THE VALUE OF A WHEELCHAIR
This story was narrated by
Rev.Fr. Mathew Naikomparambil,V. C., the renowned charismatic preacher and dedicated
evangelist of Divine Retreat Centre, Muringoor, near Potta, Kerala, South
India.
A partially paralysed
person had to spend the major part of his life on a wheelchair. He required the
assistance of others for his basic needs. But he suffered silently without any
complaint and dedicated his sufferings to God for the salvation of sinners.
Once he saw a
huge crowd of saved souls marching towards the pearly gates of heaven. He
learned that his sufferings on earth had come to an end and he has finally entered
the eternal happiness of heaven. He was happy to join them expecting endless joy. Looking at his feet, he was surprised to find
that he was still on his wheelchair, slowly moving towards the gates of heaven.
He was in confusion. At the gate, he met God. He asked God, “My Lord, I had
hoped that the sufferings on earth would end after death and then we would
reach a heaven of endless happiness. But why am I still left on my wheelchairs?”
God happily told him, “Look at the large
number of people who have reached heaven. All of them were saved by your silent
sufferings in the world, which you endured without any complaint.” He was happy
that his sufferings could save so many souls. But he repeated his doubt to God,
“That is a good news, but kindly tell me why I am left to suffer here also. Why
am I still on my wheelchair?”
God answered with a smile, “Son, that is
because you are still alive. You have to suffer more to be able to reach here.
What you saw now was only a vision to enlighten you. It was meant to teach you
the real value of your sufferings.” Suddenly he opened his eyes and realized that it was only a dream or a vision. He resolved to accept and endure his
sufferings with greater love for the sanctification of sinful souls.
While declaring Sister
Alphonsa as a Saint, Pope Benedict
XVI said, “She suffered herself to heal the suffering of others”. That was a great tribute to this loving soul.
We must
accept the sufferings and pain of life with the spirit of sacrifice. In
life, troubles, suffering and failures may fall on us. Let us not worry about
them or feel helpless or hopeless. We should not let the troubles defeat us or
bury us. Let us use every failure as a stepping-stone and not as a
stumbling-block.
Our
life is like a boat, sailing through the sea of the world. We may be threatened
by the tempests of troubles, tribulations and temptations. But we can sail
safely if our faith is strong. God has control over the forces of nature. He
may give us tests and trials so that we may grow further and stronger, but he
never abandons us during hard times. God is with us in our joys and tears
throughout our life.
Jesus said,
"Whoever does not take up his cross and follow in my steps is not fit to
be my disciple" {Matthew 10: 38, Luke 14:
27}."If anyone wants to come with me, he must forget self, carry his
cross, and follow me" {Matthew 16: 24, Mark 8: 34,
Luke 9: 23}.
St.
Paul says, "I consider that what we suffer at this present time cannot be
compared at all with the glory that is going to be revealed to us" {Romans 8:
18}.
The famous hymn of Sadhu
Kochukunju Upadeshi (Evangelist M. I. Varghese) in Malayalam, “Dukhathinte
paanapaathram- Karthavente kayyil thannaal…” in the Malayalam language
may be translated thus and sung in the traditional tune:
“If my Lord offers a chalice
Full of worries into my hands,
I will accept it with pleasure
And sing ‘Hallelujah’ with thanks.
My father will never offer
Anything that is harmful I’m sure.
He may give me moments of pain
Still He loves me beyond measure!”
These spontaneous words of
the great evangelist, when he witnessed the unexpected demise of his beloved
son (Samuel Kutty) continue to instil faith and consolation into millions of
believers during moments of pain and grief.
A flute is made by harsh
treatments of natural bamboos. The
steps involve cutting, shaping, drying and perforation. It is said that adversity is the best university to perfect our personality.
steps involve cutting, shaping, drying and perforation. It is said that adversity is the best university to perfect our personality.
We must accept the sufferings
and pain of life with the spirit of sacrifice which Jesus displayed in his life
and death
Before Christ, the cross was a sign of sin and
shame. His sacred sacrifice made the Cross the sacrament of salvation and the
symbol of victory over sin and death. It is a sign of success and source of
strength to us to lead a life of sacrifice, service and suffering. The Passion
of Christ preaches the painful path to paradise.
A poet teaches the difference
between pessimism and optimism thus:
"Two men looked out from prison bars;
One saw mud; the other saw stars."
Let us choose to look up to Heaven and
rejoice in the Lord!
…………………………………………………………………..
©
By: Prof. Dr. Babu Philip,
Darsana Academy, Kottayam-686001, Kerala, India ( Former 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.
For more moral stories, parables and anecdotes for students,
catechists, teachers and preachers, kindly visit our web-sites:
This is Story No. 328 in
the second site. Please click ‘Older Posts’ at the bottom of
a page to read previous stories and click 'Newer Posts' at
the bottom of a page to read newer stories in these sites. Please click on a
word in the 'Story Themes' to read stories on that theme.
No comments:
Post a Comment