Redemption

Easter Sunday is the day of redemption. The hope of redemption, celebrated on Christmas day marking the birth of the Savior, is realized on the third day after Jesus died on the cross, redeeming us from our sins.

As a child, I remembered God as the awe- and fear-inspiring One. Matakot ka sa Diyos!

In high school religion classes, I met the compassionate Son of God. Jesus, the shepherd who will leave the herd in search of the missing sheep.

In college, I got tired of the Campus Crusade for Christ people who bugged anyone and everyone on campus with their Have you accepted the Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior?

In the 70s, I was enthralled by Sister Janet Mead's only Billboard hit with the pop version of Our Father and got high on the Brother Sun, Sister Moon (a film by Franco Zefferilli) soundtrack by hippie singer Donovan.

Jingle Chordbook Magazine with namesake Gilbert Guillermo as Editor came out with Desiderata as the poster flipside of its guitar chord guide pull-out. Since then, I have adopted Desiderata as a significant part of the foundations of my personal values and principles. I will never tire reading and meditating on it.

After reading the Holy Bible several times in religion and literature classes, I learned the rudiments of faith and acquired knowledge of its context. As a Single for Christ, I rediscovered and reread the Holy Bible with God's grace. Since then, I reread it as the Word of God. And I am humbled every time.

More than Christmastime, I look forward to Eastertime because for me, it is the START of a NEW LIFE. A time to start with a new slate - learning from my past and arming myself with the Words of God and Desiderata to survive a new life in a very uncertain present.