The Child and the Painter


tisthewanderer
    These two stories are parts of the homilies I have heard from the last two Eucharistic Celebrations I have attended. Pretty interesting, so I'd like to share them with you:

1) The Child & Christ's portrait.

    A child wants to have a bicycle for his birthday. But his parents didn't give him one. He wished for it again, on Christmas Eve. Although he has a feeling his parents wouldn't give him one, he still craved for one and always reminded his parents and gave them hints on what he wants to receive as a gift for Christmas. 9 pm came. Still no bicycle. 10 pm came. Nothing. 11 pm. The child was getting nervous that he wouldn't receive a bike again. Minutes before Christmas Eve, the child did something secretly. Minutes after, he fell asleep of boredom. When his mother woke up 3 in the morning, she noticed that Jesus Christ's portrait on their wall disappeared. She saw some kind of letter pinned on the side of Mama Mary's portrait. The letter says:
     "Dear Mama Mary, if my parents don't give me a bicycle, you may never see your son Jesus again!"
    The child's mother chuckled. She called someone. As the child woke up the next morning, he saw a bicycle in front of his room. His mother immediately asked, "Where is he?" with folded arms. The child drew something out from his pocket, opens his hand, and reveals a crumpled picture of Jesus. "Tell his mom I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do it." the child says, seeming very sincere. His mom put the picture back, and hugged the child tightly.

2) The Painter and his Masterpiece

    A painter was confused about what he would create to become his masterpiece. The painter went out of their house and went to the church. He saw a priest and asked for a suggestion. The priest said, "Paint something about  faith." The painter was confused on how he would paint faith. He said his thanks and went on. He saw a newlywed couple and asked the groom for a suggestion. The groom said, "Paint something about love." The painter was again confused. He went out of the church and saw a beggar. He asked the beggar for a suggestion and the beggar said, "Paint something about trust." He was confused once more. He almost gave up and went home. On the way home, he saw his friend who just came home after a war. He asked his friend for a suggestion and his friend said, "Paint something about justice." He was confused  again. He went home with no clear answer on his mind on how to paint these suggestions. He was greeted by his wife with a hug and a kiss, and on the dinner table, his children hugged and kissed him. His wife divided their food accordingly and the children have no complaints. Before they slept, they prayed together and thanked God for all their blessings. The painter smiled as he went to bed. The next morning, he knew what to paint. Hours later, he created an amazing masterpiece.
    He painted a portrait of a family; surrounded by faith, love, trust, and justice.

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God Bless! =]
Lux in Domino!

-CJ
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I got a Tumblog!


tisthewanderer
Aww, having a Tumblog doesn't mean I'm abandoning Blogger. I'm just using Tumblog for simple thoughts but the things that are rooted deeply from the heart shall always stay here in Blogger. :)


Lux in Domino!

-CJ
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Generous and Anonymous


tisthewanderer
Saw this article posted on the Inquirer website which was written by one of my favorite writers, Father Jerry Orbos:

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Generous and anonymous

By Fr. Jerry Orbos

THE STORY IS TOLD ABOUT A POLITICIAN who sent a check of P1 million to a charitable institution to the delight of the nuns running it. Their joy was short-lived when they saw that the check was not signed by the donor. Why? The donor wanted to remain anonymous!

* * *

In today’s Gospel (Mk. 12, 38-44) Jesus warns us about doing good works for the sake of public image or personal gain. Like the widow in the Gospel, may we learn to give from the heart, and with no strings attached. May we learn to give generously and anonymously.

* * *

“It is better to give than to receive.” Is it really? It all depends on what you give, and how you give. There are givers, but there are selfish givers. They give out of their need to be recognized, or to remove guilt and embarrassment, or with a hidden agenda to get more.

* * *

Some of the happiest people I have met are those who are generous. Indeed, give your best to the world and it gives you much, much more. On the other hand, some of the most miserable people I have met are those who are selfish and calculating. Indeed, there is joy in giving, and selfish people, sad to say, never get to experience it.

* * *

One of life’s most important lesson is that of letting go, and letting be. Not an easy lesson, I should say, for we’d rather hold on and stay in control. What helps? Letting God! We can let go, we can let be, because of the belief that there is a God in better hold and in better control than we are.

* * *

If we look at history, all the people whom we respect and honor now are those who gave up something or someone for the sake of a greater value than themselves. On the same count, the most despicable persons are those who could not let go of themselves and their selfish agenda. Thus we will be judged too by the world.

* * *

Someone once told me that a rose is a thorn that opened up. In other words, every thorn is a potential rose. As long as we do not let go, we do not forgive, we do not forget any dark area in our lives, there is a thorn. Let us take the risk of opening up and reaching out so that as we journey on, we will be carrying more roses than thorns.

* * *

If it is not asking too much, let us pray to God not to give us more thorns in our country. Aside from our sufferings brought about by natural calamities, may we be spared from our elected calamities—leaders who will fool us, cheat us, and deprive us of what is rightly ours. Except for a few, we have not been really blessed with good and generous leaders. We need shepherds to lead us, not wolves to devour us.

* * *

How about those who have their names and faces splattered all over the place to claim recognition for good deeds or projects done? Truth to tell, it is disgusting that they insult the intelligence of our people by manipulation and deceit. It is also sad that they miss the opportunity to be generous and anonymous servants of our people.

* * *

Want to experience joy today? Do something good without anybody knowing it. Do good generously and anonymously, and you will experience a kind of joy that the world cannot give nor take away. Do something like that every day, and you will have a joyful journey, and God the Father will be smiling at you all the way.

* * *

Take time today to think of people who, like the widow in the Gospel, don’t have much in this life, are unknown and are just on the sides. This world is full of generous and anonymous people who help make this world go round. Let’s focus more on persons, not personalities, as we go through life. Take time today to stop and drop-by, and realize that there is so much goodness and “godness” all around us.

* * *

I take time today to acknowledge a person who spent her whole life just loving much. Ate Coring Muñoz lived a simple life, just loving her husband Pakit and her family and all the people she encountered along the way. She loved much. Yes, they say little who love much. There are countless unknown people in our midst who never hit the headlines, but whose names are written in heaven, and will never be erased from the hearts of those whose lives they have touched. It pays to be good. It pays to be loving, generous and anonymous.

* * *

Think about it: Share not only the best of what you have, but the best of who you are.

* * *

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     I remember Willie Revillame saying once that if you give, you must reveal your identity in order for other people to imitate your good intentions. He said this, maybe because he always says that the man who is giving out houses and other prizes was the "man in orange". If we would think about it, do we even need to mention that we are giving something to other people? As the article has said perfectly;
"There are countless unknown people in our midst who never hit the headlines, but whose names are written in heaven, and will never be erased from the hearts of those whose lives they have touched. "
And that I think is the whole purpose of giving selflessly; to be recognized not by the people, but as generous Samaritans in the eyes of the Man above.

Lux in Domino!

-CJ 
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Letting Go


tisthewanderer
I saw this article in one of Jerry Orbos' famous books (Light Moments). I was enticed by the title which really made me read the whole article. Here it is:

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Letting Go

I have said so many good byes in my lifetime. The greatest goodbye I fear is death. Death is the big letting go, and the big letting God. In spite of the pain of losing a loved one (or being apart from one), we must continue living and go on loving. We must accept that in the end, the people we hold dear belong to God more than to us.

     An old Buddhist adage puts it beautifully: "In the end, only three things matter: how fully you lived, how deeply you loved, and how well you learned to let go of things not meant for you."

A Moment with the Lord
     Lord, because of you, I can let go of those dearest to me and closest to my heart. Amen.

A Moment with the Word
    "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit."  Luke 23:46
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I hope we easily learn to Let go and Let God. ;)


Lux in Domino!

-CJ
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