The reason for the season has long been forgotten. Santa Claus is more popular than the birthday celebrant. All that matters now are the material things; the spirituality is gone. Let’s put back the true essence of Christmas – the glorious birth of Lord Jesus Christ.
AVV1210
I have observed the complete transformation of the true essence of Christmas. From its spiritual nature to festivities centered on material aspects. Have you observed parties and gathering during Christmas time where the celebrant was never invited? Has anybody sang a Happy Birthday song to Jesus on his supposedly birthday? We are lucky because during our birthday, we are the center of the festivity and we are greeted with a happy birthday song. Sad but true, Christ is nowhere to be found on his birthday.
THE WRONG CONCEPT OF GIVING:
During Christmas, we give away the best gifts to our rich and affluent friends and love ones because we fear that our gift will be discarded or recycled while for some, it is their way of showing that they can afford to spend for special people. But is it the Christ way? According to Christ, whatever you have done to the least of my brother, you have done to Me. Special gifts for the rich will never be special; it will just be ordinary things for them. But special gifts for the poor will be a lifetime treasure for them. It was a lesson I’ve learned from my papa when he was still alive. He did give away the expensive shoes I gave him as a Christmas present to a poor friend, saying I just made your special gift into a lifetime treasure. Indeed, it was true. During my papa’s wake, I saw the man crying his heart out while holding the shoes –it was really transformed from a special gift into a treasure.
OUR WAY OF GIVING GIFT TO CHRIST:
While every body is praying to win the 700million lotto pot prize last month and promises to build a Church and help the poor people alleviate their lives upon winning, I have something else in mind – a special gift for the birthday celebrant this year. It must be special and something I have never done before in my life. I also wished to win the lotto but I also told myself that win or lose, I will make a church for the less fortunate brothers of Christ.
I found a small dilapidated chapel or church — don’t really know how to categorize or differentiate a chapel from a church based on my personal interpretation of church in the Bible. But I am sure that the building is halfway in falling down the ravine where it is standing. Upon my inspection, the building can no longer be saved therefore a new building must be constructed for the said church.
The truth is, nobody knows that I have no budget for that big project. All I have is a heart filled with desire to make something special for my Lord Jesus Christ on His birthday. I firmly believe that whatever I desire for God will be possible no matter what.
But there are some minor and major problems that must be addressed. For instance, the lot has not been donated to the congregation or the church authorities yet. So, asking for a sign from heaven, I did ask the owner of the lot to finally make a deed of donation so that my group and I can help them. After a week or two, I was notified that the deed of donation was finally made and now the ball is in my hands.
As a building contactor, after assessing the whole project, I know it will be impossible for us to finish the church in time for Simbang Gabi. It is also impossible for me to fund the project because I don’t have at hand the money needed for the said project. What I do have in hand is a little budget, a big heart, a strong belief on God, and love to my fellow Catholics in the area.
Then one Sunday, I made a final visit and assessment of the project. After which, I told myself, if I will have a dream about this project for the whole night, then I will start with the reconstruction of this church and finish it within a week, even if I don’t have the budget for this.
Lo and behold, that night, I dreamt I was working on the church from soil to roof. Even though I was interrupted with several trips to the comfort room, the dream just keeps on coming back. The first thing I did the following morning was I mobilized friends and believers who believes that doing good for man is the same as doing good for God. At noontime, we already started with the construction. At first it was very slow-phased, and based on my assessment, it is impossible to finish within a week.
But I only have one week of free time and so does majority of the volunteers. So every day, we try to exert more of what we can even at the darkest of night. On the sixth day, Saturday, I wave the white flag — to finish the project on Sunday as planned, we will need a miracle. Especially since our cash has run out and we still needed so much material is still needed.
But as a true blooded warrior of God, I told myself, miracles do come at the last moment, spontaneously and in a flash. So I prepared myself and my group on the last day to give what we have and what we got. In the morning, we were happy to see people coming from all over to help. Some of them are total strangers to the community and to us. But whoever they are does not matter, what matters is that they are willing to extend their hands to finish the church. The supplier of materials suddenly allowed me to pay for the materials at a later date. By noontime, the tide has change; we know we can do it. By nighttime, it was already finished and we have a little prayer and sharing inside the newly built church for the least brothers of Christ – for Christ’ birthday on December 25, 2010.
The church was completed with the hands of the poor and the penny from the pocket of daily wage earners. No rich and hypocrite men of the society were involved; just ordinary people whose little money they have is their treasure; whose week-long services will result to one week of lesser meal for their families because they help built the church.
The church is a modest building compared to the cathedral that we knew. But surely, how it was made is NOTED in heaven not because of me but because the people who moved as One for the glory of God.
Yes, they are poor, some are less in knowledge, some are still young to work for they are still kids, some are even old enough to rest, and some are known to be bad in the community. One volunteer named Jun Adamos who was so poor and dying donated all his savings for the church before he died. These people may be less in life but rich in heaven because this year they have given a GIFT FOR CHRIST.
Do you have a birthday present to Christ this year? Have a Christmas with Christ this year; it is the real essence of everything.
