13-Jul-2014
Dear Friend, None of us likes to be pushed around. We like to make our own decisions, even though they may turn out to be the wrong ones. We resent force or pressure being exerted on us. Yet, there are many moments when we feel intimidated, we feel afraid and often act out of fear. We are affected by all sorts of fears that tend to paralyze us. Even in our relationship with God we tend to act out of fear rather than out of love for God. God is always patient and waits for us to change out of love. Have a reassuring weekend! God loves you! -Fr. Jude Sunday Ref: Sixteenth Sunday -'God gives us enough time to change from sin!'20-Jul-2014 Readings: Wis. 12: 13, 16-19; Rom. 8: 26-7; Mt. 13: 24-43; The Book of Wisdom speaks of God's knowledge and power to root out evil people if he so desired. This reading speaks of God's leniency towards the evil ones and how we ought to imitate it. The context provides examples of God's mercy: his forbearance towards the Egyptians and the Canaanites. Even the punishment inflicted by God on the people for their sins was not meant to be an arbitrary display of God's power but rather that the people might give up their evil ways, repent and come back to God. Thus the virtuous man must be kind and non-judgemental towards his fellowmen, imitating the God whose power is tempered by his mercy. This should make all of us hopeful of his mercy in our weakness and failings. Evil is Deceptive Albert Speer was an important member of the Nazi hierarchy during Hitler's reign. He was Hitler's architect, and minister of Armament, Munitions and War Productions. After the defeat of Hitler and Germany, he was tried at Nuremberg for crimes against humanity and subsequently condemned to serve 20 years in prison. Albert Speer was one of the most intelligent, educated and principled persons in Germany. How he was captivated by Hitler's magnetism to accept such bizarre ideologies -the secret policies, the concentration camps, the nonsensical rhetoric of Aryan Supremacy and anti-Semitism, is beyond anyone's comprehension. During his trial at Nuremberg, he took responsibility for the horrors of the Nazi regime, although most of the time, he was not aware of the happenings around. Later in life, he sincerely regretted his association with Hitler. He could still not explain completely why he subscribed to Hitler's evil idiosyncrasies. John Rose in 'John's Sunday Homilies' In today's gospel Jesus speaks the parable of the wheat and the weeds to illustrate how God deals with evil in the world. It is evident that in our world today there is much that is good and much that is bad. In fact we have the experience of seeing a lot of good that we do destroyed by the evil that surrounds it and we feel frustrated and angry. We want to do something about it and we want God to do something about it. We want INSTANT judgement! Like the servants in the Gospel we want to take action, for getting rid of these weeds that are destroying the goodness that is in us and around us. We even ask God to destroy those who are against him, his kingdom and his people. But his response, a surprising: 'Let it be!', is upsetting! God who is all-powerful is patient and forgiving and he tolerates evil and even permits it to exist. Jesus did not get rid of them! He was at home with tax collectors, whores and sinners. We want our church to be clean, to be pure but God has other plans. In uprooting the weeds you may destroy the wheat as well! What is wheat and what are weeds? Who are we to judge? In our own personal lives, in spite of our best intentions we have our weaknesses, our inadequacies, our hang-ups and failures that we are ashamed of. God is patient with us and permits us to live because he does not see the evil in us but the possibility of good that is in us. Unconditional love accepts people as they are without wanting them to change. People say 'Change! Then I will accept you and love you!' Godsays: 'You are loved as you are! No terms. No conditions. No pre requisites'. We are not called to judge, to react, to reform, to improve! We are called to accept, to be patient, to love people as they are! Who is a Saint and who is a sinner? There was this village, which was plagued with sheep thieves and it was about time they were taught a lesson. Two of them were caught and branded on their foreheads with the letters ST standing for sheep thieves, that would be their punishment for life! Unable to bear the shame one of them ended his life, while the other decided to mend his ways. He set about doing all the odd jobs in the village and would help all those who needed help. Years passed and his misdeed was forgotten. As an old man now he was looked upon as someone who could be relied upon to help anyone in need. One day as he was passing by, he heard little children talking about him. One remarked: "I wonder what those letters 'ST' on his forehead stand for?" Another child replied "I am not sure, but he is such a kind man, I am sure 'ST' stands for Saint!" Anonymous Unique Flaw! A water-bearer in India had two large pots, one hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pot full of water in his master's house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water-bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologise to you." "Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?" "I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said. The water-bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path." Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologised to the bearer for its failure. The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house." -Each of us has our own flaws. We're all cracked pots. But if we will allow it, the Lord will use our flaws to grace His Father's table. In God's economy, nothing goes to waste! Oskar, Saint or Sinner? One of the finest movies ever watched is Schindler's List, the story of Oskar Schindler, the German industrialist who personally saved over a thousand Polish Jews from the horrors of the concentration camps during the Second World War. One grateful person had this to say in appreciation: "Oskar Schindler was our father, our mother, our liberator and our only hope. He never let us down. We owe our survival solely to his courage, persistence and determination." On the other hand, Oskar Schindler was far from the notion of the perfect gentleman. Schindler was unfaithful to his wife and was totally immersed in the proverbial good life of wine, woman and song. He was a Catholic, but only in name. So Oskar Schindler was no saint. But there was a better side to him, and that came to the fore one day when he was appalled by the horrors of the concentration camps. Schindler felt something had to be done, and decided that he would be the one to do it. So that is just what he did. Using his personal wealth and connections, he saved more than a thousand Jews, who owe their survival solely to his courage, persistence and determination. Like Schindler, none of us is perfect. But, also like him, there is in each and every one of us a better side, on which we must steadily build, so that we grow with each passing day, with virtue and Christian holiness. James Valladares in 'Your Words, O Lord, Are Spirit, and They Are Life' Producing Great Results Chris was a problem child in school. Frequently his teacher sent Chris to the principal's office. Chris was a weed among the flowers. Finally, his teacher asked that Chris be moved to a different class. His new teacher put him at a desk near her desk. One day Chris reported to his mother, "mom, my teacher smiles at me." His new teacher praised his artistic talents; she found him dependable and would send him on errands for her. Chris blossomed, he even helped other students. This teacher's love and care for a student made the kingdom of heaven present right there in her classroom. And her love multiplied. Today, Chris is himself a teacher. His lessons are attention getters, he smiles a lot at his students, and he celebrates their accomplishments with a 'high five'. Once a seed sleeps in the soil, it can produce astonishing new life. -Like the good seed, leaven and mustard seed, let our love spread out to more and more people. John Pichappilly in 'The Table of the Word' The Beauty and the Beast The film 'Beauty and the Beast' is based on a classic French fairy tale. It tells the story of a beautiful girl who loved books and wanted to live like the characters of the book. Her father Maurice was a petty inventor. Gaston the village tavern owner loved the beautiful girl Belle. In that village there was a prince who was handsome but vain. One day an old lady came to him to ask for shelter but he turned her away. She was a fairy and with her magic wand she turned him into a Beast and gave him a mirror to see the world. She also gave him a rose saying that before the last petal falls he must find someone to love. One day Maurice went to the woods and was lost and captured by the beast. Belle went to release him. She was captured and imprisoned for life by the beast. Belle did not love the beast but tolerated him. One day she was attacked by a pack of wolves. The beast saved her life. The beast gave Belle the magic mirror in which she could see her father who was so sick that he was considered a lunatic. Belle went home to save her father and told him all about the beast. Gaston wanted to kill the beast. Belle ran to save the beast. Just before the death of the beast she told him that she loved him. At these words the beast turned into a handsome prince. -Within every one of us and in the world, there is beauty and there is a beast. There is good and evil, there is virtue and vice. There are wheat seeds and there are weeds. Elias Dias in 'Divine Stories for families' May we discover God's beauty in us and around us and be patient with evil around us! 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.
