We are giving way to the Message of His Excellency, Socrates B. Villegas, Archbishop of Lingayen Dagupan, on the occasion of the world’s celebration of Christmas.

CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

Christmas in the Philippines this year 2014 carries an added reason for excitement. In a few weeks Pope Francis will be visiting our country. Although we believe in faith that God is always with us, we also know in our hearts that the coming of the Pope to the Philippines is a renewed affirmation of the love of God for us. When Pope Francis comes, he brings to us Jesus Himself, the Word made flesh, Emmanuel, God-with-us.

The Pope himself has expressed repeatedly that the focus of his visit must be Jesus Christ. He comes to us to pay homage to Christ who is already in our country even before the start of the papal visit. The papal visit is Jesus in the Pope visiting Jesus in the Filipino. What a wonderful moment of grace!

Christ is in all of us. Christ is in our poverty. Christ is in our prosperity. Christ is in our hunger. Christ is in our plenty. Christ is in our storms and calamities. Christ is in our progress and tranquillity. Christ is in our dark nights. Christ is in our sunny days. Christ is always with us.

Indeed that is the message of Christmas. God is not far beyond our reach. God has become small, small like a baby, to make it easier for us to reach him; to carry him; to hug him and caress him; to embrace him and kiss him.

As we thank God who has chosen to be so near, in fact to dwell right in our hearts, let us also beg the Lord to open our eyes and hearts that we may always see the wonder of His tender love everyday of the coming year in everything that happens, in every person we meet, in every moment of our lives.

Maligayang Pasko po sa lahat!

 

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What P-Noy sorely lacks

 SEEMINGLY, it has become a habit.  President Aquino’s slow reaction to the mess at the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) brought about by the bizarre discovery of at least 17 convicted drug lords still apparently engaged in their illicit trade inside their prison cells is another proof to that.  Instead of immediately relieving NBP officers and ordering a massive probe, Mr. Aquino dilly-dallied once more.  He was also like that in the 2010 Luneta hostage tragedy, in the 2013 “Yolanda” calamity and most recently in both the Purisima fiasco and in the Ona onus of vaccination brouhaha.  Slow to act, but fast to react—often with belligerence—when hit by the media.

Good leadership has always been defined by decisiveness and by being there the very minute an issue erupts.  Sadly, the President sorely lacks so much of that.  He is now into his “last two minutes.”  About time he shaped up.

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