There is this story about a young farmer called Seamus who finds himself in dire trouble.
His farm has gone bust and he's in serious financial trouble. He's so desperate that he decides to ask God for help. He goes into the Church and begins to pray… “God, please help me, I've lost my Farm and if I don't get some money, I'm going to lose my house as well, please let me win the lotto”.
Lotto night comes and somebody else wins it.
Seamus goes back to the Church… “God, please let me win the lotto, I've lost my Farm, my house and I'm going to lose my tractor as well“.
Lotto night comes and Seamus still has no luck!
Back to the Church… “My God, why have you forsaken me? I've lost my Farm, my house, my tractor and my wife and 12 children are starving. I don't often ask you for help and I have always been a good servant to you. Why won't you just let me win the lotto this one time so I can get my life back in order??“.
Suddenly there is a blinding flash of light as the heavens open and Seamus is confronted by the voice of GOD himself: “Seamus, meet me half way on this one: buy a ticket.“.
/
This Sunday's Parable of the Sower speaks about the Sower, the Seed, and the Soil. By analogy, the Sower is God himself, the Seed is the Word, and the Soil is our state of heart and mind. (Mt 13:1-9).
I have often been stumped as to why there is so much rabid anti-Catholicism in our highly secularized world. It becomes more astonishing when one realizes that mankind is supposed to have advanced to a very high degree of learning and self-consciousness, assisted by the benefits of scientific and social knowledge that is has accumulated over time. Instead, the so-called advances of "reasoning" has steered mankind to self-destructive initiatives that has materialized itself into a perversion of the very nature of its key to upliftment. Same-sex marriages, unbridled artificial birth-control, abortion, marginalization of religion and the traditional family, ...all these have been touted as hallmarks of a "liberated", "progressive" state, whereas the clear signs point to a self-inflicted destruction of mankind . These so-called "advances" have imperiled mankind more than anything else. A seed is supposed to thrive, grow, be fruitful and produce more seeds to replicate exponentially. Somehow, the secularist pseudo-intellectuals spite the Church and its teachings and haughtily calls it "progress" against antiquity, while actually destroying the seeds for the upliftment of humanity. They have eyes but they refuse to see. They have ears but refuse to hear. The seed cannot grow in a hardened heart.
We only have to realize that the secular world is willfully rejecting the boundless generosity and grace of God. It is free will that has lost its moorings. We only have to get that ticket at a pittance. Lest it be misconstrued, God does not want us to gamble, for what He offers us has no chance of losing. We only need to meet Him halfway and He will take our hand and lead us. Forget the lotto, a boundless jackpot awaits.
About Seamus, he never bought a third ticket. He sought an investor to partner with him on a project utilizing a novel farming concept Their venture became so profitable so much that Seamus not only regained his farm, but acquired two others as well. I am now thinking of buying that third ticket :-)
Sunday, July 10, 2011
The third ticket
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
The moral revolution brought about by relativism and consumerism has radically changed man’s perception on sex, it distorted the real and sole purpose of having sex and that is to make life. It disconnected the unitive aspect of sexual pleasure with its final cause and that is to have babies; rich fertile soils poisoned by abortifacient drugs in order to not bear fruits. Because of this disconnect it opened the flood gates of hedonism, giving licenses to everyone in particular the youth. And that is why the Catholic Church is most hated, despised, ignored and disobeyed today as She is the only institution that preserves her teachings on sex and high regard of human sexuality; especially our country where the current issues are the RH Bill, divorce and same-sex marriage - all rooted on SEX.
They don't get Church approval for their behavior so they attack viciously. It's their idea of tolerance.
aesiel, have you seen the Pope's midday reflection on this parable? Check it out here.
Tolerance? It's more of religious ignorance on Church teachings. You should see the comments of readers regarding the CBCP’s Apology on the PCSO controversy, they show no respect for the successors of St. Peter. It only proves that most Filipino Catholics are like the seeds that were choked by thorns - overwhelmed by the cares and lures of the world.
You are right aeisiel. I could tolerate ignorance borne out of honest error or that which we call invincible ignorance. But ignorance due to laziness, carelessness, and malice is deplorable. I have read the pastoral letter of Bishop Odchimar over and over again, and it is very simplistic (or dishonest) to say that it was an apology. But the mainstream media painted it that way. ugh.
I agree with Resty Odon.
http://restyo.blogspot.com/2011/07/distortion-from-sorry-to-apology.html
I also agree with Resty's view but even if it was an apology (though it isn't), it is an internal Church document. From the Pastor to the Catholic faithful, from the Shepherd to his flock so why would Malacañang welcome the "apology"? tsk, tsk, tsk
Why yes...that bit was overlooked. The pastoral letter was addressed to "Our Dear People of God" ! Shame on Malacañang.
Post a Comment