-----------------------------------------------------------------------
* G * O * A * N * E * T *** C * L * A * S * S * I * F * I * E * D * S *
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
USDA certified Goa Sausages and other Goan foods can now be delivered
to virtually any part of the world.
http://www.goanfoods.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday Reflections - Aid to the Sunday Liturgy
Related Link: http://www.NetForLife.net
********** Group Email Addresses **********
Subscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
List owner : [EMAIL PROTECTED]
| My Groups | JudeSundayReflections Main Page | |
| 14-Apr-2006 Dear Friend, There are times in our
lives when everything seems to go against us, when nothing we do makes any difference. There are times when we feel like giving up and admitting defeat. It is at these moments that the only thing that sustains us is hope for a better tomorrow. For believers our hope is not based on wishful thinking but on the promise of God and on the resurrection of Jesus. If He had not risen our hope would be in vain. The resurrection makes the impossible possible because God intervenes. Have a 'hope-filled' celebration! Fr. Jude Sunday Reflections: Easter Sunday Christ has arisen, so shall we!
16-Apr-2006 The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles is part of an early sermon
of Peter in which he summarizes the ministry of Jesus culminating in his death. But his life didn't end there; God the Father raised him to life, allowing him to be seen and experienced by certain witnesses, Peter was among them. Peter gives his own testimony to the resurrection of Jesus. 'We have seen him, spent time with him, shared our meal with him. We are his witnesses'. Peter stresses Jesus' resurrection and exaltation at the right hand of God. Without the resurrection Jesus' message about God would probably never have been preserved at all. Witness to the resurrectionIn the darkest days of Stalinist Russia a special League of the Godless
was established to stamp out the last vestiges of religion from peoples lives. One Easter morning the Commissar of this League addressed a huge rally in Moscow's Red Square. He ranted along his usual lines that religion was the instrument of the bourgeoisie and the opium of the proletariat. At the end of his harangue he generously offered the mike to anyone who wised to debate with him. Nobody wanted a one-way ticket to Siberia until one old man made his way forward. He surveyed his huge audience, cleared his throat and began to sing: "The Lord has risen." It was the traditional Orthodox Easter greeting. Moved by the old man's courage, voices from the square swelled up in reply: "He has truly risen." Religion in Russia was not dead as long as belief in the resurrection of Christ was not dead in people. Sylvester O'Flynn in 'The Good News of Mark's Gospel'The second reading from Paul's letter to the Colossians stresses the fact that it is through baptism that we already share the risen life of Christ, though in a hidden and mysterious way. If however we share Christ's life through baptism then we must look for the things of God and not let ourselves be governed by sinful desires. We are asked to ponder on heavenly things, realities that inspire us rather than drag us into sin. The gospel tells us of the discovery of the empty tomb, which in itself is not a proof of the resurrection. Nevertheless it was the first step towards establishing the truth that Jesus had escaped the bonds of
death. It prepared the disciples to encounter the risen Lord. In the post resurrection accounts in the gospels it is never the apostles who are the first to hear the good news though they were apparently closest to him during his public life. It was not his immediate family. It was never the local religious authorities. In all the gospels the ones who are the first to see the risen Jesus are the ministering women - considered the least by society, they become the first witnesses of the resurrection. In the kingdom of God the last shall be first. When Mary of Magdala went to the tomb that first Easter morning it was dark and she was not expecting to meet the risen Lord, she merely wanted to perform a last loving service for him.
She notices that the stone has been removed from the tomb and her reaction is not immense relief that Jesus is not dead; she has no such hope. More significant was the darkness of mind that enveloped the faith of Mary. Her conclusion is that someone has taken the body from the tomb and she runs to call for help from Peter and John. Initially the disciples too cannot see beyond the empty tomb. They could see but could not understand. Peter enters the tomb first but it is John who is the first to believe that the master has risen from the dead. It is his faith and love for his master that helps him to comprehend the immense truth: Jesus is alive! My son is alive!A Russian Cossack had two sons, Peter and Gregory, in the First World War. One day he got a letter from the front. Being unable to read he asked his daughter to read it. It was from Gregory's commanding officer and began like this: "I regret to inform you that your son Gregory was killed in action on July 10th. Gregory was an excellent soldier and died the death of the brave." The effect of this news on the father was immediate and alarming. He seemed to wilt visibly. In a matter of days he aged, turning grey almost overnight. He kept the letter under an icon in the kitchen, each day he would ask his daughter to read it. Twelve days went by like this. On the thirteenth day a second letter arrived from the front. It said that his son wasn't dead after all! He had been wounded and left for dead on the battlefield. Next morning he had come to and crawled four miles back to his own lines, dragging a wounded officer with him. He was to be raised to the rank
of corporal, and had been awarded the Cross of St. Gregory in recognition of his bravery. Right now he was recovering from his wounds in hospital, and they could expect him home soon. On hearing this, the father was a sight to see. Scalded with joy, he grabbed the letter and went to the village with it. He stopped every one he met, forcing everyone to read it. "My son is alive!" he exclaimed. "He's been awarded St. Gregory's Cross for bravery!" -This should give us some idea of the joy the disciples experienced that first Easter. Flor McCarthy in New Sunday and Holiday Liturgies"What we celebrate in the resurrection is God's liberating
love for his beloved son. Resurrection is the Father's answer to the cross; his defiant answer to the world that hoped that violence would keep Jesus in its hold. In raising Jesus from the dead God raised every value Jesus stood for, every story that Jesus told, every preference that Jesus made, every purpose that Jesus followed. All this was given new life and new significance. The Good News is that the Father's affirmation is not confined to Jesus, it is extended to all who follow the way of the beloved Son." -Denis McBride From death to lifeMovie director Cecil B. DeMille was drifting in a canoe on a lake reading a book. He glanced from the
book momentarily and saw a water beetle crawling up the side of the canoe. When it got halfway up, the beetle stuck the talons of its legs to the wood of the canoe and died. DeMille returned to reading his book. Three hours later he happened to look down at the beetle again and what he saw amazed him. The beetle had dried up, and its back had started to crack open. As he watched something began to emerge from the opening: first a moist head, then wings, then a tail. It was a beautiful dragonfly. As the dragonfly flew away, DeMille took his finger and nudged the dried-out shell of the beetle. It was like a tomb. -This beautiful death-resurrection experience from nature helps us to appreciate better what happened on Easter Sunday. May Jesus lead us to new life through every cross we endure! Wishing you a holy and happy Easter Season! Fr. Jude Botelho 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. |
Fr. Jude Botelho
www.NetForLife.net
Jiyo cricket on Yahoo! India cricket
Yahoo! Messenger Mobile Stay in touch with your buddies all the time.
YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS
- Visit your group "JudeSundayReflections" on the web.
- To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
- Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
_____________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. Goanet mailing list ([email protected])
