For those with special poignant Christmas
This piece is especially dedicated to all those who will celebrate a very poignant Christmas this year. Totally expecting to enjoy together another joyous celebration of love this December, families suddenly are faced with the unforeseen loss of loved ones!
About 40 have been reported dead with about 49 missing due to typhoon Urduja. The fatalities were reported in Samar, Biliran, Leyte, and Romblon where many of our country's vulnerable reside.
When will this country learn to protect the lives of our people and avoid any further deaths or injuries during typhoons and disasters? One cannot imagine the deep grief and pain of losing family members due to the typhoon and landslides, and most especially at this time when the families have been looking forward to spending another happy Christmas together.
We offer these grieving families for Your loving comfort, dear God. We lift up to You as well our prayers that their departed loved ones will cherish Your love and peace forever from now on.
There are again reports of bad weather coming this week. Let us join hands and hearts and pray for God to spare our people and our land from another devastating typhoon. Please, dear God, hear our prayers. Protect everyone from any further harm and danger. Kindly allow Your people to gratefully and joyfully celebrate Your Son's Nativity together as families.
On a personal note, we reach out and express our deep sympathy and prayers to the family of the late Tiburcio "Boy" M. Jabines. Their family has always been very close, doing things together, going out for happy trips together, even accompanying or visiting their daughter, Claire, during our class outings in the past!
To everyone's shock, Claire posted last week the following farewell message to her Papa Boy on Facebook: "Pa, I will really miss you. Goodbye, Papa Boy," and that their Papa Boy will be laid to rest on December 23 in Maribojoc Cemetery with Mass at the Holy Cross Parish of Maribojoc at 9 a.m.
May you now rest in God's eternal peace and love, Sir Boy. Dear God, please take care of Ms. Claire and her family and thank You for Your comfort and love for them all during this difficult period in their life.
Christmas will be very difficult to bear when loved ones have moved on or are very sick at the brink of death. Amid this joyous season, let us offer fervent prayers for the departed, the sick, the dying and for God's solace for their families.
Like Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, whose wife died tragically in a fire, the first Christmas without one's love will be "inexpressibly sad." It may be merry Christmas for others, but Longfellow wrote, "that is no more for me, there is no peace on earth."
In time, however, we pray that those who are mourning and grieving now may once again hear, "the bells on Christmas Day" and the "irrepressible sound of hope."May those who are now in deep grief and sadness, experience what Longfellow wrote-"Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: God is not dead, nor doth He sleep! The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, with peace on earth, good will to men!"
Wars and conflicts may proceed, threatening typhoons and disasters may come, pain and grief and tragedies may pierce hearts, but we reach out and embrace with our love and prayers those who may not hear the bells ring this Christmas. May God hug them so that Christmas will not stop for them-that they may experience that the Messiah is born for all with the promise: "I am making everything new!"
‘Amid this joyous season, let us offer fervent prayers for the departed, the sick, the dying and for God's solace for their families.’