What do you think of Christmas?

Seeing the stores all decorated with Christmas wreaths, and trees plus plenty of holiday catalogs coming thru mail months before Christmas, it makes me think and meditate in the real meaning of Christmas.

Seeing all these, I knew that I had to write something about it, and I have been searching for words but “the right words” or the “key words” to express and describe how I feel are not easy, since I see that Christmas has become a multi-million dollar profit for all stores worldwide.
But before I start typing away my thoughts and ideas, I need to ask myself:
1-"What does the word Jesus Christ mean to you?"
2- "What does Christmas Holiday mean to you?"
3- "How do your Catholic beliefs contribute to your quality of life, your expectations of your life and your life experiences?"

I believe the life of our Lord Jesus Christ was an example for us to follow, remembering, not forgetting his sorrowful ending, but the most important legacy for us Catholics and Christians are his teaching along the way.  
And that’s how I have learned thru the Holy Gospel:
Follow His mission.- If it is a strong call, it may result in conflict with your earth-family, friends and community but your greater calling will always be to Your Creator, our Heavenly Father. 
The satisfaction you feel out of acting on your calling will far exceed your discomfort from breaking off on your own.
When you do something that is new to others, you might be seen as a fool or dupe, but follow your heart and spirit. 
Remembering that Jesus is your guide. 
Many of us experience loneliness but remember that you are truly never alone.
Heal those that seek healing but know that some people find healing through their experience with physical hardship. Suspend judgment; do not think less of those that choose the "hard way".
Knowing your true connection to our Heavenly Father is wonderful, but does not mean that life will be "easy" or that your knowledge will improve all problems. 
In fact, knowledge always brings responsibility. 
Those with greater knowledge have a greater share of responsibility.

Everyone is a child of our Heavenly Father, treat everyone with respect.
Working with friendly people is a joy, but reaching out to those that believe and think differently than you is what it is all about.
I respect other people's beliefs about what the Jesus Christ's life means to them. 
My experience is that when one focuses on the "negative", the negative seems to be there in full force, ready to be seen and experienced. 
Those that are fully connected to reality but working through love and compassion will find that life is full of joy and hope. 
One doesn't want to run away from reality, but one doesn't want to be stuck in unconstructiveness, sorrow and guilt either.

Now to bring things back down to earth a bit, perhaps we can look at the birth of Jesus in a general way. 
I like to think about his birth and reconnect with his human incarnation, linking it to all of the births that had come before and still are today. 
How miraculous is the birth of a child.
I pray that each child will be looked upon as miracle, a Chris, since we are all a part of the same God.
I encourage you to seek out what your particular religious tradition believes. 
 I would also encourage you to remain or become curious of other beliefs. 
I know that in doing so; you will find your concept of life expanding and your options with also expand. 
And never be afraid to allow your view of God to grow and change as you grow and change.


May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you and your family, now and forever, Amen.

Fr. Tomas Del Valle-Reyes

Descubriendo el siglo 21

P. O. BOX 1170

New York, NY 10018

212.244-4778

THE SON

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. 
They had everything in their collection from Picasso to Raphael. 
They would often sit together and admire the great works of art. 
When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. 
He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son. 
About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. 
A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands.
He said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. 
He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart, and he died instantly. 
He often talked about you, and your love for art."
The young man held out his package.  
"I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this." The father opened the package.

It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. 
He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. 
The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. 
He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. 
 "Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift."
The father hung the portrait over his mantle. 
Every time visitors came to his home, he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected. 
The man died a few months later. 
There was to be a great auction of his paintings.  
Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection.
On the platform sat the painting of the son. 
The auctioneer pounded his gavel.
"We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. 
Who will bid for this picture?"
There was silence. 
Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, "We want to see the famous paintings. 
Skip this one."
But the auctioneer persisted. "Will someone bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?"
Another voice shouted angrily, "We didn't come to see this painting. 
We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!"
But still the auctioneer continued, "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?"
Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. 
It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son.
"I'll give $10 for the painting." Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.
"We have $10, who will bid $20?"  
"Give it to him for $10. 
Let's see the masters."
"$10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?"  
The crowd was becoming angry. 
They didn't want the picture of the son. 
They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections. 
The auctioneer pounded the gavel.

"Going once, twice, SOLD FOR $10!" 
A man sitting on the second row shouted,  
"Now, let's get on with the collection!"
The auctioneer laid down his gavel. 
"I'm sorry, the auction is over."
"What about the paintings?"
"I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. 
I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. 
Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. 
Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. 
The man who took the son gets everything!"  
God gave his Son 2000 years ago to die on a cruel cross. 
Much like the auctioneer, His message today is, "The Son, the Son, who'll take the Son?" 
Because you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.-
AUTHOR UNKNOWN -

Fr. Tomas Del Valle-Reyes

Descubriendo el siglo 21

P. O. BOX 1170

New York, NY 10018

212.244-4778

For Christ has come

You are in your car driving home.

Thoughts wander to the game you want to see or meal you want to eat, when suddenly a sound unlike any you've ever heard fills the air.
The sound is high above you.
A trumpet? A choir?, A choir of trumpets? 
You don't know, but you want to know...
So you pull over, get out of your car, and look up. 
As you do, you see you aren't the only curious one. 
The roadside has become a parking lot.
Car doors are open, and people are staring at the sky.
Shoppers are racing out of the grocery store...
The Little League baseball game across the street has come to a halt. 
Players and parents are searching the clouds and what they see, and what you see, has never before been seen.

As if the sky was a curtain, the drapes of the atmosphere part, a brilliant light spills onto the earth.  
There are no shadows, None!


From every hue ever seen and a million more never seen. 
Riding on the flow is an endless fleet of angels.
They pass through the curtains one myriad at a time, until they occupy every square inch of the sky.
North, South, East, West....

Thousands of silvery wings rise and fall in unison, and over the sound of the trumpets, you can hear the cherubim and seraphim chanting, Holy, holy, holy...

The final flank of angels is followed by twenty-four silver-bearded elders and a multitude of souls who join the angels in worship.

Suddenly, the heavens are quiet. 
All is quiet. The angels turn, you turn, the entire world turns and there He is... Jesus.


Through waves of light you see the silhouetted figure of Christ the King. 
He is atop a great stallion, and the stallion is atop a billowing cloud. 
He opens his mouth, and you are surrounded by his declaration:

I am the Alpha and the Omega.

The angels bow their heads...
The elders remove their crowns...
And before you, is a Figure so consuming that you know, instantly you know: Nothing else matters...
Forget stock markets and school reports.
Sales meetings and football games! 
Nothing is newsworthy...
All that mattered, matters no more...
For Christ has come.

Fr. Tomas Del Valle-Reyes

Descubriendo el siglo 21

P. O. BOX 1170

New York, NY 10018

212.244-4778

Father, take this Anger off me..

Gracious God, sometimes anger seems so near to the surface of my life. 
An unwelcome word, the remembrance of a past hurt, a disappointment I had not expected can make my emotions swirl with the force of a small cyclone. 
Sometimes my heart feels hot, my nerves feel edgy, my mind feels like lit dynamite. And sometimes, I just turn silent, go inward, cut myself off from anything and anyone that could ease the throbbing inside. 
I hold on to my anger, as if to let it go would render the reason for my anger meaningless. 
I pray that your great love will burn away my anger and leave me settled in the cool breeze of your presence. 
Help me let go, not only of the anger, but of what made me angry in the first place. 
Let me breathe deep the wonder and peace of love. Amen.

Fr. Tomas Del Valle-Reyes

Descubriendo el siglo 21

P. O. BOX 1170

New York, NY 10018

212.244-4778

Christian One Liners

Don't let your worries get the Best of you, remember, Moses started out as a basket case. 
 
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Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited until you try to sit in their pews. 

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Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisors.
 
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It is easier to preach ten sermons than it is to live one. 

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The good Lord didn't create anything without a purpose, but mosquitoes come close.
 
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When you get to your wit's end, you'll find God lives there.

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People are funny; they want the front of the bus, the middle of the road, 
and the back of the church. 
 
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Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on your front door forever. 

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Quit griping about your Church; if it was perfect, you couldn't belong. 

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If the church wants a better pastor, it only needs to pray for the one it has. 

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God Himself does not propose : To judge a man until he is dead. So why should you?
 
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Some minds are like concrete: Thoroughly mixed up and permanently set. 

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Peace starts with a smile.
 
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I don't know why some people Change churches; what difference does it make which one you stay home from? 

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A lot of church members who are singing "Standing on the Promises" are just sitting on the premises. 

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We were called to be witnesses, not lawyers or judges.

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Be ye fishers of men. You catch them - He'll clean them.

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Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous. 

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Don't put a question mark where God put a period.

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Don't wait for 6 strong men to take you to church. 

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Forbidden fruits create many jams.  

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God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called. 

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God grades on the cross, not the curve. 

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God loves everyone, but probably prefers "fruits of the spirit" over "religious nuts!"
 
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God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. 

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He who angers you, controls you! 

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If God is your Co-pilot - swap seats! 

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Prayer: Don't give God instructions -- just report for duty! 

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The task ahead of us is never as Great as the Power behind us. 

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The Will of God never takes you to Where the Grace of God will not protect you.

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We don't change the message, the message changes us. 

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You can tell how big a person Is by what it takes to..........discourage him. 

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The best mathematical equation I have ever see: 1 cross + 3 nails= 4 given.

Fr. Tomas Del Valle-Reyes

Descubriendo el siglo 21

P. O. BOX 1170

New York, NY 10018

212.244-4778

GOD'S UNDER THE BED

My brother Tomas thinks God lives under his bed.
At least that's what I heard him say one night.
He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, and I stopped outside his closed door to listen.  
"Are you there, God?" he said. 
"Where are you? Oh, I see. Under the bed."
I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room.
Tomas unique perspectives are often a source of amusement. 
But that night something else lingered long after the humor. 
I realized for the first time the very different world Tomas lives in.  
He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of difficulties during labor. 
Apart from his size (he's 6'2"), there are few ways in which he is an adult. He reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7 year old, and he always will.
He will probably always believe that God lives under his bed, that Santa Claus is the one who fills the space under our tree every Christmas, and that airplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them. 
I remember wondering if Tomas realizes he is different.
Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life?
Up before dawn each day, off to work at a workshop for the disabled, home to walk our cocker spaniel, returning to eat his favorite macaroni-and-cheese for dinner, and later to bed.  
The only variation in the entire scheme are laundry days, when he hovers excitedly over the washing machine like a mother with her newborn child.
He does not seem dissatisfied.  
He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7:05 eager for a day of simple work. He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove before dinner, and he stays up late twice a week to gather our dirty laundry for his next day's laundry chores.  
And Saturdays -- oh, the bliss of Saturdays! 
That's the day my dad takes Tomas to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and speculate loudly on the destination of each passenger inside.
"That one's goin' to Chi-car-go!"
Tomas shouts as he claps his hands. His anticipation is so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights.
I don't think Tomas knows anything exists outside his world of daily rituals and weekend field trips. He doesn't know what it means to be discontent.
His life is simple. 
He will never know the entanglements of wealth or power, and he does not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats. 
He recognizes no differences in people, treating each person as an equal and a friend. 
His needs have always been met, and he never worries that one day they may not be.
His hands are diligent. Tomas is never so happy as when he is working.  
When he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in it. 
He does not shrink from a job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job until it is finished. 
But when his tasks are done, Tomas knows how to relax. 
He is not obsessed with his work or the work of others.
His heart is pure. He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept, and when you are wrong, you apologize instead of argue. Free from pride and unconcerned with appearances, Tomas is not afraid to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry. He is always transparent, always sincere. 
And he trusts God. Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to Christ, he comes as a child. Tomas seems to know God -- to really be friends with Him in a way that is difficult for an "educated" person to grasp. 
God seems like his closest companion.
In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my Christianity, I envy the security Tomas has in his simple faith. It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine knowledge that rises above my mortal questions.
It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap -- I am. My obligations, my fears, my pride, my circumstances -- they all become disabilities when I do not submit them to Christ.
Who knows if Tomas comprehends things I can never learn?  
After all, he has spent his whole life in that kind of innocence, praying after dark and soaking up the goodness and love of the Lord. 
And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I'll realize that God heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under his bed.
Tomas won't be surprised at all.
- AUTHOR UNKNOWN -

Fr. Tomas Del Valle-Reyes

Descubriendo el siglo 21

P. O. BOX 1170

New York, NY 10018

212.244-4778

A Blessing for Friends

Gracious God, I ask your blessing on all my friends who have given of their own heart and soul to deepen and strengthen my own. 
I pray especially for those who have walked alongside me when I have not been a faithful friend myself. 
When I feel alone, remind me that my friends are one your greatest gifts of grace to me. Let me be to them what they are to me. I ask this for the sake of your love. 
Amen.

Fr. Tomas Del Valle-Reyes

Descubriendo el siglo 21

P. O. BOX 1170

New York, NY 10018

212.244-4778