AS EASE AS ADDITION

AS EASY AS ADDITION

 

“The Lord, who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear, will also keep me safe from the clutches of this Philistine.” – 1 Samuel 17:37

 

I can still feel the thrill when I first performed two-digit addition. As a first grader, my knowledge was limited only to single digit math. But one day, while I was on a school bus with a friend’s grade two Math book, I was able to solve “complicated” two-digit addition problems.

Who would have thought that much, much later, I would learn to do Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry and — the mother of them all — Calculus? If you told me back in that school bus that I’d have to solve problems with limits, derivatives, integrals and infinite series, I would have probably dropped out of school.

It’s the same with the Lord. He prepares us all our lives to carry out His calling. Just as David’s work as a shepherd boy trained him for his encounter with Goliath, our education, experiences, family background, even trials and difficulties are our qualifications for the tasks God asks us to do today. So if you really think about it, following God can be as easy as grade two math. Rissa Singson-Kawpeng (justbreatherissa@gmail.com)

 

REFLECTION:

“Start by doing what is necessary, then what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” (St. Francis of Assisi)

 

Lord, when it seems that You are asking me to do the impossible, remind me that You have prepared me all my life for it.

 

IS IT RIGHT OR WRONG?

 

If you are anything like me, you will be wondering how on earth anyone could complain about the healing of a sick person on the Sabbath! What is at work in a person’s heart for them to do this? To be fair, I do not think it is malice towards the sick person, just a very legalistic understanding of the Law and its application to individual circumstances. I would hope that those who question Jesus’ actions would change their minds if they were to imagine that they were the sick person in question! However, there are forms of legalism that are so strong that they can even seem to be totally devoid of compassion.

Now by compassion I do not mean compromise. Compassion literally means “to suffer with,” that is, to take on the position of the other person and try to see things from their perspective. It is important for us to develop compassion as it can help us to understand why people do the things they do, and when the person is suffering, help us to realize the depth of their struggle and thus be inspired to help them.

Jesus was a compassionate person in that He was always ready to listen to those around Him and He was able to address their issues and needs from the standpoint of understanding. Help for others that comes from a purely theoretical or philosophical point of view is a “cold” sort of help. It is better than nothing but not as “warm” and comforting as help that comes from a compassionate understanding of another and being with the person who is suffering. As Christians, we ought to move from the first position to that of the second.

Jesus calls us to have a special love for the poor and suffering. Even in the midst of prosperity and progress, the poor and outcast are forgotten as they are not part of what is happening and so they get passed over. Let’s make it a point to remember them and try to bring them along with us as best we can and help them make the best of their lives. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

 

Reflection Question:

Do I have a heart for the poor and suffering or do I tend to ignore their plight as something beyond my control?

 

Jesus, help me to have a heart for the poor and suffering of the world and to do all I can to better their lives and help them out of their suffering.

 

St. Fenchin, pray for us.