27-Jan-2014 Dear friend,
People of all faiths observe rituals and religious practices according to the traditions handed down and observed in families. Some go on pilgrimages, visit temples, mosques and Churches, spend time in prayers and make religious offerings. In themselves, the rituals may be empty but they can be enriched by our faith and devotion. Jesus himself as an infant, was taken to the temple, we too need to be consecrated and blessed by God. Have a blessed weekend, renewing your commitment - your self-giving, to God! Fr. Jude Sunday Reflections: Fourth Sunday - Presentation of the Lord "Consecrated and set apart for the Lord's service!" 2-Feb-2014 Malachi 3: 1-4; Hebrews 2: 14-18; Luke 2: 22-32; The first reading from the prophet Malachi reminds the people that the Lord has sent his messenger to prepare the way of the Lord. That the Lord will come is certain, his messenger is at hand, but are we ready to heed his word? In order to receive the Lord we have to be purified and cleansed. We cannot offer ourselves to the Lord without being made pure and holy. His coming will cleanse us and make us worthy and pleasing to the Lord. The healing in giving He stood on the steel bridge, fifty feet above the swirling river. He lit his last cigarette -before making his escape. There was no other way out. He had tried everything: orgies of sensuality, travel and excitement, drink and drugs. And now the last failure: marriage. No woman could stand him after a few months. He demanded too much and gave nothing. He was too much a brute to be treated like a man. The river was the best place for him. A shabby man passed by, saw him standing in the shadow and said, "Got a dime for a cup of coffee, mister?" The other smiled in the darkness. A dime! What difference would a dime make? "Sure, I've got a dime, buddy. I've got more than a dime" He took out a wallet. "Here, take it all." There was about $100 in the wallet, he took it out and thrust it towards the tramp. "What's the idea?" asked the tramp. "It's all right. I won't need it where I'm going." He glanced down towards the river. The tramp took the bills, and stood holding them uncertainly for a moment. Then he said, "No, you don't mister. I may be a beggar, but I'm no coward; and I won't take money from one either. Take your filthy money with you -into the river." He threw the bills over the rail and they fluttered and scattered as they drifted slowly down towards the dark river. "So long, coward." And he walked off. The 'coward' gasped. Suddenly he wanted the tramp to have the money he had thrown away. He wanted to give -and couldn't. To give! That was it! To give! He had never tried that before. To give and be happy. He took one last look at the river and turned from it and followed the tramp. Christopher Notes In today's gospel we are told of the presentation of Jesus in the temple and the purification rite that followed his birth. On the eight day after his birth, Jesus was circumcised, a rite that marked in his flesh that he belonged to the covenant community that originated with God's promise to Abraham. At that time, too, Jesus formally received the name given him by the angel Gabriel. Jewish ritual demanded two other gestures of devotion: the 'buying back' from God of the first-born and the purification of the mother. God asked families in subsequent generations to recall the Exodus by consecration to him their first-born child. Jesus had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God. Mary, the sinless one, did not need to be purified yet she offered herself and her symbolic offering, of the poor, two turtle doves, to the Lord. The presentation of Jesus, the ritual purification offering of Mary, Simeon and Anna's ritual practice of devotion, were all blessed by God. This reality and today's gospel hint that Catholic ritual devotions serve to dispose those who practice them for encounters with the divine. Though not an end in themselves, these rituals can serve as a means of getting to know the Lord better in our lives. Keeping it pure! At my mountain cabin in western North Carolina, there is a refreshing spring of clean cool water. The oldest resident in the community says he never knew it to dry up in summer or to freeze over in the winter. The water is pure and good, and the flow is constant at all times of the year. But the spring could become contaminated. This would happen if I let the dense growth above it be removed, or turned surface water into it, or built a stable and kept cattle just above it. No longer would its water be pure and good. No longer would it be desirable. But I would never allow these things to happen to my spring. I keep an eye on it for out of it flows water not only to my cabin but also to the cabins of my neighbours. Friends come to see me and drink of the water from the spring, and an occasional hiker stops to slake his thirst. For my sake and theirs, my spring must be kept pure. The same with my heart! E. L. Clegg in 'Together' Film -Terminator 2: Judgement Day In the closing scene, the Terminator (who in the previous film was the arch-enemy - links to Lucifer!), is lowered into a vat of molten metal, because this is the only way to destroy his otherwise indestructible micro-chip and the power of destruction that it contains. The destruction must be accomplished by his friends, as he is unable to "self-destruct" - powerful connotations for considering the Judas story. The knowledge of what it means to be human and to feel grief is also highlighted. The final image of his destruction is at hand (God to man? Crucifixion?) reaching up (also links back to the last image in the first film, where the hand which kept coming alive represented the power of evil.) The whole film has strong themes of salvation and the cost of salvation - for instance, is it justifiable to destroy a family in order to save the world? - All of us have an unique identity and mission in life, we can be the source of much good or evil. Rather than self-destruct, can we work towards multiplying goodness and blessing? David Hogg - 'Website-Text this Week' What God needs A girl belonging to a rich family was found visiting places. She had little time for her mother who was ill. The girl was in Kashmir when, suddenly she remembered that her mother's birthday was near. She bought her a beautiful shawl, of a rare material, and sent it to her mother. The mother received the costly packet on her birthday but did not care to look at the shawl. There were tears in her eyes as she wrote to her daughter: "My child what shall I do with the shawl? I want you, YOU, YOU! - God speaks the same words to us. "What shall I do with your rituals and ceremonies, your gifts of silver and gold? I want YOU!" which means I want your heart - a heart contrite and lowly, humble and holy. J.P. Vaswani in '101 Stories for you and me' May we dedicate our lives to being instruments of God's love and peace! 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.
