By Atty. Howie Calleja
A blessed Christmas Season to everyone and Advance Happy New Year. “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means God is with us” (Matthew 1: 23). As Christians, we are also “Emmanuel”; God is with us, for we have become God’s loving presence amidst people.
Being “Emmanuel” to others means far more than “being saved” and experiencing God’s blessing in our lives. As believers, his presence becomes a very personal part of who we are and what we do–God actually shares himself through us! The language that we use often fails to capture the depths of God’s nurturing presence, the fullness of his Spirit permeating the hearts of others, and the innermost infusion of his presence in other’s lives through us.
As such the volunteerism in 1SAMBAYAN is our humble way of living-out the Christmas Message of Being Emmanuel, of Becoming a Being for Others. We are “created in Christ Jesus unto good works.” We are not saved by good works, but saved unto good works. God helps us to reach people that are otherwise unreachable, change minds that seem to be unchangeable, and bring new understanding to people hopelessly confused by our country’s current status quo.
Moreover, experiences no matter how negatively we sometimes perceive them can always be channeled to yield a more positive harvest. Hope is the message of Christmas and a new hope for our country is what we are looking forward to in 2022. All our anxieties and doubts for 2022 must be directed towards the positive prospect this New Year brings. Instead of fretting over the numerous political and economic predictions we can never fully control, we should start taking charge of own political and economic future by making sure that we elect worthy men and women in the 2022 Polls. Our nebulous foresight of this country’s future is only as vague as we would allow it to be.
The birth of our Lord Jesus Christ shows us that leadership is not given in a silver platter nor is it by self-entitlement. Ones gold and wealth will also not bring true leaders rather true leadership is being with the people through humility truth and love.
In conclusion, allow me to share with you a poem as a New Year’s reflection for us to ponder:
Living each day wouldn’t be such a bore,
If meaningful routines would be at its core.
Finding substance in each day-to-day encounter,
Depends on how “time well spent” we can truly muster.
Sundays are days dedicated to the Lord,
Thus in prayer, one must fulfill this accord.
From Mondays to Fridays at work we must be,
So let’s “do our best,” and strive with glee.
For in these days we try to “earn a living,”
To secure our basic needs, and concentrate on surviving.
But on Saturdays, time with our families we must dedicate,
Because balancing career and love is really so delicate.
For our days will only find true meaning,
If Faith, Family, and Work are equally prospering.