The Star

The Star Of Your Bethlehem

21 December – The pastoral text of Fr Reuter is this: For the Kings, the star seemed to disappear. For you, sometimes the star seems to disappear. But, for the Kings, it came back again. And it will always come back for you. Apt image from ShellyTay who captions it ‘Star And Angels Gave The Sign’ (flickr.com/). I like Shelly’s star because it is very Filipino and it is very optimistic, which is very Filipino. It is very personal; it is very public. This star in heaven has the glow that’s for me and for you. Shelly reminds us that the star and angels will always give the sign, but do we see the star? It’s always up to us. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I remember, sometimes I forget. That’s not the fault of the star, is it? The star is always there, although it may look like it’s disappearing. But I forget to remember. And I forget to look up.

Manger for Jesus

Manger For Jesus?

15 December – The pastoral text of Fr Reuter is this: God engineered the census of the whole world so that Joseph and Mary would go down to Bethlehem, find no room in the inn, and his Son would be born in a stable, wrapped in his mother’s veil, and laid in a manger on the straw. This year you are the manger. Apt image by OldJediMaster who captions it simply ‘Manger’ (flickr.com/), and says: ‘I know you imagine A-frame sticks, but a manger probably looked like this. This is an ancient cattle trough, used to feed the animals.’ I didn’t imagine a manger like that, made of stone, hewn rough, fit for animals but not for a baby, anybody’s baby. Now Fr Reuter challenges me as the manger for Jesus. What is a manger anyway? A manger is ‘a trough or an open box in which feed for livestock is placed’ (American Heritage Dictionary). If I am the manger, then Jesus is the livestock. He said, ‘Feed my sheep.’ I get it: The question is not, ‘Is the manger made of stone or made of wood in the first place?’ The question is, stone or wood or whatever, ‘Is the manger worthy of the livestock?’ If other sheep can feed on you, then you are a worthy manger. If you provide a good example of a Christian, other people can be nourished on your good example. Never mind if you are as rough-hewn a manger as OldJediMaster shows here!