To see is to believe but faith for me is the other way around; it is to believe is to see. We often seek for proofs, evidences, documents and the like to validate a testimony because seeing is believing, but you don’t always have to see to believe. We all come to a point where we question our faith and if there is really a God above but no matter how clueless we can be, we still continue to believe. Why? Because that is how powerful God’s love is, we may not see Him physically but He never fails to let us feel that He is with us in every step of the way.
Last January 12 and 13, a Covenant Orientation Weekend was conducted by Chapter B1. COW as they say is the passage through which the SFC life of a newly Christian Life Program graduate will begin. COW consists seven sessions and each session comprises teachings that will equip every SFC member the knowledge on how to be a better Christian and on how we can cultivate our intimate relationship with God.
Talk 1: Our Covenant and the Mission and Vision of SFC focused on the meaning of covenant and on how we can enliven the SFC vision and mission. It has been said that covenant is a response to the love of the Lord; it is not a set of rules. For me, a covenant with one’s self should first be developed, a covenant to be more obedient and faithful before we can have that covenant with God: the covenant to live our life in righteousness and holiness.
Talk 2 is all about Prayer, Scripture and Sacraments. Prayer as we all know is the most intimate relationship we could have with God so it’s righteous to have a personal prayer time of at least 15 minutes a day. Practicing such habit can really deepen our bond with God and will let us to fully experience how fulfilling it could be to freely talk to God about our worries and fears; our joys and success. Reading the scripture should also be a part of our everyday routine for us to truly understand the meaning and life of God and to keep us aligned with the Christian way of living. The seven sacraments on the other hand show us how God lovingly touches all the stages of our life from birth until death.
Talk 3 tackled about Strengthening Family Life. Mother Teresa said “The family that prays together stays together, and if they stay together they will love one another as God has loved each one of them. And works of love are always works of peace.” Love should always start with our family, as SFC members here abroad, no matter how far we may be with our families, we are expected to bring love into our home, to show our parents how much we value and honor them and to show our siblings how thankful we are for having them and for having shared a happy childhood with them. The love of a family is life’s greatest gift.
Talk 4 familiarized us with the Christian Culture of Singles for Christ. SFC is a community with distinct beliefs, values and patterns in life. As members of the community, we are encouraged to live out the lifestyle and values the SFC upholds. To live a life centered on the Lord.
Talk 5 dealt with Being a Christian in the Workplace. The workplace is oftentimes the most difficult place to evangelize but no matter how hard it may be we as Singles for Christ should strive to perpetuate being a good Christian in our own little ways by simply respecting our colleagues despite our differences in race, color and religious beliefs as well as staying away from gossips, avoiding name tagging, using company’s equipment for personal use and bringing home some office supplies. Nothing is so hard if we keep our head on the goal; being a good Christian regardless of who we work with and where we work at.
In Talk 6, Financial Stewardship and the importance of tithing was discussed. “Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven…” Malachi 3: 10
God only asks for 10% of our wealth and entrusts the remaining 90% to us, that is how generous God is and in return to His graciousness, it is about right that we give back to Him what he is asking of us. As a Singles for Christ, we have to be good stewards of the resources given to us by God.
The COW was concluded with Talk 7 with the topic: Loving and Serving the Poor. This session took us back to the SFC mission of Building the Church of the Poor. As blessed as we are, we have to be a blessing to others as well. Giving back, doing charitable acts, loving and serving the poor were not only mere duties but a great privilege to engage in. We have to love one another as how God loved each one of us.
At first I was having deep thoughts about why attending the COW is a must for us newly CLP graduates before we could join in the many activities the community has in store but having attended the two day COW, I now realized its essential in the life of a Singles for Christ.
And for that, may God be praised!
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