THE RIVER

Mariam spent three hours during the night speaking to the Rabbi. It passed as a moment.
She said to the Rabbi, "Lord, you take me up and sweep me along new channels of thought that I have never before suspected, as if you were raging water."
The Rabbi answered, "And am I not the River of living thought?"

CHOICE TO BE MADE

Mariam was faced with a dilemma. A decision had to be made, a choice between her friends and her career,
Mariam asked, "Rabbi, which is the most important?"
The Rabbi answered, "Power passes away; friendship always remains."

Relationships and friendships ruined in the pursuit of power and career have a price tag.
  When the excitement and achievement of early years is past, guilt over poor behaviour and loneliness may be result.

STRUGGLE WITH TEMPTATION

Mariam experienced a struggle with temptation. The Rabbi told her, "It's like the tree of good and evil. An experience seems very interesting if you haven't had it."

We have the rest of our lives to regret the outcome of bad decisions.
A moment of self-control can prevent a lifetime of sorrow.

FEELING CRUSHED BY THE OPINION OF OTHERS

In the past, Mariam had felt crushed 

by the opinion of others.

The Rabbi told her, "Your dignity does not depend on other people."

TRUE HUMANITY

Mariam saw refugees fleeing, youths being beaten by officials. 

She saw captives being stripped and disrespected. Deeply distressed, she turned to the Rabbi for guidance.

Rabbi Jesus told her, "To be truly human means to be able to feel the lash on another's back."

It is only when we have true empathy and compassion for another, that we become the noble beings we were created to be.

Heartbroken - Unrequited Love

 

Mariam was heartbroken. She confided in Miriam, the Mother of the Rabbi.
"I gave someone my whole heart, expecting to  be loved equally deeply in return, and was grievously disappointed.
I was such a fool!"
"No," said Mother Miriam, "You weren't. You learned a great lesson - how to love someone else more than yourself."

Image by Rev Catherine

The True Chapel

Mariam passed by a little locked up, deserted Chapel in a Monastery Cathedral. She looked at the Rabbi and said, "If I could just have that little Chapel, how I would make use of it and worship in it."
The Rabbi smiled into her eyes, put His Arm around her shoulders as He hugged her and said, "You have given me the Chapel of your heart."