How do you carry your burdens in life? Is it with the hope and trust of a child? - Daily Reflections January 18,2015

THE YOKE THAT WEIGHS ON US

To say that Filipinos love children is an understatement. We don’t just love children. We adore them. We dote on them. We spoil them. Just look at how we treat them even in Church. We bring all their toys (read: tablets and gadgets!) to church; we give them food to munch even at Mass; we allow them to frolic, pout and shout to their hearts’ content, while Father tries mightily to deliver his homily.

       But lightness and flippancy aside, children occupy center stage in our lives. They brighten our ways and lighten our days with their antics. The harassed young father comes home to them and the yoke that weighs on him is instantly broken and diffused. The hard-pressed young mother, who walks a tightrope trying to make both ends meet, is smothered by the kisses and hugs of a child, and her burden is lifted away.

       I don’t know if Isaiah had children of his own, but he sure understood what children were like. Describing a vision of things to come, specifically the birth of the promised Messiah, Isaiah waxed poetic and lyrical and talked about “a great light,” “joy increased,” and the “exultation of victors,” while dividing spoils of war. And this for good reason: “For a child has been born for us, a son has been given to us.”

       This is the same exultant joy that the whole Philippines now revels in. Who would not be carried away by lusty shouts of “Viva Pit Senyor!” or “Hala Bira!” amidst an explosion of pomp and pageantry? Who among us would not be swayed by the pull of persistent prayer as we beg the Holy Child for strength to carry the collective yoke that weighs on us?

       Truth to tell, the yoke of common problems continues to weigh heavily on our shoulders. Childlike laughter and childish behavior won’t suffice to rid ourselves of this bar across our shoulders. But today’s feast reminds us of one important truth to live by: “It is to such as these that the Kingdom of heaven belongs.” Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: How do you carry your burdens in life? Is it with the hope and trust of a child?

Teach me, dear Lord, to live my life with joy and wonder, no matter what storms may come.