Story:
There is a story of one 10-year-old boy who decided to study judo despite the fact that he had lost his left arm in a devastating car accident. The boy began lessons with an old Japanese judo master. The boy was doing well, so he couldn't understand why, after three months of training, the master had taught him only one move.
"Sensei," the boy finally said, "shouldn't I be learning more moves?"
"This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you'll ever need to know," the sensei replied.
Not quite understanding, but believing in his teacher, the boy kept training. Several months later, the sensei took the boy to his first tournament. Surprising himself, the boy easily won his first two matches. The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time, his opponent became impatient and charged; the boy deftly used his one move to win the match. Still amazed by his success, the boy was now in the finals. This time, his opponent was bigger, stronger, and more experienced. For a while, the boy appeared to be overmatched. Concerned that the boy might get hurt, the referee called a time-out. He was about to stop the match when the sensei intervened.
"No," the sensei insisted, "Let him continue."
Soon after the match resumed, his opponent made a critical mistake: he dropped his guard. Instantly, the boy used his move to pin him. The boy had won the match and the tournament. He was the champion. On the way home, the boy and sensei reviewed every move in each and every match. Then the boy summoned the courage to ask what was really on his mind.
"Sensei, how did I win the tournament with only one move?"
"You won for two reasons," the sensei answered. "First, you've almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of judo. Second, the only known defense for that move is for your opponent to grab your left arm."
Life is full of mysteries. Sometimes we ask ourselves why we are here on earth. What is our purpose? What is the meaning of our life? And in searching for an answer, we try to guess, and later we become confused. Life then remains a mystery for us. What we hardly understand, we can turn to God and ask Him what His purpose is for us.
Scripture:
And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea; and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, "What then will this child be?" For the hand of the Lord was with him (Luke 1:57-66)
Study:
In our Gospel, people were asking about the fate of John the Baptist, saying, “What then will this child be?” In their question, there was an affirmation that they saw God working in the life of John: “For the hand of the Lord was with him.” This Gospel really reminds us that our life comes from God. But He does give us life to live on our own. Rather, our life shall always be in relation or in connection to Him. The meaning of our life does not depend on what we shall do with our life but what God wills us to do with our life.
Our life has a purpose. We have a mission to fulfill like John the Baptist. It is wrong to say, “I am unlucky or unfortunate” or in our popular term, “malas sa buhay.” God would neither give us life nor expect our life to be meaningful if He allows us to live our whole lives in misery. God is working with us since our birth. He gives us our talents, skills and abilities to discover our call, our purpose, our mission. Of course, there are difficulties in searching for our mission in life. But in the last analysis, everything that is happening around us happens because it is how God shapes our lives to find His will for us. Remember the words from Desiderata: “You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.” Our life has a purpose for God. Let us not waste it. Let God use it for His glory.
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