ANG TORRENG GARING

Sino po ang mga naglalaro dito ng chess? Bukod sa piyesa na Queen sa chessboard, ang rook o ang tore ay ang isa sa mga paborito kong karakter o piyesa sa chessboard. Sa larong chess bukod tanging ang Rook o ang tore lamang ang may espesyal na ugnayan sa pinakaimportanteng pyesa ng chess – at ito ang King. Ang rook lamang ay ang may kakayahang makipagpalitan ng pwesto sa King. Ito ang tinatawag na “castling”. Sa castling sa pagitan ng dalawang nasabing piyesa, inilalagay ang king sa bandang sulok ng board. Samantala namang ang rook ang nagsisilbing pananggalang sa tagiliran ng king.
Isa sa mga pagbabalik-tanaw sa buhay ni Hesus base sa pelikulang ginawa ni Mel Gibson na may titulong The Passion of the Christ ay yung parte na hinahabol ni Maria sa pag-alalay ang batang Hesus. Nadapa ang batang Hesus , gayunpaman nandoon ang kanyang Ina na nagmamalasakit upang bigyang alaga at proteksyon ang kanyang anak sa susunod pang maaaring mangyari sa kanya dahil sa paglalaro.
Mapagninilayan rin natin na si Maria ay naging matatag upang magsilbing pananggalang noong sanggol pa si Hesus. Ang pagiging puro o malinis ni Maria, gaya ng garing, ay pagpapa-alala lamang sa atin na siya ay tunay na Imakulada Conception. Ang pagiging puro niya ay isa lamang pagbabanaag sa kanyang maka-inang pag-ibig kay Hesu-Kristo at sa ating lahat. Ang kanyang fiat, ang kanyang matamis na “Oo” o pagtanggap sa bokasyon na ibinigay sa kanya ng Diyos Ama, na may kadalisayan, kalinisan at pagmamahal ay ang lalo pang nagpatibay upang karapat-dapat siyang tawaging torreng garing.
Katulad ng torre, si Maria ang nagsisilbing tanglaw at tumatanaw sa ating paglalakbay sa buhay. Katulad ng garing, si Maria ay naging mahalaga sa kasaysayan ng ating kaligtasan.
Mayroon po akong natanggap na e-mail at nais ko po itong ibahagi sa inyo sapagkat ito ay isang kwento ng isang ina, na katulad ni Maria, ay naging toreng sa kanyang anak.
On a cold Christmas Eve in 1952, when Korea was in the throes of civil war, one young woman struggled along a village street, obviously soon to deliver a child. She pleaded with passersby,
"Help me! Please. My baby."
No one paid any attention to her.
A middle-aged couple walked by. The wife pushed away the young mother and sneered,
"Where's the father? Where's your American man now?"
The couple laughed and went on.
The young woman almost doubled up from a contraction as she watched them go.
"Please . . ." she begged.
She had heard of a missionary living nearby who might help her. Hurriedly, she began walking to that village. If only he would help her baby. Shivering and in pain, she struggled over the frozen countryside. But the night was so cold. Snow began to fall. Realizing that the time was near to deliver her baby, she took shelter under a bridge. There, alone, her baby was born on Christmas Eve.
Worried about her newborn son, she took off her own clothes, wrapped them around the baby and held him close in the warm circle of her arms.
The next day, the missionary braved the new snow to deliver Christmas packages. As he walked along, he heard the cry of a baby. He followed the sound to a bridge. Under it, he found a young mother frozen to death, still clutching her crying new born son. The missionary tenderly lifted the baby out of her arms.
When the baby was 10 years old, his now adoptive father told him the story of his mother's death on Christmas Eve.
The young boy cried, realizing the sacrifice his mother had made for him.
The next morning, the missionary rose early to find the boy's bed empty. Seeing a fresh set of small footprints in the snow outside, he bundled up warmly in a winter coat and followed the trail. It led back to the bridge where the young mother had died.
As the missionary approached the bridge, he stopped, stunned. Kneeling in the snow was his son, naked and shivering uncontrollably. His clothes lay beside him in a small pile. Moving closer, he heard the boy say through chattering teeth:
"Mother, were you this cold for me?"
Katulad ng ating kwentong narinig, ginawa ng ina ang “castling” upang proteksyunan ang kanyang anak sa lamig kahit na ang ibig sabihin nito ay ang pagsasakripisyo ng kanyang buhay para manatiling buhay ang kanyang anak. Nagsilbi siyang pananggalang sa tagiliran ng kanyang anak.
Si Maria sa ating pangkaraniwang pagkakakilala bilang reyna, ay isa rin palang torreng garing na nagagarantiya sa atin na tayo ay kanyang pinoproteksyunan… Siya ang nagsisilbi nating tagatanaw at tagatanglaw sa ating paglalakbay. Maria, ang Torreng Garing, ipanalangin mo kami.