4th Day of Christmas

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree:
the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.
~Burton Hillis


Today is the feast of the Holy Family. It is not a day of obligation but since it always falls on Sunday, the day of obligation remains for Sunday Mass that celebrates this feast. Such feast reminds us about the importance of family in our life. The family of Jesus which consists of Himself and Mary with His foster father Joseph, a small yet important family that became our Christian model of a good family. Yet, what defines good family? The answer depends on how strong the love relationship; bonding between husband and wife, parents and children, and among siblings. The feast of the Holy Family rather still relevant to us today as it continues to show us that a mother's love is a never ending sign of heavenly maternity towards a child; a father's courage is a sign of blessing for the child; and the child is the fruit of love from heaven for the parents, a visible sign of continuous favor from God who gives and provides to serve our needs. Therefore, today itself is a special day within the octave of Christmas (Christmastide) that God continues to call every family to be the living temple of truth, the ark of covenant, the heart of the Compassionate God, and as the domestic Church that where everything that is good begins from it.

As I celebrate this special occasion within the octave of Christmas, I began to think about my family back home. I thought about how to reach to them and try my best to keep in touch with them no matter what. Though busy as bee as I am with tight schedules to be followed, no matter how lazy I am to even dial the numbers and talk to at least my parents, I'm still trying to train myself to be near with them. Not just that, this afternoon I remembered the day when my dad suddenly changed his mind and willingly drove his pathetic van and sent me to college, 50 minutes drive from my home. On the same day, I remembered when my mom saw my face was quite moody, she gave another ringgits for me to spend my day at the city. These things made me to cry because my parents really tried to serve whatever I wanted on that day. I still remember too that my father once told me, "Even if you don't want to help me, at least you should pray for us everyday. That's good enough for us." Those were the days when I was a black sheep of the family. Keeping to his advice made me to always have a time to pray for my family no matter what.

So my dear readers out there, why wait for another day? If you could, find your parents and siblings and say to each one of them "I love you." If you couldn't, dial the number and begins with "Hi dad / mom, how are you?"

Merry Christmas to all of you and may you'll be able to cherish your life with your family and loved ones.