There’s a true story from a book entitled: “Mutiny on the Bounty” which was later made into a movie.
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After the rebellion and take-over of the ship “Bounty,” nine mutineers with six native (Tahitian) men and twelve native women were put ashore on Pitcairn Island in 1790. One sailor soon began distilling alcohol, and the little colony was plunged into debauchery and vice.
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Ten years later, only one white man survived, surrounded by native women and half-bred children. In an old chest from the “Bounty,” this sailor one day found a Bible. He began to read it, was moved and then taught it to the others.
The result was that his own life and ultimately the lives of all those in the colony were changed.
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Discovered in 1808 by the USS Topaz, Pitcairn had become a prosperous community with no jail, no whisky, no crime, and no laziness.
The story shows how a whole island was transformed completely by one Book.
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Today is BIBLE SUNDAY which culminates the Bible Week celebration. All Filipinos are enjoined to become deeply aware of the importance of the Word of God in bringing about the nation’s moral, spiritual and social foundation.
Government leaders and law makers should consider this in the campaign against criminality, drug abuse and corrupt practices.
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BIBLIARASAL. Today there are numerous renewal and charismatic communities who are doing Bible studies regularly.
People around them notice a remarkable transformation for the better. Whereas before they led selfish and vice-ridden lives, now they are caring, generous and family-oriented.
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I had a relative who was a daily mass goer, faithfully receiving Holy Communion. But she was unforgiving and didn’t care about the feelings of others. One day she was invited by friends to join a weekly bibliarasal wherein the members of a group read passages of the Bible, reflect on the message sharing it with fellow members, and exhorted put it into practice.
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In the Gospel passages about forgiveness, her eyes were opened and was moved by Jesus’ teaching. She learned that it wasn’t enough to pray but also to reach out to people she disliked and hated. Eventually, she was got reconciled with her relatives, including her “biyanan” (mother-in-law)!
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There is no real transformation in society unless there is an inner personal transformation. Sociologists and moralists aver: “Whatever is wrong with society is the accumulated result of whatever is wrong with the people who compose it.“
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Who fight senseless wars, who cause death and poverty, who pollute our atmosphere and environment? Society doesn’t do it. People do it. A gun isn’t good or bad. It becomes good or bad depending on the user’s motive.
If, for instance, a policeman uses it to kill an alleged drug lord or drug user without due process, then the gun becomes bad.
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If more and more individuals change for the better, then families and society will likewise change for the better.
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READ BIBLE ALWAYS. A small boy asked a friend why his 80-year old grandma was always reading the Bible.
He replied: “Because she’s cramming for her Final Exam!”
Note: The Bible should not be read only to “cram for the Final Exam” but read always.
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Remember: BIBLE is the acronym for “Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth.” (Fr. Bel R. San Luis, SVD)