BITTER HALF
>> 19 March 2014
Socrates, the great Greek philosopher, had a nagging and quarrelsome wife, Xanthippe. One day she shouted furiously at Socrates and his friends. Finding no reaction, she got into a violent temper. She picked up a bucket full of washing water and poured it on the head of Socrates. He remarked with a smile, to his friends, "We know that a thunder will be followed by a rain!" Later, he advised a young man, "By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you will become happy. If you get a bad one, you will become a philosopher."
A recent cartoon depicted the most effective seat belt for a husbands driving with his wife in the other seat in the front. It effectively covers the wife's mouth while supporting him. Its advantage is that it lets him drive without her interference!
The teacher of biology in a school distributed plantlets to all the students with instructions to plant them near their home, look after the growing plants regularly and observe their condition every day. All the students except one reported that the plants were growing steadily. One student complained that his plantlets refused to grow. The teacher questioned him and discovered the reason. The boy was in the habit of examining the roots of the plants every day after pulling them out of the soil in order to assess the growth of the plants. Obviously, his idiotic over-enthusiasm had deprived the plant of an essential condition for steady growth - lack of disturbance!
An over-enthusiastic and highly religious lady was worried that her husband was a heavy drinker. She used to torment him by her constant complaints and unnecessary advises. With much effort, she managed to bring him to a Charismatic convention. After informing the organizers, she occupied a seat close to her husband's seat and was continuously disturbing him, expressing irritation whenever he showed any sign of sleep or restlessness. She frequently complained to the priest that her husband was not attentive. The priest finally told her sternly, "Please occupy a seat in a different place and leave him alone. Tell more about him to God and less about God to him. It is God's grace and not your presence that will transform him."
Let us add to every prayer the words taught by Jesus in the 'Lord's prayer'. He taught His disciples, "May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" {Matthew 6: 10}.
Several families maintain peace by surrendering to the dominance of the stronger partner. Real happiness results only when there is close co-operation and mutual respect between partners. Otherwise the better half becomes the bitter half. In several oriental Christian churches, during the sacrament of matrimony, the priest adorns both the husband and the wife with the matrimonial ring. It symbolizes that the spouse is received from God. Matrimony is thus a union of three - the husband, wife and God. Marriages are conceived in heaven and celebrated on earth. The ideal family is an image of heaven.
© 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
Click Here to Buy Moral Stories from Flipkart.com
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A recent cartoon depicted the most effective seat belt for a husbands driving with his wife in the other seat in the front. It effectively covers the wife's mouth while supporting him. Its advantage is that it lets him drive without her interference!
The teacher of biology in a school distributed plantlets to all the students with instructions to plant them near their home, look after the growing plants regularly and observe their condition every day. All the students except one reported that the plants were growing steadily. One student complained that his plantlets refused to grow. The teacher questioned him and discovered the reason. The boy was in the habit of examining the roots of the plants every day after pulling them out of the soil in order to assess the growth of the plants. Obviously, his idiotic over-enthusiasm had deprived the plant of an essential condition for steady growth - lack of disturbance!
An over-enthusiastic and highly religious lady was worried that her husband was a heavy drinker. She used to torment him by her constant complaints and unnecessary advises. With much effort, she managed to bring him to a Charismatic convention. After informing the organizers, she occupied a seat close to her husband's seat and was continuously disturbing him, expressing irritation whenever he showed any sign of sleep or restlessness. She frequently complained to the priest that her husband was not attentive. The priest finally told her sternly, "Please occupy a seat in a different place and leave him alone. Tell more about him to God and less about God to him. It is God's grace and not your presence that will transform him."
Let us add to every prayer the words taught by Jesus in the 'Lord's prayer'. He taught His disciples, "May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" {Matthew 6: 10}.
Several families maintain peace by surrendering to the dominance of the stronger partner. Real happiness results only when there is close co-operation and mutual respect between partners. Otherwise the better half becomes the bitter half. In several oriental Christian churches, during the sacrament of matrimony, the priest adorns both the husband and the wife with the matrimonial ring. It symbolizes that the spouse is received from God. Matrimony is thus a union of three - the husband, wife and God. Marriages are conceived in heaven and celebrated on earth. The ideal family is an image of heaven.
© 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
Click Here to Buy Moral Stories from Flipkart.com
