REAL STUff

 THE KING WHO WANTED TO SEE  GOD

  There was once a king who wanted to see God and he threatened all the priests and wise men with the direst consequences if they did not succeed in showing God to him. As they were deep in thought, along  came a shepherd who took the king to a meadow, pointed at the sun and said , “Take a  good look .” The king hardly tried when he had dropped his head and screamed, “What do you want to do : blind me ?” 
  “But your majesty.” Said the shepherd ,” the sun is only one of  God’s creatures , a pae image of  Himself . If you cannot look at the sun , how could you ever look at God ?” 

- Willi Hoffsuemer

DON’T WAIT FOR DEATH

  Catholic lawyer visited his non-Catholic partner of 20 years who was dying in a hospital . “Now that you are dying , don’t you think you should embrace the faith?”
  The non-Catholic answer answered ,”If your faith meant so little to you in life that you never spoke about it during 20 years, then it can mean little at my death.”

         - Lovasik

GENTLE WOMAN

  One cold rainy night, while waiting for a bus, I watched an elderly woman get off one and then walk slowly over to the next bus stop. After quite some time she spoke to me , “Nasty night , isn’t it ? But I guess I won’t have too much longer to wait.”
  A little curios, I asked which bus she wanted, and when she told me, I exclaimed, “But you just got off that one! Why? I mean, why get off before you were supposed to?”
  “Well”        she stammered a bit shyly, “You see, there was a terribly crippled young man on that nobody offered him a seat , and I knew he’d be embarrassed if an old lady like me got up for him, so I just pretend it was time for me to get off and I rang the bell just as he was alongside my seat . he wasn’t embarrassed , and I --- well , there’s always another bus.”

         -Mary Clymonths
         (Catholic Digest)
 

START WITH THE HEART 

  “You sweat too much blood for the world,” Leo Tolstoy  told an enthusiastic reformer. “ Sweat some for yourself first … If you want to make the world better, you have yo be the berst you can … You cannot  bring the Kingdom of God into the world until you bring it into you own heart first.”
 

 EMPTY POCKETS , FULL HEART

Walking along a Russian street during the famine that accompanied wartime, Tolstoy me a beggar .
Tolstoy  hurried through his pockets to find something he might give this man. But they were empty. He had already given away all his money. In his pity , he reached out , took the beggar in his arms, kissed him on his hollow cheeks and said: “Don’t be angry with me , my brother , I have nothing to give you.” 
The thin face of the beggar lit up . Tears shone in his eyes , as he said, “But you called me brother --- that is great gift.”

SUICIDE: A COWARD’S CRIME 

When Napoleon was sentence to exile on the island of Saint Helena, an English newspaper opined that this military genius would sooner kill himself than be exiled. Napoleon heard the comment and said. “ I believe suicide is the most abominable of all crimes, and I cannot find any reason for its justification . It’s a coward’s crime. How can man call himself brave if he can’t bear life’s ups and downs? True heroism consists in facing adverse fortune,however great it might be, and being able to meet the challenge.”

DEATH KNOWS NO SORROW 

In the autumn of his life , Michaelangelo was one day discussing life and its puzzle with on old friend. The latter remarked : “After such a good life , isn’t it hard to look death in the eye?” 
The master artist replied thoughtfully , “ Not a all. Since life was such pleasure , death ,which come from the same great  Source , cannot displease us .”

UNFINISHED MASTERPIECE 

Leonardo da Vinci’s great career as an artist began when he was asked by his sick teacher to finish a painting which the teacher had begun. The student protested hi could not . “ Do you best ,”the teacher said .Before the easel , da Vince prayed : “It is for the sake of my beloved master that I implore the skill and power for this undertaking .” When the painting was completed , the teacher looked it over carefully and said: “My son, I paint no more.”

MORE THAN WORDS 

“Brother Leo,” said Francis of Assisi ,” let us go into the town and preach.” 
They went forth together wandering up and down the principal streets . They smiled as they walked along and conversed happily with one another . Occasionally they would pat a ragged boy and speak a cheery word to others.
“Father ,” said the young monk., “When do we start to preach?”
“Why , my son,” said Francis,”we have been preaching . We’ve been seen. Our behavior has been marked. There is no use walking anywhere to preach unless we preach as we talk.”

MEANINGS BEHIND SOME NAMES

Adam – This name in Hebrew means “mankind.”
Abram – This was the  former of Abraham. But when God made a covenant with him, He       changed  hi name to Abraham which means “ancestor or father of many nations.” 
Jacob - His name sounds like the Hebrew “heel” because when he was born, he was holding on tightly to the heel of his twin brother,Esau.But his name was later changed to Israel which means “he struggles with God.” (Gen. 25:26;32:28)
Solomon- His name did not mean “wisdom”, rather it was formed from the Hebrew word “shalom” which means peace and security beacause God promised his father David a son who would rule in peace. (1 Chron. 22:9 )

INDIRA GHANDI AND THE VIRGIN MARY

When Indira Gandhi, president of the largest democracy on earth, was assassinated, the entire world mourned this great woman and politician. What no one outside her circle of intimates knew was that she greatly respected the Christian veneration of the Mother of God. 
Her private secretary, Doctor  Alexander, tells about the time Mrs. Gandhi gave a garden party for  her personal staff. As she around shaking hands with her guests, she pulled Dr. Alexander’s wife close to herself and whispered.”You are an orthodox Christian,aren’t you ? Does your Church venerate her as such as the Catholic Church does? Or do you Orthodox Christian have a more reserved attitude?”
The secretary’s wife asnwered, “Mary is also highly venerated in our Orthodox Church. We pray to her ; we lay before her all our needs; we address her as Mother of God.”
A few days after the garden party , a parcel was delivered at the home of the secretary. It contained a small statue of  Mary with the child Jesus. It was a personal gift Indira Gandhi.

       -Bert Balling

PARABLE OF THE PENCIL

A religion teacher in South Africa often used the following parable in her mission clinic.
They called in the “Parable of the Pencil.” It can be very effective in teaching or preaching ,especially if the pencil is used as individual aide .Many  lessons can be drawn from it for a diversity of occasions.
A man invited the pencil, held it in his hand and said to it: “ I want you to remember four things: First, your goodness or true worth is within you. Secondly you’ll need to be sharpened  as you go though life. Thirdly, you’ll be in someone else’s hand . Finally, you’ll expected to leave your mark.”

- James a Feehan

GOD’S FOUR ANSWER TO A PRAYER 

Christ is a rare jewel, but men know not His value; a sun which ever shines, but men perceive not His brightness nor walk in his light. He is a garden full of sweets, a hive full of honey, a sun without spot, a star ever bright, a fountain ever full, a brook which ever flows, a rose which ever blooms, a foundation which never yields, a guide who never errs, a friend who never forsakes.
 

- Sir A. J. Balfour
  British Statesman

AUTOMATIC TURN-OFF

If  there is unconscious mistake Christian parents make, it is thinking that our children automatically capture our zeal for Christ. Quite the contrary: the only thing automatic is that our children automatically get turned off to spiritual things.
 The home is a laboratory where experiments are tried out. It is a place where life makes up its mind. The home is a place where a child is free to think, to talk , to tryout ideas. In a scene like that, God fits very comfortably into the entire conversation. And at any place where His name is inserted , its fits.

- Charles R. Swindoll 
          Growing Wise in Family Life
       (Multnomah)

HEROD’S CITY: AN ARCHETIC’S DREAM

After two decades of digging and diving archeologist have uncovered the grandeur that was Caesarea, the monumental seaport of ancient Judea, the ambitious project of Herod the Great.
 Writing in 88 A.D. Josephus  expressed admiration for Herod’s genius for grand designs” as seen in the city’s wide promenade, stone walls, colossal statue and marble temple.”By lavish expenditure,” he wrote ,  Herod “conquered nature himself” in constructing a large harbor where the strong currents and heavy seas would have daunted lesser men.
 Caesarea  was a busting international trading port. It’s a trade link between East and West. But trade began to decline as the sea finally tool its toll on the break waters. Neither Herod with all his power nor his Roman engineers with their skill could have protected the harbor of Caesarea against another of nature’s forces , the fault over which it was erected. The shifting crust finally titled the harbor floor and submerged what is left of the break  waters . Herod’s dream been claimed by the sea.

- an excerpt from The Christian Reader  (Nov/Dec ‘88)
            by John Noble Wilford
 

   THE CROSS 
 

   One day a priest asks a nun:

   Priest: Sister, have  you seen letters in a crucifix?
   Nun: Yes, father  
   Priest: How many? 
   Nun: Four letters, (She’s referring to the letters INRI)
   Priest: Is that all? There are still two important letters, which we hardly notice.
   Nun: Two letters?! (Surprised, she thought deeply)
 What are the letters ?
Priest: T and Y, which mean Thank You, a word which we often take for granted. For the Cross is the greatest gift of God for us and yet we often fail to be grateful of it. (T is the Cross and Y is the crucified Christ)

HEART OF THE GOSPEL 

C. H. Spurgeon wrote, “This little planet of ours  was made to burn with a superior light among its sister stars while the Creator sojourned here in human form. If for the first time you had heard of the visit of the Incarnate God to this world, you would be struck with a wonder, which would last throughout eternity. This is the heart of the Gospel – the incomparable fact of the Incarnation of the Son of God, His dwelling upon the earth, and His presentation of  Himself as a sacrifice into God for the sins of mankind.”
 

THE BEST GIFT
 

Long time ago there ruled in Persia a wise and good king . He loved hi people . He wanted to know how they lived. He wanted to know about the hardships they suffered. Often he dressed in the clothes of a workingman  or a beggar and went to the homes of the poor. No one he visited thought he was their ruler.
One time he visited a ver poor man who lived in a cave. He ate the coarse food the poor man ate . HE spoke king, cheerful words to him. Then he left , Later the visited the poor man again and told him clearly, ”I am your king .”
How surprised the poor man was! The king thought that the man would surely ask for some gift or favor. But he did not. Instead, he said ,”You left your palace and your glory to visit me in this dark, dreary place. You ate the coarse food I ate. You brought gladness to my heart. TO others you have given your rich gifts. To me you have given yourself.?
     - Walter B. Knight
 

CHRISTMAS THROUGH CHILDREN’S EYES 

It was second day after Christmas vacation. Sister Rita told her 21-second grades, “Tommorow we will visit the crib in church. How about everyone brings some little gift for the Infant Jesus? Nothing expensive, nothing  big. Just bring it along in a plastic bag so others won’t see it until Jesus sees it first in the crib.”
Tomorrow came. Twenty-one little hearts were beating faster than usual as they took turns placing their gift at the crib. There was a candy, a whistle, a toy car, some fruit, a little computer, and tin of mixed vegetables.
But most outstanding was a little statue of Christ the King. Sister found out that it was Billy’s gift and so she asked him, ”Why did you bring that gift,  Billy?” And he said, “I just wanted to show Jesus what he would look like when he grew up.”
 

   HOLE IN YOUR HEART 

    The next  you see or think of the one who broke your heart, look twice  
As you look at his face, look also His face—the face of the one who forgave  you. Look into the eyes of the King who wept when you pleaded for mercy. Look into the face of the Father who gave you grace when no one else gave you a chance. Find the face of God who forgives in the face of your enemy. And then, because God has forgiven you more than you will ever called on to forgive in another, set your enemy-and yourself-free.
 And allow the hole your heart to heal.
      
      “Blessed are the poor…”
     The Applause of  Heaven 
      By Max Lucado
 

HOLY  MEMORY 

Saint Anthony of  Padua was known to have a marvelous memory! When he was very young , he began to study the Bible, and because of his retentive memory, he gained a great knowledge of the Scriptures.
 Anthony  wanted to be a missionary, so he left his home in Portugal to go to Morocco, but he got very sick and had to head back home. On the way home, his trip got blown off course, and Anthony ended up to Italy instead of Portugal! One day while he  was there, he went to a big  gathering of Dominican and Franciscans priests. Someone was supposed to preach, but there had been mix-up and no one come prepared for the occasion. So Anthony was asked if he would just get up and say whatever the Holy Spirit put in his mind.
 Anthony did  as he asked and began very once he got going, he gave such a wonderful talk that everyone knew he should become a preacher. And that’s what he did! Because of his memory, his long hours of studying, and a ship blown off course, Anthony found his lifework preaching in Italy and spent his last years there in the town called Padua.
 

     “115 Saintly Fun Facts” 
   By Bernadette McCarver Snyder
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

FREEDOM FROM FEAR

In order to set contemporary man free from fear of himself, of the world, of others, of earthly powers, of oppressive systems, in order to set him free from every manifestation of  a servile fear before that “prevailing force” which believers call God. It is necessary to pray fervently that he will bear and cultivate in his heart that true fear of God, which is the beginning of wisdom.
This fear of God is the saving power of the Gospel. It is a constructive,  never  destructive, fear. It creates people who allow themselves to be led by responsibility, by responsible love. It creates holy men and women- true Christians-to whom the future of the world ultimately belongs.

     “Crossing the Threshold of Hope”
        By His Holiness John Paul II
 

TRUE WORSHIP

“What  is it  to have beautiful churches of which Christ would say what he says to the Pharisees in the Gospel: “Your worship is in vain “ (Mark 7:7)? That is what happens with much sumptuous worship, with lots of  flowers and so forth and invited guests and all that. Where is the adoration  in Spirit  and in truth?