Friday, April 12, 2013

PESTERING PARTNERS

PESTERING PARTNERS

                     A sick man was brought to a hospital by his pestering wife. She was very dominating and talkative. The doctor examined the patient in detail. But the wife was a constant disturbance, annoying him by her persistent pestering. Finally the doctor told the man, "You badly need some rest. I shall prescribe a sedative drug (sleeping pill). Give it to your wife."
                     God created man in His image. Then He instituted the family in the image of heaven, hoping that it would be a heaven of happiness. But pestering partners often make it a hell of horror. Referring to women who harass their husbands with petty annoyances and repeated demands, an evangelist said humorously, "God created Adam first. Then He slept, pleased with His creation. Then He created Eve. From that day both God and Adam lost their sleep!" 
                     God formed Eve from a rib of Adam. It is said that God did not choose a bone from the head or foot of Adam to make Eve, with a very good intention. If she was made from a bone from his head, she would claim superiority and try to be his boss. If she was made from a bone from his foot, he would have  tried to be her boss, suppress her and treat her as his slave. Creating a partner from a rib which is close to the heart implies that the partners are equal before God and have equal rights and responsibilities to make their family a heaven of happiness. They should render hearty support to each other even during disappointment, disability, discomfort, distress, disease or disaster.
                     Matrimony is a sacred sacrament, a source of divine grace. Marital partners participate in God's act of creation. Their  attitudes and actions should be complementary and not contradictory.
                     There is a legend about the return of the Holy Family after the exile in Egypt. They reached a junction and could not locate the correct route to Nazareth. They sought the guidance of a youthful young man, but he got angry, cursed them and walked away without providing any help. Then they approached another young man who gladly guided them and even accompanied them to make sure that they reached Nazareth safely. St. Mary asked child Jesus about the best reward for the two young men. Jesus said, the first person who was bad-mannered should receive a saintly and good-natured wife who would correct him and transform him. The kind, compassionate and considerate man should get a bad-mannered wife so that he can transform her by his sanctity.
                     Dave Meurer said, "A great marriage is not when the 'perfect couple' comes together. It is when an imperfect couple learns to enjoy their differences." Euripides (484 BC - 406 BC) said, "Man's best possession is a sympathetic wife."
                     St. Paul teaches, "Every husband must love his wife as himself, and every wife must respect her husband" {Ephesians 5: 33}.






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© By: Prof. Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India, Prof. Mrs. Rajamma Babu, Former Professor, St. Dominic's College, Kanjirappally,  Leo. S. John, St. Antony's Public School, Anakkal, Kanjirappally and Neil John, Maniparambil, Ooriyakunnath, Kunnumbhagom, Kanjirappally, Kottayam-686507, Kerala, India.
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