“THE BEST BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS ARE POSTHUMOUS”. Thus says Rev. Fr. Rufino C. Sescon Jr. in one of his articles in a book entitled: “Glimpses of Grace”.
“It is good”, he says, “when we organize our own birthday parties. But it is much better when people come to remember the day you were born even long after you are gone. It means they are so grateful that you came to their lives. It just shows that you were truly a blessing to them”.
It was on the occasion of the Birthday Celebration of our Blessed Mother Mary, September 8, that Rev. Sescon Jr. said those statements.
We have, indeed, been celebrating the Birthday of our Blessed Mother Mary since time immemorial. The blessings we have received and are still receiving thru her are countless. It was thru her that the Savior of the World, Jesus Christ, was conceived and born. It was thru her that Jesus Christ performed His first public miracle of changing water into wine at the wedding in Cana. It was in her care and protection that Jesus Christ entrusted each and everyone of us, for we form the Church which He founded. It is thru her intercession that the Church has been receiving extraordinary blessings up to this time. These blessings continue to be poured on us in various ways, especially thru her miraculous apparitions in places like Lourdes in France, Guadalupe in Mexico, Fatima in Portugal, etc. These and many more are reasons why we celebrate the Birthday of our Blessed Mother Mary.
Can we be also a blessing to people?
We are told that Christ has a “Mystical Body” which we call the Church. We, who compose the Church, are members of this Mystical Body of Christ. Just as one is concerned with every part of his body, so is Christ concerned with every one who is a member of His Mystical Body. This, I believe, is the fundamental reason why one should live a life that others can consider as a blessing for them. The source of any blessing is actually God Himself, but God can use anyone as His instrument to pour out His blessings. One has only to make himself available to be used by God by surrendering oneself like our Blessed Mother Mary and say: “Behold the servant of the Lord, be it done unto me according to The Word”. (Lk.1:38)
Since our life is a Gift from God, this Gift should be used not only for our own good but also for the good of others. For this reason God also gave us the Gift of Love, because it is only thru the power of love that we can truly do something good for others. Love can be manifested in many ways. One of the best ways, however, is thru service. Serving the needs of others is actually what Our Lord Jesus Christ meant when He said: “For I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me into your house. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you went to see me. …Truly, I say to you: whenever you did this to one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did it for me.” (Matt. 25: 35-40
Service to others is, indeed, the great challenge of Christianity. It is a challenge that requires a strong conviction in the personal relationship of Christ with every person in this world. In other words, one has to see the ‘Face of Christ’ in each and every person served. For those who are lovable, one may just be too willing and be glad to serve their needs; but for others who may be unlovable, one would need a special grace from God to be able to fulfill this command of Christ.
By: Salvador Cagurangan
Sep. 20, 2009
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