Once again father’s day has gone away leaving a sigh or a drop of tear in many fathers ! They may have to wait for yet another 365 days to see their children coming to visit them in old age homes, nursing homes ,assisted living centers, long stay facilities or their lonely apartments . Their children come with beautiful flowers and Greeting cards printed with words like ‘For the best daddy in the world” or “you are the greatest dad”. Some fathers do not even know what is happening as their body and mind are crippled by the loneliness in such facilities and lovelessness\u00a0 of their offsprings over the years. What they yearn for is love …love from their children whom they had cuddled and carried in their infancy, and brought them up without caring for their own heath or future because they wanted to build up a future for their dear children. The children grow up, get married, beget children, make homes and move away , leaving their aging parents alone. The aging parents try to be together till one of them bids farewell from this world. The refuge for the other becomes\u00a0 an old age home, assisted living centre or such, as their children are reluctant to accommodate\u00a0 them. However they\u00a0are reminded of their fathers on Father’s day – thanks to the commercial publicity attached to it by the media. They visit them on father’s day not with love but shallow pretensions of love. Many are surprised and even shocked by the huge volume of money bequeathed to dogs and cats by their owners! Why ? They do so because it was these poor animals that loved them and cared for them in their lonely darkened days of old age.<\/p>\n
Even people who claim themselves to be children of God and\u00a0led by the Spirit of God do not have a compulsion to look after their aging parents. Children of God\u00a0 should always\u00a0remember and obey\u00a0 the 5th commandment which says “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.(Ex 20:12)”. St. Paul exhorts us ” Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right (Ephesians 6:1) and reminds us to “honor thy father and mother which is the first commandment with promise (Ephesians\u00c2\u00a0 6:2).<\/p>\n
Today the obedience\u00a0 and observance of the\u00a0 5th commandment has been reduced to an annual event on the father’s day.<\/p>\n
Remember that your prayers and praises can\u00a0 gain nothing from your heavenly\u00a0 father\u00a0 when you neglect your father on earth. <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"