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Jesus walked by the
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Even
though Rocky's dream of one last boxing match is the principal theme
of the movie "Rocky Balboa", one cannot miss Rocky's personality which
is another theme of the movie. Evident from his first "How ya doin'",
continuing with his love for his
beloved wife Adrian, his concern for his customers in his restaurant,
his
interaction
with Paulie, his son Rocky Jr, and Marie in particular, Rocky Balboa
first and foremost, cared for people. He told his son that the world
"ain't all sunshine and rainbows," and he set out in his life to work
with that world and make it a decent place, at least in the part of the
world that he called his own in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Even as he
accomplished
the incredible in
the boxing match of the century, he managed to teach and live the way
someone should live
in this complicated world.
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Why
did Jesus cure so many people? Obviously, he felt compassion for
them, but perhaps the underlying
reason was more fundamental. Jesus liked people--period. And so, when
they were hurting and in need, he did what he could to help them.
Theologically, what Jesus was doing was accomplishing salvation for
human
beings, which in itself is caring for people in a striking way. But his
theology of living his earthly life may be just as important for us.
Jesus wanted to make a decent world for people by caring for them.
It is an essential thought for living well. The way to lead decent lives while we are here on this earth is to be caring individuals. Such has been the guiding thought of saints, both those who have been declared to be saints by some authority, as well as those souls like Rocky Balboa who lived as decently as he could in his own particular circumstances. Those saints somehow understood that above all theology and personal spirituality, they had the first and primary task to make the world decent for the people around them by caring for them. Making a decent world by caring for the people of that world is not such an easy task, of course. We all have our own little problems that tend to dominate our thinking and occupy our time, and we must give ourselves to them. But, to be Christian, we need the challenge of Rocky Balboa who made his own little section of life more decent simply because he was there, caring about the people who were with him. |
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THOUGHT
What are the characteristics of living a
decent life?
PRAYER Good
and gracious God, your Son was a wonderful example of living a human
life. He showed us that the way to our own happiness is to be truly
concerned about the happiness of others. Help us improve the quality of
living in our own particular environment by truly caring about the
people around us. Be with us, we pray.
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©2007
Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America |