(Iloilo City) – Officer-In-Charge of the Office of the Regional Director Raul A. Laput delivered a Christmas message during a virtual year-end review meeting of MGB VI Regional Office. The personnel stayed in their respective workstations during the conduct of the meeting as part of the safety and health protocol.
Christmas Message
OIC-ORD Laput reminded everyone that “in terms of practicing our Christian faith and tradition, we are still in the Advent season which is a time of preparation before the Christmas celebration.”
He also shared some tips on the personal and spiritual preparation one must do to have a meaningful Christmas.
“We need to practice three (3) Rs to be prepared for Christmas:
*R – Reinforce and renew our relationships. We need to work on nurturing our relationship with God and others (immediate family members, in-laws, neighbors) through prayers, scripture reading and service, realizing that our purpose in life is to know, to love and to serve God as pilgrims in this earth.
*R – Reconcile, that is, to reach out to another person. The keyword is “forgive” – to forgive ourselves first for our failures, misgivings, and limitations; and to forgive others. Forgiving requires humility, and to seek the forgiveness of those we have wronged need more humility. Forgiving is a healthy habit because unforgiveness or having an unforgiving heart causes illnesses in ourselves. By forgiving, we free ourselves from the bondage of an unforgiving spirit and the harm it brings. It has been proven that indeed, the one who forgives receives more benefit.
*R – Reform. Our new year’s resolutions must make us change for the better in terms of attitudes, outlook in life, work habits, lifestyle, so that our lives would be better and more fruitful and our relationships would grow day by day.
When we practice the three (3) Rs we will experience J O Y which stands for:
J – Jesus first
O – Others second
Y – You or referring to the self as last
To all my MGB VI family, please accept my sincere thanks for all your support and working together. Lastly, “Christmas is in our heart and we have a choice to celebrate it fully and meaningfully with our families in the days ahead of us. Sincerely, I wish everyone a happy and joyous Christmas celebration, and a bright and prosperous new year. Stay safe, God bless us all, and be happy, be with your family, sharing always the good news to others.” (OIC-ORD Raul A. Laput, MGB VI, DENR)