Self-Refl ections or Shofar Blasting in Simbang Gabi

By: Joe Mauricio

 

On sundown evening of September 29 – Oct 1, 2019, Shofar blasts marked the arrival of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year (a Jewish tradition observed every year). The shofar is a hollow ram’s horn, open at both ends that when blown produces a startling, piercing cry or call. Rosh Hashana, which translates from Hebrew as the holy day, the most sacred of the year, calls for a 24-hour period of self-reflection, repentance, fasting and prayers. Rosh Hashanah is a good model for us Filipinos to follow during our most sacred holidays, Christmas and New Year.

Have you noticed that some Pinoys who are handed lemons don’t make lemonades at all? They are either not interested in turning the sour hand into a sweeter one, or they’ve had so much thrown at them that they haven’t been able to find a way to do so. As much as someone might try to see the silver lining, life may deal them so many blows that it’s very hard not to end up bitter, especially if they weren’t optimistic people to begin with. Someone who’s bitter holds grudges, is often jealous, and generally, focuses on the dark sides of life.

It’s the cloud that prevents you from appreciating all the things you do have. Someone who feels bitter isn’t always the easiest people to deal with. They can be pretty unpleasant company and being with them can make you feel negative, too. Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do to help someone who’s bitter. Only they can help themselves.

It’s important to be able to identify a bitter person when you come across one. There are a few signs to look for…(1) They generalize. They are often not just angry with the person who they think wronged them, but with the whole group that the person who’s the subject of their ire associate with. (2) They hold grudges. We all get angry sometimes, but misunderstandings and arguments are normally cleared up and forgotten. Those who are bitter, however, will find it very difficult to let something go, even when everyone else has forgotten it. (3) They like the sound of their own voice. A bitter person’s favorite topic of conversation is likely to be things that happened to them. (4) They are jealous. Rather than be happy for a friend or colleague when they get a promotion or when something is going well in the opponent’s life, they are just jealous that things aren’t going well for themselves.

So, mga kababayan, it is beneficial to self-reflect, like what the Jews are doing on Rosh Hashanah, Self-reflections help build emotional self-awareness. By taking time to ask yourself the important questions if you gain a better understanding of your emotions, strengths, weaknesses, and driving factors.

Have you self-reflected when you attended the Simbang Gabi (a Filipino Christmas tradition that is observed in a series of nine dawn masses on the days leading up to Christmas)? How about during the new year’s celebration? If not, maybe we should blow our imaginary Shofar, like what the Jewish do on Rosh Hashanah. Wishes of blessed and prosperous new year 2020 to all!