24-Dec-2013 Dear friend,
It is said, 'Home is where the heart is!' Most people enjoy being at home relaxing with their near and dear ones. But there are some who love to be anywhere but at home! Perhaps they have had some negative experiences and they carry that burden with them. Many people spend Christmas time visiting folks at home and waiting for visits from home folks who are far from home. For Christmas is truly a family feast, God at home with us! Enjoy finding God in our midst! It's Christmas! Fr. Jude Sunday Reflections: Feast of the Holy Family "You are God's chosen race! Live as members of God's family!" 29-Dec-2013 Ecclesiasticus 3: 3-7, 14-17; Colossians: 3: 12-21; Matt 2:13-15, 19-23; In today's passage the author reminds young people of all the times that they should remain loving and respectful to their parents, and look after them especially when they grow old. The blessings enumerated for caring for parents are: their sins will be forgiven; their prayers will be heard; their own children will be kind to them in their own old age and God will grant them a long life. Young people today may argue that times have changed, that they need to assert their own independence and take care of the family they wish to begin, all of which may be true. Parents on the other hand have no right to demand that they be cared for, if they have given of themselves expecting nothing in return. But the duty to care and respect parents will always be one of the Christians duties, drawing many blessings on those who fulfill this obligation. Walking in his footsteps It was a busy day for Maria Jason. With ten children and one on the way, every day was a bit hectic for her. On this particular day however, she was having trouble doing even the routine chores -all because of one little boy. Johnny, who was three at that time, was on her heels no matter where she went. Whenever she stopped to do something and turned around, she would trip over him. Several times she suggested fun activities to keep him occupied. "Wouldn't you like to play on the swing?" she asked him. But he simply smiled an innocent smile and said, "Oh, that's all right, Mommy. I'd rather be here with you." Then he continued to bounce happily along behind her. After stepping on his toes for the fifth time, she began to lose her patience and insisted that he go outside and play with the other children. When she angrily asked him why he was acting this way, he looked up at her with sweet green eyes and said, "Well, Mummy, in the school my teacher told me to walk in Jesus' footsteps. But I can't see him, so I'm walking in yours." She gathered him in her arms and held him close. Tears of love and humility spilled over from the prayer that grew in her heart -prayer of thanks for the simple, yet beautiful perspective of a three-year old boy. John Rose in 'John's Sunday Homilies' Today's passage begins with Mary and Joseph going to the temple precisely to fulfill the law, in fact two precepts of the law. One law held that every first born, of animals and humans had to be offered to God and so had to be 'redeemed,' bought back, paid for, by making an offering prescribed by the law. The second law of Leviticus held that after the birth of a child, the mother had to abstain from joining the community at worship till she was purified by an offering of a lamb or a pigeon, which was the offering of the poor. Mary and Joseph fulfilled both these laws though they were not bound to do so. Jesus did not have 'to be redeemed.' He already belonged totally to God and not to them. Mary did not need to be purified as she had conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit. Yet they submitted to the law humbly not craving any exemption. How very different from us, who so often claim that we are not bound by the law. "I don't have to follow the law, I am dispensed because of my special condition, my age, my sickness, my ..." In submitting to the law, Mary and Joseph and Jesus are offering God a special act of worship. All three are saying in so many words "Here I am coming to do your will." "Not my will but yours be done." "What you want of me is the most important thing in my life!" Attachment In the middle of the night a young boy wakes up in a hospital bed. He feels very frightened and very alone. He is suffering intense pain: burns cover forty percent of his body. Someone had doused him with alcohol and then had set him on fire. He starts crying out for his mother. The nurse leaves her night-post to comfort him; she holds him, hugs him, and whispers to him that the pain will go away sooner than he thinks. However, nothing that the nurse does seems to lessen the boy's pain. He still cries for his mother. And the nurse is confused and angry: it was his mother who set him on fire. The young boy's pain at being separated from his mother - even though she had inflicted such cruelty on him - was greater than the pain of his burns. That deep attachment to the mother makes separation from her the worst experience a child can undergo. -In the Christian family we learn that God never comes alone, He is always accompanied by legions of others who show us something of his kindness. In the Christian family we can catch something of God who accepts us as we are and who keeps on loving us stubbornly till the end. Denis McBride in 'Seasons of the Word' The most beautiful thing A certain artist wanted to paint the most beautiful thing in the world and went to a priest and asked him, "Father, can you tell me what is the most beautiful thing in the world that I can paint on my canvass? The priest replied, "The most beautiful thing is faith. It is because of faith that I am able to make God present on the altar every day." But the artist wondered how he could paint faith on canvass. He turned to a young couple and asked, "Can you tell me what is the most beautiful thing in the world?" The young couple replied, "It is love, it is because of love we are here." But again how could he paint love on the canvass? Then he turned to a group of soldiers and asked them if they could tell him what was the most beautiful thing in the world? They immediately replied that it was peace. Faith, love, peace, all beautiful contexts but how can one paint these realities on canvass? The painter was dejected and tired. Intending to ask for a glass of water he entered a beautiful cottage. He encountered a family. The eyes of the children manifested faith in their parents, the eyes of the parents manifested real love for their children and there was perfect peace in that family. He ran home, rolled up his sleeves and painted the most beautiful thing in the world and called it Home. Elias Dias in 'Divine Stories for Families' Could you sell me one hour of your time? A little boy greets his father as he returns from work with a question: "Daddy, how much do you make an hour?" The father is surprised and says: "Look, son, not even your mother knows, don't bother me now, I'm tired." "But Daddy, just tell me please! How much do you make an hour?" the boy insists. The father finally gives up and replies: "Twenty dollars." "Okay, Daddy," the boy continues, "Could you loan me ten dollars?" The father yells at him: "So that was the reason you asked me how much I earn, right? Now go to sleep and don't bother me anymore." At night the father thinks over what he had said and starts feeling guilty. Maybe his son needed to buy something. Finally he goes to his son's room. "Are you asleep, son?" asks the father. "No, Daddy, Why?" "Here's the money you asked for earlier," the father said. "Thanks, Daddy!" replies the boy and receives the money. Now, I have enough! Now I have twenty dollars!" says the boy to his father." Daddy, could you sell me one hour of your time?" The message is clear: we have to invest more of our quality time for our family life. Compliment, affirm and encourage the children. Your job as parents is to raise children and help them grow into adulthood. Teach the children how to be independent and stand on their own. Give formation in virtues: faith, hope and charity. Teach them to respect you as parents. John Pichappilly in 'The Table of the Word' Let there be peace in the home A little boy asked his father, "Daddy, how did World War I start? The father switched off the TV set and said to his son, "It all started because there was a conflict between France and Germany over the territory." The mother from the kitchen said to her husband, "Don't tell him wrong things. It began because of the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and his wife Sophia by Gravilo Princip." They both began to argue. The arguments went beyond control and broke into a full-fledged fight as chairs were dragged into the hall and plates rattled in the sink. The little boy saw the unpleasantness and said, "Don't worry, dad and mum. Now I understand how wars are caused around the world." Elias Dias in 'Divine Stories for Families' A group of young people from many nations were discussing how the gospel might be spread. They talked of propaganda, of literature, of all the ways of disseminating the Gospels in the twentieth century. Then the girl from Africa spoke, "When we want to take Christianity to one of our villages," she said, "we don't send them books. We take a Christian family and send them to live in the village and they make the village Christian by living there." –William Barclay May we find our God Emmanuel in our families and in our homes! Fr. Jude Botelho [email protected] 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.
