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Support growing the reading habit among Goa's next generation of achievers
Bookworm Library and Magazine
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7-Oct-2007
Dear Friend,
We love to get things and we want God to give us what we ask, as soon as
possible. But often, after we have received what we wanted, we are so taken up
with the gift that we forget the giver. We ourselves know how hurt we feel when
people are not grateful for what we have done for them. Are we grateful to God
for his countless gifts? Have a thankful weekend counting our daily blessings.
Fr. Jude
Sunday Reflections: Twenty-sixth Sunday Get and forget? 14-Oct-07
Readings: 2Kings 5:14-17; 2Timothy 2:8-13; Luke
17:11-19;
The first reading speaks of the healing of Naaman the leper by the prophet
Elisha and his deep gratitude that he shows to the prophet for the healing he
has experienced. He wishes to express his gratitude tangibly by offering a gift
to the prophet, and when the prophet refuses the gift he is ready to show his
thanks by carrying back soil on which to erect an altar to the true God. What
is remarkable is that Naaman is a foreigner, a pagan who acknowledges the true
God, while the Israelites refuse to acknowledge and worship their true God, but
go after pagan Gods. The response psalm expresses the thanks of both Naaman and
the leper in todays Gospel, as well as the gratitude of the Church, for the
gift of salvation in Christ. Sing a new song to the Lord for he has worked
wonders
Showing gratitude
Byron Dell grew up on a farm in Nebraska. When he was eight years old, he had a
pony named frisky. Sometimes the pony lived up to its name. One morning when
Byron was getting the cows, Frisky bolted at breakneck speed. Byron held on for
dear life, and emerged unhurt. That night Byrons father accompanied him
upstairs to bed and asked his son to kneel with him and thank God that he was
not hurt. There besides Byrons bed the father prayed out aloud a spontaneous
prayer of thanksgiving to God. That incident happened 55 years ago, but Byron
never forgot it. It moved him deeply and gave him a greater appreciation of his
father. Above all, it taught him to be grateful. And ever since, he has made
gratitude to God a regular part of his life.
Mark Link in Sunday Homilies
In the second reading from Paul to Timothy, Paul is reminding his readers
that we have to be grateful to God at all times even when things do not go
according to our plans and we are in pain. In everything we are called to give
praise. We find it difficult to praise God or other people. Praise presupposes
two elements the recognition of good in whatever form it comes, and the due
acknowledgement of that good through some gesture or action. If we arent
grateful to God we cant taste the joy of finding Him in his creation. Even
suffering and pain can be cause for praise and gratitude, because they can
bring blessing and redemption.
I had no idea there were so many
My little daughter said, Daddy, I am going to count the stars. Very well,
I said. Go on. By and by I heard her counting, Two hundred and twenty three,
two hundred and twenty four. Oh dear, she said. I had no idea there were so
many! I sometimes say in my soul, Now Master, I am going to count your
blessings. Soon my heart sighs, not with sorrow, but burdened with such
goodness, and I say to myself, I had no idea that there were so many.
Mark Pearse in Quotes and More Quotes
Todays Gospel narrates the incident of the ten lepers who came to Jesus to
be cured of their leprosy. Their request is simple and to the point: Jesus
master, have pity on us! The lepers did not give Jesus detailed instructions
about what they needed. They did not tell Jesus that their wives and children
would be uncared for unless he healed them. Nor did they make solemn promises
about what they would do if he cured them. They did not press him to heal them
within a certain deadline. As a matter of fact they didnt ask him to cure
them! They prayed the near perfect prayer of petition. They left their petition
open-ended. Have pity on us! They did not spell out the pity that would be
acceptable to them. They left that to the Saviour. We on the other hand are
tempted to tell Jesus how our struggles should turn out, what the acceptable
solution would be, we usually tend to put the specific result within our
petition. That does not give the Lord much of a choice! It
takes great faith to pray open-ended. Let God be God in our lives!
Perfect Prayer
They asked the abbot Macarius, saying, How ought we to pray? and the old
man said, There is no need of much speaking in prayer, but often stretch out
thy hands and say, Lord, as Thou wilt and as Thou knowest, have mercy on me.
But if there is war in your soul, add, Help me. And because he knoweth what
we have need of, he showeth us his mercy. Spin carefully, Spin prayerfully,
leaving the thread to God.
Anonymous
The last part of the gospel reminds us that though all ten lepers were
cleansed and healed, as they went to show themselves to the priest as Jesus had
ordered them, overjoyed by their cure they forgot their benefactor. Only one
came back, a foreigner, to thank Jesus for the healing. That man underwent the
process of conversion necessary for all of us realizing that we are nothing,
acknowledging God and his gifts, being aware that we need God and desiring to
turn to Him and serve Him with all our heart. Expression of thanks to God is an
integral part of gratitude.
Todays gospel episode is linked with the parable on lowly service read last
Sunday: it extends the teaching by inviting us to marvel at the free gifts of
God. Along the way which was very much his own, leading to his death and
resurrection, Jesus met with leprosy, a disease which cut the sufferer off from
worship and normal social intercourse. Like those who in the psalms call on the
tender compassion of the God of the covenant, the lepers called on one whom
they saw as a possible saviour. By sending them first to those who were
responsible for recognizing a cure, Jesus not only made them a promise, he also
tested their faith. At the time they were not yet healed; their healing
occurred as they were going away in obedience to Jesus. Then in their joy,
forgetting their benefactor, they scattered like foam thrown back in the sea.
There was an exception though: a Samaritan, almost a foreign pagan! He was not
content to receive healing because of his faith. He increased
his faith by returning, giving praise to God, and in recognizing in Jesus the
priest who having raised him up and saved him, could send him on his way and
number him among his own. One in ten: that is our percentage, Lord, do not
waste your miracles for our sakes! -Glenstal Bible Missal
Annual Thanksgiving Letter
In 1939, Sgt. Robert Mac Cormack saved the life of his commanding officer,
Mayor Harry Parkin, on a battle field in France. He has just received his
thirty-fifth annual letter of thanks from Parkin, now an estate agent in
Richmond, Yorkshire. Dear Bob, Parkin wrote, I want to thank you for the
thirty five years of my life which ordinarily I would not have had were it not
for you. I am grateful to you. -Yes, gratitude is the memory of the heart. We
are often accustomed to turn to God in trouble and forget him when things go
well. Day after day we experience Gods blessings and care, but are we grateful
to him?
Antony Kolencherry in Living the Word
Two men were walking through a field when they suddenly saw an angry bull
charging at them. Immediately they began to run to the fence. Soon it became
clear that they were not going to make it. So one man shouted to the other and
said, We are gone. Nothing is going to save us. Say a prayer quick. The
other shouted back. I have never prayed in my life. And I dont have a prayer
for this occasion. Never mind, shouted the other, Any prayer will do.
Well, said the second one, I will say the prayer I remember my father used to
say before meals: For what we are about to receive, O Lord, make us truly
grateful .
John Rose in Johns Sunday Homilies
May we express our gratitude by giving thanks to God in every situation!
Fr. Jude Botelho
www.netforlife.net
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.
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