Thomas Edison is considered America’s greatest inventor. He has a world-record of 1,093 inventions like the light bulb, electric power, phonograph or motion picture camera. Yet as a boy he developed a hearing problem. His teachers thought he was dumb.
One day, his mother received a letter from the school’s Principal. She had tears in her eyes as she was reading it: “Your son is a genius. This school is too small for him. We don’t have good teachers to train him. Please teach him yourself.”
Years later his mom died; Thomas had become a world-famous inventor. As he was going through old family stuffs, he discovered the letter he brought home from the Principal. He was shocked to read the original content: Your son is a dumb student. We won’t let him come to school anymore.”
He cried for hours. In his diary that day he wrote.. “Thomas Alva Edison was a dumb child, but through a hero mother, became the genius of the century.”
His mother instilled in him a genius-mindset that propelled him to excel, to succeed and to rise above the rest. His mom had faith in him and his gifts. She saw the light within him and brought it out for the benefit of the world and humanity.
Today is the feast of St. Matthew. The gospel narrates the story of his calling. Let us learn 3 things from him: 3 C’s
1. Christ. Matthew was an ordinary tax collector; hated because he was a sinner. One day, Jesus got interested in him. He invited him – follow me! Amazingly, he was touched by grace. Matthew had a great love for his job because he made a lot of money. That day, God gave him the grace to love Jesus more. From then on, he became a Christ-centered person. His faith in Christ gave him a new mindset; a new pair of eyes; a new vision capable to see more, to see beyond. Pope Francis said: “Put on faith. Life will have a new flavor.” It will make you see things differently; deeply. Like a compass, it will give your life direction. Faith will instill in us a mindset of greatness. We are meant for higher things; we are meant for heaven.
2. Constancy. Matthew chose to make Christ a constant in his life. He made it a daily habit to follow him; to listen to him. Christ became part of his lifestyle. He learned to be patient like Jesus; to love and serve others like Jesus; to be generous like Jesus. In fact, it was because of Jesus that he gave his money to the poor. Christ transformed him day by day.
3. Concern. After Jesus death and resurrection, he became a missionary. His greatest concern was for the children, the youth and the future generation. He felt that they will no longer have the opportunity to meet Jesus; it will make them poorer by missing out Christ. Thus he wrote a gospel for them to read and have a virtual encounter with Christ. Because Christ will enrich their lives bringing them joy and peace.
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