The Journey 293
Read: Acts 3: 1-10
Tragedy sometimes make people very cynical while for some tragedy brings out something extraordinary for the welfare of the society and community. One of the heroes of CCN 2012 is a person named Leo McCarthy. In 2007, a huge tragedy befell him when he lost his 14 year old daughter Mariah, in a case of underage drunken driver hitting her fatally along with her two friends., as they were walking along the sideway of their home in Montana. But McCarthy decided to do something blessed, though the tragedy was something that was tough to come in terms with. He knew that the man who was responsible for the death of his daughter was not even 20 years old and legally not allowed to drink. Thus on the day of his daughters memorial service, McCarthy made a unique promise during the eulogy of his daughter. The promise that he gave the youngsters that day was that if the kids don't use alcohol nor use banned drugs, and are ready to work with their parents and give everything to community, he is going to pay them. Paying for not drinking…...He started a non charitable organization called Mariah’s Challenge. What the teens had to do was to go online and sign a pledge that they will not drink until they are 21 and also not get into car with someone who has been drinking. In the end of the school year if the teens are not convicted of possession of alcohol or drugs then they are eligible to submit a scholarship application along with an essay in 300 words explaining how Mariah’s Challenge has affected their life. The grieving father’s effort bore fruits. Along with the parents of two friends of Mariah who survived the accident, McCarthy has been able to give more than 140 high school graduates scholarships worth $1000. What McCarthy wanted to bring about was a change in the culture of people, change in the attitude, being responsible in life and making wise choices. For him what was important was to usher a new culture that was based on responsibility, commitment to ones parents and society and live life with wise choices. Here is a parent who wants to bring a new culture among teens and in the community that he lives. Bringing out an alternative culture is an important aspect in our Christian living. When Paul in Romans 12, talks about not being confirmed to the patterns of the world what he was talking was of creating an alternate style of living, creating an alternative culture in the society as Christians. How can we as a Christian bring about this alternative culture and how relevant is that in our living and witness today?
We are meditating on the theme “Transformed Living” and the portion that we shall use for our meditation is from Acts 3: 1-10. This is one of the most well known incidents that happened in the early church as the good news of Jesus Christ was being spread in the Jewish nation. Peter and John is going to temple to pray and that is when they are accosted by a lame man who sits in gate of temple and begs. It is this encounter of the lame beggar and apostles that paves way not only in the healing of the beggar, but also in helping him and us to understand the alternative life style as espoused in the gospel message. When the beggar ask for alms, what Peter and John asks him to do is to first look at them [v: 4]. Here is Peter and John asking the beggar to look at them and see the difference. The difference is what the apostles say to the beggar. The apostles knew that the beggar expected monetary benefits from them, benefits that will only be temporary, but Peter and John tells the beggar that they don't have anything worldly especially in terms of money but they have something more than money, something more than temporal and worldly, something that has an eternal value. That was the good news of Jesus Christ and the relationship that they shared with the Lord. It is this relationship and commitment to the Lord that they valued more than monetary benefits in life. For the apostle life was not defined as to what you get financially and those monetary benefits, which the beggar was hoping to get. But on the contrary the apostles not only healed him in the name of Jesus Christ, but also gave him an impetus to start living with a new focus, a new attitude and new zest for living. What is needed from all of us is the perception of Peter and John. When the world is concerned with monetary benefits and of making life more secure and comfortable by moving up in the financial ladder, the apostles teaches us of an alternate culture where blessedness of life is not found in getting rich but making others rich through the gospel message. Though tragedy struck Leo McCarthy, what he did was to make the lives of others in the community blessed. What is needed in our life is also the resolve and commitment showed by the apostles that our boasting is not in silver and gold but our relationship and commitment to our Lord Jesus Christ, which creates a new culture and life style in us.
Rev. Dr. Joe Joseph Kuruvilla
Tragedy sometimes make people very cynical while for some tragedy brings out something extraordinary for the welfare of the society and community. One of the heroes of CCN 2012 is a person named Leo McCarthy. In 2007, a huge tragedy befell him when he lost his 14 year old daughter Mariah, in a case of underage drunken driver hitting her fatally along with her two friends., as they were walking along the sideway of their home in Montana. But McCarthy decided to do something blessed, though the tragedy was something that was tough to come in terms with. He knew that the man who was responsible for the death of his daughter was not even 20 years old and legally not allowed to drink. Thus on the day of his daughters memorial service, McCarthy made a unique promise during the eulogy of his daughter. The promise that he gave the youngsters that day was that if the kids don't use alcohol nor use banned drugs, and are ready to work with their parents and give everything to community, he is going to pay them. Paying for not drinking…...He started a non charitable organization called Mariah’s Challenge. What the teens had to do was to go online and sign a pledge that they will not drink until they are 21 and also not get into car with someone who has been drinking. In the end of the school year if the teens are not convicted of possession of alcohol or drugs then they are eligible to submit a scholarship application along with an essay in 300 words explaining how Mariah’s Challenge has affected their life. The grieving father’s effort bore fruits. Along with the parents of two friends of Mariah who survived the accident, McCarthy has been able to give more than 140 high school graduates scholarships worth $1000. What McCarthy wanted to bring about was a change in the culture of people, change in the attitude, being responsible in life and making wise choices. For him what was important was to usher a new culture that was based on responsibility, commitment to ones parents and society and live life with wise choices. Here is a parent who wants to bring a new culture among teens and in the community that he lives. Bringing out an alternative culture is an important aspect in our Christian living. When Paul in Romans 12, talks about not being confirmed to the patterns of the world what he was talking was of creating an alternate style of living, creating an alternative culture in the society as Christians. How can we as a Christian bring about this alternative culture and how relevant is that in our living and witness today?
We are meditating on the theme “Transformed Living” and the portion that we shall use for our meditation is from Acts 3: 1-10. This is one of the most well known incidents that happened in the early church as the good news of Jesus Christ was being spread in the Jewish nation. Peter and John is going to temple to pray and that is when they are accosted by a lame man who sits in gate of temple and begs. It is this encounter of the lame beggar and apostles that paves way not only in the healing of the beggar, but also in helping him and us to understand the alternative life style as espoused in the gospel message. When the beggar ask for alms, what Peter and John asks him to do is to first look at them [v: 4]. Here is Peter and John asking the beggar to look at them and see the difference. The difference is what the apostles say to the beggar. The apostles knew that the beggar expected monetary benefits from them, benefits that will only be temporary, but Peter and John tells the beggar that they don't have anything worldly especially in terms of money but they have something more than money, something more than temporal and worldly, something that has an eternal value. That was the good news of Jesus Christ and the relationship that they shared with the Lord. It is this relationship and commitment to the Lord that they valued more than monetary benefits in life. For the apostle life was not defined as to what you get financially and those monetary benefits, which the beggar was hoping to get. But on the contrary the apostles not only healed him in the name of Jesus Christ, but also gave him an impetus to start living with a new focus, a new attitude and new zest for living. What is needed from all of us is the perception of Peter and John. When the world is concerned with monetary benefits and of making life more secure and comfortable by moving up in the financial ladder, the apostles teaches us of an alternate culture where blessedness of life is not found in getting rich but making others rich through the gospel message. Though tragedy struck Leo McCarthy, what he did was to make the lives of others in the community blessed. What is needed in our life is also the resolve and commitment showed by the apostles that our boasting is not in silver and gold but our relationship and commitment to our Lord Jesus Christ, which creates a new culture and life style in us.
Rev. Dr. Joe Joseph Kuruvilla