Our Role Models
This blog is open to all people of faith (and non-faith or practicing a different philosophy/ideology), but we would like to cite some words from the prayer of Saint Francis* to illustrate our mission for this blog:
Make me a channel of Your peace
Where there’s despair in life, let me bring hope
Where there is darkness, only light
And where there’s sadness, ever joy
Oh Master, grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled as to console
To be understood as to understand
To be loved as to love with all my soul
We dedicate this project to our loved ones who have graced this earth with us and have now gone to a different realm.
We know that despite our best efforts, there will be people who will find fault with what we do or misinterpret our words, actions, or motivation. But, taking our cue from Mother Teresa, who urged people to continue doing good** despite opposition, denigration, or ridicule, we will plod on, regardless.
As long as we have God’s blessing and human support, we know we will flourish. We thank the people below who have taken the time to wish us well for our blog’s launch:
In the midst of every storm is a completely tranquil space where we can rest. We may be overburdened with life’s misery now, but we will be given opportunities to grow and become better persons later.
Just hang on. God is in control.
—Father Mike, parish priest
In my line of work, I used to see low spirits and devastation almost daily. For any medical professional, it is difficult to comfort people who have been given a finite period to live. More so when it comes to delivering bad news to the family members of patients.
I was fortunate in that my specialization shielded me from having to deal with this regularly. But as this is my profession, I am obliged. You kids are helping people not out of duty, but a sincere desire to have a significant effect.
It takes only one voice to make a difference, but imagine what multiple voices can do? It takes a village to cause an uproar. Let your blog act as a united community in spreading hope to the downtrodden. I wish you all the success in the world. God bless.
—Auntie Sanguine, retired hematologist
Footnotes:
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* People thought erroneously that it was Saint Francis of Assisi who wrote this prayer. The Franciscan order (which he founded in 1209) disputed this based on the prayer’s (perceived) selfishness. They said it couldn’t have been Saint Francis who wrote it because it included a lot of Is and Mes and no mention of God or Jesus.
Rather, historians say it was possibly Father Esther Bouquerel, the editor of the French Catholic devotional, La Clochette (The Little Bell), who wrote the prayer. Its earliest recorded publication was in this spiritual magazine (December 1912). Nevertheless, people today are more familiar with the lyrics of the song (which has many variants owing to different composers) inspired by the prayer.
The way we interpret it, however, is that the writer is meekly asking God for permission to do his work on earth. It is a prayer of humility and supplication, not of selfishness.
The important thing is, many people are earnest in their desire to help their fellow human beings. So what if there is a semblance of narcissism? If, at the end of the day, people benefit from their ministry, wouldn’t this be a win-win situation for everybody?
** “Anyway” is a poem wrongly attributed to Mother Teresa because she posted this version on a wall of Nirmala Shishu Bhavan, the children’s orphanage she established in 1955 in Kolkata, India, for abandoned street infants and children.
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Anyway
People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered. Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.
The good you do will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spent years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you help them. Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.
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The real author of this work is Dr. Kent M. Keith. The phrases mentioned here are only eight of his 10 Paradoxical Commandments. Keith wrote these as part of the second chapter of his booklet for student leaders, The Silent Revolution: Dynamic Leadership in the Student Council.
The missing two are the sixth—“Think big anyway”—and the seventh—“Fight for a few underdogs anyway.” The phrasing of the version attributed to Mother Teresa is quite close to Kent Keith’s original, however.
Sources:
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Keith, Kent. “The Silent Revolution: Dynamic Leadership in the Student Council”. Harvard Student Agencies. 1968.
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Kent Keith’s website discussing the connection with Mother Teresa
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Vardey, Lucinda. “Mother Teresa: A Simple Path”. Ballantine Books. 1995.