For a Lighter side of Life

One day, after being lonely for a long time in the Garden of Eden, Adam calls out, "Lord, An Initiative of Jesus Youth
I have a problem." A Missionary Movement at the Service of the Church
"What's the problem, Adam?", The Lord replies.
"Lord, I know you created me and have provided for me and surrounded me with this Don Bosco Utume September 20, Sunday: Issue 96
beautiful garden and all of these wonderful animals, but I'm just not happy."
"Why is that, Adam?", comes the reply from the heavens. • Jambo You(th) is a weekly news letter aimed at helping the Youth in moulding their daily
"Lord, I know you created this place for me, with all this lovely food and all of the beauti- lives in Christ.
ful animals, but I am lonely." • Our vision is expressed in just two phrases: GOOD CHRISTIANS and
"Well Adam, in that case I have the perfect solution. I shall create a 'woman' for you." RESPONSIBLE CITIZENS.
"What's a 'woman', Lord?"
This 'woman' will be the most intelligent, sensitive, caring, and beautiful creature I have Pep-up : Stories for Reflection
To the Young : The Letter

ever created. She will be so intelligent that she can figure out what you want before you
want it. She will be so sensitive and caring that she will know your every mood and how
to make you happy. Her beauty will rival that of the heavens and earth. She will unques-
tioningly care for your every need and desire. She will be the perfect companion for
you.", replies the heavenly voice.
"Sounds great."
"She will be, but this is going to cost you, Adam."
"How much will this 'woman' cost me Lord?", Adam replies.
"She'll cost you a leg, an arm, an eye, a ear, and half your brain."
Adam ponders this for some time, with a look of deep thought and concern on his face.
Finally Adam asks the Lord, "Uh, what can I get for a rib?"
Last Drop
WHAT MONEY CANnot BUY
MONEY can buy books, but no brains
MONEY can buy a bed, but no sleep
MONEY can buy medicine, but no health
MONEY can buy amusement, but no happiness
MONEY can buy food, but no appetite
MONEY can buy a house, but not a home
MONEY can buy luxuries, but no culture
MONEY can buy a church bench, but not heaven
Isn't it wonderful; the best things in life don't cost a cent!
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tion and back issues of Jambo You(th) please check on our website: www.jamboyouth.multiply.com
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Features
Points to Ponder : A Creed for Teenagers
Saint of the Week : St. Maurice and His Companions
Jokes : For a Lighter Side of Life
Last Drop : What Money CANnot Buy
Reconciliation and Sacrifice
On January 26, 2001, Seiko Sakamoto, a plasterer working in a Tokyo subway sta-
tion, fell into the path of an oncoming train. Lee Su Hyun, a Korean student in Japan
for language studies, leaped down on the tracks to save Sakamoto. Both Hyun and
Sakamoto were unable to exit the path of the oncoming train and were killed.
This selfless act by the Korean student on behalf of the Japanese laborer has
caused many people in Japan to reconsider their long-held prejudices directed to-
ward Koreans. Strong feelings of distrust between the two countries go back to
World War II atrocities inflicted upon Koreans by the Japanese. Many Japanese
people, including the prime minister of Japan, have openly expressed sorrow over
their previously held stereotypes of Koreans and have begun to talk about recon-
ciliation. Nobuaki Fujioka, a 62-year-old Japanese, said, "I felt a kind of shame. A
young foreigner sacrificed his life for a Japanese. This is not an easy thing to do."
Reconciliation rarely occurs without sacrifice. By giving his one and only Son, God
took the initiative in healing our broken relationship with him. He made the supreme
sacrifice for us that we might be reconciled to him.
David A. Slagle
"Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his
friends.” John 15:13

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Editors: Shyjan Sdb , Edwin Tangie SDB

THE LETTER
Ruth went to her mail box and there was only one letter. She picked it up and looked at it before
opening, but then she looked at the envelope again. There was no stamp, no postmark, only
her name and address. She read the letter:
Dear Ruth,
I'm going to be in your neighborhood Saturday afternoon and I'd like to stop by for a visit.
Love Always, Jesus!
Her hands were shaking as she placed the letter on the table. "Why would the Lord want to visit
me? I'm nobody special. I don't have anything to offer." With that thought, Ruth remembered
her empty kitchen cabinets. "Oh my goodness, I really don't have anything to offer. I'll have to
run down to the store and buy something for dinner." She reached for her purse and counted
out its contents. Five dollars and forty cents.
"Well, I can get some bread and cold cuts, at least." She threw on her coat and hurried out the
door. A loaf of french bread, a half-pound of sliced turkey, and a carton of milk, leaving Ruth
with grand total of twelve cents to last her until Monday. Nonetheless, she felt good as she
headed home, her meager offerings tucked under her arm.
"Hey lady, can you help us, lady?" Ruth had been so absorbed in her dinner plans, she hadn't
even noticed two figures huddled in the alleyway. A man and a woman, both of them dressed in
little more than rags.
"Look lady, I ain't got a job, ya know, and my wife and I have been living out here on the street,
and, well, now it's getting cold and we're getting kinda hungry and, well, if you could help us,
lady, we'd really appreciate it." Ruth looked at them both. They were dirty, they smelled bad
and, frankly, she was certain that they could get some kind of work if they really wanted to. "Sir,
I'd like to help you, but I'm a poor woman myself. All I have is a few cold cuts and some bread,
and I'm having an important guest for dinner tonight and I was planning on serving that to him."
"Yeah, well, okay lady, I understand. Thanks anyway." The man put his arm around the
woman's shoulders, turned and headed back into the alley. As she watched them leave, Ruth
felt a familiar twinge in her heart. "Sir, wait!" The couple stopped and turned as she ran down
the alley after them. "Look, why don't you take this food. I'll figure out something else to serve
my guest." She handed the man her grocery bag. "Thank you lady. Thank you very much!"
"Yes, thank you!" It was the man's wife, and Ruth could see now that she was shivering. "You
know, I've got another coat at home. Here, why don't you take this one." Ruth unbuttoned her
jacket and slipped it over the woman's shoulders. Then smiling, she turned and walked back to
the street...without her coat and with nothing to serve her guest. "Thank you lady! Thank you
very much!" Ruth was chilled by the time she reached her front door, and worried too. The Lord
was coming to visit and she didn't have anything to offer Him. She fumbled through her purse
for the door key. But as she did, she noticed another envelope in her mailbox. "That's odd. The
mailman doesn't usually come twice in one day." She took the envelope out of the box and
opened it.
Dear Ruth, It was so good to see you again. Thank you for the lovely meal. And thank you, too,
for the beautiful coat. Love always Jesus!
The air was still cold, but even without her coat, Ruth no longer noticed!
"If you cling to nothing, you can handle anything." - Lama Surya Das
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A CREED FOR TEENAGERS
I BELIEVE...
IN MYSELF !
I believe that I am a unique person. I have a combination of skills and talents that no
one else has in exactly the same way. I believe I can form myself into a person who
will make this world a better place.
IN MY PARENTS !
I believe that I am a product of their love for each other. I believe that they still love
me and want my happiness. I may not always agree with what they say, but I believe
they are good. I believe they need me and that I need them.
IN MY TEACHERS !
I believe that they are people like me who have struggled to learn what is best and
good in this world.
I believe that they can teach me the lessons I need to succeed.
IN GOD
I believe that God created this universe for something more than what I experience
here on earth. I believe that God has revealed what I need to know through the Bible
and the teachings of Jesus Christ preserved by my church.
THE FUTURE !
I do not know what is before me, but I believe that by developing my gifts, and by fol-
lowing the guidance of my parents, my teachers and God, it will be a good future. I
believe that I can help the future to be better for the world and people around me.
Finally, I believe that I am here for a reason and a special purpose!
SAINT for the WEEK
September 22 St. Maurice and his Companions
This is the story of the martyrs of the Theban Legion (i.e. Roman legionaries recruited in and
around Thebes, in Egypt). All of them, apparently, were Christians; they were sent to serve
under the Emperor Maximian against rebellious Gauls in Northern Europe. At Martigny, near
Lake Geneva, in 287 the Emperor achieved his victory and then ordered the legionaries to
sacrifice to the gods for the triumph which had been won. The soldiers refused to join in this
impious act, and withdrew en bloc to a place now known as Saint-Maurice-en-Valois. Here
they made a dignified and peaceful protest against the Emperor’s order; Maurice was their
principal officer and also their spokesman. The Emperor in his anger ordered the Legion to be
decimated (i.e. every tenth man killed) and then, having failed to weaken their resolve, or-
dered their complete annihilation. Allegedly some 6,600 [or 6,666] men were put to death, but
this number is impossibly large and must be symbolic. This story of martyrdom attracted a
widespread cult; the saints are the patrons of Sicily, and of the ancient kingdoms of Piedmont
and Savoy, bordering Italy, Switzerland and France. They are patrons of soldiers, and of the
Papal Swiss Guard in particular. Maurice is usually shown in art as a foot-soldier with black
skin, in representation of his African origins.
"A great obstacle to happiness is to expect too much happiness." - Fontenelle
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