19-May-2014 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 don't do what we feel like doing but 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 love, life and hope!' 25-May-2014 Readings: Acts 8: 5-8, 14-17; 1 Peter 3: 15-18; John 14: 15-21; Today's first reading refers to the life 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. Because of the persecution the gospel was preached to the gentiles and the good news reaches the distant lands. Because of Philip's preaching, many cripples were cured and the people received the Holy Spirit. 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. Believing in the Power On the banks of a river lived a hermit. He sustained his life only on cow's milk which was supplied by an eleven-year old girl, living on the other bank of the river. One day her mother said to her, "There are heavy clouds and there is going to be a downpour and the river will be flooded. Tell the hermit that you won't be able to supply milk to him tomorrow." The girl did so. The hermit said to the girl. "Don't worry about the flood. I will teach you a 'mantra' and you will be able to walk on the water. Close your eyes and repeat 'Krishna, Krishna, Krishna' and you can comfortably walk on water." As expected the rain came in torrents and the river was in spate. The girl got ready to take milk to the hermit. The mother refused. But the girl persisted and told her that the hermit had given her a 'mantra' to walk on water. Believing her the mother allowed her to go. The girl went to the river, closed her eyes, repeated 'Krishna, Krishna, Krishna' and walked on the water. The hermit was looking on in wonder. The hermit thought to himself. "How wonderful, I enabled that girl to walk on water. I have the power. Now let me try for myself." Confidently, he stepped on the water and drowned forthwith. The young girl had tremendous faith in the mantra given by the hermit, but not the hermit himself. It is implicit faith that can do wonders in this world. G. Francis Xavier in 'The World's Best Inspiring Stories' 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 the 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 off 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' Real Love A poetess wanted to sell a poem on love and she went to the editor of the paper and said to him, "Sir, I want to sell a poem." "A poem on what?" asked the editor. "A poem on love," said the poetess. The editor asked the poetess if she "knew what the meaning of love really was?" The poetess thought that it would be the best time to sell her poem on love and she lifted her eyes to heaven as if she were in ecstasy and said, "Oh yes, love means to sit by the side of the lover on a moonlit night on the bank of the lake and hear the lake water lapping by the low sound spreading its forms around the pebbles." "Stop, stop," said the editor, "and I shall tell you what is the meaning of real love." "Real love means to get up early in the morning and prepare coffee for your husband before he leaves for work. Real love means to do your work for the family when your heart and body ache. Real love means to look after the sick and infirm when they are in need of you. This is the real meaning of love." Elias Dias in 'Divine Stories for Families' The Fearlessness of Hope The scene is at dawn in the courtyard of a prison. 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 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 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' May His Spirit come alive in our fidelity to Jesus and our love of others! 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.
