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For a Lighter side of Life

Atheist and God An Initiative of Jesus Youth


An atheist was walking along through a forest admiring all that the accident of nature A Missionary Movement at the Service of the Church
had produced. A river rippled along near the track whilst birds flew overhead. All was
beautiful. Suddenly he heard a loud crashing noise behind him, and looking round, saw Don Bosco Utume September 6, Sunday: Issue 94
a large bear come out of the bushes and start to come towards him. He turned and ran
but the bear closed the gap. The man suddenly tripped over a root and fell, the bear • Jambo You(th) is a weekly news letter aimed at helping the Youth in moulding their daily
closing in, lowering one paw and raising the other to strike. In desperation the atheist lives in Christ.
cried" Help me God". • Our vision is expressed in just two phrases: GOOD CHRISTIANS and
Everything stopped. The river stopped flowing, the birds stopped flying and there was RESPONSIBLE CITIZENS.
total silence. A light shone down onto the scene and a voice said "After all these years
as an atheist you now dare to call on me for help"? The atheist replied "May be it's too Pep-up : Stories for Reflection
late for me now but can you do one thing for me"? To the Young : Who is a Christian?

Features
"What is that" said God? Points to Ponder : Getting Along Better
"Perhaps you could turn the bear into a Christian", said the atheist. "Very well" said Saint of the Week : St. Nicholas of Tolentino
God. Jokes : Atheist and God
The river and all the other activities began again. The atheist looked at the bear who Last Drop : Seeing Good in Others
slowly lifted his left paw from the man and dropping his right paw, brought them to-
gether, and said "For what we are about to receive...." Equal Measures!
Jim Cross Once there was a little old man. His eyes blinked and his hands trembled; when he ate he
clattered the silverware distressingly, missed his mouth with the spoon as often as not, and
Last Drop dribbled a bit of his food on the tablecloth. Now he lived with his married son, having no-
Seeing Good in Others where else to live, and his son’s wife didn’t like the arrangement.
“I can’t have this,” she said. “It interferes with my right to happiness.” So she and her hus-
Once there in the gutter by the market-place lay a dead dog.
band took the old man gently but firmly by the arm and led him to the corner of the kitchen.
“How loathsome!” said one and turned his head away. “Pah!
There they set him on a stool and gave him his food in an earthenware bowl. From then on
How he stinks!” said another and held his nose as he passed. he always ate in the corner, blinking at the table with regretful eyes.
“Look at his protruding ribs!” said a third. “He has not enough One day his hands trembled rather more than usual, and the earthenware bowl fell and
skin on his carcass to make even a shoe-string!” said a fourth. broke. “If you are a pig,” said the daughter-in-law, “you must eat out of a trough.” So they
“No wonder he came to a bad end!” said a fifth. Then a gentle, made him a little wooden trough and he got his meals in that.
rebuking voice broke in on the chorus of calumny, “Pearls are not These people had a four-year-old son of whom they were very fond. One evening the young
equal to the whiteness of his teeth.” And the people drew away man noticed his boy playing intently with some bits of wood and asked what he was doing.
whispering, “Surely, that must be Jesus, for who else would say a “I’m making a trough,” he said, smiling up for approval, “to feed you and Mamma when I get
good word for a dead dog?” big.”
Having something good to say even about the most repug- The man and his wife looked at each other for a while and didn’t say anything. Then they
nant character we come across is a sign of true nobility. cried a little. They then went to the corner and took the old man by the arm and led him
back to the table. They sat him in a comfortable chair and gave him his food on a plate, and
from then on nobody ever scolded when he clattered or spilled or broke things.
NB: Send your questions, comments or feedback to jamboyouth@yahoo.co.uk For further informa-
tion and back issues of Jambo You(th) please check on our website: www.jamboyouth.multiply.com The measure you use for others is the one that God will use for you. (Luke 6: 38b)
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www.dbafe.org/jamboyouth Jambo You(th) 2009 www.jesusyouth.org Jambo You(th) 2009


Editor: Shyjan Sdb
Who is a Christian? Getting Along Better
Of many churches and of lofty spires? Proven Ways To Get Along Better With Everyone:
Not he who, sits in soft upholstered pews , 1. Before you say anything to anyone, ask yourself 3 things:
Bought by the profits of unholy greed, Is it true?, Is it kind? , Is it necessary?
And looks devotion while he thinks of gain 2. Make promises sparingly and keep them faithfully.
Not he who sends petitions from the lips 3. Never miss the opportunity to compliment or say something encouraging to some-
That lie tomorrow in the street and market one.
Not he who fattens on another's toil
And flings his unearned riches to the poor, 4. Refuse to talk negatively about others; don't gossip and don't listen to gossip.
Or aids the heathen with a lessened wage 5. Have a forgiving view of people. Believe that most people are doing the best they
And builds cathedrals with an increased rent, Christ ! can.
With thy great sweet, simple creed of love, 6. Keep an open mind; discuss, but don't argue. (It is possible to disagree without
How must thou weary of earth’s Christian clans, being disagreeable.)
Who preach salvation through thy saving blood, 7. Forget about counting to 10. Count to 1,000 before doing or saying anything that
While planning slaughter of their fellow men.
Who is a Christian? could make matters worse.
It is one whose life; is built on love, 8. Let your virtues speak for themselves.
on kindness and on faith; 9. If someone criticizes you, see if there is any Truth to what they are saying; if so,
Who holds his brother as his other self; make changes. If there is no truth to the criticism, ignore it and live so that no one will
Who toils for justice, equity and peace; believe the negative remark.
And hides no aim or purpose in his heart 10. Cultivate your sense of humor; laughter is the shortest distance between two peo-
That will not chord with universal good.
He who sits and looks out on the palpitating world,
ple.
And feels his heart swell in him large enough 11. Do not seek so much to be consoled, as to console; do not seek so much to be
To hold all men within it, understood, as to understand; do not seek so much to be loved as to love.
he is near his great Creator’s standard,
though he dwells Outside the pale of Churches, SAINT for the WEEK
And knows not a feast day from a fast day,
Or a line off Scripture even, What God wants of us September 10 St. Nicholas of Tolentino
Is that outreaching bigness that ignores St. Nicholas was born in 1245. At the age of 18 he joined the Augustinians and in 1270
all littleness of aims, or loves, or creeds was ordained a priest. He soon acquired a reputation for holiness and shrewdness in the
And clasps all Earth and Heaven in its embrace. various friaries in which he served. He eventually was sent to Tolentino, a town much
Master of sweet and loving lore, beset by the inter-factional rivalry which was tearing Italy at the time, between the
Give us the open mind ‘Guelfs’ (the pro-Papal party) and the ‘Ghibellines’ (the pro-Imperial party). St. Nicholas
To know religion means nor more, was not only a powerful force for peace, and a distinguished preacher, confessor, visitor
No less, than being kind
of the sick, and consoler of the poor. Many stubborn souls turned back to God through
Bear healing on its wings.
Give us the soul to know our KIN his ministry. He died in 1305; there were almost immediate demands for his canoniza-
That dwell in flock and herd, tion, but the onset of the Papal Schism (with rival claimants in Rome and Avignon, and
The voice to fight man’s shameful SIN later in Spain as well) delayed the process until 1446. He has been portrayed in art by
Against the beast and bird. Give us a heart with love so fraught several distinguished painters including Raphael, usually with a basket of bread rolls, the
For all created things, so called "St. Nicholas’ Bread" which was distributed to the sick. His shrine survives to
That even our unspoken thought this day in Tolentino.
Bear healing on its wings.

One falsehood spoils a thousand truths. Ashanti of Ghana There is no medicine to cure hatred. Ashanti of Ghana
www.jamboyouth.multiply.com Jambo You(th) 2009 www.esnips.com/web/JamboYouth Jambo You(th) 2009

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