Happy Father's Day

Binhi sang Pagtuo

June 21, 2010

Dear Centralians and Friends,

Greetings!

Yesterday we celebrated Father’s Day in honor of our fathers. My family went home to La Carlota City, Negros Occidental to celebrate this special day with my father.

When we went back to Iloilo, I had one of the great scares in my life as a father. Our son, Kairos, had a bike accident. He was wounded in the area between his nose and mouth when his face collided with the handle post of the bike. His Lola was shouting, “baw nasungi ang apo ko.” I, too, thought at that time that the accident would result into a cleft upper lip. But thank God, after some ice and “balunggay” he was okay. My sister-in-law said to Kairos, “grabe gift mo kay tatay mo sa Father’s Day ba.” As I reflect now on what happened, I can indeed say that it was indeed a gift because it validated my love to my son. This accident reminded me that God is telling the fathers to take care of their children for they are precious gifts from Him.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 tells us what God expects from fathers. This passage is called the Shema and is considered the most important prayer of the Jews. They pray it every morning and during nighttime. In the context of the Old Testament, the Shema is only prayed by the fathers. We can reflect three things from this prayer.

First, we need fathers who have a personal relationship with God. Verse 6 tells us that the commandments of God must be upon the hearts of the fathers.

The current observation in churches now is that the men are inactive in church activities. The women and the youth are the most active. The Bible continues to remind all of us, especially the fathers, to read, meditate, pray and live the Word of God.

On this Father’s Day let us be reminded to cultivate our personal relationship with God.

Second, we need fathers who teach their children about God. Verse 7 tells us, “Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

Are we sitting with our children and talk to them about God? Or do we grab first the remote control of the TV or play the computer when we arrive in our homes? Do we bring our work at home and have no time to lie down and read stories to our children? God is reminding the fathers of our task as educators.

Third, we need fathers that live what he teaches both at home and in public. It is common to hear this phrase, “just practice what I teach but do not follow my example.” This phrase should not be in our vocabulary anymore.

As parents we have seen our children using our shoes or slippers when they were small. This event should remind us that our children need good role models who follow the ways of Jesus. By the grace of God, let us try our best not to fail our children.

Happy Father’s Day! May God bless us!

Sincerely,

Pastor Francis Neil G. Jalando-on

Assistant Chaplain

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Chaplain's Office Website: http://www.cpu.edu.ph/chaplain
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Lessons I learned during my first year of class

Binhi sang Pagtuo

June 7, 2010

Dear Centralians and Friends,

Greetings!

Today is the official start of classes at Central Philippine University. The campus is full of students from Elementary to College. When I saw the faces of new students, my mind flashback to when I first entered the university. A lot has happened from that time until now but I learned a lot lessons on my first year as a college student that has become life lessons for me. Let me share it with you.

First, we must have the constant eagerness to learn and unlearn. First time students have a great passion to study and discover things. Yet, this passion would later wane off for some of us. We become bored and just go through the rituals of life. Later we just found out that we have missed a lot of things. This is the time then that we regret the things that we have not done.

Hopefully, this lesson can be learned until it’s too late. Psalm 90:10, 12 says, “Our lifetime is seventy years or, if we are strong, eighty years, Teach us, then, O Lord, how short our lives really are so that we may be wise and live according to your purpose.”

Second, we must continue to gain new friends for life becomes beautiful when you share it with others. Most of us can probably remember how we became friends with our current friends. They were probably our seatmates or someone walking in the campus road towards another building and we asked them directions where our class is located. With these newfound friends, we share food, study together, sleep over in their boarding house or their homes. Then we would later agree to take the same class schedules in the next semester until we graduated. And soon after, without us consciously knowing it, these first year in the school students have become our friends for life.

Let it be that we will not stop making friends. Jesus once said to his disciples, “I now call you friends.”

Third, we must work hard because a good life is not handed to us in a silver platter. This lesson is learned when I first got a rating of INC (incomplete). I have to work doubly hard in the next semester just to complete my term papers and other assignments. Those who do not learn this lesson would get a lapse subject, and have to re-enroll it. Worst, some would drop out of school.

This lesson teaches us not to give up and to continue to work hard. Let us remember that God honors an honest labor.

May God bless us all!

Sincerely,

Pastor Francis Neil G. Jalando-on

Assistant Chaplain