Have you been an inspiration to someone? Is your life inspiring enough to the children around you? Who do you look up to for inspiration? - Daily Reflections October 8,2014

WORDS TEACH, EXAMPLES MOVE

 

Luke was a doctor. He was not one who would gloss over details. His short account today is very telling. Presumably, the disciples were observing the Lord in everything He did. “Jesus was praying in a certain place,” we are told. Where that place was is not important. What catches our attention is the fact that, seeing the Lord in prayer, one of the disciples asked Him: “Lord, teach us to pray.”

       Back in the day when “television sets” were called as such, which showed nothing but black and white shadowy and grainy images, we used to adore Vic Morrow and Rick Jason. To us kids then, the two seemed immortal, even as they were locked in perpetual combat (read: every Friday evening) in the TV series aptly titled as such. Those were the days, too, when the dynamic duo Batman and Robin would always frustrate the evil machinations of the bad guys that tormented Gotham City.

       I was so taken up by their heroic exploits that almost every day, we were playing imaginary battles against imaginary Japanese soldiers with nothing but imaginary guns (read: bamboo sticks or driftwood). All of us looked up to either Vic or Rick, and Batman or Robin.

       What we saw became our reality. What we admired became our ideals. What we liked in them was what we also wanted to be. What they did was what we also wanted to do.

       But prior to my imaginary combat days, there was Fr. Santiago, our parish priest, when Dad was parish council president. He was a regular fixture in the household, dressed in his white soutane, brought by his ever-reliable Willy’s jeep. He, too, was a hero to me. I used to look forward to his coming, although now I am not too sure whether it was him we kids looked forward to seeing, or the caramel popcorn or the Butterball candies that he brought us. But I do remember I wanted to be like him at some point. And that was when I asked Mom to teach me the Pater Noster, the Ave Maria, and the Gloria. Words teach, but examples move! Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Have you been an inspiration to someone? Is your life inspiring enough to the children around you? Who do you look up to for inspiration?

 

Dear Lord, help me to live my life according to Your precepts, that I may lead people closer to You.