Christmas with Christ

Media

Part of The Philippine Gazette

Title: Christmas with Christ
Language: English
Year: 1946
Rights
Fulltext: CHRISTMAS WITH CHRIST !h Rr,,. riant.· A. Zambra In the language of Saint Luke it says that "there \\·ere shepherds keeping their ilrn:k by night. "'hen, lo. the angel of tlic Lord came upon them, and the glory oi the LorJ shone upon them." and to their happy ears \\'ere uttered the good tidings of great jo1·. that unto them " ·ere born that dal' in the cin· of David a Sa1·ior. "'hich. \\·a., Christ ihc Lord. The place in "'hich the Lord "·as born wa,; associated "·ith po1·erty and humbleness. A. man must \\·ork hard if he ,,.a,,terl to live. The entire countn• and •he 11·hole \\'Orld \\'as corrupt. Kings and "1tlers 11·ere cruel. The1· \\'ere thirst1· of blood and ha1·ing no. moral stancfard. they practiced sla'1·en· and treated men as be;-sts of burden. It was a verv sinful world. That God could destro~ it but because of the rainbow it \\'as n~t done. Instead he sent His only begotten son here on earth, born as flesh to live on earth as man. tempted in all points as ordinary man will be. te!llpted, yet crnnmitted no sin .. . . ft \\'3S a perfc•:t example. If a man will follow Him. he could be perfect and live in this \\'Orld a jK'rfrd lifr. ~rlw 1.:it~ oi Sal·ra11H'11to (0111p!('1c"I ie:.: •kroration:' a tla\· heiore Ot·c\'rnlwr l:'t. That is ahead ;,i time. .-\11d tlw cil\· looks like a iairy land. It is ht•autiiul "·IH'IT\"l'r \·ou turn i n the h11sirw~ ... ... t·nio11 r>t. Ka,- a1:d lay Street-.: thi_, j, tht· mn:--t happ~· Chri:'tm:1" dailr p·.·1·11ic the :'tn·amin!.! on the :-idn·:a];, .... Jrt ,:'.: :'tore tn :'ton·: shopping like a111'. ·r !w·. ''·a:·;t<•d to hu ~· ;!iits ro he p1T"i.,-.r :·d !•' their l<)\Td 01:r~. a-.: rill· \\'i:-;t· .\J .. , ~ · ·,;:;: ti'(" 1-::?:->t ;if~HO:-"f _?()()!) \"t':1r.; ;t .~(I b~·1 0: ::~ !1· dwir p;·1·•io11s g i lt~ to th~· 111:t11;!('r. T11 i1 · fH'f':"."r·tl'· 1 to ;hr S;l\·i11r of th~· \\nrld. ·1 ·1w \Vi:-.l' \It·n from tl1t· Fast i...·a111r to \\Hf:-:.hip rhr S;l\·io ··. '!') 1·\· \'."·'.'l"i' ,.,.j c :·. ~c ; J thl'\' all kn .. ,._. th" ...;c ·rer... a11d k111J\dl'dgl' of rht· \\"orld \Tt rlwr ,·;1!nc tn , 1 .-o;·:'hip thl' I .ord. '!"hes:· m··r; \1:;irit1·d t•• he \~·isl'r anti he:t• .T ml'n. 'l'h:it is d h· r:·:lson \\-h\ ther 1·:111w from a di:-1.ranr plan'. _ iust fo h~· ;tt tl11 : i11si:.!11ifit.·;t1lf littl1· r~·· ··1 d llethld1em. I :!tcr in tht lifl' of l'hri~t r1of .. uh ki1•g:; and queen:-> \\"orshipcd H i!11 h11· :ol:-o m.;1s~cs of people "·ho \\"Crr poor ;111 d i'!POrant. For thcv \\"anted to hr \\"ist· aw.I ~~nod. 1~he\' h~n· sah·ation the minute they accept;·d Christ as the Lor1l oi their fi,·rs. This apnlics to all natinrio; of th<' 11·hole "·orl1l. Ii thev embrace an1l oc1·en:- Christ and mak.c..• th~· tl·a1.:hi11_ :.!:s ot" Christ the fou ndation oi their )!O\Trnrwnts, rhcr will be a great country rhe mosc progrt'ssin· for the tearhings of Christ is tht· most d rnamil.: a11d prorrrc..;:-;1vc. It is n·oluti~nan· and n·voftrtionar\' religion. I-I c ;aid tn His disciples .th:it tl~e n~\,. \\"i1·r needs a llC\\' skin and old 11·ine needs old skin. That means to say that ne\\' spirit of Christianitl' is onfy fit to a nc11· world . . . a new .social ~rdcr. That is the complett· brotherhood of men and nations. Thr.t, they must go together as brothers arc doing for the)' belong to one hnuse and one Father and that the)' arc all brothers. Wh)', men today do not think they arc all brother> for the other is "'hite and th<- other is bro\\'n, the other is vellow a:ul the other is black. But thev ~re all (Continued on :'\ext Pag~) -1-4( l'ontinul'd from Page H) ,.,istakl'n for th':\. are al I brothers tin·,· all c:-tm<· frn;n the ··ame Fatlu·1· nnl ~ gco;.!:ranll\ s:paratt'd thr:1' ;~nd the c·li1;1atl' madt·. th"lll l·harP:· e:-.:tl'rn:11l .. 1~11t till'\' arl" hrnthl"r.-.. 'rh··r ,,.;11 iin.11 it 011t l:;tcr tor th<·' realk do not k110\,. rh:t~ 10.!:1\. 'l'h · l·n;~<.1 ";1t:o .. .., tn·la~ i-. ti\ i11~ to p11t th:·•11 tn[!:ethl'r. '"rlw ti!l~\' c1i:11e-. 1.\-ht·1~ thn :ill ~rl't tOr!"'.'tllt"' "'•l ,1n111 i11,t ;,·-t· \\"orL\ (~o\Tl"Tl'll('llt '!")i,_·11 .~n1i 1111]; rh~·r1 ;h(' sonQ of the '"'.'··l ~1l!l11 \l' 1111 tli~· .11lain of /11\k.1 \\-ill 1·,):!:t ~n a r(·:di:,-. whl'n 1rn·n ,·1r11-.11l(· 1 ''.1l·11 1): 1•i·' :1 ... h··11the1· ... (~!on ... 1(1 (;fill 1·· 111 1· l1i_L:h·-... t~ :\n·l r.·1 (';11th ;l(' :H , : .:.!' 1u1; 1.1 : 11 tO\\ a rd n it'll ~ THANKSGIVING WITH GOD 'o\·i:rniwr ::?~th i~ :-t·t a~idt· here in the L nitl'd State:-. oi .-\1:1~ .. ·ica hr tlw pro··l:1111ation oi President ·rrum;111 as a cbl\ rif 'fhanksg:i\·ing. ·rh .. p .. ocJa~nation in·c-ludes that thrrl' "ill he appropriate .·t·rrmorn· and that tlw flaJ!S he displayed in all puhlic plan". 'The most appropriate is tht' du1rch. Th"t is the place oi the true Thanh,,i,·ing. There should be reading of the Holv Scriptures con~erning the care oi (;od to His children. singing of hvmns. prayers and sermon on the significance of the dal'. That is the true ceremonv and the t1~ue thanksgiving, before eating turkey ha,·e a word of prayer ... prayer ni thanks. Pray like this: "Our Father, Thou hast abu1Hlantlv blessed this earth on "·hich we live with g;reat harvests. Thou hast nrovided for mankind all things needful. Bless those who labor in the fields. :\Ia,· we ever rejoice in Thy goodness to us. Help '" not to forget all thv benciits. This is a good land in which ~\·e live. On this day of thanksgiving \\'e thank thrc for our food, our schools, books and manv churches, above all \\'e thank Thee fa·,. Thy Son, Jesus. :\Ia,· the \\·ord of the Psalmist be our praye.r: 'Bless the Lord 0 my soul; and all that is "·ithin me, bless His Holy Name.' Amen." EDlTORIAt The great majority of Filipinos in the L-1•ited States are comine- back to oaP-anism. The\ do not attend church! Their 1··iv<'> are. as bad. Few children would attrnd ii mu pick them un "·ith a car or taxi. The IO\-e of Caci is not supreme annnorc in th·:ir hearts. Thev have ~one to;, tar in the worlclh· thinr-s and thev an· foren·r lost. It ~rc-·~1.:; the:-e is no hope for their redemption. Th"r onh· stri,·e to a:tencl to the "hurch. servi~es ii they need something. That is ii th .. ,· ask a iarnr irom the preacher or help irom the fe\\· that are i" the rhurch but aft"r that the\· forget. That is not the nor:nal Christianitl'. Several \'ear~ aero here in S1crnnrnto Filiniros h;1d a funeral and the\· invited a Catholic priest to orea"h the funeral s--rn•on. Th·: n··iest looked first ?t the good cro"·rl :•n·l ti1en ber~an to talk. The priest told tlu-111 th:it 11 \·ou have forgotten to :ittend to the Church oi your mothe•s and fathers ... the Roman Catholir Church." The priest instead oi 1>reaching a funeral sermon. for the dead Filipino he elevated time in scolding them. These people came to a Protestant ministei· tellinp: him of the scolding oi the priest in the funeral parlor. That was the last timr I heard thr nrie.;;t was called to deliver a iuneral oration. The Protestant minister told a dozen Filipinos n-ho came and reported the funeral storv connected "·ith the priest that the "Father n-as doing fine." In meeting of the United :"at ions at Lake Success, ~ ""-'{ark, the other n-eek, there was no prayer. That is the question that every loving people and people n-ho do not n-ant "-ar to stuclv. There should be prayer offered first before the meeting starts. Protestant clergy, catholic priest. a rabbi or even a :\•Iohamadan should offer J>ra\'er first. Thev all look on God as Fath.er. They all pray, and the meeting should start with prayer. just like n-hen Congres.~ of the United States meets they always open with a .prayer of the chaplain ... a Christian prayer. -15