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[They]
said to Jesus, “Our father is Abraham.” Jesus said to
them, “If you were Abraham’s
children, you would be doing the works of Abraham. But now you are
trying to kill me, a man who
has told you the truth that I heard from God: Abraham did not do
this. You are doing the works of your father?” So they
said to him, “We are not
illegitimate. We have one Father, God.” Jesus said to
them, “If God were your Father,
you would love me for I came from God and am here; I did not come on my
own,
but he sent me. Why do you not
understand what I am saying? Because you
cannot bear to hear my word.”
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One
of the principles of leadership is that we have to learn from the
situations in our lives, no matter what those circumstances are.
Everything that happens to us can teach us something if we are
willing to learn. Such an instance is
portrayed in the movie "Secondhand Lions" for young Walter who is left
by his immature mother to two eccentric great uncles. Actually, in many
ways, Walter had no choice but to learn since he was only twelve years
old and in need of a place to live since his mother had other plans for
her life. But he could have rebelled, become selfish, and pouted the
whole time he was with his two uncles. Instead, he allowed himself to
learn. It was not easy learning about his mother, but it was a whole
new life for him once he allowed his uncles to teach him.
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Jesus
was a teacher. The people who came into contact with him could have
learned much from him if they wanted. Many did learn the secrets of
God, and
allowed the learning to direct their lives. However, many did not learn
because they did not want to. More than that, perhaps, they
deliberately refused to learn because they did not like what they
heard. As Jesus told them, "You cannot bear to hear my word."
They could not bear to hear his word because they did not like what he was saying. He was challenging them, telling them that they had to change some things in their behavior patterns, that they had to alter their lifestyles if they were to accomplish deeper spiritual lives. Before any learning can take place, a person must be willing to learn. The person must be willing to make the adjustments that will come with the learning process. Such a willingness is part of the process. Jesus continues to be a teacher for the Christian of our world. He continues to say "his word," continues to give us direction. But we must be willing to "bear" what he has to say, realizing that we will be asked to make adjustments to our lifestyles, if need be. Further, we must be willing to learn from the situations in which we find ourselves, no matter what they are. Sometimes the learning is difficult, as the learning that comes from an illness or growing older, sometimes the learning can affect our whole future, as young Walter in the movie "Secondhand Lions." Whatever the situation, however, whether it is words that we listen to from someone we trust or a situation that becomes part of our lives, we can learn if we choose to do it. |
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THOUGHT
What is the most important part of learning?
PRAYER Good
and gracious God, your Son taught us by his words and by his
example. Give us the grace to listen to him and learn from the
situations in our lives so that we can be better for ourselves and for
others. 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 |