To be great, to be holy

Aug, 15, 2009

1. Obama’s lessons for children

Last Sunday, your Catechist Ms. Kathy Kwok recommended to me a short article in The Miami Herald: "What children can learn from President Obama?"  As you all may know he had a tough childhood filled with instability. When President Obama was just two years old, he and his mother were abandoned by his father; later on, his mother took him to live in Indonesia with his stepfather.  President Obama then returned to Hawaii and stayed with his grandparents.  Life was really hard for him. That kind of situation could have ruined a child.  However, all the difficulties did not stop him from rising to become the most powerful man in the world.

The author said President Obama's breathtaking achievement presents five important lessons for all the children:  forgiveness, respect, persistence, hard work, and the last greatest lesson is "in America, anything is possible." (In God, everything is possible)  I like that article; but I think they missed one very important point:  FAITH.  President Obama is a Christian.  Christian faith is the source and vision of his life.

Comparing to President Obama, all of you have great parents who love you very much and provide you with a comfortable life.  And, you also have the opportunity to receive the Catholic teachings that give you the values and visions of life.  God also wants to give you wisdom, to help you to be smart and clever.  What President Obama can do, you, with God's wisdom, can also do better.  As Jesus said to his disciples in the Gospel of John (14:12):  I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these.

2. Mary, the best example for us

Today we celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Is Mary a royalty in her time?  Is Mary a famous and powerful leader in her time?  Is Mary the richest person in her time?  The answer is NO.  Why then did God take her to Heaven with her body and soul?  But what makes Mary special from others?  Mary is the Mother of Jesus Christ.  Once someone said to Jesus that being his mother is blessed, but he said: "Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it".  Mary is an ordinary lady, but she chooses to listen to the callings of God and responded.  Responding to the callings of God makes her the greatest one among all human beings.   The way of Mary’s life is also the way of the saints’ throughout history; they all listened to the words of God and observed.  I hope all of you can learn from our Heavenly Mother, to be sensitive to the God’s calling and treasure it.

Actually, from the bottom of my heart, I hope you become the one more then a president. I hope you become a saint, like Mary, our Holy Mother. I hope you to listen to the callings from God, to be the one God is calling you to be. I hope you following the special callings from God, just for you, to do the work that God is inviting you to do with joy and happiness. To be great people, to be rich people is our short term of life. To be saint, to be holy one is our final term, that is the real meaning of life.

Life is a gift from God.  We need to cherish our life.  Life is a calling from God. God has special plans for each of us.  So, prepare yourselves, work hard on your studies, gain wisdom from Jesus Christ and follow the way of life that God calls you to be.  Learn from Mary, our heavenly mother.  May God bless you, your study, and your family!