Easter Reflections

DESPITE OUR OWN CARELESSNESS
By Bishop. Socrates B. Villegas
Apr 3, 2007

A little boy celebrated his eighteenth birthday. When I
asked him what he remembers of his birthday last year, he
answered: "Last year, I received my first pair of long pants."
According to him,this new pair of pants was about six inches longer
than his usual size. So he asked his mother to cut it short for him.
His mother refused, saying: "Keep it that way. In no time it will
fit you as you grow so fast." Wanting to really have his pants cut
short, he approached his elder sister and grandmother with the
same request.
Both offered some excuse not to do it for him.

With a heavy heart, he went to sleep, resigned with the fact
that he will have to wear his pants longer than usual.
As he was asleep, his mother saw his pants by his bed. Feeling
guilty at having turned down the boy's earlier request, she cut off six
inches from it to fit his size. After which, she returned the pants
by the bed. Then, his elder sister also happened to pass by.
She saw the pants and felt guilty also so she cut off six inches
from it as the boy had requested. The grandmother came in next and
did the same thing as his mother and elder sister. The next day, on
his birthday, he had a new pair of short pants! On that day also his
mother, elder sister and grandmother felt even more guilty. Why?
They knew that what they did for the boy was an effort that they did
not think about. It was a careless effort.

We all do the same thing ourselves. We do things
without much thought. We say things we do not mean. We make
promises that we could hardly keep.

Peter and Paul were like that. We know how Peter said
to the Lord: "Lord, I will never leave you." And to that
remark the Lord could only say: "Tomorrow, before the cock crows three
times, you will deny Me three times." And Paul? Paul was a
dedicated Pharisee. He thought that in killing the first
Christian he was doing God's will.

...We do not celebrate Peter and Paul's faults and careless
efforts. We celebrate the fact that despite our own carelessness and
faults, God gives us new opportunities. Peter made a mistake. Paul
committed the same. But God gave them another chance.

You may have committed so many sins. You may have made broken
promises. You may have done things without reflecting.
But there is always second chance for you. I invite you to begin
again and become great yourself.

"If you are what you should be, then you could set the world on fire."
  -St. Catherine of Siena
  
  "Sin is surrender to the deceptive wiles of the Enemy, the devil.   And that 
is defeat.  Repentance is surrender to the faithful love  of a Friend, God.  And 
that is victory."
  -Bishop Peter Sartain, Catholic Explorer, 2/23/07
  
  "Without justice, what are kingdoms but great robbers."
  -St. Augustine
  
  Reverend Mario Quejadas
  Associate Pastor
  Immaculate Conception Parish
  134 Arthur Street, Elmhurst, IL 60126 USA
  Phone: (630) 530-8999, Website: www.icelmhurst.org