ADVENT

I attended a mass today and the homily of the priest was about the Advent season. And when we hear of Advent, what readily comes to our mind is Christmas. This is because according to Church doctrine, the advent season refers to the period of preparation just before the birth of our Redeemer. If I could still recall my basic catechism, the first Sunday of the month of December heralds the beginning of the Advent.

Truly, the spirit of Christmas is now all pervasive. Many radio stations play Christmas songs without let up. Television shows are filled with Christmas themes. Malls are adorned with grandiose and expensive Christmas decors. Without doubt, we see signs of the holiday season everywhere we go.

Yet, amidst the rejoicings that come with Christmas celebration, we have to pause a while and remember our brothers and sisters, whose lives have been drastically disrupted because of the onslaught of supertyphoon "Reming." Our countrymen in the Bicol region and some island provinces in the Southern Tagalog are desperately struggling to pick up the pieces. For them, Christmas will not a joyful occasion. Undoubtedly, the abundance that commonly marks the Christmas festivity will only highlight to the typhoon victims their pitiable and dire plight.

Thus, those of us who have been spared the tribulation and agony brought about by the recent calamitous event, it falls upon our shoulder the responsibility to put a smile back in the faces of our countrymen in the affected areas. In our own humble and modest ways, let us make them feel that they are not alone and abandoned in their time of greatest needs and that we are there for them. Let us share our time, effort and even a part of our resources to brighten up their bleak and gloomy days.

It is often said that at the heart of Christmas is the message of giving and sharing. What is a better time to keep true to the meaning of Christmas than now.