Fr. Jerry Orbos on the Family as Missionary Disciples
Last July 30, Fr. Jerry Orbos SVD gave a hilarious at-the-same-time insightful talk on the topic of ‘family’ sponsored by the Family and Life Ministry and the Marriage Vocation Program under Doy and Estrelle Lopez. As is his usual, Fr. Jerry broke the ice with several jokes. Noticing the senior age of the attending crowd, he described his audience as belonging to the ‘ha’ generation and ‘high society’. ‘Ha’ because whenever somebody says something, seniors often react by saying ‘ha?’ And ‘high society’ because many in the audience had high sugar, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc.
With the audience warmed up, Fr. Jerry then moved on to the topic of gratitude. That we all need to be grateful we’re alive, that we need to be more thankful and less complaining, and to be joyful, not sorrowful. He made clear the difference between the ‘give joys’ and the ‘kill joys’. Of course, Fr. Jerry Orbos couldn’t help it – he continued to lace his talk with jokes and funny anecdotes. An example – do you know why married people deserve heaven more? Answer: Because they’ve gone through hell already.
But he turned serious and insightful as he discoursed on the changing role of parents as the kids are growing up. At their formative years or pre-teens, the parents should be there to control. During adolescence, the parents’ role is to coach. And when the children reach adulthood, the parents should behave as consultants who do not interfere unless asked for advice. He said the common problem is that parents remain ‘controllers’ throughout the children’s lives and impose their own likes and preferences. He reminded parents to be careful of ‘ICE’ – imposing their will, controlling, and expecting too much.
Fr. Jerry remembered his Mama, who he admitted to the audience was his idol, and the virtues she demonstrated – prayerful; humble; kind, in words, thoughts and deeds; and joyful. He reminded everyone of the 11 th ‘commandment’ – Thou shalt not take thyself seriously. And he advised the attendees – ‘Learn to trust God more. So, pray about everything; worry about nothing.’ He added, ‘Each morning and each evening, kneel down before God. Be grateful, acknowledge God’s power, humble yourself.’
He ended with the take-away lesson, ‘The most important journey is the journey to heaven, to God’s heart. To quote Mark 8:36 -for what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
