Donum Supra Omnia

    Christmas did not begin for me with lights, gifts, or carols. It began with a single line spoken from the pulpit. "Jesus is the greatest gift we have ever been blessed this Christmas." When Most Rev. Marlo Mendoza Peralta D.D., Archbishop of the Diocese of Nueva Segovia, said those words in his homily, I felt them sink deep into my heart. In that moment, Christmas stopped being a season for me, it became a truth.

    From then on, every prayer I whispered and every Christmas song I sang carried new meaning. I realized that Christmas was never about what we prepared, but about who came. Jesus, he, was, and will always be, the true essence of Christmas. 

    Even before December arrived, during the long "ber" months, the spirit of Christmas was already alive in our home. It lived in our laughter, our prayers, and the quite excitement we share as a family. 

    As Christmas drew closer, joy filled my heart more deeply than ever before; not the kind of joy that comes from anticipation of gifts, but the kind of that feels peaceful and complete. 

    On Christmas Eve, my family and I attended the mass together. Inside the church, surrounded by hymns and prayers, I felt the real meaning of Christmas settle gently within me. Afterward, we returned home to prepare our noche buena. The house glowed with decorations, gifts rested under the Christmas tree, and carols echoed from every corner. Everything looked perfect. 

    But then, I looked at our belen.

    And suddenly, everything else faded. 

    I realized that Christmas was never about the Christmas decorations filling our house, the noche buena on the table, the gifts under the Christmas tree, or the carols in the air. It was one gift from above, the greatest gift of all. Him. A child born in humility, bringing love, hope, and peace into a world that desperately needed it. 

    That night, Christmas became more than a celebration. It became a reminder. 

    I felt blessed, not because of what I received, but because I already had everything. I was blessed with a God who chose to come close, to love deeply, and to remain faithful. 

    And here is the truth that struck me most, the one that still echoes in my heart: When the lights are taken down, the carols fall silent, the gifts are unwrapped, and the season passes, only one gift remains. 

    Jesus. 

    And that is when I realized that Christmas does not end on December 25. It only begins when we remember why He came.