Saturday, June 10, 2006
DESPITE OUR OWN CARELESSNESS
| F O O D F O R T H O U G H T |  |
| Subscribe Unsubscribe Change E-mail View Archive DESPITE OUR OWN CARELESSNESS By Msgr. Socrates B. Villegas |
Excerpted from "Carelessness" (orig. title)
A little boy celebrated his eighteenth birthday.When I asked
him what he remembers of his birthday last year, he answered: "Last
year, I received my first pair of long pants." According to him,
this new pair of pants was about six inches longer than his usual
size. So he asked his mother to cut it short for him. His mother
refused, saying: "Keep it that way. In no time it will fit you as
you grow so fast." Wanting to really have his pants cut short, he
approached his elder sister and grandmother with the same request .
Both offered some excuse not to do it for him.
With a heavy heart, he went to sleep, resigned with the fact
that he will have to wear his pants longer than usual. As he was
asleep, his mother saw his pants by his bed. Feeling guilty at
having turned down the boy's earlier request, she cut off six inches
from it to fit his size. After which, she returned the pants by the
bed. Then, his elder sister also happened to pass by. She saw the
pants and felt guilty also so she cut off six inches from it as the
boy had requested. The grandmother came in next and did the same
thing as his mother and elder sister. The next day, on his
birthday, he had a new pair of short pants! On that day also his
mother, elder sister and grandmother felt even more guilty. Why?
They knew that what they did for the boy was an effort that they did
not think about. It was a careless effort.
We all do the same thing ourselves. We do things without much
thought. We say things we do not mean. We make promises that we
could hardly keep.
Peter and Paul were like that. We know how Peter said to the
Lord: "Lord, I will never leave you." And to that remark the Lord
could only say: "Tomorrow, before the cock crows three times, you
will deny Me three times." And Paul? Paul was a dedicated
Pharisee. He thought that in killing the first Christian he was
doing God's will.
...We do not celebrate Peter and Paul's faults and careless
efforts. We celebrate the fact that despite our own carelessness
and faults, God gives us new opportunities. Peter made a mistake.
Paul committed the same. But God gave them another chance.
You may have committed so many sins. You may have made broken
promises. You may have done things without reflecting. But there
is always second chance for you. I invite you to begin again and
become great yourself.
PRAYER
"Lord Jesus, let my heart sing for joy in your presence. Give me eyes of faith to recognize your presence and fill me with your Holy Spirit that I may walk in your way of love and peace."
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