He spends Christmas by lunching with his sisters and having dinner with the Jesuit community. Upon waking up on Christmas morning, his thoughts go back to the previous nine days. The day itself is a time to unwind. With his many goals including going to as many Gawad Kalinga communities as possible (from Molave to Gabaldon) this Christmas season, University President Fr. Bienvenido Nebres, SJ talks to The GUIDON about spending Christmas season the Ateneo way, and how, with “the price of a frappuccino,” the Atenean can help the poor.
1 SPEND IT WITH FAMILY
“Christmas is a time for family, and you should spend it with family. Christmas is a time for celebration and joy, but it can be very shallow just going to Hong Kong Disneyland. It is cute, but I think after it is all over, I do not know if it leaves any kind of solid feeling inside you. So if you are going to do something like that, do it with family, make it a family celebration. Really spend time with your family. I do not mean just being around, but really talk.”
2 CELEBRATE WITH THE POOR
“In particular, God came among us in a poor family; you should connect with that too. Every year, we work with a lot of poor schools in Payatas. One of the things we do is to give food packages to the poorest families. Before, we were only giving a hundred pesos worth of food packages. Believe it or not, it lasts them three days. That is the price of one frappuccino or something like that, maybe you could contribute to that. What I would like to say is, do not just give money. Go and connect. When you look back months later, you would have forgotten the dinners, you would have forgotten all the fun, but you will remember the faces. What would be most fulfilling is finding a way to celebrate a Christmas event with poorer communities. You get to find out that they could be happy about very simple things, things we have forgotten.”
3 JOIN ATENEAN EFFORTS
“Every year we have [events held] in campus wherein we bring in children. You can connect with them and find out what you can do for them. There are so many Ateneo organizations that are trying to do something for the poor. I think every student organization right here is caroling somewhere to raise money for the communities where they work. We have always been doing that. I am sure, if you ask around, groups like Gawad Kalinga will be organizing builds.”
4 EXPERIENCE SOME CULTURE
“Visit a part of the Philippines that you haven’t yet seen. Maybe instead of going to Hong Kong, you might think of going to Bohol. The nice thing with Bohol is that it is a cultural tour. Instead of Boracay—there is not much culture in Boracay!—connect with something more cultural, maybe the Ilocos [region]. Within Manila, I do not know what kinds of events [will take place], but maybe some people have not even visited the National Museum or the Ayala Museum. Instead of going to the mall, though you can do that later, visit the museums. Connect a little bit more with culture. There are things that are both enjoyable and cultural.”
5 REMEMBER WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
“Christmas, for us Christians, [is a time when] we are happy because God came among us and gave Himself to us. We thank Him, it is a time of thanks. It is a time when we are reminded of that. So, attend simbang gabi (midnight mass)! Find a way to connect with the liturgies. After all, that is where it all started. You attend simbang gabi to be grateful. It invites us also to give ourselves to others. You have to go back to those two thoughts. If you want to look back to Christmas and feel aglow, attend simbang gabi.”
