Courage and
Compassion: Two Master Keys to Happiness
and Contentment in 2020.
Dr.
Fr. Davis George
We are often in a relentless pursuit to be happy at
any cost by focusing on external things, people and situations. Often fleeting
moments of happiness do not bring the contentment in life and make us think
what the key to happiness is. Happiness is an inside job. Beginning of the New
Year is the grace filled time to revisit our life style and make life style
changes.
Courage to face
challenges in life
One Day Thomas Edison Came home and gave a paper to
his mother. He told her, “My teacher gave this paper to me, and told me to only
give it to my mother”. His mother’s eyes
were tearful as she read out the letter aloud to her son: Your child is a
genius. This school is too small for him and doesn’t have enough good teachers
for training him. Please teach him yourself.
Many years after Edison’s mother died and he was one of the greatest inventors of the century. One day he was looking through the old family things. Suddenly he saw the folded paper in the corner of the drawer in a desk. He took it and opened it up. On the paper it was written: Your son is addled (mentally ill). We won’t let him come to school any more.
Many years after Edison’s mother died and he was one of the greatest inventors of the century. One day he was looking through the old family things. Suddenly he saw the folded paper in the corner of the drawer in a desk. He took it and opened it up. On the paper it was written: Your son is addled (mentally ill). We won’t let him come to school any more.
Edison cried for hours and then wrote in his diary:
“Thomas A. Edison was a mentally deficient child whose mother turned him into
the genius of the Century.” It takes
courage to respond to an expected turn of events as Thomas Edison’s mother did. Courage is a positive response to a seemingly
insurmountable situation where we are often tempted to give up and blame
others.
After the death of Moses, Joshua had to take up the
leadership of the people of Israel and was frightened as no one could match the
towering personality of Moses. God
reassured him that he will not be left alone and God will walk with him. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and
courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will
be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9) Confronted with sickness, failures,
betrayal, let downs we often loose courage and feel paralyzed and lonely
within. Then we are tempted to give
up. We fumble, falter, fail and fall
unable to surmount challenges within and without. It could be challenges at
home with your spouse, children, aged parents; Emotional problems or financial
problems; work place challenges or future concerns. Courage is what you need. The
ability to whisper, “This also will pass.” One day at a time sweet Jesus as the
song goes. As it is written in the Bible,
“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will
strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”.
(Is 41:10) We do not know what the future holds but one thing we know that our
future is in Gods hand. Fear is a paralyzing feeling and we need to overcome by
building self confidence and confidence in God.
If God is for us, who can be against us?
(Romans 8:31) “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”(Heb
13:5) Tough times don’t last; tough people do.
Winners don’t quit and quitters don’t win.
“When things go
wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit…” ~ John Greenleaf Whittier
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit…” ~ John Greenleaf Whittier
Compassion can
build bridges in relationship
The story of one glass of milk can inspire all us to
be more sensitive and compassionate. One day, a poor boy who was selling goods
from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin
dime left, and he was hungry. He decided
he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a
lovely young woman opened the door.
Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water! She thought he looked
hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it so slowly, and then
asked, How much do I owe you?"
You don't owe me anything," she replied.
"Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness." He said ... "Then I thank you from my
heart." As Howard Kelly left that
house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was
strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit.
Many years’ later that same young woman became
critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the
big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the
consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light
filled his eyes. Immediately he rose and
went down the hall of the hospital to her room.
Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at
once. He went back to the consultation
room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special
attention to her case. After a long
struggle, the battle was won.
Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the
final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, and then wrote something on
the edge, and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was
sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked,
and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these
words... "Paid in full with one glass
of milk" (Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly.
Many relationships are broken; many dreams are
shattered because we have not been taught to practice kindness and compassion
in life. Families are not run and homes
are not built by establishing who is right and who is wrong. It is often compassion; empathy, forgiveness
and understanding that would build relationships. Self sufficient and self
righteous attitudes can stifle the growth of intimacy. Indifference and apathy
can be like slow poison which can kill any relationship.
Jesus was a man of compassion. Moved with compassion, Jesus fed 5000 people
with 5 loaves and 2 fish; raised the only son of a poor widow from death;
healed many people with infirmities. Befriended
and transformed the lives of those on the periphery, the Samaritan woman, the woman
caught in adultery, Mathew the Tax Collector and host of others. The parable of
the Good Samaritan is the best illustration of what we all need to practice in
actual life.
Dalai Lama said, “Love and compassion are necessities,
not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive. When we feel love and
kindness toward others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but
it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace. If you want to be happy,
practice compassion. “We need to look beyond our pain and feel others pain and
plunge into action. How true, “There is no exercise better for the heart than
reaching down and lifting people up.” ―
John Holmes
Only a courageous person can practice
compassion. Only a compassionate person
can be courageous without feeling insulted or humiliated. Courage and compassion are two pillars of
interpersonal relationship and family life.
Parents have to practice these two important virtues and teach their
children to practice the same. Often
modern man lacks resilience because he has been always brought up within the
comfort zone. Modern society often glorifies
culture of violence, hatred and indifference. We need to go beyond our comfort
zones and break the shell of self righteousness and self-centredness and become
people who care about others needs and challenges. We need a revolution of
tenderness as Pope Francis said. In today’s we do not need selfish intellectual
giants but sensitive human beings who can reach out, touch and heal the broken
world; and practice courage and compassion in daily transactions. This could be a wonderful New Year gift we
give to others, Courage and Compassion.
Courage to do the right thing without counting the cost and to be
compassionate without any conditions.
Violence and bloodshed, murder and suicide, loneliness and depression,
hatred and jealousy are all results of lack of inner courage and inability to
deal with persons and situations with empathy, kindness, forgiveness and
compassion. Going beyond the boundaries
of caste, creed and nationality we need to cultivate compassion and become
better human beings. “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile,
a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of
caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” ― Leo Buscaglia.
Happy New Year.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dr. Fr. Davis George, Director (Former Principal, St.
Aloysius College),
St. Aloysius Institute of Technology, Near Ekta Market,
Mandla Road, Jabalpur (M.P.).PIN- 482 001. Mob: 9425152081, Email: dgoerge55@gmail.com,
Websites: www.saitjbp.in www.frdavis.in
Love Came Down at
Christmas
Dr. Fr. Davis George
A prince wanted to find a maiden
suitable to be his queen. One day while running an errand in the local village
for his father he passed through a poor section. As he glanced out of the
windows of the carriage his eyes fell upon a beautiful peasant maiden. During
the ensuing days he often passed by the young lady and soon fell in love. But
he had a problem. How would he seek her hand? He could order her to marry him.
But even a prince wants his bride to marry him freely and voluntarily and not
through coercion. He could put on his most splendid uniform and drive up to her
front door in a carriage drawn by six horses. But if he did this he would never
be certain that the maiden loved him or was simply overwhelmed with the entire
splendor. The prince came up with another solution. He would give up his kingly
robe. He moved, into the village, entering not with a crown but in the garb of
a peasant. He lived among the people, shared their interests and concerns, and
talked their language. In time the maiden grew to love him, because of who he
was and because he loved her first.
Amazing power of love we see in the
world; in human beings; in birds and animals; in the world of creation. A
mother sacrificing her entire life for her children out of love. A young man
and woman in love ready to go through all struggles to keep their love growing.
Genuine love will not count the cost but will give and give; will make time and
space for the person we are in love with. “God so loved the world that he gave
his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have
eternal life. (Jn 3:16). God did not become a human being for any particular
nation or religion or group. God loved the world consisting of different
languages, cultures, religions, traditions and belief systems; saints and
sinners. Seven hundred years before the
birth of Christ it was foretold, “A virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and
his name shall be called Emmanuel” (Which means God with us) (Is 7:14). What an
amazing story of God’s unconditional love for humankind. And that is what we
see on the first Christmas night. Love came down.
He came in the silence of the
night piercing the darkness of the night and bringing light and salvation. As written in the book of Wisdom centuries
before the birth of Christ, “For while gentle silence enveloped all things, and
night in its swift course was now half gone, thy all-powerful word leaped from
heaven, from the royal throne, into the midst of the land that was doomed, a
stern warrior carrying the sharp sword of thy authentic command, and stood and
filled all things with death, and touched heaven while standing on the earth.”
(Wis 18:14-16)
Man landed on the Moon on July
20, 1969 and came back to earth successfully.
2000 years ago God came to this world leaving behind his glory and power
to live among us and save us from sin and death. Longest Journey of love not to explore the
World but to save humankind. “In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling
among us.” (John 1:1,14) And for this
Jesus had to strip himself of the glory and honour he had and become an
ordinary human being. “He emptied himself taking the form of a servant…and made
himself obedient unto death, even death on a cross.” (Phil 2:6-8) Love is a
journey of self emptying and humility.
What does love look like? St.
Augustine said, “It has feet to go to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see
misery and want. It has ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of others.” Love
came down when Jesus showed compassion, love and forgiveness. Love came down when Jesus encountered the
Samaritan woman; the woman caught in adultery, Zacchaeus, Mathew the tax
collector and transformed their lives.
Love came down when he made the deaf hear, the dumb speak, the lame walk
and the blind see. Love came down when
he multiplied five loaves and two fish and fed over five thousand people. Love came down when he died on the cross for
others and prayed, "Father,
forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Lk 23:24)
We can show love when we go out
of the comfort zone, go to the peripheries, to the last, the least and the
lost. Love has to appear in action. “Let
us not love in word or in speech, but in deed and in truth.” (1 Jn 3:18) And that is what God did on the first
Christmas night. In today’s world we
need to establish a culture of love, a civilization of love. We need a
revolution of tenderness as Pope Francis said. Hatred and violence will not
solve any problem. Only love in action. Love is patient and kind, Love is not
jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude... (1 Cor 13). Mother Teresa once said, “What can you do to
promote world peace? Go home and love your family.” Love begins in your heart,
in your home. Less of self-righteousness
and religious fundamentalism; more of compassion, empathy, kindness and understanding.
We deserve a better world.
The famous author, Leo Buscaglia once
talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to
find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next
door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon
seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed
onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked what he had said to the
neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry". Leo Buscaglia said, "Too often we
underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an
honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential
to turn a life around." Let us
build a better world and treat each other as children of the same God with
humility, respect and kindness. As Christina Rossetti wrote in her poem, “Love
came down”:
“Love shall be our token,
Love be yours and love be mine,
Love to God and all men,
Love for plea and gift and sign.”
Love be yours and love be mine,
Love to God and all men,
Love for plea and gift and sign.”
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