“A Sufi tale:

A man thought to be dead was taken by his friends for burial. When the coffin was about to be lowered into the grave, the man suddenly came to life and began to bang at the lid of the coffin. The coffin was opened.; the man sat up. “What are you doing?” he said to the assembled crowd. “I am alive. I am not dead.”

His words were met with stunned silence. Finally one of the mourners said, “Friend, both the doctors and the priests have certified that you are dead. The experts could hardly be wrong!”

So, the lid was screwed on again and he was duly buried.”

(Retrieved from “The Song of the Bird” by Anthony de Mello, S..J.)

REFLECTION:

The story is quite funny and unreasonable.

However, to a certain degree, it can be our way of thinking in life.

We tend to believe in the other professional point of view than our gut. We refuse to feel, sympathise or to be compassionate. In other words, we judge the others by law.

Sometimes, we forget about what the others really feel and suffer.

According to the Gospel of Mark 2:27:

“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”

The Sabbath is the Lord’s day to take a rest, not for working. The rest time is meaningful when we praise the Creator, to be with family, to love and care ourselves and the others.

So, from now, before making a decision, put down all pressures, listen to your heart, your gut, and stand on the side of love and freedom.

With love,

butchivuive – Happy pencil