JOURNAL | Colors… what with the fetish?

Colors… what with the fetish?

Attending Sunday mass today, I glanced upon these messages around the church,

Day 1: The Lord comes to bring us joy.

Day 2: Joy is finding God in our midst.

Day 3: Joy is the here and now.

Day 4: Joy is having confidence in God.

Day 5: Joy is following God’s will.

Day 6: Joy is being favored by God.

Day 7: Joy is sensing God’s presence.

Day 8: Joy is knowing God is gracious.

Day 9: Joy is blessing God.

(Adapted from Simbang Gabi ’08 of the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice, UP Diliman, Quezon City.)

But what indeed is happiness?

Of course I cannot contest that having God in our life is one of the ways of finding true happiness. But I say that there are still other ways of finding happiness and this is exactly the reason why we are living, to find happiness.

What can make you happy?

Definitely it’s not the money. Money can’t buy happiness but it pays to have lots of money. I want to have lots of money not because I want to be happy, I want to earn a lot so I can make other people happy. Valid?

 

 First reading: Honor your mother and father.

My parents are perhaps one of those people who are very important to me. Even if sometimes I hate my parents, my love for them doesn't lessen but instead grows. I just needed some space and time to realize how much I value them.



Second reading: Forgive grievances

 
For the Lord has forgiven my sins, so should I forgive others.

 

Let me think about it, is there anyone I still hold grudge with? I couldn’t think of any because that’s my personality. I always forgive people but I don’t forget. When they say I need to forgive, yes but the forgetting part is a different story. People should learn from their mistakes. So for the people who have wronged me, I forgive you. But remember that I can never forget the evil things you’ve done with me.

 

Homily:

Colors of the season

For this part, it is one thing that Catholic priests are saying vague sermons, it is also another to hear a sermon which has nothing in any way useful to its listeners. Waste of time if you ask me. I think priests should study how to be more concrete and specific. Not because they are already old, they have a leeway of telling people their incomprehensible musings. If Catholic believers are to grow in faith, then they should be taught with concrete life lessons.

Just a rundown of what the priest discussed in the mass:

Red and green are colors of merriment, joy, and festivity.

Blue – Sky, Christ (day spring as in spring of day), Mary, church rejoices with Mary

Purple – Advent

Gray – elderly, lonely, grief, sorrow, homeless in Manila, bleak cold nights and children, aging, difficult decisions

Brown – Earth, rich soil for nourishment, horror of genocide in Darfur and Zimbabwe, Mindanao

Red – martyrdom, untamable fiery of God, blood, torture, torture is practiced, poinsettias, dead loved ones

Bright green – hope, church, hard without hope, tiny shoots pushing out of the dark Earth, Christmas tree evergreen love of God

Yellow – angels’ wings, halos of saints, cowardice, failure to stand for right and truth

Olive Green – soldiers’ uniforms, away from families, absurd leaders’ didn’t learn to resolve war torn area of the world, mount of olives, violence against Jesus

Blue – sky, peace, many people’s favorite color, ocean, God’s favorite color, associated with Mary

Translucent – color of love- doesn't call attention; doesn't call attention; doesn't call attention; attracting light to dance over the surfaces of the world, kaleidoscopic dance of light

 

Other points from the sermon:

>> Jesus didn’t come in red and green

>> Colors of this season is multifarious

>> Jesus breaks into these colors

>> Jesus like colors needs surfaces to absorb, reflect, and pass on

>> Christmas is a preparation to receive love and through the child Jesus, bring the world color and life

I’m quite tired now to comment on the vagueness of this sermon but seriously, aside from the trivial fact that we need to celebrate Christmas, I didn’t get anything new. It’s so no brainer. I may be excommuted for what I am doing but I feel that it is more important to be active members of the church and not just accept everything in like priests’ words are some kind of infallible messages. Truth of the matter, most of the time, the sermons are really not that helpful. I like being this way, I get to listen to the sermon because I want to know if there is something to digest or just plain congee.