The Need For Compassion

The person in misery does not need a look that judges and criticizes, but a comforting presence that brings peace, hope, and life.

In other words, what he or she needs is compassion. Compassion is a word full of meaning. It means: sharing the same passion, sharing the same suffering, sharing the same agony, accepting into my heart the misery in yours. Your pain calls out to me. It touches my heart. It awakens something within me, and I become one with you in your pain.

I may not be able to relieve your pain, but by understanding it and sharing it, I make it possible for you to bear it in a way that enhances your dignity and helps you to grow.


-- Author Unknown
 

Thanks For Your Time

I made this blog to collect my spiritual thoughts in one place. I still managed to have a reader or two who keeps coming back and read my collections. The following story is for the readers of this humble blog:

It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.

Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

"Jack, did you hear me?"

"Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said.

"Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it," Mom told him.

"I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said.

"You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said

"He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important...Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said.

As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time.

Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture....Jack stopped suddenly.

"What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.

"The box is gone," he said

"What box?" Mom asked.

"There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was 'the thing I value most,'" Jack said.

It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.

"Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said. "I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom."

It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. "Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days," the note read.

Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. "Mr. Harold Belser" it read. Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside.

"Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life." A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch.

Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved:

"Jack, Thanks for your time! -Harold Belser."

"The thing he valued most...was...my time"

Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days. "Why?" Janet, his assistant asked.

"I need some time to spend with my son," he said.

"Oh, by the way, Janet...thanks for your time!"

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away,"

Think about this. You may not realize it, but it's 100% true.

1. At least 2 people in this world love you so much they would die for you.


2. At least 15 people in this world love you in some way.


3. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like you.


4. Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep.


5. You mean the world to someone.


6. If not for you, someone may not be living.


7. You are special and unique.


8. When you think you have no chance of getting what you want, you probably won't get it, but if you trust God to do what's best, and wait on His time, sooner or later, you will get it or something better.


9. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good can still come from it.


10. When you think the world has turned its back on you, take a look: you most likely turned your back on the world.


11. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.


12. Always remember the compliments you received. Forget about the rude remarks.


13. Always tell someone how you feel about them; you will feel much better when they know and you'll both be happy.


14. If you have a great friend, take the time to let them know that they are great.

To everyone who reads this blog, "Thanks for your time."
 

Catholic Jokes

An Irishman moves into a tiny hamlet in County Kerry, walks into the pub and promptly orders three beers.

The bartender raises his eyebrows, but serves the man three beers, which he drinks quietly at a table, alone.

An hour later, the man has finished the three beers and orders three more.

This happens yet again.

The next evening the man again orders and drinks three beers at a time, several times. Soon the entire town is whispering about the Man Who Orders Three Beers.

Finally, a week later, the bartender broaches the subject on behalf of the town. "I don't mean to pry, but folks around here are wondering why you always order three beers?"

'Tis odd, isn't it?" the man replies, "You see, I have two brothers, and one went to America, and the other to Australia. We promised each other that we would always order an extra two beers whenever we drank as a way of keeping up the family bond."

The bartender and the whole town was pleased with this answer, and soon the Man Who Orders Three Beers became a local celebrity and source of pride to the hamlet, even to the extent that out-of-towners would come to watch him drink.

Then, one day, the man comes in and orders only two beers. The bartender pours them with a heavy heart. This continues for the rest of the evening - he orders only two beers. The word flies around town. Prayers are offered for the soul of one of the brothers.

The next day, the bartender says to the man, "Folks around here, me first of all, want to offer condolences to you for the death of your brother. You know-the two beers and all..."

The man ponders this for a moment, then replies, "You'll be happy to hear that my two brothers are alive and well... It's just that I, myself, have decided to give up drinking for Lent."

For more Catholic jokes, click here.
 

Order of Friar Servants of Mary

While reading the Feb. 17th entry of "365 Saints"book, I came across the story of "Order of Friar Servants of Mary".

Here's an excerpt of their history:

Before the Servites ever existed as an official religious Order, seven prosperous men came together in the city of Florence, Italy. As a reflection of the penitential spirit of the times, it had been the custom of these men to meet regularly as members of a religious society established in honor of Mary, the Mother of God. Eventually, the seven left their comfortable homes, put aside their finery and went to live together in a ramshackle building. The holiness and penitential lifestyle of the seven quickly attracted visitors and others who wished to join them in their newly found joy of fraternal living for the sake of the Gospel. The entire group moved to more peaceful surroundings, and established a hermitage on the summit of a nearby mountain, Monte Senario, sometimes known as the "sounding mountain."


Coming to be known as the "Friar Servants of Mary," others joined the first seven on Monte Senario, and as the group continued to grow, the seeds of the new religious Order took root. The Friar Servants of Mary were approved as a religious Order by the bishop of Florence sometime between the years 1240 and 1247. In the year 1304, the Order of Friar Servants of Mary received definitive approval as a religious Order in the Church by the Holy See.

Read more...

The author of 365 Saintswrites:

While the Servites acknowledge their need to serve by their very name, we are all called to be servants. We are placed on earth, not to amass wealth and prestige, but to care for and minister to our fellow human beings. Although most of us wouldn't want to leave our homes and families to join a religious community as the founders of Servites did, we can always find ways to serve others in our everyday lives. Even when it's as simple as thanking the clerk checking out our groceries or holding open the door for someone with a package, we can always find a way to serve.

That's very true.

---

365 Saints

ChaldoAssyrian Winners In The Iraqi Elections

I'm getting a lot of hits from search engines looking for ChaldoAssyrian winners. So, here are the ChaldoAssyrian winners:

• Iraqi National Assembly:
  1. Mrs. Wijdan Michael.
  2. Mrs. Jacklyn Qosin Zomaya.
  3. Gorael Isho Khamis.
  4. Yonadem Yousif Khanna.
  5. Abelhed Afram Sawa.
  6. Saleem Potrus Elias.
  


• Kurdistan National Assembly:
  1. Mrs. Bayzar Melko Rohan.
  2. Mrs. Klaweez Shaba.
  3. Anderyos Yokhana Korkis.
  4. Romeo Hakari.
  5. Jamal Shamon Elia.
  


• Arbil (hawler) Province Council:
  1. Ms. Sanaa Yagoub Fillo.
  


• Mosul Province Council:
  1. Jefara Zeya Youkhana.
  ** I think Jefara is a female. But, I'm not too sure.
  


• Dehuk Province Council:
  1. Mrs. Shammeram Misho Zyro.
  2. Korkis Shlaymon Khani.
  


• Kirkuk Province Council:
  1. Ms. Silvana Boya Nasir.
  

[Source: Ankawa.com]

Yonadem Yousif Khanna was the only direct winner. He ran under the ChaldoAssyrian Al-Rafidain List. The rest ran either under the Kurds Alliance or Iraqi Alliance List led by Iyad Allawi.

I'm happy to see females on the winners lists. Pretty cool.

Last Fatima Virgin Witness Dies

Our Lady of Fatima is very popular among Iraqi Catholics. Most Iraqi Catholic churches have a special mass on Saturdays dedicated to her. I never knew one of her witnesses was still alive until her death was reported in the news two days ago:

The last surviving witness to whom the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared in a series of apparitions in Portugal in 1917 has died aged 97.

Sister Lucia de Jesus dos Santos died at the convent where she had been living since the 1940s, the Roman Catholic Church said.
[...]
Sister Lucia was just 10 when she and her two younger cousins, Francisco Marto and his sister Jacinta, are said to have seen the Virgin Mary above an olive tree near the central town of Fatima.

She was the only one who claimed to have heard clearly what the Virgin Mary said.

While her cousins both died within three years of the apparitions ending, during the flu pandemic, Sister Lucia went on to write down what she had been told.

The first two parts of the prophecy were known for decades and interpreted as predicting the world wars.

Read more...

For more information about Our Lady of Fatima, check this link.
 

St. Valentine's Day

I tried to find the best story of St. Valentine's Day. Here's the most popular story I found on the net:

St Valentine's Day was supposedly started in the time of the Roman Empire. In Ancient Rome, the date of February 14 was a holiday to honor the Queen of Roman Goddesses and Gods, Juno. Juno was known as the Goddess of women and marriage. The next day February 15 was the first day of the Festival known as the Feast of Lupercia.

On February 14 is was said that the young boys and girls of the villages would write down the names of every girl and place these names in a jar of which each young man would have to draw a name of a girl and this particular maiden would be their partner for the duration of the festival. Sometimes these parings would last a year and end up in marriage.

These rituals under the laws of Claudius were banned as the Emperor believed that the reasons why men would now go to war were because they did not want to leave their lovers or families. As a result all marriages and engagements were canceled as a result Saint Valentine a Roman priest was said to have married these couples in secret and for this he was executed on the 14th day of February.

While St Valentine was in jail it is said that he fell in love with the jailers daughter. By a miracle or some say by the prayers of Valentine she gained her sight and as a last farewell in a note he was to "From Your Valentine".

Read more...

---

UPDATE I - Jun. 5, 2006

The Tidings report:

The man behind Feb. 14, when lovers around the world exchange cards and gifts, has been largely forgotten on his own feast day.

Such little significance is attached to the memory of St. Valentine that even in the Spanish capital of Madrid in 2005 only a handful of people visited the Church of St. Anton, where what is believed to be his skeleton is kept on a side altar in a glass-fronted baroque case.
[...]
At least one St. Valentine existed, as evident from third-century Roman cults. The "Roman Martyrology" mentions two St. Valentines, one a priest and one a bishop. Both were put to death on the Flaminian Way on a Feb. 14 between 269 and 273, although some scholars have argued that the cults point to the saints being the same person.

The relics in Madrid are said to be those of the bishop of Terni, Italy, who was just 20 years old when he was consecrated by St. Felician of Foligno, Italy, in 197 on the orders of Pope Victor I. For 73 years, this St. Valentine built up his diocese in the face of persecution: preaching, tending to the sick and visiting Christians jailed for refusing to renounce their faith.

Read more...

He continues to be a mystery.

Ash Wednesday

Lent started yesterday with Ash Wednesday. I found the following Lent-related article that made me laugh:

If you're a Catholic, you traditionally give up something for Lent. That usually means comfort food, just at the time of year when you need comfort most, especially from food. So it's goodbye, chocolate, goodbye, Cheez Whiz nachos. Me, I give up meat, and also cream in my coffee. That means that I spend the entire 40 days of Lent (and, hey--it's actually longer than 40 days, because Sundays aren't counted) starving and thinking about steaks and latte. As the weeks pass, the steaks get thicker, the latte more foamy. I can always slip inside a church for distraction. That's great. No flowers, a bare altar, dirges for hymns. It's the season of penance. The priest wears depressing dark-purple vestments. He says a prayer that thanks God for "this season of joy." What joy? There are only two fun things about Lent. One is Mardi Gras. The other is checking out the foreheads of people at your job on Ash Wednesday to see whether they got ashes at the church that morning ("I didn't know you were a Catholic!").

Read more...

I know I should be more serious during Lent. But, I had to share the article with you.
 

Happy Fat Tuesday

I can't believe it's that time of the year again. It came too early this year. I even forgot the three days of Baoutha. Sis, don't tell my parents. I don't need them to lecture me at age 38.

As usual, New Orleans has the best celebrations for the day. For Australian readers, this Mardi Gras is very different than Sydney's Mardi Gras parade.

It's hard to think of what to give up for this Lent. I decided to give up eating out. In other words, I'm giving up eating kobab. Yes, I love kobab A LOT. Last year, I gave up rice and bread. That was really a bad idea. It's like asking a fish to live out of water. It didn't work well. I cheated a bit.

My husband doesn't participate in religious rituals. So, he dreads this time of the year. Sorry dear, it's for better and for worse. That's how it works.

In Iraq, Lent starts on a Monday. We don't have Ash Wednesday. I got accustomed to the Western calender after moving to Australia. While growing up in Basrah before Iran-Iraq war, part of the Christian community in Basrah would have a big picnic at Al-Sindbad Island on Monday to celebrate the day before Lent. You can think about it as a tiny version of Fat Tuesday without the parade.

Have a nice Fat Tuesday. If you're from New Orleans, enjoy the celebrations.

Can Anyone Understand Women?

I know this blog is kind of serious. So, here's joke for a change:

A man walking along a California beach was deep in prayer. All of a sudden, he said out loud:

Lord grant me one wish!

Suddenly the sky clouded above his head and in a booming voice the Lord said:

Because you have TRIED to be faithful to me in all ways, I will grant you one wish.

The man thought for a minute, then said:

Build a bridge to Hawaii, so I can drive over anytime I want to.

The Lord said:

Your request is very materialistic. Think of the logistics of that kind of undertaking. The supports required to reach the bottom of the Pacific! The concrete and steel it would take! I can do it, but it is hard for me to justify your desire for worldly things. Take a little more time and think of another wish, a wish you think would honor and glorify me.

The man thought about it for a long time. Finally he said:

Lord, I wish that I could understand women. I want to know how they feel inside, what they are thinking when they give me the silent treatment, why they cry, what they mean when they say 'nothing', and how I can make a woman truly happy.

After a few minutes God said:

You want two lanes or four on that bridge?

Secret Recipe to Happiness

Today, I received a secret recipe to happiness from my sister-in-law:

One day, one friend asked another, "How Is it that you are always so happy? You have so much energy, and you never seem to get down."

With her eyes smiling, she said, "I know the Secret!"

"What secret is that?"

To which she replied, "I'll tell you all about it, but you have to promise to share the Secret with others."

"The Secret is this: I have learned there is little I can do in my life that will make me truly happy. I must depend on God to make me happy and to meet my needs. When a need arises in my life, I have to trust God to supply according to HIS riches. I have learned most of the time I don't need half of what I think I do. He has never let me down. Since I learned that 'Secret', I am happy."

The questioner's first thought was, "That's too simple!" But upon reflecting over her own life she recalled how she thought a bigger house would make her happy, but it didn't! She thought a better paying job would make her happy, but it hadn't. When did she realize her greatest happiness? Sitting on the floor with her grandchildren, playing games, eating pizza or reading a story, a simple gift from God.

I can't agree more. Best times of my life were the laughing and smiling moments I spent with family or friends.
 

Followers vs. Disciples

Someone once wrote explaining the difference between a follower and a disciple:

It is impossible to be a follower of Christ without being a disciple.

It means that one is a camp-follower, without being a soldier of the King.

One is not pulling one's weight, or playing one's part. One is simply a hanger-on in a great work. One is a talker and not a doer.

Once someone approached a famous professor about a young man, and asked:

So and so tell me that he was one of your students. Is that correct?

To which the professor replied:

That man did indeed attend my lectures, but believe me he was never a real student of mine.

It is one of the supreme handicaps of the church that in it there are many people who follow Christ at a safe distance. But very few are real disciples. That is people who actually do what he said.