14 August 2009
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew (19:13-15)
People brought little children to Jesus, for him to lay his hands on them and say a prayer. The disciples turned them away, but Jesus said, “Let the little children alone, and do not stop them coming to me; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” Then he laid his hands on them and went on his way.
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.
Dear Students,
Do you know that our ideas or even our way of thinking cause our feelings?. For example, if I have a negative thinking of others, then it will be easy for me to blame others, or even to hate others. I am sure you do know that. Any distortion in our basic ideas and perceptions, then, can make us unhappy, or maybe just confusing. Our happiness therefore does not depend so much on what happens TO US as what happens IN US. That is why people says, “happiness is an inside business”. For instance, you are happy when you are getting a good mark, it is not because your teacher gives you that mark, but because your effort bears a good result, right?
Why does this reflection be given this morning? Based on today’s gospel reading that the kingdom of heaven belongs to the little children, who have a pure of heart, no pretension, no mask to cover up their originality. First of all, most of us tend to blame others for our unhappy or any other improper feeling. Secondly, let us learn how to take full self-responsibility for our thoughts and feelings. No more blaming others. Those feelings belong to us.
The question is what actually makes us unhappy or any other improper feelings? We maintain our feelings are scrambled because we always hang on to our wrong ideas. What kind of ideas? Ideas that are irrational. ideas that do not fit to reality. Could we find such irrationality in our life? If yes, then, we need to remove it, and change it into rational.
Let’s pray,
Heavenly Father, we are grateful for the gifts you have given us, especially the gift of intellect, of emotion. Enlighten us with your Holy Spirit to make our ideas, vision, even faith, becoming rational and in accord with reality and your divine will. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Writer: JW
Reference: Daily Reflection