30-Nov-2014 Dear Friend, Our common everyday experience tells us that for everything of value there is need of preparation so that it turns out well and beneficial for us. If we are going for an interview we prepare ourselves and rehearse our responses. For exams we prepare well in advance if we want good grades. In sports there are months and months of daily training, exercises, diet and tough routines. If we are to prepare a delicious meal for special guests we don’t leave things to turn out well by chance! Are we prepared for God’s coming? Have an exciting week in joyful anticipation of His coming! –Fr. Jude Sunday Reflections: 3rd Sun. Advent “Joyful witnesses of God’s coming in and around us!” 14-Dec-2014Isaiah 61: 1-2, 10-11 Thes. 5: 16-24 John 1: 6-8; 19-28
Today’s readings sound the note of joy. But we could ask what is there to be happy about. After all there are so many things that it depresses us and makes us sad. Yet we are asked to rejoice, to be a Christian we have to have joy in our lives. What can be the source of our joy? Isaiah will point out that we should rejoice in the Lord! Isaiah believes he has been chosen to bring good news to the poor, to heal the broken hearted, to bring liberty to captives, freedom to those in prison, to proclaim a year of favour. This is joyful news that God will do all these things for us. He is coming He will not delay, He is faithful to his promises. He will come! Whatever your situation, He will come! Rejoice, the Spirit can and does change us!A couple enjoyed a happy married life for a year and a half and as usual began to go through hard times. Their family deserted them as theirs was a love marriage. The first child died after three months, and the man’s job was at stake. However, the news of the second child delighted them for some time and they could bear all hardships. Soon, at the time of delivery the doctor declared that the baby was dead in the womb of the mother and that the mother could not conceive any longer. This was a big jolt to the man who was on the periphery of his spiritual life unlike his wife who was firmly rooted and grounded in her commitment to the Lord and the Church. The man went into drinking. His company sent him abroad so that he might improve his behavior but all in vain. He came back home in a worse condition. However, his wife’s prayer-life moved him and he agreed to go for a retreat where he experienced the power of the Holy Spirit in such a might way that he decided to give his life totally to the Lord. Today he is a known retreat preacher along with his wife.Robert D’Souza in ‘Liturgy and Life’ In the Gospel we have John pointing out to the people that he is not the messiah, he is not the prophet, he is not Elijah but the voice of one crying out in the wilderness. He reminds them that there is one person in their midst who is greater than he is, but they do not recognise Him. John is merely a witness, pointing out to the one who is coming so that they might not miss him. He is the light, He is their hope, He is the promised one! If we do not see him, accept him, believe in Him, then the source of our joy is lost. We have missed the one who can bring meaning into our lives! Our sin is the sin of ignorance! We did not know He was in our midst. He came unto his own and his own did not recognise Him. God comes in strange ways! You do not recognize him‘Valesa – a Nightmare’ is a docu-drama which was written in Poland under a pseudonym and then smuggled out of the country. It tells the story of political prisoners like Lech Walesa. Near the end of the play a prisoner priest, who usually offers a solitary Mass, is joined by the rest of the prisoners at considerable risk to celebrate the Eucharist. At this moment, the play reaches a climax with the deafening scream of crows - a Polish symbol for the Communist military regime under General Jaruzelski. The cawing of the crows suddenly gives way to the soft chirping of spring birds and the comforting notes of a piano concerto - a symbol of the optimism of the Polish people that one day their quest for religious and political freedom will be realized. ‘Valesa – a Nightmare’ shows how Christ can come into our lives even in the worst of circumstances. The Lord came to Lech Walesa in a Communist prison through Walesa’s faith and prayers, through his Polish culture and pride, through his fellow political prisoners and through the sacrament of the Eucharist.Albert Cylwicki in ‘His Word Resounds’ Something MoreA vivid illustration of what John was challenging people to do is found in Catherine Marshall’s book Something More. One day her daughter Linda was about to take a shower. Linda had one foot in the shower stall and the other foot on the bathroom rug. As she stood there in this awkward position, it suddenly occurred to her that this was a good picture of her life. Linda had always wanted to commit her life to God, but she could never quite do it. She always kept one foot in and one foot out. Now, it seemed the moment had finally come when she must decide for God or against him. Standing there, Linda thought about what choosing the Lord would cost her. The price would be high. But she was tired of living in two worlds and enjoying neither. Linda paused for a long time, took a deep breath, and said aloud, “Lord, I choose you!” With that, she stepped into the shower. It was for her a true baptism. It’s this kind of a change of heart that John was calling upon people to make.Mark Link in ‘Sunday Homilies’ Witnessing to the LightA king came along whose wife gave birth to twins, both boys. They were christened Peter and Paul. The father loved both of them equally. But to whom should he leave the ring? He fell very ill, and thinking that he was about to die, he hit on the following plan. He got another ring made exactly like the first. It was so good that even he was unable to tell them apart. Then he called in his two sons separately and gave each of them a ring. But when Peter found out that his brother had also got a ring he made a terrible scene. He had to be sure that he himself had the magic ring and not the look alike. The king consulted a wise man to help him decide the issue. After examining the rings the latter declared: “I cannot tell which of you is wearing the magic ring, you yourself will be able to tell.” “How?” they asked earnestly. “It’s quite simple. Whichever of you displays the greater amount of goodness in his life will prove beyond doubt that he possesses the magic ring.” It was agreed. As it happened, the king recovered from his illness and reigned for many years more. When at least he was nearing death he called in his two sons once more. Now was the time to finally decide which of them had the magic ring. Peter was the first to come in. He began to claim adamantly that he possessed it. But then the people who knew him best were asked their opinion. His wife told how over the years he had shown her very little affection. His children said that he was never at home. His servants complained that he had been very hard on them and had paid them poor wages. His neighbours told how he was forever stirring up trouble among them. And so it went on. Paul came in. He made no claims whatsoever. But when the people who knew him best were asked what kind of man he was they were loud in their praise of him. He had proved to be a loving husband, and a kind father to his children. He had treated his servants with respect and generosity. He had been a force for peace and goodwill among his neighbours. In fact, not a single one had a bad word to say about him. Then the king spoke: “Peter you have witnessed to the presence of the ring, but only with your words. Paul on the other hand, has witnessed to it with his deeds, that is, with his life. To me it is obvious that his witness is the greater and the more convincing. Therefore, I declare that his ring is the genuine one. Now Paul I ask you to produce it. “I no longer have it”, Paul answered. “What do you mean you no longer have it?” asked the King. “One day many years ago a poor woman and her child came to my gate and I gave it to her so that she could sell it and buy food and clothes.” Far from being angry, the king was very pleased on hearing this. It merely confirmed him in his belief that the verdict he had reached was in fact the correct one. And in due course Paul ascended the throne and donned the crown. The second son in some ways reminds us of that great man John the Baptist. In today’s Gospel we are told that John was a witness to the light. “He was not the light, but only a witness for the light”. The light of course was Christ.Flor McCarthy in ‘Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies' Prepare the way for Him!A religious sociologist, Dr. Dean Hoge, has written a book entitled ‘Converts, Dropouts and Returnees’. Very briefly, he narrates his experiences with individuals, who either left the Catholic Church or had been reconverted, and what led them to take that important decision. And he found that “the happiest Catholics were the dropout Catholics” –persons who had left the Catholic Church for a time, but returned. Even more, he found that the best recruiters of dropout Catholics are the dropouts themselves. More specifically, Dr. Dean Hoge found that two-thirds of the thousands of Catholics who return to the faith each year do so because a neighbour, a friend or a relative invited them to return. This is where each and everyone of us can play a vital role in the return of many. And we could begin just by inviting them to attend a service this Christmas. We have been anointed for this very specific outreach; so let the Holy Spirit speak through you in preparing the way for the Lord.James Valladares in ‘Your words, O Lord, Are Spirit, and They are Life’ Are we ready?A guru once revealed the route by which he was led to God-realization. “First,” he said, God took me to the Land of Action and after many years to the Land of Sorrows.” He continued. “I was taken to the Land of Love where I was emptied of everything; next God took me to the Land of Silence, where I pondered the mysteries of life.” The impatient disciple asked, “What was the final stage?” The guru replied, God finally said that I’d see God’s innermost Self, and God led me to the Land of Joy.” Jesus brings joy because he binds the broken hearts and breaks captives’ chains. His joy will be ours if we too, in the power of the Spirit, help him free the brokenhearted and captives. But, this demands breaking our own chains first. Are we ready?Francis Gonsalves in ‘Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds’ May we be joyful witnesses of God’s love in the world today! 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.
