New Year, A Better You!

Today's Word

 

Word Alive

New Year, A Better You!

 

By FR. BEL R. SAN LUIS, SVD

MANILA, Philippines — The inventive Italians have an amusing custom on New Year. As midnight of New Year's Eve approaches, the streets are clear. There is no traffic, no pedestrians; even the carabinierri (cops) take cover. Then, at the stroke of 12, the windows of the houses fly open.

To the sound of laughter, music, and fireworks, each member of the family throws out old furnitures, detested ornaments (hopefully not detested people!), and a whole range of personal belongings which remind them of something unpleasant or negative in the past year, determined to wipe them out from their minds.

The amusing custom has a timely lesson for us as we enter a brand-new year. It’s not old and detested furnitures we should throw away but whatever is bad and unpleasant in our hearts and minds.

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BAD TRAITS, HABITS. Why do we have to get rid of our negative traits and habits?

There is a wife who constantly nags her husband and finding fault. This is her way of trying to get his attention. In the process, however, she turns him away.

A husband who's engaged in excessive drinking and gambling comes home late at night. Instead of just slipping into bed, he terrorizes his family and the whole neighborhood.

Reminds me what someone once said, “Before marriage, the husband talks and the wife listens. After marriage, the wife talks and husband listens. A few years after, husband and wife talk and the neighbors listen.”

Negativistic traits don't only cause untold sufferings on families and others but it’s certainly not in keeping with God’s will – to love one another, which is His greatest commandment.

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THE LIGHTER SIDE. A parish priest was receiving Christmas gifts from the children of parishioners. A small girl handed him a elegantly wrapped box. Putting it near his ear and shaking it, he said, "Is this a cake?"

The little girl was surprised, "How did you know, Father?" The priest guessed correctly because he knew the business of the parents.

Then a boy stepped forward with his package. Father shook it and said, "Is it a pair of shoes?" Sure enough it was. The parents ran a shoe store.

Finally, little Johnny, the son of a liquor shop owner, approached the priest.

“Ah, I know what this is,” the priest confided. He put his finger on the wet bottom of the box and smelled it. "Is it wine?" he said. Johnny shook his head. Then he scraped with his finger the leaking box, tasted it, saying, "Ah… it’s brandy?" Johnny shook his head again.

Again, he licked some more of the dripping liquid and said: “Is it Mass wine?” “No. Open it, Father!” Slowly the priest unwrapped the box and lo and behold, it was a puppy!