LITTLE Gavin fixed his eyes on every ritual of the Mass that I was celebrating for our family a few weekends ago. A photo of him on Facebook shows his curiosity and awe. “How cute,” one of my priest-friends commented. The photo, indeed, worth a thousand words, is something to behold and to cherish for years.
Gavin is one of my little nephews and nieces that give exuberance and joy to my family every time we get together. He impresses us with his unceasing energy and infectious excitement with every new toy or adventure that he encounters.
He’s as good-natured like his cousins, except for a few mischievous behaviors, especially when he’s around his cousin, Tristan. He’ll do tricks with him or compete with him in getting attention from an uncle or an aunt.
This coming school year, Gavin will be in kindergarten at St. Raymond Catholic School in Dublin, California. His mother is excited and relieved that he’s finally joining his two sisters and his cousin in the school to get the same excellent education, training, and discipline.
Gavin and his cousins are growing up rapidly. A few more years we’ll see them graduating from 8th Grade, going to high school, and then to college. Before we know it, time has gone by so fast and we’ll find them as young adults pursuing their own careers. Then their parents will feel so blessed for having accomplished their mission in life of raising up beautiful children of God.
Oh, the joy of parents in seeing their child grows up into a healthy human being, full of promise, dreams, and potentials! This was how Elizabeth and Zechariah felt during the birth of their son. “His name is John.” Zachariah wrote on a tablet, which means in Hebrew, “God is gracious.” Who would not call him this name after long years of yearning for a child and finally having one?
The Catholic Church this Sunday is celebrating the Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist. As a major feast, it recognizes the significant role of John the Baptist in the history of our salvation. The Gospel also relates how John’s parents, neighbors and relatives felt deeply his special mission for people in behalf of God.
We too must recognize the potentials of every child in this world. As parents and adults, we must realize the special vocation of raising children in our society and of facilitating a mission and a purpose for their lives. Nowadays, this responsibility belongs also to television networks, the movie industry, the Internet, and all social networks, for they have the enormous power and impact to influence the minds and hearts of children and youth.
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Reverend Rodel G. Balagtas attended St. John Seminary in Camarillo, California and earned his Doctor of Ministry in Preaching from Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, Missouri. For twenty years, he has been in the parish ministry of large multi-cultural communities. Since 2002, he has been the pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Los Angeles. Please email Fr. Rodel at [email protected].
