"Anniversaries are opportunities for us to recall once again, the goodness and faithfulness of God."
On the 4th day of January 2018, the second Primate for the CEC Territory of Asia was installed at the Cathedral Church Of St Michael, Kalibo, Aklan.
Years ago, I once asked God this question, "Why is it January 4?" because I observed that in every ordination I attended, there's always a feast to be celebrated, either feast of a saint or an apostle.
When I wonder why the installation was scheduled in January 4, it puzzled me. It took me awhile to get God's answer but it's worth to wait because He answered me with series of lessons, as He always does.
Do you know the coded message of the song, The 12 Days of Christmas?
If I'm going to count from December 25 to January 4, it's the 11th day of Christmas and the meaning behind that "pipers piping" is the 11 faithful apostles of Christ. That message itself makes sense to me.
Primate Ricardo M Alcaraz is like an apostle of Christ. He preach, teach and do things like the apostles then. He traveled from one place to another, visiting and strengthening churches.
Looking back at his teachings on Wednesday fellowship, most of them were in preparation for the events that will take place. He planted the word of God, the foundation of faith, gave warnings and words of encouragement for the people to be prepared, to be strengthened and to be steadfast. Few of us were kind of scared when he taught about Blood Moon, End Times and other tough topics but despite of that, he expressed his desire that he wants us to step up to the level of his foundation and to work with it.
One of Primate's motto in life was, "He (Christ) must increase, I must decrease". I remember one time, he told us not to highlight his anniversary because it's Christmas. It should be Christ, not him, so whenever there is a feast that falls on a Sunday, it will be celebrated on Monday because Sunday is the Lord's Day.
I witnessed how Primate Dick do what he preach. His generosity is overwhelming. His love and care for his flocks is undeniable. Above all, he lay down his life for them.
Also, the more he embraced the character of Christ, he became like Christ (Rom 8:29). He is slow to anger and gentle enough in dealing with the issues of his people. His duty as the Primate and as the Bishop of the church, as the father of his children and as the husband of his wife is to his heart.
Being our Primate Dick for two years, 8 months and 8 days is an honor. His legacy of faith and being blessed to be a blessing remains and continues.
Comments
Post a Comment