Three Kings Day 2012

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My family and I just arrived from Rockwell Makati.  We participated in the 4:45 pm mass at the chapel.  The officiating priest mentioned during the homily a few memorable  points about the gifts of the Three Wise Men or Magi,  also known as The Three Kings.

• Gold represents what we treasure,  our talents and our achievements.
• Frankincense represents our prayers-- our petitions and thanksgiving.   Like incense burned at the altar, they rise up to the heavens.
• Myrrh is a form of ointment  used for the dead.  It represents our own limitations, our frailties, our sufferings  and our failures.

All three were gifts offered to the Child Jesus.  Just the same, all three represent our life experiences that take on a different meaning when offered to Him.

I am thankful for these insights that were  inspired by the  officiating priest, whose name I will  find out next time I am at Rockwell.

On Good Shepherd Sunday: A Former PLDT Executive Turned Priest

Yesterday, my family and I had the privilege to hear  the evening mass officiated by Fr. Ramon "Mon" Merino at the Chapel in Powerplant, Rockwell Makati.  The 48th World Day of Prayer for Vocations,  was observed yesterday, the 4th Sunday of Easter, commonly known as  Good Shepherd Sunday.

During the homily, Fr. Merino gave a concise and memorable reflection on "listening." He gave three reasons why we, collectively and individually, as a people have difficulties listening to the voice of our Shepherd:

• We easily get distracted; and we do not pay attention specially when we feel superior to the bearer of our Shepherd's  message
• We ignore our Shepherd and instead we listen to those who are beautiful, popular  and powerful  in our society
• We are too busy with our own concerns

To these observations, Fr. Merino  suggested the following action points:

• We  give time for prayer, to listen to our Shepherd
• We listen to what the Church teaches
• We listen to the significant  people in our lives  that our Shepherd has sent us

Before the final blessing, Fr. Merino appealed to parents to encourage religious vocations within their families.

After the mass, I learned  from the commentator-- Annie Fuentes, a long-time industry colleague-- that  Fr. Merino, now a formator at San Carlos Seminary in Makati,  was an  executive at PLDT before he entered the seminary.

Fr. Merino-- in the midst of  a corporate environment then--  listened to the call of the Shepherd .  My family and I are  thankful he did.