Friday, March 25, 2011
A story about honesty..
A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time
> >
> > to choose a successor to take over the business.
> >
> >
> > Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he
> decided to do something different. He called all the young
> executives in his company together.
> >
> >
> > He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next
> CEO. I have decided to choose one of you. "The young executives
> were Shocked, but the boss continued. "I am going to give each
> one of you a SEED today - one very special SEED. I want you to
> plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today
> with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will
> then judge the plants that you bring, and the one
> > I choose will be the next CEO."
> >
> >
> > One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the
> others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his
> wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and
> he planted the seed. Everyday, he would water it and watch to
> see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other
> executives began to talk about their seeds
> >
> > and the plants that were beginning to grow.
> >
> >
> > Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew
> >
> >
> > Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still
> nothing.
> >
> >
> > By now, others were talking about their plants,
> > but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure.
> >
> >
> > Six months went by -- still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew
> he had killed his seed.
> >
> > Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing
> > Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however, he just
> kept watering and
> >
> > fertilizing the soil - he so wanted the seed to grow.
> >
> >
> > A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company
> > brought their plants to the CEO for inspection.
> >
> >
> > Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot.
> > But she asked him to be honest about what happened.
> >
> > Jim felt sick to his stomach, it was going to be the most
> embarrassing moment of his life,
> >
> > but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty
> pot to the board room.
> >
> > When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown
> by the other executives. They were beautiful - in all shapes and
> sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his
> colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!
> >
> >
> > When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his
> youngexecutives.>
> >
> > Jim just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants,
> trees and flowers you have grown," said the CEO. "Today one of
> you will be appointed the next CEO!"
> >
> >
> > All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room
> with his empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring
> him to the front. Jim was terrified.. He thought, "The CEO knows
> I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!"
> >
> >
> > When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened
> to his seed,
> > Jim told him the story.
> >
> >
> > The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at
> Jim, and then announced to the young executives, "This is your
> next Chief Executive Officer!
> >
> >
> > His name is Jim!" Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even
> grow his seed.
> >
> >
> > "How could he be the new CEO?" the others said.
>
> >
> >
> > Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone in
> this room a seed.
> >
> > I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it
> back to me today.
> >
> > But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not
> possible for them to grow.
> >
> >
> > All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and
> plants and flowers. When you found that the
> seed would not grow, you
> substituted another seed for
> the one I gave you.
> >
> > Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me
> a pot with my seed in it.
> >
> > Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief
> Executive Officer!"
> >
> >
> > * If you plant honesty, you will reap trust
> > * If you plant goodness, you will reap friends
> > * If you plant humility, you will reap greatness
> > * If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment
> > * If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective
> > * If you plant hard work, you will reap success
> > * If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation
> >
> > So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you
> will reap later.
> > Think about this for a minute.
> >
> >
> > If I happened to show up on your door step crying, would you
> care?
> > If I called you and asked you to pick me up
> > because something happened, would you come?
> > If I had one day left to live my life, would you be part of
> that last day?
> > If I needed a shoulder to cry on, would you give me yours?
> > This is a test to see who your real friends are
> >
> > or if you are just someone to talk to when they are
> bored.
> >
> > to choose a successor to take over the business.
> >
> >
> > Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he
> decided to do something different. He called all the young
> executives in his company together.
> >
> >
> > He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next
> CEO. I have decided to choose one of you. "The young executives
> were Shocked, but the boss continued. "I am going to give each
> one of you a SEED today - one very special SEED. I want you to
> plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today
> with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will
> then judge the plants that you bring, and the one
> > I choose will be the next CEO."
> >
> >
> > One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the
> others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his
> wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and
> he planted the seed. Everyday, he would water it and watch to
> see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other
> executives began to talk about their seeds
> >
> > and the plants that were beginning to grow.
> >
> >
> > Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew
> >
> >
> > Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still
> nothing.
> >
> >
> > By now, others were talking about their plants,
> > but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure.
> >
> >
> > Six months went by -- still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew
> he had killed his seed.
> >
> > Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing
> > Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however, he just
> kept watering and
> >
> > fertilizing the soil - he so wanted the seed to grow.
> >
> >
> > A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company
> > brought their plants to the CEO for inspection.
> >
> >
> > Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot.
> > But she asked him to be honest about what happened.
> >
> > Jim felt sick to his stomach, it was going to be the most
> embarrassing moment of his life,
> >
> > but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty
> pot to the board room.
> >
> > When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown
> by the other executives. They were beautiful - in all shapes and
> sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his
> colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!
> >
> >
> > When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his
> youngexecutives.>
> >
> > Jim just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants,
> trees and flowers you have grown," said the CEO. "Today one of
> you will be appointed the next CEO!"
> >
> >
> > All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room
> with his empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring
> him to the front. Jim was terrified.. He thought, "The CEO knows
> I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!"
> >
> >
> > When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened
> to his seed,
> > Jim told him the story.
> >
> >
> > The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at
> Jim, and then announced to the young executives, "This is your
> next Chief Executive Officer!
> >
> >
> > His name is Jim!" Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even
> grow his seed.
> >
> >
> > "How could he be the new CEO?" the others said.
>
> >
> >
> > Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone in
> this room a seed.
> >
> > I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it
> back to me today.
> >
> > But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not
> possible for them to grow.
> >
> >
> > All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and
> plants and flowers. When you found that the
> seed would not grow, you
> substituted another seed for
> the one I gave you.
> >
> > Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me
> a pot with my seed in it.
> >
> > Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief
> Executive Officer!"
> >
> >
> > * If you plant honesty, you will reap trust
> > * If you plant goodness, you will reap friends
> > * If you plant humility, you will reap greatness
> > * If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment
> > * If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective
> > * If you plant hard work, you will reap success
> > * If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation
> >
> > So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you
> will reap later.
> > Think about this for a minute.
> >
> >
> > If I happened to show up on your door step crying, would you
> care?
> > If I called you and asked you to pick me up
> > because something happened, would you come?
> > If I had one day left to live my life, would you be part of
> that last day?
> > If I needed a shoulder to cry on, would you give me yours?
> > This is a test to see who your real friends are
> >
> > or if you are just someone to talk to when they are
> bored.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Saturday, March 05, 2011
My Gospel Reflections for March 6, Sunday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time: Matthew 7:21-27
My Reflections:
Why did Jesus said to the disciples that not everyone who calls on His name will enter the kingdom of heaven? Maybe this is in reference to those followers who invoke the name of God but they live their lives not according to what God wants it for them. This statement may pertain also to the false prophets who use their gift of speaking to defraud gullible followers.
There are still many of them right now in our present time; they use the name of God to advance their own personal interest. But the all almighty God knows everything about us, our selfish motives, our double speak, our desire to outwardly use His name in vain.
So what is the desire of God for us? Very simple, His desire is for us to become His true followers in words and in deeds. We can perform many acts of healings, we can proclaim the name of God and it may be accepted by those who hear of it. But if we don’t live the teachings of Jesus then all of our acts will be in vain.
Perhaps one of the best example if not the best human example of those who proclaimed the word of God in words and deeds is Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta. She magnificently proclaimed the word of God to everyone: the rich, the elite, the academics, the powerful and the poor. But she did not stop there she also lived her proclamations thru her humble deeds and acts of loving service to those who were very poor, those who were sick with leprosy, the dying and the unwanted. She humbly and lovingly took care of them all.
Mother Teresa listened to the word of God then she proclaimed and humbly lived it. She was like the wise man in the gospel who built his house upon a rock. This is the reason why she will soon be declared saint of the church. This is the reason why the congregation that she founded, the Missionaries of Charity is all over the world right now.
We are all challenged by Jesus through our gospel to be like Mother Teresa of Calcutta, to be like the wise man who built his house upon the solid rock of God. They both listened to the words of God and they both made it alive by living it through their life changing actions and though their humble deeds of selfless service for the people of God. …
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