SMALL GOD. Pope Benedict said that God decided to come as a small baby to fit in a manger because He is infinitely immense for us to grasp and understand. A baby is someone who needs help, care and love. And that is what I believe is still what the world needs and what we can give. But most people wanted to be big. That is why they cannot understand “small” people and “small” people cannot understand them. The possibility of help, care and love becomes small. The shepherds and the magi were able to see the “big” in the small child. “Big” Herod and the whole of Judea didn’t, even they know what the Scriptures say. ///// Someone commented that the MC Sisters are not known to be intellectuals. I said, that is why they can do without much intellectual protest service to the poor. Intellectual pride prevents us from doing the “small things” because we think we are big. We don’t want to do house chores, dirty our hands, ride public transportations, and eat in the sidewalk. We don’t want cheap ordinary clothes and gadgets. We miss our small God in these big opportunities. We get big heads and small hearts. Small babies and mangers don’t matter, only big egos and bank accounts. ///// WORD MADE FLESH. If God is love, He could not remain as Word only. Necessarily He has to be tangible and actual. That is why God lived among us. Jesus did not only talk about love but lived it. That is why He could tell us: love one another as I have loved you. Love then has to shown not only to be talked about. I am always amused with our chickens. There are good and bad hens. A good hen will break the food thrown to them so that the chicks can eat well. She scratches the ground and calls on her chicks to feed first. She will even build a perimeter and protect the food of her chicks from others. A bad hen will just eat by herself not minding if her chicks will eat or not. She doesn’t mind if others beat her chicks to take the food from them. A bad hen will be the first to run and abandon her chicks when the chicken hawk attacks the herd. A good hen will safeguard her young and even fight for them. Our best hen died defending her chicks against the chicken hawk. ///// If you have the chance to purchase or borrow the DVD “The March of the Penguins,” I guarantee that you will be amazed how Emperor Penguins take care of their young to preserve their species. They are better than us: “walking” 70 miles to the nesting ground in the chilling Antartica, and not eating for four months all for the sake of their young. The female and male Penguin take turns making sacrifices for their young. This is love, shown not only told. Christmas invites us again and again to make actual and tangible the words of our faith. Priest, parent, child, Christmas remain only words, they need to be en-fleshed! Francis of Assisi has this to say, “Preach the Gospel at all times, and sometimes, use words!” See? Preaching is about the preacher himself and his actions. Words may help, sometimes. //// LIGHT INTO OUR DARKNESS. “Let there be light!” are the first words in Creation. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone.” (Is 9:1ff from Midnight mass 1st reading) “I am the Light of the world,” says Jesus. And he adds, “Your light must shine before people that they may see your goodness and give glory to the Father in heaven.” There was a time that I wanted to stop making these blogs. I was thinking about just keeping to myself this journey. A friend even asked me politely if the blogs don’t brag about myself. I still continue to do so because of the encouragement of many. Actually, the blogs are my way of sharing the breaking of the Light into my darkness. The mission is my Christmas. I read somewhere that darkness in our lives happen more of our own choosing. We experience darkness because we turn off the Light. It is of our own making. Unmaking it will also be our choice. ///// I don’t know why I was sad this Christmas. Homesick? Maybe. I celebrated Christmas alone because Jimla slept over in Mabaruma. After the midnight mass, I went to the Presbytery, reheat some food, ate alone, watch a movie, and slept at 2am with nobody to share Christmas with. I just thought of the many who celebrated Christmas the same way I did. And I am okay again… ///// 28Dec2007 Holy Innocents; FRJimla's 11thyr