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Straight
from the Heart
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 EASTER
REJOICING
- By Carolle
Bautista
As the Church celebrates Easter, we celebrate a time
of great happiness, a time of rejoicing because Jesus has
risen from the dead. In short, it is His Resurrection, to
share a new life with His apostles, and in these modern times,
with us. Easter is not only a one-day celebration -
it extends fifty days from Easter Sunday to Pentecost. In
that period, Jesus visited the apostles several times, shared
a meal with them, although, the Bible tells us that the
apostles did not recognize Him at once. In our present time,
we celebrate Jesus’ rising to life by sharing the Eucharist
during the Mass as we gather together in the Church. Through
the Eucharist, we remember that Jesus is always with us.
But why were the apostles not able to recognize Jesus at
once after His Resurrection? Was it because Jesus looked so
different that His face was beyond recognition? It may be
because the apostles did not yet fully grasp the meaning of
the Resurrection of Jesus, or were not able to see at once the
implications it had for them.
If someone asks you this very moment, “What implication
does the Resurrection of Jesus have in your life?” Would you
have a ready answer? The truth is, we must be able to see
beyond the history of Jesus Christ who lived, died and rose
again. And the only way is to follow the example of Jesus,
how He lived His life. It would not take us long to realize
that, indeed, our Savior modeled for us a life that is focused
on loving, serving and caring for other people. It is not
self-centered but others-centered. It is a life of genuine
concern for others.
One day, as I was running a few errands, I happened to pass
by an old man staring blankly at the road while sitting by the
muddy sidewalk. Our car went past him but since the traffic
light signaled ‘red’, our car halted and I managed to look
back to have a better view of him. Though he was partly
hidden by a tree, I could see that his clothes were dirty (and
I remembered all the unused clothes in my cabinet I never
manage to sort out to give to the needy). The man kept on
scratching his leg in a desperate kind of way (and I thought
to myself, is he in pain under his clothing, or is he thinking
where to get his next meal?). I was deeply touched with what
I saw, and remembered what Jesus said: “Whatever you do to the
least of My brothers you do unto Me (Matthew 25:40).”
I wanted to give him something, but how could I give it to him
since he is some distance away from the car? I was fiddling in
my wallet when I realized our car sped away because the
traffic light has changed to ‘green’.
Good intentions…but I was too slow to act. In John 14:23,
Jesus said, “If anyone loves me, he will keep My word and My
Father will love him; and we will come to him and make a room
in his home.”
I
know you would agree that there are many ways of sharing
Easter with those people less fortunate than us, so they, too,
would know the meaning of Easter rejoicing. There are a
thousand ways to show love, service and care for others. But
the timing is always crucial…and there is no best way than to
start now!
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TELL US
LIKE IT IS!
- Has
something wonderful and unique happened in your life lately? Did
God answer your prayer in a very unexpected way? Did you, like
Isaiah, meet God’s whisper?
- Have
you felt His powerful hand working in your life recently?
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Everyday, people are experiencing God’s mighty Word in their
lives and it is a pity that very few know about it. Do you have
a story to tell? Some Good News to share?
- E-mail
us (genesis@catholic.org)
or fax us (021-6627384), and tell us about it. That’s right! You
don’t have to be a great writer to do this. We can help you
write it – just tell us like it is!
- Don’t
forget to write the subject: “Let Me Tell You A Story”
For comments, suggestions
or ideas:
Write us: Jl. Bacang No. 20
Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan, Indonesia
Call us: (6221) 720-3824
Fax us: (6221) 662-7384
Genesis
Catholic Community
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IN THIS ISSUE:
HIS Servant
by Bro. Pete Lapid
The Father Speaks
By Fr. S. Binzler, SJ
The G Kidspace*
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Our Faith
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Place of Refuge
By Philip Yuson
Surabaya Corner
By Ramon Martillano
Community Life
By Pinky Torres
God Answers Prayers
By Beth Manibog
Reflection
By Fr. Agustinus Belo,
PR
Straight from the Heart
By Carolle Bautista
Compiled by Armand Sol
On Focus
By Sansu Garin
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