A Wise Woodcutter

Two woodcutters were entrusted with the work of cutting down the old rubber trees in an estate before replanting. One of them was stout and strong. The other was lean and thin. On the first day each of them could cut down the same number of trees. But the next day, the lean man could cut more trees than his friend. The third day, the trend continued, though the stout man worked harder without rest, sweating profusely. The stout man doubted his own strength and suspected that he was becoming weaker as his performance was steadily declining. 

He watched the work of the lean man to learn the secret of his success. He was found to take frequent breaks and go away, apparently to rest, but mysteriously, was more productive. The stout man asked his colleague about his secret. The lean man said that every hour he used to take a short break to rest and relax for a while, and during this period, he used to sharpen his axe as it gets dull with repeated use. A sharp axe enables one to work more effectively with less effort. The sharp axe cuts deeper and the occasional rest supplies strength and energy.

                This is true in our daily life. Some people are always busy with their work. They do not find time to rest or sharpen their mind. Meditation, prayer, reading good books, hobbies and healthy interaction with family and society are the means to sharpen our personality and spirituality. ‘Workaholics’ like alcoholics get addicted to work and find no time to sharpen their ‘axe’. We can sharpen our axe (head, heart, hands and habits) by prayer.   Abraham Lincoln once remarked, “If I had six hours to cut down trees, I would spend the first three hours sharpening my axe and the last three cutting down the trees.”

              “If your axe is blunt and you don’t sharpen it, you have to work harder to use it. It is more sensible to plan ahead” {Ecclesiastes 10: 10}.

© By: Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India. For more moral stories, parables and anecdotes for students, catechists, teachers and preachers, kindly visit my web-site: http://www.moralstorieschristian.blogspot.com

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A Christmas Gift

 St. Jerome (347-420) was a Dalmatian priest, a great scholar and a Doctor of the Church. He prepared the ‘Vulgate’- the first authentic translation of the Bible into the Latin language. He was staying in a cave in Bethlehem, close to the birth-place of Jesus.

On a Christmas night, he was meditating about the birth of Jesus and wondering what gift he could give to Jesus. Suddenly, he had a vision. Baby Jesus appeared before him in the midst of a brilliant and dazzling light and asked him, “Jerome, what will you give me for my birthday?”

St. Jerome replied in ecstasy, “O Divine Infant, I give you my heart.”
“Yes, but give me something more,”Jesus requested.

“I give you all the prayers and affection of my heart”, replied the saint.
The Holy Child asked for more and more.

Finally, St. Jerome said, “I will give you all that I have and all that I am.”
Still, Jesus wanted more.

Now Jerome had no answer. So he asked, “O Divine Infant, I have nothing more. What is it that I can give you?”

Baby Jesus replied, with a smile on his lips, “Jerome, give me your sins.”

Quite perplexed, St. Jerome enquired, “What will you do with my sins, my Lord?”

“Give me your sins, so that I may pardon all of them,” replied Jesus.

Hearing this, he wept, out of joy and love for the loving Jesus.

 Jesus came to this world to wash away our sins by His precious blood. “Indeed, according to the Law, everything is purified by blood, and sins are forgiven only if blood is poured out” {Hebrews 9: 22}.

Jesus is the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” {John 1: 29}. The incarnation of Jesus is the deepest expression of God’s compassionate love for the sinful mankind.

 Sin resembles quicksand, the bed of loose sand and mud in a marshy land which sucks down any object from its surface. A person sinking in a quicksand is dragged down into it  and cannot come out of it by his own effort. Similarly, man cannot save himself from the clutches of sin. Jesus is the only person who can deliver us from the quicksand of sin.

By His sacred sacrifice on the Holy Cross at calvary, the sacrament of salvation, He broke the power of death, sin and Satan. He bore the burden of our sins on the Cross and washed away our sins by shedding even the last drop of His Holy Blood.

 “…the blood of Jesus, His son, purifies us from every sin” {1 John 1:7}. “For by the sacrificial death of Christ, we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven” {Ephesians 1:7}.

© By: Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India. For more moral stories, parables and anecdotes for students, catechists, teachers and preachers, kindly visit my web-site: http://www.moralstorieschristian.blogspot.com

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A PRICELESS PORTRAIT

A rich man had a passion for collecting great works of art. He had a huge collection of exquisite and expensive paintings created by world-renowned painters. Everyone envied his priceless collection. He had an only son whom he loved more than anything. His wife died during the child’s birth and a loving nurse looked after the boy during his infancy. But the boy died young. The man made a fine portrait of his only son which he preserved as a treasure. Before the rich man died, he prepared a will and entrusted his faithful lawyer to execute it.

The lawyer announced the auction of the rich man’s possessions. A huge crowd had gathered, anxious to bid for the famous paintings at the lowest possible price. The lawyer announced that as per the will, the first article to be bid was the portrait of the rich man’s only son. There was a silence. Only one person - an old woman dressed in shabby clothes came forward to bid for the son’s portrait. She was the boy’s nurse from his infancy and wanted to keep the picture as a mark of her affection to the child. As she was very poor, she could offer only a small sum of money. But as there was no one to bid for a higher amount, she was declared to have won the bid.

The crowd made a loud demand to start the bid of the expensive paintings. But then, to the surprise of everyone, the lawyer declared that the auction was over. He then read aloud a secret stipulation in the will of the rich man, “Whoever comes forward and wins in the bid to possess the portrait of my beloved son shall be declared as the legal owner of all my possessions.” Thus the poor, loving lady became the legal heir to the whole assets of the rich man.

Here we see that the one who accepted the son got the Father’s entire assets. It illustrates the infinite riches we inherit from our heavenly Father when we are ready to accept Jesus, His only Son, into our hearts. We then gain entry into the Kingdom of Heaven.

“For God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not die, but have eternal life” {John 3:16}.

“God has given us eternal life, and this life has its source in His Son. Whoever has the Son has this life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I am writing this to you so that you may know that you have eternal life - you that believe in the Son of God” {1 John 5:11-13}.

“If God is for us, who can be against us? Certainly not God, who did not even keep back His own Son, but offered Him for us all! He gave us His Son - will He not also freely give us all things?” {Romans 8:32}.

© By: Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India. For more moral stories, parables and anecdotes for students, catechists, teachers and preachers, kindly visit my web-site: http://www.moralstorieschristian.blogspot.com

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POWER OF PRAYER

A farmer had two daughters. The elder one was married to a farmer. The younger daughter was married to a potter. The father used to visit his daughters frequently. During one of his visits, the elder daughter requested him to pray for more frequent rains as their growing crops were badly in need of water. He agreed. Then he visited his younger daughter. She told him that they wanted more sunshine to get their clay pots dried in the sun for hardening. She wanted him to pray for more sunshine without any rain. The poor father was in great confusion as his daughters were demanding his prayers for contradictory gifts. Finally he took a bold decision and prayed, “God, do as you wish. May your will be done!”

A child may see a sharp and shining knife and cry to get it as a toy. But no loving parent will give such a dangerous gift to a little child. This explains why many of our prayers are not answered immediately. God, as our loving father, knows our future and grants only those gifts which we deserve.

Richard. C. Trench remarked, “Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance but co-operating with His willingness”.

William Cowper said, “Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees”.

God speaks through Jeremiah, "I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for {Jeremiah 29: 11}.

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HARD TIMES

A student complained to his learned teacher about the difficulties he has to endure in his life. He came from a very poor family and had to look after his home and support his aged and sick parents and his younger siblings by working hard every day after the classes in school while his wealthy class-mates could play and rest without any stress or strain. He was almost exhausted and had even thought about committing suicide.

The wise teacher gave him a carrot and an egg to examine. He was asked to comment on their hardness. He said that the carrot was sufficiently hard that it cannot be crushed by hands. The egg could be easily cracked and the liquid contents would leak out with ease.

Then the teacher put the carrot and egg together in a pan, added some water to cover the articles and then boiled the water over the flame. After some time, the teacher took out the articles from the pan and asked for the comments of the student. The boy observed that the carrot, which was hard earlier, had become very soft after boiling. The egg, on the other hand, became very hard during the boiling. Its contents had solidified and now would not flow out even when the shell is shattered.

The teacher told the boy, “Earlier, you were like the carrot. Your courage and strength of mind were lost when you were exposed to the hard realities of life. You became weak and could be smashed easily.”

Next, he displayed the egg and told, “Be like the egg. You are soft and tender by nature, but the adversities of life should make you bolder and stronger. Then you can gain the courage to face any harsh moments with confidence.” He then narrated the biography of successful persons who could overcome the hard times of early life with confidence and earnest efforts.

The teacher could arrange some financial support for the boy. The boy was earnest, honest and hard working. By the constant support and guidance of his loving and dedicated teacher, he could mould a successful career in life.

The round, smooth beautiful pebbles found in rivers are the results of years of grinding in the flowing river, enduring water falls and floods. A flute is made by harsh treatments of natural bamboos. The steps involve cutting, shaping, drying and perforation. It is said that adversity is the best university to perfect our personality.

We must accept the sufferings and pain of life with the spirit of sacrifice which Jesus displayed in his life and death. Jesus declared, “If anyone wants to come with me, he must forget self, take up his cross every day, and follow me” {Luke 9: 23}. “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple” {Luke 14: 27}.

Jesus said, “I am telling you the truth: a grain of wheat remains no more than a single grain unless it is dropped into the ground and dies. If it does die, then it produces many grains” {John 12: 24}.

Jesus proclaimed, “Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest” {Matthew 11: 28}.

© By: Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India. For more moral stories, parables and anecdotes for students, catechists, teachers and preachers, kindly visit my web-site: http://www.moralstorieschristian.blogspot.com

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Murder of a 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}.

© By: Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India. For more moral stories, parables and anecdotes for students, catechists, teachers and preachers, kindly visit my web-site: http://www.moralstorieschristian.blogspot.com

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A boat in bonds

   A gang of drunkards was rowing a country-boat along a lake. On the way they saw a shop where liquor (toddy) was being served. It was getting dark and all of them were tired. They decided to have a halt and resume the row after relishing a drink. They got out of the boat and tied the boat safely with a rope to a tree on the bank of the lake.

 Then they entered the liquor shop and ordered drinks. They filled their bellies to the full with the liquor and returned to the boat with unsteady steps. They got into the boat and rowed hard, happily singing a fond melody in the ecstasy of intoxication. Hours rolled on. At sunrise, when they came back to their senses, they were surprised to find that they were still stationed near the liquor shop. They examined the boat and found that it was still bound to the tree. In the intoxicated state, they forgot to untie the boat. It could not move though they rowed hard for a full night!

           A prayer group had a senior leader. He used to repeat this request in every prayer, “Lord, clean all the cobwebs entangling my life.” One day, tired of hearing this repeated request, one smart member who was to pray next, prayed aloud, “Lord, our leader has been praying every day to get his cobwebs removed. Kindly grant him the strength to kill the spider that is causing this constant trouble!” The members greeted the prayer with great applause.

                Man has an inherent inclination to sin. Satan skilfully exploits this tendency to draw us towards sin again and again. Bondage to certain people, places, ideas, attitudes or articles may be the driving force that leads us to a sin repeatedly. The courage and determination to remove the root cause of the sin is the best way to escape from a temptation. Killing of the spider is the surest way to avoid cobwebs. Rowing can move a boat only if the bond to the tree is broken.

                 A gifted preacher finished his sermon on sin. He had narrated his own sinful past and the story of his successful transformation. There was a question from the audience, “What were you before repentance? He answered, “A sinner.” The next question was, “Then, what are you now?” The preacher repeated, “A sinner.” “Then what is the difference?” the person inquired. The preacher replied, “Earlier, I was a sinner, running after sin. But now I am a sinner running away from sin!”

                    Sir James Young Simpson (1811-1870) who discovered the use of chloroform as an anaesthetic, was asked to list his greatest discoveries. He said that his greatest discovery was that he was a sinner in the sight of God and that his second greatest discovery was that Jesus died for a sinner like him.

                   “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and there is no truth in us. But if we confess our sins to God, He will keep His promise and do what is right: He will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing” {1 John 1: 8, 9}.

                     Prophet Isaiah foretold the severe sufferings of our Saviour who saved us from our sins: “Because of our sins He was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did. We are healed by the punishment He suffered, made whole by the blows He received” {Isaiah 53:5}.

                        St. Paul consoles us, “But now you have been set free from sin and are the slaves of God. Your gain is a life fully dedicated to Him, and the result is eternal life. {Romans 6: 22}.

© By: Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India. For more moral stories, parables and anecdotes for students, catechists, teachers and preachers, kindly visit my web-site: http://www.moralstorieschristian.blogspot.com

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THE BLIND BARBER

Benjamin was a popular barber. He was skilled and had many regular customers. During his work, he used to talk eloquently to entertain and enlighten his customers. One day an evangelist visited his saloon. While cutting the hair, the barber declared that he did not believe that God existed. The evangelist enquired about the reason for his argument. The barber described the pain, poverty and suffering that people had to endure, everywhere. He argued that if there was a God, who was loving and mighty, he should have removed such misery from society.

After his hair was cut, the evangelist came out of the barber-shop. In the street, he saw a mad man with long and dirty hair and an untrimmed, ugly beard. He returned to the saloon and told the barber, “Now I am sure that there are no barbers in this street.” “Why, why do you say that?” he enquired emphatically. Pointing to the mad man, the evangelist explained, “If there was a barber here, how could that man have such long and dirty hair and untrimmed ugly beard?”

The barber defended his position, “I am the best barber in this city. There are several barbers in the other streets. That man is mad and does not come to any one of us to have a hair-cut. It is not our fault.”

The preacher replied, “That is quite true. Just like the barbers, God also exists. The problem is that people like you never search for Him and refuse to meet Him and seek His blessings. That is why you find so many in sorrow and suffering.” The atheist could not argue further.

“Fools say to themselves, “There is no God” {Psalms 14: 1}.

“Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you” {Matthew 7: 7}.

© By: Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India. For more moral stories, parables and anecdotes for students, catechists, teachers and preachers, kindly visit my web-site: http://www.moralstorieschristian.blogspot.com

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DETERMINATION TO AVOID TEMPTATION

A boy in ancient India (4th century B.C.) was eager to study under a reputed teacher (Guru). He approached the Guru with a humble request to admit him as a student. The Guru examined the boy’s palm and declared that he had no line of education on his palm and hence he could not be expected to excel in education. The Guru rejected his request as the boy lacked the sign that he believed was the birth-mark of a successful student.

The boy was very determined to learn under the Guru. So he took a sharp knife and made a deep cut on his palm between his middle finger (Saturn) and ring finger (Apollo) where the ‘line of education’ (Vidya rekha) is found in some people. He went to the master and showed the scar on his palm. He requested the Guru to reconsider his decision as he has now made a line of education on his palm.

The wise master was impressed by the determination of the boy. He embraced the boy and enrolled him as a student immediately. The boy learned with exceptional brilliance and dedication and became a great scholar. The boy was Panini, who later systematized grammar in the Sanskrit language. His masterpiece is a major treatise entitled, ‘Ashtadhyayi’. His logical rules and techniques have influenced modern linguistics considerably. Thus Panini could challenge and change his fate by etching the mark on his palm by a painful cut.

Determination is essential for the successful execution of any decision. Saints had the determination to avoid even minor sins even if their action would cause pain or loss to them. Our confession becomes fruitful only if we have the determination to avoid the people, places, scenes, situations and circumstances that may tempt us to repeat the sinful actions. As the first step we may take bold decisions such as absolute determination not to tell even a minor lie, not to make a derogatory remark about any one and not to watch a sinful scene, picture or video. With the powerful grace of God we can march towards the higher levels of sanctity if we are determined to avoid all tempting situations. After praying to ‘Our Father’ to lead us not into temptations, we should not lead ourselves into temptations.

St. Paul advises, “Build up your strength in union with the Lord and by means of His mighty power. Put on all the armour that God gives you, so that you will be able to stand up against the Devil’s evil tricks” {Ephesians 6: 10, 11}.

© By: Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India. For more moral stories, parables and anecdotes for students, catechists, teachers and preachers, kindly visit my web-site: http://www.moralstorieschristian.blogspot.com

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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}.

© By: Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India. For more moral stories, parables and anecdotes for students, catechists, teachers and preachers, kindly visit my web-site: http://www.moralstorieschristian.blogspot.com


 

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