Beyond the Clouds by Fr. Jacob Nampudakam, S.A.C. | Page 34

With great difficulty, we fixed the wheel and arrived at the Generalate House
of the Sisters of Marian Institute.
A few nuts hold together our life, too. They are also limited. How many
millions of rotations are made by the wheel during the long drive? But they
hold the wheel, and take us to our destination. Have we given attention to our
heart pumping blood day and night? We take it for granted until that rhythm
is altered.
The same thing goes for a car and its wheels. At times, they can fail, too. Yet
even in our awareness of that fear, we do not stop using cars. Of course, we
must always check and tighten the nuts- that is prudence. But after that, we
leave the rest to the One who keeps the entire Universe moving. We put our
trust in Him. Thus, our insecurity can be an added reason to feel secure in His
Hands. As St. Vincent Pallotti once wrote, "how well did you thank God
today?"
In a way, it was Bolivia that changed my life to a great extent. On the morning
of December 25th, walking through the city, I found a Square with hundreds
of small children and people. By the Sisters, I came to know that these
children were gathering to wait for the Franciscan Friars, who were going to
distribute a few sweets and biscuits. They waited for hours.
I saw a lady on a bench sitting with 5 very small children. There was a sort of
expressionless look on the face of that young mother, whose children were all
so beautiful and friendly. I sat alongside them and took a photo. There was a
small boy of about six years holding his younger sister. What magnificent
children. But they were hungry, untidy, and poorly dressed in the very cold
winter.
Don’t those kids have the same right as any kid in another country, where
they are covered with toys to play with? Doesn’t this world and its riches
belong to them as well?
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