|
A WORD FROM THE PASTOR
Love Is A Hidden Treasure
A young man who came to Jesus in search of eternal life really wanted to be accepted by Jesus as a disciple. However, Jesus did not want this man as a disciple on his own terms, but rather on Jesus' terms. The young man claimed that, from his youth, he had observed all the commandments Jesus mentioned, including the fourth commandment. His tragedy was that he loved "things" more than people. He was trapped by the idea that he could keep his possessions and still obtain God's mercy. He failed to realize the fact that his riches had built a wall between himself and God. In other words, his possessions "possessed" him. Even though the rich man had never killed, stolen, or committed adultery, he was breaking both the commandment forbidding idolatry and the one commanding love of neighbor. He worshiped his wealth more than God.
The following three stories help us to meditate on what is important in our lives:
A wealthy older gentleman had just recently married a lovely young lady, and was beginning to wonder whether she might have married him for his money. So he asked her, "Tell me the truth: if I lost all my money, would you still love me?" She said reassuringly, "Oh honey, don't be silly. Of course I would still love you. And I'd miss you terribly."
There is an old story about an 18th century man who was moving overseas. His life's savings of gold and silver coins were carried in a big money belt he wore around his waist. The ship hit an iceberg and started to go down. It was sinking so fast that many people had to jump in the water and swim to the lifeboats already launched. The man jumped in, but because he could not bear the thought of leaving that heavy money belt behind, he went to the bottom of the sea. The story ends with this haunting question: "Would you say that this man had his money, or that his money had him?" Jesus tells the story of such a man in today's gospel.
Once a lady went out with her daughter to a grocery store while her husband was away for work. When she returned she saw three men sitting in front of her house. They asked her for some food as they were hungry. She said, "Ok let me cook the food; in the meantime my husband will come back from his work, then we will invite you for a dinner." When her husband came back home, he agreed to give them food, but they wanted to invite in only one person. Perhaps, they thought, if we invite all three together it might be dangerous.
On asking their names, the men said, "Love, Wealth and Victory." All the three in the family discussed about which one to invite - Love? Wealth? Victory? Finally, they decided to call Love into their home. When Love came in, the other two - wealth and victory - also came. So, love is the hidden treasure that we should search for. When love comes in, all other things will come in. Love is God's kingdom.
Many Holy Moments at The Wedding
"There were so many holy moments at my nephew's wedding in India. To name some - the arrival of some 19 priests from different parts of the country was so good. I spent time with my close relatives in a full church. There was good singing and participation of the people. Everything, the entire Liturgy, went as planned and was so beautiful. There were wonderful offerings along with the prayers of the faithful for the couple that included a Bible, banana tree, various fruits, flowers, bread and wine. The nuptial prayers and receiving of consent when the couple prayed together was terrific. The whole wedding experience was filled with holy moments for me." - Fr. Thainese
In the Service of the Lord,
 |
|
|
