FORTITUDE

Mariam fended off attempts by another to undermine her confidence. The underminer was nonplussed.

Rabbi Jesus smiled, "She underestimated your ability to stay in the saddle."

BULLYING

 

Mariam was bullied by another for some time, until underlying tension between the two came out into the open.

Rabbi Jesus said, "The latent hostility became blatant hostility."

REMEMBRANCE

On a walk down memory lane, Mariam visited an old hospital to which a nurse had dedicated her whole life. She found the building devastated and the nurse's old office open to the skies. Mariam was aghast at the lack of care afforded the healer's legacy.

She asked the Rabbi, "Is this all her lifesaving mission meant to the world?"

Rabbi Jesus answered, "She will be remembered forever in heaven."

True remembrance and gratitude for devotion will forever be accorded in the hereafter.

FORGIVENESS

Mariam was uncertain whether to write a memoir regarding a difficult chapter in her life. She felt emotionally torn at the thought of reliving past events.

Rabbi Jesus told her, "Leave the whole thing in the gentle past."

Sometimes you really don't have to undergo painful revisit. Forgiveness and letting go of past pain are just that - a final letting go.

Forgiveness of others is a blessing unto yourself. 

You are freed to live your best life, unfettered by the pain of the past.

BE LIKE CHRIST

 

Historic religious law which mandated cruel action.

Mariam asked, "Is that what God wanted . . . "

Rabbi Jesus continued, ". . . or is that what man wanted God to want."

We saw Christ upon the cross. He did not even take revenge on those who pierced him to a tree. Far less would He hurt or kill another. 

We know the Christ to be most tender-hearted, loving and compassionate.

Let us be likewise.

TRUE MEANING OF AGE

 

Mariam celebrated another birthday. 

She declared with surprise, "I'm old."

Rabbi Jesus smiled gently at her, saying, "You are as young as the flowers in spring."

The soul remains forever young.

WISDOM

 

Joyful outcome after prayer.

Mariam told the Rabbi, "How great are the ways of God."
Rabbi Jesus answered, "And how wise is His little girl."

It is wisdom to turn to God for assistance - He will always answer. 

Not always as we expect, yet unfailingly with our best interest in mind.

LACK OF COMMITMENT

 

Someone did not want to commit to a relationship, yet did not want to let the other go.

The Rabbi said, "He is in the unenviable position of wanting to have his cake and eat it too."

If an individual does not want to commit to a relationship, that is a commitment - not to move from interest in another to life with another.

Move on.

JEWELLERY

 

Mariam stared at jewellery which held a stained past.

Rabbi Jesus told her, "Lovely items gathered through unlovely means."

Don't entertain items which were wrongfully gained. Often this means you may be poor by earthly standards in order to remain pure by heavenly standards.

VEIL

 

With every passing year, Mariam became more aware of the Presence of God.

Rabbi Jesus told her, "The veil between heaven and earth wears very thin the closer you get to heaven."

The road to sainthood is sometimes a long and rocky one. Yet this road leads toward the sublime Countenance of the Glowing God.

We will surely meet our Heavenly Father when our earthly ship finally docks in the Heavenly Port.

DESERTION

 

Mariam was entangled in a difficult situation. All those who were supposed to help deserted her. 

She said to the Rabbi, "They have all run away."

Rabbi Jesus answered, "Don't judge them. Just cope with grace."

When all fail, God never does. His Grace can move mountains with your willing service. 

If you make your mind up to deal with a situation - you will. 

DO YOUR DUTY

Individuals criticized others who toiled through the heat of the day.  

Mariam told the Rabbi, "We are working so hard, yet they sit in judgement over us."

Rabbi Jesus quietly said, "Be workers, not shirkers."

SPEECH

 

Mariam was appalled at a well-known figure's remarks. 

She told the Rabbi, "He looks so angelic . . ."

Rabbi Jesus answered, "And when he opens his mouth, what comes out is so non-angelic."

Try to keep thoughts and speech clean. We are made in the Image and Likeness of God - let us not disgrace our heritage.

RESCUE

Mariam was raised listening to faerie tales in which helpless heroines awaited strong heroes to rescue them. With years of life experience behind her, she told the Rabbi, "When a woman needs help, she finds out that her true knight in shining armour is . . . "

Rabbi Jesus answered her, "Her untapped strength within."

Prayer to God regarding personal valour will enable you to face difficult situations with grace and fortitude.

CATECHETICS

 

Mariam was experiencing evangelization fatigue. She was tired of endlessly teaching catechetics. 

She told the Rabbi, "I teach people the Word of God, and then many fall right back into their old sinful way of life."

Rabbi Jesus counselled her, "Be patient. You never know when a Saul becomes a Paul."

FALSEHOOD

 

Falsehoods were spread about Mariam, with far-reaching consequences.

Mariam sighed to the Rabbi, “My, but they trashed my reputation with their lies.”

Rabbi Jesus answered, “But they couldn’t make them true.”

MERCY

 

A disciplinary hearing dragged on at length, with grievous consequences for the individual’s family.

Mariam prayed for a resolution to this suffering. She asked the Rabbi, “What about mercy?”

Rabbi Jesus answered, “Sometimes mercy puts right what justice can’t.”

MISFORTUNE

 

Mariam assisted people in need through their crisis. Thereafter they troubled her, with the result that Mariam was reluctant to get involved when their next crisis inevitably occurred.

Rabbi Jesus told her, "They are the authors of their own misfortune."

Help others, but not to the extent that they bring you down with them.