A Son’s Honoring to His Father
Bro. Arnel Santos, a proud CFC member, shared their experience on how God gave him grace despite unfortunate circumstances. It was August 2021 during the pandemic when their father, mother, and many other family members caught COVID-19. It was one of the most difficult times in Bro. Arnel’s life, since at that time, COVID-19 was incurable.
Bro. Arnel has been a CFC member for a long time. Their whole family was part of the community, and this guided them into letting Christ be the center of their family. Even with all this, he struggled when his father, who had been bedridden for 3 years, caught COVID alongside his mother and family members. When this happened, he and his siblings monitored their father through Facebook video calls as Bro. Arnel attended the IC Discernment Weekend to know CFC’s theme for the next year—which turned out to be “Christ Heals”.
Right after their discernment retreat, they had trouble checking on their father. When their sibling who lived in America directed them, it seemed like he had already passed away. Fellow CFC members, who were doctors, joined the video call as the family waited for an ambulance. A priest was also called to bless their father with the Sacrament of Anointing of the sick in case of unfortunate incidents.
The ambulance arrived, yet their father was announced dead on arrival. This struck the family greatly since they could not visit or go near the hospital because of the threat of COVID. Years later, Bro. Arnel expressed his pain and sadness, remaining grateful and relieved. He was thankful that his father did not pass away alone, as usually happened due to safety precautions during that time. He described his father as this kind, considerate and faithful man that never hesitated to extend his help towards other people. He was even frustrated at times as he described his father as “too nice”.
Bro. Arnel loves writing songs, and said that he wrote a song before his father’s passing entitled “Sa Tatay Ko” hoping that it could be sung to him. As it goes, it was Bro. Arnel himself who sang it for his father when he passed. But by expressing himself through music, he was able to share a wonderful song through God’s gift of talent.
Weeks after his father passed, he wrote a new song entitled “Sa’yong Pagyao”, a song that grieved the loss yet also reached for the peace of passing. Some of the lyrics he sang for the interview went “Kapayapaan sa’yong pagyao,” and was not only dedicated to his father as he joined the Creator, but also for himself and his family. The beauty and peace in someone’s passing, was a reminder of how God calls us back to His kingdom.
In the passing of his father Abraham Santos Sr., God reminds everyone of how we are to come back to him in time. How life is borrowed, yet in this borrowed life everyone is able to witness grace and love through people and relationships. Bro. Arnel teaches us that in passing, there is peace and assurance, that God is present and ready to reunite with us.
Credits:
Written by Miko Gabriel C. Clemente | Edited by Angeli Arellano | Graphics by Kelsy Labutte | Layout by Jay Lucena