------------------------------------------------------------------------
* G * O * A * N * E * T **** C * L * A * S * S * I * F * I * E * D * S *
------------------------------------------------------------------------
GARCA BRANCA
VACATION ACCOMMODATION
LOUTULIM, SOUTH GOA.
For R&R; modern/clean amenities; serene, healthy and wholesome location
Visit http://www.garcabranca.com for details/booking/confirmation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
02-Sep-2007
Dear Friend,
When shopping or when going out to purchase some item we often look for
bargains. We want to get the best of things paying a fair price or as cheaply
as possible, yet we know that nothing is free in life, everything has a price
tag. We dont believe advertisements that promise us anything free. In the
spiritual life too there is a price to be paid for following Jesus. Are we
ready for the cost? Have a joyful weekend making wise choices for God! Fr. Jude
Sunday Reflections: Twenty-third Sunday Cost of Discipleship 9-Sep-07
Readings: Wisdom 9: 13-18; Philemon 9: 10.12.17;
Luke 14: 25-33
The first reading from the book of Wisdom speaks of the glory and special
place that wisdom should have in our lives. In particular it praises Solomon
the wise, who was given an opportunity to have anything that he wished but
chose wisdom instead as the thing he desired most. This wisdom is beyond mere
mortals but is freely given by the Lord to those who desire it.
The Truth sets us free
An English lady traveling in Germany left a valuable fur coat in charge of a
German woman in the carriage. When she returned the German was wearing the coat
and said it belonged to her. The guard tried in vain to find out to which of
the two it belonged and finally sent her to the consul. The consul asked to
examine the coat, and brought it back a few moments later saying, This is a
very serious affair; who so ever the coat belongs to has been smuggling
cocaine. Here are the two packets I found in the coat. The German woman
excused herself and bowed out of the room saying: Just my little joke. The
English woman said: I cant understand how they could have got there. The
Consul replied: Dont worry, it is only salt, that I put to find out whose
coat it really was.
John Arbuthnot in More Quotes and Anecdotes
The second reading from Pauls letter to Philemon not only shows the early
Christians attitude to the institution of slavery but also shows Pauls own
attitude towards Onesimus, one who was a slave and was converted to Christ.
Paul appeals to his friend Philemon not to treat Onesimus harshly as he
deserves for having run away, but rather to treat him as a brother in the Lord.
Both master and slave are bound by the same love and Onesimus needs to be
treated with dignity due to his calling as a Christian. Faith goes beyond
social customs and traditions.
Leadership in Service
The morning came, but my servant appeared not. Doors were all open, the water
was not drawn from the well, my servant had been out all night. My morning meal
was not ready; my clothes were all lying unfolded. As the hours passed by my
anger grew, and I devised hard punishment for him. At last he came, late in the
morning, and bowed low. I called out angrily: Go forth from my presence and
never see my face again. He looked at me and remained silent, and then said
in a low voice: My little daughter died last night. And without another word
he went to his daily task.
Rabindranath Tagore in Quotes and Anecdotes
In todays Gospel Jesus speaks of the sense of detachment that we need to
have if we are to follow Jesus Christ. The demands of the gospel are serious
and far reaching and not to be taken lightly. Jesus demands exclusive loyalty
from those who wish to follow him. They have to make choices which will clash
with other loyalties. Any one who does not carry his cross and come after me
cannot be my disciple. Jesus disciples must be ready to renounce their own
personal and family relationships and commitments in following the Lord. Self
renunciation and carrying the cross is rather painful, but that is the cost of
being His disciple. The parables about intending to build a tower and about a
king going to war are intended to drive the point home that following Jesus is
not based on an impulse but is a well-thought out, considered decision based on
reflection and readiness to face the consequences. Of course there are varying
degrees of commitment to Jesus but all have their
demands and call for some degree of sacrifice and renunciation.
Hating father and mother
Thomas Moore was Lord Chancellor when Henry VIII was king of England. He was a
successful lawyer, a great linguist and a renowned spiritual and political
writer. When he refused to take an oath in the Act of Succession, which
recognized the offspring of Henry and his second wife Anne Boleyn, as the heir
to the throne, declaring Henrys first marriage with Catherine as null and
void, and repudiating the Pope, he was imprisoned in the Tower of London in the
year 1534. His family implored him for his sake and theirs- to take the oath;
his beloved daughter Margaret took the oath thinking that this would induce her
father to take the oath, but he refused. He spent fifteen lonely months in the
prison in poor health, isolated from other prisoners, deprived of his beloved
books; even paper and pen were not given to him. He was convicted of treason
and sentenced to death. On July 1535, he was beheaded proclaiming that he was,
the kings good servant but Gods first. St.
Thomas Moore loved God more than his wife, his children, nay, even his life
itself.
John Rose in Johns Sunday Homilies
It is not an easy religion that Jesus sets before the great crowds that
accompany him on his way. Great crowds: this does not mean monks and
religious, but the popular movements roused by Jesus in Palestine and, as well,
those innumerable ones who, down the centuries, have been ready to go to the
end of the road with him. The majority have found his gospel an admirable book,
full of divine wisdom and moving human tenderness. But what can be said about
this blunt language, demanding radical renunciation? To prefer nothing to the
love of Christ, not even the most legitimate bonds of affection; to take ones
cross and renounce everything in order to be his disciple, is that really
reasonable? Certainly not! But if we wish to be reasonable we shall never
have any of those evangelical deeds of daring which mark the true disciple of
Jesus. In fact in a world dominated by practical materialism, by the
contemporary idols of power, sex, money, there is often need of heroism
just to be a Christian. It is good to discover then, with the gospel, the
price of grace: Grace which costs dearly, and not that cheap grace, sold at a
discount, with which we so easily content ourselves. -Glenstal Bible Missal
Pay the price
A man came to buy a saddle for his horse. He saw a fine piece and asked, How
much? Five hundred rupees, the shop owner replied. But that is too much,
the man replied. As it is the saddle is overly decorated. Remove some of the
decoration and cut down the price. All right the shop owner said and took
away some of the decoration. Now it will be Rs. 400. Rs. 400? Even that is
too much. There is still some decoration you can remove. And so it went on
till the price was brought down to Rs. 250. Even so the customer found the
price too much. At last the shop owner said, All right, sir. The saddle will
cost you nothing. The buyer asked excitedly, Nothing? Wonderful! What do I
get? The shop owner told him. Nothing. We get according to our willingness
to pay. This holds good in the spiritual realm too.
G. Francis Xavier in Inspiring Stories
May we be ready to pay the price of our faith!
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.
---------------------------------
Try the revolutionary next-gen Yahoo! Mail. Click here.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL:
http://lists.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet-goanet.org/attachments/20070904/0024067a/attachment.html
