13-Jun-2016 Dear Friend, If we were asked who Jesus was, what would our answer be? But if Jesus himself were to demand a personal answer, what would be our response? It is easy to give ‘second hand’, handed-down answers. They are the responses of others but not our own. Faith has to be a personal response to Jesus. May each day help us to discover who Jesus is for me. Have a ‘Christ-affirming’ weekend! -Fr. Jude Sun Ref. Twelfth Sun: “Who is Jesus?” “The Lamb of God, slain for us!” 19-Jun-2016 Zac. 12: 10-11, 13-1; Gal. 3: 26-29; Luke 9: 18-24;
Today’s first reading from Zachariah speaks of the prophecy of the final restoration of Jerusalem. This Old Testament prophecy pictures God pouring out on the House of David a spirit of grace, but in a situation of suffering. This spirit will bring about a new understanding of Jesus and a greater personal intimacy with God. This prophecy was brought to its fulfillment on the day of Pentecost with the presence and activity of the Spirit in the Christian community of which the early Christians were so acutely aware. Enlightened by the SpiritSuppose you walk into town looking for your friend Wantok’s house. You meet a fellow and ask him where it is. And he says something like, “Oh, yes, just go down the main street there until you come to a church, then turn right and go down two more streets, then turn left... Your Wantok’s house is the fifth one on the right side of that street.” If you heard all of that, you would probably forget it very easily, so this man sees that you are puzzled and he says to you, “Forget all about the directions. I’ll go along with you and show you the way. Follow me.” -That is what the Spirit does in our life. He shows us the way to Jesus.Frank Michalic in ‘1000 stories you can use’ In today’s gospel Jesus asks his disciples what people think about him. That question was easy and the disciples were quick to respond: “Some say you are John the Baptist, others Elijah and still others say you are one of the prophets.” Then Jesus asks the all-important question: “But you, who do you say that I am?” That question demands a personal answer. After Peter confesses: ‘You are the Christ of God’, Jesus warns them about his forthcoming passion and death, as if to remind them and us that all those who confess and believe in him must know that they are called to follow him even to death. “To this question thirty, forty, even fifty years of life have not yet fitted me for the reply I should like to make: that He is my life. And if Jesus is someone for me, it is first because he was someone for others and so became incarnate in my life through the lives of believers, who showed forth more or less well the faith by which they lived. Our immense responsibility is to be mirrors, even if not good ones, reflecting the image of the Lord.” No pain no gainSome time ago several movies reflected the connection that exists between suffering and success. The Rocky series about boxing, Chariots of Fire about track events, Vision Quest about wrestling, illustrate how pain is the price athletes have to pay for victory. We get the same message from television, too. Paper Chase about lawyers, St.Elsewhere about doctors, and Fame about theatre performers emphasize how long hours of study and training are necessary to become a true professional. In other words the common athlete locker room slogan of “No pain no gain” fits especially well in libraries, labs and dressing rooms. The message is the same –without discipline there can be no development; without denial, no dedication; without some suffering, no success. A similar message appears in today’s readings.Albert Cylwicki in ‘His Word Resounds’ Paying the price…Mr. Girard, an atheist millionaire of Philadelphia, one Saturday ordered all his clerks to come the next day to his wharf and help unload the newly arrived ship. One young man replied quietly: “Mr. Girard, I can’t work on Sundays.” “You know our rules?” “Yes, I know, but I can’t work on Sundays.” “Well, step up to the desk and the cashier will settle with you.” For three weeks the young man could find no work, but one day a banker came to Girard to ask if he could recommend a man for cashier in a new bank. The discharged young man was at once named as a suitable person. Although Girard had dismissed the man, he recognized his sterling character. Anyone who could sacrifice his own interests for what he believed to be right would make a loyal trustworthy cashier.Anthony Castle in ‘More Quotes and Anecdotes’ What do you know of Jesus?A poor illiterate man wanted to be baptized. The parish priest asked him many questions to see whether he was fit for baptism. “Where was Jesus born? How many apostles did he have? How many years did he live? Where did he die? The poor man knew nothing of all these questions. Irritated, the priest then said, “At least you know prayers like the Our Father and the I Believe”? The man again shook his head. “What do you know then?” asked the priest flabbergasted. The man explained, “Before I met Jesus I was a drunkard who beat up my wife and children; I lost my job and was wasting my life.” Then he continued, “But after encountering Jesus, I’ve quit drinking. I work hard and have begun to love my family. For me Jesus is my personal Saviour!”Francis Gonsalves in ‘Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds’ Carrying our own crossWilma Rudolf was a disaster from birth. She was a tiny premature baby, who caught pneumonia, then scarlet fever and finally polio. The polio left one leg badly crippled, with her foot twisted inward. Until the age of seven Wilma hobbled around on metal braces. Then she asked her sister to watch while she practiced walking without braces. She kept this up every day, afraid her parents might discover what she was doing, and she would have to stop. Eventually, feeling guilty, she told her doctor, who was flabbergasted. However, he gave her permission to continue as she was, but only for a short period of time. Wilma worked at it until she was able to throw away her crutches for good. She progressed to running and by the time she was sixteen she won a bronze medal in a relay race in the Melbourne Olympics. Four years later in the Rome Olympics, she became the first woman to win three gold medals in track and field. She returned to a ticket tape welcome in the US, had a private meeting with President Kennedy, and received the Sullivan Award as the nation’s top amateur athlete. – It is in facing up to the daily carrying of the cross that releases within us our full potential.Jack McArdle in ‘And that’s the Gospel truth’ Daily MartyrdomYesterday I met a mother who has a daughter studying in Europe. One of her friends was flying to Europe, and she had cooked some sweets for her daughter. She had worked very long on her gift and packed it carefully. At the airport a custom-house officer told her: “You are not allowed to fly that present out.” They both knew this was nonsense. They both knew what was expected. She told him: “No, I am not going to bribe,” and the food stayed there. She is still so sad about it that she hasn’t eaten any of it herself. We should not dramatize a gesture like that. Jesus would definitely see it in the light of his struggle, in the light of his cross. That is what he meant with his daily martyrdom, witnessing (because that is what martyr means) in your pain to the reality he stood for. The reality we should stand for daily.Joseph Donders in ‘Praying and Preaching the Sunday Gospel’ May the path of the crucified one enlighten our own when faced with sufferings! 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.
