| 01/23/10 04:46 PM |
#749
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Manuel Hernandez Zagada
Thanks Mher! Hope u'r doin well.
Let me try sharing with you all a reflection of Fr. WJ Tria. Hope this would not ruin our forum space:
Today, we celebrate Bible Sunday. This is the best time to rediscover the value of the Word of God in our lives. May I ask the congregation a few questions? Who has a bible in his/her home? May I see your hands please? I see many hands. That’s good. Let’s clap our hands. How many of those who have Bibles ever opened their Bibles and read them? Where are the hands? Why are you laughing? Did I state my question wrongly? (Giggling) How many of you read the Bible every week? Every day? (Pause) Thanks for being honest. We need Bible Sunday every Sunday. There is this survey about why some countries are rich, others are poor. The first theory was: old countries are rich; new countries are poor. Europe is old, that’s why its countries are rich. East Timor is new, that’s why it’s poor. However, the counter facts are India and Egypt. Both have rich histories, yet both are poor. New Zealand is new, yet it is rich. Another theory is that countries with rich natural resources are rich; countries with poor natural resources are poor. Germany, in spite of the two World Wars, remains rich. The country is naturally endowed with coal and other resources. However, the counter facts are Japan and Switzerland. Eighty percent of Japan is covered with mountain. There is practically no agricultural life in Japan, and yet it is one of the richest countries in the world. In Switzerland, not a single cocoa tree can grow. The country is practically covered with snow. It only has an agricultural window of four months. And yet, you can get the best chocolates from that country. And it is also one of the richest in the world. Is it then intelligence? We know that even people from poor countries excel. Corporate executives, regardless of their countries of origin, share the same competencies. The result of the survey is revealing. It is the attitude of the people that determines the economic status of the countries. In rich countries, majority of the people are on moral high grounds: they value integrity, they take full responsibility for their actions, and they have discipline. In poor countries, the majority have none of these values. This is probably the reason why we are poor. We don’t trust each other’s words. We wear two faces as we also prepare two contracts, two receipts, two books of accounts. We practically cheat each other every day. And that is why we need a lot of lawyers. A lot of notary publics, to prepare a lot of bogus documents. What do we need to change our attitudes then? What is it that will improve our character? Are we helpless about it? Are our attitudes imprinted in our genes? In our DNAs, as claimed by science? No! There is an article in Time magazine last week that disputes this claim. DNA is not our destiny. Our DNAs our subject to change; they are subject to the environment, to the things that we see and learn. What can change our attitudes is nothing else but the Word of God. Our souls need to be nourished by it. We have low moral values, we lack integrity, we don’t take responsibility, simply because we allow ourselves to be exposed to cheap talks, to gossips. We prefer to be entertained than to be challenged. We prefer showbiz than thoughts that are provocative, thoughts that challenge our old habits. We prefer to listen to media with prostituted and conflicting values. If we want to progress as a nation, we need to listen to the Word of God, and be nourished by it every day of our lives. If we want to change our attitudes and improve our character, we need to behave like a disciple, sitting every day, by the door of the master, eagerly waiting for His Word, for His Inspiration, for His Instruction.
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