Merry Christmas and Compliments of the Season!

It has been raining the whole day for the past two days already! :-P When is it going to let up?! Christmas Eve and what the night had to offer as we greeted and ushered in the celebration and into Christmas Day was a grand affair that presented itself with our Midnight Mass. The singing was great, the participation of the congregation with the choir were above average and the joyous occasion was infectious.

However, Christmas in general for me since beginning my priesthood hasn't been enjoyable :-P Christmas since then has been work, pressure and lack of sleep among other things. When you have to go through the Penitential Services earlier and bear with the back breaking act of standing for at least an hour to listen to people's confession, you'd wish Christmas would quickly come and go!

On Christmas Day, I had this unfortunate timing of being at the right place at the WRONG time. Minding my own business, and at the same time greeting parishioners with Christmas wishes and all outside by the Priests' House, our secretary came out with a family informing me that she is going to open the Columbarium. I said OK, but at the same time mentioned, in passing, to her which the family she was escorting obviously overheard that it was a public holiday and I thought we usually close the Columbarium on these days. You should hear the remark that was shot back by one of the family member that made me feel as if I was one "%&$#*! heartless bugger" who couldn't even allow an exception for a day like this...

I didn't feel good after that and the incident left a rather bitter taste in my mouth because:
a. I had no objections to allowing the columbarium to be opened in the first place.
b. I am not a "%&$#*! heartless bugger".
c. I had to turn away a previous couple who had inquired about the opening of the columbarium because it WAS locked and I had no control over the keys nor the rules regarding this.
d. I am a totally innocent bystander in this debacle.
e. I haven't seen this family before in my life and it may be that they only come by once a year to 'fulfil' some obligation and I wonder if that is so, why don't they come by more often to do it on a regular basis. Then again they may be out of towners...
f. It's a damn if you do, damn if you don't situation in which I am a loser how ever which way I look!

*sigh*...

Anyway, today we remember St Stephen our first martyr and also the patron saint for the Altar Servers of Holy Family. After the mass and investiture ceremony, they had a small party and get-together with their families and friends in the function room. Today also is the third day the crib stand unveiled for all to see! :-) The work of the Art Ministry came to fruition when they put up the crib display over the weekend before Christmas Eve. One complain though. The baby Jesus looked too old! :-P

Today is also the 2nd Anniversary of the Tsunami Disaster that struck the shores of 12 Asian countries that let to the deaths of over 200,000 people and millions more homeless. The trauma still continues and I wonder why we bother to fight over such petty things like the opening/closing of the columbarium...