It’s not Christmas in this hemisphere anymore. :( But I know it’s still Christmas morning for you folks in the US, so Merry Christmas to you over there. :)

It’s been a pleasant holiday for all. Christmas Mass at my Aunt’s was okay, and I was quite edified by Father Unson’s homily, where he covered the basics of the Incarnation with a surprisingly biblical viewpoint: that God became man to atone for our sins and save us who had no merit. Quite a pleasant message for this ex-Catholic to hear from a Jesuit priest, and I thanked him heartily for it after the Mass.

(Fr. Unson — not sure of the spelling — is current campus chaplain at Ateneo Grade School, and is quite a fun priest to share dinner with. Interestingly, when I told him I was an ex-Catholic Evangelical Baptist, he said, “Of course not! Once a Catholic always a Catholic!” Hmmm. I wonder what he’d have to say about old Martin “Anathema” Luther? ;)

After Mass, we stuffed ourselves silly with lechon (roast pig), jamon (ham), balut (stewed duck embryos), goto (rice porridge with pork tripe), ensaymada (sugary cheese pastry), and other horribly unhealthy fattening holiday foods. I spoke at length with my Lola (“Lola” is Tagalog for grandma, by the way) about a variety of things, from the ravages of sickness and age, to reminiscences of her teenage years during the Japanese invasion in WW2.

We got home and dropped off to bed at 3am. More later, because I’m blogging this from my parents’ room, and they want to sleep already. Good morning, and Merry Christmas!