The Parable of the Teacher

          (Also in 'The Voice of St. Jude" May-June 2011 issue)

          One day a computer teacher in a certain school, set out to reward his students for their hard work and best performance. To decide the right recipient of the reward, he gave them a task, a project to be completed in a certain time.

         All sat on their own respective computers; they were allowed to use internet for any required help.

Now, some them their computer, but their operating system was corrupt, they couldn’t proceed and lost all hope of getting the reward. Others switched on their computer but they had no appropriate antivirus so when they had access to the internet, there were virus attacks; they got entangled in it and could not complete the project. While some others had antivirus and also used internet carefully but never gave a little time to scan their hard disk and it got corrupted and stopped responding. Whereas some facing all of the above problems, persevered till the end and even formatted their hard disk to start anew. They were given a new operating system, totally secure antivirus, safe access to the internet and a strong desire to scan their hard disk regularly after each task. Those who completed their project were given the reward of their choice.

Do you understand the parable? Now listen to its explanation.

           The teacher is God and the students are the followers of Christ. The given project is the individual vocation which everyone has got. The computer is the whole personality of the person and the operating system is the soul of the person. Grace is the antivirus and internet access is the world in which we live. Virus attacks are the temptations to which a person is exposed and the virus affectedness is the sinful state of a person. Scanning the hard disk is the examination of conscience. Reformatting the hard disk is the repentance. Those who complete their project are the ones who live their vocation successfully and faithfully and deserve the eternal happiness in the presence of God as their reward.

Now, read the above parable once again, keeping all these meanings in mind.

- B. Johnson Maria

On Being Obedient…

           Jesus was head among human beings and the son of God. And he was given all the authority and dominion over earth. He had all the power to change the whole world. He had the same power which was used by God, during the Great Deluge, the destruction by water, because the world was filled with sin. Jesus had the power of making everything new, without undergoing even a pinch of pain. But he chose the other way. He chose to be obedient to His Father; he chose to do the will of his Father.

Obeying is Trusting: When we obey someone, we show our trust in that person. If we have no trust in someone, we will never obey that person. We are familiar with the story of that man, who climbing the mountain, slipped and was heading to embrace his death when he found himself hanging in between with his climbing rope and he called upon God for help, and God asked him to let go the rope. The man, not sure in the darkness how high he was hanging, did not trust in the voice of God and did not obey. In the morning the villagers found him hanging dead, just few feet above the ground.

           Jesus was obedient unto death because he trusted in God, he knew that the Father will not let him die like that; he trusted that he will be raised after death. His obedience shows the degree of trust between the son and the father.

          There is no obedience without purpose or reward. Obedience strengthens the relationship between the obedient and the obeyed.

               As we journey towards priesthood, is there a better way to come closer to the Father, than to say with Jesus: “Father not my, but thy will be done.” Nothing takes place in our life without the knowledge and wish of our Heavenly Father, even so called, “the tough times.” Sometimes we may not understand God’s will and may not obey Him, those are the times when we choose to go away from God.

            Each one of us is chosen by God for completing an assigned task like that of Jesus. Jesus was sent to save the world, and his work does not end on Calvary, but continues till today. It is the duty of the priests, another Christ, to continue the saving mission of Christ. And we can never continue if we are not obedient to Christ, our ultimate commander and head if we have to live our vocation meaningfully, we have to obey Christ, in the form of our superiors, our colleagues, classmates, our friends etc. we may not be so worthy, so holy, so sinless, that we hear God’s voice directly like… God calling our name… son so and so… come on get up, now do this, I command you to go there and do that etc…

              God speaks; God speaks to us through our superiors, through the persons whom he has appointed to direct us. Are we obedient? Christ is our model; let us look forward to him to teach us to be more faithful and obedient to him.

- B. Johnson Maria

The Rejected Stone!

I was a useless stone, rejected by the builders, the society,

I pleaded; please give me a share, in a building so mighty.

But heartlessly, they threw me away in a dark, dreary pit,

All looked down upon me, was it this for which I was fit?

None heard my pleading, no one thought to pay any heed,

‘All are children of same God’ to feel so, who’s the need?

I wondered whether something could be done of poor me,

Or perhaps I was useless, may be that was the stark reality.

Then He came; picked me up and shared His Divine Love,

Wiped my tears; hugged and kissed and gave a new curve.

He carried me with Himself, and made me a corner stone,

A stone with real worth could be recognized by Him alone.

He’s the one, who knows the very real worth of everyone,

He picks up the rejected with love, and all evil is then shun.

He makes ye feel so important, though ye be a rejected stone,

Because you’re His, by the love on the Cross He has shown.

- B. Johnson Maria

The Most Precious Moments!

           Have you ever pondered what your precious moments are? The moments which linger in your mind and heart even you don’t put an effort to recall them. Many times or rather most of the time we don’t realize what are the precious moments.

          Do you ever recall the moments when you introspected within and looked back and changed your course because you realized that you were on a wrong track. Those moments of such realization were the precious moments. Have you ever come across the moments when you realized your mistake of not talking to your old friend just because you had some misunderstanding? When you regained that friend; those were the precious moments.

             Have you ever spent some moments with your pet, some moments to know and understand that your dog, cat or other pet loves you so much and feels greatly happy when you are around? Have you ever spent some moments admiring the beauty in the potato plants or tiny tomato plants in your kitchen garden; or have you ever paid a little attention to that struggling plant on the roadside while you go to your work? Who takes care of it? If you spent moments to think about such things; those were the precious moments.

         Finally, all the moments that you spent to know God and love Him by admiring His creation and realizing that He has created you to love Him and work for Him, and be a better person. The moments spent realizing and doing His will are the most precious moments of your life.

- B. Johnson Maria

gazal

दस्ताने बयाँ

(ग़ज़ल)

हमीं को हमारी दास्ताँ बयां करने को, न मजबूर कीजिये,

सलीके से तह करके हमने रखे हैं अपने गम,

बेतरतीब उन्हें आप ना हुजुर कीजिये.

नावाकिफ नहीं हैं हम ग़मों की उस महफ़िल से 

जो कमबख्त जज्बात बनकर जुड़े हैं हर दिल से,

सब्र कीजिये, मुट्ठी भर ख़ुशी पर  न गरूर कीजिये.

है दिल नहीं बुलंद इतना, के टकरा जाए फौलाद से

फिर भी कमबख्त को सुकून मिलता है ग़मगीन हालत से 

मगर हालातों से टकराने की तमन्ना न हुजुर कीजिये.

गर की गुस्ताखी आपने जो, हालातों से टकराने की,

ढहेगी ख्यालातों की ज़र्ज़र ईमारत, तमाम ज़माने की,

हाँ मिले कामयाबी तो जनाब, कोशिश ज़रूर कीजिये.

आएँगी मुश्किलें हज़ार, नामाकूल ज़माने को बदलने में, 

है रास्ता अगर नेक है तो, कामयाबी मिलेगी चलने में,

बेख़ौफ़ हो मुश्किलों के खौफ को काफूर कीजिये.

हमें ठुकराया  है ज़माने  ने, आवारा बन गए,

 घर  से बहार हैं, न कोई आशियाँ है न साए,
अपनाके हमें आप हमपे, सितम ना हुजुर कीजिये.

बी० जोंसन मारिया

Just Think!

Live your life fully!

(Also in Inspirational Quote, Mumbai, April 2010)

        Just pull out yourself for few moments from the rat race of the day-to-day life, and recall the way you spent the previous day.... Did you do everything perfectly?.... Did you live each moment to the full?.... The work you did, whatever, was it done the best way it could be done.....

          We certainly make mistakes, and latter on we realize and exclaim, ‘if only I could have been little more careful’ or ‘if only I could pay a little more attention to that.’ If we are given chance to the moments when we made mistakes, we will certainly avoid repeating them. We make mistakes only because we are not fully aware of what is happening around us. We do not live our life fully. We do not enjoy it to the full. Just free yourself from all preoccupations. Just be in the present and live it fully; live it as though there was nothing before it, and the will be nothing after it. Just forget past and future; only be in the present. Live the present moments fully, feel the joy and serenity, and experience the optimum use of your abilities.

- B. Johnson Maria

Women you are Blest!

        Free Press, Weekend, Sunday, March 07, 2010

              “Women you are blest. You have taken upon yourself the creator’s work and are his helpers. You open the way to recovery and ever renew the outworn world. Quietly, bravely is beauty’ form you carry within you the preserving force of universe and for the fallen, the broken, the deformed, the gracious touch of the lovely.”

        These noble words of great Indian poet Rabindra Nath Tagore most aptly articulate the real worth, dignity and place of the women. Philosophically speaking ‘every reality has two sides, whether it is good or bad, light or darkness, knowledge or ignorance and so on. One has no meaning without the existence of the other. Without tasting the acrimony of failure we will not know the syrupiness of success. To put it in context, man is incomplete without woman. Can we imagine a society or world for that matter, without women?

          A man is borne by a woman in her womb, with great care. She brings forth the new life, sacrificing her own comforts; she provides the best circumstances for the baby. The man, in his childhood, has a woman as his sister to play with him. When he grows up and becomes ready to be responsible in society, gets married with a woman; she gives him the real meaning of being a man, a complete man. She is always there to help man in every test and time till the end of life of a man. She is there at every crossroad of man’s life to give a hand to him, to be his aide. But is she only an aide? Doesn’t she have her own independent identity, her own penchant and dislike, her own independent existence? She is not created just to be a helper to man alone, but her existence is complimentary to that of man.

        If we skim through the timeline, it is very clear that women are beginning to comprehend their real dignity. They are not less in any matter. They have their own identity and full right to assert that. Mrs. Indira Gandhi probably meant this when she said, “to be liberated woman should feel free to be herself, not in rivalry to man but in the context of her own capacity. Woman should be more interested, more alive and more active in the affairs of society, not because they comprise half the human race.” These words though spoken in the past are now being fulfilled. Woman is changing her susceptible image into the image of an able and independent being. There are numerous examples of women coming forward to assert their identity and are shining.

            She has been created by God with certain purpose and accordingly endowed with abilities and capacities. She has a compassionate heart with immense patience. Mother Teresa is one of the best examples of how a woman can feel for the suffering humanity. The present president of our country stands as in icon to indicate to the women of our country, that nothing is impossible for a woman that is possible for a man. Kiran Bedi, Medha Patekar, and several other ladies with “iron will” give a strong message that women have the aptitude not only to change somebody’s life but can give a new direction to society. With all the inimitable qualities possessed by a woman one would admiringly say ‘women you are blest.”

- B. Johnson Maria