
The Chapel of the Blessed Mother of Naju 12, Najucheon 2-gil, Naju City, Jeonnam, 58258, South Korea
The Blessed Mother's mountain Singwang-ro 425, Dasi-myeon, Naju City, Jeonnam, South Korea
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๐ 734. The Darkened Rice in His Rice Pot, Trampled by Mice That Came and Went
My heart ached deeply when I witnessed volunteers in the Charismatic Movement, who had received spiritual gifts, not giving glory to the Lord but instead committing irreverence by dominating other believers and exalting themselves. Should we not serve with humility like Jesus, who came not to be served but to serve? Reflecting on the principle of the charcoal briquetteโburning itself beneath others to give warmthโI realized that true service must be done with humility.
So I pleaded with the Lord to take back the gifts of prophecy and healing He had given me. I feared that I may fall into pride without realizing it. After that, I refrained from praying for healing for quite some time. However, when I came to know the elderly man, Mr. Bong, I felt an immense pity and compassion for him. He had lived such a hard life and, on top of that, he lost his sight due to optic nerve damage and had no money for treatment. I began praying earnestly to the Lord that he might regain his sight.
"Lord! I am so sorry. I had asked You to take away all my healing gifts because I could not guarantee that I would not become arrogant with pride. So now I am so ashamed to ask againโbut please, just this once, allow me to use the gift of healing. Or, if not through me, please open his eyes Yourself, so that he may see again."
I kept praying with all my heart to our Lord, for whom nothing is impossible, that his eyes might be opened and he might see the light once more. Even though I begged earnestly and never ceased praying, the Lord gave no reply. Then one day, the elderly man said to me, "Maโam, I have one wish left in this life."
I immediately responded, "What is it? I want to make it come true for you, whatever it is."
"My one wish is to see your face once before I die," He said, "My only wish is to see your face just once before I die. If I could see your face once, I will not have any other wish left." Hearing those words broke my heart and tears began to stream down my face. I truly wanted to make his wish come true because he wanted to see me, but more than anything, what I desperately wished was for him to see the bright light of this world, even for just one day.
One day, as I was about to leave to visit his house, Mr. Rufino happened to arrive. He said he wanted to come along, so we went together. To ensure that the elderly man did not have to cook for himself, I had prepared some food using a large electric rice cooker (one of the early, large models). I brought both soup and rice. His appetite had been so good during that time that he would finish all that food in just one day.
That day, I had also planned to bathe him and clean his room. But first, I wanted to check how much rice was left. So I opened the traditional rice storage basket (made of bamboo, used in summer to keep rice from spoiling), and what I saw made me cry out in shock. Half the rice was still there, but it had turned pitch black and was pressed down as if it had been trampled onโand it reeked of rat droppings and urine.
It was clear that rats had been opening the lid and going in and out of the basket, stomping all over the rice and compacting it. Usually, he would eat everything, so I had never noticed. But this time, since some rice was left, I saw it.
It had not even been that long since I had brought the rice and for it to be in such a terrible state meant an enormous number of rats must have come and go. At that horrifying sight, I collapsed on the spot and began to sob uncontrollably.
My personal reflection note with Mama Julia๐น๐ย
Link ๐๐ป
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScMn-IyINZ8oGN8Jv4M0-pozcdF67tEqzlPkk4s0EZKdnOdEw/viewform