THE RAT TRAP
The fable shown below was contributed by WB Rommel SJ Corral, PM, of Rafael Palma Lodge No. 147. The lion’s hindsight is shown at the bottom page.
Happy reading!
Bro. Jun Galarosa
Dagohoy Lodge No. 84
Tagbilaran City
THE RAT TRAP
A rat looked through a crack in the wall to see the farmer and
his wife opening a package. What food might it contain? He was aghast
to discover that it was a rat trap. Retreating to the farmyard the rat
proclaimed the warning; "There is a rat trap in the house, a rat trap
in the house!"
The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said,
"Excuse me, Mr. Rat, I can tell this is a grave concern to you,
but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it."
The rat turned to the pig and told him, "There is a rat trap in the
house, a rat trap in the house!" "I am so very sorry Mr. Rat,"
sympathized the pig, "but there is nothing I can do about it but pray.
Be assured that you are in my prayers."
The rat turned to the cow. She said, "Like wow, Mr. Rat. A rat trap.
I am in grave danger. Duh?"
So the rat returned to the house, head down and dejected,
to face the farmer's rat trap alone.
That very night a sound was heard throughout the house, like the sound
of a rat trap catching its prey.
The farmer's wife rushed to see what was
caught. In the darkness, she did not see that it was a venomous snake
whose tail the trap had caught.
The snake bit the farmer's wife.
The farmer rushed her to the hospital. She returned home with a
fever. Now everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup,
so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main
ingredient.
His wife's sickness continued so that friends and neighbors came to sit
with her around the clock. To feed them the farmer butchered the pig.
The farmer's wife did not get well.
She died, and so many people came for
her funeral that the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide meat for
all of them to eat.
Moral to the story: The next time you hear that someone is facing a
problem and think that it does not concern you, remember that when
there is a rat trap in the house, the whole farmyard is at risk.
"Teach us, O Lord, to love one another,
To help with the gifts that You bestow
Give us unity of mind and heart
As we truly serve You here below." **
WB Rommel S.J. Corral, P.M.
Rafael Palma Lodge No. 147
--------------------------------------------
SYNOPSIS
The obvious moral of the story is never trust a snake. The Holy Bible pictures this denizen of the grass and trees as treacherous, and even when it blunders, is still as deadly. Look what happened to the farmer’s wife!!
And the chicken, the pig and the cow??
Ah, but they’re like the poor inhabitants of Real, and General Nakar in Quezon province that were buried in the mud when the slopes of the mountains caved in on them during the onslaught of the deadly rampaging typhoon. Being indifferent to the activities of the illegal loggers, much like the effect of the rat trap, these poor people were shoved to their disastrous deaths!!
And the rat? Well, he must have adapted to the ways of Speedy Gonzales, (no, not RW Jimmy) who skillfully eludes the wily cat (it’s not RW Monching P**** either).
Aesop must be fidgeting in his grave for the lion’s intrusion into his domain.
FROM THE AGING LION’S DEN
1 comment:
JOSE-FERLU O. SUDARIO" wrote:
Kuya Jun,
Minor reaction on geography: General Nakar or just Nakar is in Quezon province.
By the way, I'll let you in on an ongoing program of our WM of Juan Sumulong Mem'l Lodge #169. We call it the "Adopt-a-Barangay". To make our outreach projects more meaningful both to the members of the lodge and the beneficiary-residents, WM Nanding Manalo deemed it more practical that we focus our activities in one specific community. By doing this, we'll be able to monitor and see if we're getting the desired results for the program. With the assistance of Brother Cong. Vic Sumulong, we have pinpointed Bgy. San Juan in Antipolo City more specifically Sitio Palanas as our adopted community.
Since August, on a rotational basis every week, various groups of our lodge brethren have contributed time, effort, talent, money, etc. in a concerted effort to uplift the living conditions of the people of Palanas. To mention some of the things we've done so far:
- in coordination with Gawad Kalinga of the famed Couples for Christ, more than 50 residents have undergone and graduated from a 6-weekend seminar on Values Formation. This was immediately followed by another seminar, Christian Life Program (CLP), which will culminate on Dec. 11 in a Mass Wedding.
- while the above seminars were ongoing, we have set up a water system to service the community and the vegetable nursery and farm. Bro. Vic Sumulong has provided an initial fund of Pesos 250,000 for the water and farm. He has pledged no less than Pesos One Million to make everything operational. Today, the water system is operational and the physical structure of the nursery is up. Hopefully, we'll make our first harvest of lettuce, bell pepper, tomatoes, etc. by end of this year or early next year.
- we've assisted in the feeding program of the Day Care center.
- on a private capacity, Bro. Col. Orly Mabutas, PDEA NCR Director, a very active member of our Lodge (raised with Bro. Vic last year during my term as WM), has contributed funds and time in the repair and painting of the stage, chapel and day care center.
To coincide with the mass wedding on Dec. 11, we'll conduct a medical and dental activity with free haircut and eyeglasses on the side in cooperation with the staff of Bro. Cong. Vic.
From a personal perspective, I believe that our WM has sort of 'hit the nail right on the head' by rationalizing the lodge's efforts and directing these along a more focused line.
As a member of our Lodge, even if you are in far away Bohol, I'm sure you have your own ways of helping that we succeed in this noble program.
God bless!
Bro. Ferlu
---
From: "Geminiano Galarosa Jr.
Subject: Re: Fwd: THE RAT TRAP (Aesop's Fable Revived)
To: "JOSE-FERLU O. SUDARIO"
WB Ferlu:
Ha, ha, hah! Ang hina ko talaga sa geography. Nagkagulo ang dinig ko sa Baler, Aurora at sa Gen Nakar na dapat nasa Quezon!!
I’m sure glad to receive news from you about the activities of our Lodge. I have not had the chance to personally interact with both Bro. Cong. Vic Sumulong nor Bro. Col Orly Mabutas but they sure are members who can lift our lodge to unimagined heights in District 11 in the same manner Laong Laan Lodge No. 185 is carrying the banner aloft in District 9. I can only hope Rafael Palma Lodge No. 147 will also follow suit for as I guess you knew, I hold honorary membership in all these three lodges and it simply makes me feel proud.
You and the present crop of past masters definitely deserve credit for guiding the lodge to where you are now. These civic action programs not only shove our ancient Fraternity to the forefront of the public’s eye but it also create bonding of the members themselves.
I would however caution you not to relegate to the sidelines the importance of our rituals inside the lodge. I’ve seen you confer the degrees when I was still there and I trust you will also guide the newcomers to do the same. I’ve heard from a PGM last month that the Grand Master will shortly issue an edict relaxing on the requirement for the proficiency of the three lights on the rituals; how they will word it can be anybody’s guess but to me, any radical deviation will not be for the interest of the Craft. Like what they now do in some American jurisdictions, giving a one-day conferral. Remember a part of the charge of the Master Mason’s degree where it said “you are not to countenance any deviation from our established custom.”
From where I am now based, the best that I can offer the lodge is my sincere prayers that the GAOTU always guide you in all your undertakings. to His honor and Glory, all for the benefit of the Craft that we all love.
With my kindest fraternal regards!
Bro. Jun
Post a Comment