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CONVENTION OF THE GOAN DIASPORA FROM GOA INTO THE WORLD
Lisbon, Portugal June 15-17, 2007 Details at:
http://www.goacom.org/casa-de-goa/noticias.html
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12-May-2007
Dear Friend,
In life we do not like good things to come to an end. Yet every end is the
beginning of a new experience. We also like to hold on to tangible realities
that surround us. We tend to get used to them, yet only when we have lost them
do we appreciate their value. Sometimes God's absence makes us yearn for his
presence. Have a blessed weekend discovering his presence in daily life. Fr.
Jude
Sunday Reflections:Ascension Sunday Go forth to find Him 20-May-07
Readings : Acts 1:1-11; Ephesians 1: 17-23; Luke 24:46-53;
Luke wrote the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. The Ascension is the
turning point between Jesus' own ministry and the era of the mission of the
Church, a time that looks towards the return of the Lord. Today's reading
reminds the disciples that this is a moment of transition, Jesus' mission is
over, but the Church's mission has just begun. Jesus is leaving his apostles
but he will be with them in a new way. The disciples are confused, is Jesus
announcing the beginning of his kingdom? When will the kingdom begin? Jesus is
not ready to disclose anything; it will be the Spirit that will reveal
everything to them in God's good time. All that the disciples are expected to
do is wait for the Spirit to take over their lives.
Jonathan Livingstone Seagull
At the conclusion of Part One of Richard Bach's book Jonathan Livingstone
Seagull, two radiant birds come as Jonathan's brothers to take him higher, to
take him home. Jonathan balks, but the birds insist: "But you can, Jonathan,
for you have learned. One school is finished, and the time has come for another
to begin." It was a moment of enlightenment for Jonathan. He realized that "he
could fly higher, and it was time to go home." Taking one last long glance
across the sky and land where he had learned so much, Jonathan Livingstone
Seagull "rose with the two star-bright gulls to disappear into a perfect dark
sky." There are striking similarities between this episode in Bach's book and
Luke's account of the Lord's ascension in today's readings. The Jonathan
Livingstone Seagull story can be taken, then, as a modern myth to help us
understand the significance of Christ's Ascension. Our Lord's leaving was not a
termination of his redemptive activity. Rather his glorification is
an extension of it among his people.
Albert Cylwicki in 'His Word Resounds'
In the second reading from Paul's letter to the Ephesians, Paul reminds them
that they are to strive to be constantly united to Christ and to one another.
There might be many valid images of the Church as, herald, servant, and body of
Christ. But the most relevant image for our times is the Church as Saviour,
because Jesus is alive and present in his church. Paul invites the Ephesians to
pray for the enlightenment which will bring them to know what is the hope to
which God has called us.
One with Christ
"One of the 'labours' imposed upon Heracles was to cleanse the stables of
Augeas. The stables had a herd of three thousand oxen, and the stalls had not
been cleansed for thirty years. According to the bond the stables were to be
cleansed in a single day. Heracles accomplished the task not by his own labour,
but by directing the river Alpheus and making it run through the stables. It is
only thus that the heart of man can be cleansed, not by fighting individual
impurities by unaided effort, but by letting in the river of cleansing. Here is
the joy and the method of overcoming sin." - G.B.F.Hallock
In today's gospel Jesus gives his final message, his final instructions, his
final promise, and his final blessing to his apostles. Jesus said that he had
come to do His Father's will, that was the one thing that kept him going, and
that he kept his mind on. He had a mission to accomplish and now the mission
was completed. Now he was going back to the Father. He had fulfilled his part
of the mission, now they had to fulfill their part. Jesus knew his disciples
and their weakness. He advised them to stay in Jerusalem, and not leave till
the Spirit came. Only God can do God's work. Now Jesus blesses them before
leaving them. Even though the Spirit had not yet come, they were already filled
with hope. Jesus then ascended into heaven in body and spirit. While the
disciples kept staring into the heavens, angels appeared to them to tell them
not to be looking up there but to await and find Jesus in a new way all around
the world, especially in the poor, the suffering, the
marginalized and the down-trodden. The apostles were to look around and
concentrate on life down here. The role of the Christian was not to work to get
to heaven, but to do everything possible to get heaven down here. It is much
more difficult to get heaven into people than to get people into heaven! Jesus
tells his disciples to preach the gospel in His name. They had to go to all
peoples and all nations and be witnesses of his life, death and resurrection.
It is obvious that they believed that they would see him again, because they
were filled with great joy, and their hearts were bursting with prayers of
gratitude.
The Unfinished Painting
Leonardo da Vinci had started to work on a large canvas in his studio. For a
while he worked at it choosing the subject, planning the perspective,
sketching the outline, applying the colours, with his own inimitable genius.
Then suddenly he ceased the painting still unfinished, and summoning one of his
students, invited him to complete the work. The student protested that he was
both unworthy and unable to complete the great painting, which his master had
begun. But da Vinci silenced him. "Will not what I have done inspire you to do
your best?" Jesus our Master began his Good News two thousand years ago by
what he said and did, and supremely by what he suffered. He illustrated his
message and He has left us to finish the picture. Will his life not inspire us
to finish the picture? This is the message of the Ascension.
John Rose in 'John's Sunday Homilies'
"The Ascension is not an event to be studied in isolation. Between Easter day
and Pentecost we celebrate that time of transition during which the risen
Christ vanishes from the sight of his disciples, only to open up a new way of
relating to them- a way so efficacious that everything is filled with his
presence. As if by a bridge spanning a river, so the disciples had now to leave
the familiar bank of the natural presence of Jesus and cross to the other side
as yet unknown territory where they will be taken hold of by the spirit of
the risen Lord. Certainly, after his last apparition, Jesus seemed to depart
from his disciples. But his invisible presence became more intense in depth and
extent in a way that would have been impossible had his former bodily presence
continued. Thanks to the Holy Spirit, the new presence of Jesus is established
forever just where Jesus had always taught his disciples to discern him: in
word, the sacraments, our neighbour and, especially,
the apostolate. " Glenstal Bible Missal
No hands but ours
There is a story told about a small town in Germany that was severely blasted
during the last war. Some years later, the buildings were restored. One of the
buildings was the town's cathedral. When the renovation was complete, it was
noticed that a large figure of Christ the King, which stood in front of the
cathedral, was still unrepaired, when both the hands had been blown off in the
explosion. When there was no sign of it being repaired, some people went to the
parish priest to enquire if he had any plans to repair the statue. He surprised
them all by saying that he was going to leave the statue exactly as it was. He
explained that, when Jesus ascended into heaven, he took his body with him. He
asked us to provide the body (church?), and his Spirit would provide everything
else. He would not replace the hands on the statue to remind people that Jesus
has no other hands but ours, when it comes to continuing the building of his
kingdom here on earth.
Jack McArdle in 'And that's the Gospel truth'
May His life inspire us to continue his work among us!!
Fr. Jude Botelho
www.netforlife.net
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.
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