Father's Day and the Holy obligations

By: Elias Bejjani

Proverbs 23/22: "Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old".

Today, is a happy day for all families, it is the Fathers' Day. My best wishes to all fathers who are family, relatives, friends and acquaintances. On this special day I am sure that my father's and mother's spirits are roaming around all our family members sharing with them their joy and happiness. God bless their souls and bless the souls of all those deceased parents whose memories will be today present with their families while celebrating the happy event.

Hopefully all men will have the blessed grace of being fathers. Being a father is a heavenly endowment, a great satisfaction, and a fulfilling Godly obligation as the Holy Bible teaches us: "Genesis 1/28 "God blessed them. God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it.".

God is our Holy Father, and we all, men, women, are His beloved children. Fathers on earth are God's servants who are entrusted by Him to safeguard, raise, embrace, support, provide and teach their children. Fathers and mothers are required to carry their holy duties in raising their children with full devotion and all sacrifices needed.

Life is a cycle, those who are children today will be fathers and mothers in the near future and so on. Those who are young, healthy, strong and productive today, will get older and need the help of their children when they can not take care of themselves. Children's Holy obligation is to take care of their parents, so when they are parents and old their children will do the same. Proverbs 20/20: "If one curses his father or his mother, his lamp will be put out in utter darkness."

Almighty God has blessed both parents, fathers and mothers and recommended that they be honored, respected, cared for, and obeyed by their children. God's fifth commandment delineates this heavenly obligation and duty: ""Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which The Lord your God gives you." (Exodus 20:12 )

Many verses in the Holy Bible (Old and new testament) overtly call on the children to treat their parents with love, endurance, affection and utmost care. At the same time the Bible instructs parents to value the Godly entrust in them to raise their children with all means of righteous, protection and providing.

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother," this is the first commandment with a promise, that it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." (Ephesians 6:1-4)

"The soul that sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself." (Ezekiel 18:20)

Children, when they become grown up men and women will not appreciate their parents' sacrifices unless they themselves become parents. Back home in Lebanon where the family has always been sacred, we have a saying that shows how important it is in the eyes of the God that parents are always respected, honoured and loved. "God will not bless or facilitate the life of those who mistreat their parents and He will reply to the parents' wrath when they ask for punishment for their ingratitude children".

Isaiah 46:4: "Even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save."

Fathers are the cornerstone of their families upon which children lean, learn, nurture, hold on and shape their lives. Caring, devoted and righteous fathers are always given a hand by God and blessed for carrying their raising and providing obligations. Colossians 3/20: "Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord".

Leviticus 20:9: "For anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood is upon him"

Happy Fathers' Day to all Fathers

*Elias Bejjani
Canadian-Lebanese Human Rights activist, journalist and political commentator
Email phoenicia@hotmail.com
Web sites http://www.10452lccc.com & http://www.clhrf.com
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