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Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Matt: 14:13-21 |
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| Background: This story was intended for those followers of Jesus who were worried about the possibility of government persecutions, opposition from other religious groups, and the very slow (as it seemed) progress of Christianity. The story says that, as President Roosevelt said when he was inaugurated on 1933, the only thing to fear is fear itself, blind unreasoning terror that paralyzes our every action. While the story was told to reassure the very early Christians, it applies to us as much as it did to them. |
read the padre |
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Story: Once upon a time a group of young
hikers were wandering through dense woods. They were singing and having a grand
time. As the sun begin to go down, some of them got worried. How are we going to get out
of here, they wondered. Their leader, a young woman who was more familiar with the woods
better than the others, said confidently don’t worry, I’ll get you out. I
know my way around out here. Well, then it got very cloudy, and there was lightening and
thunder and the rain poured down. They ran for cover to an old broken down lean to. It
rained for two hours. By the time it stopped, it was very dark. The sky was hidden behind
clouds and there was no moon to peak out. Blair witch project, someone muttered. One of
the girls screamed. One of the boys said there is an animal out there., a big animal and I
can hear him. Another girl began to sob and cried out. I’ll never see my family
again. Take my hands said the girl who knew her way around. I know the path even in the
dark. Well, they stumbled and bumbled through the forest, tripping on tree roots and
bumping up against trees, and hearing all kinds of witch like noises. They all blamed
their leader for getting them lost. Some said she was going in the wrong direction and
threatened to start out on their own, but they were afraid to do that. Then they got very
mean and nasty. Are we there yet they moaned like little kids in a car. They were about to
break away from the leader. She said just a couple of more minutes. You know what
happened? They stumbled out on the road and their SUV was right there. None of them
apologized to the girl who had led them out of the forest.
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