by Jean Ricot Dormeus
I remember when I was in my last year of primary school I
had a teacher very good at math that used to wow us. No math problem seemed too
hard for him. He caught my attention and admiration so much that I was
wondering if there was any secret that could bring me to his level. Now I know
there is no secret other than study and practice. However I realized there is a
secret in life that can help us solve any problem, devise and implement any
lofty dream or plan, and develop any lasting pleasant relationship. Do you want
to know what this secret is?
This secret imparts power,
happiness, robust health and wealth. When you hold it, you are able to touch
even the coldest heart. It puts a smile on our face and makes the heart fond of
good and life. It places you on cloud nine and makes you enjoy the finest
pleasures on earth. Can you guess what this universal secret is?
The most powerful secret on earth creates a warm, velvet and
sweet climate that creates joy and satisfaction. It triggers generosity. By the
way, a friend of mine was telling that his son was a hard, stingy man until he
bumps into this secret that makes him a tender-hearted man and joyful giver.
Have you imagined what the secret is?
Actually this secret is my favorite
topic. Jesus himself is its embodiment and called it the greatest commandment
ever. If you abide by it, your life will be satisfying and fulfilling. I
believe today’s message deserves your attention, because it can transform,
improve and embellish your life, it can uplift your feelings and thoughts, it
can fill you with contentment, regardless of your current circumstances.
In the most glorious and thrilling
poem on this secret, Apostle Paul called it the greatest of these things”.
Brothers and sisters, behold Paul’s timeless hymn:
“If I could speak all the languages of
earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a
clanging cymbal.
2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and
if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I
had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be
nothing.
3 If I gave everything I have to the
poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it;[a] but if I
didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
4 Love is patient and kind. Love is
not jealous or boastful or proud
5 or rude. It does not demand its own
way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.
6 It does not rejoice about injustice
but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.
7 Love never gives up, never loses
faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown
languages[b] and special knowledge will become
useless. But love will last forever!
9 Now our knowledge is partial and
incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole
picture!
10 But when the time of perfection
comes, these partial things will become useless.
11 When I was a child, I spoke and
thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish
things.
12 Now we see things imperfectly, like
puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect
clarity.[c] All that I
know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely,
just as God now knows me completely.
13 Three things will last
forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.
Let love be your highest goal!” (1
Corinthians 13 and 1 Cor 14:1)
We can always love our way to victory, well-being and strong
relationships. Let’s read Mark 12:28-34
Let me tell you a story that
illustrates with awesome clarity how love works. In my Mom’s house, not far
from the right front sprung up an edge crowned by a hand pump that reveals the
presence of a well providing water for different uses. This dark green pump
shows a beam serving as handle to operate it, a spout where the water gushes
forth, and an upper bowl to prime the pump. I find the priming system
interesting. One would think that it suffices to operate the bean to get water,
but you can invest all your energy and strength without getting a drop of
water. You have to give some water to the pump to receive back. You have to
fill the upper bowl with water, then operate the beam so that water gushes out.
The priming system reminds of love, you have to give in order to receive.
Reason why God loved first by giving his only begotten son so that we can
easily love him.
The
three synoptic gospels report this teaching of Jesus on love. The structuring
of the three narratives follows a reverse progression. In Matthew 22 and Mark
12, the sequence of the teaching goes from the resurrection to Christ’s
filiation, meaning his nature, passing by love, and in Luke 10, it goes from
the exalting victory of the seventy disciples to closeness with Jesus passing
by love. The positioning of the passage constitutes a message per se: we first
have to accept the divine nature of Christ and closeness with him, then love in
keeping with the Holy Scriptures to finally access life and victory. The whole
Bible content is summarized in this structuring.
This
teaching of Jesus on love was delivered at the end of his life. It was as
important as the Sermon on the Mount which marked the beginning of our Savior’s
ministry. Jesus was heading to Calvary, toward the ultimate sacrifice for
humankind’s salvation, so he wanted to sear a special mark on the mind of his
hearers. The rationale of this teaching was simple: love or perish. It was an
important moment when the crowd came to acclaim Jesus for his triumphal entry
in Jerusalem when many spread their garments and leafy branches on the road
while shouting “Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” Mark 11: 9. Christ’s message was
delivered in a special place, Jerusalem, the city of the great King, in the
temple where he had just driven out vendors and buyers. It’s not proper for a
prophet to perish outside Jerusalem to quote Luke 13:33.
All
the Law and the Prophets hang on love for God and fellow men. Jesus addressed
this message to a doctor of the law representing those who think they know of
other secret than love to please God. The message presents itself in the form
of a fork:
There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. So as she was getting her things ‘in order,’ she contacted her Pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes.
She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in.Everything was in order and the Pastor was preparing to leave when the young woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.
‘There’s one more thing,’ she said excitedly.. ‘What’s that?’ came the Pastor’s reply.
‘This is very important,’ the young woman continued. ‘I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.’
The Pastor stood looking at the young woman, not knowing Quite what to say..’That surprises you, doesn’t it?’ the young woman asked.
‘Well, to be honest, I’m puzzled by the request,’ said the Pastor.
The young woman explained. ‘My grandmother once told me this story, and from that time on I have always tried to pass along it’s message to those I love and those who are in need of encouragement. In all my years of attending socials and dinners,I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, ‘Keep your fork.’ It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming…like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance!’
So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder ‘What’s with the fork?’ Then I want you to tell them: ‘Keep your fork ..the best is yet to come.’
The Pastor’s eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the young woman good-bye.
He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also knew that the young woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did.She had a better grasp of what heaven would be like than many people twice her age, with twice as much experience and knowledge. She KNEW that something better was coming.
At the funeral people were walking by the young woman’s casket and they saw the cloak she was wearing and the fork placed in her right hand.. Over and over,the Pastor heard the question, ‘What’s with the fork?’ And over and over he smiled..During his message, the Pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the young woman shortly before she died. He also told them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her. He told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either..
He was right. So the next time you reach down for your fork let it remind you, ever so gently, that the best is yet to come. Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed Cherish the time you have , and the memories you share. Being friends with someone is not an opportunity, but a sweet responsibility. And just remember…keep your fork! (Taken from Something Better is Coming)
“Hold on to your fork, for the desert
is yet to come”. A fork has four prongs and allows eating in a clean manner.
Likewise, Christ’s message contains four essential elements and allows biting
into life with appetite and relish, in a clean manner.
Love
does not flourish by nature, but by nurture; it must be learned, this is the
first prong of the fork. Jesus includes in the greatest commandment the phrase
“Hear, O Israel”. Hear calls for the attention of the audience, it means put
yourself in a state of receptivity, learn and retain so that you do not love as
the anaconda loves its prey. Why do we have to hear? Because, love must be
learned. It goes beyond feelings or wild emotions to follow the sure way that
leads to happiness. God’s law and Paul’s precepts found in 1 Corinthians 13
display the constitutive elements of love. Many people express love by
inflicting suffering, or exploitation, or looking for their own satisfaction.
This morning, Jesus tells us: hear, o Israel and receive instruction, learn how
to cultivate a love filled attitude, learn how to speak with love, learn how to
think with love.
Love
is an initiative coming from the heart; love’s mobile is that God is unique and
created our neighbor unique, this is the second prong of the fork. Notice that
Jesus invokes no condition to love God and fellow men. The only reason he gives
is God is the only Lord. In the same way God is unique, every human being is
unique. I believe we are about seven billion currently on earth; therefore
there are seven billion different fingerprints, seven billion different faces,
seven billion different personalities. Because every human being is unique, we
must love him/her as our only fellow man/woman on earth, as ourselves.
Notice that Jesus
does not say“love the Lord your God, because he loved you first”, or “love your
neighbor if he loves first”. The commandment is simple, love whether you are
loved or not. Love is an initiative coming from ourselves, not a reaction.
Reason why we do not treat others the way they treat us, but as God requires.
Anger, rudeness, disrespect even in the most adverse circumstances are excluded
by love. The power to love is accessible to everyone.
Love
is total and the yardstick for love is ourselves, because we must love others
as ourselves, that’s the third prong of the fork. We need to love ourselves as
God’s masterpieces. Then we will be able to extend our affection, goodness,
kindness and care to others. We are often indulgent or complacent with ourselves, while we tend to
be exigent and even critical with others. Let’s ponder our lives to see if we
love the irritable fellow, the negative and complaining neighbor, the
unpleasant boss, the pessimistic and wicked church member.
Love
looks for what is good with others, what deserves approval, qualities and
virtues. It does not look for defects or vices and it corrects them with
sweetness and patience.
There
is no commandment greater than these, meaning if there is one thing you can do
for God and fellow men it is to love them, this the fourth prong of the fork.
Love is the lubricant for happiness and good relationships. When we fail to
entertain goods relations with others, we have to question our pump; did we prime
it the right way? Did we operate the beam as required? Isn’t the pipe that
links the well to the pump clogged? Very often we will realize that by changing
ourselves and our way of thinking about the other and his actions and attitude,
we transform the relationship for the better. Force is often powerless and even
causes rebellion, but love operates as honey that attracts ants and restores
harmony.
The greatest
commandment generates the greatest power in us. Have you heard the story of
Kyrie and Brielle Jackson? Born identical twins and 12 weeks premature in
Worcester, Massachusetts, the tiny sisters barely weighed two pounds each.
Kyrie quickly began gaining weight, but little Brielle had breathing and
heart–rate problems, her blood oxygen level low, her weight gain very slow.
Then suddenly four weeks into her journey, Brielle began gasping for air, her
tiny face and stick arms turning bluish-gray, her heart rate shooting high, and
dangerous hiccups putting her body under stress. Neonatal-intensive-care-unit
nurse Gayle Kasparian desperately tried to stabilize her, but to no avail. Then
the nurse recalled a “double bedding multiple birth babies” procedure common in
Europe but forbidden in the US for fear of passing infection. Kasparian scooped
up Brielle and placed her in the incubator beside sister Kyrie. And according
to news reports, in that very moment Brielle’s oxygen levels suddenly soared,
her breathing became less labored, her crying stopped, and a normal pinkish
complexion spread. Someone snapped a picture of the preemie sisters in their
shared incubator. The picture? Lying on their tummies side by side in the
incubator and sound asleep, Kyrie has her little arm draped around the
shoulders of Brielle, tiny friends in repose. They called the picture “the
rescuing hug”. Our hugs, smiles, kindness, service and other expressions of
love can rescue a desperate brother or sister.
You
probably have noticed that the scribe of the doctor of the law repeated word by
word the teaching of Jesus (Mark 12:32) showing that he understood and wanted
to always bear this message in mind. The lesson for us is that every day we
need to read a thought of love and examine an aspect of 1 Cor 13. We must also
extend a smile or a word of love or a favor to someone. That’s what we call the
culture of love, otherwise the influence of TV, radio stations or street talks
will flood our minds, and before we know it we will start reproducing them.
Let’s prime the pump of love every day.
You
notice the last word of Jesus to the doctor of the law: if you can repeat this
message while stressing that you believe in it, you are not far from the
kingdom of heaven. In other words, the culture of love draws near to the
kingdom of God. Love is life. Note as well that two of the most important
organs in our body, the heart and our reproduction organ are pumps. God gave us
these organs to remind us that we must prime the pump of love by expression
affection and kindness.
Jesus’
message on love is extremely important for us. When did he deliver it? He was
heading to Calvary, after a triumphal welcome. Where? In Jerusalem, the City of
the great king. How? Through a structure of reverse progression, between the
teaching on resurrection and that on accepting Jesus. Why? That while
practicing love we fully enjoy life. To whom? To a doctor of the law, somebody
would think he knew it all, but in fact the message was addressed to the crowd
and to all of us.
Do
you remember the pump? Let’s prime it every day, by injecting some love in the
life of someone. Our main concern should be to give love because that’s the
only way we can abundantly receive.
You
will also remember this Jesus’message was presented in the form of a fork. When
we hold this fork dear every day, we will joyfully eat with appetite and
majesty at the table of life with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and we will spend
eternity with Jesus our Lord, Savior and Instructor.
Did
I tell you “I love you all”? I really do. May God bless you!