Php 70.00 Vol. 45 No. 5 • MAY 2011 - IMPACT Magazine Online!

FROM THE
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A
man's daughter had asked the local
pastor to come and pray with her
father. When the pastor arrived,
he found the man lying in bed with his
head propped up on two pillows and an
empty chair beside his bed. The priest
assumed that the old fellow had been
informed of his visit.
"I guess you were expecting me,"
he said.
"No, who are you?"
"I'm the new associate at your local
church," the pastor replied. "When I saw
the empty chair, I figured you knew I
was going to show up."
"Oh yeah, the chair," said the bedridden
man. "Would you mind closing
the door?"
Puzzled, the pastor shut the door.
"I've never told anyone this, not
even my daughter," said the man. "But
all of my life I have never known how
to pray. At church I used to hear the
pastor talk about prayer, but it always
went right over my head."
"I abandoned any attempt at
prayer," the old man continued, "until
one day about four years ago my best
friend said to me, ‘Joe, prayer is just a
simple matter of having a conversation with
Jesus. Here's what I suggest. Sit down on a
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From the email messages of may_rv2003@yahoo.com
Flaws
A WATER bearer in India had
two large pots, each hung on
each end of a pole, which he
carried across his neck. One of
the pots had a crack in it, and
while the other pot was perfect
and always delivered a full por-
The empty chair
chair, place an empty chair in front of you,
and in faith see Jesus on the chair. It's not
tion of water at the end of the
long walk from the stream to
the master's house, the cracked
pot arrived only
half full.
For a full two
years this went
on daily, with the
bearer delivering
only one and
a half pots full
of water in his
master's house.
Of course, the
perfect pot was
proud of its accomplishments,
perfect to the end
for which it was made. But the
poor cracked pot was ashamed
of its own imperfection, and
miserable that it was able to
accomplish only half of what
it had been made to do.
After two years of what it
perceived to be a bitter failure,
it spoke to the water bearer one
day by the stream.
"I am ashamed of myself,
and I want to apologize to you."
"Why?" asked the bearer.
"What are you ashamed of?" "I
have been able, for these past
two years, to deliver only half
my load because this crack in
my side causes water to leak
out all the way back to your
master’s house. Because of
my flaws, you have to do all
of this work, and you don't get
full value from your efforts,"
the pot said.
The water bearer felt sorry
for the old cracked pot, and in
his compassion he said, "As we
return to the master’s house, I
want you to notice the beautiful
flowers along the path."
Indeed, as they went up the
hill, the old cracked pot took
spooky because he promised, 'I'll be
with you always.' Then just speak to
him and listen in the same way you're
doing with me right now.’"
"So, I tried it and I've liked it so
much that I do it a couple of hours
every day. I'm careful, though. If my
daughter saw me talking to an empty
chair, she'd either have a nervous
breakdown or send me off to the
funny farm."
The pastor was deeply moved by
the story and encouraged the old guy to
continue on the journey. Then he prayed
with him, and returned to the church.
Two nights later the daughter
called to tell the pastor that her daddy
had died that afternoon.
"Did he seem to die in peace?"
he asked.
"Yes, when I left the house
around two o'clock, he called me
over to his bedside, told me one of
his corny jokes, and kissed me on
the cheek. When I got back from the
store an hour later, I found him dead.
But there was something strange, in
fact, beyond strange―kinda weird.
Apparently, just before Daddy died,
he leaned over and rested his head on a chair
beside the bed."
www.cuoreestremo.blogspot.com
notice of the sun warming the
beautiful wild flowers on the
side of the path, and this cheered
it some. But at the end of the
trail, it still felt bad because it
had leaked out half its load, and
so again the pot apologized to
the bearer for its failure.
The bearer said to the pot,
"Did you notice that there were
flowers only on your side of
your path, but not on the other
pots’ side? That's because I
have always known about your
flaw, and I took advantage of it.
I planted flower seeds on your
side of the path, and every day
while we walk back from the
stream, you've watered them.
For two years I have been able
to pick these beautiful flowers
to decorate my master’s table.
Without you being just the way
you are, he would not have this
beauty to grace his house."
Mary in the Gospels
Giovanni Maria Bigotto, FMS
Mary’s role in the history of salvation earns her a place of honor in the hearts of Christian believers
who have a high regard for Mary as the Mother of God and mother of all believers. Both Catholics
and Orthodox Christians pay tributes to Mary in beautiful liturgies and artworks emphasizing the
great devotion they have to her and the role she plays in the life of the Church. This book presents
a portrait of Mary as shown in the four Gospels—a portrayal that other faith denominations cannot
argue about since they are all Scriptural accounts of this extraordinary woman whom humanity calls
mother. “God’s love manifested in Christ is the crossroads where all Christians can meet and welcome
one another as brothers and sisters. That love was entrusted to a woman from among us, Mary.”
Homosexuality and the Catholic Church
Fr. John E. Harvey OSFS
The book provides clear insights on the topic of homosexuality.
Presented in a question and answer format, readers get a deeper
and clearer understanding of the subject of same sex attraction
(SSA). The Church does not condemn anyone who has a homosexual
orientation as SSA is not a sin by itself. But Church’s teachings
urge those experiencing SSA to lead a chaste life. In a society where same sex unions have
become acceptable and a way of life, going against the current requires a lot of faith and tons of
moral courage. Aside from providing clear answers to questions on same sex attraction, the book
also discusses support groups and other organizations that can help homosexuals overcome the
challenges they face and live a chaste life according to the teachings of the Church.
Nil Guillemette
A Gentle God
Exploring Difficult Biblical Texts
Does God punish? Indeed if we look at the Old Testament, we encounter a violent and punishing
God who in many instances has punished an individual or a group for some transgressions or other.
In this book, the author debunks that notion, and instead presents God as a gentle and loving God.
The negative image of God is oftentimes a product of childhood experiences that have stayed long
in the subconscious and reinforced by various environmental factors. Hence, the author contends,
it is essential that in the interpretation of Biblical texts, one should be guided with the view that God
is a loving God “since it is the highest and most accurate disclosure of who and what God is.” Nil
Guillemette is a multi-awarded author and a biblical scholar who has lived in the Philippines since
1980.
Living and Loving Jesus
Bishop Ruperto C. Santos, DD
Now the bishop of Balanga, the author wrote this book when he was still the rector of the Pontificio
Collegio Filippino in Rome and in charge of the formation of student-priests living in the Collegio.
The book is a collection of reflections and conferences given to priests with topics ranging from
spirituality, the Church, ministry and personal lifestyle. As priests are called to be “alter Christus”,
they ought to be the Good News of the Father’s love, as Jesus is; and the Paschal Mystery at the
heart of their pastoral ministry as priests. With his topics divided according to the acronym PASCHAL,
Santos aptly tackles the “essence of priestly spirituality in the Paschal Mystery which is rooted in the
Cross which Jesus embraced with love until his death, which the monumental document—Pastores
Dabo Vobis—on the priesthood expressly indicated.”
28 IMPACT • May 2011
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