End Times??

Binhi sang Pagtuo

March 1, 2010

Dear Centralians and Friends,

Greetings!

Somebody said that today is the official start of summer. What comes to mind when summer is mentioned is vacation with friends and family, and most probably a trip to a beach and enjoy the heat of the sun. But right now what everybody is thinking is how to escape the scorching heat of the sun.

The last time that rain visited the country was in the first weeks of January. In some areas of the Philippines, a state of emergency was proclaimed by the government due to drought that consequently brought damage to crops. The El Niño spell has continued to bring havoc to health and livelihood.

The other day we received news of a big earthquake in Chile and a tsunami in Hawaii. What is still fresh in our minds is the devastating catastrophe brought by an earthquake in Haiti a few weeks ago.

These situations were the topic of my conversation with National Capital Region coach of Table Tennis the other day in Manila.* He was asking me if the end of the world is really coming. He quoted to me the verse in Mark 13:7-8 that says, “When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines.”

There is a temptation for us to speculate when the end time will come to us. A lot of religious groups gained membership because they provide dates and proclamations when apocalypse will be. But up to now, all these groups were proven to be false. The words of Jesus are still the most authoritative: “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

The lesson for us then is to take heed of the command of Jesus: “Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come…If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”

Let us continue to be watchful and at the same time tell others to be on guard and be alert.

May God bless us all!

Sincerely,

Pastor Francis Neil G. Jalando-on

Assistant Chaplain

*Thank you for your prayers. The Region 6 Table Tennis Women’s Team represented by 3 CPU players won the championship in the 2010 CHED National Games. We also won the silver medal in the women’s doubles event, and bronze in the mixed doubles event. Juliette Gayoso, a first year BS Accountancy student was hailed as the Most Valuable Player in the women’s event, and I was also adjudged as the Best Coach. To God be the glory!

People Power!

Binhi sang Pagtuo

February 22, 2010

Dear Centralians and Friends,

Greetings from Manila!*

Today is a holiday in commemoration of the People Power Revolution of 1986.

Let me share three things in relation to this:

First, it has taught us that a Filipino Christ must have the power to do. We, the people from the oriental countries have great ability to think. We are thinkers. We like to sit down and contemplate about a lot of things. Most of the world’s religions came from the East.

We must continue to transform these contemplative thoughts of ours into actions. We must not be thinkers only but also doers. Let us help each other develop this ability – the power to do. We must work hand in hand for the prosperity of our beloved country and not just wait in our chairs for a miracle to happen.

Secondly, it has taught us to learn from our history and culture. Our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal in his great wisdom once said, “ang hindi marunong lumingon sa kanyang pinanggalingan ay hindi makarating sa kanyang paroroonan.”

That is very true. A Filipino who doesn’t know why he or she is a Filipino is an embarrassment to the nation. We must remember that we are Filipinos and not Americans nor Europeans nor Australians. Remember the song that says, “ako’y isang pinoy ako’y hindi kano. Huwag kang mahihiya kong ang ilong mo ay pangu.”

We have so much to learn from history. This includes our struggles from foreigners and our aspirations to become a free and independent nation. Let us not be weary to teach our children our own history, our own Filipino values and our own culture. Let us continue the struggle to preserve our culture, our race and our language.

Thirdly, it has taught us to have the courage to fear God. Proverb 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”

If we fear God, we will value life, we will respect the sanctity of a person, we will uphold justice and we will work for peace. We can build a community in which everyone bears each other’s burden.

May God bless us all!

Sincerely,

Pastor Francis Neil G. Jalando-on

Associate Chaplain

*I’m currently in Manila with 30 athletes and coaches from CPU. We are here to represent Region 6 in the 2010 CHED National Games. I’m coaching the Tables Tennis Women’s Team. The CPU delegation would like to extend our grateful appreciation to the CPU Alumni Association of Greater Manila. Last Saturday, February 20, during their get together, they raised P13,000.00 to augment the allowance of athletes and coaches.

Valentines Day Reflection

Binhi sang Pagtuo

February 15, 2010

Dear Centralians and Friends,

Greetings from the campus!

As part of the Valentines Day celebration, here is a reflection on relationships.*

Bring your own uniqueness into the relationship. Do not lose your identity. In the first place, it is the distinctiveness of the person that you fell in love with.

When two different individuals bring their own personality in a relationship it is bound to clash. Do not avoid it. Embrace your differences. Listen to one another. When you do, there will be a creative tension that will blossom into harmony.

When loving, do not drown out the person with your own style of doing things. Molding the person the way you wanted him/her to be will result to resentment. It will eventually suffocate your loved one, and drive him/her away. Instead, allow the person to grow in his/her own pace and time. Give him/her space. Challenge him/her to be what God wants him/her to be. And love him/her for who he/she is.

Remember that you said “I do” for better and for worst. You cannot choose only one. There will be ups and downs. You hope for better days but bad days will surely come. And sometimes it comes in bundles. Be ready for it. Anticipate it. When it comes, be patient and think first before you say something, because if not, you will regret later that you have said those words.

For men, keep in mind the moodswings of a woman before their menstrual cycle. Oftentimes you cannot understand why a woman is easily angered and impatient. It is her biological makeup. Accept it with understanding and grace.

For women, do not ask men their opinion if you already have your own. If the opinion raised is opposite with each other, a woman will usually sulk and be in a bad mood for a number of days. This is when things get out of hand sometimes because a man cannot understand what in the world have he done to make the woman angry. He just voiced out his opinion that she asked in the first place. A man should watch out for this, and weigh his answer before voicing it out.

Lastly, give God a room in your relationship. If God is outside of it, then your relationship is bound to be selfish, and just centered on the two you. If God is there, your relationship is bound to be a blessing to others. It is because you always think and act on what is pleasing to God and loving to others. Be a channel of God’s bounty and love!

May God bless us all!

Sincerely,

Pastor Francis Neil G. Jalando-on

Assistant Chaplain

* I gave this reflection as a piece of advice to a couple that got married last December 2009.

Why is love the greatest?

Binhi sang Pagtuo

February 8, 2010

Dear Centralians and Friends,

Greetings from the campus!

Since February is considered the “love month,” our reflection will focus on love.

I always wondered why Paul in 1 Corinthians 13 (the love chapter) concluded his discourse by stating “Three things will last forever: faith, hope, and love; and the greatest of these is love” (NLT).

In this chapter Paul writes that there are five spiritual gifts that God has given us: tongues, prophecy, knowledge, faith, and giving. Paul was saying that without love, the practice of these gifts is nothing.

Without love: the gift of tongues is just a big noise; the gift of knowledge will sometimes make us arrogant and feel important; the gift of faith will make us compare our maturity to others, and this oftentimes leads to envy; the gift of giving will lead us to count what we have given and belittle others.

Paul is reminding us that it is love that enriches the gift and gives it value. Faith, hope and love go hand in hand, but it is love that boosts faith and hope. When you love somebody, you have faith and trust on that somebody. When you love someone, you hope for that someone, and it produces anticipation of new things. This is why love is the greatest.

May God bless us all!

Sincerely,

Pastor Francis Neil G. Jalando-on

Assistant Chaplain