visible rhetoric

Why are we baptized? We are baptized for three reasons. First, we are baptized so that we will become sons and daughters of God, our baptism makes us participate in the new life won for us by Christ who by his death and resurrection has made us sons and daughters of the Father. Second, we are baptized to cleanse us from our sins, to give us a fresh start, to rid us of sin which obstructs us from living fully our call as sons and daughters of God. And thirdly, we are baptized in order to incorporate us into the family of God, to become members of the church. Baptism marks our entry into the community of God.

I have said so many things already through the years, having been assigned here twice, regarding the feast of Our Lady of Candles and the proper liturgical feast which is the Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple. I have commented on the long expected child, on Mary and Joseph, on Simeon and Anna, and even on those poor pair of turtle doves. But the word of God, though ancient, is ever new, always relevant, always significant, always possessing a message that continually hounds us and draws us to the deeper realities of our life and call. Last year I reflected on our second reading, a reading from the letter to the Hebrews. Today for our reflection, let us focus ourselves on the first reading from the prophet Malachi.

Today is Christmas, Merry Christmas. I just want to emphasize this point because today is officially Christmas Day. I say officially because some of us have already started greeting each other Merry Christmas way back November and even as early as September when we begun putting up our Christmas Trees and lanterns. That was the unofficial Christmas, also known as the Filipino Christmas. Today it is officially Christmas and we are celebrating it after almost all our Christmas parties are over. We are after all a people known for postponing our grief and anticipating our joys.

The only logical thing about the movie Tanging Ina is her use of two aphorisms or sayings from which she would draw a unique conclusion. She said, Practice makes perfect, but nobody is perfect, so why practice? So you also watched that movie. I must admit I also watched that movie and I was entertained up to a certain extent, and when I could not stand it anymore I left even before reaching the middle part. I must admit there has always been a limit to my patience as my students very well know and perhaps very well experienced.