Noche Buena: How to live it up at a time like this

by Pao Vergara, Manila Bulletin

SIMPLENG HANDAAN The essence of Christmas is being together and celebrating new life (Rhes Victorio)

Given the times we live in, an economy in recession, a future that’s ever uncertain, a virus that’s finishing the alphabet, it might be impractical or downright insulting to even consider pursuing luxury.

“Check your privilege,” the young and woke will tell you, and rightfully, agreeably so. Even Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto, when pressed by a rival for something along the lines of “removing the Christmas spirit” for not decorating the city with the usual embellishments, simply said that there were more pressing concerns, all as residents came to his defense posting about the Noche Buena packages they had received.

And yet luxury lifestyle continues to be an aspiration. Haute jewelry, cuisine, travel, experiences, and the channels that feed that aspiration toward these thunder on despite all the uncertainty around.

Elite. Luxury. Rich. Words that were once aspirational in decades past are now seen with wariness, condescension, and even dismissal by a majority whose salaries are still stuck in 1990.

There was a time religious puritanism shunned luxury, and this was followed by the promise of industrial secularization and wealth and comfort for more, which saw the above as old-fashioned. Now, a different social consciousness is permeating—It’s critical of excess, doubtful of trickle-down economics, but led more by social scientists, bloggers, and pundits than by clergy.

Is there still space for luxury? Can your space be luxurious? Maybe luxury won’t disappear, but maybe we can rethink and redefine it.

Luxury is about more, it is about decadence, but that more, that decadence, isn’t necessarily bling, it isn’t necessarily about being crazy, filthy rich. Perhaps it’s about that effort to be extra, that effort to dazzle with what’s available, that effort to make not just a campfire but a lightshow with the kindle on-hand.

Luxury isn’t exclusively based on economic class, although, true to its nature, only a few attain it. But this this time, it’s dependent on effort, not birthright. Luxury is reached by those brave enough to be creative, to make more with what little is there.

It’s exclusive to those who, despite whatever hardships, still choose to celebrate life. Luxury is creativity. In the absence of Moet, it’s milk tea built from scratch. In the absence Cebu spring pig lechon, it’s Pinoy samgyeop put together from the palengke. It’s celebrating with who’s there while grieving for those who aren’t.

It’s going the extra mile to add flavor within one’s means. This kind of luxury can be captured in the Filipino word ginhawa, which evokes coziness, safety, a space in which to relax and enjoy oneself. You’re not just surviving, you’re thriving. Our tribal ancestors chose their leaders not based on who had the most resources, but who brought the most ginhawa to the community. As the Baguio heritage museum puts it, it was elitism, but consensual elitism.

The years 2020 and 2021 have been stressful enough for us collectively. This year looks to be a pivotal time for the nation. We may have been diligent in washing our hands and wearing masks, but too much soap causes dryness and “behind the mask,” TWICE sings, “I wonder if you’re smiling?”

Already, The New York Times has reported the rising incidence of COVID-related anxiety and depression, but we know that already. As the economy reopens and people tentatively come together, each of us is (re)discovering what it means to be among others, with all the hiccups that may entail.

Are we to shame people or, worse, ourselves for trying to add spice, color, and flavor to life?

So! Luxury. Yeah. That word. That experience. You’ve been fighting hard, and you’ve been fighting good, and you’ve been fighting the good fight.

So treat yourself. Treat those you love. Savor that Noche Buena, even if the queso de bola is improvised. You don’t just deserve it. You’ve earned it. Even Jesus turned water into wine.

Nothing can ever cancel Christmas in this country

by AA Patawaran, Manila Bulletin

Whatever happened to Father Christmas in England in 1647 would never happen in the Philippines, no matter how dire the circumstances get—poverty, disaster, a bank run, a civil war, or a revolution.

In 1647, right after the English Civil War and the Church of England gave way to a Presbytarian system, the English parliament passed an ordinance declaring festivities over Christmas, Easter, and Whitsun a taboo, outlawing decorations, celebrations both public and private, and even shops closing up in observance of holy days.

As a result, though all of the kingdoms of England, which at the time included Wales and Ireland, were up in arms, Father Christmas who, as the Paris Review described him, was once “rotund from indulgence,” embodying “Christmas as an open-hearted festival of feasts and frolics,” grew “skinny, mournful, and lonely, depressed by the grim fate that had befallen the most magical time of year.”

…hens and chickens were saying noisy farewells amid the rapid clatter of knives and chopping blocks and the sputtering of lard in frying pans. There was a promise of good eating in the succulent smells of stews and sweetmeats that reached out to the streets. —El Filibusterismo, Jose Rizal

Or he might have migrated to the Philippine islands, whose Christianization by their Spanish colonizers in the 1700s was well under way. Noche Buena (Nochebuena back in the day, one word, as it still is, referring to the Christmas Eve dinner, in Spain) is Spanish for “a night of goodness,” but Noche Buena traces its roots to the early mornings, shortly after midnight, when the Filipinos broke their Christmas Eve fast.

Back then, as ordered by the Spanish friars, it was customary—if not mandatory—to go on a fast the whole day on Christmas Eve. In this writer’s humble opinion, it was in honor of the struggles of the Holy Family to look for a suitable place for the Christ Child to be born in. Alas, there was no room at the inn, so Jesus was born in a manger filled with hay, a long, open trough for horses or cattle to eat from in the cold, smelly stables.

Before they could break their fast, the Filipinos under over 300 years of Spanish occupation, would end the day at the Misa de Gallo, and you can imagine how famished they must have been that even the sacramental bread must have tasted to them like manna from heaven or like cake from Marie Antoinette. But then the mass would be over, and the fast was ended, and it was time to eat at last.

Hence, the Noche Buena. And maybe this is why, just outside the church, anywhere across the Philippines, where a Catholic stone church stood, which then—as now—meant every town, the churchgoers, emerging from the midnight mass, or even the early morning masses of Simbang Gabi, and keen on satiating their day-long hunger and their enormous appetites, would expect stalls and kiosks peddling bibingka, puto bumbong, puto with tsokolate, kutsinta, biko, palitaw, and suman.

These rice cakes, although they carry traces of our foreign interactions on the trade routes of our pre-colonial past, whether in terms of techniques or transplanted ingredients, are our very own contribution to the celebration of Christmas steeped in tradition and cultural significance. All the carbs waiting on the churchyards after the night masses of Yuletide in the Philippines would have been enough to keep Father Christmas happy-plump and rosy-cheeked despite the Puritan revolution of the 17th century, not to mention less depressed because, you know, carbs boost the brain’s release of serotonin, the chemical that keeps us calm and satisfied.

But there is more to the Philippine Christmas feast than the stuffed turkey, Brussels sprouts with chestnuts and sage, and roast potatoes Father Christmas was familiar with in the United Kingdom, of which we might have had a taste in the 20 months the British occupied the Philippines from 1762 to 1764.

Ours is a hodgepodge of influences drawn from over three centuries of Spanish rule, the hold the Americans have had—still do?—over us since 1898, when Spain sold us to them for only $120 million, and, long before we were named the Philippines after Spain’s King Philip II, centuries worth of trade and cultural exchanges with the Arabs, the Chinese, the Indians, the Javanese, the Japanese, and more. 

Mementos of our major colonial experiences with the Spanish and the Americans still find their way to our Christmas celebrations. From Spain, the Filipinos have incorporated the likes of jamon de bola, stuffings like relleno, embutido, galantina, and morcon, lechon or cochinillo, lengua, callos, chorizo, paella, and the ubiquitous queso de bola or Dutch Edam cheese, a staple on vessels sailing on world expeditions across uncharted waters, such as the Magellan flotilla and the Spanish galleon. The Americans, in turn, threw in pies, Spam, Vienna sausage, and fruitcake.  The Noche Buena table on every Filipino home is a journey across the world, packed with history and the forging and cutting of ties between nations.

But there are also regional variations within the Philippines. Bibingka, for instance, has many variants, such as bibingkang Mandaue that, unique to Mandaue, Cebu, was traditionally made with tuba to give it a kick. In Cavite, it is called bibingkoy, which comes with a filling of sweetened mongo and served with langka, sago, and coconut cream. In Davao, there is durian bibingka and, in Eastern Samar, what they call salukara is bibingka in the shape of a pancake.

There are many kinds of suman too, such as black rice suman from Baler, Aurora, suman sa lihiya in Laguna, suman moron in Leyte, and suman budbud in Dumaguete. In Pangasinan, it’s called tupig and in Bulacan pinipig and, in Cebu, it is best eaten with ripe mangoes.

The Philippines is an archipelago of 7,641 islands and many regions boasting of their own unique cultures, geophysical traits, and resources. Coupled with the influx of colonial influences as well as the yields of the Filipino diaspora scattered all over the planet, all that find expression not only in Fiipinos’ day-to-day living, but especially in occasions important to us, like Christmas.

Father Christmas should have learned an important lesson in 1647. Although it had been a dismal failure, they did cancel Christmas in the UK and they can attempt to do so again, as they have in other places in the world.

In the Philippines, however, nothing can stop Christmas, not a pandemic like this one that we have been grappling with for two years, not even all the health bulletins warning against obesity and excessive eating.

Nothing at all can ever cancel Christmas in the Philippines.

Lessons from the Visitation

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

          THE gospel of the 4th Sunday of Advent this year (Year C)

tells us of the many precious lessons we can learn from that beautiful

episode of Mary visiting her cousin Elizabeth soon after she learned

that she was going to be the mother of the Son of God and that her

aging and barren cousin was already heavy with child in her womb.

(cfr. Lk 1,39-45)

          In that gospel episode, it is mentioned that Mary went “in

haste.” It is an example worth emulating by everyone, for it is

clearly what is proper to us. A truly good person, a holy one so close

and identified with God, would be quick to serve everybody else,

because that is simply the expression of love. Love is always a matter

of deeds and service, and not just sweet words and good intentions.

          This eagerness to serve would really identify us with Christ

who is our “way, truth and life.” He being God became man to save us,

the greatest service anyone can do. And all throughout his earthly

life, serving was the constant rule that he followed. He was always at

the beck and call of anyone who had need of something.

          Definitely, to be able to serve, one has to be humble. And

that’s what we see in our Lady, and of course, in Christ, first of

all. Pride and all its allies would always extinguish any desire to

serve others. They only are interested in serving their own selves.

          We need to humble ourselves so that we can serve everyone,

and not just those whom we like. We have to serve even those whom we

don’t like and who may not like us. If we are truly humble, our spirit

of service would not make any discrimination among the people. We

would serve everyone, whether they deserve to be served or not.

          A Christian and Marian spirit of service would neither give

rise in us to a certain sense of entitlement and privilege because of

whatever claim of authority or superiority we may have over others.

          While it’s true that we obviously are entitled to our

rights, we should not feel entitled to privileges and favors that are

above our rights and needs. If they come and we cannot avoid them,

then let’s be thankful.

          But let’s be reminded that these privileges, favors and

blessings are meant for us to strengthen our desire to serve and not

to be served. But as it is, we should try to avoid them, since they

tend only to spoil and corrupt us.

          We have to be most wary when we happen to enjoy some

privileged positions or status in life because we tend to think that

we deserve more entitlements. And not only would we expect them. We

may even demand them for us.

          Remember what Christ said once: “Be careful not to practice

your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do,

you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.” (Mt 6,1)

          We need to acquire the mentality of a servant which is

actually the mentality of Christ himself. Let us readjust our human

standards to conform to what is actually proper to us as taught and

lived by Christ. We usually look down on the status of servants. This

has to change! We should be convinced that by becoming a servant we

would be making ourselves like Christ. Let’s say NO to entitlements.

* Chaplain Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE), Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

Typhoon 'Odette' maintains strength, now heading towards eastern part of Caraga

(Photo from PAGASA / MANILA BULLETIN)

Published December 16, 2021, 3:01 AM

by Dhel Nazario, Manila Bulletin

Typhoon ‘Odette’ has maintained its strength and is headed for the waters off to the east of Caraga region, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said on Thursday, Dec. 16.

As of 1:00 a.m. PAGASA said that the center of typhoon Odette was last seen 410 kilometers (km) East of Surigao City, Surigao del Norte. It is expected to make landfall in the vicinity of Dinagat Islands, Siargao-Bucas Grande Islands, or the northern portion of Surigao del Sur on Thursday afternoon.

Odette maintained its strength packing maximum sustained winds of 140 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 170 kph. Signal No. 3 was raised in the areas of Southern Leyte, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, the northern portion of Agusan del Norte, and the northern portion of Surigao del Sur.

Areas under Signal No. 2 include the southern portion of Masbate, the central and southern portions of Eastern Samar, the central and southern portions of Samar, Biliran, Leyte, Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental, Siquijor, Negros Occidental, Guimaras, Iloilo, Capiz, and the southern portion of Antique, the rest of Surigao del Sur, the rest of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, the northern portion of Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Camiguin, the extreme northern portion of Misamis Occidental, and the extreme northern portion of Zamboanga del Norte.

Meanwhile, the areas placed under Signal No. 1 were Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, Albay, Sorsogon, the rest of Masbate including Ticao and Burias Islands, Marinduque, Romblon, the southern portion of Quezon, the southern portion of Batangas, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, and the northern and central portions of Palawan including Calamian, Cagayancillo and Cuyo Islands, Northern Samar, the rest of Eastern Samar, the rest of Samar, Aklan, Antique, Capiz, and the rest of Iloilo, the northern portion of Davao Oriental, the northern portion of Davao de Oro, the northern portion of Davao del Norte, the rest of Misamis Occidental, the central portion of Bukidnon, the northern portion of Lanao del Norte, the northern portion of Lanao del Sur, the northern portion of Zamboanga del Norte, and the northern portion of Zamboanga del Sur.

Areas under Signal No. 3 are expected to experience “destructive typhoon-force winds” within 18 hours while “damaging gale-to storm-force” winds in areas under Signal No. 2 are expected within 24 hours and strong winds are likely to prevail within 36 hours in areas under Signal No. 1.

Heavy rains expected

Starting Thursday evening, (Dec. 16) heavy to intense with at times torrential rains may be experienced over Caraga, Misamis Oriental, Camiguin, Southern Leyte, and Bohol. Moderate to heavy with at times intense rains over Leyte, the southern portion of Eastern Samar, Leyte, Cebu, Siquijor, Negros Oriental, Zamboanga del Norte, Lanao del Sur, and the rest of Northern Mindanao.

Light to moderate with at times heavy rains over Bicol Region, Davao Oriental, Davao de Oro, Davao del Norte, and the rest of Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, and mainland Bangsamoro.

From Thursday evening (Dec. 16) through Friday evening (Dec. 17) heavy to intense with at times torrential rains may prevail over Central Visayas, Western Visayas, and Palawan including Calamian Islands, Cuyo, and Cagayancillo Islands.

Moderate to heavy with at times intense rains over Bicol Region, Zamboanga Peninsula, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Romblon, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, and the rest of Visayas. Light to moderate with at times heavy rains over Caraga, Quezon, the southern portion of Aurora, and the rest of Northern Mindanao and MIMAROPA.

Beginning Friday evening (Dec. 17) through Saturday evening (Dec. 18), heavy to intense with at times torrential rains over the central portion of Palawan including Kalayaan Islands is possible. Moderate to heavy rains over Aurora, Quezon, and the rest of Palawan may also be experienced, said PAGASA.

“Under these conditions, scattered to widespread flooding (including flash floods) and rain-induced landslides are expected especially in areas that are highly or very highly susceptible to these hazard as identified in hazard maps, and in localities with significant antecedent rainfall,” it added.

A moderate to high risk of storm surge of up to 3.0 meters in height which may cause flooding in the low-lying coastal localities of Central Visayas, Iloilo, Guimaras, Negros Occidental, Eastern Samar, Southern Leyte, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, and several localities in the northern portion of Palawan including Calamian, Cuyo and Cagayancillo Islands, Antique, Camiguin, Leyte, Agusan del Norte, and Davao Oriental is possible.

Typhoon Odette is likely to move generally westward after its expected landfall and cross several provinces in Central and Western Visayas regions before emerging over the Sulu Sea on Friday morning (Dec 17).

After passing near or in the vicinity of either Cuyo or Cagayancillo archipelago, this tropical cyclone is likely to cross the northern or central portion of Palawann Friday afternoon or evening (Dec.17) before emerging over the West Philippine Sea.

PAGASA said that further intensification is expected from Thursday (Dec. 16) typhoon crosses the Philippine Sea and may reach a peak intensity of 155 kph prior to its landfall.

Odette may slightly weekean, according to PAGASA as it crosses northeastern Mindanao, Visayas, and Palawan, but it is likely to remain within the typhoon category. Re-intensification is likely once it emerges over the West Philippine Sea. However, weakening may ensue beginning Sunday (Dec. 19) as the typhoon becomes exposed to increasing vertical wind shear and the surge of the northeast monsoon.

Being Decisive

By Engr. Carlos V. Cornejo *

Herbert Prochnow said, “There is a time when we must firmly choose the course which we must follow, or the relentless drift of events will make the decision for us.”  I totally agree.  Life is full of decision-making processes.  By the time we wake up options are already made available to us. In fact, the very time we get up from bed is in itself a decision we have to make.  We can choose to get up from bed by the time the alarm clock rings or decide to sleep some more.  

The drift of events Herbert Prochnow mentioned can refer to circumstances in life or persons around us that could decide things for us.  Usually, we make certain goals in life such as to finish college, to work abroad, to start our own business, etc. as our guide in making everyday decisions.  We normally ask ourselves before making a decision, “Is this activity going to bring me closer to my goals or not?” If we don’t have a firm resolve to stick to our goals, instead of spending time studying for an exam for example we could easily make excuses such as “going out with my barkada won’t be a big deal, I only do it once in a while anyway”.  But before you know it you’ve already been hooked to the group.  

We ought to follow Kenneth Blanchard’s advice: “There is a difference between interest and commitment.  When you’re interested in doing something, you only do it when it is convenient.  When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.”  The word commitment means you are going to fulfill your promise such as fulfilling your commitment to marriage, or your commitment to your boss in the office.  If we have made a commitment to get good grades for example so as to land a good job later, deciding whether to have a night out with our friends or go study for an exam will be not be a tough decision to make.  

Often times the dilemma in decision making especially for managers is not to make a decision until all data is available.  Waiting for additional information or data before making a final decision is a prudent thing to do especially if an important data is crucial to the decision we have to make.  But if you are racing with time and any delay could make the situation worse, then you’ll have to decide as best as you can.   US President Harry Truman once said, “Some questions cannot be answered, but they can be decided.”  Even when we do not have all the facts available, we usually have all the facts needed to make a decision.  

Of all matters, we have to be decisive with spiritual ones.  If we are neutral in spiritual matters, we’ll eventually find ourselves operating against heaven.  The Bible says to let the peace of God rule in our hearts (Colossians 3:15).  It tells us how to decide on things, especially the important things in life with the peace of Christ as an umpire in our hearts.  His peace can literally say “out” to that relationship and say “safe” to that business idea.  Consulting our decisions with God through prayer is a very wise and prudent thing to do.

* Former Chairman of the Electronics Engineering Department of Mary Our Help Technical Institute, a Don Bosco Engineering School for Women in Minglanilla, Cebu.  Teaches subjects on engineering, business, values and Catholic doctrine.  Has Masters in Business Administration from University of San Carlos and Masters in Telecommunications Engineering from University of Melbourne.  

Continuing discipleship

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

          WE, of course, are meant to be ‘another Christ.’ That is our

radical identity, since we have been created in God’s image and

likeness. And since Christ as the Son of God is that perfect image God

has of himself, we can say that we are patterned after him, and as Son

of God who became man, Christ is the savior of our damaged humanity.

          We have to understand though that for us to be truly

‘another Christ’ would require the supernatural power of God. We

cannot achieve that status by our powers alone, although we have to

put ourselves in the proper condition to be elevated to that dignity.

It is Christ who will do it for us, but, of course, with our free

cooperation.

          This is where the duty for us to be Christ’s disciples comes

in. To be ‘another Christ’ we need to constantly look for him, find

him, follow him, love him and do the things he wants us to do. That,

in a nutshell, is what Christian discipleship is all about. We have to

find ways of how we can turn this theoretical definition of Christian

discipleship into a living reality, spanning our whole life.

          We are reminded of this truth of faith about ourselves in

that gospel episode where John the Baptist sent two of his disciples

to see Christ and ask him if Christ was really the one they were

expecting or whether they should still look for another one. (Lk

7,18-23) Let’s hope that the need for us to be Christ’s disciples is

sharply and abidingly felt by us.

          At the moment we can examine ourselves if we have the proper

understanding of the ultimate purpose of our life, the ultimate status

and dignity that is meant for us, that is, we are supposed to be

‘alter Christus.’ We also need to ask ourselves whether we realize

that we need to be a true disciple of Christ to put ourselves to

become ‘alter Christus’ ourselves, as God wants us to be.

          To be a true disciple of Christ requires us first of all to

look for him and find him. Encountering Christ should not be a

problem, since Christ is always with us. It’s rather us who have to

learn to acknowledge his presence and to start dealing with him. We

should have the same interest in Christ as those who first met Christ

had.

          From the gospel of St. Matthew (8,18-22), we have this

interesting episode of a scribe who approached Christ and said,

“Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” He must have felt such a

serious admiration for Christ that he had to say this intention and

his willingness to follow Christ wherever he would go.

          To which Christ responded by telling him what to expect.

“Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man

has nowhere to rest his head.” In other words, to be Christ’s disciple

is no joke. It will entail extreme difficulties and inconveniences.

          We can get an idea of the kind of difficulties we can expect

as a disciple of Christ when someone told him, “Lord, let me go first

and bury my father.” But Christ answered him saying, “Follow me, and

let the dead bury their dead.” This can only mean that we have to be

willing to leave everything behind, even those who are dear to us,

just to follow Christ.

          We have to understand then that to be a true disciple of

Christ we have to learn how to be properly detached from everything in

our life.

* Chaplain Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE), Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU IN LIFE?

What counts: Faith? Hope? Charity? Very often I ask myself: What's the sense of doing like and like that? What's the real meaning of life?

Nearly every morning, we get up and hurry to work. We see so many remorseful faces of people as if there are full of problems that a smile to them is like a sunbeam trapped behind the black clouds. Yes, sure, in these pandemic times, many of us might have already forgotten to smile.

Whether in good or bad times, our day at the workplace or in the home office goes on with our colleagues, employees or employers. And leisure time is there, no matter how great or small our zest for life is. 

So, we live our life in a logical sequence: day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year.  Every day is a cycle of life: every morning is like a birth and every night like a death.

But how do we live our life? Often we can notice people living an easy-go-lucky way of life. Others feel good and satisfied when they can make someone else's life hell. Others have to escape with their bare life while still others experience life-and-death-struggle.

What counts for us? Success? Power? Or money? Is it contentment? Peace on earth and in our souls? Really zest for life? 

If I observe people who really choose to be unhappy even without any reason at all, I feel sad. Being unhappy makes life miserable. Whatever happens around me, I don't like to be unhappy. For me, the meaning of happiness is to try to manage life even with problems and difficulties. Easier said than done! I know, I know.

The Bible states that love is greater than both faith and hope. We couldn't live our lives without faith or hope: without faith, we cannot know the God of love; without hope, we would not endure in our faith until we meet him face to face. Thus, love is the virtue upon which all Christian faith and hope now stand.

Dinah Maria Mulock Craik (20 April 1826 – 12 October 1887) was an English novelist and poet. Allow me to quote her, "When faith and hope fail, as they do sometimes, we must try charity, which is love in action".

Ano ang mahalaga? Paniniwala? Pag-asa? O kaya pagbibigayan at pagtutulungan?

LPA off east of Mindanao develops into tropical depression

Photo courtesy of Dost_Pagasa Facebook page

IVAN REY R. TAN, SunStar

THE low pressure area outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) has now developed into a Tropical Depression (TD).

Based on the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) Tropical Cyclone Advisory Number One issued at 11 a.m. Sunday, December 12, 2021, the center of the tropical depression was located at 2.095 kilometers east of Mindanao.

The tropical depression is expected to enter the PAR on Tuesday, December 14, and will be named “TD Odette.”

Due to favorable environmental conditions, the tropical cyclone will likely continue to intensify and may reach the Typhoon Category with a maximum sustained wind of 120 kilometers per hour.

According to the forecast of Pagasa, by the evening of December 15 or the morning of December 16, the tropical cyclone will begin to move westward and may make landfall over the Eastern Visayas-Caraga area.

The highest possible wind signal that may be hoisted for this tropical cyclone is Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal Number Four.

Doing God’s will

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

          WE need to realize more deeply the crucial role of doing the

will of God in our life. We have to understand that it is doing God’s

will that would make us his image and likeness as we are meant to be.

It’s how we live our life with God, as it is meant to be. This truth

of faith should be very clear in our mind and should be made an

operative principle in our daily life.

          We are reminded of this truth of our faith when Christ

talked about the two sons who were asked by their father to work in

the vineyard. (cfr. Mt 21,28-32) The first said, yes, but actually did

not go, while the second said, no, but eventually went.

          Christ concluded, of course, that of the two, it was the

second who did the father’s will which is what is truly important.

It’s an episode in the gospel that somehow wants to convey the truth

that it is in obeying and doing God’s will that we truly become his

image and likeness.

          No wonder then that Christ said that the greatest

commandment is to love God with our whole heart, which, in concrete

terms, means that we have to carry out God’s commandments. St. John in

his first letter said as much: “This is the love of God, that we keep

his commandments.” (5,3)

          We have to find ways of how we can always feel the impulse

and the urge to be guided by God’s will and commandments rather than

simply guided by our own will. We have to realize more deeply that our

will cannot and should not be working simply on its own, and that by

working on its own puts it in a dangerous condition. Our will needs to

be always referred to and be animated by God’s will.

          For this purpose, we may have to develop certain practices

of piety that would help us in this direction. Like, spending time in

prayer, in meditation, in regularly reading the contemplating the

gospel, in rectifying our intentions, referring them always to God. We

have to develop virtues like humility, detachment, holy purity,

patience and optimism, fortitude, etc.

          Very important in this regard would be to familiarize

ourselves with the teaching, deeds and the very life of Christ

himself, fully convinced that he is the very pattern of our humanity.

We have to make Christ alive in us to such an extent that we can truly

say that we are “alter Christus,” another Christ, as we are meant to

be.

          In this regard, we have to be convinced that our life should

also be a liturgical life, since it is in the liturgy where the whole

mystery of Christ and his redemptive work is made present and

effective in our life. It is in the liturgy, especially in the Holy

Mass, where we can most fittingly do our part in corresponding to that

whole mystery of Christ and his mission. It’s where we can be one with

him, sharing in his redemptive mission.

          We need to feel the need for doing a widespread catechesis

on this truth of our faith. With gift of tongue and making use of

today’s powerful technologies, let us reach out to others, leading

them to realize the crucial role that doing and living God’s will has

in our life.

          Just like what St. Paul once said, we have to “preach the

Word, be prepared in season and out of season…” (2 Tim 4)

* Chaplain Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE), Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

THOU ART THE ONE

The faults we see in others often reveal our own imperfections. We frequently criticize our own shortcomings when we see them in others. 

Very often, we hear from friends and others things they seem to hate. They even criticize others about their looks or activities during weekends, vacations or off days. 

In social networks, we are able to read comments and posts in a very bad manner about other people's houses and gardens. 

Most of the time, gossiping ruins one's life. Gossips come about because of envy. 

I know it's not that easy. But why not try to love the unlovables instead of giving them so many negative comments. And one step further: why not examine ourselves first before criticizing others?

Upon examination of my own life, I am annoyed when others are late for an appointment and keep me waiting. I feel angry when parents speak harshly and treat their children cruelly. I feel upset when individuals in a meeting monopolize the conservation. I could give you more and more examples, my dear readers.

But, at such times when I look inward, I hear the words, "Thou are the one"! I realize that imperfections I see in others are often my own.

When the Lord looks at us, He sees not only what we are but what He enables us to become. Very important - we can learn not to expect  too much for ourselves that we become discouraged. The grace of God does not change us unless we respond. It can change our outlook and with our outlook, our attitudes. With changed attitudes, we can become whatever we would never be.

Kindness, helpfulness, hospitality, obligingness, ready to do favors - and our moment of virtue  will not be destroyed by time's storm. Love and mercifulness from the bottom of our heart shared with people who will cross our path - and nobody will forget us.