To my dearest son. Here are the things that you always do that makes me truly happy :

1. when you come home from school and immediately do your homework without being pushed ;

2. when you eat the vegetables served at every meal without complaining ;

3. when you comply with your bedtime and say your prayers before sleeping ;

4.  when you oblige to help in house chores during your free time ;

5. when you clean up every mess  you make and keep your toys at the designated place after playing ;

6. when you assist at Sunday masses ;

7. when you watch movies with me on weekend evenings ;

8. when you talk to me when you have problems and difficulties ;

9. and lastly , when you give me a kiss and a hug to tell me that you love me.

I was organizing the files of my son today and I came upon  these old photos taken during  the Christmasses passed by. I never realized how time flies until I saw these photos and my son was just this small when these were taken.

JM sitting in front of  the image of the Holy Child.

Standing at the foot of a gigantic X’mas tree and Poinsettias.

X’mas tree at home.

The Manger

JM standing at the front of the Giving Tree after the CCD X’mas Pageant 2005.

We’ve been waking up to really cold and foggy mornings, experiencing short days and long nights and our thick clothes are now out of the closet because of the cold weather. One of the signs that Christmas is just around the corner. Quite ironically, shopping malls in this predominantly Buddhist country are all decked up for the coming holidays since early this month.  Christmas decorations are sold everywhere you go, church choirs practicing Christmas carols, Christmas songs being played in the airwaves, people doing their  early Christmas shopping  and many other signs that the most awaited day of the year is fast approaching. Have we ever thought of the relevance in our lives  of all these visual signs of Christmas ? Do these reflect the real meaning of the season dedicated for the birth of our Saviour ? These things being part of our culture, we cannot avoid. I myself, do my yearly Christmas shopping early, mail cards a month before Christmas and decorate my home early for the holidays. But these do not mean that I give more importance to the “physical” aspect of Christmas. I do these things way ahead of time, to give me an  opportunity to contemplate more on the real meaning to the season. The “physical” aspect of Christmas is in my opinion a distraction that prevents us from reflecting on the spiritual meaning of the birth of Christ. I think we Christians should focus more on the real meaning of Christmas and  we can  start Christmas this year.

We’ve been to several places of worship and the last one we visited is a very old Chinese temple. Exploring places of worship of other religions is a good learning experience for my son. He learns  how the Catholic religion differs from Buddhism , Chinese religion, Anglican  etc.

Full view of the main temple.

JM at the temple door.

A contrast of the old and the new.

Smiling Buddha.

Monks chanting.

I have a new nephew ! My sister Belle gave birth last November 15th to a bouncing baby boy named Uriel. His birth gave a total of five grandchildren (4 boys and 1 girl) to my mom and dad. Baptism is scheduled before new year and I’m one of the godparents. Welcome to the family and God Bless Baby Uriel !

Jesus, You are the King of kings - You are sovereign in all situations. You conquer earthly kings and kingdoms and spiritual rulers of darkness; You have made us seated with You in the heavenly places. Jesus, You are the King of creation. Jesus, You are King of the universe.   Glory to You, Lord Jesus, You are Christ the King and You must reign till You have put all enemies under Your feet; till every evil force, every sickness and every sin is conquered.

- Praises to the Lord Jesus Christ

From Today’s Gospel :

Then he said,
“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
He replied to him,
“Amen, I say to you,
today you will be with me in Paradise.”

- Luke 23: 42-43

One of my favorite photo subjects is nature , flowers in particular. When I go to nature trips , parks and gardens I never miss taking pictures of these colorful wonders of nature. I feel refreshed when I see the greens and multi-colored blooms all around me. And if the situation permits , I would cut some stems to decorate my home and altar. Many of these flowers , I don’t even know the names , but it doesn’t matter , because their beauty remains in my memory.

Flowers are the sweetest things that God ever made and forgot to put a soul into.

- Henry Ward Beecher

Roses, and pinks, and violets, to adorn
  The shrine of Flora in her early May.

- John Keats

With Advent just around the corner, we are reminded once again of the four weeks devoted in preparation for Christmas. A way to prepare ourselves for a start is to do some reading on what Advent is all about and its importance to us as Christians. Family members, especially children  can participate in the preparation of the Advent Wreath , as we all know , the candles symbolize Jesus , the Light of the world ; the evergreens symbolize everlasting light ; the nuts and cones symbolize resurrection and the fruits symbolize  the fruitfulness of Christian life. Prayers are said every evening when the Advent wreath  is lit.  Most importantly, we should look at Advent  as a holy and pentitential season, always remembering , He is the reason for the Season.

JM’s toys and books shelf.

Come , all believers , and praise her who alone is without blemish , whom the prophets foretold , who was brought into the temple. From all eternity , she was predestined to be Mother. And in these last times , she has been revealed as Mother of God. Lord , by her prayers , give us your peace and abundant mercy.