21-Dec-2013 Dear friend,
If you light a candle under a floodlight, who cares? Where there already is a great light, who wants a flickering wick of new light? We live under the blaze of neon lights, and arc lamps, so sometimes we don't realize that we don't see clearly what is sometimes in the shadows. It is only in a blackout that we appreciate the importance of a flickering light or burning candle. On the other hand, "those who live in a world of darkness are specially prepared to "see" whatever light may seek them out. Christmas is a feast of the birth of the light of the world. May we acknowledge our darkness and seek the Light! Wishing you an enlightened Christmas! Fr. Jude Sunday Reflections: Christmas Day "Today a Saviour is born! Light of the World! Glory to God in the highest!" 25-Dec-2013 Isaiah 9: 1-6; Titus 2: 11-14; Luke 1: 1-14; The prophet Isaiah reminds us that Jesus came to bring the Light to a darkened world! "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. In the light of his light we can see ourselves and others more clearly. We all have darkness within us, which means that we all have potential to "see" the light. The surprise of the Incarnation is the light it sheds on the whole landscape of our common life: all are "made glorious" because "a child as been born for us, a son given to us". Here is the Light that redefines "family," and reshapes our vision of what it means to belong to one another within the People of God. Jesus pitched his tent among us The custom of placing lighted candles in the windows at Christmas was brought to America by the Irish. When religion was suppressed throughout Ireland during the English persecution, the people had no churches. Priests hid in the forests and caves and secretly visited the farms and homes to say Mass there during the night. It was the dearest wish of every Irish family that at least once in their lifetime a priest would arrive at Christmas to celebrate Mass. For this grace they hoped and prayed all through the year. When Christmas came they left their doors unlocked and placed burning candles in the windows so that any priest who happened to be in the vicinity could be welcomed and guided to their home through the dark night. Silently the priest would enter through the unlatched door and be received by the devout inhabitants with fervent prayers of gratitude and tears of happiness that their home was to become a church for Christmas. To justify this practice in the eyes of the English soldiers, the Irish people explained that they burned the candles and kept the doors unlocked so that Mary and Joseph, looking for a place to stay, would find their way to their home and be welcomed with open hearts. The candles in the windows have always remained a cherished practice of the Irish, although many of them have long since forgotten the earlier meaning. William Barker in 'Tarbell's Teacher's Guide' Surrounded by silence, surrounded by the night, the Word who is with God - who is God - is made flesh. To those who accept him 'he gave power to become the children of God'. This is the very heart of the mystery we celebrate at Christmas. We have here no myth, no mere ideology; the Messiah, our Lord and Saviour, is born at a definite time and place. The presence of the Lord in our history is a permanent call to return to the sources of our faith. Jesus is born in Bethlehem, surrounded by shepherds and animals. His parents had come to a stable because they had not found a place in the inn. There in marginality, the Son of God entered history, the Word became flesh. We are concerned not so much with the details of his birth as with the central fact of Mary, ever-virgin wife of Joseph, tending her child. By this means the mystery of how this unique first-born of mankind entered into our world, is safeguarded. God's feeling for the little and humble people is shown when it is to poor shepherds that the birth of the Good Shepherd is first announced. The 'sign' given to them is Poverty in person, a sign that must find a profound echo in their hearts. For the shepherds, the message the Lord has sent them means that 'this thing that has happened' is real, this thing is true. They hasten with all speed and find what their hearts seek: not riches or power, but the Child, the reality of the sign given to them. That is enough for them, for they are in harmony with him. Indeed they become the first missionaries of the gospel, telling this good news to all in the neighbourhood. From the first Christmas on, we cannot separate Christian faith from human history. The incarnation of the Son of God is the heart of the message of solidarity with everyone, especially with the marginalized and the oppressed. It is a proclamation of hope -a hope that may appear insignificant for us historically, like the birth of the child we celebrate at Christmas. But this hope is the seed of life and therefore the good news of 'great joy for all the people'. The Light shines in the darkness The Christmas message of Jesus is that of a light shining in the darkness. This image took a remarkable meaning for Viktor Frankl, a Nazi prisoner in World War II. One morning, very early, he and the other prisoners were digging in the cold, hard ground. Frankl writes in Man's Search for Meaning: "The dawn was grey around us; grey was the sky above; grey the snow in the pale light of dawn; grey the rags in which my fellow prisoners were clad, grey their faces. I was struggling to find a reason for my sufferings, my slow dying." As Frankl struggled in the miserable cold to make sense of the suffering, suddenly he became totally convinced that there was a reason, even though he didn't fully comprehend it. Frankl describes what happened then: "At that moment a light was lit in a distant farmhouse, which stood on the horizon as if it were painted there, in the midst of the miserable grey." At that moment there flashed into Frankl's mind the words of today's gospel: "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out." Frankl says that experience radically changed his entire prison life. It gave him hope, where before he had only despair. -Viktor Frankl's experience illustrates one point about Christmas. Christmas celebrates the fact that when Jesus entered our darkened world, so did hope. After Jesus entered our world, people suddenly saw a reason for their suffering, even though they couldn't comprehend it fully. Mark Link in 'Sunday Homilies' Take my Son..... A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art. When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son. About a month later, just before Christmas, There was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, 'Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly... He often talked about you, and your love for art.' The young man held out this package. 'I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.' The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. 'Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift.' The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected. The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. 'We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?' There was silence... Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, 'We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one.' But the auctioneer persisted. 'Will somebody bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?' Another voice angrily. 'We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Gogh's, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!' But still the auctioneer continued. 'The son! The son! Who'll take the son?' Finally, a squeaky voice came from the very back of the room. It was none other than the young soldier the son had died saving. He said, "I didn't come to buy anything and all I have is $10 to my name, but I bid it all". The auctioneer continued: 'We have $10, who will bid $20?' 'Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters.' The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections. The auctioneer pounded the gavel.. 'Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!' A man sitting on the second row shouted, 'Now let's get on with the collection!' The auctioneer laid down his gavel. 'I'm sorry, the auction is over.' 'What about the paintings?' 'I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will... I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything!' And with the swing of his gavel, the crowd sat in stunned silence staring at the young soldier. - God gave His son over 2,000 years ago to die on the Cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: 'The Son, the Son, who'll take the Son?' Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything! For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son, who so ever believes shall have eternal life! John Pichappilly in 'The Table of the Word' A Legend from Russia "A Legend from Russia" is a poem by Phyllis McGinley about Christmas. The poem begins as the old grandmother, Babushka, is about to retire for the evening: When out of the winter's rush and roar, came shepherds knocking upon her door. They tell her of a royal child a virgin just bore and beg the grandmother to come and adore. Babushka is good-hearted, but she likes her comfort, and so her reaction is to go later. "Tomorrow," she mutters. "Wait until then." But the shepherds come back and knock again. This time they beg only a blanket: With comforting gifts, meat or bread, and we will carry it in your stead. Again Babushka answers, "Tomorrow." And when tomorrow comes, she's as good as her word. She packs a basket of food and gifts: A shawl for the lady, soft as June, For the Child in the crib a silver spoon, Rattles and toys and an ivory game. . . but the stable was empty when she came. Anonymous May we discover new hope and new joy in the birth of Jesus in our hearts and in our world! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com PS. The stories, incidents and anecdotes used in the reflections have been collected over the years from books as well as from sources over the net and from e-mails received. Every effort is made to acknowledge authors whenever possible. If you send in stories or illustrations I would be grateful if you could quote the source as well so that they can be acknowledged if used in these reflections. These reflections are also available on my Web site www.NetForLife.net Thank you.
