The Catanduanes Tribune


Vol. XX No. 43	January 03, 2001	Virac, Catanduanes

Headlines

Major Developments

The Catanduanes Tribune

Rawis, Virac

Catanduanes,

Philippines - 5001

Tel. No.:

   (052) 811-1267

   or 811-2640

Fax No.:

   (052) 811-1267

E-mail:

Cattribune@cs.com



Publisher-Editor

Edwin A. Gianan

Advertising-

Circulation

Manager

Simeon G. Cueno

Web Master:

Richard T. Revelar

Calgary, Canada

Other Concerns

by the Cathedral Clergy

Shall we still give?

As I was writing this column, droves of people had gathered again in front of the cathedral rectory to ask for the gift packs prepared by the parish for the holiday season. Each pack contained an assortment of foodstuffs, which were offered by civic-spiritual persons and institutions during the nine-day Misa de Aguinaldo. Like the annual Cheers, this program is also the brainchild of Virac pastor Msgr. Ping Molina. It had become a Christmas tradition in the provincial capital through the years.

I still remember, for instance, how our CSC Laboratory teachers would put up donation boxes in our classrooms right at the onset of the “ber” months. We would insert into it old toys, used clothing or some foodstuffs. Others would simply chip in cash. Once they were filled up, we would send them to the parish as our contribution to its gift-giving program.

For most of us then, it was already an achievement. After all, one could not always expect adolescents and teenagers to let go of their little treasures or cancel some snack meals in favor of some virtually unknown indigents. But it did become a part of our annual Christmas practice in school. Christmas would, in fact, never be complete without it.

Years later and now as a priest, it still interests me much to check the boxes of Christmas goodies offered by schools, institutions or private individuals for distribution to our underprivileged brethren. They speak about various stories of concern under the codename of Christian charity. Undoubtedly, this practice brings out the best even in the worst of us.

Nevertheless, while this annual gift-giving tradition brings to the fore the heroic goodwill of many of our brothers and sisters, it also becomes an occasion where greed and selfish motives also come out into the open. In the past four Christmases that I spent in Virac, I had noticed how the packages we prepare would not sometimes fall into the hands of their intended recipients. There were people who would simply disguise themselves as miserably poor beggars in order to claim a gift pack. Still others would come well-dressed and sporting fancy clothes but claiming the same privilege. And when denied of their wish, they would resort to foul street language and accuse us of being unjust.

Christmas, no wonder, had already become almost synonymous with gifts. This is basically true because Jesus, the essence of Christmas, came as a gift - as God’s greatest gift to humanity. But this would do more harm than good when not seen in its proper perspective. God gave us His Son to tell us what defines our personhood; our likeness to His image, is our ability to offer ourselves as sincere gifts to others.

Hence, fulfillment and true happiness lay not so much in receiving as in giving and offering oneself. A gift becomes real only when it involves our being, our heart. Indeed, gifts speak not so much of how much we have as of how much we love.
I really hope someone would prove me wrong if I say that more than doing good, our annual gift giving practice only created more harm. That instead of inspiring people to give, we simply provide them more reason to beg. Just imagine a fair-complexioned and apparently better-off middle-aged woman demanding our parish secretary to reimburse her fare in going to the Cathedral since she would be going home empty-handed. This was after she was told that the packages would be distributed directly to pre-determined poor barangays.

Indeed, while it can bring out the best that is inherent in us, it can also bring out the worst character that lay hidden in others.

We have, for certain, the right to cancel our annual parish gift giving. But are our reasons enough to consider this?

Or maybe we gave not yet learned to truly love as Jesus did. Unconditionally. Wholeheartedly. Forever.

We would like to thank those who contributed their time and treasure to this year’s Christmas gift giving program of the Cathedral Parish. Lugod maipadagos ta ini sa mga maarabot pang mga taon.