27-Sept-2018 Dear Friend,
All of us belong to some group or another. We join groups because we get something out of them and we can also contribute. Groups give us recognition, acknowledgement of who we are, what we can do and they also foster loyalty. We are members of the Church. What are its implications for our lives? Does that give us any special rights over others? Hope you enjoy the Sunday Reflections. Have a refreshing weekend! –Fr Jude Sunday Refl.: 26th Sunday “Not one of us” 30-Sept-2018Nm 11: 25-29; James 5: 1-6; Mark 9: 38-43, 45, 47-48 Today’s readings will focus on what it means to be a member of the group, the community Jesus founded. Does it not make us special people with special privileges? Does it not give us some unique rights over the spirit Jesus came to give us? Are we not the chosen ones? What is the cost of discipleship? The first reading tells us how the spirit of prophesy was given to Moses, the leader, as well as to seventy elders, who are part of the recognized leadership of people. But the spirit is also given to two outsiders, Eldad and Medad, who begin to prophesy and this seems to cause a problem. Joshua, who had served Moses from his youth, is upset and voices what many are feeling: “My Lord Moses, stop them!” The response of Moses is: “Are you jealous on my account? If only the whole people of the Lord were prophets, and the Lord gave his spirit to them all!” The first reading reminds us of how we look at the gifts, privileges and blessings God in his goodness bestows on us. It is good to feel we are singled out and maybe we feel that because we have received these gifts that we deserve them and that we have earned them. We believe that we are the favorites of God. In our human experience, people choose us because of what we can do, our qualifications and experience. Human choices imply my being chosen and others being excluded. However, when God chooses us and blesses us, it is not because of our capabilities. He excludes no one. He has no favorites because everyone is a favorite of God. When he chooses us and blesses us, it is not for ourselves but for others. Joshua wants God’s power, God’s spirit to be exclusively for ‘insiders’, those who belong to the group. His loyalty to the group is misplaced. Moses, on the other hand, knows that God’s gift is for everyone, no one is excluded. No one has rights over God! Nor is God bound to act only through any particular individual or group. God is free and his gifts have no exclusive price tag! The second reading speaks to us of riches and wealth. Worldly wisdom tells us: “Make a fast buck while you can”; “It is okay to use any means to help yourself to the top”; “To be more you have to have more”; “Money is everything, it can buy anything these days!” The media are constantly enticing us with the lifestyles and role models of the rich. In the second reading, St James warns us against wealth acquired by unfair means. Money, which rightly belongs to the poor, to those who have earned it, cries for justice. We may believe money and wealth to be a blessing from God, but it could also be a curse especially when it takes us away from God and from his people. “It is a burning fire you stored up as a treasure for the last days! It can consume you”. In the gospel we have a situation that parallels the one in the first reading. John complains to Jesus that there is man who is ‘not one of us’ who is casting out devils in the name of Jesus. He asks Jesus to stop him, to forbid the use of his name. Jesus’ reaction is just the opposite. “You must not stop him: no one who works a miracle in my name is likely to speak evil of me. Anyone who is not against us is for us. The disciples like to think of themselves as the inner circle, Jesus is theirs and only they can cast out devils in His name. Again Jesus confronts their way of thinking and ours. God gives freely his gifts to whomsoever he chooses. No one has a hotline to Jesus, He is available to everyone, saint and sinner alike! The power is in His name and not in us. Jesus, in fact, encourages us to use His name, to use His power and those who have uttered his name in faith have witnessed the power of His name irrespective of their worthiness or unworthiness. The good news in today’s gospel is that no group has monopoly over Jesus. Because we are Catholics, Christians, Charismatics, priests or religious does not make us better than our Hindu, Muslim or non-Christian brethren. “Anyone who is not against us is for us”. Membership in the Church should not be counted in terms of perks or privileges but rather in terms of responsibilities. The last part of the gospel reminds us that being responsible followers of Jesus will involve making choices and these will be painful. We cannot compromise our faith and values. Are we ready to sacrifice, to cut off whatever comes in the way of our being his true disciple? If there is something in our life that lessens Christ’s life in us or in our family or community, are we ready to surrender it to the Lord? Christianity is not about special membership bonuses, exclusive deals and cost-free guaranteed right to Heaven! Christianity is rather about breaking down barriers and building bridges to and for Christ no matter what the cost! We all have prejudices, our blinkers that prevent us from seeing God working in strange and wonderful ways that are different from the way we see things. His ways are not our ways, He is the God of surprises, and his folly confronts our wisdom. >From war to peaceYears ago, a man was shocked to see his own obituary in the >morning newspaper. His death was mistakenly reported. But what shocked him >most was how the obituary described him: as someone who had devoted his life >to making weapons of war. In fact his business was manufacturing and selling >dynamite. That morning he resolved to turn his energies in a new direction, >working for world peace and human betterment. That man was Alfred Nobel, >founder of the Nobel Peace Prize.Mark Link On the wrong footA young lady was dating a businessman. The relationship developed and the man was considering marriage. To make certain there was nothing in the woman’s past that would embarrass him, he hired a detective agency to run a check on her. The agency assigned an agent who was not told the client’s identity. When the agent reported back, he said: “the young lady is a splendid person except for one unfortunate blemish. Lately she has been dating a businessman of questionable reputation.”Mark Link The daily hidden giftEach day a king sat in state hearing petitions and dispensing justice. Each day a holy man, dressed in the robes of a beggar, approached the king and silently offered him a piece of very ripe fruit. Each day the king accepted the fruit and handed it to his treasurer who stood behind the throne. Each day the beggar, again without saying a word, withdrew and vanished into the crowd. This ritual went on endlessly. Then one day, months later, after the beggar appeared, something different happened. A tame monkey, having escaped from the woman’s apartment in the inner palace, came bounding in to the hall and leapt up on to the arms of the master’s throne. The poor beggar had just presented the king with his usual gift. But this time, instead of passing it on to his treasurer, as was his usual custom, the king handed it over to the monkey. When the animal bit into it, a precious jewel dropped out and fell to the floor. The king amazed, quickly turned to his treasurer behind him. “What has become of all the others?” he asked. But the treasurer had no answer. All the time he had simply thrown the unimpressive gifts through a small upper window. He hadn’t even unlocked the door, so he excused himself and ran quickly down the stairs and opened the courtyard. There on the floor lay a mass of rotten fruit in various stages of decay. But amidst this garbage lay a heap of precious jewels.Source Unknown Open our eyes Lord that we may see your presence and power in every situation and in everyone! 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.
