25-04-03
Dear Friend,
To say "I love you!" is easy. To really mean: "I love you!", in the
words of Dostoevsky, is "as hard as hell." Part of the explanation
for it being hard is that if we love, we obey the commands and
wishes of our beloved. This applies to our relations with other
people and with God. We cannot truly love and remain in love unless
we are filled with the Spirit of love, which God promises to those
who believe. May His Word challenge us and fill us with hope. Have
a Spirit-filled weekend! -Fr. Jude
Sunday Reflections: Sixth Sunday of Easter The Spirit of life and hope!
1-05-05
Readings: Acts 8: 5-8, 14-17; 1
Peter 3: 15-18; John 14:15-21;
Today's first reading refers to the story of the early Church after the
martyrdom of Stephen and the persecution of the Christians by Saul, because
of which the believers were scattered and Philip set off to preach the
gospel to the Samaritans. The Samaritans had hated the Jews, yet when they
heard the gospel preached to them they listened and accepted the message and
were converted and believed in Jesus. Because of the persecution the gospel
was preached to the gentiles and the good news reaches the distant lands.
Because Philip loved enough and believed enough to sacrifice himself for
God, many crippled in mind and body were cured and the people received the
Holy Spirit in Samaria. Love works miracles among the people who believed
and the Spirit becomes a source of power in their midst. The response of the
Jerusalem Church at the good news in Samaria is to praise God that his
Spirit is given to all people, even those outside Jerusalem. God's Spirit
knows no boundaries. We too need to rejoice whenever and wherever we see the
spirit at work today, in the words of the response Psalm, "Cry out with joy
to God all the earth."
Learning from the sea-gulls
"It's a chilly day by the seaside, far too windy for my comfort. But the
gulls don't seem to mind the wind. In fact they seem to enjoy it. I watch
them flying about: they go with it, they go against it, they soar into the
sky, they plunge back to earth. All the time they are using the wind, they
are availing of its power. And I reflect on how we, the disciples of Jesus,
are so easily blown off course by the winds of adversity. Lord, send us the
Holy Spirit, who will enable us to turn the hard and the easy to our
advantage, so that everything that happens to us may bear us along the road
to your kingdom." - Flor McCarthy
In the second reading Peter reminds his listeners that as believers we
should always be people of hope, ready to respond to those who ask for the
reason for the hope we have. But we give an account of our faith in
humility, with courtesy, respect and with a clear conscience. We give an
account of our faith not to prove anything but to be like Jesus, witnessing
to the truth. If we are called to suffer for the sake of the gospel, we
count it a privilege to follow in his footsteps. Our hope in the face of
trials might puzzle others and that in itself will be our witness to the
Spirit of Jesus at work in us.
The puzzle of hope
The scene is the courtyard of a prison. The time is dawn. A prisoner is led
out to be shot: he is a priest who has been sentenced to death because he
has opposed the Portuguese policy of slave-trade in the country's colony. He
stands against an outer wall facing seven members of the firing-squad, all
of them his own countrymen. Before the officer ties the blindfold he asks
the prisoner for the traditional last request. The reply comes as a
surprise: the man about to die wants to play his flute for the last time.
The firing-squad is stood at ease as they wait for the prisoner to play.
When he does, the prison compound is filled with music that sounds all the
more beautiful in this strange place. The officer is worried because the
more the music plays, the more absurd his task appears to be. He orders the
prisoner to stop playing, ties the blindfold, and gives his soldiers the
command to fire. The priest dies instantly. But the music lingers on to
puzzle his executioners: in the face of certain death, where does the music
come from?
Denis McBride in 'Seasons of the Word'
In the Gospel Jesus reminds his disciples that he has to leave them to go
back to the Father, but he is not abandoning them and leaving them to fend
for themselves. "I will not leave you orphans; I will come back to you." His
presence is assured if we obey his commandments. "If you love me you will
keep my commandments." In today's world fidelity is questioned and people
wonder whether one can be faithful. We are duped into believing that
infidelity produces happiness. We are tempted to disregard our obligations
and make either pleasure or power our new idol. But the biblical notion of
love is obedience. John links loving Jesus and obeying his commandments with
the presence of the Spirit, the Paraclete - the Helper. Jesus promises
'another' Paraclete, because he himself has been the first Paraclete. Now he
is going away. He cannot stay 'with' them physically but he assures them of
his presence 'in' them. Each time we obey we make God's spirit present in
our midst.
Doing What Our Father Says More than ninety people conducted an all-night
search for Dominic DeCarlo, an eight-year-old boy lost on a snowy mountain
slope. Dominic, who had been on a skiing trip with his father, apparently
had ridden on a new lift and skied of the run without realizing it. An hour
passed, the search party and the boy's family became more concerned for his
health and safety. By dawn they had found no trace of the boy. Two
helicopter crews joined the search and within fifteen minutes they spotted
ski tracks. A ground team followed the tracks, which changed to small
footprints. The footprints led to a tree, where they found the boy at last.
"He's in super shape!" Sergeant Terry Silbaugh, area search and rescue
coordinator announced to the anxious family and press. "In fact, he's in
better shape than we are in right now!" Silbaugh explained why the boy did
so well despite spending a night in the freezing elements. His father had
enough foresight to warn the boy what to do if he became lost, and his son
had enough trust to do exactly what the father said. Dominic protected
himself from frostbite and hypothermia by snuggling up to the tree and
covering himself with branches. As a young child, he would never have
thought of doing this on his own. He was simply obeying his wise and loving
father. Luis Palau From 'Devotions'
Today we are being challenged to obey, to be faithful and make His spirit
present in us. "Thus husbands and wives who continually preserve and deepen
their love and fidelity manifest the presence of God. The single who see
their jobs as opportunities for service attest to the presence of God.
Priests and religious who daily renew their commitment in Christ in practice
disclose the presence of God. All who regularly take their offices, or
obligations seriously witness to the presence of God. High fidelity points
to the presence of God" - John F. Craghan
May His Spirit come alive in our fidelity to Jesus and others!
Fr. Jude Botelho
www.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 web site
www.netforlife.net Thank you.
