27-Jun-2016 Dear Friend, There are times in our lives when everything around us is going to pieces yet we remain totally at peace, and other times when the world around is peaceful, there is a storm raging within us. What is the source of our peace? Do externals matter when God is in charge of our life? Have a ‘Peace-filled’ weekend! -Fr. Jude Sun Ref. Fourteenth Sunday: “Go your way! Bless God! His kingdom comes!” 03-July-2016Isaiah 66: 10-14; Gal. 6: 14-18; Luke 10: 1-12, 17-20;
Today’s first reading from Isaiah promises peace to the distressed people. The longing for peace was very deep in the centuries before Christ, when Palestine was trampled by its enemies constantly. Against this background of instability, upheaval, oppression and sin, the Jewish greeting of ‘Shalom’ peace, developed. But this peace was not the mere absence of strife but the deep inner peace which only God can give. Perfect peace was brought by the Messiah and He comes to us even now to bring us that deep inner peace. Starving in a food storeMaria Janczuk during World War II suffered privation, torture and hunger in a Nazi concentration camp. After the war, she lived in Leeds, England. On January 22, 1971 she was found dead of starvation in her house. But her cupboards were full of eggs, butter, cheese and milk, which she hoarded. The policeman who investigated said, “It was like a food store.” The horrors of life and hunger in the concentration camp had probably created a fear in her mind which probably remained with her through the rest of her life. She died of starvation, even though her kitchen shelves were stocked. There is an abundance of blessings, promises, assurances of peace, eternal life and all that one needs in this life, in the Word of God. But do we believe?Daniel Sunderaj in ’Manna for the Soul’ In today’s gospel Jesus reminds his followers that the kingdom of God is close at hand but the disciples did not understand. They wanted some visible power, they were naively thrilled that they had experienced power in casting out demons but they could not see the kingdom beyond. They could not believe that the coming of the kingdom could be experienced in the values of the kingdom taking over their lives. While it is true that the kingdom of God was realized with the coming of Jesus into this world, we can and still pray: ’thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven’. It is in this spirit that Jesus sends out the seventy-two disciples. This group of followers, sent in his name, would experience opposition and rejection, but it was necessary that they persevere. Their essential mission is to give to others the peace of Christ. It is essential to note that the substance of their ministry is a healing one, our mission today is the same. If ever there was a time when we needed peace, it is this day and age when we are confronted by violence, insecurity, terrorism and uncertainty of daily existence. Many experience a feeling of helplessness and numbness in the face of what is paralyzing society today. The Gospel challenges men and women of today to be people of peace, to be peacemakers amidst the violence and uncertainty that confronts us. Our Father applaudingThe tuba player played his last note, as the percussion section tapped out their last rhythm. Then the conductor brought the entire concert band to a perfect ending. As I sat in the audience, a man in the front row leaped out of his chair, and began clapping and whistling. He had his gaze fixed on one of the players in the band. His delight in the band, and particularly in one person, was apparent to all. Before you knew it, others gave the band a standing ovation. You would think we were an audience in a concert hall in New York City. The truth is we were a bunch of parents at a small town high school delighting in our kids at their year-end band concert. The image of the dad, leaping to his feet, giving his child the standing "O" is embedded in my mind. Like many of you, I have been blessed to have a dad who has given me standing ovations throughout my entire life. For some of us though, the truth is we may not have had a dad who was cheering us on at all our events. Let me encourage you by finishing my story about the concert. Well, right next to that enthusiastic Dad who started the standing ovation was an empty chair. My first thought was that "God could be sitting in that chair." He is leaping to His feet and giving encouragement. He is with us when we wake up, and when we sleep, and He is with us when other people are not. For all who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we can all look forward to receiving the ultimate standing "O" from our Father when we get to Heaven and He says, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."Anonymous Shalom!!!Elie Wiesel tells a very disturbing story in one of his books. Once after delivering a lecture in New York he met a man who looked vaguely familiar. He began to wonder who he was and where they had met before. Then he remembered. He had known him in Auschwitz. Suddenly an incident involving this man came back to him. As soon as children arrived by train at Auschwitz, together with the elderly and the sick, they were immediately selected for the gas chamber. On one occasion a group of children were left to wait by themselves for the next day. This man asked the guards if he could stay with the children during their last night on earth. Surprisingly his request was granted. How did they spend that last night? He started off by telling the children stories in an effort to cheer them up. However, instead of cheering them up, he succeeded only in making them cry. So what did they do? They cried together until daybreak. Then he accompanied the little ones to the gas chamber. Afterwards he returned to the prison to report for work.Flor McCarthy We are instruments of His peaceThe world famous Pagannini was scheduled to begin his violin recital, one evening, when he found that his Stradivarius violin had been stolen from its case and had been replaced with an old, ordinary violin. The audience was already seated and there was no time to go elsewhere and bring in another violin worthy of the maestro. Undaunted, Pagannini took the old instrument, tuned it to concert pitch and began to perform as if nothing untoward has happened. When he finished the recital, the audience gave him a standing ovation. Pagannini then announced, “Friends, today I’ve performed on an old, ordinary violin; and, I’ve proved to you that the music is not in the instrument but in the maestro!” In today’s gospel, the maestro of mission, Jesus, sends out seventy-two disciples on mission as instruments of his peace.Francis Gonsalves in ‘Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds’ SuperstarsWhat is it that makes an athlete a superstar? Perhaps what makes a superstar shine more brightly than others is his or her confidence and capacity to perform consistently with excellence, especially in pressure situations. One thinks, for example, of the great quarterbacks in pro football, of men like Joe Montana, who with two minutes left in a game can lead his team downfield to snatch a victory out of the clutches of defeat. When the going gets tough you want superstars like Wade Boggs in the batter’s box, or Larry Bird with the basketball in the final seconds of overtime. When the pressure is the greatest, you can almost sense that a superstar like Jack Nicklaus will sink that long putt on the 18th green, or that Wayne Gretzky will put the puck in the net in the last minute of play.-Now what is true of superstars in sports is also true of saints in the Christian life. They have the capacity to come through when the pressure is the greatest. Today’s readings show why. In the first reading from Isaiah, the chosen People are in exile and yet the prophet tells them to exult: “Rejoice, Jerusalem, be glad for her, all you who mourned her … Now towards her I send flowing peace, to his servants Yahweh will reveal his hand…”Albert Cylwicki in ‘His World Resounds’ May we keep discovering inner peace in Jesus! 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.
