I was convinced that ‘I’ was right and ‘he’ was wrong - and he was just as convinced that ‘I’ was wrong and ‘he’ was right.

The teacher decided to teach us a very important lesson. She brought us up to the front of the class and placed him on one side of her desk and me on the other. In the middle of her desk was a large, round object. I could clearly see that it was black.

She asked the boy what color the object was. ‘White,’ he answered.I couldn’t believe he said the object was white, when it was obviously black! Another argument started between my classmate and me, this time about the color of the object.

The teacher told me to go stand where the boy was standing and told him to come stand where I had been. We changed places, and now she asked me what the color of the object was. I had to answer, ‘White.’ It was an object with two differently colored sides, and from his viewpoint it was white. Only from my side was it black.

My teacher taught me a very important lesson learned that day: You must stand in the other person’s shoes and look at the situation through their eyes in order to truly understand their perspective.

God Bless you

Fr Eugene Lobo SJ 

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Then the man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were nature’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

 Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If nature allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. Give every opportunity a chance, leave no room for regrets, and don’t forget the power in the struggle. Life becomes a struggle; it’s us against them, with endless conflicts regardless of our professed beliefs. We try to solve the conflicts by manipulating life so that it satisfies us, but we only set ourselves up with a daunting, impossible task.

God Bless You

Fr Eugene Lobo SJ

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The beggar went on his way. He looked at the rags he was wearing and sighed. Surely only kings and their families wore royal robes, he thought. Slowly an idea crept into his mind. The audacity of it made him tremble. Would he dare?   He made his way back to the palace. He approached the guard at the gate. “Please, sire, I would like to speak to the king.”

“Wait here,” the guard replied. In a few minutes, he was back. “His majesty will see you,” he said, and led the beggar in.

“You wish to see me?” asked the king.

“Yes, your majesty. I want so much to attend the banquet, but I have no royal robes to wear. Please, sir, if I may be so bold, may I have one of your old garments so that I, too, may come to the banquet?”

The beggar shook so hard that he could not see the faint smile that was on the king’s face. “You have been wise in coming to me,” the king said. He called to his son, the young prince. “Take this man to your room and array him in some of your clothes.”

The prince did as he was told and soon the beggar was standing before a mirror, clothed in garments that he had never dared hope for.  “You are now eligible to attend the king’s banquet tomorrow night,” said the prince. “But even more important, you will never need any other clothes. These garments will last forever.”

The beggar dropped to his knees. “Oh, thank you,” he cried. But as he started to leave, he looked back at his pile of dirty rags on the floor. He hesitated. What if the prince was wrong? What if he would need his old clothes again? Quickly he gathered them up.

 The banquet was far greater than he had ever imagined, but he could not enjoy himself as he should. He had made a small bundle of his old rags and it kept falling off his lap. The food was passed quickly and the beggar missed some of the greatest delicacies.

 Time proved that the prince was right. The clothes lasted forever. Still the poor beggar grew fonder and fonder of his old rags. As time passed people seemed to forget the royal robes he was wearing. They saw only the little bundle of filthy rags that he clung to wherever he went. They even spoke of him as the old man with the rags. One day as he lay dying, the king visited him.

The beggar saw the sad look on the king’s face when he looked at the small bundle of rags by the bed. Suddenly the beggar remembered the prince’s words and he realized that his bundle of rags had cost him a lifetime of true royalty. He wept bitterly at his folly. And the king wept with him.

God Bless You

Fr Eugene Lobo SJ

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Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago. Capone wasn’t famous for anything heroic. He was notorious for enmeshing the windy city in everything from bootlegged booze and prostitution to murder.  Capone had a lawyer nicknamed “Easy Eddie.” He was his lawyer for a good reason. Eddie was very good! In fact, Eddie’s skill at legal maneuvering kept Big Al out of jail for a long time.   To show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only was the money big, but also, Eddie got special dividends. For instance, he and his family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of the conveniences of the day. The estate was so large that it filled an entire Chicago City block.

Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago mob and gave little consideration to the atrocity that went on around him. Eddie did have one soft spot, however. He had a son that he loved dearly. Eddie saw to it that his young son had clothes, cars, and a good education. Nothing was withheld. Price was no object. And despite his involvement with organized crime, Eddie even tried to teach him right from wrong. Eddie wanted his son to be a better man than he was. Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were two Things he couldn’t give his son; he couldn’t pass on a good name or a good example.

One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. Easy Eddie wanted to rectify wrongs he had done. He decided he would go to the authorities and tell the truth about Al “Scarface” Capone, clean up his tarnished name, and offer his son some semblance of integrity. To do this, he would have to testify against The Mob, and he knew that the cost would be great!  So, he testified. Within the year, Easy Eddie’s life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago Street. But in his eyes, he had given his son the greatest gift he had to offer, at the greatest price he could ever pay. Police removed from his pockets a rosary, a crucifix, a religious medallion, and a poem clipped from a magazine. The poem read:

The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power

To tell just when the hands will stop At late or early hour.

Now is the only time you own. Live, love, toil with a will.

Place no faith in time.  For the clock may soon be still.

STORY NUMBER TWO

World War II produced many heroes. One such man was Lieutenant Commander Butch O’Hare. He was a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier Lexington in the South Pacific. One day his entire squadron was sent on a mission. After he was airborne, he looked at his fuel gage and realized that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank. He would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to his ship. His flight leader told him to return to the carrier. Reluctantly, he dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet.

As he was returning to the mother ship he saw something that turned his blood cold: A squadron of Japanese aircraft were speeding their way toward the American fleet. The American fighters were gone on a sortie, and the fleet was all but defenseless. He couldn’t reach his squadron and bring them back in time to save the fleet. Nor could he warn the fleet of the approaching danger.

There was only one thing to do. He must somehow divert them from the fleet. Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, he dove into the formation of Japanese planes. Wing-mounted 50 caliber’s blazed as he charged in, attacking one surprised enemy plane and then another. Butch wove in and out of the now broken formation and fired at as many planes as possible until all his ammunition was finally spent. Undaunted, he continued the assault. He dove at the planes, trying to clip a wing or tail in hopes of damaging as many enemy planes as possible and rendering them unfit to fly.

Finally, the exasperated Japanese squadron took off in another direction. Deeply relieved, Butch O’Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the carrier. Upon arrival, he reported in and related the event surrounding his return. The film from the gun-camera mounted on his plane told the tale. It showed the extent of Butch’s daring attempt to protect his fleet. He had, in fact, destroyed five enemy aircraft.

This took place on February 20, 1942, and for that action Butch became the Navy’s first Ace of W.W.II, and the first Naval Aviator to win the Medal of Honor.

A year later Butch was killed in aerial combat at the age of 29.

His home town would not allow the memory of this WW II hero to fade, and today, O’Hare Airport in Chicago is named in tribute to the courage of this great man. So, the next time you find yourself at O’Hare International, give some thought to visiting Butch’s memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of Honor. It’s located between Terminals 1 and 2.

SO WHAT DO THESE TWO STORIES HAVE TO DO WITH EACH OTHER?

Butch O’Hare was “Easy Eddie’s” son.

God Bless You

Fr Eugene Lobo SJ 

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Then He asked, “If you were physically handicapped, would you still love me?”  I was perplexed. I looked down upon my arms, legs and the rest of my body and wondered how many things I wouldn’t; be able to do, the things that I took for granted. And I answered, “It would be tough Lord, but I would still love you.”

Then the Lord said, “If you were blind, would you still love my creation?” How could I love something without being able to see it? Then I thought of all the blind people in the world and how many of them still loved God and His creation.  So I answered, “It is hard to think of it, but I would still love you.”

The Lord then asked me, “If you were deaf, would you still listen to my word?” How could I listen to anything being deaf?  Then I understood. Listening to God’s Word is not merely using our ears, but our hearts.  I answered, “It would be tough, but I would still listen to your word.”

The Lord then asked, “If you were mute, would you still praise My Name?” How could I praise without a voice? Then it occurred to me: God wants us to sing from our very heart and soul. It never matters what we sound like. And praising God is not always with a song, but when we are persecuted, we give God praise with our words of thanks.  So I answered, “Though I could not physically sing, I would still praise Your Name.”

And the Lord asked, “Do you really love me?”  With courage and a strong conviction, I answered boldly, “Yes Lord! I love you because you are the one and true God!”

I thought I had answered well, but God asked, “THEN WHY DO YOU SIN?”  I answered, “Because I am only human. I am not perfect.”

“THEN WHY IN TIMES OF PEACE DO YOU STRAY THE FURTHEST? WHY ONLY IN TIMES OF TROUBLE DO YOU PRAY THE EARNEST?”  No answers. Only tears.

The Lord continued: “Why only sing at fellowships and retreats? Why seek me only in times of worship? Why ask things so selfishly? Why ask things so unfaithfully?” The tears continued to roll down my cheeks.

“Why are you ashamed of me? Why are you not spreading the good news? Why in times of persecution, you cry to others when I offer my shoulder to cry on? Why make excuses when I give you opportunities to serve in My Name?”  I tried to answer, but there was no answer to give.

“You are blessed with life. I made you not to throw this gift away. I have blessed you with talents to serve me, but you continue to turn away. I have revealed My Word to you, but you do not gain in knowledge. I have spoken to you but your ears were closed. I have shown my blessings to you, but your eyes were turned away. I have sent you servants, but you sat idly by as they were pushed away. I have heard your prayers and I have answered them all.

“DO YOU TRULY LOVE ME?” I could not answer. How could I? I was embarrassed beyond belief. I had no excuse. What could I say to this? My heart had cried out and the tears had flowed, I said, please forgive me Lord. I am unworthy to be your child.”

The Lord answered,” That is My Grace, My child.”  I asked, ” Then why do you continue to forgive me? Why do you love me so?”

The Lord answered, “Because you are my creation. You are my child. I will never abandon you. When you cry, I will have compassion and cry with you. When you shout with joy, I will laugh with you. When you are down, I will encourage you. When you fall, I will raise you up. When you are tired, I will carry you. I will be with you till the end of days, and I will love you forever.” 

Never had I cried so hard before. How could I have been so cold? How could I have hurt God as I had done?I asked God, “How much do You love me?”

The Lord stretched out His arms, and I saw His nail-pierced hands. I bowed down at the feet of Christ, my Saviour. And for the first time, I truly prayed.

God Bless you

Fr Eugene Lobo SJ

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A sick man turned to his doctor, as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said,

‘Doctor, I am afraid to die.  Tell me what lies on the other side.’

Very quietly, the doctor said, ‘I don’t know.’

‘You don’t know?  You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?’

The doctor was holding the handle of the door;

On the other side came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness

Turning to the patient, the doctor said, ‘Did you notice my dog?  He’s never been in this room before.  He didn’t know what was inside.  He knew nothing except that his master was here,

And when the door opened, he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death,

But I do know one thing…   I know my Master is there and that is enough.’

LET US NOT FEAR OF DEATH!!!!!  May today there be peace within you.

May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.

I believe that friends are quiet angels who lift us to our feet

When our wings have trouble remembering how to fly

God Bless You

Fr Eugene Lobo SJ

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The man thought: “I have seen many parrots, and I have thought they must want to be free from those cages… but I have never seen such a parrot whose whole day, from the morning to the evening when he goes to sleep, is spent in calling out for freedom.” He had an idea. In the middle of the night, when the owner was fast asleep, he got up and opened the door of the cage. He whispered to the parrot, “Now get out.”

But he was very surprised that the parrot was clinging to the bars of the cage. He said to him again and again, “Have you forgotten about freedom? Just get out! The door is open and the owner is fast asleep; nobody will ever know. You just fly into the sky; the whole sky is yours.”

But the parrot was clinging so deeply, so hard, that the man said, “What is the matter? Are you mad?” He tried to take the parrot out with his own hands, but the parrot started pecking at him, and at the same time he was shouting “Freedom! Freedom!” The valleys in the night echoed and re-echoed, but the man was also stubborn; he was a freedom fighter.

He pulled the parrot out and threw him into the sky; and he was very satisfied, although his hand was hurt. The parrot had attacked him as forcefully as he could, but the man was immensely satisfied that he had made a soul free. He went to sleep.

In the morning, as the man was waking up, he heart the parrot shouting, “Freedom! Freedom!” He thought perhaps the parrot must be sitting on a tree or on a rock. But when he came out, the parrot was sitting in the cage. The door was open. 

God Bless You

Fr Eugene Lobo SJ

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I was walking around in a Big Bazar store making shopping, when I saw a Cashier talking to a boy couldn’t have been more than 5 or 6 years old.   The Cashier said, ‘I’m sorry, but you don’t have enough money to buy this doll.  Then the little boy turned to me and asked: ‘’aunty, are you sure I don’t have enough money?'’

 I counted his cash and replied: ‘’You know that you don’t have enough money to buy the doll, my dear.'’  The little boy was still holding the doll in his hand.  Finally, I walked toward him and I asked him who he wished to give this doll to.  ‘It’s the doll that my sister loved most and wanted so much. I wanted to Gift her for her BIRTHDAY.  I have to give the doll to my mommy so that she can give it   to my sister when she goes there.’  His eyes were so sad while saying this. ‘My Sister has gone to be with God.  Daddy says that Mommy is going to see God very soon too, so I thought that she could take the doll with her to give it to my sister.'’  

My heart nearly stopped.  The little boy looked up at me and said: ‘I told daddy to tell mommy not to go yet. I need her to wait until I come back from the mall.’  Then he showed me a very nice photo of him where he was laughing. He then told me ‘I want mommy to take my picture with her so my sister won’t forget me.’  ‘I love my mommy and I wish she doesn’t have to leave me, but daddy says  that she has to go to be with my little sister.’

Then he looked again at the doll with sad eyes, very quietly.  I quickly reached for my wallet and said to the boy. ‘Suppose we check   again, just in case you do have enough money for the doll?'’  ‘OK’ he said, ‘I hope I do have enough.’ I added some of my money to his with out him seeing and we started to count it. There was enough for the doll and even some spare money.  

The little boy said: ‘Thank you God for giving me enough money!’   Then he looked at me and added, ‘I asked last night before I went to   sleep for God to make sure I had enough money to buy this doll, so that  mommy could give It to my sister.. He heard me!'’  ‘I also wanted to have enough money to buy a white rose for my mommy, but I didn’t dare to ask God for too much. But He gave me enough to buy the doll and a white rose. My mommy loves white roses.’

 I finished my shopping in a totally different state from when I started. I couldn’t get the little boy out of my mind. Then I remembered a local news paper article two days ago, which mentioned a drunk man in a truck, who hit a car occupied by a young woman and a little girl. The little girl died right away, and the mother was left in a critical state. The family had to decide whether to pull the plug on the life-sustaining machine, because the young woman would not be able to recover from the coma. Was this the family of the little boy? 

 Two days after this encounter with the little boy, I read in the news paper that the young woman had passed away.. I couldn’t stop myself as I bought a bunch of white roses and I went to the funeral home where the body of the young woman was exposed for people to see and make last wishes before her burial. She was there, in her coffin, holding a beautiful white rose in her hand with the photo of the little boy and the doll placed over her chest. I left the place, teary-eyed, feeling that my life had been changed for ever. 

The love that the little boy had for his mother and his sister is still, to this day, hard to imagine. And in a fraction of a second, a drunk driver had taken all this away from him.

God Bless You

Fr Eugene Lobo SJ

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A robin lived in her nest with her family.

There was another robin in a near by tree who sang for her all day. She could hear him all the time, the beautiful tones of his voice, but she was small in size, and weak, so she could not lean over the edge of the nest and see him clearly.

One day her nest was shot down by some passing hunters.  She fell on the ground. She could not move. She had not yet learned to fly.

One of the boys in the crowd picked her up and carried her home.

He was a funny creature, he fed her well, cleaned her cage and then when his friends came to meet him, he showed her off.

One day, the lock of the cage became loose, the robin pushed against it and it opened. She hopped over to the window and tried to fly out.  She was much healthier now and desperate to escape. It was not an easy flight; it was a new place, no one to help her either.  Hopping and flying in turns, she made slow progress to a near by park. There she met a hawk. The hawk took pity on the poor little robin, and took her under his wing.

 That summer, in the company of her new found support, the Robin learned to open her wings and soar as high as she was able to - Finally, she was learning to look after herself.  The time came for the hawk and others to migrate over to their winter homes. When the Robin was asked, she refused - she wanted to go back to where she had come from - but she did not remember it much.

 Slowly, but surely, the Robin managed to fly over to a meadow that she vaguely remembered as being very familiar.  She was so tired; she had come a long way.

She wanted to rest.  So, deciding that she would rest now, she perched on a nearby branch and tried to sleep.

Into her tired ears came a very familiar sound - a beautiful tune she had loved so much, a note that was partially forgotten, partially remembered - it was her robin - All this time, he had stayed in this very meadow, singing that singularly beautiful tune!!!  In joy, she flew over in the general direction of the sound, with a heart full of wonder and gratitude.

God Bless You

Fr Eugene Lobo SJ

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 He put his creation at a busy street-crossing. And just down below a board which read–

“Gentlemen, I have painted this piece. Since I’m new to this profession I might have committed some mistakes in my strokes etc. Please put a cross wherever you see a mistake.”

 While he came back in the evening to collect his painting he was completely shattered to see that whole canvass was filled with Xs (crosses) and some people had even written their comments on the painting.

 Disheartened and broken completely he ran to his masters place and burst into tears. Sobbing and crying inconsolably he told his master about what happened and showed the pathetic state of his creation which was filled with marks everywhere. Such was the state that colors were not visible, only things one could see were crosses and correction remarks. This young artist was breathing heavily and master heard him saying “I’m useless and if this is what I have learnt to paint I’m not worth becoming a painter. People have rejected me completely.. I feel like dying”

 Master smiled and suggested “My Son, I will prove that you are a great artist and have learnt a flawless painting.”  Young disciple couldn’t believe it and said “I have lost faith in me and I don’t think I am good enough.. don’t make false hopes..”

“Do as I say without questioning it.. It WILL work.” Master interrupted him.  “Just paint exactly similar painting once again for me and give it to me. Will you do that for your master?..” Master instructed.

Young artist reluctantly agreed and two days later early morning he presented a replica of his earlier painting to his master. Master took that gracefully and smiled.

“Come with me.” master said.

 They reached the same street-square early morning and displayed the same painting exactly at the same place. Now master took out another board which read –

 “Gentlemen, I have painted this piece. Since I’m new to this profession I might have committed some mistakes in my strokes etc. I have put a box with colors and brushes just below. Please do a favor. If you see a mistake, kindly pick up the brush and correct it.”

 Master and disciple walked back home.

They both visited the place same evening. Young painter was surprised to see that actually there was not a single correction done so far. But master wasn’t satisfied as yet and he told his disciple “May be one day was too little a time for people to come up with ideas and take out time out of their busy schedules to correct it so let us keep it here for one more day. Tomorrow is Sunday, so we can expect some corrections coming in.”

Next day again they visited and found painting remained untouched..

They say the painting was kept there for a month for no correction came in!

They could not do any better. It is easy to criticize but difficult to construct.

God Bless You

Fr Eugene Lobo SJ

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