Three sticks

THE STORY is told about the captain of an ocean liner who began as a cabin boy and gradually worked his way up to the high position. His assistant who idolized him observed and emulated his every move. But there was one thing that puzzled him: every morning, the captain went to his cabin, opened the top drawer of his desk, took out a small slip of paper, read it with intensity, returned the paper to his desk and locked the drawer. Years later when the assistant took over, the first thing he did was to open the captain's drawer to discover what was written on that slip of paper. The paper had but one sentence on it: "Port is left; standard is right."

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Today, the solemnity of the Epiphany, the Gospel (Mt. 2, 1-12) speaks about the wise men from the east who paid homage to the savior. They were great and wise, but their worldly wisdom was clothed with humility and obedience. In other words, they had power, but they allowed themselves to be guided by a greater power. They had an agenda. But theirs was just a personal agenda. If we are wise, we must acknowledge and rely on someone greater than us in this life. We must pursue a mission, and not just a personal ambition in this life.

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Herod was also great and wise, but his was a greatness that wanted power and a wisdom that wanted more power. He relied on the people around him for guidance, and he began to believe that he needed no other power for strength. When pride sets in, a person is bound to fall. How many people have fallen because they believed or were made to believe that they were great and invincible? Take the road of humility, and you can not go wrong.

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"From you, Bethlehem, will come a leader, the one who is to shepherd my people Israel." Where will the leader of the Philippines come from? From Pangasinan? From Bicol? From Cavite? At this point in time, your guess is as good as mine. But the deeper question is: Will this leader be the one to shepherd our people, or will he/she be the one to plunder our people as others have done in the past? Here, we can go beyond guessing, and look at the person, his/her track record and performance. And if I may add, the people and the company he/she keeps around.

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Good governance is what our country needs today. Public office requires the servant to be the best of the best. That means that the public servant must be good and must know how to govern. We must look for leaders who have the goodness and know-how. A good, but not knowledgeable leader can be easily manipulated. On the other hand, a knowledgeable leader without a conscience can easily manipulate. Either way, it will lead to corruption. Wanted: A few good men and women who will start a new culture of public service in our country today.

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Imagine the scene: The wise men arrive at the manger, open their bags, but instead of bringing out their gifts of gold, incense and myrrh, they bring out armalites and start firing at the helpless Holy Family. Pardon the morbid thought, but in reality, this scene happens in the Philippines whenever elections come. We see politicians with their "plastic" smiles, bringing bags of gifts and promises during the campaign. Once they win, however, they will start collecting from the helpless people one hundred times over what they have given out of their bags, which in the first place wasn't even theirs. Let us not choose greedy leaders who "kill" our helpless and innocent people once they are in power.

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I am glad that somehow, in spite of difficult times, we were able to continue our family Christmas gift-giving in Cangaluyan Island this year which was started by our parents in 1972. About 200 children came with their parents for the Mass, merienda and a joyful program. We didn't have much to share, but there was so much joy and laughter. It was a tiresome afternoon, but that was nothing compared to the joy of seeing children all over the place, so happy and grateful, and running home with an apple or a simple joy, and the experience of Christmas written all over their faces. Yes, indeed, very little is needed in life to be happy, both to Him who gives and to Him who receives.

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Going back to our opening story, the ship captain teaches us the lesson to keep going back to the basics. As we begin the new year, let us all make the resolve to simply do good and avoid evil. Yes, we must remind ourselves again and again, that as we travel on, we must keep turning right, and keep going straight.

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The wise men were wise because they followed the star. But, they were more wise because they stuck it out with each other. They did not go separate ways. As the saying goes, "United we stand, divided we fall." Amen.

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It is interesting to note that after the wise men encountered the Baby Jesus, they returned to their country. The manger was so cozy and peaceful, but they had to go back to their realities and do their mission. Yes, the holidays are over. We must go back to work, and help build this nation.

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A final note on the wise men: they returned to their country by another way. They did not go back to their old familiar ways. They had the courage to leave their comfort zones and try out new ways. Here's wishing all of us a fresh start and new beginning. Let us continue to have hope and dream dreams. And new ways to make our dreams come true.

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A moment with the Lord

Lord, remind me of the three sticks I need in the New Year: stick to the basics, stick out my neck, and stick it out. Amen.