13-June-2008
Dear Friend,
If we are honest we have all to admit that we are all frightened people, we all
have something or another that we are afraid of! Of course it is human to be
afraid but when fear paralyzes us and prevents us from doing what we can do
then our fears have got the better of us and we are no more free. We can get
rid of some of our fears by facing them or by analysing them and talking about
them to a confidant. But there are some fears we can only overcome by trusting
in God. “Be not afraid, I will take care of you” says Jesus to us! Have a
courageous weekend finding strength in the Lord! -Fr. Jude
Sunday Reflections: Twelfth Sunday ‘Be not afraid! I will take care of
you!’ 22‑ June-2008
Readings: Jeremiah 20: 10-13; Romans 5: 12-15; Matthew
10:26 -33;
This first reading from Jeremiah tells us of the difficulties and trials of the
prophet as he tries to preach God’s message to the Israelites. He fearlessly
told the king and his henchmen that their kingdom was going to be ruined. He
did not mince words and told them that this would happen because they had
abandoned God and his law. The prophet lived out his vocation during times of
great turmoil and stress. Jerusalem was destroyed and the temple was in ruins.
The people hated the prophet for his condemnation of their behaviour and his
predictions of doom. He lived with constant threats on his life. Yet he
remained faithful to his preaching. What helped the prophet to remain faithful
to his vocation was his firm conviction that God was on his side. “The Lord is
on my side, a mighty hero!”
I Am Not Afraid of Dying!
When Oscar Romero was made bishop of San Salvadorhe was a conservative, but he
changed when he saw what was happening. Every Sunday he preached at the
Cathedral. His homilies so electrified the country that national affairs halted
when he spoke from the altar. He made public the unspeakable crimes being
committed, many by agents of the government. He was under constant threat of
death. Some of his best friends were murdered. And still he would not be
silenced. Nor would he go into hiding or exile. “At the first sight of danger
the shepherd cannot run and leave the sheep to fend for themselves. I will stay
with my people.” He said. He was shot dead in March 1980 while saying mass.
According to Romero it didn’t take courage. All it took was the understanding
that his enemies dealt in fear, and he was not afraid of them, they would have
no power over him. They might be able to kill his body, but they could not and
would not kill his soul and spirit.
Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies’
In the second reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, Paul draws a
contrast between Christ and Adam: sin came into the world through Adam;
abundant grace came through Jesus Christ. If it is certain that through the sin
of Adam and our own sinfulness we have paid the price and have lost grace it is
even more certain that through the suffering and death of Jesus Christ we have
more than merited salvation. Every action of ours has its repercussion on
mankind and every sin has its social impact on the sinfulness of this world.
But God’s grace given through Jesus is even greater, and because of him every
person who lives in grace brings down tremendous blessings on this world.
Thinking of the Other Person
As Gandhi stepped aboard a train one day, one of his shoes slipped off and
landed on the track. He was unable to retrieve it as the train was moving. To
the amazement of his companions, Gandhi took off his other shoe and threw it
back along the track to land close to the first. Asked by a fellow passenger
why he did so, Gandhi smiled. “The poor fellow who finds the shoe lying on the
track,” he replied, “will now have a pair he can use.”
Author Unknown
First quoted in ‘The Little Brown Book of Anecdotes’
When Jesus sent his apostles out to proclaim openly and to witness to him
before the world, he knew they would be fearful. They had good reason to be
fearful, knowing that they would have to face persecution and hardship. So not
once but three times he said to them, “Do not be afraid.” The followers of
Jesus knew what religious bigotry was present and how their religious leaders
and Romans treated religious squabbles. Jesus knew that his apostles were
afraid. He understood their fears and took them seriously. When he said: “Do
not be afraid” he was addressing their fears and trying to allay them. He was
trying to give them courage. He was trying to move them beyond fear, knowing
that fear could make them so timid as to be unable to fulfil their mission. How
did he suggest they might overcome their fears? He wasn’t telling them to
forget their fears. He urged them to have complete trust in God and total
reliance on Him. This God whom they had
come to know, this God whose loving face he was revealing to them; this God
who lovingly watches over life and death of even the smallest and least
valuable of his creatures, the sparrows. Sparrows are cheap yet nothing happens
to them, none falls to the ground without the Father’s knowing. If He cares for
them, how much more does he not care for you and me? Jesus assures his
disciples that God knows every detail of our life, even every hair on our head
is counted! God’s care for us infinitely surpasses our comprehension. Jesus
tells his disciples not to be afraid of those who can kill the body, but can do
no more; such people cannot kill the soul. Jesus was trying to move the
disciples from fear to trust. Fear creates suspicion, distance, defensiveness
and insecurity. Trust leads to closeness, intimacy and a sense of security. Our
relationship with God should not be based on fear but on trust and love. Good
religion makes a person fearless, Bad
religion increases one’s fear. Fear and worry are an insult to God. This does
not mean that religion will remove insecurities and problems from our lives.
Faith is not a comforting illusion that all is well. Rather, it means to know
that life is full of risk, full of insecurity, and yet to rejoice in it –that
is the essence of faith. Jesus concludes reminding his apostles that they are
called to be witnesses, people who are unafraid to be seen to be followers of
his in the midst of a sceptical and sometimes hostile world. The task is
difficult and only by God’s grace and strength can we be faithful witnesses. We
have to stand up and be counted -this requires a special kind of courage. This
courage can only come from faith!
I Don’t Despair About Kids Today
“Sometimes when I am flying from one speaking assignment to another I find
myself sitting next to someone who’s quite talkative. Sad to say, there are
times when I’m sitting next to someone who just wants to vent his spleen or
inflict his political views on a captive audience for 600 miles. It was one of
those days. I settled myself resignedly, as my seatmate began his disquisition
on the terrible state of the world with the timeworn, “You know, kids today
are….” He went on and on, sharing vague notions of the terrible state of teens
and young adults, based on watching the six o’clocknews rather selectively.
When I gratefully disembarked that plane and finally made it to my hotel in
Indianapolis, I bought the local paper, and went to have dinner in the hotel.
There on the inside page, was an article I believe ought to have made the
front-page headline news. In a little Indianatown, there was a fifteen year old
boy with brain tumour. He
was undergoing radiation and chemotherapy treatments. As a result of those
treatments, he had lost all of his hair. I don’t know about you, but I remember
how I would have felt about that at his age. I would have been mortified. The
young man’s classmates spontaneously came to his rescue: all the boys of his
class asked their mothers if they could shave their heads so that Brian would
not be the only bald boy in the high school. There, on that page, was a
photograph of a mother shaving all of her son’s hair with the family looking on
approvingly. And in the background, a group of similarly bald young men. So I
don’t despair about kids today!
Hanoch McCarthy in ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’
Film –Erin Brockovich (2000)
"Erin Brockovich" is essentially a film about empowerment. A mother of three
children is unemployed and has no source of income. She decides that she has to
find a job at all costs. In her work at a small law firm, she discovers that
she has very little respect from the other employees. She comes to believe that
the women of the firm are jealous of her physical attributes when she is asked
to change to more appropriate work clothing. She dreams of one day having a job
where she is respected for what she brings to her position. She dreams of being
viewed as a person of integrity. As the story unfolds, Erindevelops a
friendship with her boss that only strengthens with time because of her hard
work and determination to do a good job. He strongly affirms Erinwith several
votes of confidence. As Erinworks on her case, she receives acceptance from her
co-workers gradually and also from those whom she wants to sign the petition.
She also is required to show
some great courage when she receives some threats to her family. Her case in a
small Californiatown that is plagued by bad water requires endurance from her
and from her children and boyfriend/neighbor. The film depicts a journey of
self-discovery for Erin. She finds that there are many obstacles that she must
overcome, including dealing with the tension of not being with her children as
much as she would like when she is working on her project for the town. The
tension between working and not working is a strong one for Erin, who does not
have the benefits of child support for her three children. As she gains the
trust of the town, a sense of community between these people develops. They
begin to understand that all of their medical problems are interconnected and
that by joining together as one community they have a greater chance of
achieving their goals. At the end of the film, Erinshows great joy at her
accomplishments as a committed and
courageous person in the working world.
Valerie Lyson Humphreys in films for ‘The Text this Week’
You Have a Heart Of a Mouse!
Once upon a time there was a mouse that had a crippling fear of cats. A
magician took pity on it and turned it into a cat. But then it became afraid of
dogs. So the magician turned it into a dog. Then it became afraid of panthers.
So the magician turned it into a panther. Then it became afraid of hunters. At
this point the magician gave up. He turned it back into a mouse saying,
“Nothing I do for you is going to be of any help because you have a heart of a
mouse!” – To be a follower of Jesus, the heart of a mouse will not suffice. One
needs a brave heart. May the Lord give each of us a brave heart!
Anonymous
May we grow in courage and keep trusting in Him in all things!
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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