Season's Greetings! During this wonderful season, in the hustle and bustle of shopping,
decorating, cooking and attending parties, it is important that we sit back and reflect on
why we are celebrating Christmas, so that we may not forget the reason for the
season....
God sent the Archangel Gabriel to Nazareth, in a town in Galilee to deliver a message
to a young girl named Mary: "And the angel went to her and said, 'Hail, O favoured one, the
Lord is with you'." The herald's message bore not only of miracles and wonders, but also
a daunting preposition whose success depended on the young girl's 'yes'. So one Christmas
night long ago, the Son of God stepped out of eternity and came into the world as a baby,
lying in a manger, totally dependent on His earthly mother and adoptive father. The Son of
God in flesh and blood strikes us as beneath the dignity of a God, who is an all-powerful
creator. Who can explain it? Who can tell why? This is the greatest mystery of all time!
We receive a lot of messages everyday from different people, via email, letters,
voicemails, or even text messages. Some messages are filled with encouragement and bring
good cheer; some messages can be daunting. All of us are inundated with messages daily,
but we must never forget the greatest message of all - that God loves us and that He became
man so that He could reach out to us, so that we could become one with Him.
Gift giving and sharing our love for one another is important, but what is more essential
is how we are willing to give our life as a gift to God and to start living a life that is
pleasing to Him. Let us not forget that we need to desire in our hearts to love Jesus
above everything else and to serve Him with faithfulness. If we put Him first above the
hustle and bustle of our everyday life, God will, in turn, give us the gift of joy and
peace.
During this Christmas season, let's remember the reason Jesus came into the world. We can
all glorify Him and praise His Holy Name through our daily lives if we fully understand the
meaning of His birth.
May each one of you have a blessed Christmas and a glorious New Year!
- The Tolentino Family (Rolly, Chrys, Rvie, Josiah, and Elijah)
