By Farah G. Decano

 

POPULAR among lawyers and law students, former Dean Chel Diokno was invited as resource speaker on the topic, “Right To Hope,” on December 5, 2022 at the College of Law of the Lyceum Northwestern University in Dagupan City.

Encouraged by his meekness and “masa” charm, I boldly manifested our wish that the former senatorial candidate teach at the LNU.  To justify this brazenness, I invoked my right to hope – to hope that a nationally known legal luminary will teach at the college where I sit as dean. To my amazement and to the delight of the students, faculty members, and university officials present in the event, he readily replied, “yes.”

When asked what subject he would like to handle, Dean Chel said he preferred to teach his favorite, “Human Rights.”  He expressed his hope that someday there will be more provincial advocates in this field.

Even to this day, we are still in awe.  The famous and well-respected Atty. Chel Diokno will be part of LNU faculty as a visiting professor.  We will try to adjust to his availability next year.  Please wait for our announcement!

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We always associate the Yuletide season with gift-giving.  Thanks to the three wise men who brought gifts to Baby Jesus on his birthday. They have become the unwitting precursors of material extravagance on Christmas day. Instead of good wishes, the so-called sages decided to bring the Son of God – gold, myrrh and frankincense.  What did He need those luxuries for?  

I cannot help but compare this Bethlehem scenario to a similar event from a famous fairy tale.  I remember the baptism of baby Aurora of the Sleeping Beauty fame.  The fairy godmothers seem to have given more sensible gifts to the new born girl.  They blessed her with virtues save for one.  Of course, we know how the story went. The penultimate wish came from a bitter witch who cursed Aurora with “death” but the last came from another good fairy who granted her with “hope”.

I have no intention to make the three wise men look foolish.  It was explained that the three expected the Son of God to be born in circumstances befitting a king, hence their expensive gifts.  I am sure that, after seeing the poor living conditions of Jesus, the sages must have given Him their blessings and wishes.  I wonder why this part was not included in the story of Bethlehem.  Had this been narrated too, Christmas today will be less materialistic.  

But what really should Christmas be like?  It is simply about love, forgiveness, hope, and gratitude.

Jesus was born into this world so that our sins may be forgiven.  Even if we committed hara-kiri as a sign of our collective repentance for the iniquities of Adam, Eve, and their descendants, this will never be enough atonement. It takes a God to placate an offended God.  He must have loved us so much that he offered his only Son as the sacrificial lamb to mollify the injustice committed against a divinity.

Why would the son of God even bother to take the form of a human being in this scheme of salvation?  Catechism taught us that God had to take an inferior form because the sins were committed by humans.  For a God to lower Himself to save His creatures reflects the magnitude of his Love.  He had to incarnate Himself so that a human who is also God can appease a transgressed God. 

How are the lessons of this great love story manifested in the now expensive tradition of gift-giving and merry-making? 

I don’t want to be the rain on your parade.  You may go ahead with this tradition.  There is nothing intrinsically evil about it anyway.  Just remember to end the day on your knees with gratitude.

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