How do you spend each and every new chance God gives you? - Daily Reflections February 12,2014

 

WORK IN PROGRESS

 

Meet Antonio. At 33, he is a father of six kids from four different women he loved before. He was not able to finish college, after trying out an average of one semester at various universities and colleges in Metro Manila. He could have been the epitome of a man without ambition. He took life in jest. And while he is not an intellectual person, he is street-smart — so smart, he outsmarts other people, even his own self.

       You see, he was made to believe that he was good for nothing. So much so that for some time, he blamed himself for the separation of his parents when he was six years old. Because they got married when they were barely 16, his parents never learned to hurdle the challenges of their marital union. This devastated Antonio, and this could have been the root of his dilemma in his relationships. All the negativity, the trauma and the sad stories surrounding him while he was growing up molded his person, but while these signaled for him a life started on the wrong foot, he managed to bounce back and was given the chance to make up for lost time.

       The Gospel today reminds us that “everything that goes into a person from outside cannot defile; what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him.” No matter how hard life can be for us, how painful our circumstances had been, how cruel people can be in judging us, they cannot hurt us inside if we do not allow them to. Our life’s struggles can teach us lessons beyond measure, and how we deal with them is what defines us.

       We are always given second chances if we seek them. Antonio sought a second chance, and I guess even a third and a fourth. With the support of his grandparents, he now has a stable job in a cruise ship and he aspires to work on rebuilding the ruins of his young life, believing that he has the capacity to succeed, even if people said he will never amount to anything.

       Watch out for Antonio — God’s handiwork, a work in progress. Fr. Erick Y. Santos, OFS

 

REFLECTION QUESTION: How do you spend each and every new chance God gives you?

 

Lord Jesus, mold me — Your work in progress.