What we receive should be shared with others.

 What we receive should be shared with others.

Mr. Maria Antony, (From Pandarakulam), my fifth standard teacher, was a very nice man. I cannot forget him all my life for two reasons: 1. His way of teaching. 2. His way of punishing.

While teaching the chair in the class room would always be vacant.

He would always be active with his mouth teaching, eyes scanning our movements, right hand using the blackboard to write down the important points with a piece of chalk and asking us questions every now and then to test if we were really listening.

Even while we were doing our class work such as doing sums and writing answers to given questions, he would be walking around us scanning each and every student’s work.

No one can escape his sharp eyes.

His round sized attractive handwriting is still alive in my mental vision.

He would correct our handwriting note books daily to train us in the art of writing.

He gave individual attention to every student.

He used a peculiar method of punishing us for our inattention in the class, for our looking blank when questioned, for our doing mischief and for our poor handwriting.

He never used a cane.

He used only his forefinger and thumb to pinch our skin to punish us.

His pinch would make us dance with pain.

The very thought of his pinch would set us right.

We would be attentive in the class, study well, write well and avoid mischief for fear of his pinch.

His teaching and punishing methods yielded very good results in our learning.

So, I took him as my role model in my life as a teacher.

But, to pinch I added a cane, to keep in with the times.

I transmitted to my students what I learned from my teachers.

This kind of receiving and transmitting will go on till the end of times.

Every month we receive salary for our service from our management.

What do we do with what we have received?

Save a part of it for our future. 2. Spend the rest to satisfy our present needs.

We go for shopping and empty our purse by giving its contents to the shop keeper in exchange for what we have received.

A hundred- rupee-note has value only when it is given to buy things.

As long as it is with us it is merely a piece of paper.

The government may at any time declare it invalid.

So, while it is valid we must use it according to the counsel Jesus has given us.

9 “And my counsel to you is, make use of your base wealth to win yourselves friends, who, when you leave it behind, will welcome you into eternal habitations” (Luke. 16:9)

We must use our money in such a way as to gain friends in heaven.

Just as we save a part of our income for our future in this world, we must give a part of it for our future in the next world.

In other words, we must use a part of our income for charity, by helping those of our neighbours who are in need.

We must give what we receive.

We receive only to give.

This receiving and giving process must continue till the end of the world.

Not only money, but also whatever good we receive must be shared with others.

In fact Our Creator started this process by sharing His image and love with us.

So we must share ‘our love’ with others, which must express itself in acts of love.

If someone helps us in our need, we must repay that help by helping our neighbours in need, they their neighbours in need, their neighbours their neighbours in need and this process must go on till the end of times.

In Heaven there will be no one in need.

We can enjoy beatific vision of God together eternally.

Lourdu Selvam.