I Believe
( In my opinion, this story needs no photos ond pictures.)
Having spoken about ‘money’ and ‘health’ respectively in my last two stories, I wish to speak or rather write (type) about yet another more important subject. Perhaps you say, “What is more important than money and health?” When you think a little there are several things which in a way are more important, such as ‘love’ and ‘happiness’ to mention just two. But what I have in mind is that something which counts most in our life and this will probably include love and happiness but not necessarily money and not even health.
What I am going to say today is only for those who believe or do their best to believe.
Believe in what?? We have to believe in several facts in life. One very true fact in life is that we were born and we have to die for sure. Our life is like a pilgrim’s journey, we come and we go. We have to believe that we do not have that much say in how we live this life. Many say and I also say (one of my stories is precisely titled so) that ‘life is what you make it’. But this statement does not mean that we decide every issue in our life. It means that our attitude in life; being positive or being negative can make a lot of difference in every situation in our life. But surely we cannot create all situations in our life the exact way we want them. We did not determine whether we were born rich or poor, strong or weak, beautiful or ugly, tall or short, in Malta or in Africa or wherever and surely we don’t leave this world when we want and in the way we want.
At my ripe age (all those who are more or less my age will surely understand) life is a very serious matter. Perhaps when we were younger we were, at least I was, ‘happy go lucky’. But life experiences teach us otherwise. Sometimes we feel on top of the world because something comes the way we want it, but at other times we feel down and worried because a particular situation goes wrong. All this leads us to one very important question. It is in my opinion the greatest question a normal human being will ask at one time or other in his life. It is the greatest ‘Why’? Why were we born? Why are we living?
As you can see, the title of the story is ‘I believe’. If you really do believe in the answer to this question, then everything makes sense and falls into perspective.
Here let me narrate a story which I once read in a spiritual book. The story goes like this:
Once in a far away land there was a nation ruled by a mighty king. The people in this land did not have a religion. They worked to provide food for themselves and their families or groups. They fought to keep away their enemies. They lived, they grew old and they died and were buried. This was all they accepted from life. Once two or three Christian missionaries who came from a far away country started to befriend the people of this country and they asked and answered questions and also taught several things which were new to these people. Word came to the King about these happenings in his country. So he chose two of his wise men and sent them to investigate in a discreet way about these strangers who by now everybody was talking about. The chosen wise men went and investigated what was going on and after several days and weeks returned to their king to report about these aliens.
They entered into the throne room where the King was expecting them. It happened that it was a very stormy day and from the windows one could see only darkness. One of the investigators tried to explain but could not find the right words and the king was rather angry because he could not understand well what the strangers were saying to his people. The other investigator began to speak and he told the king, “My king, let me try to explain what these strangers are saying by bringing an example. Look at this beautiful room, all lit up and decorated with beautiful curtains, pictures and furniture. Here it is very warm and comfortable. Now suppose a bird suddenly flies into the room through an open window. This bird flies once or twice around the room, rests here and there for a few seconds and then flies again out of the window into that darkness outside.
Now suppose this room is the world we live in. Suppose the bird is each one of us. As the bird entered the room from nowhere so did each one of us come in this world from nowhere. The stay of the bird in this beautiful room is our life in this world. Then the bird left and so do we after a short life in this world we all leave to who knows where.
Now, my King, these strangers are explaining from where we came, why we are here and where we are going from here.”
The king was very interested and he said that if these strangers are explaining these things, then they are welcome and he was too eager to hear what they were saying.
I believe, as many others do that we were created by God. The birth of a child is a miracle. My wife and I have six children. As I often said I did a lot of carpentry in my days. I know how to make a table, a cupboard, a boat but I surely do not know and am not able to make a child in spite of the fact that we have six children. You surely do understand what I mean and there is no need for more explanation.
The next question is why were we created? What are we living for? Here I wish to refer to a modern way of getting information which we call ‘vox pop’ which in other words means the voice of the people. You surely saw on TV an example of this, a reporter carrying a microphone and a camera person to film and record all. They walk along the streets; they stop people and ask them some questions. Once, a vox pop was held about the subject we are talking about. Here I am describing what was said in two of these interviews:
1. To a twelve year old girl just before entering school:
Reporter: Good morning young lady; can you tell me why do you come to school?
Girl: Isn’t it obvious………to learn!
Reporter: Why do you want to learn?
Girl: I want to learn because I want to become a teacher?
Reporter: And why do you want to become a teacher?
Girl: Because I like teaching and of course to earn money to buy many things like.
Reporter: When you become a teacher and earn money, what then?
Girl: Ooh then, I wish to meet a handsome lad and perhaps get married and have
a family.
Reporter: What then?
Girl: Then, then I will live happily with my husband and children till I get old’
Reporter: What then?
Girl: Oh then I don’t know……….. then of course I will die as everyone else.
Reporter: What then?
Girl: What do you mean ‘what then’? Then I am dead. I am finished.
2. To a young man just coming out of a factory where he works:
Reporter: Good evening Sir. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?
Man: As long I know the answers. Shoot….
Reporter: Why do you come every day in this factory?
Man; You surely know the answer. I come here to work and earn money.
Reporter: Why do you want to earn money?
Man: To be able to buy things I fancy?
Reporter: What do you fancy?
Man: Perhaps the latest Ferrari……I love cars.
Reporter: And when you buy the Ferrari, what then?
Man: That will be the day; I will show off in it all around the city.
Reporter: What else would you do with the money you earn after buying the Ferrari?
Man: I always enjoy having a lot of friends and I will surely spend quite some
money enjoying myself with them, especially with the girls.
Reporter: And then?
Man: Perhaps, not sure, when I get older I will marry a nice woman.
Reporter: Then what?
Man: Maybe when we get older we will go on a cruise.
Reporter: Then what?
Man: Then we will get older and older for sure.
Reporter: What then?
Man: Then we will die for sure.
Reporter: Then what?
Man: When one dies, that is the end! Caput! Understand?
It’s funny because it seems that many people do not know their life’s destination. Wouldn’t it be funny if I go up on a bus and when the driver asks me, “Where to?” I tell him, “I really don’t know!”
So again I ask the question, ‘Why are we living and what is our destination?’
To answer this question, you have to believe.
When we were small children we used to go to the catechism lessons and we used to learn through questions and answers. Perhaps this is not the best way to teach and learn, but there was a question, which I still remember which answers exactly this great question. For those Maltese migrant who used to learn in this way when they were much younger, they too may remember this question. The question was, “Why did God create me?” (translate this in Maltese and see if you remember it). The answer was, “God created me so that in this life I will get to know Him, love Him and do what He wants, so that after this life I will go and rejoice with him in heaven forever.” (Do you remember it?)
This means that the main reason for living is to get to know God. And as they say, to know Him is to love Him. St. Paul says (here I am not quoting the exact words from the bible) that whatever we do and in every situation of our life, should serve to get to know God better. Let me try to explain this. If I am a teacher or a carpenter or a president of a nation or just a scavenger, if I am married or single, rich or poor, healthy or sick …………….if we believe we can see and get to know God from every situation in our life. If we do not believe or perhaps we only say that we believe but in reality we do not, this means nothing and it is all nonsense. If we believe we live according to God’s commandments ……………………..I do not like the word ‘commandments because what we call commandments are the best ways one can live and let others live in love and peace. I prefer to refer to the commandments as God’s loving advices for all to live a beautiful life in this word and then after death we would have a better life which as St. Paul also said, “No eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard, no heart has ever felt that which God prepared for those who love Him.” St. Paul said this after he had a vision of heaven.
I really feel sorry for those who take these things lightly and who do not believe. I am sure that God in his infinite kindness will give these people hundreds of chances to open their eyes and their hearts. I would like to refer to what a friend of mine who is a lay missionary once told me. By the way this man dedicated his life to give another chance to those who did not believe.
This man was in Spain and he lived among gypsies to give them the good news. Once he went to visit an old people’s home where several of these gypsies who once were artists in circuses were recovered. These people were once young and strong. Some were acrobats, others wild animals trainers, others dancers and trapeze artists. Now these people were sick and old. But in their ears they could still hear the clapping of the audience as they performed their feats. Now they were waiting for death to come. My friend told me that from their eyes he could guess those who believed and those who did not. Those who did not believe had their eyes staring aimlessly in a sad way. Those who believe were happy and jolly and in spite of their situation they had that spark of hope in their eyes……. hope for a much better life where there is no suffering, where there are no quarrels and wars, where there is GOD……… the destination of our life’s journey.
Quote of the day:
Thank you God for my faith (belief) which helps me to keep my hope when things go in the way I do not understand them.
( In my opinion, this story needs no photos ond pictures.)
Having spoken about ‘money’ and ‘health’ respectively in my last two stories, I wish to speak or rather write (type) about yet another more important subject. Perhaps you say, “What is more important than money and health?” When you think a little there are several things which in a way are more important, such as ‘love’ and ‘happiness’ to mention just two. But what I have in mind is that something which counts most in our life and this will probably include love and happiness but not necessarily money and not even health.
What I am going to say today is only for those who believe or do their best to believe.
Believe in what?? We have to believe in several facts in life. One very true fact in life is that we were born and we have to die for sure. Our life is like a pilgrim’s journey, we come and we go. We have to believe that we do not have that much say in how we live this life. Many say and I also say (one of my stories is precisely titled so) that ‘life is what you make it’. But this statement does not mean that we decide every issue in our life. It means that our attitude in life; being positive or being negative can make a lot of difference in every situation in our life. But surely we cannot create all situations in our life the exact way we want them. We did not determine whether we were born rich or poor, strong or weak, beautiful or ugly, tall or short, in Malta or in Africa or wherever and surely we don’t leave this world when we want and in the way we want.
At my ripe age (all those who are more or less my age will surely understand) life is a very serious matter. Perhaps when we were younger we were, at least I was, ‘happy go lucky’. But life experiences teach us otherwise. Sometimes we feel on top of the world because something comes the way we want it, but at other times we feel down and worried because a particular situation goes wrong. All this leads us to one very important question. It is in my opinion the greatest question a normal human being will ask at one time or other in his life. It is the greatest ‘Why’? Why were we born? Why are we living?
As you can see, the title of the story is ‘I believe’. If you really do believe in the answer to this question, then everything makes sense and falls into perspective.
Here let me narrate a story which I once read in a spiritual book. The story goes like this:
Once in a far away land there was a nation ruled by a mighty king. The people in this land did not have a religion. They worked to provide food for themselves and their families or groups. They fought to keep away their enemies. They lived, they grew old and they died and were buried. This was all they accepted from life. Once two or three Christian missionaries who came from a far away country started to befriend the people of this country and they asked and answered questions and also taught several things which were new to these people. Word came to the King about these happenings in his country. So he chose two of his wise men and sent them to investigate in a discreet way about these strangers who by now everybody was talking about. The chosen wise men went and investigated what was going on and after several days and weeks returned to their king to report about these aliens.
They entered into the throne room where the King was expecting them. It happened that it was a very stormy day and from the windows one could see only darkness. One of the investigators tried to explain but could not find the right words and the king was rather angry because he could not understand well what the strangers were saying to his people. The other investigator began to speak and he told the king, “My king, let me try to explain what these strangers are saying by bringing an example. Look at this beautiful room, all lit up and decorated with beautiful curtains, pictures and furniture. Here it is very warm and comfortable. Now suppose a bird suddenly flies into the room through an open window. This bird flies once or twice around the room, rests here and there for a few seconds and then flies again out of the window into that darkness outside.
Now suppose this room is the world we live in. Suppose the bird is each one of us. As the bird entered the room from nowhere so did each one of us come in this world from nowhere. The stay of the bird in this beautiful room is our life in this world. Then the bird left and so do we after a short life in this world we all leave to who knows where.
Now, my King, these strangers are explaining from where we came, why we are here and where we are going from here.”
The king was very interested and he said that if these strangers are explaining these things, then they are welcome and he was too eager to hear what they were saying.
I believe, as many others do that we were created by God. The birth of a child is a miracle. My wife and I have six children. As I often said I did a lot of carpentry in my days. I know how to make a table, a cupboard, a boat but I surely do not know and am not able to make a child in spite of the fact that we have six children. You surely do understand what I mean and there is no need for more explanation.
The next question is why were we created? What are we living for? Here I wish to refer to a modern way of getting information which we call ‘vox pop’ which in other words means the voice of the people. You surely saw on TV an example of this, a reporter carrying a microphone and a camera person to film and record all. They walk along the streets; they stop people and ask them some questions. Once, a vox pop was held about the subject we are talking about. Here I am describing what was said in two of these interviews:
1. To a twelve year old girl just before entering school:
Reporter: Good morning young lady; can you tell me why do you come to school?
Girl: Isn’t it obvious………to learn!
Reporter: Why do you want to learn?
Girl: I want to learn because I want to become a teacher?
Reporter: And why do you want to become a teacher?
Girl: Because I like teaching and of course to earn money to buy many things like.
Reporter: When you become a teacher and earn money, what then?
Girl: Ooh then, I wish to meet a handsome lad and perhaps get married and have
a family.
Reporter: What then?
Girl: Then, then I will live happily with my husband and children till I get old’
Reporter: What then?
Girl: Oh then I don’t know……….. then of course I will die as everyone else.
Reporter: What then?
Girl: What do you mean ‘what then’? Then I am dead. I am finished.
2. To a young man just coming out of a factory where he works:
Reporter: Good evening Sir. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?
Man: As long I know the answers. Shoot….
Reporter: Why do you come every day in this factory?
Man; You surely know the answer. I come here to work and earn money.
Reporter: Why do you want to earn money?
Man: To be able to buy things I fancy?
Reporter: What do you fancy?
Man: Perhaps the latest Ferrari……I love cars.
Reporter: And when you buy the Ferrari, what then?
Man: That will be the day; I will show off in it all around the city.
Reporter: What else would you do with the money you earn after buying the Ferrari?
Man: I always enjoy having a lot of friends and I will surely spend quite some
money enjoying myself with them, especially with the girls.
Reporter: And then?
Man: Perhaps, not sure, when I get older I will marry a nice woman.
Reporter: Then what?
Man: Maybe when we get older we will go on a cruise.
Reporter: Then what?
Man: Then we will get older and older for sure.
Reporter: What then?
Man: Then we will die for sure.
Reporter: Then what?
Man: When one dies, that is the end! Caput! Understand?
It’s funny because it seems that many people do not know their life’s destination. Wouldn’t it be funny if I go up on a bus and when the driver asks me, “Where to?” I tell him, “I really don’t know!”
So again I ask the question, ‘Why are we living and what is our destination?’
To answer this question, you have to believe.
When we were small children we used to go to the catechism lessons and we used to learn through questions and answers. Perhaps this is not the best way to teach and learn, but there was a question, which I still remember which answers exactly this great question. For those Maltese migrant who used to learn in this way when they were much younger, they too may remember this question. The question was, “Why did God create me?” (translate this in Maltese and see if you remember it). The answer was, “God created me so that in this life I will get to know Him, love Him and do what He wants, so that after this life I will go and rejoice with him in heaven forever.” (Do you remember it?)
This means that the main reason for living is to get to know God. And as they say, to know Him is to love Him. St. Paul says (here I am not quoting the exact words from the bible) that whatever we do and in every situation of our life, should serve to get to know God better. Let me try to explain this. If I am a teacher or a carpenter or a president of a nation or just a scavenger, if I am married or single, rich or poor, healthy or sick …………….if we believe we can see and get to know God from every situation in our life. If we do not believe or perhaps we only say that we believe but in reality we do not, this means nothing and it is all nonsense. If we believe we live according to God’s commandments ……………………..I do not like the word ‘commandments because what we call commandments are the best ways one can live and let others live in love and peace. I prefer to refer to the commandments as God’s loving advices for all to live a beautiful life in this word and then after death we would have a better life which as St. Paul also said, “No eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard, no heart has ever felt that which God prepared for those who love Him.” St. Paul said this after he had a vision of heaven.
I really feel sorry for those who take these things lightly and who do not believe. I am sure that God in his infinite kindness will give these people hundreds of chances to open their eyes and their hearts. I would like to refer to what a friend of mine who is a lay missionary once told me. By the way this man dedicated his life to give another chance to those who did not believe.
This man was in Spain and he lived among gypsies to give them the good news. Once he went to visit an old people’s home where several of these gypsies who once were artists in circuses were recovered. These people were once young and strong. Some were acrobats, others wild animals trainers, others dancers and trapeze artists. Now these people were sick and old. But in their ears they could still hear the clapping of the audience as they performed their feats. Now they were waiting for death to come. My friend told me that from their eyes he could guess those who believed and those who did not. Those who did not believe had their eyes staring aimlessly in a sad way. Those who believe were happy and jolly and in spite of their situation they had that spark of hope in their eyes……. hope for a much better life where there is no suffering, where there are no quarrels and wars, where there is GOD……… the destination of our life’s journey.
Quote of the day:
Thank you God for my faith (belief) which helps me to keep my hope when things go in the way I do not understand them.