13-Jun-2013 Dear Friend,
People attract other people to themselves by promising them a good time, fame and fortune. But whenever people promise good fortune free of cost we begin to doubt and wonder where the catch is. Our life experiences tell us there is no easy way of life, free from all pain. Jesus invited us to follow after him and showed us how he did it. We appreciate our own Dads especially because they have undergone so much for us. On Father's day let's thank God for being our Abba, Father, and for giving us his son, Jesus! Have a 'thanksgiving weekend' enjoying your Abba! Fr. Jude Sunday Reflections: 12th Sunday: "To be my disciple take up your cross and follow me." 23-Jun-2013 Readings: Zach. 12: 10-11, 13: 1Gal. 3: 26-29Luke 9: 18-24 The first reading from the prophet Zechariah has this key line: 'They will look upon the one whom they have pierced', whose meaning is not clear in the original text. However, the early church understood this to be a prophecy of the crowd gazing at the pierced Jesus on the cross, or of the godless who realized their rejection of Jesus at the Last Judgement. We could understand this text to mean that the Church is a people that walks in the footsteps of the crucified Christ. The image of the pierced Christ is not one of defeat and despair, but of hope since God vindicated Jesus and raised Him from the dead. 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 Saviour!" Francis Gonsalves in 'Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds' In today's gospel Jesus puts the key question to his disciples and to the crowd: "Who do you say that I am?" This is a question that Jesus asks of every person. Christianity is not a religion of the book nor of the Law but of a Person, God's son Jesus. Who was Jesus to the crowds that followed him? To some he was a prophet, John the Baptist, or Elijah. Who is Jesus to me right now? To people today Jesus might be a wonder-worker, a superstar, a superman, a revolutionary, a rabble-rouser, a mystery! To Jesus' question about his own identity, Peter's answer was: "You are the Christ of God." This answer was right not because Peter was clever or had studied the scriptures and figured it out, or because of his superior intellect. Faith is not a matter of reasoning or cleverness. Faith is a gift given from above. Peter gave the 'right answer' to Jesus' question, but we must admit he hardly understood what he had said. However, Peter had encountered Jesus and heard him and seen him work and observed him at prayer. Peter could assert that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah. Jesus spells out for Peter what being Messiah meant: "Christ must suffer grievously, be rejected by the elders, be put to death, and be raised up on the last day." What is said about the Christ is applicable to every Christian. A Christian is called to be another Christ. Just as Jesus was the Christ, 'Anointed one', so Christians are meant to be the 'anointed ones.' We are anointed by the same spirit. Jesus spells out what being a follower entails. "If anyone wishes to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself, take up his cross every day and follow me." To be a Christian is never a momentary experience, a once in a life time experience, but a daily one. Jesus asks us to pick up our cross daily, not once in a way. Christianity is not a religion which ends with the way of the cross but one which encounters Jesus in every cross along the way. We are called to walk with Jesus, the anointed one as pilgrims towards God's promise of the resurrection. Wanted: True Followers of Jesus Christ Sir Ernest Shackleton needed 28 volunteers for a dangerous mission to the South Pole. So he placed the following advertisement in the London Times: "Wanted: Persons for a dangerous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful, honour and recognition if successful." Many sceptics were doubtful if he would get volunteers. To their stunned disbelief, he was swamped by over 5000 applications from all over England. From these he selected 28 most eligible and in spite of the anticipated hardships, all returned safely to honour and recognition. -Jesus extends the same invitation to all his followers. It is neither a call to take up arms, nor to embark on a hazardous expedition. But it is an invitation to collaborate with him in establishing the Kingdom of God on earth; it is a call to work with him in transforming the world and making it a place God wants it to be. Of course this challenge is complex and demanding: "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." Countless people have faithfully and generously responded over the past 2000 years, and have striven nobly to make this a better world. Each of us is invited to follow in the footsteps of Jesus for this same mission. What is our answer? James Valladares in 'Your Words, O Lord, are Spirit, and They are Life.' Father's Love has fashioned us Once a boy of five was left alone with his father at bedtime. It had never happened before. After some manoeuvring and a lot of fun, the father finally got the little fellow into his night clothes, and was about to lift him into bed when the child said, "But Dad, I have to say my prayers." He knelt down besides his bed, joined his hands, raised his eyes to heaven and prayed: "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep; if I should die before I wake, I pray my Lord my soul to take." That was his usual prayer, but tonight he looked up at his dad, then raised his eyes to heaven and prayed, "Dear God make me a big good man like my Daddy. Amen." In a moment he was in bed and in five minutes asleep. And then the father knelt at his son's bedside and prayed. "Dear God make me a great big good man like my son thinks I am." -I know a beautiful test that says something like this: "When we were young, our fathers knew everything, when we were teenagers we know everything, but when we get older we wish our father was still there to ask him what he knows." Maybe some fathers can identify very well with the first reading. Perhaps a child has really pierced their heart, but later that same child may be the one who cares most for him with 'compassion'. John Pichappilly in 'The Table of the Word' Associating with failure or success? The scene is a desolate street in London. It is a wet murky night and the rain is bouncing off the street. A man walks down the street with his coat collar high around his neck. He shivers with the cold and pulls his wet coat around his body. He comes to a stop under a lamp post. Somewhere a dog whines and a door bangs shut. Our hero takes a packet of cigarettes and as he lights one exhales a long self-comforting whiff of smoke. He smiles to himself, slowly gathers himself together and makes his way through deserted streets. And a voice says from the screen: "You are never alone with a Strand cigarette." When that advertisement first appeared on television in the early sixties many people thought it was the opening of an Alfred Hitchcock thriller. It worked as an interesting advertisement for a new cigarette. But Stand cigarettes were taken off the market in a matter of weeks because they were associated with a lonely man, a deserted street, a dismal night, and a run-down area. Who wants to associate themselves with a packet of neglect? Nobody. People didn't buy the cigarette because they didn't want to buy into the shabby world associated with it. Nobody wants to follow in the footsteps of someone who is leading nowhere. Few people want to join a movement primed for collapse. -If Jesus made no impact on people they would have no reason to follow him. But people were ready to follow Jesus. When Jesus entered a room something happened. He generated something in people. He gave them hope. He gave them new life. But who is this Jesus for you and me? "Who do you say that I am?" Denis McBride in 'Seasons of the Word' Be Positive Donald B. MacMillan, the Artic explorer, received a letter from an unknown person, when setting out on an expedition to the far North. Inscribed on the cover were the words: "To be opened when everything has gone dead wrong." -The letter was not opened even after fifty years. MacMillan informed his friends that during all the time nothing had gone dead wrong in his life. Whether you think that everything is wrong or good in life is just an attitude. Choosing to develop a positive attitude towards life leads to happiness. G. Francis Xavier in 'Inspiring Stories' Father's Day I know a father who remembers the last time the youngest child would accept a kiss on her way to school. I know a father who raised another man's child as his own and made sure she never felt the lack of a father. I know a father who is called 'stepfather' father and says it means 'to step in' when and where he is needed. I know a father who is called 'father-in-law' and who loves his children-in-law' as much as his own. I know a father whose son is in trouble and who brought uncomfortable attention to his family and yet the father continues to love and support his son praying for him daily. He even decided to give up beer until his hurting son was doing better. I know a man who longed for children of his own and when they didn't come, he fathered all the children who called him 'coach' and 'teacher' and 'friend'. I know a father who was gone too soon and whom I wish I had gotten to know better. People call me 'Father'. Very often I sit down and think of my call to fashion the children of God. - The reality of our lives is that we are known by our actions. How we treat one another is how we first know who we are for ourselves and that is how others come to know us. It is our actions that we will be known for. Let every one of us be reminded of who we are and what our responsibilities are. Glory to you, O just Father, whose love was pleased to fashion us. (Syrian Orthodox) John Pichappilly in 'The table of the Word' While thanking God for being our ABBA, father, let's try to be like our dad! 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.
