Things to Treasure in Our Heart

To be part of a family is one of the greatest blessings anyone should be THANKFUL. Every child is a blessing, a gift from God, and a gift from His creative nature. As soon as the baby is born, some parents already have high hopes and dreams for their children. Extended families, especially the grandparents would play and make wishes of how and who the child would be (future). Whatever our dreams for our children, may we not forget to create an atmosphere so they may grow to be strong, full of wisdom, the fear of the Lord instilled, and nourished by the word of God and the values of the Kingdom.

The first time I had a real encounter with Jesus came unexpectedly. I was in my last year of engineering studies when I met the Gen Youth group of the Focolare Movement. Their smile, the joy they radiate, and their genuine concern for one another impressed me enough to inspire me to change my life. For one, the way I see the world and how I want to live my life. The more I got to know their charism, the more excited I was to try it. The movement espouses the charism of UNITY the prayer of Jesus That all may be one(Jn. 17:21)and embracing Jesus forsaken: In my life, my brothers and sisters, and in every moment. I relearned the spirituality of how to love God, others, and myself.

In the eighties (80s), every time we entered a movie house, there was usually an usher/usherette with a flashlight who led us into the dark movie house and pointed us to our seats. Notice that the usher/usherette does not beam the light to his/her face but to the steps as we go up the balcony and eventually toward our seats. In the same way, John the Baptist gave us an example of how we are to testify by focusing the light on Jesus, who is the LIGHT.

Every time we hear the name of John the Baptist, we associate him with his identity and mission: He is not the Messiah but the precursor, the herald, the one who is to come and prepare the way of the Lord. Today, we hear in the Gospel how busy, dedicated, and diligent he is in his mission to Prepare the way of the Lord and make straight His path.

Waiting is part of everyday life. We wait at the doctor’s office, dentist, supper market, and restaurants, and for the traffic light to turn green, in line at gasoline stations, communion lines at the church, etc. There is hardly any place to go where people do not have to wait. People wait for their favorite season or holiday to plan to travel and visit family, take some vacations, go on a pilgrimage, and others to make a move to another place, etc.