A story for every day...
A missionary and the globe.
The emperor of Japan called Fr. Becker, the head of the mission, to him. “Be sincere,” he said, “do you believe everything you teach? I also called our priests, the bonzes, and to this same question they answered me that they did not believe in their doctrine. So tell me the truth in confidence, no one will know anything about your answer.” Near the emperor was a large and beautiful globe. The Father pointed to his native land and said to the emperor, “Sire, consider on this globe the immensity of the distance I had to travel across the ocean to get here, not with the prospect of amassing honors and riches, but with the certainty of finding much privation and suffering. My religion alone and my conviction of its truth could have inspired me with the courage to abandon my homeland and come to this country to preach the Gospel.”
– Let us also consider the dedication of the Nursing Brothers and Sisters of Charity who, for centuries, have spent themselves in hospitals, among the poor, the orphans, the abandoned. Many of them led for years a true life of martyrdom. The faith that assured them of an eternal reward inspired them with the heroism that led them to put themselves at the service of their suffering brothers and sisters despite crosses and privations.
– Religion gives man courage and energy, especially in misfortune and at the moment of death.
