Footprints
You and Jesus are walking along a path together. For a good part of the way the footprints of Jesus are alongside yours, but His are clear, solid, and in a definite direction.
You, instead, have left distracted footprints, going zigzag, with pauses, about-turns, changes in direction.
It continues like this for a good part of the journey, but gradually your footprints come closer to those of Jesus and begin to run parallel. You and Jesus are walking side by side like friends.
It all seems perfect, but then there is another change. Your footprints, which could be easily distinguished beside those of Jesus in the sand before are now inside His.
Inside His large prints, yours are smaller, but you and Jesus are beginning to move as one person.
You go on for a good while like this, but another change is gradually taking place.
Your footprints slowly grow until they coincide with those of Jesus,
Now there are only one set of footprints on the sand. You and Jesus are walking like one person.
It seems as if all is going well, but suddenly a second set of footprints re-appears.
That is strange!
The new footprints go zigzag, turn round and round, and make strange diversions.
You are surprised, doubtful, anxious. Your dream ends and you begin to pray.
"Lord, I understood the situation in the beginning, with my comings and goings and my pauses. I was unsure as a Christian but I wanted to learn from you. You walked securely and helped me to walk with you."
"Right!"
"And when my little footprints were inside your large ones, I was learning to walk in your footsteps, to follow you really closely."
"Very good! You have learned very quickly."
"When my footprints became identical with yours, it meant that I had become your disciple in everything."
"Exactly."
But, Lord, what happened then? Have I gone right back to the beginning? What are these separate footprints, especially the ones that go round in circles?"
There was a moment of silence and then, with a smile, Jesus replied: "Oh those? I am dancing for joy around you."
We are God's joy. This is the most surprising paradox of Christianity. And when it is hard to be faithful, when everything seems dull, when the going is exhausting, stop, close your eyes, mouth and ears.
You will hear God dancing round you.
Peace
A high range of mountains with an abundance of glaciers and rivers, marked the border between two countries. They were nearly impossible to cross. The two countries were almost like twins, inhabited by people who were alike in almost everything and therefore almost always in conflict with each other.
The two peoples clashed strongly in every field, from the economy to the diplomatic area, to sport.
With these two peoples so close to each other, war seemed inevitable.
The commanders of the two armies sent secret agents to find out where it would be easiest to attack the enemy.
The messengers from both sides came back with exactly the same findings.
"There is only one point on the borders of our two countries where this would be possible."
The generals, on both sides, smiled in satisfaction and pointed to the map.
"This is where we will strike with our well equipped armies!"
They were already imagining the sound of the armed cars, the firing of the artillery, the joy of a quick victory, the glory and the medals.
However, the secret agents on both sides showed that they had some difficulty with the plan.
"In exactly that place, there lives a small, hardworking farmer, in a little house, together with his lovely wife. They really love each other and it is said that they are the happiest people on earth. They have one child. If we were to cross their farm and set up camp near them, we would certainly destroy their happiness."
The smile faded from the faces of the generals. They were silent and disconcerted.
"We cannot start this war" they all said together, on both sides of the border.
And so the war was never declared.
There is only one place in the world that can make every kind war, violence and aggression impossible and that is at the centre of your heart.
The Parable of the Twins
Once upon a time twins were conceived in the womb. Weeks passed and the babies grew. As their awareness grew, their joy increased. "Isn't it fantastic that we have been conceived? Isn't it wonderful to be alive?"
The twins began to explore their world.
When they discovered the umbilical cord that bound them to their mother and nourished then, they sang for joy. "What great love our mother has for us. She even shares her own life with us!" However as the weeks grew into months, they suddenly noticed how they had changed.
"What does this mean?" one asked.
"It means that our stay in this world will soon end" the other replied.
"But I don't want to leave", the first retorted, "I would rather stay here forever."
"We don't have any choice" the other replied, "but maybe there is life after birth!"
"How could there be" the first asked, doubtfully. "We will loose our lifeline and how could we live without it? Besides, others left the womb before us and no one has ever come back to tell us that there is life after birth. No, birth is the end!" So one of them went into a state of deep anxiety, asking: "If conception ends in birth, what meaning has life in the womb? It is absurd. Maybe there is no mother behind all this."
"But she must exist", the other protested, "otherwise how could we have got in here? And how could we survive?"
"Did you ever see our mother?" asked the first. Maybe she only lives in our imagination. We invented her, because in this way we can better understand our life."
And so the last days in the mother's womb were filled with thousands of questions and a great fear. Finally the moment of birth came.
When the twins left their mother's womb, their world, they opened their eyes.
They cried out.
What they saw was beyond their greatest dreams.
One day, at last, we will be born.
Come here to me
Little Sarah had graduated from the high chair to taking her first steps, taking her share of tumbles and grazed knees like all babies.
On such occasions mammy would hold out her arms and say: "Come here to me."
The she crawled to her on all four and climbed onto her knee and mammy gave her a hug.
Mammy would say: "Who's my girl?"
Through her tears, Sarah would say "Sarah is!"
Then mammy would ask: "Who is the apple of my eye?"
The child would smile and say: "Sarah is!"
In the end mammy would say: "And I love you always, forever, whatever the cost!"
After a laugh and another hug, the child was ready for the next challenge.
Even at the age of five, Sarah would still repeat the scene of "Come here to me" to heal cut knees and hurt feelings, to say "good morning" or "good night".
One day it happened that mammy was having a really bad day.
She was tired and stressed out from the work of looking after her husband, a child of five, two teenaged daughters and all the housework. Every time the phone rang or the door-bell sounded it meant more work that would have needed a whole day and had to be done immediately. She reached breaking point in the afternoon and took refuge in the bedroom to have a good cry in peace.
Sarah ran to look for her and said: "Come here to me!" She curled up close to her mother and, putting her hands on mammy's tear-stained cheeks, said: "Who's my mammy?". Through her tears, mammy replied: "I am". "Who is the apple of my eye?". Now smiling she answered: "I am".
"And I love you always, forever, whatever the cost!"
A laugh and a hug and mammy too was ready for the next challenge.
Whoever loves will be loved.
A glass of Milk
One day a poor boy was trying to pay his college fees by selling tissues and other items of little value from door to door. He realised that he had only a few cents in his pocket and he was terribly hungry.
He decided that he would ask for something to eat at the next house. His courage was about to fail him when the door was opened by a beautiful little girl with green eyes.
Instead of food, he asked for a glass of milk.
The girl, noticing his hunger, brought him a big glass full of milk.
The boy thanked her warmly and asked, "How much do I owe you?"
"You don't owe me anything" the girl replied. "My mammy days that you don't owe anything for kindness."
He replied: "I thank you then, with all my heart."
As Howard Kelly left that house, he felt not only physically refreshed, but his faith in God and in humanity had grown greatly.
He had been on the point of giving up and resigning himself to not being able to continue his studies, but that little gesture had renewed his strength and his will to continue the struggle.
Many years later, the same girl, now grown up, became seriously ill. The local doctors did not know what to do. In the end they sent her to a big hospital in the city where there were specialists capable of dealing with such a rare illness.
Doctor Howard Kelly, a real celebrity in the area, was one of those invited to the consultation.
When the surgeon heard the name of the city from which the woman came, a strange light flashed through his mind. He went straight to the hospital and asked to be brought to the patient's room.
He recognised her immediately, not only by her green eyes. He went straight to the room where the consultation was being held, his mind made up to do all he could to save the life of this woman.
From that moment he dedicated all the time he could to that case. After a long and strenuous struggle, the battle was won. Professor Kelly asked for the bill in the administration office of the hospital. He looked at it and wrote a few words on the corner of the page.
The account was then brought to the patient. The woman hesitated in opening it, sure that she would have had to spend the rest of her life trying to pay off that bill, which would certainly be very big.
Finally she gave a cautions glance, but her attention was immediately drawn to the hand-written words on the edge of the bill.
She read these words: "Paid in full with a glass of milk".
It was signed: Dr. Howard Kelly.
"The one who gives even a glass of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I assure you, he will receive his reward" (Mt. 10:42)
The Apples
A group of young managers who had just finished a week's refresher course, were running along the corridors of the airport. It was Friday evening and they all wanted to get home for the weekend.
They were very late. Their flight had already been called some time ago.
Clinging to their briefcases, tickets and passports, they ran through the airport corridors.
Suddenly and unintentionally, two of them bumped into the stall of a fruit seller and knocked over a basket of apples.
The apples spilled out and rolled all over the floor.
Without stopping, or looking back, the young men continued to run and they all managed to get onto the plane.
All except one.
This man stopped because he felt sorry for the owner of the fruit stall.
He shouted to one of his companions to tell his wife he would be in on the next flight.
He went back to the terminal and saw that all the apples were still scattered.
He was really surprised when he realised that the stall-keeper was a little blind girl.
The girl was crying, with great tears running down her cheeks.
She was feeling the floor, trying, in vain, to gather her apples, while the crowds passed by without stopping. No one took the least bit of notice of what had happened.
The man got down on his knees with her and set about collecting the apples and then helped her to set up her stall again.
While he was doing this, he noticed that many of the apples had been damaged in the fall. He took them and put them in a basket.
When he had finished, he took out his wallet and said to the child: "Are you OK?"
She smiled and nodded.
The man put a hundred euro note in her hand. Then he said: "Take this, please. It will pay for the damage we have done. I hope we did not ruin your day."
The young man began to move away but the child called: "Sir…"
He stopped and turned to look into her sightless eyes.
She continued: "Are you Jesus?"
He stood dumbstruck, turning round a few times, before setting off again to catch his flight, with this question ringing in his ears and burning in his heart: "Are you Jesus?"
Do people sometimes mix you up with Jesus?
Wealth
A short time before Christmas the teacher asked her class two questions: "Who among you considers themselves poor? And who should get a Christmas present?"
The children who considered themselves poor raised their hands.
It was a small town and everyone knew everyone else. They not only knew each other by name, but knew who their relations were and how much money they had. After school the teacher called eight year old Dini to her office. His family had recently immigrated and settled in the town and were very poor.
She asked him to sit down and then asked why he had not put up his hand.
Dini replied: "Because I am not poor."
"Who do you think is poor?"
"Those children who don't have parents."
She looked at him in amazement and silence and then let him go home.
The following day Dini's father came home with a big smile on his face. He said that the teacher had come to visit him at work. "We should be very proud of our son," he said to his wife and told her what Dini had said to his teacher.
On Christmas Eve, Dini received a big parcel. It contained two pairs of brand new shoes, one for him and one for his little sister. They had never had new shoes before.
But even if the present had never come, Dini knew that his family was the richest in the world.
The family is the only true bank account. Don't ever let it go into the red. Every day invest affection, tenderness, care, fidelity and sacrifice in it. The interest is great.
Story Time
Every night before going to bed little Sarah climbed onto her father's knee and begged him to read a story for her. One day the father had what he thought was a brilliant idea. He bought a CD with all Sarah's favourite stories. That evening he taught her how to use the CD player. "Now you can have all the stories you like, whenever you want", he told her.
All went well for a few days. Then one evening Sarah was back on Daddy's knee begging for a story. "But you know how to use the CD player and the actors read the stories much better than I can", he said.
"The CD player is fine, Daddy, but you see, I can't sit on its lap".
Children need people more than things.
The king who loved too much
A king fell head over heals in love with a poor but beautiful girl of the people. He ordered that she be brought to his palace because he really wanted to marry her. But, strangely, the girl got seriously ill the very day she entered the palace of the king. She grew steadily weaker and weaker.
The best doctors in the kingdom were called but they could do nothing. The poor girl hung between life and death. In desperation, the king offered half of his kingdom to the person who could cure her. But nobody came forward.
At last a wise old man came to the king and asked to speak to the girl on her own. After this conversation, he was received by the king, who had been waiting anxiously."Your majesty" said the wise man, "I have an infallible cure for your promised wife. It will be a very painful cure… Not for her, but for your majesty!"
"Tell me what it is" cried the king. "She shall have it, no matter what it costs!"
The wise man looked the king straight in the eye and said: "The girl is in love with one of your soldiers. Give her permission to marry him and she will get better immediately."
The king was silent for a few moments. He loved the girl too much to let her die. He agreed to the marriage between the girl and the soldier.
Naturally the girl got better. But the king became sadder each passing day and soon he was at the point of death. The wise old man, who had cured the girl, was called again. The old man came to the king's bedside, but he shook his head sadly and murmured: "Poor king! There is no cure for him, because there is no one to love him as he loves!"
And that is why God had to die on earth. There is no one who loves as he loves.
The Cave
Once upon a time a saintly monk called Pachomius wanted to know the meaning of life and, every day, he meditated on the Word of God and the writings of wise people to discover the secret.
One night God fulfilled his wish and sent him a dream. Pachomius saw that the world was like a huge, dark cave. In it all the people were wandering round, bumping into each other, sometimes getting hurt or hurting others. They got more and more sad and depressed because they could not find the way out.
Then, suddenly, someone lit a light. It was only a small light, but there is no darkness so black that it cannot be conquered by even the tiniest light. A way out can always be found if you have a light, everyone thought and they all began to follow the person with the light.
At first they crowded forward, blocking each other's way. Then they tried to form a line, single file, but they were so many and the cave so dark and the light so tiny that it could hardly be seen.
In the end someone came up with the perfect solution, everyone held hands!
Hold hands with your neighbours and hold on tight because the light is small and the darkness seems to be growing blacker!
The Best Son
Three women got talking with a very wise old man as they were coming out of the supermarket one day. Each of the women was carrying very heavy bags as they walked up a long street to the bus-stop.
"How are your getting on?" the old man asked.
"My son is doing brilliantly" said the first woman. "He is so good at gymnastics that his coach is sure he will be picked for the Olympic team".
"My son too is doing really well" said the second. "He is studying music and they say he will soon be cutting his first CD."
The third woman hesitated a little then she said, "My son has no extraordinary gifts like those you have described. What I can say, though is that he is a good lad. I suppose he is just like so many others."
When they were passing a small park, they paused for a few minutes, left down their bags and sat on a roadside bench for a rest. Just then the three boys they were speaking of came along and greeted their mothers.
The first said proudly, !Mother, let me show you the new back-flip I have learned.! And there on the footpath he performed a most amazing piece of gymnastics. Everyone clapped and commented on his agility and timing.
The second, not to be outdone, offered to sing his latest song. The song was so beautiful they commented, "He sings like an angel!" and gave him too a warm applause.
The third boy bent down, picked up his mother's shopping bags and saying "they are very heavy and you look tired" he set off in the direction of the bus stop followed by his empty-handed companions.
"Well," said one of the women to the old man, "what do you think of our sons?"
"Sons" the old man repeated, "I only saw one son."
Princess Maria's Discovery
Maria was a very happy young princess. She loved meeting people and chatting with them. Wherever she went she was always made welcome and people made a great fuss of her. Of course, since she was a princess, she had lots of pretty clothes to wear.
One day she began to wonder: "Do the people really like me, or is it just because I am well dressed and they know that I come from a rich family?" She decided to try an experiment.
Next day Maria swapped her beautiful dress with a beggar girl called Annie who lived not far from her father's palace. Naturally the beggar girl was delighted with her luck. Maria and Annie promised to meet next day and tell each other their experiences of the day.
Maria set off for the house of one of her well off friends where she had always been welcome, but they would not even let her in. All day she went from place to place, but it seemed that no one wanted to know her. That night she went home disappointed and sad. Next morning she called on Annie. She found her full of joy. "Look she said, I have finally managed to get a job, where I can earn some money to help my parents. No one would even listen to me before when I asked. Your dress must be a lucky one."
Maria went home and looked at all her pretty clothes. Strangely she started to talk to the dresses. "How lucky you dresses are. It seems to me that you are more important than the people who wear you. Why do people seem to see you more that they see the one who is wearing you?"
The Promise
Once upon a time there was a very powerful old emperor in China. One day he made a solemn promise:
"I am going to conquer every one of my enemies. I will rid my kingdom of enemies."
A few days later, one of his court officials was surprised to see him walking in his garden, arm in arm with some of his worst enemies. They were laughing and joking together.
"What is going on?" the courtier asked in surprise. "I thought you swore that you would wipe out all your enemies from your country?"
"I have actually wiped them out" the emperor answered. "I have changed them into friends."
The Forest Fire
One day fire broke out in a very popular forest. Everyone ran in panic to get to safety. There were only two people left in the forest, a blind man and a lame man. In his panic, the blind man was running straight towards the fire.
"Not that way!" shouted the lame man. "You will end up in the fire."
"What way should I go then?" asked the blind man.
"I can show you the way" the lame man answered "but I can't run. If you carry me on your back, we could both escape. Together we would be sure of getting out of this danger."
The blind man took the advice of the lame man and they both reached safety.
None of us have all the gifts. Some are good at one thing, some at another. If we work together we all benefit. Today let us share our gifts and value those of others.
