Goodbye, 2012; welcome 2013!
It was a good and blessed old year, trial-tested and oftentimes stormy, but thank God, we have weathered through it in faith, to face new trials with strength gained from spiritual triumphs through adversity.
The Feast of the Holy Innocents on the 28th last month reminded us that this new year will further test us with the temporary and temporal “setback” for the Church with the signing of the contentious Reproductive Health (RH) bill into law. And we realize it should remind us in the Church that we might have probably failed to educate our faithful in their individual ethical and moral responsibility as parents, regarding cooperating with God in the creation of new life, and the irresponsibility of artificially terminating new life they have helped create irresponsibly.
So in the principle of the separation of State and Church, we may in conscience proceed responsibly in accordance with our faith and beliefs, while the State proceeds with its temporal responsibilities to others, especially the weak and untaught.
Then last Dec. 30th, we appreciated even more meaningfully than in past years, why Dr. Jose Rizal stood by his principles up to his death by firing squad at Luneta 116 years ago. That that same day this year was significantly the 100th anniversary of the transfer of his long-kept remains at his place of honor at the base of the monument honoring him there on Dec. 30th, 1912.
Years earlier, on Dec. 20, 1898, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo had proclaimed Dec. 30th as a national day of mourning in honor of Dr. Jose Rizal and other martyrs of the revolution against Spain two years earlier.
On Feb. 16, 1921, the Philippine Legislature proclaimed Nov. 30th every year as a national holiday commemorating the birth of Andres Bonifacio, founder of the Katipunan and his proclamation as a national hero. In a historical feature in the Philippine Daily Inquirer last Dec. 31st, Manuel Almario wrote wrote that “Rizal planted the seed of revolution; Bonifacio watered it.”
From my earlier “required” readings in Philippine history in the elemntary, then in high school, later in college, and in current studies reported in mass media which I continue to follow, I have learned that history is a continuing story of research and serendipitous discovery.
Back to the same day. Dec. 30th last month, we also commemorated the 75th anniversary of the proclamation of the National Language by President Manuel L. Quezon. He also proclaimed the day as National Language Day “in fulfilment of the cherished aspiration of Rizal.”
In faith, last Dec. 30th was the Feast of the Holy Family, prototype and model for the family we recognize today: Father (God in heaven; Joseph, the earthly father), Mother in Mary, and Child and Son in Jesus. Today, marriage is threatened by modern dissolution in divorce, and earlier, birth through conception (and later, possible death by euthanasia) by artificial prevention and even by possible abortion, hence the discord between State and Church with the current RH law.
Jan. 1st this New Year was the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, a model exemplar for our women and their children. Our Cebu Women’s Network and Legal Alternatives for Women (LAW) Inc. will continue to discuss our involvements for the safety and development of women and children, in our first monthly dyLA radio program, “Women’s Kapihan” this year on January 11th.
Before that, on Jan. 6th, we observe the Solemnity of the Epiphany (Manifestation) of the Lord (to the Gentiles), popularly referred to as the Feast of the Three Kings, who were actually the magi, wise men. Our Christmas season popularly referred to as the end (for us in the Philippines), of “the longest Christmas season in the world” starts to wind up on Jan. 6th, with Christmas carollers or mananaygon making one last “outburst” of carolling.
Personally, Jan. 6th is the birthday of my elder of two nieces, Stella Go, who was in Cebu last week to get together with friends and classmates from Cebu’s St. Theresa’s College, who have continued to keep in touch through time and distance. Stella was the daughter of my late younger sister Francisca who passed away at the age of 85 in 2010.
Jan. 6th this year is also the 25th anniversary of our Parish of the Alliance of Two Hearts here in Banawa, Guadalupe where we have been residing for some 45 years now. Our parish church building was built during the inspired parochial tenure in 1987 to 1998 of Msgr. (still Father Joe to many of us) Tajanlangit. He encouraged us parishioners to campaign for and contribute funds, materials, time, effort and prayers for the construction in putting up of our airy, modern church building, sans any foreign funding since he wanted us to appreciate what we parishioners had worked together for.
Jan. 6th is the first of a triduum of Masses by Banawa’s three parish priests, former and current. After Father Joe, Msgr. Roberto Alesna, and currently, Rev. Fr. Wendell Balbuena. The Silver Jubilee Pontifical Mass celebrant and homilist on Sunday, Jan. 6th, will be Cebu Auxiliary Bishop Julio Cortes.
In closing, let us remember in our prayers the peaceful resolution of the current “stand-off” at our Cebu Provincial Capitol; for the healing of former and oldest living United States President George H. W. Bush, United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; and Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, and the former Johannesburg statesman Nelson Mandela. And our prayers for the eternal rest of the soul of Bohol Second District Representative Erico Aumentado.
As I sat out on my porch last New Year’s Day, watching the little yellow butterflies flitting around, a rare, seen-again-after-so-long dragonfly alighting on a flower stalk, and a white-breasted shrike I think it was, after all the recent tragedies on man and nature, that there can be, as an optimist says, “no other way but up!”
Until next week, then, as always, may God continue to bless us, one and all!
