The Valley Catholic
Commentary
Jesus’ coloring book…
Breaking news!! Jesus last seen coloring in a child’s coloring book. Inquiring
minds want to know of Jesus’ whereabouts and the latest news of who, what,
where and why? I always liked Jesus’
openness to those left out because of
their religion, skin color, race, physical
ailments, sins, class status, or their age,
whether old or young.
Jesus showed His love to many of
these outcasts. One such encounter in
the Bible is that of the little children who
were told not to bother Jesus. Can you
see those little children in your mind–
the joy in their voices, love in their
hearts, jumping to get close to Jesus?
The children knew Jesus was special. They could feel His radiating love.
Can you see them, wanting to attach
themselves to Him, the Son of God?
“Let them be!” Jesus spoke out to the
disciples. “Blessed are the children!
For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs
to those who are like these children.”
(Matthew 19:14)
Many times I have forgotten the child
I was, the one who believed that angels
walked with me, Jesus talked to me. Can
you find your coloring book, the one you
had when you were that Crayola-eating
little munchkin? Can you see Jesus with
the children all around Him? Do you
see the colors? What a mess! Did you
color in the lines?
Close your adult eyes, your adult
mind with all its worries, problems,
needs and wants. For a moment, be
one of those little boys or girls. Do you
think they were fearful of Jesus? NO, a
thousand times NO!
Can you be one of those children
hugging Jesus, holding on, not wanting
to let go, knowing that you are truly
loved in the arms of the Son of God?
Do you think children really see Jesus
before we adults show them, teach them,
role model for them how to color in
Jesus’ coloring book?
Blessed are the children, for they
have not learned to be adults! Blessed
are the adults who have learned to love
like children!
• Philip Lang is a member of Knights of
Columbus, Council #3474, Campbell, CA.
Letters to the Editor
• Earth dangerously warming
Editor:
The following is a reflection prompted by Tony Magliano’s “Making a
Difference” commentary in the Nov. 5
edition, “Earth dangerously warming
and we are causing it.”
There is hope if each of us adopts
a vegetarian, preferably vegan, diet
today, because “Livestock production
is the greatest contributor to global
warming” (UN FAO, 2006).
As Catholics we may have grown
up to think of abstaining from meat
as a Lenten sacrifice and in solidarity
with the poor who cannot afford meat.
Should we not rather think of giving up
meat permanently as a joyful, peaceful
way of life in which we care for all of
God’s creation?
As Catholics we care deeply about
all those in need, giving our time and
resources with much love. However,
while “doing good,” are we in our daily
life also unconsciously doing harm by
following a diet which causes the suffering and death of billions of sentient
creatures while increasing the number
of undernourished people worldwide?
People starve because so much
arable land is used to grow feed for
livestock rather then food for human
consumption. Are we unwittingly contributing to deforestation, degradation
of the earth and climate change? Can
we know true peace in our hearts until
we extend that peace to all beings?
Rosemary Farrow
San Jose
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December 10, 2013
15
Sharing Christmas joy…
By Gregory Kepferle
“T he joys a nd
the hopes, the griefs
and the anxieties of
the men (and women) of this age, especially those who are
poor or in any way
afflicted, these are
the joys and hopes,
the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ.” (Gaudium et Spes, the Pastoral Constitution on
the Church in the Modern World)
Advent and Christmas are traditionally times of hope and joy in our
Church. They are also times of grief
and anxiety for many who struggle
to survive.
During the holiday season as we are
busy buying gifts, we are reminded
that we have neighbors who need food,
housing, or help finding work, and
something to brighten their lives. In
Santa Clara County, we have 330,000
neighbors who need help making ends
meet for the 364 other days in the year.
In one of the wealthiest counties,
we have the fifth highest number of
homeless people in the country. Many
of our neighbors who are employed
earn so little compared with the cost
of living that they barely get by in our
high cost community. Students are
struggling to learn and the opportunity gap and dropout rates continue
to confound educators. Many seniors
live in isolation.
Many immigrants are torn between
hope and anxiety due to our unsettled
immigration policies. Even as the
economy rebounds, the income gap
has grown to the greatest level in a
generation, leaving many behind in
poverty.
If the holidays can remind us to
be more generous to our neighbors in
need, that is a blessing to them during
this season of giving.
In O. Henry’s short story, The Gift
of the Magi, the protagonists sacrifice objects that are most precious
to them to purchase a gift for their
beloved. Ironically the gifts end up
being useless because of each other’s
sacrifice–the woman’s hair sold for a
watch chain; the man’s watch pawned
for a hair comb.
Yet in that exchange of seemingly
useless gifts we see the tremendous
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