Jambo Youth Issue 60

Yielding to the Spirit Five Ways To Experience God’s Love More Deeply Deep in our hearts, we all yearn for the Spirit’s presence. Often, however, obstacles can prevent us from knowing His grace more deeply. Below are five steps we can take to remove these obstacles and open our hearts to the Spirit’s transforming power. Forgive those who have hurt you. What could be more like Jesus than praying with him, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34)? When we forgive, we allow the Lord to replace bitterness and resentment with his love and grace. Do not tolerate sin. Nothing keeps us from receiving the Spirit more than allowing sin to continue in our hearts and in our actions. Scripture says that those with “clean hands and a pure heart” will receive the Lord’s blessing (Psalm 24:4-5). Go to confession, and ask the Lord for the grace to sin no more. He is always ready to forgive and strengthen his people. Renounce prejudice. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). God has freely poured out his Spirit on all people, and he calls us to love one another fully, from the heart. Care for the poor. “As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40). Many are the saints and heroes of the church who were able to see the face of Jesus in the needy and abandoned among them. By opening our hearts to those around us, we open our hearts to Jesus and his Spirit as well. Accept God’s love. If we believe that we are too sinful, weak, or hard-hearted for even God to love, we will find it hard to believe that he would want to give us a gift as great as his Spirit. Every day in prayer, hold on to the words of scripture: “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all things with him?” (Romans 8:32).

Last Drop I I I I I I I I I

am – the power of self – knowledge. think – the power to investigate. know – the power of master facts. feel – the power to appreciate, to value, to love. wonder – the spirit of reverence, imagination, and vision believe – the power of adventurous faith. can – the power to act, and the skill to accomplish. will – will power, loyalty to duty consecration. serve – the power to be useful, devotion to a cause.

George Walter Fiste.

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Jambo You(th) 2008

Don Bosco Utume • •

March 23, Sunday: Issue 60

Jambo You(th) is a weekly news letter aimed at helping the Youth in moulding their daily lives in Christ. Our vision is expressed in just two phrases: GOOD CHRISTIANS and RESPONSIBLE CITIZENS.

Pep-up To the Young Points to Ponder Saint of the Week Reflection Last Drop

Features : Stories for Reflection : Friendship in Action : My Hurts : St. Dismas : Yielding to the Spirit : Affirmations

A Lesson from Non-Violence Dr. Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi shared the following story as an example of non-violence in parenting: I was 16 years old and living with my parents at the institute my grandfather had founded 18 miles outside of Durban, South Africa, in the middle of the sugar plantations. We were deep in the country and had no neighbours, so my two sisters and I would always look forward to going to town to visit friends or go to the movies. One day, my father asked me to drive him to town for an all-day conference, and I jumped at the chance. "Since I was going to town, my mother gave me a list of groceries she needed and, since I had all day in town, my father asked me to take care of several pending chores, such as getting the car serviced. When I dropped my father off that morning, he said, 'I will meet you here at 5:00 p.m., and we will go home together.' After hurriedly completing my chores, I went straight to the nearest movie theatre. I got so engrossed in a John Wayne double-feature that I forgot the time. It was 5:30 before I remembered. By the time I ran to the garage and got the car and hurried to where my father was waiting for me, it was almost 6:00. "He anxiously asked me, 'Why were you late?' I was so ashamed of telling him I was watching a John Wayne western movie that I said, 'The car wasn't ready, so I had to wait,' not realizing that he had already called the garage. When he caught me in the lie, he said: 'There's something wrong in the way I brought you up that didn't give you the confidence to tell me the truth. In order to figure out where I went wrong with you, I'm going to walk home18 miles and think about it.' So, dressed in his suit and shoes, he began to walk home in the dark on mostly unpaved, unlit roads. I couldn't leave him, so for five-and-a-half hours I drove behind him, watching my father go through this agony for a stupid lie that I uttered. I decided then and there that I was never going to lie again. I often think about that episode and wonder, if he had punished me the way we punish our children, whether I would have learned a lesson at all. I don't think so. I would have suffered the punishment and gone on doing the same thing. But this single non-violent action was so powerful that it is still as if it happened yesterday. That is the power of non-violence."

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Jambo You(th) 2008 Editors: Anastasio Sdb & Shyjan Sdb

Friendship in Action! I'll Be There : If you have ever had to call a friend in the middle of the night, to take a sick child to hospital, or when your car has broken down some miles from home, you will know how good it feels to hear the phrase "I'll Be There" Being there for another person is the greatest gift we can give. When we are truly present for other people, important things happen to them & us. We are renewed in love and friendship. We are restored emotionally and spiritually. Being there is at the very core of civility. I Respect You “ Respect is another way of showing love. Respect conveys the feeling that another person is a true equal. If you talk to your children as if they were adults you will strengthen the bonds and become close friends. This applies to all interpersonal relationships. Maybe You're Right : This phrase is highly effective in diffusing an argument and restoring frayed emotions. The flip side to "Maybe You're Right" is the humility of admitting, "Maybe I'm Wrong". Let's face it. When you have a heated argument with someone, all you do is cement the other person's point of view. They, or you, will not change their stance and you run the risk of seriously damaging the relationship between you. Saying "Maybe You're Right" can open the door to further explore the subject, in which you may then have the opportunity to get your view across in a more rational manner. Please Forgive Me : Many broken relationships could be restored and healed if people would admit their mistakes and ask for forgiveness. All of us are vulnerable to faults, foibles and failures. A man should never be ashamed to own up that he has been in the wrong, which is saying, in other words, that he is wiser today than he was yesterday. I Thank You : Gratitude is an exquisite form of courtesy. People who enjoy the companionship of good, close friends are those who don't take daily courtesies for granted. They are quick to thank their friends for their many expressions of kindness. On the other hand, people whose circle of friends is severely constricted often do not have the attitude of gratitude. Count On Me : A friend is one who walks in when others walk out. Loyalty is an essential ingredient for true friendship; it is the emotional glue that bonds people. Those that are rich in their relationships tend to be steady and true friends. When troubles come, a good friend is there indicating "You Can Count On Me" Let Me Help : The best of friends see a need and try to fill it. When they spot a hurt they do what they can to heal it. Without being asked, they pitch in and help. I Understand You : People become closer and enjoy each other more if they feel the other person accepts and understands them. Letting your parents know in so many little ways that you understand them, is one of the most powerful tools for healing your relationship. This applies to any relationship. Go For It : We are all unique individuals. Don't try to get your friends to conform to your principles support them in pursuing their interests, no matter how weird they seem to you. Everyone has dreams, dreams that are unique to that person only. Support and encourage your friends to follow their dreams. Tell them to "Go For It" I Love You : Perhaps the most important three words that you can say. Telling someone that you truly love them satisfies a person's deepest emotional needs. The need to belong, to feel appreciated, & to be wanted. Your parents, your siblings, your friends and you, all need to hear those three little words "I Love You"

There are no gains without pains. Benjamin Franklin www.jamboyouth.multiply.com

Jambo You(th) 2008

My Hurts One day I dug a little hole, And put my hurt inside, I thought I could forget it, And put it there to hide. But then that hurt began to grow, And I covered it up each day, I couldn't leave it and just go on, It was the price I had to pay. My joy was gone, my heart was sad, Pain was all I knew, My wounded pride enveloped me, Living was too hard to do. One day I stood beside the hole, And cried to God above, “Are you really, really there, Are you a God of Love?” And in a flash my God was there, His loving arms around me, Tears, they flowed from a hurting child, It was the safest place to be. I dug down deep into the hole, Brushed all the dirt away, I placed the hurt in the Master’s hand, And healing came that day. I told him all about my hurt, And opened up my heart, He listened to every single word, And every sordid part. He took the blackness of my soul, And set my spirit free, Then something great began to grow, Where that hurt used to be. And when I look at what has grown, Out of all the tears and pain, Each day I give my hurts to God, Instead of burying them again.

Author Unknown

SAINT for the WEEK March 25 St. Dismas The traditional name of the 'Good Thief' of Calvary to whom Jesus said "Today you will be with me in Paradise." The name Dismas is an adaptation of a Greek word for 'sunset' or 'death', not found in the four Gospels but used in the apocryphal 'Gospel of Nicodemus'. Another apocryphal Gospel, the 'Gospel of Childhood', fancifully makes Dismas a member of a robber band who ambushed the Holy Family on their refugee journey to Egypt, but released them when they recognised their holiness. In medieval times Dismas was appropriately patron of repentant thieves and prisoners. In the liturgy of the Orthodox Churches of Greece, Russia, etc., the words of Dismas to Jesus on the Cross are spoken just before Holy Communion: "Receive me, O God, at your mystical supper; remember me, Lord, in your kingdom."

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Jambo You(th) 2008