As adults, we often lose that spark: the child’s ability to find happiness in the ordinary, to feel excitement in small things, to experience gratitude without excess.
“The giver of every good and perfect gift has called upon us to mimic God’s giving, by grace, through faith, and this is not of ourselves.” — St. Nicholas of Myra
The two huge Christmas trees in front of the sanctuary in the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd are slowly seeing star-shaped objects hanging on their branches. However, instead of these being mere ornaments, they are actually thanksgiving prayers or petitions.
The Ministry of Home Affairs held a law and order meeting on December 15 at the Secretariat to ensure security during the Christmas celebrations on December 25 and New Year’s Eve on December 31.
“Merry Christmas!” is the greeting you will hear many times during this season. Glorious though this greeting sounds, it sometimes masks the deeper meaning of Christmas, which is sadly reduced to being a festival when you ‘shop till you drop’.
Christmas this year will be gentler, perhaps tinged with tears, but also threaded with gratitude, for the years God granted, the love that deepened with time, and the priceless heritage of family.
Christmas embodies hope, the hope rooted in the birth of Jesus, the Light of the world. His arrival in a humble manger carries the promise of peace, renewal, and love.
Beyond the festive folklore, St. Nicholas of Myra emerges as a courageous and compassionate bishop whose real-life witness continues to inspire the Church today.
The Philippines is one of the largest sources of migrant labor globally. Millions of Filipino workers work overseas, contributing significantly to the economies of their host countries while simultaneously sending remittances back home.
