Philippine Asian News Today Vol 20 No 17 | Page 24

RELIGIOUS
24
Wisdom from
the Word
Ben Berto
“And forgive us our debts, As
we forgive our debtors… “For if you
forgive men their trespasses, your
heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 But if you do not forgive men their
trespasses, neither will your Father
forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:
12, 14, 215 NKJV
“Forgiveness can straighten what
failures have made crooked.” Amish
proverb
“The Amish are a group of
traditionalist
Christian
church
fellowships with Swiss German
Anabaptist origins. They are closely
related to, but distinct from,
Mennonite churches. The Amish
are known for simple living, plain
dress, and reluctance to adopt many
conveniences of modern technology.
The history of the Amish church
began with a schism in Switzerland
within a group of Swiss and Alsatian
Anabaptists in 1693 led by Jakob
Ammann. Beliefs--The Amish are
closest to the Anabaptists: Protestant
Christians who believe in adult baptism,
pacifism, the separation of church
and state and the importance of the
community to faith.”...Wikipedia
In the Lord’s prayer, Jesus said,
“forgive us our debts as we forgive
our debtors.” He further expanded
it by saying, “For if you forgive men
their trespasses, your heavenly Father
will also forgive you. 15 But if you
BIBLICAL LESSONS FROM THE AMISH PEOPLE
do not forgive men their trespasses,
neither will your Father forgive your
trespasses.” Then when Peter asked
Jesus how many times must he
forgive his brother, he asked, “up
to seven times?” He thought that
was generous enough because the
religious teachers in his day said only
up to three times. Jesus surprised
them by saying up to seventy times
seven, or 490 times.
In the title above, I talked about
Biblical lessons from the Amish. To
tell all would fill a book. I came across
a small book written by Suzanne
Woods Fisher called “The Heart of
the Amish”. From her book, it is clear
that the Amish are very forgiving and
peaceful people. But it doesn’t mean
that they are much different from
other people because they could also
could hate, do bad things, think of
revenge, etc. But it’s the way they do
things that set them apart from other
people in the community. Its their
faith in God and belief in forgiveness
From the back cover of the book is a
summary of what these people are.
We read, “We all have someone
we need to forgive. Sometimes it’s
hard to let go of our hurt and anger
in order to truly forgive and move
on. For the Amish, forgiving others
is woven into the very fabric of their
faith. From daily annoyances to
heart breaking tragedy , they exhibit
an incredible capacity for forgiveness
Moments
In today’s Gospel (Mk. 7:31-
37), Jesus healed a man who had a
hearing and speech impediment. But
there was something Jesus did prior
to the healing: He took him off by
himself away from the crowd. It is in
the quiet, in the silence, in secret and
solitude that real healing happens to
our bodies and our souls.
For almost a month now, as if on
cue, about 6 o’clock every evening,
the cicadas and the crickets start their
song of praise to the Creator, starting
low and slow, and then building up
into a beautiful symphony, joining
me as I pray the Holy Rosary at our
Mission House Chapel. It is in the
silence that we can really listen to God
and to other people, and to His other
that often baffles us.
“Through true stories gathered
from a variety of Amish communities,
best selling author Suzanne Woods
Fisher shows you how the Amish
are able to release their pain and
desire for revenge, and live at peace
with others. He in-depth, personal
research uncovers the outstanding
yet fundamental way the Amish
can forgive anyone from the angry
customer at the grocery store to the
shooter at Nickel Mines. You’ll learn
how invite God into your story, apply
lessons from the Amish to your own
circumstances, and find the freedom
that comes with true forgiveness.”
The Amish were persecuted for
their faith way back in 1550’s but
they haven’t taken arms to defend
themselves against their enemies.
Their faith that God will do the
revenging for them. One of their
proverbs or sayings is, “Christ is our
fortress, patience our weapon of
defense, and the Word of God our
sword.” The Christian world, both
Protestants and Catholics waged wars
against each other. Even the Waldenses
took up arms to defend their lands in
the Piedmont Valley in Europe. They
fought for King William of Orange
against the armies of the Duke of
Savoy. History will bear this out. But
the Anabaptists did not take sides.
They believe in Ephesians 4: 32 which
says, “Be kind and compassionate to
one another, forgiving each other, just
as in Christ God forgave you.” Said
Suzanne Fisher, the author of the
book. “By passing down such stories
of martyrdom and persecution, each
new generation is reminded that, to
follow Christ’s example , it’s better to
suffer and even die for the faith and to
forgive their tormentors than to enter
the cycle of violence that comes with
trying to settle scores. To trust God to
settle the scores, in His time.”
And finally, another lesson from
the Amish. “The human heart, at
whatever age, opens only to the
heart that opens in return.” God said
in Romans 12:18, “If it is possible,
as much as depends on you, live
peaceably with all men.”
May God be with us all. Jesus told
His disciples in John 14: 27, NKJV,
“27 Peace I leave with you, My peace
I give to you; not as the world gives
do I give to you. Let not your heart
be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
Amen
For questions and Bible Studies,
call, Ben at 604 581 1278, Junjun at
778-927- 8040, Stanley at 604-700-
3053 and Pastor Leomar Macaraig
at 604 928 3579. The Abundant Life
Seventh-day Adventist Church meets
at the City Center Church on 13062
104th Avenue, Surrey on Saturdays.
All are welcome to attend.
Away from the crowd
Fr. Jerry M. Orbos, SVD
The story is told about a couple
who observed that the mayor
officiated their wedding ceremony in
a whispering way. When they asked
him why he did everything in a hushed
and subdued tone, his whispering
response was:
“Yours is a secret marriage,
right?”
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY September 1 - 15, 2018
creatures.
To be away from th