25-Jun-2018 Dear Friend, As reasonable people we know the range of possibilities available to us and we also know our boundaries and limits beyond which we do not transgress. But there are times when we are challenged to go beyond and sometimes we surpass what we think is humanly possible. As people of faith we are always called to stretch ourselves and trust that our God is not bound by human limitations. His Word invites us to believe in the limitless power of our God available to us. Have a ‘boundless-faith’ weekend! -Fr. Jude Sun. Refl. 13th Sun. “Touch of faith” “Your words are Spirit Lord and they are life!” 1-Jul-2018Wisdom 1: 13-15; 2: 23-24; 2 Cor. 8: 7, 9, 13-15; Mark 5: 21-43; Today’s first reading ponders over the human condition. Surely God takes no pleasure in the extinction of the living, he does not desire the death of human beings. Yes, we all know our limits, we know that all men die and that death entered the world due to sin. But God is stronger than death and those who believe in Him can hope for life in this world and in the next. Our hope arises from the fact that we are made in the image of God who is the giver of life. But do we nurture life and collaborate with God? Or do we expect Him to do everything for us without fulfilling our part? Palmerstone North Evening StandardWhen I was in New Zealand in 1973 I read this fascinating comment in a newspaper article by the Director of Radiotherapy and Radiology in that country: ‘Cancer makes people start thinking of their lives. Everything they do has a keener edge on it and they get more out of life. In fact, some people never became complete human beings and really start living until they get cancer. We all know we are going to die some time, but cancer makes people face up to it.... They are going to go on living with a lot of enjoyment, just because they have faced the fear of death. Cancer patients aren’t dying. They are living. I have never seen a suicide because of cancer.’Anthony Castle in ‘Quotes and Anecdotes’ Today’s gospel describes the healing power of Jesus as he reveals God’s power at work restoring life and health through his healing touch. Both the faith of the woman suffering for twelve long years, and the faith of Jairus who was about to lose his daughter are stressed. Both incidents have much to teach us about faith helping us to go beyond. Jairus, the leader of the synagogue, came to Jesus begging for a cure for his daughter. Jairus’ request showed that he believed that Jesus possessed a supernatural power. He came in humility and Jesus acceded to his request and set out for his house. While they were on their way the news came that his daughter had died. The messengers suggest that there was no point in troubling Jesus; the case was hopeless. But neither Jairus nor Jesus gives up. Jesus encourages Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; only believe.” Jesus goes into the child’s room with the parents and taking the girl by her hand raises her to life. “Little child I say to you arise.” And the child arose and began to walk. The same Jesus brings healing to the woman who suffered for twelve long years, who believed she would be healed if she touched the hem of his garment. But Jesus did not want it to be a quick-fix magical affair. He seeks her from the crowd, and points to her faith. “Your faith has healed you.” God can come into our life even through what we consider insignificant and dirty –the hem of the garment! “I only have a small pan!”Two men went fishing. One man was an experienced fisherman, the other wasn't. Every time the experienced fisherman caught a big fish, he put it in his ice chest to keep it fresh. Whenever the inexperienced fisherman caught a big fish, he threw it back. The experienced fisherman watched this go on all day and finally got tired of seeing this man waste good fish. "Why do you keep throwing back all the big fish you catch?" he asked. The inexperienced fisherman replied, "I only have a small frying pan." Sometimes, like that fisherman, we throw back the big plans, big dreams, big jobs, big opportunities that God gives us. Our faith is too small. We laugh at that fisherman who didn't figure out that all he needed was a bigger frying pan; yet how ready are we to increase the size of our faith? Whether it's a problem or a possibility, God will never give you anything bigger than you can handle. That means we can confidently walk into anything God brings our way. He can see all things through.Anonymous God always answers our prayersThe waters of the dam had burst their banks, and a veritable tidal wave was heading towards the nearest town. The police drove up the main street calling on all people to vacate their homes and to avail of the transport provided for a quick exit out of town. One man, who knew about the danger, refused the offer because he had prayed to God and he felt it was now up to God to take care of him. Shortly afterwards, the waters came roaring down the main street, and all ground floors were under water. The man was forced to retreat upstairs. He was at a front window when a boat came by, and the people in the boat tried to persuade him to get in the boat and come with them to safety. Once again, the man insisted that he had asked God to help him, and that God would look after him. After some time the water rose so high that the man was forced to climb up on the roof. Soon a helicopter came along but, once again, he refused the offer of help, because God was going to take care of him. Anyhow, surprise! Surprise! The man drowned. He arrived at the gates of heaven in a very angry and belligerent mood and asked Peter, what happens when someone like him asks for help. This puzzled Peter, who explained that, yes, God always answers prayers. He brought out the logbook of prayer, asked the man his name, and began to check the records. After a while he looked at the man, and said, ‘Yes, there is a record here of your prayers. What puzzles me, though, is that there is also a record here of several answers to those prayers. It says here that we sent you the police, a group of people in a boat, and we even sent you a helicopter. Whatever happened to all that help? Didn’t they show up?’Jack McArdle in ‘And that’s the Gospel truth!’ Reaching out!According to a legend, a man became lost in his travels and wandered into a bed of quicksand. Confucius, the Chinese philosopher, saw the man’s predicament and said, “It is evident that man should stay out of places as these.” Brahma came on the scene and said, “You suffer because of your sins.” Next, Buddha observed the situation and said, “Let that man’s plight be a lesson to the rest of the world.” Then Mohammad came by and said to the sinking man, “Alas! It is the will of God.” Finally Jesus appeared. “Take my hand, brother,” He said, “and I will save you.”John Rose in “John’s Sunday Homilies” Merchant of death or life?About eighty years ago a man picked up the morning paper and, to his horror, read his own obituary! The newspaper had reported the death of the wrong man. Like most of us, he relished the idea of finding out what people would say about him after he died. He read past the bold caption which read, “Dynamic King Dies,” to the text itself. He read along until he was taken aback by the description of him as a “merchant of death.” He was the inventor of dynamite and had amassed a great fortune from the manufacture of weapons of destruction. But he was moved by this description. Did he really want to be known as a “merchant of death”? It was at that moment that a healing power greater than the destructive force of dynamite came over him. It guided him so that his energy and money moved to works of peace and human betterment. Today, of course, he is best remembered, not as a “merchant of death,” but as the founder of the Nobel Peace Prize – Alfred Nobel.Anonymous Story to healMartin Buber tells the story of his paralyzed grandfather who was asked to relate a story about his great teacher, the famous and holy Baal Shem Tov. The grandfather replied by telling how the holy man used to jump up and down and dance when he was praying. Being swept up in the fervor of the narrative, the grandfather himself stood up and began to jump and dance to show how the master had done it. At that moment the grandfather was completely healed of his paralysis.Brian Cavanaugh in ‘The ‘Sower’s Seeds’ “Illnesses exist to remind us that we are not made of wood!”(Van Gogh). A painful experience causes us to reflect on our lives, and teaches us to be compassionate towards other sufferers. Compassion is not learnt without suffering. May we receive life and healing in giving more and more of ourselves to 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.
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