6-June-2018 Dear Friend, One of the things that bring good projects to a bad end is when divisions occur. Many a good work begun with the best of intentions is given up because people knowingly or unknowingly begin to impute motives and people begin to question and doubt. Jesus came to do the Father’s will and reveal the goodness of God. He went about doing good but the Scribes and their followers questioned him. Are we builders of God’s kingdom or do we sow seeds of division wherever we go? May we keep on spreading God’s love with our lives! -Fr. Jude Sun Ref. Tenth Sun: “Coping with the ups and downs of life and moving on!” 10-June-2018Gen. 3: 9-15; 2Cor. 4:13-5:1; Mark 3: 20-35; The first reading describes the pathetic efforts of Adam and Eve to shift the blame of their sin from themselves on to the serpent and even to God himself. Whenever we do wrong we tend to make excuses for ourselves. We do not like to own responsibility for the wrong we have done. We also see the consequences of sin: loss of intimacy with God and a breakdown between man and woman – the man betrays the woman. However, this sad scene ends with a promise of salvation. The Gospel shows this promise as fulfilled in Jesus who overthrows the kingdom of Satan and establishes the kingdom of God.
The Lord of DivisionI’d like to suggest that the Devil has been particularly successful in giving us one piece of truth from which we have made a religious belief: the portrait of a benign, sweet, marshmallow Jesus. We Christians have focused on passages like, “Learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart” and ignored counterbalancing passages such as, “I have come not to bring peace but division.” In today’s gospel we have just such a Christ, a demanding figure, the very Lord of division. William J. Bausch in “The Word –In and Out of Season” In today’s gospel passage we see some of the frustrations Jesus had to contend with. He had to contend with the constant opposition from his enemies and sometimes even misunderstanding from his own family. News of people’s reactions to him reached Nazareth and worried about the direction of his life his relatives set out to rescue him and bring him back home. Many great people were at times believed to be mad by their contemporaries. When they reached the house where he was preaching they sent him a message: “Your mother and brothers and sisters are outside asking for you.” On hearing this Jesus replied. “Who are my mother and my brothers?” “Anyone who does the will of God, that person is my brother and sister and mother.” When Jesus left Nazareth he ‘lost’ his natural family. But gained another family- the family of his disciples. He was calling people to a spiritual family, built not on bonds of blood and nation. Blood relations are important but it is not everything. Jesus refused to go back home with his relatives. Though his mission was proving to be frustrating, he refused to quit. He had a mission to accomplish. Jesus gives us an example of faithfulness in a time of darkness. Jesus was calling people to a new community, into a spiritual family. Belief in Jesus and the practice of God’s will are what create community. With his example to inspire us, and his grace to strengthen us, we too can be faithful to our vocation as his disciples. “No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of heaven.” An Experience of ResurrectionRaising the young man from the dead and returning him to his powerless widowed mother was Jesus’ most forceful way of teaching that evil and sinfulness do not win out in this imperfect world. He was pronouncing that love and kindness and peacefulness are, in the last analysis, the greatest strengths in the human condition, and that violence and hatred and spitefulness are the weapons of fools. The wisdom of the world often seems to proclaim just the opposite. Human beings cry out: “If you are too thoughtful, people will walk all over you.” An old saying constantly advises us. “Fight fire with fire.” Even a certain spirit of athletes tell us, “Nice guys don’t win ball games.” The widow’s experience speaks of a different reality. There is no way to prove conclusively that life triumphs over death, that good triumphs over evil, that nonviolence triumphs over violence. We simply must take Jesus’ word for it. Jesus promised to empower the powerless, to give hope to those who have no hope!Eugene Lauer in ‘Sunday Morning insights’ Personal ResurrectionDarryl Stinger was a wide receiver for the New England patriots in the 1970s. He was hit in a game with the Oakland Raiders and left paralyzed from the chest down. Today he can only use one hand and gets around in an electric wheelchair. Darryl insists that in some ways his life is better now. Looking back at his pro football days, he says, “I had tunnel vision. All I wanted was to be the best athlete I could, and a lot of things were overlooked. Now I have come back to them. This is a rebirth for me…. I really have a lot more meaning and purpose to live for now.” Those are incredible words from a young man whose dreams of stardom lie buried in an electric wheelchair. But you hear similar things from others who have suffered similar tragedies. They all talk about a personal ‘resurrection’ to new life. They also testify to the central mystery of our faith. Jesus is risen, alive and active in people’s lives today.Mark Link in ‘Journey’ Compassion – the embrace of God!At a retreat for peace, conducted in Los Angeles by Thick Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese monk, some American veterans of the War were invited to attend and share their stories. A veteran told how one day during the war he captured a young Vietnamese soldier. With his hands clasped on his head, the Vietnamese soldier captive fell down on his knees and crawled. Moved by the look of absolute terror in his enemy’s eyes, the American soldier began to ask him questions through an interpreter: “How old are you?” “Nineteen.” “So am I.” “What do you do?” “I’m a student.” “So am I.” “Do you have a girlfriend?” “Yes” “So do I.” Then reaching into his haversack, the young American pulled out a tin of beans, gave it to his enemy and let him go. At first the Vietnamese ran as fast as he could, zigzagging back and forth for fear he would be shot in the back. Then suddenly he turned, raised the tin of beans high over his head, bowed a deep bow and disappeared into the jungle. For this Vietnamese soldier a tin of beans was a feast to be shared. From that day on the young American soldier marched with his gun turned down.” –Everyday there may be an opportunity to show compassion in action. Do I look for them?Gerard Fuller in ‘Stories for All Seasons’ The Widow of NainIf healing is understood in antiquity as the restoration of meaning to life, then whose life has had greater meaning restored to in this story? Contemporary Western individuals who have had a ‘near death’ experience and were then resuscitated, or ‘restored to life’ recount their disappointment in returning to ‘this world.’ While we cannot validly apply these experiences to antiquity, it would seem that the young man restored to life was restored to a comfortably secure male existence in a Mediterranean culture. The widowed mother, on the other hand, who lost her son, lost everything of value in her world. Even her life lost meaning. To have her son restored by Jesus is to have been given a new lease of meaningful life in that world. For all the good that science has bestowed upon us, it has often robbed us of the ability to see dimensions of life such as those presented in this gospel story. Which ‘dead’ person has been restored to life in this story? What do you think?” John Pilch in ‘The Cultural World of Jesus’ A Widow’s Wonderful DeliveranceIn the winter of 1855, in Iowa, the snow fell early in November. The storm was such that neither man nor beast could move against it. In a log cabin, six miles from her nearest relative, lived a widow with five children. The supply of food was over, and as usual, the woman called the little one around her to hear the Scriptures, before commending them to the Heavenly Father’s care. Then bowing in prayer, she pleaded that help from God might come. Believing in the firm promises of God, she went to bed, without any care or fear for the morrow. Next morning, just as she went to the kitchen a man in a sleigh drove up to her house and enquired how they were getting along. In a short time he was told something of their destitution and of her cry to God for help. He replied, “Last night, about nine o’clock, my wife and I were both impressed that you were in need. Spending almost a sleepless night, I hastened at early dawn, to come and enquire about the case.” Then, taking from the sleigh, he handed over bread, meat and groceries to the mother to prepare breakfast for the kids. The stranger had never been in that house before, nor had he ever showed any interest in that woman, but he ever afterwards proved to be a friend indeed.John Rose in John’s Sunday Homilies’ It’s a Miracle!There was a rabbi who had a reputation for sanctity. One day a stranger arrived from a faraway town to see him. On his arrival he was introduced to one of the rabbi’s disciples. “I have heard that your rabbi is a very holy man,” the stranger said. “Is that so? The disciple answered. “Well, we have a rabbi on our town who is also very close to God.” “How can you tell that? Asked the disciple, “Because he works miracles, “ came the reply. “I see,” said the disciple. “What miracles has your rabbi performed? The stranger asked. “There are miracles and miracles,” the disciple answered. It seems clear that the people of your town regard it as a miracle if God should do your rabbi’s bidding. Well, we in this town regard it as a miracle that our rabbi does God’s bidding.”Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies’ May we live like the family of God, reaching out and doing good always! 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.
