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Surabaya Corner
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 LIVING
ON PURPOSE
- By Ramon Martillano
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They said he had
died! One morning in 1988, Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, who had
amassed a fortune manufacturing and selling weapons of destruction, awoke
to read his own obituary in the newspaper. Actually, it was his brother
who had died, but a reporter mistakenly wrote Alfred Nobel’s obituary.
For the first time, Alfred Nobel saw himself as the world saw him:
“the dynamite king” and nothing more. Nothing was mentioned about his
efforts at breaking down barriers between people and ideas. He was simply
a merchant of death, and he would be remembered for that alone.
Alfred Nobel was
horrified. He determined that the world would know the true purpose of his
life. So, he wrote his last will and testament and left his fortune
to establish the most valued of all prizes: the Nobel Peace Prize! Now,
the world has forgotten his dynamite legacy. (Source: 1000 stories by
Frank Mihalic, SVD.)
The Philippines’
national hero, Jose Rizal, is remembered for his heroic acts during his
time. Then, there’s Mother Theresa of Calcutta. The late Benigno Aquino
of the Philippines fought and died to “free his country from oppression.”
And there are many others who have done great things for humanity. Well,
in a smaller scale, let’s just focus on our own
vocations -- as husband, wife, community leader, professional,
businessman or as an employer.
If you are a
husband, are you a good provider for your family? Are you faithful to
your wife? Do you love her “just as Christ loved the Church and gave
His life for her?” (Ephesians 5:25) If you are a housewife, are you a
good model to your children? Do you “submit to your husband as to the
Lord?” (Ephesians 5:22) As a community leader, are you a good
follower? As a professional, are your acts in and outside the office in
accordance with God’s teachings? As a businessman, are your business
dealings fair and clean? If you are an employer, are you treating your
employees fairly, giving them reasonable wages and benefits in accordance
with existing labor laws and/or the financial capability of your company?
And last but not the least, “Children, it is your Christian duty to
obey your parents, for this is the right thing to do” (Ephesians
6:1).
In his book,
Parables of Jesus, Fr. Steven C. Zabala stressed, “If we forget to
translate into action our Christianity, the Lord gives a terrifying
warning, “Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and
thrown into the fire.” Further, Bishop Soc Villegas once said that
“many people perhaps went to hell not because they did something wrong but
because they did not do anything good.”
How about you,
brothers and sisters? How would you like to be remembered? What is your
purpose in life? Paul said, “So I run toward the goal in order to win
the prize, which is God’s call through Christ Jesus to the life above”
(Philippians 3:14). Further, he said, “We are citizens of Heaven”
(Philippians 3:20).
Well, I
believe all of us would like to go to heaven. So once again, please think
deeply! How would you like to be remembered? The choice is yours! I pray
that you will choose to be remembered as a man of God. Amen!
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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?
- 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:
E-mail us: genesis@catholic.org
Write us: Jl. Bacang No. 20 Kebayoran Baru,
Jakarta Selatan, Indonesia
Call us: (6221) 720-3824
Fax us: (6221) 662-7384
Genesis Catholic
Community - All Rights Reserved 2003
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webmaster.
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This site has been awarded
IN THIS ISSUE:
HIS Servant
by Bro. Pete Lapid
Our Faith
By Fr. KJ Veeger, MSC
Surabaya Corner
By Ramon Martillano
Place of Refuge
By Philip Yuson
Sharing
By Ricel Lapig
Here's the Latest
By Pinky Torres
Viewpoint
Straight from the Heart
By Carolle Bautista
On Focus
by Sansu Garin
Compiled by Armand Sol
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