A light for the night

A blind man went to visit his friend in the next village. It was night when he could return. His friend gave the blind man a lighted lamp as he said goodbye to him. Refusing to receive the lamp, the blind man said, “I don’t need this lamp, dear; I will use my stick to find my way. Nights and days are similar to me.” His friend said, “Keep it with you. It is not for you, but for others. If you carry this lighted lamp with you, others can see it. Then they will not collide with you.”


The blind man started his journey carrying the lighted lamp with him. On the way, there was a storm. He waited under a tree and resumed his journey after the storm. Suddenly a stranger coming in the opposite direction collided with him and both of them fell down on the ground. The blind man shouted angrily, “Couldn’t you see the lighted lamp in my hand, man? Are you blind?” The stranger replied, “I am not blind but your lamp was not burning.” “I am sorry, dear”, said the blind man. “I am blind and did not know that the flame was put off by the storm.”

We boast that we are the chosen children of God and that His grace will protect us from all evil. But the divine light shining in us gets extinguished by our sinful actions and then we may fall. Let us consciously guard the lamp of God shining in our hearts. It will illuminate us and enlighten everyone around us.

“O Lord, you give me light; you dispel my darkness” {Psalms 18: 28}.

“Your word is a lamp to guide me and a light for my path” {Psalms 119: 105}.

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world…whoever follows me will have the light of life and will never walk in darkness” {John 8: 12}.

“Your light must shine before people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven” {Matthew 5: 16}.

Murder of the Mother-in- law

The only daughter of a distinguished doctor got married and went to live with her husband and her mother-in-law. She could not tolerate the words, habits and opinions of the old lady. They started to argue with each other and to fight at first sight every day. When the situation became unbearable, her husband sought the intervention of her father. The doctor called his daughter and had a detailed discussion about her domestic life. She complained about the mother-in-law and sought his help to eliminate her for ever. “Give me a poison which would kill her instantly”, she requested.

The doctor was very wise and diplomatic. He told his daughter, “I agree with you that she should be killed. But if you use a poison that kills her instantly, others may suspect you and if you are caught, you may be sentenced to imprisonment or even death by the court of law. We will do it more intelligently. I will supply a special drug which, though poisonous, acts only very slowly. You must mix the contents of one capsule in her food everyday and serve it to her, pretending to be very friendly to avoid any suspicion in any one. We will celebrate her death within six months”.

The girl gladly grabbed the bottle of capsules offered by her father and regularly fed it to her mother-in-law as directed by her father. She took great pain to pretend affection to the lady she hated like hell. She offered all assistance and tender care to her and stopped all impulsive reactions to her arrogant actions. She prepared special delicious dishes to serve the poison without arousing suspicion.


As days rolled on, both the ladies learned to control their temper. The old lady started to shower love, care and affection on the girl as she appeared to be very loving, gentle, simple and humble. The conflicts in their personalities came to an end and the girl started to love the old lady like her own mother. She stopped giving the drug and met her father with an earnest and honest request. She told him, “Daddy, please prescribe an antidote to the poison I had been giving to my mother-in-law. I am genuinely sorry that I misunderstood her and tried to kill her. Now she is dearer to me than my own mother.”


The doctor was very glad to see the transformation. He replied, “I was sure you would approach me, reproaching yourself for being harsh to her. Don’t worry about the drug any more. What I gave you were actually capsules of vitamins. They should have made her healthier now. You may make her happier now.” The affection she showed to her enemy was only pretence with the intention of appearing innocent after the murder. But her acts of love could transform the old lady and sweeten their relationship.


Jesus gave us a golden rule of life, “Do for others what you want them to do to you” {Matthew 7: 12}. The famous phrase, “As you sow, so shall you reap” is based on the words of St. Paul, “A person will reap exactly what he sows. If he sows in the field of his natural desires, from it he will gather the harvest of death; if he sows in the field of the Spirit, from the Spirit he will gather the harvest of eternal life” {Galatians 6: 7, 8}.
Our actions have their reactions and repercussions. We will receive the consequences of our actions. Jesus taught, “Do not judge others, and God will not judge you; do not condemn others, and God will not condemn you; forgive others, and God will forgive you. Give to others, and God will give to you” {Luke 7: 37, 38}.


The Lord says, “When they sow the wind, they will reap a storm” {Hosea 8: 7}. “Plough new ground for yourselves, plant righteousness, and reap the blessings your devotion to me will produce” {Hosea 10: 12}.

Handsome hands

Handsome handsA young mother in India had a one-year-old baby. As she was employed as a teacher, a girl was hired to look after the baby during day time.

One evening, as she was approaching her house, she saw fire engines speeding towards her home. She ran to reach her house which was on fire. The girl was crying aloud that the baby was still in the cradle in the burning house. The fire broke out when she had gone out of the house leaving the sleeping baby for a while. As the fire was intense, the girl could not enter the house to rescue the child in time. The fire fighters were trying their best to put out the blaze.

Without waiting for even a moment, the mother rushed into the burning house and reached the cradle. She fought the fire around her with her bare hands. Holding the child close to her chest, she came out of the raging fire. The child had only minor injuries as she was rescued in time. But the mother suffered severe burns. Her hands were badly burnt and she was rushed to the hospital. She recovered after prolonged treatment in intense pain but retained wide white patches and permanent deformities on her hands. But she did not disclose the incident to her daughter even when she grew up to adolescence.

Then, one day the daughter told her mother, "Mommy, your hands are really ugly. I do not want to see them." The mother was shocked. She knew that it was time to reveal everything. She told her daughter, "Yes, my hands look ugly and repulsive. But once they were as beautiful as yours. If I had tried to protect their beauty, you would not have been alive today." She then narrated the whole story.

The daughter was totally upset. She cried and fell down, embracing the feet of her mother. She went on kissing her mother's hand and told in tears, "Mommy, you have the most handsome hands on earth. I failed to see their beauty. Forgive me." She never forgot that her life was a gift from her mother.

Jesus accepted the path of the Passion and sacrificed His life to save us from the clutches of sin and the fire of hell. Let us thank Him, praise Him, love Him and adore Him as our Saviour, Lord and God.