13-Jul-2008
Dear Friend,
We have a tendency to evaluate, judge and categorize people into water-tight
compartments: People are good or bad, saints or sinners! Yet we know that human
beings are complex people and cannot easily be categorized and judged by their
external behaviour alone. All of us are a mixture of good and bad. As far as we
ourselves are concerned, we have to look for small beginnings and sow seeds of
goodness while nipping evil in the bud. As far as others are concerned, we
should be patient and leave judgement to God. Have a grateful weekend thanking
the patient God of small things! -Fr. Jude
Sunday Reflections: Sixteenth Sunday ‘Small Beginnings –Little
ways!’ 20-July-2008
Readings: Wisdom 12: 13, 16-19; Romans 8: 26-27;
Matthew 13:24 -43;
The Book of Wisdom speaks of God’s knowledge and power to root out evil people
if he so desired. This reading speaks of God’s leniency towards the evil ones
and how we ought to imitate it. The context provides examples of God’s mercy:
his forbearance towards the Egyptians and the Cannanites. Even the punishment
inflicted by God on the people for their sins was not meant to be an arbitrary
display of God’s power but rather that the people might give up their evil
ways, repent and come back to God. Thus the virtuous man must be kind and non
judgemental towards his fellowman, imitating the God whose power is tempered by
his mercy. This should make all of us hopeful of his mercy in our weakness and
failings.
A Flawed Good Human Being
Many people were inspired by the story of Oskar Schindler, the German
industrialist, who saved over a thousand Polish Jews from the concentration
camps. One of the people he saved said of him, “He was our father, our mother,
our only hope. He never let us down.” Yet many who saw the film Schindler’s
List were surprised, if not put off, by his vices. He was a man endowed with
the human vices. Unfaithful to his wife, he certainly knew how to enjoy the so
called good life -cigars, drink, women. He was a Catholic, but in name only. He
was also a member of the Nazi party. He exploited the Jews as a source of cheap
labour. But there was another side of him, and in spite of his lapses, he
always returned to his better side. There was a basic goodness about him. At
great personal risk he protected his workers from the death camps, thereby
showing that he was undoubtedly a courageous man. But Schindler was no angel.
He was a mere human being, an essential
good human being, though his goodness was seriously flawed.
Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies’
In the second reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, Paul writing to the
Romans exhorts them not to give up prayer because there are weak and sinful or
because they do not know how to pray. True prayer is not merely our human
effort but rather God’s spirit within us that teaches and helps us to call God
our Father and reach out to him. It is His spirit in us that enables us to call
God, ‘Abba Father’. The most important effect of the action of the Spirit
living in us is the ability to pray. Without God we cannot pray, without God we
cannot live! Even in our sinfulness, when we pray there is one who comes to our
aid and at the point of our deepest needs helps us to reach out to our Abba
Father.
The parable of the weeds is one of the seven parables illustrating the Kingdom
of God in Matthew’s gospel. In today’s gospel Jesus compares the kingdom of God
to a field in which the weeds are growing side by side with the good crop. It
is intended by Matthew to be a description of the Church, which is made up not
only of the elect, but also of sinners. It is made up of saints as well as
those who are steeped in sin, all in need of the benevolent mercy of God. The
original point of the parables is the call of repentance, it is never too late
to repent. God gives us all sinners ample time to repent and change our lives.
He does not uproot us and destroy us in our sinfulness but bides his time.
Because of his mercy and tolerance we can always come back to him. His mercy
tempers his justice in dealing with sinners. The example of the farmer who
allows the weeds to grow with the wheat points to God’s patience in dealing
with sinners. He abhors sin
but loves the sinner and his compassionate mercy is everlasting. But the
harvest time will come and so we cannot abuse God’s mercy forever and delay our
conversion. At the same time we have to be tolerant and compassionate towards
the evil doer and leave judgement and condemnation in God’s hands.
Small Beginnings
Once upon a time a crowd of young people (in this day and age folks under
thirty five) poured out of the five o’clock Saturday afternoon mass
and promptly engaged in a fierce argument, the kind that one hears sometimes
between Cubs fans and Sox fans. They were members of a young adult group who
went around doing good things. They were admirable, dedicated, and enthusiastic
men and women of whom the pastor said they were a credit to the parish – all
the time keeping his fingers crossed for fear that they might take the parish
away from him. They were arguing about their Sunday morning project. Normally
they tutored inner city high school students who were preparing for college
boards. However, there was also an environmental demonstration that day. The
more liberal young people insisted that the environmental protest was more
important. The more conservative young people said that they had a solemn
obligation to help the minority students make it
into college. Neither side would budge an inch. So right there in front of
Church after the liturgy they all lost their tempers. The team broke into two
groups. Both sides insisted they would never work with the other again. They
departed very angry. The young priest who heard the argument shook his head in
dismay I don’t think either side understands what the liturgy means.
Andrew M. Greeley
While the first part of the Gospel deals with the parable of the weeds with the
allegorical interpretation of its meaning and explanation of the presence of
evil in the world and God’s attitude towards evil and the sinner, the latter
part of the gospel concludes with two other mini parables: the parable of the
mustard seed and the parable of the yeast mixed with the dough. What all the
three parables seem to have in common is the importance of small and apparently
insignificant things in life and in God’s plan. The tiny weed planted by evil
intentions can destroy much good in our lives. Conversely, goodness and good
deeds even though they be as small as a mustard seed, can grow and have
positive repercussions. Similarly, the parable of the yeast in the dough points
to the potential of good deeds impacting the environment that surrounds us.
Both sin and goodness have not merely personal consequences but a social impact
as well.
Evil Is Deceptive
Hitler misled hundreds of people with his megalomaniac thoughts of Aryan
supremacy and hatred of the Jews. Only when he was defeated did people realize
that they had been taken for a ride by Hitler and his philosophy. Albert Speer
was an important member of the Nazi hierarchy during Hitler’s reign. He was
Hitler’s architect and minister of armaments, munitions and war productions.
After the defeat of Hitler, he was tried at Nurenberg for crimes against
humanity and subsequently condemned to serve twenty years in prison. Albert was
one of the most intelligent, educated and principles persons in Germany. How
was he captivated by Hitler’s magnetism to accept such bizarre and evil
ideologies? During his trial he took responsibility for the horrors of the
Nazi regime, although most of the time he was not aware of the happenings
around. Later in life, he sincerely regretted his association with Hitler. He
could still not explain completely why he
subscribed to Hitler’s evil ways. Only the colossal fall of Hitler and Germany
freed him from his pact with Hitler’s evil and made him realize the magnitude
of the evil.
John Rose in ‘John’s Sunday Homilies’
Confronting Evil -Films ‘Harry Potter and the Socerer’s Stone’ & ‘End of
Days’
At Harry's final confrontation with Voldemort, the bad guy, Voldemort begins to
pretend to be kind to Harry. He tells Harry that he could have eternal life if
he kept the Stone, and says that if he joined him instead of fighting him, he
could have the things he desired most. Continuing, Voldemort tells him "There
is no Good and Evil, there is only power and those too weak to seek it." Harry
seems to be tempted to succumb for a moment, but then in a realization of truth
he yells that Voldemort is a liar. At that point Voldemort stops trying to
convince him and they enter "hand to hand combat." This is an excellent clip
that shows a perfect portrayal of the arguments Satan uses on believers: the
lure of material happiness, and the blurring of the line between sin and
righteousness. Harry does what we hope any good Christian would: scream in the
enemy's face that he is a liar. -Lindsay Braman
Film –End of Days
The movie has an apocalyptic theme that centers around the idea of Satan
attempting to take full control of the world. Near the end, after a countless
barrage of gunfights and explosions, Arnold and the woman he is protecting
enter a church, knowing that Satan is hot on their trail. The scene turns very
powerful as Arnold, holding a huge gun in his arms, looks around the church and
sees various images and statues. He throws his gun on the floor, closes his
eyes, and opens his arms (crucifixion?) and prays, "Please help me." Without
giving too much away, Satan is defeated -- not by violence -- but by "a more
excellent way." Rev. Duane Partin
-Text this Week-Images and Films
Reflecting on the years spent in Labour camps, Alexander Solhenitsyn has this
to say: “I learnt one great lesson from my years in prison camps. I learnt how
a person becomes evil and how he becomes good. Gradually I came to realize that
the line that separates good from evil passes not between states, or between
classes, or between political parties, but right through every human heart.
Even in hearts that are overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is
retained. And in the best of hearts, there remains an unuprooted small corner
of evil.” Gulag Archipelago
May even our simplest action and smallest deed be witness of God’s life in us!
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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