo...
Originally Posted by leo_trams
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