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It was a
sprint. A world-famous athlete was the
favourite for the gold. The race began. The
track burned. Still only 100 meter more. He
was about to break the world record. Exactly
at the point, he has a muscle spasm in his
leg. It was a terrible fall on the track.
The dream for gold was blown out. A bitter
disappointment! The athlete was not able to
believe his downfall. But, in spite of the
harsh psychic torment, he stood suddenly on
the track. Massive was the pain on his leg;
but with a great athletic spirit he began to
limp boldly on the track to the finishing
line. Each of his limping was applauded by
the crowd in the stadium. As he with the
last drop of energy, approached the
finishing line naturally he was the last.
But the entire stadium roared with the
applause. Yes, through sorrow to the glory!
A Christian 'sentence' has two unavoidable
elements: Cross or sorrow, success or
resurrection. The Christian sentence will
not be completed only with sadness or cross.
Through sadness and sorrows, the joy of the
success comes. In the Gospel when Peter once
heard, that his master Jesus Christ must
suffer and must be killed Peter was very
sad. Peter wished that his master did not
have to suffer and to die (cf. Mt. 16:22;
Mk. 8:32). Why was Peter sad? As an
inattentive, absent minded pupil he did not
hear the full sentence of his Master. The
sentence of Jesus Christ was not complete
with suffering and death. It is through
suffering and death, there comes success and
resurrection. Jesus said to his disciples:
"The Son of Man must undergo great
suffering, and be rejected by the elders,
the chief priests, and the scribes, and be
killed. . . ." (Mk. 8:31). His sentence was,
however, not yet complete. He said further,
which Peter did not hear or did not
understand: ". . . and after three days rise
again." (Mk. 8:31).
Like Peter at
that time, people are sorrowful over
suffering and death. Sad: because people do
not understand the full Christian sentence.
Christianity is no sadistic, masochistic
religion that is taking pleasure in
sufferings. Christian principle is: through
sorrows to the success, through the death to
the resurrection.
A university
student was preparing for an examination.
Her entire concentration was on her studies.
Her friend is very sad because he cannot
enjoy the October festival in Munich with
her. He wanted to watch on the television,
for example the Olympic Games. But he sits
alone a bit sad before the television. He
wants to go with her to the disco, but she
is busy with her books till late in the
night. The young woman noticed that her
friend is very sad. Once she said: "I know
that you are very sad, because we can
undertake nothing together because of my
exam: cannot go to the October festival;
cannot go to the disco and can not watch TV
together. It is a very testing time for us.
But you forget one thing: If I study hard
now day and night sacrificing many other
things, there comes a day of great joy of
success. I can pass my exam with a great
distinction. Then I can get a good job than
the present one; and so I can earn more for
our happy life.
The Olympic
motto is: "citius, altius, fortius"
(Faster-higher-stronger). But through
constant hard works, through great pains and
through a lot of sacrifices! "Athletes
exercise self-control in all things; they do
it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an
imperishable one" (1 Cor. 9:25). |
