-------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Wishing all Goanetters | | a Prosperous | | and | | Happy New Year - 2006 | | Goanet - http://www.goanet.org | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 09-Jan-2006 Dear Friend, All of us like to be called by name and we respond graciously when people remember our name. We dont like to be called Hey Mister/Miss! or You there! When friends fail to identify us or forget our name, we feel offended and let down. Our name is something personal and we choose whom we wish to reveal it to. God calls us by our name to a relationship with him. He has our name written in the palm of his hand. Even if friends forget, He cannot forget us. Have a joyful weekend celebrating your personal calling! Fr. Jude Sunday Reflections: Second Sunday of the Year Called by name ..Come and See 15-Jan-2006
Readings: Samuel 3: 3-10; 19; Corinthians 6: 13-15; 17-20; John 1: 35-42; In the first reading from Samuel we read of the calling of Samuel by the Lord and Samuels response to Him. After Samuel was born to Hannah, she dedicated him to the Lord and offered him for temple service and now Samuel was sleeping in the Holy place where the ark was kept. The Lord called Samuel by name but Samuel had no way of recognizing the voice and believed Eli the high priest was calling him. Only after instruction and guidance did he come to recognize the Lords voice and responded: Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. That is a bit different from many modern prayers, which often say, Listen Lord, for your servant is speaking! Like Samuel, God is so often calling us by name but we do not have the time or the patience or the ability to hear him. Samuels attitude like the attitude of all those who are close to God, was that of todays Response Psalm: Here I am Lord, I come to do your will. Called by name You may remember the story of Helen of Troy. According to legend this beautiful queen was captured and carried away and became a victim of amnesia. She became a prostitute in the streets. She didnt know her name or the fact that she came from royal blood. But back in her homeland, friends didnt give up on her return. An old friend believed she was alive and went to look for her. He never lost faith. One day while wandering through the streets, he came to a waterfront and saw a wretched woman in tattered clothes with deep lines across her face. There was something about her that seemed familiar, so he walked up to her and said, What is your name? She gave a name that was meaningless to him. May I see your hands? He pursued. She held out her hands in front of her, and the young man gasped, You are Helen! You are Helen! Do you remember? She looked up at him in astonishment. Helen! he yelled out. Then the fog seemed to clear. There was recognition in her face. The light came on! She discovered her lost self, put her arms around her friend and wept. She discarded the tattered clothes and once more became the queen she was born to be. -God searches for you in the same way. He calls you by name. He uses every method possible to look for you and try and convince you of your worth to him. Brian Cavanaugh in The Sowers Seeds In the second reading Paul reminds the Corinthians, who had converted to the Lord, that they are called by God to follow Jesus Christ. In this particular instance Paul spells out what following Jesus means in their daily life. Corinth at that time was famous for its open sexual immorality. Paul gives practical advice on living the Christian life in the midst of moral depravity, especially all-consuming sex. Paul could have used many arguments for sexual purity from reason but he preferred to appeal to the Corinthians faith. The body is for the Lord and the Lord for the body. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you. You should use your body for the glory of God. The gospel continues the theme of the manifestation or epiphany of Jesus, as John the Baptist points out and directs his own disciples to Jesus. Behold the Lamb of God! John and Andrew, the disciples with their teacher, John the Baptist, were at the Jordan river, where the people had long ago crossed over into the Promised land, the place where the ancient poems said God would arrive. When the disciples heard from John the name of the one passing by Lamb, Rabbi, Messiah, they understood enough to follow Jesus. Like people following their vocation to join the religious life, their decision to leave John and follow Jesus must have been a struggle. They followed Jesus respectfully at a distance behind. Jesus turned and asked what they were looking for. After all John and Andrew could have been legalists, looking for exotic discussions about the Mosaic Law. They could have been opportunists looking for power. They could have been Zealots looking for allies to overthrow Rome. They could have been men of prayer looking for Gods will. Or they could simply have been bewildered men looking for sympathetic guidance. Through history, people have come to Jesus for a variety of reasons. In Jesus time they were looking for the end of the world, for the final battle between the forces of good and evil, for the triumph of justice, for the final victory of God. People still come to Jesus for a variety of things a security blanket, an escape from problems, an insurance policy, a prescription to enable them to live without bother. Harold Buetow. Why are we looking for Jesus? What do we want from him? Andrew and John followed Jesus asking where he stayed. They were more than curious, they wanted to know him and were attracted to him. Jesus answer was a kind invitation: Come and see. The experience of staying with Jesus was so memorable that John even adds the time of the day at which they met Jesus four in the afternoon. Andrew too was so taken up with the encounter that he could wait to come home and share what he had experienced with his brother Simon. We have found the Messiah he said, and took Simon to meet the Lord. Jesus looked hard at Simon and called him by name. You are Simon son of John; you will be called Cephas-meaning the Rock. The encounter of Simon changed not only his name but his life. At the heart of every attachment, there is always a privileged moment when we seek to give the one we love the secret name which belongs to that person alone. Just so, all human beings bear a name of eternal tenderness which Christ destined for them and which they will receive on the palm of their hand, inscribed on a white pebble, in the kingdom. Cephas: this was the name of love which the Son of man reserved for Simon; henceforth, Peter would have to merit it by a life of discipleship, while awaiting the day when he too will name the Son of God. Glenstal Bible Missal Name Changes Can you identify Marion Morrison, Roy Fitzgerald or Ramon Estevez? Maybe not, but they are actually John Wayne, Rock Hudson and Martin Sheen. Do you recognize such names as Frances Gumm, Norma Jean Baker or Betty Pepske? Perhaps not, they really belong to Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe and Lauren Bacall. It is a common practice among entertainers to change their names in order to create a certain kind of image, to establish a new identity or to promote their publicity. A change in name occurs sometimes in Scripture, and todays gospel gives us a classic example. Name changing occurs more than once in the Bible. We recall God giving Abram the new name of Abraham, and Jacob the title Israel in the Old Testament, or Saul becoming Paul in the New Testament. To the ancient mind, ones name was synonymous with ones character and personality. Names were carefully chosen because they signified the ideals a person would live by and the destiny he or she was to pursue. Albert Cylwicki in His Word Resounds Have we heard Jesus calling us by name to be his? Speak Lord, your servant is listening! 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Goa - 2005 Santosh Trophy Champions | | | | Support Soccer Activities at the grassroots in our villages | | Vacationing in Goa this year-end - Carry and distribute Soccer Balls | --------------------------------------------------------------------------
