Being a Christian is not a joke
An elderly woman went to his parish vicar and complained that her neighbor at the shop, a young married woman who could have been her daughter blocked with a tarpaulin, the outside space between her shop and the elderly woman’s shop. The two shops have extending iron protectors which serve as extensions to the shop. Both shops are located at the ground floor and at the infront of the same building. Moreover, both women were almost selling the same line of items.
The elderly woman said that she approached her neighbor to explain to her the reason why she should remove the tarpaulin but the young woman started howling insults at her, “you witch, your mates have retired and you are here still struggling customers with us.” The elderly woman was heart broken with tears. Meanwhile, the could tarpulin had cut off the ventilation and put her(the elderly woman’s) shop at the dark spot.
The next day, the young woman built counter outside her shop which completely enveloped the elderly woman’s shop such that no customer could even know that a shop is beside the young woman’s shop. From a better position, the young woman’s shop is located first before the elderly woman’s shop. The other position which puts the elderly woman’s shop first had almost no one coming from there because it’s a very bad road. After dragging the situation with the young woman which nearly led to physical fisticuffs, the elderly woman went to her parish vicar because she doesn’t want anything that shall bring enmity between her and God in Jesus Christ.
Now the parish vicar remembering Matthew 18:15-20, told the elderly woman to first approach the young woman who seemed to have offended her and have a peaceful dialogue. However the elderly woman couldn’t understand why such should be so; “how should I make peace with my oppressor,” she said. Inspite of that, the parish vicar insisted with these words, “that’s why we are christians; we operate differently and in a different realm but in this world.”
The elderly woman was met with coldness and bitterness when she met the young woman. Even at that, the young woman stopped greeting the elderly woman. Then the elderly woman went back to her parish vicar and explained with a tearful heart how she was not supposed to have gone for that dialogue, and how the young woman had stopped greeting her.
That being not enough, the elderly woman was told by her parish vicar to be greeting her young neighbor even if she won’t greet her, the elder. The elderly couldn’t understand that kind of instruction but with reluctancy followed the priest’s instructions and recommdation. Yet, the young woman couldn’t respond to her greetings.
The priest then told the elderly woman to involve the chairman of the yard and some others in the yard too. However, unbeknownst to the elderly woman, the young woman was already conniving with them and so, the chairman and others saw nothing wrong with the young woman’s actions.
With a heavy heart, the elderly woman came back to the priest who then told her to continue greeting the young woman. Nevertheless, the priest gave the elderly woman this message: “tell your neighbor that Rev. Father said that you should remove those obstructions for the sake of justice.” The priest equally said, “you shall give her this message three different times and if she refuses, then allow her.”
Lastly, when the elderly woman returned bearing a heavy heart because it was as if everything got worst, the priest told her, “your neighbor shall leave that shop because you have done your part, and I shall submit your petitions at the mass.” The priest equally encouraged her with some personal prayers on the situation. And so, the trouble began that her younger neighbor started having issues only known to her that she stopped coming to the shop regularly.
In summary, after some months, the elderly woman came back to the priest and was asking that the priest remembers her young neighbor in the mass because as it stands, her neighbor has packed out of the shop and a tailor has rented the shop.
This is a real life story “Because I am involved.”
And Jesus said, ‘If your neighbor does something wrong, go and have it out with him alone, between your two selves. If he listens to you, you have won back your neighbor. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you: the evidence of two or three witnesses is required to sustain any charge. But if he refuses to listen to these, report it to the church; and if he refuses to listen to the Church, treat him like a pagan or a tax collector.
‘I tell you solemnly, whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven. ‘I tell you solemnly once again, if two of you on earth agree to ask anything at all, it will be granted to you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them.’
© Fada Henry Charles Umelechi
Truth Series.
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