STRUCK BY A STATUE
A nurse used to seek
the intercession of St. Joseph to get a good husband. She prayed for years but
her prayers were not answered. All her colleagues got married and she was left
alone. She had a small statue of St. Joseph made of marble in her room in front
of which she used to light candles and pray every day. One day, depressed about
her fate and her unanswered prayer, she lost her control. In a fit of rage, she
threw the statue through an open window.
It struck the head of a person who was walking along the road in front of her
house. He was badly wounded and was bleeding profusely. He knocked at the door
of her house seeking some help to control the bleeding. The nurse was sorry for her rash reaction and gave all possible
medical assistance to the injured person. She carried him to the hospital where
she was working and gave him expert treatment and loving care. He was much
impressed by her kind care and affectionate attention. Gradually their families
became close and within a short period, they got married and lived happily. She
was glad that her prayer was answered, though in a strange way.
In the
journey of life, we may encounter a variety of problems concerned with
different facets of our life such as health, education, work, relations, family
and finance. We often create unnecessary tension, anxiety and worry when we try
to solve the problems by ourselves. We have an expert creator, who knows
everything about us and our life, our requirements, weaknesses and capabilities
and so is able to solve any problem associated with our life. Let us have the
humility to surrender ourselves before the omnipotent God. He is the loving
Lord who has a definite plan for the welfare of each of us.
It is said that the
shortest distance between a problem and its solution is the distance between
our knees and the floor. The one who kneels to the Lord can face any problem
with confidence. When prayers go up, blessings come down. Prayer should be the
‘steering wheel’ and not the ‘spare wheel’ in the vehicle of our life. God
answers ‘KNEE-MAIL’ without fail.
“The Lord says…I alone know the plans I have
for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about
the future you hope for” {Jeremiah 29: 11}.
“Happy are those who are humble; they will receive
what God has promised!”{Matthew 5:
5}.
“Ask, and you will receive; seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you” {Matthew
7: &, Luke 11: 9}. St. Paul advises,
"Don't worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you
need, always asking Him with a thankful heart" {Philippians 4:6}.
A child may see a sharp and shining knife and
cry to get it as a toy. But no loving parent will give such a dangerous gift to
a little child God. As our loving father knows our future, He grants only those
gifts which we deserve and would definitely benefit us. He knows the best time
to grant a gift. Hence some of our prayers may not be answered immediately.
Richard. C. Trench remarked, “Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance but co-operating with His
willingness”.
William Cowper said, “Satan trembles when he sees
the weakest saint upon his knees”.
In
several oriental Christian churches, during the sacrament of matrimony, the
priest adorns both the husband and the wife with the matrimonial ring. It
symbolizes that the spouse is received from God. Matrimony is thus a union of
three - the husband, wife and God. Marriages are conceived in heaven and
celebrated on earth. The ideal family is an image of heaven.
................................................................................................................................
© By: 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 and Leo.
S. John, Maniparambil, Ooriyakunnath, Kunnumbhagom, Kanjirappally,
Kottayam-686507, Kerala , India
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