'Tuesdays with Morrie' by Mitch Albom - a story too good to miss

 

 

The story is about Morrie’s last class with Mitch, his only student, who visited with him every Tuesday in the last months of his life. And the weekly class, taught from experience, was on The Meaning of Life. 

Confined to a wheel chair, Morrie talked with Mitch, giving him advice on various life issues. Before meeting Morrie again after years’ separation, Mitch had had a very busy life, taking labor as his companion, moving everything else aside. The weekly conversations with Morrie, however, gradually convinced him that full days are not necessarily satisfied and that the things people spend so much time on might not seem as important. Morrie also advised him to learn to ‘detach’ - to avoid clinging to something since nothing, not even fear, is permanent. Instead, it is important to join in one big human family in the world, sharing love with one another, as love, according to Morrie, is how we stay alive.

This is not a book that gives the reader feelings of suspense or excitement. What keeps the reader turning the pages are the fatherly conversations through which the old man shares his positive thinking with his student. The reader gradually finds himself attending the class with Mitch, getting enlightened by Morrie’s wisdom and insight. What is perhaps most inspiring is his accepting attitude towards aging and death. In spite of his ebbing health and increasing dependency on others, he would not indulge in self-pity. Instead, he was determined to live with dignity, with courage, with humour and with composure as he thought that dying is not synonymous with uselessness and, on the contrary, it is as natural as life. He believed that as one is prepared for death, one can be more involved in one’s life while living.  

The book is one of the best I have read. While the loving relationship between the old man and the young man is touching beyond words, Morrie’s philosophies about living with death's shadow can encourage the reader to get a positive message out of something, even something as dreadful as death. 

 All in all, ‘Tuesday with Morrie’ is a story too good to miss.

 

 

 

ATV staff deserve attention priority

  

I agree with the editorial on March 5, “Important to take care of ATV staff”,  that they need careful attention.

Over the past year there has been frequent news about ATV’s fate, giving hope at one moment but causing worries most of the time. The news is disheartening as ATV, despite its relatively low popularity rating, has contributed greatly to the viewers, including those in Macau, by providing programs which are useful sources of information and entertainment.

Its imminent termination now being certain, there is much to be done to ensure its smooth windup. From my point of view, the employees’ interests should have priority of attention. The Labour Department should see to it that ATV, in compliance with the Employment Ordinance, either clear the overdue wages to the staff or provide them with termination compensation. In addition, the LD should provide the employees with assistance regarding their statutory rights and benefits. If ATV fails to effect the wage payment for no reason, the LD should strictly initiate prosecution actions. Moreover, the staff should be helped to seek employment in the broadcasting or related sectors so as to maintain their livelihood and to make use of their skills and experience.

Most of ATV’s staff have been unpaid since last December but many still insisted on staying at their posts to ensure the daily operations of the broadcaster. Their loyalty and selflessness is admirable. Their interests should, therefore, be well taken care of.

Feeling thankful for God's mercy

When I was invited to be one of the speakers for the Lenten Retreat held last Saturday, I delighted at the topic assigned. I did not foresee much difficulty since it had been one of the focuses of my talk in a previous Bible course. It turned out to be a spiritual enrichment experience as I have now come to know.

Unlike lecturing, a retreat speech involves more than simply searching for and then compiling the required materials. The aim of a retreat is to guide the participants to reflect on their faith and to rekindle and deepen their relationship with God. I, therefore, needed to do self-reflection first and that was how I benefited in terms of spiritual enhancement and enlightenment.

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The theme of the retreat was ‘God’s Mercy on the Cross’. It was centered on St. Paul’s determination to be true to the message of Christ and to his Cross. After he had been struck blind by a strong light from heaven, he spent a long time meditating on his past deeds. He came to realize how much God loved him in spite of his cruelty in persecution of the Christians. And it was his experience of God’s love that caused him to face his sins and gave him the courage, wisdom and perseverance to speak out in defence of his own faith against his many opponents, who condemned the Cross as foolishness and a stumbling block (1 Corinthians 1:18-23).

While reflecting on this, I thought about how sometimes our spiritual development is hindered by our ignorance of the Truth. I realize now that this is often due to our pride: we think we know enough and are already doing the right things, thus refusing to deepen our understanding of God and His will. If we admit our inadequacy, however, we will, like Paul, seek God’s wisdom and mercy through a closer relationship with Him.

St. Paul advised the Christians to be reconciled to God, saying that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them (2 Corinthians 5:18-20New). This helped me make up my mind to receive the Sacrament of Confession. For years, I had dreaded going to confession. While praying alone, I had poured out my hearts to God for forgiveness. I thought that it sufficed just to confess directly to God. St. Paul’s preaching about his being the worst among sinners, however, convinced me to pluck up the courage to confess my sins to a priest instead. And I felt peace at heart after that.

This has made this year’s Lenten season so much different from others over the past years. And I am so thankful for God’s mercy on me in this Holy Year of Mercy.

 

Recapturing The First Love

For our reading in February we members of the ‘Bible 123 Reading Group’ were assigned the chapter on ‘Ephesus’ in Pope Francis’ book ‘The Letters to the Seven Churches’. We were to read through the chapter and be guided to ‘Recapture the First Love’. Here ‘the First Love’ refers to the love we had for God in the beginning. The nature of love, unfortunately, like that of wines, tends to either mature or sour. Like the Churches of Ephesus and Laodicea, we are advised to experience conversion and recover our initial fervor.

I found the chapter very thorough in meaning and had read it several times before I managed to grasp the message conveyed. I was most inspired by the reflection on this verse: 'So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth.’ (Apoc 3:15 - 17)  

What does it mean to be neither cold nor hot? Is my love for God lukewarm? Have I not been doing God’s work? I felt puzzled. Not until I had reflected on a related Gospel verse did I realize the truth. It is about Judas reproaching Mary of Bethany for anointing Jesus with aromatic nard instead of saving the money for the poor. (John 12:1-8) 

Judas has an ‘idea’ about what must be done but it is this same idea that keeps him aloof from the living Jesus before him. His attitude is what Pope Francis refers to as spiritual bitterness. By contrast, Mary is correctly oriented by her love for Jesus. She is ‘the soul that adores on her knees and prays with her tears’.

Has the focus of my faith somehow been disoriented like Judas’? Over the past years, especially since my retirement, I have dedicated a lot of time and efforts to what I believe to be the service of God. My work as a Sunday school teacher, for example, does expose me to a lot of useful religious teaching materials. Of far greater use is the research work involved in my preparation for the talks associated with ‘the Bible in 80 Weeks Bible Course’. I also benefit greatly from sharing responsibilities with the other members of the Mong Ha Retreat Group. Has all this actually led to my faith enrichment? Is my relationship with God any closer?  

This would have happened, as I now realize, if my attitude had not been disoriented like Judas'. Probably owing to my long experience as a teacher, my chief concern is to get the message across. I delight at the discovery of good teaching materials and vivid illustrations to enhance the effectiveness of my lesson presentations. If my preaching has amounted to any success at all, it is at the great cost of a genuine relationship with Jesus. If I have been doing virtuous work at all, it is but the practice of what our Pope calls the “secondary virtues’.

I now understand how important it is to allow our first love to undergo conversion, which can be achieved only by concentrating on Jesus Christ alone. I will devote more time to medicating on the sufferings of Christ. May this be one of my Lenten reflections in this Holy Year of Mercy.

Who will be the first to throw a stone?

A few friends of mine have expressed concern about the recent social chaos and violence televised in Hong Kong. They are at a loss to know how they can explain to their children about what has actually happened and who are really to blame. They wonder aloud on what values they ought to educate their children from now on.

I understand their worries as it has become increasingly difficult to guide children to tell right from wrong. When approached for advice, however, I will recommend with enthusiasm the adoption of Christian values. By this I mean we can guide our children to learn to see things from Jesus Christ’s perspective and be guided by and attached to his teaching. In fact, what he did and said while he was still on earth could be very useful lessons to apply to life situations today.

Children need to be educated on a loving and caring attitude. Jesus taught his disciples to love one another as he had loved them. If children are brought up in a loving environment, they will learn to care not only for their own needs but for others’ as well. They will also learn to appreciate others’ goodness and to share their joy instead of being envious of their success. There will then be no place for anger, hatred and revenge, which are often the roots of all evils.

Another core Christian value to be infused among children is an understanding and considerate attitude. In Jesus’ teaching there is strong advice against self-righteousness - the belief that one is superior to others in opinions and behavior. People with what is called a ‘holier-than-thou’ attitude tend to look down on, criticize, judge, condemn, or even try to control other people. Being unable to handle stress and interpersonal conflicts, they easily get involved in heated argument, fierce fights, or in worse cases, even violence. Children educated on the importance of broadmindedness and tolerance, on the contrary, are more likely to cooperate well with others. They will grow up to be humble and sympathetic members of society, broad-minded enough to consider a different way of thinking and willing to contribute to social wellbeing and harmony by being accepting and tolerant.

As I was watching the scene of bloodshed and violence on TV, I thought of a Bible verse: "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." (John 8:7)

Ex-students’ Gatherings

Over the past few months, I have attended several ex-students’ gatherings. Those were undoubtedly joyous occasions. It was a great delight to see the positive changes in them. On one such occasion, a young man often caught dozing off in class handed me his business card displaying his job title as director of a prestigious company. When I saw a young mother taking care of her lovely twins, reminding them to be polite, I just could not believe that she was the same girl who used to irritate the teachers with her rough manners and blunt remarks.

Meeting the students who graduated from Sacred Heart decades ago gave me tremendous joy. They were the ‘girls’ I had taught in the initial years of my teaching career. I actually owed them much for my ‘on-the-job training’. If they had not been so accepting and cooperative, my class presentations, however well prepared, would not have met the desired goal on account of my lack of experience. 

My eyes watered when they thanked me repeatedly for helping them develop a solid foundation in their English learning. I thanked them in return for their appreciation for my effort, which, I honestly admit, would have amounted to nothing if they had not themselves been serious in their class participation. And those were the years when lessons were far less interesting without multi-media teaching aids. 

One thing worth mentioning is that my memory is often put to the test as there are always some who greet me with this question: Do you remember who I am?’  Well, I have had a poor memory for names. My long service as a teacher has meant that I have taught numerous students whose names have got confused. But fortunately their faces have not changed beyond recognition. So I hope I will not be challenged with the same question again in later gatherings.

Ex-students’ gatherings have become more frequent in recent years probably because social networking websites have kept friends in better contact even if they are miles apart. And the link thus established will remain. Most of them have, in fact, made a plan for another gathering in the near future.

The risk is not yours alone

 

 

In his column ‘Cold-weather bravado is far from cool’ dated January 25, Alex Lo blames the people who risked their own lives and those of the rescuers by ignoring warnings against potential dangers. I agree that the frost-chasers were silly to have overlooked the severity of the cold snap that hit Hong Kong. It is hoped that they have drawn a lesson from the experience and will refrain from such thoughtless acts from now on. 

There are, however, people whose attitude is even more blameworthy. In a video widely spread on the internet, a Hong Kong girl is seen shouting at a policeman who is trying to stop her going up the hill. ‘I’m responsible for my own life,’ she says, obviously displeased at the policeman’s interference with her freedom. She further points out that it is the police’s responsibility to save lives. 

She may have found her assertion justifiable since she is willing to be accountable for whatever happens to her. But, I don’t think she knows the least about what it means to be responsible. In fact, a responsible person will not do anything that causes an unfavorable result. In this case, her thoughtlessness could have cost not only her own life but those of others who went to her rescue. This is selfishness, which is unacceptable. Imagine a drug addict asserting that he is accountable for his own life. Would that make government attention to the problem of drug abuse unnecessary? Would a jay walker or not be charged with a traffic offence since it is his own life that is at risk?  

This may have been a rare case. But it has raised concern for a more caring and responsible attitude among the citizens and for better cooperation with the police to ensure the effective execution of their responsibilities.