[Goanet] [JudeSundayReflections] 32nd Sunday of the Year
26-Oct-2014 Dear Friend, The question could be asked: Who is wise and who is foolish? Is wisdom a matter of age and experience? In that case there should be many wise people among the aged and yet we know that there are few who are truly wise. Does wisdom come from learning and acquiring skills? Perhaps we know many people who have acquired degrees and possess many skills but who are not necessarily wise people. Can we do anything to become wise people? Is not wisdom a gift bestowed by God? Today’s word confronts the foolish and the wise of this world. Have a discerning weekend. -Fr. Jude Sunday Reflections: 32nd Sun. 'Seek and await God’s wisdom, to make wise choices always!’ 9-Nov-2014Wis. 6:12-16; 1 Thes. 4: 13-18; Matt. 25: 1-13; The first reading from the Book of Wisdom personifies wisdom, as Lady Wisdom, who is to be found by all who seek her. Through divine wisdom God communicates to mankind the meaning of life and living. What we need most in life is wisdom; when we have found God we become truly wise since He guides our every step. True wisdom in a person is that quality that shows that one is truly in contact with God, and that He is, in a large measure, acting in one’s life. Wisdom can be said to be the inner light, given by God, which, is given only to those who thirst for it, seek it, love it and carefully nurture it when received. The Parable of the CaveThree wise men were encouraged to find what had been called the Cave of wisdom and life. They made careful preparations for what would be a challenging and arduous journey. When they reached the place of the cave, they noted a guard at the entrance. They were not permitted to enter the cave until they had spoken to the guard. He had only one question for them, and he demanded that they answer only after talking it over with one another. He assured them that they would have a guide to lead them through the regions of the cave. His question was a simple one, “How far into the Cave of wisdom and life do you wish to go?” The three travelers took counsel together and returned to the guard. Their response was, “Oh, not very far. We just want to go far enough into the cave so that we can say that we have been there.” The reaction of the guard manifested none of his great disappointment as he summoned someone to lead the three seekers a short distance into the cave, and then watched them set out again after a very short time, set out to make the journey back into their own land.Paula Ripple in ‘Walking with Loneliness’ In today’s Gospel Jesus tells a parable of the seven wise and seven foolish virgins to remind us that we should be awake and prepared for the coming of the Lord, because we do not know at what hour he will come. The virgins stand for people who are waiting for the coming of the Lord. To be wise is to be ready and prepared for any eventuality, for what might happen. Jewish wedding ceremonies were celebrated at night. The girls who formed the procession accompanied the groom to the house of the girl’s father. No time was set. Those who were prepared were welcomed, while the unprepared were left out. Their fault wasn't to sleep but to be unprovided for their part in the torchlight procession. Missing the feast meant losing the kingdom. The virgins typify mankind in search of purpose. Some lack resolution, others are preoccupied with the distractions and trivialities while some stay focused on their ultimate purpose. The kingdom of heaven is like…The kingdom of heaven is like ten young people who wanted to hear a very popular pop group that was due to arrive in town. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. When the tickets went on sale the five wise ones queued up all night and duly secured their tickets. But the five foolish ones did not bother to queue up for them. On the night of the concert they went along nevertheless, thinking that they would be able to buy tickets at the door, or that they would meet someone who would get them in. Alas, when they got there, all the tickets were gone, and they were turned away at the door. They went away with a sad and empty feeling. –Most of us know that feeling. It’s not a pleasant feeling. Still we get over it. Usually, what’s at stake is not that important –a football match, or a concert, or some such thing. Life goes on; we survive and soon forget about it. But in Jesus’ story what is at stake in nothing less than our eternal salvation.Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies’ He wants the best for usA columnist, Scott Bennett, tells the story of a man ‘Michael’, who was facing a series of devastating reversals in his life, leaving him desperate and defenseless. He had no job, his car had been repossessed, his marriage was ending, and his father had just died a month earlier. One night, in a frantic cry for help, Michael lifted up his face to the stars. And
[Goanet] [JudeSundayReflections] 32nd Sunday of the Year in Ordinary Time
3-Nov12013 Dear Friend, Sometimes when terrible things happen to us or to our near and dear one we tend to question God: "Why does God make the innocent suffer?" "Why do bad things happen to good people?" "Why do some people die young?" "Why do I have to sacrifice what I enjoy and love?" God does not provide ready answers to our queries. Yet our faith tells us that our God is not a God who enjoys seeing us suffer. Our God is a God of life and of the living! Even through death he brings us to Life! Have a life-giving, life-enriching weekend! Fr. Jude Sunday Reflections: 32nd Sunday "Our God is of the living, not of the dead, for Him all are in fact alive!" 10-Nov-2013 2 Maccabees 7: 1-2, 9-14; 2 Thessalonians 2: 16 - 3: 5; Luke 17: 11-19; The context of today's first reading is the persecution by King Antiochus of the Jews because of their fidelity to their religion. As today, just as in the past, the abstention from eating pork characterized one of the religious practices of the Jews. They were persecuted for this and forced to eat pork in public which they resisted. In today's reading we see the powerful witness that a family gives as they prefer to die rather than go against their faith. The motto of the religious Jew was: Death rather than going against God's precepts and commandments. The brave mother consoles and encourages her seven sons to go to their death rather than betray their God. This is one of the first expressions in the Old Testament of belief in the personal resurrection. In the face of persecution Israel confesses that God is sufficiently powerful and just to raise them to a blessed life. Why should I be afraid? A botanist saw some rare flowers at the lower end of a cliff, but could not reach them. He couldn't think of any way to reach them but to tie a rope to his little child's waist and lower him until he could pick the flowers. "Aren't you afraid, little one? The child was asked. "The child replied, "Why should I be afraid when my father is holding the rope?" The man who surrenders himself to God, the Heavenly Father, is taken care of at every step, in every round of life. He knows that his Father is in charge and so nothing can go wrong. J.P. Vaswani in '101 Stories for You and Me' In the course of his public ministry Jesus faced a variety of groups and individuals critical of his beliefs and values. In today's gospel Jesus is approached by some Sadducees who question him about the resurrection. Like so many of us, the Sadducees clung to their own way of thinking which led them to be religiously conservative, opposing any doctrine that did not fit into their way of thinking and living. They believed only in the present life, they enjoyed the present, without any worry or concern about the afterlife and hence they questioned the resurrection. In today's gospel they pose a tricky rabbinical question to Jesus to catch him. They attempt to ridicule the resurrection of the dead by recalling the Mosaic Law on levirate marriage, which stated that if a man dies and has no son, and therefore no legal heir, his brother must marry the widow. In this way the continuity of the family would be guaranteed. The Sadducees develop their example to absurdity in instancing seven brothers each of whom marry the same woman, but each of whom die childless. Jesus in his response elevates the discussion to give a deeper understanding of the resurrected life. Firstly, he said we should not look at the afterlife from our human and limited perspective. Life there is quite different. Secondly, since the Sadducees held only to the Law of Moses, Jesus returned to that, citing the remarkable incident of Moses encountering God in the burning bush, where he identifies himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. When Moses heard from God, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were long dead, yet God said "I am the God of these three patriarchs" not "I was" but "I am!" their God. So Abraham, Isaac and Jacob still lived! So the creative power of God brings about life after death! The Sadducees became silent. Jesus had showed them that God was the God of life, and God of the living, and those who believe live forever. Film -The Day After When the movie The Day After was shown on television in 1983, it caused quite a controversy. This was because it was focused on the ultimate What if- the event of a global nuclear war. What if the population of Kansas City is instantly reduced to vapourised silhouettes; What if the blistered wounded are doomed to die; What if some survivors are surrounded by radioactive fallout that settles like a fine white dust all over the earth? The Day After was intended primarily to provoke serious reflection and discussion about nuclear disarmament. But it also provokes questions about our faith. Would a good God allow such a terrifying evil to happen? Why do we have to die at all? Is
