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I don’t recall any other year that began with such cold winds in the evening. Then on the 6th of January, on the day that used to be observed as the feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord, I chanced upon the moon outside my window. Maybe I have not appreciated the full moon as I had that cold night. It was truly resplendent, but it sent warm beams and tingles down my spine. It had a way of warming my heart on this cold night. I felt warmer and warmer as I gazed at it. It was a spiritual warmth from the moon’s spiritual radiance.
The longer I looked at the moon, the more I realized what a wonder it is that it radiates so much energy and yet this energy is not really its own. It has a subtle but penetrating glow and radiance to it. The light that comes from it has a way of casting brilliance on all the surfaces it touches. The leaves on the trees, the blades of grass all seem to glimmer in the dark.
I saw the Church. I saw the Philippines. I saw myself. All these realities on the moon. All these realities like the moon. It radiates the light of the sun who is Jesus Christ. The Church is meaningless without Jesus Christ. The Church is not an institution for itself. The Church is here only as the presence of God in the world. The little triumphs and joys of being Church are but reflections of the full brilliance of God. The Philippines is like the moon. It revolves around the earth which is God’s chosen people. Whatever the Philippines has managed to do is the product of the light of God shining on us. A nation that is built apart from God cannot last. It will crumble. The moon must move in orbit around the people of God. In all our plans and projects, we must keep in mind the total welfare of the people. The nation must work at making the people not only economically stable and politically solid but also spiritually mature too. All of us are like the moon. We do not have light of our own. Everything comes from God.
I am like the moon. Whatever I may write in this column is not solely what I have to say but what God so lovingly inspires me to say. I hope to be able to reflect this light from God not just through this column but through my very person. I hope that I can help you become vehicles of God’s goodness, light and inspiration too. I hope we can all bless others with our moonbeams. And yes, I hope too that when things look dark and gray and you feel that cold cruel winds of criticism and discouragement blow your way, you could pick up the papers and not just see bad news spread through the pages. Remember, somewhere within, the moon shines. May these moonbeams reflect on you, warm your heart and remind you that all things that come from God are good. You are good because God is good. Life goes on, whether you see the moon or not. Somewhere behind the clouds and perhaps through the clouds, no matter how dark they are, a moonbeam comes through.
The moon, no matter how radiant and beautiful, can only be appreciated in darkness. If the country, the Church and ourselves are indeed like the moon, let us be reminded too that it is imperative that we face the dark moments of our lives as opportunities to discover our real worth.
Only those who are willing to look into the dark night will be able to enjoy the moonbeam.
MOONBEAM
Jesus Our Light
