Come before winter

Third Part My friends, I speak from pastoral observation: as long as a father weeps over the death of his son, as long as a wife is anxious over the serious ailment of her husband, as long as a couple worries about the future of a wayward child, as long as we yearn for peace and stability, Christ is forever our dear Master and Lord. F.W.H. Myers wrote:

Yea, through life, death, through
Sorrow and through sinning,
Christ shall suffice me, for he hath sufficed;
Christ was the end, for Christ
Was the beginning
Christ the beginning,
For the end is Christ.

Of the many situations in life that are most familiar to us today, one that calls forth our immediate concern has to do with our relationships within the family, including within the extended family. Paul took keen interest in relationships within the family as shown by the rules for families in Ephesians 5 and 6, Colossians 4, not to mention his enumerations of the virtues inspired by the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5:21-22 which also pertain to family relationships.

In the Apostle's deep feelings for family relationships as reflected in his word to Timothy and his beautiful letter to Philemon, St. Paul is as oriental as we are in outlook. He is saying to us today - Don't dillydally in patching up your broker relationships. Don't postpone your inmost desires for reconciliation; don't withhold a mutually forgiving spirit; and by the way, come before winter to respond to the special needs of those you hold most dear. One of my meaningful experiences in recent weeks was when Mrs. Beatriz Lim died at age 98 in her home in Piapi. All her children and in-laws came home, including grandchildren.

They represent different faiths - Mormon, Christian, Charismatic. Since the parents - Leon and Beatriz - were Silliman Church members, I volunteered to be a pastor to all of them. It was a ministry to a splendid family who came to renew their fellowships of love. And my meditation, "From Piapi to Eternity," they said, was most inspiring in that their experience was one of thanksgiving. In truth, we all came before winter.

On this last appeal, let me give but two local examples. A young American lady, Shelley Palmore (now Teves) from abroad came back some years ago to our community to be with her ailing widower father who is getting on in years, who needs one of his children to be with him as he journeys towards the end. She has come to be with him as he journeys towards the end. She has come to be with him before winter. (To be continued)*

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