WHY NO CHANGE?

WHY NO CHANGE?

Mike was a Christian, and his pal Joe, an atheist. Joe lost no opportunity to have a ‘go’ at Mike about what he saw as the irrelevance of Christianity.

One day they were out for a walk when they came across a gang of ‘toughies’, who were fighting and swearing. Joe pointed to the scene, and said, “Look Mike, it’s been 2000 years since Jesus came into the world, and it’s still filled with aggression and violence.” Mike said nothing.

Five minutes later they came upon a group of dirty faced children. Now it was Mike’s turn. He pointed to the kids and said to Joe, “Look Joe it’s over 2000 years since soap was first discovered, and yet the world’s still filled with dirty faces.”

v    Nothing happens until you use the soap!

v    There is nothing automatic about Jesus or his message. It’s like discovering a cure for cancer. Nothing happens until the patient takes the medicine.

GOSSIPING

GOSSIPING

Three priests were on a retreat together. They were sharing their struggle and difficulties with each other. The atmosphere seemed right and it seemed safe to share at a depth that was much deeper than usual.

One priest confessed to being a secret drinker, and he gave much detail of how he managed to conceal and cover up that fact. The second priest confessed to having a gambling addiction even to using money form the parish account to feed his addiction. He spoke of his dread of the inevitable when he could no longer cover up, and his scam would be uncovered.

The third priest was reluctant to share and it was only after persuasion that he confessed his secret weakness: he was incurable gossip. He has never been able to keep a secret!

Dear friends what kind of person are we? Are we like the first priest, or second priest or the third priest? I hope not like the third priest who gossiped all the time. If we are like him let’s try to control our tongue every time we are tempted to gossip.

v    “If anyone can control his tongue, it proves that he has perfect control over himself in every other way.”

v    I may not plant a bomb or fire a bullet, but I can destroy others with a word.

TO LOVE HIS SON

A wealthy man lost his wife when his only child was very young. A housekeeper came to work in the house and take care of the boy. The boy died tragically at twenty years of age. The old man was without kith or kin, and he died of a broken heart some years later.

He had no heir to his enormous estate, nor could one be found. Neither was there a will, so the whole property passed to the state. In due course there was an action to dispose of the personal effects of the mansion.

The old housekeeper attended the auction, not because she could buy anything but her grief was to strong to keep her away. There was only one thing in the whole collection that attracted her attention. It was a photo of the son. She had loved him as her own. No one wanted the photo and her few pence were enough to buy it.

She brought it home, and proceeded to take it from the frame. When she opened the back of the frame some papers fell out. They looked important, so she brought them to a lawyer.

The lawyer looked at her and laughed saying, “You sure have landed on your feet this time. The old gentleman has left all his estate and all his money to the person who loved his son enough to buy the picture.”

v    Jesus has told us that if we love him, the Father will love us (Jn 14:21)

TO LOVE HIS SON

RADIO OR TELEVISION

RADIO OR TELEVISION

Fulton Sheen used to compare the Old Testament to radio, and the New Testament to television. In the Old Testament, you could hear the word of God, but in the New Testament, it was the word of God in living color!

This is a gigantic step forward, “He who see me, sees the Father,” says Jesus (Jn 14:9). Jesus came “to do and teach” (Acts 1:1). He showed us what to do by what he himself did, and then he taught us what to do.

Dear friends as we are disciples and followers of Jesus we need to do what He has taught us with His very life. We do hear the word of God daily but what is our attitude towards it? Do we try to live it according to the word of God that we hear daily  in the Holy Eucharist? If not, dear friends it never to late to do so.

v    “I have shown you by my example … you now do as I have done”. (Jn 13:15)

v    It is very important to believe and to know that Jesus is the fullness of God’s revelations – there’s nothing more we need to know.

v    Some people listen to Jesus, but imagine there’s another God “up there somewhere” – usually with a notebook and long white beard – and God is not be trusted at all.

GOD WITHIN

GOD WITHIN

An old man and his little granddaughter were at a deep well on the farm and the man was drawing out water for the animals. He lowered the bucket into the well, and poured the wateer into a barrel nearby.

The littel girl was playing around, looking up into the clear blue sky, and then peering down into the deep well.

Suddenly with the spontaneity of a child she asked "Grand dad, where does God live? " The grandfather lifted her in his arms, held her out over the clear deep waters of the well and asked her, "What do you see when you look down there?" "I see myself," said the girl. "And there, " said the grandfather, "is where God lives - in you."

Dear friends we are so busy that we have harldy any time to think of this fact that God dwells within us. Remember that our body is the temple of the Lord so he dwells in us. Let us be aware of this fact and let our lives show that God is within us.

• "Surely you know that you are God's temple, and that God's Spirit lives in you." (1Cor 3:16)
• The surest place to find God is in the temple of our hearts.Would that this could become a prayer room, rather than a pity parlor?

KEEP PLAYING

KEEP PLAYING

The folklore surrounding pianist Ignace Paderewski includes this story. A mother, wishing to encourage her son's progress at the piano, bought tickets for a Paderewski performance. 

They had seats near the front of the concert hall. 

The mother found a friend to talk to and the boy slipped away. 

When eight o'clock came around, the spotlights came on, and only then did they notice the boy at the piano bench innocently playing out "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."

The master appeared on the stage and quickly moved to the keyboard. 

"Don't quit. Keep playing, " he whispered to the boy. 

Leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around the other side, encircling the child, to add a running obbligato. Together, the old master and the young novice held the crowd spellbound.

In our lives, unpolished though we may be, it is the Master who surrounds us and whispers in our ear, "Don't quit. Keep playing." And as we do, he arguments and supplements until a work of amazing beauty is created. 

Source : Tonic for the Heart in 1000 bottles Volume 1

Darrel L. Anderson

THE LEGEND OF THE CANDLE

THE LEGEND OF THE CANDLE

One evening a man took a small candle from a box and began to climb a long winding stairway. "Where are we going?" asked the candle. "we're going up higher than the house to show ships the way to the harbour." "But no ship in the harbour could ever see my light," said the candle. "It is so very small." 

"If your light is small," the man said, "just keep burning brightly and leave the rest to me."

when they reached the top of the lighthouse, they came to a large lamp. then he took the little candle and lit the lamp. Soon the great polished reflectors behind the lamp sent beams of lights out across miles of sea. 

We are God's light! Our job is to keep on shining and our effectiveness is in His hands. 

• Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. (Mt. 5:16)
• I am the light of the world.whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of the life. (Jn. 8:12)

Source: Tonic for the Heart in 1000 bottles Vol. 1 

- Purnell Bailey