22-Jul-2012
Dear Friend, This Sunday's readings centre on food - an essential commodity of life. It is said some people live to eat, while others eat to live! Is eating the main purpose of life or is there a bigger and better purpose? In our world today we have an unequal distribution of resources. While a major section starve and wonder from where they will get their next meal, a small minority enjoy sumptuous meals and worry more about how to diet! The imbalance is man-made and occurs when we only think of ourselves and our needs first. Our God gives of his bounty and expects us to share his gifts with others. Have a sharing weekend! Fr. Jude Sunday Reflections: Seventeenth Sunday: "He provides for all people through our sharing" 29-Jul-2012 Readings: 2 Kings:4: 42-44 Eph.4: 1-6 John 6: 1-15 In the first reading we find the prophet Elisha surrounded by his disciples, about a hundred in number receiving the yearly first fruits of the harvest, about twenty loaves of bread made from the first barley harvested. These loaves of bread were totally insufficient to feed the hundred persons present. Yet Elisha orders his servant to lay them in front of the crowd for their meal. The servant objects but Elisha insists and all those present ate as much as they wanted and there were still some leftovers. The church recalls this Old Testament episode to stress that while Elisha fed a hundred men with twenty loaves, Jesus fed five thousand with just five loaves! This was to be a sign of things to come with the coming of Jesus. That's my onion! There was this rich lady who lived on her own and led an impeccable life as far as the externals of religion were concerned. She went to mass daily, found little or nothing to confess when she went to confession because, as she repeatedly asserted, she "never bothered anybody." Eventually she died and to her horror and surprise found that she had been assigned to hell. She went to the devil and complained bitterly about her treatment, explaining how she had lived a virtuous and utterly blameless life on earth and claimed there must be a mistake. Satan inquired of Peter and was told there was no mistake, the woman was utterly selfish and self-centred and she was where she belonged. But Peter conceded, that if she could think of one single act of kindness, heaven would be open to her. After a few days of examination the woman returned in high spirits, saying that she could recall one good deed she had done. "One day," she said, "as I was cooking the dinner a beggar came to the back door. He was hungry and I gave him an onion." Peter checked and found that it was true and Peter said to Satan. "We are going to lower the onion at the end of a rope. Tell her to clasp it and then we'll pull her up here." Needless to say the woman was overjoyed as the rope was lowered with her onion dangling on the end of it. She grabbed the onion. As she was being pulled up, some of her companions, seeing the opportunity of getting out with her, clung to her. "Let go, let go," she shrieked, kicking out at them, "that's my onion." With these words, "That's my onion," the rope snapped and she fell back, with her onion, into the arms of Satan, who said to her, "That rope was strong enough to save both you and your brothers, but it was not strong enough to save you alone." James A Feeban from 'Story Power' The Gospel begins on the note that a large crowd kept following Jesus oblivious of their hunger and other bodily needs. It is Jesus who was concerned about their need and said to Phillip, "Where are we going to buy bread for these people to eat?" Jesus knew what he would do but he wanted to see what his disciples would do. Were they concerned? Would they trust him to do the needful? For Phillip feeding the crowds presented a problem that had no solution. He was thinking of the problem and how he was going to solve the problem with the resources he had. Phillip's attitude is often our own each time we come across a problem. The problems are too big and we and our resources are too small, so we don't even attempt to look at the problem. Then there is Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, who sees the problem but he also sees some solution. He knows a boy who has only five barley loaves and two fish. He knows that this is woefully inadequate but he brings it all the same to Jesus. Jesus could have fed the multitude without the help of his disciples and their meager resources but He needed their involvement; he needed whatever they could offer. The little that they put into His hands became more than enough, through the power of love, which is the power of God. The same call goes out to us believers today: "What are we doing about the problems facing people today?" Too often we are thinking of the immensity of the problem. We are ashamed of the little resources we have, not realizing that God can only work with us and through us when we know we can't manage on our own. "When I am weakest, his grace is strongest in me." When we share the little that we have, others share as well and God does the rest. After the miracle was performed and the people have had their full, Jesus asked his disciples to gather the leftovers, and they filled twelve baskets. This little detail reminds us of the generosity of God, when He gives he does not calculate but gives us more than we deserve and more than we need. Secondly, because we have more than enough we should not waste the good things we are blessed with. Today there are many that starve while there are others who waste the resources on lavish living. We need to remind ourselves that every blessing given us is not only for ourselves alone but for others as well. Let's live simply so that others may simply live! Those without anything ended up with more than they could eat... For the past few years I had the privilege of accompanying a disabled children's picnic to Lourdes. One of the days involved a trip to the mountains for a picnic, and fun and games. Everybody is supplied with food and drink, which is packed in several large card boxes. On my first trip one of the groups discovered when they got to the mountain that they had left all their food and drink back in the hotel. There was no chance of getting sufficient refreshments locally, so there was only one obvious solution. Those of us with food and drink examined what we had, and selected one or two items which we gave to those without food and drink. As there were many groups involved, it so happened that those without anything ended up with more than they could eat, while all the rest of us were more than happy with what we had. Jack McArdle in 'And that's the Gospel Truth' Stone Soup During the Second World War a group of GI's found themselves in the square of a French village. No one was around. They were tired and hungry. The people were hiding behind their shutters, unaware that the allies had the Nazis on the run. A GI spotted a timid citizen behind a pillar: "Do you know where we can get something to eat?" The man shrunk back further. The GI turned to his companion and said, "Guess we'll just have to make some 'Stone Soup'," A few windows went up farther to listen to and observe this "Stone Soup". The two GI's gathered some kindling and some sticks and soon had a roaring fire going on in the town square. "Anyone got a pot or kettle?" Someone bought a large pot. The GI's found some water and filled the pot, stirring it vigorously. "Sure wish we had some potatoes," one GI said. A man went off and bought back some potatoes. The GI's stirred the pot vigorously. The crowd was not quite large. "Some carrots, beets, and onions would really be nice." These items mysteriously materialized from dark cellar caches. By now the aroma of the stew was spreading throughout the village and almost everyone was in the town square. Someone bought some meat to throw in the pot. Soon two accordions appeared." "Time to eat!" cried one GI. He began to ladle up the rich, juicy hot stew and hand it out to the other townspeople, who were hungry too. After everyone had eaten, the music and dancing continued till the morning. Soon the people went back to their houses. But everyone said the "Stone Soup" was the nicest meal they had ever eaten. The Eucharist is "stone soup" life-giving food for our spirits. Do we have anything to contribute to the Eucharistic celebration? Anonymous The Beggar and the King Tagore has that beautiful story of the beggar and the king. There was this beggar who sat begging daily at the temple gate and lived on the alms he collected from the devotees, who came to the temple. One day he heard that the king was due to come to worship at that temple the next day and he was delighted at the opportunity to meet the king. "Surely He said to himself, he will give me a handsome donation and I will not have to beg any more." The next day he got up early and eagerly went to the temple to await the arrival of the king. Some time later he saw the king approaching on his white charger. The beggar approached the king eager with expectation but something strange happened. Before he could ask the king for alms, the king himself got off his horse, approached the beggar and stretched out his hand begging for alms! The poor beggar was dumbfounded and did not know what to do. Reluctantly, he put his hand into the bag, which contained the alms he had collected and picking up a few grains of corn, he dropped them into the outstretched hand of the king. The king thanked the king for the grains of corn and getting on to his horse rode away. The beggar was very disappointed and disillusioned by what had happened. His chance of a lifetime had disappeared; he was left to beg for his livelihood as usual. That evening he grumbled all the way home. On reaching his home he poured out the contents of his bag to see what he had collected during the day. Lo and behold he found a few grains of gold among the grain he had collected. He then remembered that he had given just a few grains of corn to the king. Too late he realized that if he had given more he would have received more from the king. Rabindranath Tagore in 'Gitanjali' Do it now! There was a rich man who complained to his friend thus: The people do not like me. They say I am very stingy and greedy, but I have made my will. I have willed the entire property to a charitable institution. The friend replied, "Have you heard of the story of the pig and the cow?" A pig came to the cow and complained: "People speak so well of you and your friendliness. It is true that you give milk. But they profit from me much more. They have meat and sausages of different types. Even my feet and hands they eat. Still nobody loves me as they love you. For everybody I am a pig, nothing more. Why?" The cow reflected and said, "Perhaps it is because I give while I am alive, you give, or rather it is taken away, after you are dead!" -Is it not folly to postpone the good we can do here and now for later? Anonymous Every bit counts They tell the story of a harvest festival held in a small French village. It would be a week of celebration and thanksgiving. It would be a community effort. Each family was supposed to contribute some food and drink. In fact they would make filling of the wine barrel at the fair grounds a co-operative effort. Each family would bring five litres of their own wine and pour it into this community barrel from which they would all drink. On the final day of the celebrations, the mayor of the town was asked to open the barrel and pass around the wine for one great toast. He opened the tap and drew the first glass. He tasted it. It was only water! You see, each villager had brought only water and saved his own wine at home. Each one was so sure that in so large a barrel a little water would never be noticed. Frank Michalic in 'Tonic for the Soul' May we discover that in giving we receive more than we give! Fr. Jude Botelho judebote...@yahoo.co.in 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.
