Fr. Michael's Lessons!

Addiction ...! A familiar word! "OH, he is so addicted to his bed tea " "So sad ...he was so studious. So friendly... now he is addicted to pornography on his tab..."She is a good mother...but she never misses her 9pm serial...she is not bothered what her teenage children do upstairs! " CAN THERE BE AN ADDICTION TO APPROVAL?  Words of appreciation and gratitude from others is a power packed positive stroke to do more and better. It feels good when another sincerely praises me. But can there be an addiction to approval? Has disapproval made you angry, dejected and depressed? I give you two case histories, both real. (Names and places are changed). Case one: The harm caused by disapproval lasted till his death. Case two: The girl was healed by a timely, significant intervention and saved from tragic suicide! Case 1. He was a young priest. Script of his sermons was always excellent! But he always read his verbatim, eyes fixed on the paper the whole time. A confr...

 Read teacher, petty tailor and that coolie (Name them...who is who? Amar, Akbar, Antony...or are they 3 in one?) This narrative is based on a real soul stirring incident! Background : Shanti Nagar in Mira Road (e) was in the eighties, a mosquito infested, low level, dirty backwaters filled, water scarcity dirty city. Low-income families, selling their 'chawls' to mega builders in Bandra, Andheri would flock to Mira Road to buy the then cheap flats. Venue of my soul stirring story : Under the shade of wild cherry tree Who?  : A tailor sitting behind his old stitching machine, looking for customers! A hand-written wooden board on the branch. "Mending and alterations. Cheap rate!" I: I am a retired schoolteacher...that day I approached him at an unearthly hour, making sure that no one was around with my favourite pants hidden under my armpit!   "How much?" He inspected the pants needing many repairs "20 rupees sir" "Too much" I hit my palm ...

  {Gleanings from my studies and counselling} N.B: As you read, please underline, place a circle or highlight the points YOU feel, you need very much. Just three points: 1. When to study 2. How to study 3. Where to study 1. When to study a. Early morning after a restful sleep of about 7 hrs from about 11pm to 5am is our deep sleep, gently get up, say a short prayer {for Christians...even a sign of the cross would do}, go to the washroom, splash water on your face, give a big smile to yourself and then study {A cup of tea or a glass of warm water if you like} b. One of the best times to study is after about 30 minutes exercise {outdoor game. Take a shower or tepid water bath. BBBs or even skipping 50+50 skipping...Relax for 5 to 10 minutes for sweat. Wow! You are super fresh for study…your one-hour study now is equal to that three-hour cramming! c. Don’t laugh! It is the third slot for good study…After lunch? No please…Relax with some TV or help in the kitchen. The...