There was a priest who brought along a 10-kg sack of rice
into his Sunday mass. Right before he started the Eucharistic celebration, he
looked at all the people in front and saw a medium-built man standing at the
left side of church. He approached the man and requested him to carry the sack
of rice during the mass and never to put it down.
The mass started and once in a while, the priest would
glanced at the man and saw his uneasiness. The man tried to shift the lifting position
of the sack a number of times. He was starting to be clearly burdened by it.
And as much as he tried to hide his annoyance, his facial expressions betrayed
him.
When it was time for the homily, the priest paused and
looked at the man who is now clearly sweating and distracted. He called up the
man and thanked him for his efforts and obedience. The priest, then, gestured
for a mother and child who were sitting on the right side of the church, to
come up the altar as well and stand beside the man. The mother, standing at a
shoulder level beside the man, is seen to be carrying her sleeping child from
the start of the mass. And when the priest asked her about her child’s weight,
she said he was around 12kg.
The priest then shared his observations between the man and
the mother who both carried “weights” at the same time yet have behaved in
totally opposite manner. He pointed out the uneasiness and burdened expressions
from the man while the mother, with an actually heavier load, has shown nothing
but concern to her child as she carried her in one arm and fanning her with the
other. She would pause at times to wipe away any sweat from her child’s head
and back. But she never has shown discomfort at anytime. She exuded tranquility
and love.
As Christians, we do know that we will always be asked to
carry our crosses in our lives. This can be in different forms of personal
trial or adversity –a rumor-mongering neighbor, a good-for-nothing lazy
office-mate, a routinely boring job, same old household chores day in and day
out, a difficult relationship that seems to be going nowhere, a disobedient
child, a physical ailment that hinders you to pursue your life-long dreams, an
organization or business in total disarray, a bumper-to-bumper traffic jam and
other discomforting and life-draining situations. And in these times of
distressing or annoying burden, we have only two options. One is to react with
uneasiness and agitation towards that burden and , at times, even towards the
Lord. The other one is to respond with love and help ourselves manage the
situation in a more Christ-like manner.
Without love, our burden becomes a real burden.
With love, our burden becomes an opportunity to love – to
love our neighbors and our office-mates, our job and our chores, our loved ones
and even ourselves.
Yes, the reflective question of “What would Jesus do in my
situation?” is still a powerful and effective guideline for us because the
answer still holds true.
Jesus will always respond with love.
We should do as well.
God bless.
