[Goanet] [JudeSundayReflections] Good Friday
1-Apr-2015 Dear Friend, Why Good Friday? Why death? Why death forever? It is good and necessary for us to contemplate Jesus on the cross in his agony and death to realize how much God loved us in Jesus. Paradoxically, without the cross life is meaningless, and the world's suffering is meaningless. We need the cross to comprehend the problem of evil and its all-encompassing presence in the world today. We need Jesus on the cross to face our own crosses and to draw strength from Him. May we have an affirming Good Friday! -Fr. Jude Reflections for Good Friday "Being obedient unto death, He became the source of our salvation!" 3-Apr-2015 Isai. 52: 13--53: 12; Heb. 4: 14-16; 5: 7-9; John 18: 1-19: 42; In today's first reading Isaiah paints a startling portrait of the suffering servant of Yahweh. This suffering servant has a dignity about himself and his spirit is intact and unbroken in the midst of all that he suffers. Physically he was abused and reduced to a subhuman condition, yet in the face of all that he suffered there is no bitterness, no anger, no resentment, no complaint. Isaiah is describing not only the suffering servant but in fact he gives us a pen portrait of Jesus himself as he goes to his passion and he also gives us a model of how the Christian is called to respond to suffering. Jesus would embrace the cross and transform it into an expression of love for all human beings. The cross, the object of death can become the object of life for us and for others, if it is embraced with faith, as coming from God's hands. He risked his life, all he got back was…One night a fisherman heard a loud splash. A man on a nearby yacht had been drinking and had fallen overboard. The fisherman leapt into the cold water and rescued the man and revived him with artificial respiration. Then he put the man to bed, and did everything he could to make the man comfortable. Finally, exhausted by the ordeal, the fisherman swam back to his own boat. The next morning the fisherman returned to the yacht to see how the man was doing. "It's none of your business," the man shouted defensively. The fisherman reminded the man that he had risked his life to save him. But instead of thanking him, the man cursed the fisherman and told him that he never wanted to see him around again. Commenting on the episode, the fisherman said: "I rowed away from the yacht with tears in my eyes. But the experience was worth it, because it gave me an understanding of how Jesus felt when he was rejected by those he saved."Mark Link in 'Journey' Today's Gospel presents a mortal conflict between good and evil, a battle between the Prince of Peace and the prince of this world. Good Friday is a day of paradox because an instrument of death becomes the source of life. It is also a day of mystery because the sinless one became as sin; a day revealing mankind at its worst and God at His best. Ultimately on this day love conquers death. Jesus on the cross transforms the curse of the cross into an instrument of blessing and eternal life. In the Gospel we hear an account of the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John. There are several facets of the passion we could successfully reflect upon: The agony in the garden and the fearless confrontation of Jesus with those who came to arrest him. The triple denial of Peter in the presence of a maid servant. The trial before Caiphas in the Pretorium and then his confrontation with Pilate, and the lingering unanswered question: "What is the truth?" We could meditate on the Way of the Cross and his final moments on the cross. We could ask the questions: Why did the Father permit the Son to suffer? Why does God seem to abandon Jesus? Does God abandon his people, his beloved when they suffer? For that matter is the Father oblivious to the passion of his Son and to all his sons and daughters who even now suffer in the world today? While God does not reveal always his power, he always gives us the assurance of his comforting presence. We want God to be a powerful God, one who does away with all suffering. In Jesus' suffering and dying on the cross, we see as it were, an impotent God, a God who is made vulnerable precisely because he loves us, is ready to suffer with us and for us. Thy Will, Not MineRobert Grant's short story The Sign concerns a young man called Davidson. He wants to be a writer and has just mailed his first novel to a publishing house. Filled with fear about the publisher's decision, he goes outside and paces back and forth in an orchard. It was Holy Week. His thought went back and forth between Christ and himself, like a needle and thread: to Christ in the garden of Gethsemane kneeling in prayer, and to himself in the orchard; to Christ preparing for the supreme agony of hanging by nails, back to himself and his book with Dow Press. He stopped and said."Thy will, not mine." But then 'a bolt of awareness' struck him.
[Goanet] [JudeSundayReflections] Good Friday
11-Apr-2014 Dear Friend, Why Good Friday? It is good and necessary for us to contemplate Jesus on the cross in his agony and death to realize how much God loved us in Jesus. The cross without Jesus is meaningless, and the world's suffering is ununderstandable without Jesus. We need the cross to comprehend the problem of evil and its all-encompassing presence in the world today. We need Jesus on the cross to face our cross and to draw strength from Him. May we have an affirming Good Friday! -Fr. Jude Sunday Reflections: Good Friday - On the Cross we see the depth of His love! 18-Apr-2014 Readings: Isaiah 52: 13-53: 12; Hebrews 4: 14-16; 5: 7-9; John 18: 1-19:42; In today's first reading Isaiah paints a startling portrait of the suffering servant of Yahweh. This suffering servant has a dignity about himself and his spirit is intact and unbroken in the midst of all that he suffers. Physically he was abused and reduced to a subhuman condition: In the face of all that he suffered there is no bitterness, no anger, no resentment, no complaint. Isaiah, describing the suffering servant, gives us a model of how a Christian is called to respond to suffering. Jesus embraced the cross and transformed it into an expression of love for all human beings. The cross, the object of death can become the object of life for ourselves and others, if it is embraced with faith and with love. The Kiss I stand by the bed where a young woman lies, her face post-operative, her mouth twisted in palsy; clownish. A tiny twig of the facial muscles of her mouth, had been severed. She will be thus from now on. The surgeon had followed with religious fervour the curve of her flesh; I promise you that. Nevertheless, to remove the tumour from her cheek, I had cut the little nerve. Her husband was in the room. He stands on the opposite side of the bed, and together they seem to dwell in the evening lamplight, isolated from me, private. Who are they, I ask myself, he and this wry-mouth I have made, who gaze at and touch each other so generously, greedily? "Will my mouth always be like this?" she asks. "Yes," I say, "it will be. It is because the nerve was cut." She nods and is silent. But the young man smiles. "I like it," he says, "it is kind of cute." All at once I know who he is. I understand, and I lower my gaze. One is not bold in an encounter with a god. Unmindful he bends to kiss her crooked mouth, and I am so close I can see how he twists his own lips to accommodate her, to show her that their kiss still works. Richard Selzer in 'Stories for the Heart' Today's Gospel is a gospel of paradox: it presents a mortal conflict between good and evil, a battle between the Prince of Peace and the prince of this world. Good Friday is a day of paradox because an instrument of death becomes the source of life. It is also a day of mystery because the sinless one became as sin; a day revealing mankind at its worst and God at His best. Jesus on the cross transforms the curse of the cross into an instrument of blessing and eternal life. In the Gospel there are several facets of the passion we could reflect upon: The agony in the garden and the fearless confrontation of Jesus with those who came to arrest him. The triple denial of Peter in the presence of a maid servant "You are not one of the man's disciples, are you?" He said "I am not." The trial and then his confrontation with Pilate "Are you the king of the Jews?", and the lingering unanswered question: "What is the truth?" We could meditate on the Way of the Cross and his final moments on the cross itself leading to his painful cry, echoed by all who suffer: "My God, my God why have you forsaken me." We could reflect on the first words of Jesus on the cross pleading for forgiveness for his people. Jesus becomes the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. He breaks the chain of violent response to injustice by offering forgiveness instead of vengeance. By accepting his passion and enduring his cross he earns redemption for all mankind. Forgiveness and reconciliation are offered to all who seek them. The glory and the power of the Cross Sir John Bowring, Governor of Hong Kong, once visited the Macao peninsula in the south Chinese coast, and was much impressed by the sight of a huge bronze cross towering on the summit of a massive wall. The wall and the cross were the only remains of a Cathedral built by the Portuguese, which was destroyed by a storm. This beautiful sight of the metal cross from the sea inspired him to write a hymn that made him more famous. He wrote: "In the cross of Christ I glory, Towering over the wreck of time, All the light and sacred story, Gathers round his head sublime." -Today, we are gathered around the mighty shadow cast by the Cross of Christ. The Cross towers over the wrecks of time and around it is gathered all the light of the sacred story. Hanging on the Cross, disowned
[Goanet] [JudeSundayReflections] Good Friday
19-Mar-2013 Dear Friend, We often ask: Why is there suffering? Why Pain? Why should the innocent be made to suffer? Why are good people made to suffer for things they have not done? There is no answer! Suffering will always remain a mystery to be lived not a problem to be solved. Jesus on the cross provides no answers but suggests a way to make every cross a means of life. On Good Friday we are called to celebrate God's undying love! Fr. Jude Sunday Reflections: Good Friday: "By thy Holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world." 29-Mar-2013 Readings: Isaiah 52: 13—53: 12 Heb. 4: 14-16, 5: 7-9John 18: 1-19, 42 In today's first reading Isaiah gives us a description of the suffering servant of Yahweh, which was later applied to Jesus and Jesus saw himself as the suffering servant, and understood his mission as that of the servant of Yahweh. Isaiah contributed three essential points to the understanding of Christ's death: firstly his suffering was innocent, and meritorious; secondly by his suffering salvation and liberation was given to all humanity and thirdly through his suffering the innocent servant of Yahweh was vindicated. The early church saw in Isaiah the perfect prophecy of the passion of Christ. As we read Isaiah's description of the suffering servant we should be aware that the servant does not go about his task mechanically, or with resignation as though there were no other way out, but that he chooses freely though innocent to suffer on behalf of others. The response Psalm echoes this surrender. "Father I put my life in your hands." Suffering for others In Jocelyn Gibb's Light on C.S. Lewis, Nevill Coghill tells a story C.S. Lewis once told him. Lewis married late in life. In his marriage he found the very perfection of love, but soon the wife he loved so much died of cancer. Once, when Lewis was with Coghill he looked across the quadrangle at his wife. "I never expected" he said, "to have in my sixties, the happiness that passed by me in my twenties." "It was then" writes Nevill Coghill, "that he told me of having been allowed to accept her pain." "You mean" said Coghill, "that the pain left her, and that you felt it in your body?" "Yes", replied C.S. Lewis, "in my legs. It was crippling. But it relieved her." John's account of the passion is different from that of the other writers. It begins with the betrayal in the garden. When Jesus stands up to his enemies they fall back. He has the power but it is spiritual. He has chosen his way and violence has no part in it. It is better, holier to know pain than to inflict it on others. So Jesus is bound and led away. The trial follows and Peter betrays Jesus three times. Jesus is taken before the Sanhedrin, he does not defend himself. He is silent and defenseless. Though Pilate knows that Jesus is innocent he is scared of the mob and so condemns Jesus to death on the cross. There are witnesses in John's gospel: his mother, Mary, the wife of Cleopas, Mary Magdalene, and John the disciple Jesus loved. His mother is given to the disciple and the disciple in turn is handed over to his mother. This is the new family of Jesus. The ties are those of the blood of the cross, sacrifice and being given to each other for care-taking. We stand silent before death, sin and evil and acknowledge our part in the destruction of the innocent one and the continued destruction of humanity. We are all marked by the sign of the cross, as a sign of saving grace and as a sign of belonging to the crucified one. As we gaze on the cross we wish to acknowledge the cross as our way of life; our readiness to suffer and repay suffering with goodness. By Thy cross thou hast redeemed the world! How does Christ's cross redeem the world? Two images come to my mind. I saw a photograph from the concentration camp in Dachau. It was a photograph of a mother with her little child. Both of them had been condemned to the gas chamber. The mother knew this, while the child was not aware of her destiny. The mother's face is full of anxiety and fear. Her eyes look vague and her face is gaunt. The child is sensing the mother's state of mind and she clings to her tightly. The mother's hand is over the eyes of her child as if to say, don't look, I will take care of you, I will hold you close to me, I am here. The second image appeared in one of our national newspapers. It showed a young boy who was deeply burnt and who lost both his arms after a bombing raid in Baghdad. He is lying in bed totally bandaged. His mouth is half open, probably he is moaning and his eyes stare in the open space. He is confused, lost, afraid and feeling alone. Next to him is a doctor with his hands on the boy's head. This gesture is telling the boy, don't be afraid, I know it hurts, but I am here, I will take care of you. -Good Friday is the day when Jesus is reminding us that He is putting His hands on our heads when we are physically, psycholog
[Goanet] [JudeSundayReflections] Good Friday
30-Mar-2012 Dear Friend, Why do people have to suffer and die? If God is a God of love can't he prevent the suffering of innocent people? People have always asked these questions and to date have not found a meaningful answer to the problem of suffering. Suffering and Death remain a mystery to be lived not a problem to be solved! The Cross of Christ provides not an answer but points to a way to make suffering life-giving. From being an instrument of death, Jesus made it a means of love and life! Have a cross-fertilized life! May today be a 'Good' Friday for us! Fr. Jude Sunday Reflections: Good Friday "Having loved his own to the very end, He died for us!" 6-Apr-2012 Readings: Isaiah 52: 13-53: 12Hebrews 4: 14-16, 5: 7-9John 18: 1-19: 42 In todays first reading Isaiah paints a startling portrait of the suffering servant of Yahweh. This suffering servant has a dignity about himself and his spirit is intact and unbroken in the midst of all that he suffers. Physically he was abused and reduced to a subhuman condition: "There was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him, nor appearance that would attract us to him. He was spurned and avoided by people, a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity, one of those from whom people hide their faces..." In the face of all that he suffered there is no bitterness, no anger, no resentment, no complaint. "Though he was harshly treated he submitted and opened not his mouth. Isaiah is describing not only the suffering servant but in fact he gives us a pen portrait of Jesus himself as he goes to his passion and he also gives us a model of how the Christian is called to respond to suffering. "If God knows I am worth it, that's all that matters to me." I have told you of Olwen Davies, the middle-aged district nurse who for more than twenty years, with fortitude and patience, calmness and cheerfulness, served the people of Tregenny. This unconscious selflessness, which above all seemed the keynote of her character, was so poorly rewarded, it worried me. Although she was much beloved by the people, her salary was most inadequate. And late one night after a particularly strenuous case, I ventured a protest to her as we drank a cup of tea together. "Nurse" I said, "Why don't you make them pay you more? It's ridiculous that you should work for so little." She raised her eyebrows slightly. But she smiled. "I have enough to get along." "No, really," I persisted, "you ought to have an extra pound a week at least. God knows you are worth it." There was a pause. Her smile remained, but her gaze held a gravity, an intensity which startled me. "Doctor", she said, "If God knows I am worth it, that's all that matters to me." A. J. Cronin in 'Adventures in Two Worlds' In the Gospel there are several facets of the passion we could successfully reflect upon: The agony in the garden and the fearless confrontation of Jesus with those who came to arrest him. The triple denial of Peter in the presence of a maid servant. The trial before Caiphas in the Pretorium and then his confrontation with Pilate and the lingering unanswered question: "What is truth?" We could meditate on the Way of the Cross and his final moments on the cross itself leading to his painful cry, echoed by all who suffer: "My God my God why have you forsaken me." We could ask the questions: Why did the Father permit the Son to suffer? Why does God seem to abandon Jesus? Does God abandon his people, his beloved when they suffer? For that matter is the Father oblivious to the passion of his Son and to all his sons and daughters who even now suffer in the world today? The Father was not an executioner but a fellow sufferer. This idea of the Father suffering gives us a glimpse into the mystery of human suffering, which confronts us on all sides. Suffering that is man-made like wars and terrorism and man's inhumanity to man as well as that which results from earthquakes, storms, tidal waves, viruses and so many other unexplained causes of suffering and death. The Father continues to suffer with his suffering children here on earth as he suffered with His Son Jesus Christ. While God does not always reveal his power, he always gives us the assurance of his comforting presence. We want God to be a powerful God, one who does away with all suffering. In Jesus' suffering and dying on the cross, we see as it were, an impotent God, a God who is made vulnerable precisely because he loves us is ready to suffer with us and for us. Why Death? Why death now? Why death ever? What is in store for our loved one now? What of the bereaved? Even in the presence of vibrant faith, there is often a sense of finality, of completion of an era. This atmosphere of finality pervaded Calvary on Good Friday. The great hopes of a promising life were dashed. His closest friend, John was shattered as he undertook to care for the mother who was desolate at
[Goanet] [JudeSundayReflections] Good Friday
18-4-2011 Dear Friend, Why Good Friday? What is good about Jesus suffering and dying on the Cross? In human terms suffering makes no sense and there is no satisfactory explanation for suffering. It will always remain a mystery. But Good Friday is good for us because it reminds us of the love of Jesus seen in his dying on the cross for all mankind. The cross without Jesus makes no sense, only faith can give meaning to suffering. May Good Friday help us to find life through His death! Fr. Jude Sunday Reflections: Good Friday - 'Lifted up on the Cross for the salvation of all!' 22-Apr-2011 Isaiah 52: 13—53-12;Hebrews 4: 14-16, 5: 7-9;John 18: 1—19: 42; In today's first reading Isaiah paints a startling portrait of the suffering servant of Yahweh. This suffering servant has a dignity about himself and his spirit is intact and unbroken in the midst of all that he suffers. "There was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him. He was spurned and avoided by people, a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity, one of those from whom people hide their faces." In the face of all that he suffered there was no bitterness, no anger, no resentment, no complaint. "Though he was harshly treated he submitted and opened not his mouth. Isaiah, describing the suffering servant, gives us a model of how a Christian is called to respond to suffering. Jesus embraced the cross and transformed it into an expression of love for all human beings. The cross, the object of death can become the means of life for ourselves and for others, if it is embraced with faith and love, as coming from God's hands. Refining Gold Near Cripple Greek Colorado, gold and tellurium occur mixed as tellurite ore. The refining methods of the early mining camps could not separate the two elements, so the ore was thrown into a scrap heap. One day a miner mistook a lump of ore for coal and tossed it into his stove. Later, while removing ashes from the stove, he found the bottom littered with beads of pure gold. The heat had burned away the tellurium, leaving the gold in a purified state. The discarded ore was reworked and yielded a fortune. People are like tellurite ore. We have gold inside us, but it often takes some trial in the fiery furnace of life to transform us. Brian Cavannaugh in 'More Sower's Seeds' Today's Gospel is a gospel of paradox: it presents a mortal conflict between good and evil, a battle between the Prince of Peace and the prince of this world. Good Friday is a day of paradox because an instrument of death becomes the source of life. It is the story of the suffering servant who is at the same time a royal figure- a story of both servanthood and glory. If we emphasize one at the expense of the other, we misinterpret the story. It is also a day of mystery because the sinless one became as sin; a day revealing mankind at its worst and God at His best. Jesus on the cross transforms the curse of the cross into an instrument of blessing and eternal life. In the Gospel there are several facets of the passion we could reflect upon: The agony in the garden and the fearless confrontation of Jesus with those who came to arrest him. "Whom are you looking for? If you are looking for me let these others go." The triple denial of Peter in the presence of a maid servant "You are not one of the man's disciples, are you? He said "I am not." We could ponder on the trial and his confrontation with Pilate. "Are you the king of the Jews?" and the lingering unanswered question: "What is truth?" We could meditate on the way of the Cross and his final moments on the cross itself leading to his painful cry, echoed by all who suffer: "My God my God why have you forsaken me?" We could reflect on the first words of Jesus on the cross pleading for forgiveness for his people: "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." Jesus becomes the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. He breaks the chain of violent response to injustice by offering forgiveness instead of vengeance. By accepting his passion and enduring his cross he earns redemption for all mankind. Forgiveness and reconciliation are offered to all he who seek them. As we meditate on the passion we have to take a stand for or against Jesus. "If you wish to be my disciple, take up your cross and follow me." Living the Word A young boy watched every day as the sculptor chiselled away at the block of marble until at last the magnificent statue of a horse emerged. While adults complimented the sculptor on the splendid proportions of the work and the perfection of the detail, the young boy was left with a huge unanswered question. How did the sculptor know that the horse was inside the block of marble? It is easy to smile at the foolishness of the question but the fact is that the sculptor recognized a certain potential in the block of marble and trusted his own patient skill to realize that potential.
[Goanet] [JudeSundayReflections] Good Friday
--- Sign the Petition requesting The Honble Minister of State for Environment and Forests (I/C) to maintain the moratorium on issuing further environmental clearances for mining activities in Goa http://goanvoice.org.uk/miningpetition.php --- 29-Mar-2010 Dear Friend, How do we react to suffering? Most people try to avoid it all at costs. But if it is unavoidable, how do we cope with suffering? Some prefer the Spartan way: with courage and will power, believing that they have the power within to do it. Others try to reason and rationalize suffering and by this way they believe they can face the enigmas and struggles of life. The Christian way does not exclude the other two but focuses on dependence on God and his power. God gives us the power to endure all things. Have a ‘Good’ Friday contemplating how Jesus loved and saved us through the Cross! Fr. Jude Sunday Reflections: Good Friday ‘The sacrifice of love, giving till the very end!’ 2-Apr-2010 Isaiah 52:13—53:12 Hebrews 4:14—5:9 John 18:1-19: 42 The first reading is a passage about the humiliation and suffering of the Suffering Servant of Yahweh. Israel contemplates the mystery of suffering as seen in the fate of the man on whom rests the hopes of Israel. The innocent and unmerited sufferings of the Servant of Yahweh expiate for the sins of others. The Servant of Yahweh was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, he was despised yet he bore silently the sufferings inflicted on him. Harshly dealt with, he bore it all humbly and never opened his mouth. He accepted it all as coming from the Lord’s hands. But it was not pointless suffering, for through his wounds we are healed and justified in God’s eyes. The Cross And The Crown There is strange legend of a monk who was walking in the monastery garden alone, thinking of the Passion of our Lord, just before Holy Week. As he slowly paced along, he saw something lying in the path, and picked it up. It was the crown of thorns which our Lord had worn for our sakes, and he reverently carried it to the little chapel, and laid it upon the altar. Never had Holy Week been so well kept, for the sight of that crown of thorns made them realize the sufferings and the love of Jesus more than they had ever done before. At last Easter Sunday dawned, and the monk rose early for his Easter preparations, and came to the chapel. As the sun shone through the window, it lighted up the altar, it touched the crown of thorns, and there in the Easter sunlight the thorns had blossomed into the most beautiful flowers. It is a little parable. For it is suffering and sacrifice which bring forth the most fruits. Anthony Castel in ‘Quotes and Anecdotes’ The Passion of Christ according to St. John is highly dramatic in as much as he presents the passion as a triumph of the Son of God. Throughout John’s passion we see Jesus always in command, never the victim who is made to suffer unwillingly but one who goes to the bitter end of his own accord. At his arrest his adversaries fall prostrate before him, illustrating what he himself said: “No one takes my life from me. I have the power to lay it down of my own accord.” He is the master of his fate. We see the same self composure of Jesus at his trial. His enemies bring him to trial on false charges but it is they who are judged rather than Jesus. His fearlessness and silence confronts them. The theme recurring during this section is that of kingship. He claims that he is king and for this he came into the world, yet he is a different kind of king, whom few will understand. He reigns in men’s hearts not by dominance and fear but by love. The Jewish leaders are determined to get rid of this king, they reject him: “Away with Him!” But he cannot be ignored. Scourged, crowned with thorns, mocked and arrayed in a purple robe, he is saluted as ‘King of the Jews!” Pilate ironically says “Behold the man! You have nothing to fear from this helpless man.” But John sees the Son of Man as the judge of this world and of all man. Although Pilate has found him innocent he has no courage of his convictions and he yields to political pressure and blackmail. The way of the cross then becomes a triumphant procession. In contrast to the other synoptics there is no Simon of Cyrene who needs to help Jesus to carry his cross to the very end. In John’s Gospel the cross is the throne of this King. “And I when I am lifted up will draw all things to myself. The passion of Christ ends on a triumphant note not a whimper. “It is finished! The task you have given me is accomplished! Therefore the story of the passion does not end with his death on the cross for John sees the deeper reality symbolized by the resurrection. The death-resurrection comprises one event, and
[Goanet] [JudeSundayReflections] Good Friday
Remembering Aquino Braganca (b. 6 April 1924), who fought for freedom of the former Portuguese colonies in Africa. An online tribute http://aquinobraganca.wordpress.com/ (includes many historical references, some photographs and documents) 04-Apr-2009 Dear Friend, No one wants to suffer, everyone tries to escape the difficult and painful moments of life. In fact we are very uncomfortable even to look at others suffering. If people blame us for causing suffering we immediately avoid responsibility and pass the buck to others. When confronted we look for the easy way out. Yet the Christian way is the way of the cross, there is no compromise, there is no other way to live the call of a Christian. The cross by itself has no meaning unless we can discover Jesus in every cross. This demands faith and a surrender. Have a ‘good Friday’ accepting and surrendering to Him! Fr. Jude Sunday Reflections: Good Friday ‘Signed by the Holy Cross, we are redeemed!’10-Apr-2009 Isaiah 52: 13 - 53:12; Hebrews 4: 14-16; 5: 7-9; John 18: 1-19:42; Today’s first reading from the fourth servant song of Second Isaiah contributed three features to the Church’s understanding of the crucifixion: Christ’s suffering was innocent, vicarious, and redemptive; it is for all persons; and the suffering servant will be vindicated. It speaks of the humiliation and exaltation of the suffering servant of the Lord. This song of the suffering servant contemplates the fate of the man upon whom the hopes of Israel rest. The unmerited afflictions of the servant expiate for the wickedness of others. His ultimate triumph and victory are glimpsed beyond the present persecution and the rejection of the people, and the ignominious death on the cross. The servant is innocent gentle and humble and through his obedience unto death he will save mankind. Remembering Glory There is a strange legend of a monk who was walking in the monastery garden alone, thinking of the Passion of our Lord, just before Holy Week. As he slowly paced along, he saw something lying in the path, and picked it up. It was the crown of thorns which our Lord had worn for our sakes, and he reverently carried it to the little chapel, and laid it upon the altar. Never had Holy Week been so well kept, for the sight of that crown of thorns made them realize the sufferings and the love of Jesus more than they had ever done before. At last Easter Sunday dawned, and the monk rose early for his Easter preparations, and came to the chapel. As the sun shone through the window, it lighted up the altar, it touched the crown of thorns, and there in the Easter sunlight the thorns had blossomed into the most beautiful flowers. It is a little parable. For it is suffering and sacrifice which bring forth the most splendid fruits. Anthony Castlein ‘Quotes and Ancdotes’ In the second reading from the letter to the Hebrews we are told that Jesus as a high priest saved us by his blood and through his many trials he was given a deeper understanding of what a life of obedience to the demands of God’s law means for men. He thus understands human nature, a fact that should lead us to unbounded confidence in him as he is one of us in all things but sin. He is the faithful and compassionate high priest who constantly pleads our cause before His father and intercedes for us. We are shown the saving work of Jesus wrought through his suffering and through him we have access to God our Father. Saviour Heroes A religious persecution in 1980 left a region of Guatemala without priests. But the people continued to meet in various parishes. Once a month they sent a delegate to a part of Guatemala where priests were still functioned. Travelling up to eighteen hours on foot, the delegate celebrated the Lord’s Supper in the name of the parish. Describing one of these celebrations, Fernando Bermudez writes in his book, Death and Resurrection in Guatemala: The altar was covered with baskets of bread. After the mass, each participant came up to take his or her basket home again. Now the bread was Holy Communion for the brothers and sisters of each community. In time the authorities closed all churches. But the people refused to stop gathering, recalling Jesus’ words, “where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them. Mark Link in ‘Journey’ The passion as presented by John is highly dramatic as he presents the passion as the triumph of Jesus Christ on the cross. Throughout the passion John shows Jesus always serenely in command. Through his attitude and actions during his passion he illustrated what he said: “No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.” He is master of his own fate. In the central portion of his passion from the trial be
[Goanet] [JudeSundayReflections] Good Friday
--- 2008 International Goan Convention Toronto, Canada Early Bird Discount Registration closes March 31, 2008 http://2008goanconvention.com/registration.html --- 19-Mar-2008 Dear Friend, One of the constant refrains we hear a person saying is: "It's not fair!" "Life's not fair!" We have an acute sense of justice when we are wronged and we want to fight for justice for ourselves. However we do not feel so strongly about justice for others, especially the poor, the marginalized and the downtrodden. We have to get used to the fact that indeed "Life is not fair!" Jesus accepted it and died on the cross though he was innocent and did no wrong. The only way to make meaning out of suffering is to use suffering as a means of loving others and God. Have a 'Good' Friday being loved by Jesus on the cross! Fr. Jude Sunday Reflections: Good Friday Unconditional love at any cost! 21-Mar-2008 Readings: Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Hebrews 4: 14-16, 5: 7-9; John 18:1- 19:42; Today's first reading from Isaiah, the fourth and finest of the songs of the Servant of Yahweh, is a passage of the humiliation and the suffering of the suffering servant of the Lord, 'a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering.' Through his suffering we have been saved. The reading gives us Israel's deep insight into the problem of suffering, it contemplates the fate of the man upon whom rests the hopes of Israel. The unmerited sufferings of the servant expiate for the wickedness of the others. Beyond the rejection suffered at the hands of his own people and his shameful death, his ultimate triumph is glimpsed. The New Testament usage of this text identifies the suffering servant with Jesus. The servant is innocent, humble and gentle. He is the one chosen by God to bring his justice to the world. The mystery of suffering can never be understood but has to be accepted and lived as part of being a follower of Jesus Christ. Bent, But not Broken! A man in a fast-food restaurant once caught my attention. Bent hunchback, he turned his head neither to the left not to the right. He was struggling to open a paper napkin and place it on the table. Affected by Parkinson's, he lacked control over his movements. Yet, determined to do what he wanted, he carried on, undeterred by the looks his apparently 'clumsy' behaviour drew from the people around. He opened the first fold. The folds were not sticking to each other as such, yet the second fold did pose a problem. His trembling fingers jerked up and down, as he clung to the napkin. Licking one finger he pressed it to one side of the napkin, but the fold wouldn't open. Then he got an idea. He moved his fingers to the corner of the napkin. Slowly, very slowly, he pulled apart the two sheets. Then he spread it on the table. After that he took a second napkin. To me, that looked like a feat of triumph on his part. He of course showed no signs of exultation -for him it was just another day and another lunch. He must have been a man of great patience, courage and determination. All these qualities were in evidence even as he refrained from betraying any signs of anger or self-pity. Obviously, he was not that type of person. If he had a job to do, he would do it, cost what it may. Mariella Vigneux in 'The Sunday Times' In the second reading the author of Hebrews presents Christ as the compassionate high priest, who understands us and our human trials and sufferings because he has gone through it all, being like us in all things but sin. We are shown the means (suffering) by which the saving work of Jesus is effected as well as the results for himself and for all those who trust in him. Through his obedience he surrendered himself totally to the Father's will and won for us our redemption. His was obedience unto death and it is through obedience to God that we can accept suffering and make it an expression of our love and trust in God. For the person who trusts there is no fear of death. He abolished death John Donne the poet once wrote, 'Death comes equally to all, and makes us all equal when it comes.' Death is the ultimate reality we must all face. None can escape it. Our culture tries to hide from it, but this is futile as it is the one thing of which we can be absolutely certain. Death strikes at the very heart of faith. But the wisdom of faith shines its light on the sober mystery. For death, although the consequence of sin (Romans 6:23) has been swallowed up by the One who did not sin. In Christ both sin and death lose their grip on us and the world. - Vincent Nichols Giving Generously Harry was a confirmed bachelor. I do not know why he never married. He had a de
