Silver Rule

It is only Silver because it is the negative version, it seems of Islam. "Do not do unto others..."

The Golden Rule is limitless, too as it exhorts to "Do unto others..." whatever good we can.

Overflowing Fruit

Our Daily Bread reflected on a neighbor's grapes, plums and oranges reaching the other side of their fence, to which they were welcome.

That is loving your neighbor in practice without need for mediation.

What a Difference an R makes

Oslob fishermen now get more pay feeding krill to whale sharks whom they use to fin and throw back to the water to die of suffocation.

More way to earn a living.

Mediating Employees

Human Resources deals with people's exercise of their will.

God willing, they all have the good of the group in mind, and not just their own.

Divine Mediator

"The Lord has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm; 'Never again will I give your grain as food for your enemies, and never again will foreigners drink the new wine for which you have toiled; but those who gather the grapes will drink it in the courts of my sanctuary.' " - Isaiah 62: 8-9

Divine Justice 

Historian Luke

Like Mark, Luke the Evangelist was not an Apostle. He had to rely on first-hand accounts on the life of Jesus Christ.

Like in cases when one party refuses to be subjected to psychological testing in annulment cases, interviews with relatives and mutual friends are resorted to.

Miss Communication

In The New Lucy Show, she becomes a new accounts clerk. For lack of clients, she asks friends to withdraw accounts and redeposit for a new toaster. Word got around however that the bank and not she, was not doing well, leading almost to a bank run. As a friend asked her, is this legal? Lucy replied, it's not illegal.

Mediation deals with this thin line between legal and moral being crossed.

Discernment

Projection is the defense mechanism of pointing out to others what are really our faults which we see in them.

Good thing to remember when listening to disputants' complaints about each other.

Anti-Mary

Carrie Gress, PhD coined the term for extreme feminism at present.

Some are just plain anti-marry.

A-counting

The Parable of the Workers in the field hired at different hours deals with a potential issue in mediation. It's like employees comparing paychecks which is really none of their business.

Recycling

The Bible first gave this idea in the book of Micah: Weapons of war will become farming tools, and every person who answers God's call will find a peaceful home and a productive life in His kingdom.

Amen.

Age Mutters

Commissioned by co-70th birthday celebrant-classmates, we parodized "I am 16 going on 17":

We are 69, going on 70
Baby, it is no joke
Better beware, be careful when walking
Sometimes we're on the brink!
We are 69, going on 70
Widowers fall in line
To eager DIs and lonely old priests, we offer food & wine.
Totally prepared are we
To face them all, you see
Confident & cool are we
Of been there & done that!
We need someone younger & stronger, propping us up to stand
You are 79, going on 80
We can't depend on you!

Whoreders

An EWTN Holy Mass homilist once read that storage places now outnumber McDonald's outlets.

Blame it to the really oldest profession of greed. Caing ng caing.

Forrest Gump

HITS Movies had this Sunday treat- another Tom Hanks good guy character. Here, he transferred his learned escape of running away from bullies to the football field and secured a college scholarship in the end.

Successful self- mediation.

Born This Way

Lady Gaga could have paraphrased the Bible thus: For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it. (Matthew 19: 12)

Fyi, marital mediators.

Not Fear but Faith

Today's Our Daily Bread reflection is on the trepidation experienced by the Israelites during the exodus. What was on the other side of the desert? Milk and honey or enemies galore.

Mediation is like that, when perhaps it could not get any worse so better to work things out.

Hollywood Homicide

Two cops double as a real estate broker and a yoga instructor- actor apprentice respectively.

Mediators have regular day jobs too so they can volunteer in court on the side.

Living Right

EWTN's Dr. Ray counsels couples. He longs for the day an individual walks into his office, admits s/he is difficult to live with and introduces partner to thresh out how to improve the relationship.

Blame game over.

Family Ties

Another oldie but goodie HITS sitcom had Mallory visiting a shoplifter from the shop where she works. The troubled teen lived in a home for abused children.

Mediation requires understanding where people are coming for.

Three's Company

An episode had Jack being told by a hold-upper in the flower shop to hand in the green stuff and he put ferns and leaves into a bag.

Clarity is likewise required in compromise agreement.

Grey Area

In an episode of Grey's Anatomy, a woman had her dying wish to have a wedding under the stars. The doctors dimmed her ICU room and turned on their mobile phones' photos of stars.

Heart-breaking but doably creative mediation.

Psalm 80

It reflects on seeking the face of God in times of conflict.

Disputants would be content with seeing a smile on each other's face.

Royal Mediation

The Buckingham Palace balcony set-up on the palace grounds is a compromise for visitors. Even royals want to earn a penny for our selfie.

Going in Circles

HITS rerun of The New Lucy Show depicted how firefighters give directions when catching a victim falling from a building. The captain shouts "Ho" while pointing her head to the direction desired.

Mediators get into circuitous situations too and are tasked to lead disputants to a win-win compromise agreement.

Servant Leader

This is Our Daily Bread's reflection for today.

Mediators, take heed. 

Revolving Door

That's the way of hospital nurses who go and return often after a stint abroad.

See those in relationships too.

Grace with salt

" Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone" Collosians 4: 2-6

This would lessen the load of mediators.

Big Miracle

FOX Movies feature was on US and Russia cooperating to save stranded whales Fred, Wilma and Bamm Bamm in Barrow, Alaska.

A whale of a difference!

Caught

In rerun of "Catch me if you can," FBI man makes a forgerer their counterfeit checker, started during the con's incarceration.

That's successful mediation.

Speechless

This enlightened sitcom has a mute young man who is also bound to a wheelchair with a computer through which he communicates. One line of advice: instead of imbecile, say interesting.

Avoids need for mediation.