THE CHILD JESSUS -- SHOWS US TO COME TO GOD LIKE A CHILD IN OUR INNOCENCE TRUST AND FAITH

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Today is the Feast of the Sto. Nino, the Child Jesus.
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A friend once had asked .... "why do you pray to the Sto. Nino?"
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Why not?!
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Allow me my thoughts, if you please......
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A child in its pure innocence is empty of guile (sly or cunning intelligence), of machinations (a scheming or crafty action or artful design intended to accomplish some usually evil end), or of selfish motive - the kind we as adults so often engage in.
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A child sees the world as it is......... people as they are....... and understand things in its stark simplicity and reason. He can easily see through masks, pretense, cover, make-believe, false designs. Good is good, bad is bad, and anything else in-between must have an explanation. (To this, parents must guide them in their enlightenment.)
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The Child Jesus looks up to his mother and father with absolute trust and faith. He sees and knows how they live their lives in the home and outside of it ----- he sees them both go through the cares and woes of their day to day lives ----- he sees both their laughter and their tears, their struggles and successes..... he watches them work with their hands in the many tasks of the day unmindful of the heaviness of the task or of the lateness of the hour ----- he is familiar with their hopes and dreams for him- their family-and their home ----- he watches at the many selfless sacrifices his parents do for his sake ----- he knows about a mother's heart..... bout a father's heart. He basks in that constant tender love, care, concern, and protection.
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So when he hears a tiny earnest prayer offered in faith and trust to him in the same areas of concern of human existence........ he nods his head and says ----- "I know. I understand." ---- And blessings follow way beyond measure. Because he understands.
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I should know; I have been blessed by the Holy Child far more than my weary heart can hold. He understands me more than I understand myself in my misery, disappointment, failed hopes and dreams. He helps me see life with fresh new eyes..... as from the eyes of a child... trusting, believing, rejoicing .... once more and happily.
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In the homily at mass today was read....
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Matthew 19:14 New International Version (NIV)
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14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
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I am a child in the presence of my Lord. I am a child in the presence of the Sto. Nino.
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May you all be blessed by the understanding heart of the Sto. Nino... way, way beyond measure.

WHY DO YOU CARE?

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A friend in the blog told me something which made me think and think twice. ----- 'Why do you care?'

I replied ----- 'Why should I NOT care? Seriously, why NOT?'

This is not a life or world meant for solitary exclusion..... even if it looks that way as each goes his or her own business living it. We all stand connected, like it or not. If the people next door to you are wasteful or inconsiderate or mean or selfish, those actions or thoughts will create a ripple that will eventually touch your part of the human pond and even more creatures as the ripple travels down and on.

If it were good ripples, then you are so blessed by it. Otherwise, your life in the pond will be as miserable as that who has caused the bad ripples in it. You cannot escape it because you live in the same pond.

So I care what happens on my street - in my neighborhood - in my community - in my city - in my country - in my world! My ancient achy legs may not take me there to where the action is but I can write about it. If the writing makes at least one person think or be nudged into awareness ----- then the writing has served its purpose. The ripple of good shall move along as it will by its very nature of movement.

C-A-R-E. Care for millions of children hungry in Africa or the girls taken away from their families and homes. Care for the poor in our own slum areas. Care if justice is slow, unfair, or denied. Care if you see your government officials enriching themselves with our tax money. Care if you feel that our streets are no longer safe from bad people and even bad cops. Care if prices are rising unreasonably high and higher. Care if you hear of mismanagement issues of Yolanda donations. Care if media is feeding our children with crappy news. Care if things go wrong because of somebody's neglect, or some organization, or some official, or even of your president.

Care because that is what we are here for.... to care for one another. Use your God-given talent to show or promote peace - awareness - hope - faith - love - and care in whatever way your talent leads you. Use your talent to care. Our God-given job is to build up and not tear down nor destroy --- to care and not ignore.

Incidentally, the message in yesterday's homily (St. Therese of the Child Jesus Shrine and Parish): Two things: Love God with all of your heart... and .... love one another. ----------- Love and care come in together side by side. Doesn't that look like the blueprint of our earthly lives?

So to you my friend in the blog, try caring and see how much life can be beautiful or made beautiful with it.

Have a pleasant and blessed Monday, friends.

MY FAMILY - MY ADVENTURE

"Bringing up a family should be an adventure, not an anxious discipline in which everybody is constantly graded for performance." - (Milton R. Saperstein) ------------

Bringing up a family is an adventure yes but certainly it's not a joy ride. It's serious business. Imagine responsible for individuals brought to ...your care and nurturing until they are ripe to be on their own and tackle life at their own terms. Through that whole process you cry, sigh, laugh, fidget, sizzle with temper, tremble in fear, sulk in frustration, and everything else. And come the day that you see them off. But it does not stop there. Because all of their successes and failures are too brought back to your plate. To make you either smile or cry or despair and... do the same job all over again. That's more adventure than you could ever ask for!