The Beggar and God

This is the story of a beggar who God decided to visit. When the beggar knew the good news he told himself:

-          God is visiting me; finally He will give me all that I need.

The day of the visit, the Lord approached the beggar and kneeling asked him:

-          Give me something from you.

The beggar got angry at this attitude of the Lord. Rather annoyed, he picked up a small piece of bread from his bag and gave it to the Lord. The Lord kissed him effusively and He left very happy.

A long time after, the beggar opened his bag again and he found in it a beautiful golden piece of bread. Then the beggar realized and told himself:

-          How good is God! Now I understand why He asked something from me.

“If you want to save your own life, you will lose it. But if you lose your life for my sake, you will save it”. (Lk.9:24)

(Translated form a song of Sr. Glenda)

God and The Rope

It was said that a climber was very keen to win a race over a very steep mountain. He started to climb it after a long time of training. He wanted to reach the peak alone, so he went up without companions. He wanted to get all the glory for himself.

He started to climb and little by little it was getting late. But the climber had in mind to reach the peak and he didn’t stop. It was getting darker but he carried on.

At night it was really dark. It was impossible to see anything. Everything was in darkness. There was no visibility because the clouds covered over the moon and the stars.

When he was climbing one of the cliffs on the mountains, very close to the peak, the climber fell and slid down the mountain. He fell down very fast and he couldn’t see anything, and he had a terrible feeling that he was near to death…

While he was falling at high speed, many thoughts and memories came to his mind, good and bad. His life flashed in front of his eyes like a movie. He thought that he was at death’s door… when he felt a very strong pull from the long rope which was attached to the rocks. He was left hanging in the air, in absolute darkness, with nobody around.

At that moment, in a dead silence, hanging in the air, powerless and hopeless, the climber shouted to God:

-       My Lord! Help me!

Suddenly, a very low voice replied to him from the heavens:

-       What do you want me to do for you?

-       O God! Save my life! – He replied.

-       Actually, do you think that I can save you?

-       Of course my Lord!

-       Ok, then cut the rope which holds you.

There was a very long moment of silence. After that, the climber held on to the rope with his hands even stronger.

(In this moment, ask yourself: would you have cut the rope?)

The rescue team said that the next day they found a climber hanging on a rope, dead, frozen, with his hands holding onto the rope… who was only two meters from the ground.

The Universe within Yourself

Once upon a time, there was an old man who spent his days sat down beside a well, at the entrance of a small town. One day a young man approached him and asked him:

-          I have never been in this region, how are the inhabitants of this town?

The old man replied to him with another question:

-          How were the inhabitants in the town where you come from?

-          Oh, they were selfish and wicked. Because of this I’m glad to have left that town.

-          The people of this town are also like this – replied the old man.

And the young man left. A bit later, another young man approached the old man and asked him the same question:

-          This is my first time in this region, how are the inhabitants of this town?

-          How were the inhabitants in the town where you come from?

-          They were generous, hospitable, honest, hard working, very good people. I had so many friends that it was very hard for me to separate from them.

-          The people of this town are also like this – replied the old man.

Another man, who had brought his animals to the well to give water to them, listened to both conversations and, when the second young man went away from there, approached the old man and asked him:

-          How can you give so different answers to the same question made by two different persons?

-          O look – replied the old man – each of us bring the universe in our heart. Who has found nothing good in his/her past, neither will find it here. Otherwise those who had friends in their town will find trustful and loyal friends here as well. Because the persons are what they find within themselves, they find always what they expect to find.

ALL THE GOOD AND BEAUTIFUL THINGS OF YOUR LIFE THAT YOU NEED, YOU BRING THEM WITHIN YOURSELF. JUST LET IT GO OUT.

From the First Christians

I want to share with you an extract from the Epistle of Diognetus, which some experts say was written about 124 A.D. With great simplicity and detail it describes how the first Christian communities lived and felt and what really differentiated them from the non-Christians. It was written by the bishop of Athens to an important man in that city. It can be a source of inspiration for a Christian association, parish, religious community or whatever Christian group. Enjoy it!

“The difference between Christians and the rest of mankind is not a matter of nationality, or language, or customs. Christians do not live apart in separated cities of their own, speak any special dialect, nor practise any eccentric way of life. The doctrine they profess is not invention of busy human minds and brains, nor are they adherents of this or that school of human thought. They pass their lives in whatever township – Greek or foreign – each man’s lot has determined; and conform to ordinary local usage in their clothing, diet, and other habits. Nevertheless, the organization of their community does exhibit some features that are remarkable and even surprising. For instance, though they are residents at home in their own countries, their behaviour there is more like that of pilgrims; they take their full part as citizens, but they also submit to anything and everything as if they were foreigners*. For them, any foreign country is a motherland, and any motherland is a foreign country. Any Christian is free to share his neighbour’s table, but never his marriage-bed. Though destiny has placed them here in the flesh, they do not live after the flesh; their days are passed on the earth, but their citizenship is above in the heavens. They obey the prescribed laws, but in their own private lives they transcend the laws. They show love to all people and all people persecute them. They are misunderstood and condemned; yet by suffering death they are quickened into life. They are poor, yet making many rich; lacking all things, yet having all things in abundance. They are dishonoured, yet made glorious in their dishonour. They repaid calumny with blessings, and abuse with courtesy. Jews assail them as heretics and Greeks harass them with persecutions; and yet of all their ill-wishers there is not one who can produce good grounds for his hostility.”

* Remember that in the Roman imperial the foreigners put up with all kinds of restrictions and impositions, so the Christian inhabitants accept the insults and indignities to which their religion exposes them.

Harmony Prayer

This is the prayer that we are using in the Novitiate to join ourselves in prayers to the events of the “Week for Peace in Mindanao” (26th Nov – 2nd Dec). We share it with you and encourage you to pray for peace.

HARMONY PRAYER

O Lord, I cry for peace.

Purify my eyes to see peace.

Purify my mind to understand peace.

Purify my heart to love peace.

Purify my memory to work for peace;

The peace that comes from your

love and compassion.

O Lord, sustain my vision of peace

following your inspiration.

You have many ways of revealing your

presence and love for humanity,

but your style is constant:

You are in dialogue with all,

You care for all.

Make me O Lord, a sign of your peace,

living a life-in-dialogue with you

to understand your silence

and seek your presence.

In dialogue with myself

to rediscover the meaning of my life.

In dialogue with others

to move together in harmony with all.

And in dialogue with creation

to care for the earth.

Give me O Lord,

the courage to live in dialogue

in the midst of divisions and conflicts

and to build peace with all people

of sincere hearts who believe

in your love and compassion.

Amen.

Wisdom from the East

Good Fortune Bad Fortune

There was a man in a village who had a horse. He was the only one in the village who had a horse. As a matter of fact he was the only one in the whole countryside who had a horse. He was a generous and kind man and allowed the villagers to use the horse for their needs and the needs of the village.

The villagers thought he was a little strange, because whenever they said to him, ‘What good fortune to have a horse’, he would always reply, ‘Good fortune bad fortune who knows’.

One day the horse ran into the forest and disappeared. The whole village was really upset at this misfortune for the horse owner and for themselves. They went to the horse owner and said, ‘What bad fortune has befallen you’. But he answered quite calmly, ‘Good fortune bad fortune who knows’. The villagers thought this attitude to be quite strange indeed. He loses his treasured horse and would still reply to those in sympathy with his loss, ‘Good fortune bad fortune who knows’.

Several months passes and an extraordinary event came to pass. The horse returned but not alone. The horse came back with a herd of wild horses. The villagers rushed to congratulate the horse owner on his good fortune. However, when they wished him well on his good fortune he calmly replied, ‘Good fortune bad fortune who knows’.

Some weeks later when the horse owners’ son was breaking in one of the wild horses he had a accident and broke both his legs badly. However, when the villagers visited the horse owner and said what bad fortune had come his way he simply replied, ‘Good fortune bad fortune who knows’.

Just at this time war broke out in that country and soldiers come to the village to conscript the young men for the army. The villagers were devastated to see all their fine young men going off to the war. The soldiers would not take the horse owners son because he was of no use to them with broken legs. When the villagers said to the horse owner, ‘What good fortune your son did not have to go to war’, he simply replied, ‘Good fortune bad fortune who knows’.

Attune Your Ears

Two brothers are walking in a city. One of them lives in the city and the other in the countryside. All around them is heavy traffic. All of a sudden the brother who lives in the countryside stops his brother saying: “Did you hear? There was a cricket chirping.”

“There are no crickets around here. All I hear is cars and trucks and motorbikes”, replied his brother.

As they walk on, the brother who heard the cricket unobtrusively drops a cent coin. It rolls on the concrete till it falls to the side. Two or three of the people passing by hear the coin fall on the pavement. They stop to look for the coin. One of them picks it up and puts it in their pocket. The brothers saw this happening. They walk on. After only a few steps the brother who lives in the countryside walks over to a sidewall, shoves the leaves of a creeper aside and there they see the cricket. Says the other brother: “Well, it’s clear that you have better hearing than me.”

But his brother replies: “The coin that was dropped made less noise than the cricket. All depends on what things you attune your ears to.”

Something similar happens when we are praying. We have to attune our ears to Him and listen to Him, rather than say many words to Him (Job 42:2-4).

(Thanks to Alois Dreyer,sm for sending us this story)

A Trapeze Artist

For Henri Nouwen, one extraordinary spiritual metaphor emerged from the trapeze performances. Here the Rodleighs were his spiritual guides.

They told him to watch closely how a trapeze artist throws herself into the air as a catcher swings toward her. Notice, they said, how the catching is accomplished solely by the catcher. The one who throws herself into space must not try to catch the catcher, but simply extend her arms and allow the catcher to grab her by the wrists. Henri felt that this image captured the essence of our relationship with God. In the spiritual journey, we must throw ourselves toward God and then trust that God will catch us. If out of anxiety, we try to catch God or to control how God should catch us, we may fall.

Let ourselves rely on God alone, put our trust in Him, and listen to what He has to tell us.

Treasure in Heaven

The young man ran up to Jesus and asked how he could inherit Eternal Life. It turns out he was a rich man. He was rich in the things of this world, but, did he have treasure in Heaven? His material wealth did not satisfy him. He wisely realized that there was something missing.

The fulfilment of the ‘law’ alone, does not assure us of our place in Heaven. It is not just a matter of doing, just like the young man, but more a matter of ‘being’. Being a disciple of Jesus. The young man kept the law. Jesus was calling him into the service of his neighbour and store up for himself treasure in Heaven.

He walked away sad when Jesus told him what was necessary.

Instead of going away sorrowful, we are called to stay and pray for the help we need to be disciples of Jesus. Because what is impossible to us is possible for God.

There is a story about a good Catholic man named Joe. He was highly regarded by his neighbours as a good living man. He kept very much to himself, but went to Mass regularly, contributed to the upkeep of the Church and participated in the usual parish activities.

Joe died and went up to Heaven. Peter met him at the gate, checked the Book, found his name and welcomed him in. Peter called one of the angels in charge of showing new comers to the place prepared for them. The angel led the way and Joe obediently followed.

They passed by beautiful mansions like Joe had never seen before. He heard music like he never heard before, and the sounds of people obviously enjoying a banquet of succulent food and fine strained wines.

Joe, first filled with joy and contentment, began to get a little bit worried because, as they went further on the mansions got smaller and he could hardly hear any music or voices. Eventually they came to a dark little corner and the angel pointed to a most unattractive little shack and said, “here you are Joe, its all yours”.

As you can imagine Joe was quite upset and exclaimed, “what do you mean, its all yours”.

The angel quietly answered, “Joe, this is the best we could do with the material you sent up”.

A pinch of wisdom

Making my research about other religions (Buddhism) I found this text that could help you for your meditation. It is not Christian but it could be so.

The greatest achievement is selflessness.

The greatest quality is seeking to serve others.

The greatest precept is continual awareness.

The greatest medicine is the emptiness of everything.

The greatest action is not conforming to the world’s ways.

The greatest magic is transmuting the passions.

The greatest generosity is non-attachment.

The greatest goodness is a peaceful mind.

The greatest patience is humility.

The greatest effort is not concerned with results.

The greatest meditation is a mind that lets go.

The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances. Atisha.

Next Page »