Sunday Reflection by Mayor Beng Climaco

 Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph!

Luke 2:40 – “The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.”

PAMASKONG PAMILYANG Pilipino in the Pandemic Christmas 2020! The theme of the family for our City Hall display and our video gives honor to families and Covid patients and frontliners. 

Early on in the lockdown, my student Dr. Justin Paber expressed that it is the FAMILY who is in the FIRST LINE of defense in this pandemic. Since the virus can spread easily in the household, each member must bear in mind that we must be responsible for each other especially when exposed outside our homes. 

We know of family members and loss of parents and children because of Covid 19 and now a new strain has emerged!  What would be the message of the HOLY FAMILY be for us? Tiene siempre Pascua de Navidad de Dios Emmanuel por el presencia de Sagrada Familia na di aton vida. We may be separated by distance, without the traditional family gatherings, but still there is a reason to celebrate Christmas! God is coming among us to save us! 

As a student of Family Ministry and Counselling, our teacher Fr. Nilo Tanalega, S.J., emphasized that there is “NO PERFECT FAMILY.” Our struggles and our pains are part of human nature that helps us grow in sacrifice to give and forgive and discover God’s love in grandparents, parents, children, and the rest of the family!

I remember receiving an electric fan with a timer as a Christmas gift given by my Daddy when i was a little girl. It’s still working up to now even if I tie the sides and tell my husband to fix the noise it makes. Still useful even as a married woman in my 50’s! 

Christmas this year was spent apart from the family, with the grandchildren attending virtual mass. I felt so blessed to attend mass after following strict protocols of temperature check and hand sanitation with earlier reservations for seat assignment! We may be in different places, but would still be united in pictures and texts. There is this tradition we began starting with Tania, our eldest granddaughter, after mass we would say the prayer to baby Jesus and she would go around for each member to kiss the baby Jesus. With 8 grandchildren, we were gathered in 2019 a year before the pandemic. 

As challenging as it may seem, may we find God's presence no matter what our conditions may be.  I recall medical emergencies in our household and how God intervened in our lives and how my husband would say: Mahal tayo ng Dios! This too was my prayer as a wife keeping vigil. God loves us! We pray for all Families to find God’s love today! (MBC)

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