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5-Sep-2009
Dear Friend,
Someone has said, “In life it is not what we take up, but what we give up, that
makes us rich.” We can go through life trying to get as much as possible, or we
can take every opportunity to give as much as we can. The spirit of self-denial
and self-sacrifice marks the life of truly great men and women. What we believe
in and the values that we profess are tested and revealed only through our
actions. Words are empty unless we back them with deeds! Let’s have a
grace-filled weekend asking for the strength to reveal our faith in action! Fr.
Jude
Sunday Reflections: Twenty-fourth Sunday of the year ‘Our Faith is seen in
deeds! 13-Sep-2009
Isaiah 50: 5-9; James 2: 14- 18; Mark 8: 27-35;
In today’s first reading the suffering servant of Yahweh despite the opposition
of his fellow human beings believes that he will be vindicated by God. The
suffering servant suffers not merely in spite of his innocence but precisely
because of it and further because of his preaching and teaching mission.
Readiness to Face Death
When the Berkenhead sank, Alexander Russell, a young officer aged seventeen,
was ordered to command one of the boats which carried women and children. As
they were pushing off, a sailor who was drowning clasped the side of the boat,
but there was no room for even one more. A woman on the boat cried: “Save him!
He is my husband.” Russell rose, jumped clear of the boat, and amidst a chorus
of “God bless you!” he sank in the water, which was full of sharks and was seen
no more, the sailor being pulled in to take his place.
Anthony Castle in ‘More Quotes and Anecdotes’
In today’s second reading James, here insists on the necessity for action for
the Christian. Our faith must find its expression in service to others,
especially the needy. The worship of God and service to others are inseparable,
they are like two sides of the same coin. Works than emanate merely from
fulfilling the law are fruitless, our works should be the result of our love
for God and his people. James is talking of the fruit of the seed of God’s word
which must issue in daily life.
Double Lives
G. K. Chesterton has a story about a popular philanthropist. The main reason
for his popularity was his unfailing good humour. No one bothered to ask how he
managed to be always happy. They assumed he was born an optimist. But then one
day he was found dead in mysterious circumstances. Foul play was immediately
suspected. However, the case completely baffled the police. Eventually it was
Chesterton’s unlikely detective, Fr Browne, who solved the case. His verdict –
the man committed suicide. At first the people refused to accept Fr Browne’s
verdict. They couldn’t imagine how such a happy man could commit suicide. But
then it emerged that there was a serious side to the funny man. The man who
made others laugh was in fact a deeply depressed man. But he could never tell
anyone how he really felt. The man had two lives. One open, seen and known by
all, the other secret, and known only to himself. In public he was the man who
smiled at everyone. But
in private he was wounded and desperate. He felt he had to live up to people’s
expectations in return for their attention and esteem. He was never able to be
himself. Finally, he realized that his whole life was based on a lie. The
strain of trying to maintain the public image became so great that he could no
longer cope with it. So he committed suicide.
Flor McCarthy in ‘Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies’
In today’s gospel we see Jesus teaching the crowds and at the same time trying
to form his own disciples. He has come to reveal God’s plan of salvation and
his own part in God’s plan. He tries to see if they are aware of his true
identity and purpose in life, so he asks them: “Who do people say that I am?”
The disciples tell him that some believe he is John the Baptist, some others
say, he is Elijah, and still others believe that he is one of the prophets. The
answers are perhaps flattering, they acknowledge that he is no ordinary human
being; he is one of the prophets or certainly one of the greatest of the
prophets. But Jesus needs a clearer answer. So he asks a direct question: “And
you, who do you say that I am?” Peter on behalf of the apostles makes that
solemn statement; “You are the Christ, the Son of God!” Peter certainly was not
aware of the full impact of his confession. Faith had made him pronounce Jesus
as the Christ of God.
Jesus accepts his confession but he still has to teach them more, and reveal
his full identity. He tells them that he is their Messiah, the promised one.
But not the type of Messiah they were expecting. He is not the strong, powerful
Messiah- Saviour they wanted! He was the Messiah who would suffer, be rejected
and put to death on the cross. As Jesus reveals his true identity and what is
in store for him and for his disciples, this is too much for Peter and so he
steps forward and remonstrates with Jesus. This is not going to happen to him.
He is not going to suffer, he is not going to be rejected. This is not the type
of Messiah Peter expects Jesus to be. Jesus should stop talking of suffering
and failure and death. This cannot be God’s plan for his son. At this Jesus
rebukes Peter: “Get behind me Satan! Because the way you speak is man’s way and
not God’s!” Jesus openly confronts Peter and all those who wish to be his
disciples. They have to
make a choice to follow Jesus or to be against Him. To follow Jesus they
should accept Jesus on his terms and not on theirs! They have to show their
faith and their loyalty to Jesus in actions. To follow Jesus is to be ready to
take up the cross daily and follow Him. There is no cross-less, painless
Christianity! There is no comfortable Christianity! To be a faithful follower
of Jesus we have to walk the way of sacrifice, ready to lose life, ready to
give up everything, when called to be faithful to Him. Are we ready?
What Do We Believe We Are? What Will We Be?
There were three young trees growing together in the forest. They were young,
healthy, and ambitious. They compared their dreams. One wanted to be part of
the structure of a castle or a palace, so it would be a spectator in the lives
of the high and mighty of society. The second wanted to end up as the mast in
one of the tall ships, sailing around the world with a great sense of
adventure. The third hoped to end up as part of some public monument, where the
public would stop, admire, and take photographs. Years passed by, and all three
were cut down. The first was chopped up, and parts of it were put together to
form a manager for a stable in Bethlehem. The second was cut down, and the
trunk was scooped out to form a boat, which was launched on the Sea of Galilee.
The third was cut into sections, two of which were put together, to form a
cross on Calvary. Each had a unique and special part to play in the one great
story of redemption.
Jack McArdle in ‘And that’s the Gospel truth!
“Who is Jesus Christ? What is a Christian? a twofold question which is always
relevant. Even in the lifetime of Jesus, people raised many questions about
him. Some, while they were astonished by the authority of his words, would
declare: ‘Is not this the son of the carpenter? Others saw him as a rebel, a
trouble-maker, even as one possessed by a devil. Others still considered him to
be prophet. For Peter the matter is clear: Jesus is the Christ, he will be the
liberator, the Saviour of Israel! Today, what do they say about Jesus? Is he a
kind of Gandhi, a Martin Luther King, a Che Guevara, the first of the Marxists?
Is he Jesus ‘Superstar’, a fashionable idol? If we go no further than to repeat
what other people say about Jesus, then we ourselves will have divided minds on
the subject. In order to understand something of his mystery, we must take to
heart the personal question which he poses to us? ‘Who do you say that I am?’
‘Who is Jesus
Christ? Still a living question. No amount of acquired knowledge about him
will ever replace a personal knowledge of Jesus which results from a
progressive sharing in his life, to the extent of losing oneself and
encountering the cross with him. To share the life of someone we love, is that
not the very logic of friendship? It is to this vocation of friendship with
Jesus that we are invited. That’s what it is to be a Christian.” -Glenstal
Bible Missal
“Send Me Lord”….
Mrs. O’ Reilly received the news that one of her neighbours was seriously ill.
She said to the person who gave her the news, ‘Tell her that I’ll remember her
in my prayers, and that I hope she’ll soon be feeling better.’ And she was as
good as she promised. She prayed very sincerely and fervently for her
neighbour. She said to God, ‘Lord, I want to commend my neighbour to you. She’s
very seriously ill. She needs a lot of help, a lot of support.’ When she
finished her prayers, she felt better. And yet, something was bothering her.
She sat down to think about it. Then she fell into a dream-like state in which
she heard God saying to her, ‘I can see that you’re very concerned about your
neighbour.’ ‘Yes, Lord, I really am,’ she replied with no little pride. ‘And I
understand that your neighbour is in great need of help,’ said God. ‘So I’ve
been told,’ said Mrs. O’Reilly. ‘You know, what she most needs is someone to
spend a little time with her,’ said the Lord. ‘You’re absolutely right Lord. I
was thinking the same myself,’ Mrs. O’Reilly answered. ‘Now when you asked me
to help her, you weren’t expecting me to comedown from heaven to visit her,
were you?’ ‘No, Lord, I wouldn’t expect you to do that. Nor would my neighbour
expect it either. In fact, I think the shock of it might kill her.’ ‘But she
does need someone to call on her?’ ‘She does, Lord.’ ‘Who can I send?’ After a
long pause, Mrs. O’Reilly said, ‘Send me, Lord.’ When she woke up from her
dream, she knew exactly what she had to do.
Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sundays and Holy Day Liturgies’
May our deeds not our empty words reveal that we are followers of the Master!
Fr. Jude Botelho
judebote...@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 remodelled web
site www.netforlife.net Thank you.
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