32. THE OLD LADY AND ANA-1 CORINTHIANS 13:1-7 (The Meaning of Love)

Little Ana approached her grand mother, who was just about to sit in her favorite chair after completing her chores, and with a solemn and concerned look, asked her:

“Gramma, can you explain to me what the real meaning of Love is. When I asked Aunty Grace she replied that if I really want to understand what true, genuine love is then I should study the life of Blessed Teresa. Who is Blessed Teresa and what kind of love did she have?”

The old lady sat down comfortably, beckoned Ana to sit next to her and in a tone of voice that indicated sincere, genuine admiration, said:

“My dear Ana, Blessed Teresa was one of the most beautiful persons I have ever known. She devoted her whole life to living and caring for the very poor and indigent population of Calcutta, India. Her whole life was devoted to the service of God and to providing comfort and unqualified love to every one. This is the kind of love that God expects of all of us and the kind that he gives to us all. Let me read to you from the First letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians, Chapter 13 Verses 1-7 in which St Paul expresses in great detail what true love really is and what God expects from us:"

If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels,
but didn’t love others,
I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I had the gift of prophecy,
and if I understood all of God’s secret plans
and possessed all knowledge,
and if I had such faith that I could move mountains,
but didn’t love others,
I would be nothing.

“St. Paul wrote in the strongest possible terms that it does not matter how great and successful we become it will be of no consequence without love for others. We could be the greatest and most gifted speakers or the most intelligent and knowledgeable intellectuals capable of moving mountains, but that will be useless without loving others.”

The old lady paused to look at her grand child who was sitting erect and completely engrossed in her words. Ana was obviously fascinated by the extent of commitment expected and beginning to understand the real meaning. The old lady continued her reading of Verse 3:

If I gave everything I have to the poor
and even sacrificed my body,
I could boast about it;
but if I didn’t love others,
I would have gained nothing.

“These words are to me the strongest manifestation of what God expects from us, my dear Ana. I want you to always remember them for the rest of your life. It says that even if you give away everything you have to the poor and even if you suffer and sacrifice, you would have gained nothing if you did not do so with love to others. You see my child, love to be truly meaningful, must come from your heart.”

At this point the old lady closed her eyes and smiling gently, was thanking God for the passage she was about to read. She knew it by heart, for she lived by its precepts for as long as she could remember. It had been and is the cornerstone of her life and prayed that God will help her to pass it on to her grand child. She then continued to read Verses 4-7 slowly and deliberately:

Love is patient and kind.
Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.
It does not demand its own way.
It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.
It does not rejoice about injustice
but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.
Love never gives up, never loses faith,
is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

“You will never ever see the meaning of love so beautifully spelled out anywhere else. Every word has a meaning and ever line has a message. If you live by this alone you will never fail to please Almighty God.
Love is patient and kind, it is neither jealous nor boastful, nor is it demanding or irritable. It does not hold grudges and does not gloat over other people’s failures. It rejoices when truth succeeds, and never ever gives up or loses faith. Above all it is always hopeful and will endure through all circumstances.
If you do anything in your life, learn to live by these precepts and you will never fail in God’s eyes. This is the real meaning of love and the foundation upon which Blessed Teresa of Calcutta devoted her life’s work. Let me quote one of her many saying on this subject. To me, it says it all:”

“It is not how much we do,

but how much love we put in the doing.

It is not how much we give,

but how much love we put in the giving.”

31. THE OLD LADY AND ANA-PROVERBS 10:18-21-(Slander and Lies)

Little Ana approached her grand mother with a question that had bothered her for some time:

“Gramma, what is the meaning of Slander and how does God feel about people who slander others?”

The old lady, intrigued by the question posed by her grand child, paused briefly to compose her thoughts and then replied:

"My dear child, slander simply means making any false or malicious statement or report about someone knowing that it could lead to the destruction of the person’s good name or reputation or to cause him pain and suffering. This does not only include making up lies but even includes saying truthful things if by doing so, you deliberately mean to cause harm. Throughout the Holy Bible, God has warned us over and over of his rejection of this action. Let me read to you one of the passages which I think deals best with this subject. It is taken from Proverbs Chapter 10, Verses 18-21:

The one who conceals hatred has lying lips
and whoever utters slander is a fool.

When words are many, transgression is not lacking,

but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.

The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;

the heart of the wicked is of little worth.

The lips of the righteous feed many,
but fools die for lack of sense

“The passage begins by referring to the hypocrite, who conceals his hatred by pretending to like someone then talking badly after. He called these people who lie and slander others, “fools”. He went further to warn us of the danger of loose talk and the damage this may cause. The more you are free with your words, the greater chance you will have to do harm.”

The old lady waited to assess the child’s reaction and then continued:

“Notice that the passage goes further to suggest that the real problem is not the tongue or the words spoken, but in the heart which controls them and which chooses to deliberately deceive, damage and destroy. God refers to these wicked people as worthless and fools, who will die for lack of sense. He went on to compliment those who are honest and who go on to help many people.”

Little Ana listened intently to the words of her grand mother then turning to her she observed:

“Gramma, I cannot understand how people will continue to slander others after hearing God’s words!”

The old lady, by way of confirmation, then replied:

“Yes Ana, you are so correct. But God even went further to make sure that no one will have any excuse about how he feels about these hypocrites. Listen to these words contained in Proverbs Chapter 10, Verses 31-32, and judge for yourself:”

A good person's mouth is a clear fountain of wisdom;

a foul mouth is a stagnant swamp.

The speech of a good person clears the air;

the words of the wicked pollute it.

30. THE OLD LADY AND ANA-ROMANS 8:1-4(Walking in the Spirit)

Ana lifted her head from the book her grand mother had given to read and turning to her, she asked:
“Gramma the book keeps talking about the importance of choosing to live your life in the Spirit. How can I tell if I am living my life in the Spirit?”
The old lady, putting down her magazine, move closer to her grand child and replied as she picked up her trusted bible:
“I am really happy you asked me about the meaning of life in the spirit. This is the very basis of being a Christian, a follower of our Lord, Jesus Christ. It means living a life that pleases the Almighty and rejects all others. Let me read from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans Chapter 8, Verses 1-4:

There is therefore now no condemnation
to those who are in Christ Jesus,
who do not walk according to the flesh,
but according to the Spirit.

“When St. Paul used the words ‘walk’ he is referring to the overall way you conduct your daily life. So that when you ‘walk according to the flesh’ you are living as you please, guided by what your mind tells you, without any regard to God’s teachings. It does not necessarily mean leading a wicked or sinful life but leading a life without the Holy Spirit. While ‘to walk in the Spirit’ means that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, and have chosen to follow him and to be enlightened by the Holy Spirit. It simply means living a true Christian Life.”
Continuing, she proceeded to read verse 2:

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus
has made me free from the law of sin and death.

“The Lord is telling us that we have the option to choose one of two laws to live our lives. These are not like regular laws of the land that you must obey or be punished, but rather they are moral codes that exist in your heart and your mind, which you chose to follow by your own free will. You are free to chose either the Law of the Spirit, with its life of true freedom in spirit obtained for us by our Savior, Jesus Christ or the Law of the Flesh and Sin, which will inevitably lead away from God and on to death. This is the only choice we have, either to live or to die!”

Ana, showing an understanding far above her tender age, perked up and looking directly at her grand mother remarked:
“This must be why God sent his only son to suffer and die on the cross for us, so that he will free us to follow the Holy Spirit!”

The old lady, pleased with the child’s insight, replied:
“Yes indeed, my dear Ana you are so right, as you will see when I continue to read verses 3 and 4:"

For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh,
God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh,
on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,
that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us
who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

“God has shown the extreme message of his absolute rejection of the sins of the flesh by sending his only son to pay the ultimate price in his suffering and death so as to afford us the option to freely reject the ways of the flesh, and choose to live in goodness and righteousness according to the teaching of the Holy Spirit. This is God’s promise, it is up to us to choose to accept it and to follow in his footsteps or to turn our backs and continue to live the life of the sinner. It is up to each one of us to make our choice.”

Ana sat quietly in deep thought, taking in every word her wise grand mother had spoken, and after some time had elapsed, she got up slowly and looking directly into the old lady’s face exclaimed so the whole world can hear:

“Thank you Almighty God for sending your son, Jesus Christ,
And thank you for teaching me to Walk in the Spirit.”

29. THE OLD LADY AND ANA-PROVERBS 6:16-19(The Seven Detestable Sins)

Ana approached her grand mother, who was sitting on her favorite chair working at her latest crochet project and asked her;
“Gramma, I know God is a God of love and that he loves us all, but does he ever hate anybody?”
The old lady stopped her crochet and wondering what could have prompted this question, replied to her grand child:
“Yes indeed my child, although God is all loving and will do anything to help anyone of us, he has made it very clear that there are certain actions that he hates, even detests, whenever anyone of us try to use them. This is clearly recorded in Proverbs Chapter 6, Verses 16-19. Let me read them to you:

There are six things the LORD hates,

Seven that are detestable to him:

haughty eyes,

a lying tongue,

hands that shed innocent blood,

a heart that devises wicked schemes,

feet that are quick to rush into evil,

a false witness who pours out lies

and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

“You see Ana, he specified seven things which cause him to become upset whenever we use them. Let me discuss each one of them in the order he stated them;

First, he spoke of “Haughty Eyes.”:
That refers to those people who go around with a sense of arrogance and contempt toward others, who a guilty of the sin of pride and look down upon them. In God’s eyes we are all equal and he expects us all to respect this and lead our lives with humility and love to all our brethren.

Second, he referred to people with "Lying Tongues”:
People who lie, go against God’s character. God is a God of truth and his Gospel is founded on proclaiming the message of truth. Therefore we cannot consider ourselves followers of Christ while knowingly living lives of lies. By lying, we not only are guilty of misleading others into believing wrong, but we also give others the wrong impression of ourselves. God resents this and expects us to replace this with truth and honesty.”

The old lady paused to allow her young charge assimilate the information and then continued:

“Third, he described the “Shedding of Innocent Blood”:
This not only refers to the obvious, that God abhors the shedding of any blood, especially the blood of innocent people, but it also refers to the thousand other ways that we can destroy a person’s good name by our action. We can do as much damage as killing someone by assassinating his character or destroying his good name. These are all against the teaching of God, who instructs as to do the very opposite, to love and forgive our enemies and to help and pray for those who persecute us.”

Fourth, he stressed a ”Heart that devises Wicked Schemes”:
This is the greatest insult to God’s goodness, when we knowingly use our free will to plan against the welfare of others. Often we compound this by fooling the individual while planning our wicked intent. Even if we do not commit the action ourselves, we are just as guilty if we knowingly allow others to do so. God totally rejects this behavior and we should always be on our guard to, not only reject this action, but also reject anyone who knowingly tries to do so.”

Fifth, was a reference to “Feet Rushing into Evil”:
This is just as bad in God’s eyes. To be quick to commit evil, or even to quickly pass judgment on others or even to delight in the suffering of others are all against God’s expectation, or the teachings of his son, Jesus Christ. Instead, we must at all times exercise the spirit of control and good judgment in all we do, or think or say.”

At this point, the old lady rested awhile and closed her eyes as she prayed quietly that her words are helping her young grand child to learn the true meaning of living the Christian life. Then opening her eyes, she continued:

“Sixth, he singled out, ”False Witnesses who pour out Lies”:
Being a false witness is more serious than Lying, for by doing so you not only hurt the innocent, but you also shield the guilty. Even more so because, by using God’s name to hide behind, you call on his sense of justice while committing perjury. This is a double lie which God detests and expects us all to avoid at all times. And last and perhaps the worst:

Seventh, a “Person who Stirs Conflict in the Community”:
This is the worst of all the sins, for by stirring contention, by deceiving people into believing your lies you create strife among the people and cause serious harm, whether this be within your family, among your friends or your society. This is happening continuously around us and is one of the major causes of pain and suffering. They cause God the greatest grief for they have forgotten or rejected what Jesus taught us all in “the Beatitudes” as reported in Matthew 5:9:

“Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God"

28. THE OLD LADY AND ANA-2 CORINTHIANS 9:7-12 (Generosity)

Little Ana approached her grandmother with a question that has bothered her for some time, and asked her:
“Gramma, I know that God expects us all to try to help as much people as we can. But how do we know how much is enough?”
The old lady, recognizing this as a genuine concern of her grand child, beckoned her to sit next to her as she opened her trusted bible;
“My dear child, generosity has and will always be one of the pillars of God’s teachings and expectation from every one of us. Over and over we find references in the Holy Bible that the Almighty expects us to share our blessings with our less fortunate and needy brothers. The reference I like most is from St. Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 9, Verses 7 – 12, let me read Verse 7 to you:”

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give,
not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

“God’s words are direct and unequivocal. He expects you to give freely from your heart and not be guided or feel committed to please others. He stresses he loves a person who gives willingly. You notice he expects you to give what your heart tells you to give and not to give what the church expects to collect from you. This is between you, your heart, and your God.”
Not content with this reply, Ana asked:
“But gramma how will we know what God really expects from us?”
The old lady nodded affirmatively and continued to read verses 8 and 9:

And God is able to bless you abundantly,
so that in all things at all times, having all that you need,
you will abound in every good work.
As it is written:
“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;

their righteousness endures forever.”

“God promised he will bless us abundantly so that we will always have everything we need at all times and that we will prosper in every thing we do. Because we freely give to the poor and needy, our good name and appreciation with him will last forever.”
The old lady paused to allow the young child to assimilate the information and then continued to read verses 10 and 11:

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food
will also supply and increase your store of seed
and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.
You will be enriched in every way,
so that you can be generous on every occasion,
and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

“You see my dear Ana, God makes it abundantly clear that he will supply you with all your needs to prosper and succeed and become enriched so that you may become more generous to others. He went further to say that it is by your generosity that you give thanks to God.”
The old lady waited for a short time and then continued to read verse 12:

This service that you perform is not only supplying
the needs of the Lord’s people,
but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.

“This is strong and clear statement from God. When you provide help and supply the needs of the poor and needy, you are not only helping God’s people, but you also giving abundant thanks to God, the Almighty.”
Ana, by now fully satisfied by her grand mother’s explanation, was about to get up when she was gently restrained as the old lady made a final observation:
“Now my dear child, you will understand the meaning of the words contained in Gospel according to Mathew Chapter 23, Verse 40:”

Truly I tell you, whatever you did
for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine,
You did for me.