From Mass Today
From Mass today, the following was part of the Gospel reading from Matthew:
"They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they departed for their country by another way."
For me, the above speaks to me about how I want and need to keep my focus more on how I should and can work to do good for others. I need to focus my energy as much as I can muster onto working to do what is kind and helpful, and useful for others. I need to actively move out of my feelings of hurt about the couple of people I work with who hurt me. To go beyond those feeling is hard and yet, if I can find a way to more reliably do that, it will benefit me, and also allow me to better be the person I can and should be.... one who works hard to try to be helpful, one who tries to be useful, one who is kind. It is important for me to shed these resentments.
PipeTobacco
8 Comments:
Drat!! Haven't been to church since All Saints, for reasons I will reveal sooner or later. I see that I missed one of my favorite carols, "We Three Kings."
More than once I have suggested that you need to work on being kind to yourself, so you have the ability to extend that same kindness to others. While you work on that, maybe you would feel better about yourself if you made a project of trying to take ongoing beneficial or helpful or kind actions with each of the two people who so often hurt you? If you can take those actions anonymously, especially at first, so much the better. If you know that in addition to working on your feelings you are also working on your doings to these two hurtful people, this may also help lessen your self-doubt about your dealings with them. Of course, not knowing the two hurtful people, I can't guess at what kind of anonymous kindnesses might brighten their lives. But if you know they have some recurrent duty that they dislike, and you can arrange to have someone else do it, that might be an example. Or maybe they use reserved outdoor parking spaces that get snowy and you can find a student to shovel their spaces without the credit going back to you? Or maybe they would appreciate a box of fresh strawberries for them and their workgroup? If you know that despite your frailties you are trying to be good to them, maybe you'll hurt less if they treat you badly... and maybe if they receive anonymous kindnesses they may in turn be motivated toward more kindness themselves.
We all have something to work on...mine for this year is to give my self credit. And I did pick key word "accomplish"
You have such sincere intentions. All the best.
I am so happy you are planning to blog again. I have missed your writings!
PipeTobacco
You have some very good ideas. Even though it makes me nervous to interact with those two, you are wise in suggesting I should do some sort of anonymous kindness for them. I think I may write about some of the things I did to help behind the scenes for the especially hurtful and egregious person. Probably not tomorrow.... maybe Tuesday or Wednesday. I should get that out of my head anyway. And then try to think of something kind to do for both individuals. It is hard, but what I should do.
PipeTobacco
Accomplishing a goal does help you to feel better, I agree.
PipeTobacco
Perhaps, but intentions without follow-through..... are just ephemeral nonsense. I need to follow through more.
PipeTobacco
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