Reinventing Christmas
It has been a long while since I shed so much tears over someone or something not very close to me. But how can one not be emotionally moved by the images of loss, grief, deprivation, and despair left by what is supposedly the strongest super typhoon to have made a landfall in the Philippines? How much tears and pain can one's heart hold, a dear friend and I found ourselves asking each other through SMS one morning. The survivors may not be blood relatives or close friends but I feel a certain affinity - because I'm a mother myself, because I'm a daughter myself, because I'm a friend myself. And yes, because I am a member of the human family.
Finally leaving the comforts of my home-office last Friday and hoping to get my son immersed in relief work, we tried to volunteer with two organisations. Both turned us down. One only needed volunteers for the graveyard shift or ones who could help in downloading goods from the trucks (my left arm and hand were inutile because of tendonitis so this was not an option). The other had a surplus of volunteers and would not let a minor in. I was slightly disappointed that my son would not have his share of volunteering now, but I also felt a sense of joy knowing that many hearts were touched and hands opened to reach out to the survivors.
While walking on the way home, I saw all the beautiful Christmas decorations in the mall. Gigantic Christmas trees glowing with warm colors from Christmas lights, Christmas ornaments of dove and other Christmas symbols, poinsettia of different sizes, Santa Claus engaged in different activities, garlands of different colors. Complementing the beautiful decorations was the sound of Christmas carols. Christmas is indeed in the air. Before I could fully enter into the warm feelings that sights and sounds like this would normally evoke in me, images of the survivors and victims of Haiyan filled my mind. And I started crying. Right there in the middle of the mall.
How, oh how, can we celebrate Christmas with the usual lavishness and abundance when thousands of people are in grief and are barely able to eat a decent meal? How can we fully experience joy as we open the gifts prepared for us by our loved ones when many grieve over the loss of loved ones or might not have a single loved one left?
I was in deep thought while walking to the station and all the way home. Should we skip Christmas this year? No, we are not cancelling Christmas. Now more than ever, we need to celebrate Christmas. But we need to reinvent Christmas. Or, perhaps more accurately, we need to retrace our path to the true essence of Christmas. We need to turn to the stories of the incarnation, annunciation, nativity, and epiphany which are all filled with stories of hope and self-giving. How the Father, in His great love and mercy for humanity, gave the Son He loved so dearly for all of us. How Mary, in fidelity to the will of God, said yes to something that could have meant the loss of her beloved Joseph and of her very life for conceiving outside of marriage. How Mary and Joseph kept on despite the challenges of finding a place for the great One to see light, sustained by nothing but love for and faith in God. How the three wise persons, single-minded in their purpose and generous with their gifts, were led by the star to Him whom the prophets spoke of.
These stories of hope and great love and faith are what we need to keep us going amidst a tragedy like this. These stories best express the truest essence of Christmas. That night I slept feeling a little less depressed reassured of what I've always known: there is meaning in all these. I slept more hopeful and at peace as I prayed for the grace to trust that the stories of Christmas will inspire greater generosity in me and in others to walk with our brothers and sisters as they rebuild their homes and lives.
Finally leaving the comforts of my home-office last Friday and hoping to get my son immersed in relief work, we tried to volunteer with two organisations. Both turned us down. One only needed volunteers for the graveyard shift or ones who could help in downloading goods from the trucks (my left arm and hand were inutile because of tendonitis so this was not an option). The other had a surplus of volunteers and would not let a minor in. I was slightly disappointed that my son would not have his share of volunteering now, but I also felt a sense of joy knowing that many hearts were touched and hands opened to reach out to the survivors.
While walking on the way home, I saw all the beautiful Christmas decorations in the mall. Gigantic Christmas trees glowing with warm colors from Christmas lights, Christmas ornaments of dove and other Christmas symbols, poinsettia of different sizes, Santa Claus engaged in different activities, garlands of different colors. Complementing the beautiful decorations was the sound of Christmas carols. Christmas is indeed in the air. Before I could fully enter into the warm feelings that sights and sounds like this would normally evoke in me, images of the survivors and victims of Haiyan filled my mind. And I started crying. Right there in the middle of the mall.
How, oh how, can we celebrate Christmas with the usual lavishness and abundance when thousands of people are in grief and are barely able to eat a decent meal? How can we fully experience joy as we open the gifts prepared for us by our loved ones when many grieve over the loss of loved ones or might not have a single loved one left?
I was in deep thought while walking to the station and all the way home. Should we skip Christmas this year? No, we are not cancelling Christmas. Now more than ever, we need to celebrate Christmas. But we need to reinvent Christmas. Or, perhaps more accurately, we need to retrace our path to the true essence of Christmas. We need to turn to the stories of the incarnation, annunciation, nativity, and epiphany which are all filled with stories of hope and self-giving. How the Father, in His great love and mercy for humanity, gave the Son He loved so dearly for all of us. How Mary, in fidelity to the will of God, said yes to something that could have meant the loss of her beloved Joseph and of her very life for conceiving outside of marriage. How Mary and Joseph kept on despite the challenges of finding a place for the great One to see light, sustained by nothing but love for and faith in God. How the three wise persons, single-minded in their purpose and generous with their gifts, were led by the star to Him whom the prophets spoke of.
These stories of hope and great love and faith are what we need to keep us going amidst a tragedy like this. These stories best express the truest essence of Christmas. That night I slept feeling a little less depressed reassured of what I've always known: there is meaning in all these. I slept more hopeful and at peace as I prayed for the grace to trust that the stories of Christmas will inspire greater generosity in me and in others to walk with our brothers and sisters as they rebuild their homes and lives.
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