THE STORY IS TOLD ABOUT A POLITICIAN who sent a check of P1 million to a charitable institution to the delight of the nuns running it. Their joy was short-lived when they saw that the check was not signed by the donor. Why? The donor wanted to remain anonymous!
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In today’s Gospel (Mk. 12, 38-44) Jesus warns us about doing good works for the sake of public image or personal gain. Like the widow in the Gospel, may we learn to give from the heart, and with no strings attached. May we learn to give generously and anonymously.
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“It is better to give than to receive.” Is it really? It all depends on what you give, and how you give. There are givers, but there are selfish givers. They give out of their need to be recognized, or to remove guilt and embarrassment, or with a hidden agenda to get more.
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Some of the happiest people I have met are those who are generous. Indeed, give your best to the world and it gives you much, much more. On the other hand, some of the most miserable people I have met are those who are selfish and calculating. Indeed, there is joy in giving, and selfish people, sad to say, never get to experience it.
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One of life’s most important lesson is that of letting go, and letting be. Not an easy lesson, I should say, for we’d rather hold on and stay in control. What helps? Letting God! We can let go, we can let be, because of the belief that there is a God in better hold and in better control than we are.
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If we look at history, all the people whom we respect and honor now are those who gave up something or someone for the sake of a greater value than themselves. On the same count, the most despicable persons are those who could not let go of themselves and their selfish agenda. Thus we will be judged too by the world.
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Someone once told me that a rose is a thorn that opened up. In other words, every thorn is a potential rose. As long as we do not let go, we do not forgive, we do not forget any dark area in our lives, there is a thorn. Let us take the risk of opening up and reaching out so that as we journey on, we will be carrying more roses than thorns.
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If it is not asking too much, let us pray to God not to give us more thorns in our country. Aside from our sufferings brought about by natural calamities, may we be spared from our elected calamities—leaders who will fool us, cheat us, and deprive us of what is rightly ours. Except for a few, we have not been really blessed with good and generous leaders. We need shepherds to lead us, not wolves to devour us.
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How about those who have their names and faces splattered all over the place to claim recognition for good deeds or projects done? Truth to tell, it is disgusting that they insult the intelligence of our people by manipulation and deceit. It is also sad that they miss the opportunity to be generous and anonymous servants of our people.
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Want to experience joy today? Do something good without anybody knowing it. Do good generously and anonymously, and you will experience a kind of joy that the world cannot give nor take away. Do something like that every day, and you will have a joyful journey, and God the Father will be smiling at you all the way.
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Take time today to think of people who, like the widow in the Gospel, don’t have much in this life, are unknown and are just on the sides. This world is full of generous and anonymous people who help make this world go round. Let’s focus more on persons, not personalities, as we go through life. Take time today to stop and drop-by, and realize that there is so much goodness and “godness” all around us.
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I take time today to acknowledge a person who spent her whole life just loving much. Ate Coring Muńoz lived a simple life, just loving her husband Pakit and her family and all the people she encountered along the way. She loved much. Yes, they say little who love much. There are countless unknown people in our midst who never hit the headlines, but whose names are written in heaven, and will never be erased from the hearts of those whose lives they have touched. It pays to be good. It pays to be loving, generous and anonymous.
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Think about it: Share not only the best of what you have, but the best of who you are.
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Inviting you to attend a Pre-Advent Recollection sponsored by Solo Parents, with the theme “Season of Joy and Peace, Welcome Him,” on Nov. 14, 2009, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., at CFM Nazareth Home, Big Horseshoe Drive corner N. Domingo Street, Quezon City. The retreat master is Fr. Alfredo Sabado, SVD. For more details, please call 7246747.
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A Moment With The Lord:
Lord, help me to love generously, and anonymously. Amen.
