US immigration notes
Merry christmas!
Of all the holidays, Christmas is my favorite as it always reminds me of the memories of my childhood. We did not have much but my grandparents always made sure we have something to look forward to every morning on Christmas day. It may be a bag full of candies or a piece of apple or orange or a new shirt. For a child, the anticipation of a gift is sometimes could be a gift in itself.
Now that I am a bit older, Christmas still excites me but I view it with a much different perspective. Of course, the traditions and expectations of the season are still there, but far more important is the search for the true meaning of Christmas as we ourselves try to find meaning in our lives.
During Lent, I always lightheartedly complain the heavy traffic and the multitude of people swarming the churches for the Visita Iglesia. I even jokingly suggested to my brother that we do our yearly Visita Iglesia during Christmas when the church crowds are more manageable and the atmosphere is more festive. But when I learn of a family's charitable Christmas day tradition of giving out prepackaged meals in the streets of Cebu City without any fanfare or media coverage, I seriously reflected that yes, a Visita Iglesia can indeed be done during Christmas, though entirely different from the Lenten tradition, but still similar in its purpose - we visit Christ in the personhood of an unnamed stranger, a forgotten beggar, a homeless roadside dweller or an orphaned street child. It is this simple act of benevolence that we see Christ in human flesh and doing unto Him what we have done to the least of our brethren.
It is also during Christmas that we see families gather and reunite. But not all families are fortunate to do that. As I see in my clients, there are still families living apart due to restrictive immigration policies, longer wait times for visa availability, home country conditions or even prior deportations. However, amidst all these challenges, these families still remain hopeful to the belief that they can be whole again. All they have is their unshakeable faith and their unrelenting dependence on the blessings of God. And what an admirable virtue that is!
While we continue to celebrate this joyous season with our family and loved ones may we also find time to think how we can help those who need us in any way we can.
May we all have a blessed Christmas!
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