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Remembering Aquino Braganca (b. 6 April 1924), who fought for freedom
of the former Portuguese colonies in Africa. An online tribute
http://aquinobraganca.wordpress.com/ (includes many historical
references, some photographs and documents)
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04-Apr-2009
Dear Friend,
No one wants to suffer, everyone tries to escape the difficult and painful
moments of life. In fact we are very uncomfortable even to look at others
suffering. If people blame us for causing suffering we immediately avoid
responsibility and pass the buck to others. When confronted we look for the
easy way out. Yet the Christian way is the way of the cross, there is no
compromise, there is no other way to live the call of a Christian. The cross by
itself has no meaning unless we can discover Jesus in every cross. This demands
faith and a surrender. Have a ‘good Friday’ accepting and surrendering to Him!
Fr. Jude
Sunday Reflections: Good Friday ‘Signed by the Holy Cross, we are
redeemed!’10-Apr-2009
Isaiah 52: 13 - 53:12; Hebrews 4: 14-16; 5: 7-9; John 18: 1-19:42;
Today’s first reading from the fourth servant song of Second Isaiah contributed
three features to the Church’s understanding of the crucifixion: Christ’s
suffering was innocent, vicarious, and redemptive; it is for all persons; and
the suffering servant will be vindicated. It speaks of the humiliation and
exaltation of the suffering servant of the Lord. This song of the suffering
servant contemplates the fate of the man upon whom the hopes of Israel rest.
The unmerited afflictions of the servant expiate for the wickedness of others.
His ultimate triumph and victory are glimpsed beyond the present persecution
and the rejection of the people, and the ignominious death on the cross. The
servant is innocent gentle and humble and through his obedience unto death he
will save mankind.
Remembering Glory
There is a strange legend of a monk who was walking in the monastery garden
alone, thinking of the Passion of our Lord, just before Holy Week. As he slowly
paced along, he saw something lying in the path, and picked it up. It was the
crown of thorns which our Lord had worn for our sakes, and he reverently
carried it to the little chapel, and laid it upon the altar. Never had Holy
Week been so well kept, for the sight of that crown of thorns made them realize
the sufferings and the love of Jesus more than they had ever done before. At
last Easter Sunday dawned, and the monk rose early for his Easter preparations,
and came to the chapel. As the sun shone through the window, it lighted up the
altar, it touched the crown of thorns, and there in the Easter sunlight the
thorns had blossomed into the most beautiful flowers. It is a little parable.
For it is suffering and sacrifice which bring forth the most splendid fruits.
Anthony Castlein ‘Quotes and Ancdotes’
In the second reading from the letter to the Hebrews we are told that Jesus as
a high priest saved us by his blood and through his many trials he was given a
deeper understanding of what a life of obedience to the demands of God’s law
means for men. He thus understands human nature, a fact that should lead us to
unbounded confidence in him as he is one of us in all things but sin. He is the
faithful and compassionate high priest who constantly pleads our cause before
His father and intercedes for us. We are shown the saving work of Jesus wrought
through his suffering and through him we have access to God our Father.
Saviour Heroes
A religious persecution in 1980 left a region of Guatemala without priests. But
the people continued to meet in various parishes. Once a month they sent a
delegate to a part of Guatemala where priests were still functioned. Travelling
up to eighteen hours on foot, the delegate celebrated the Lord’s Supper in the
name of the parish. Describing one of these celebrations, Fernando Bermudez
writes in his book, Death and Resurrection in Guatemala: The altar was covered
with baskets of bread. After the mass, each participant came up to take his or
her basket home again. Now the bread was Holy Communion for the brothers and
sisters of each community. In time the authorities closed all churches. But the
people refused to stop gathering, recalling Jesus’ words, “where two or three
are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them.
Mark Link in ‘Journey’
The passion as presented by John is highly dramatic as he presents the passion
as the triumph of Jesus Christ on the cross. Throughout the passion John shows
Jesus always serenely in command. Through his attitude and actions during his
passion he illustrated what he said: “No one takes my life from me, but I lay
it down of my own accord.” He is master of his own fate. In the central portion
of his passion from the trial before Pilate he reveals himself as king. He
calmly claims he is king, yet not in a worldly way of this world. “My kingdom
is not of this world” he claims. His kingdom is not of domination but of
service. Jesus gives his life out of love, thereby showing the way of service
to his disciples. He reigns in the hearts of men. Even when he is powerless,
crowned with thorns and nailed to the cross, he cannot be ignored. “And I when
I am lifted on the cross will draw all things to myself.” He is saluted as King
of the Jews! Although
Pilate was in the judgement seat he cannot judge Jesus and finds himself being
judged. He knows and sees that Jesus is innocent of the charges brought against
him yet he cannot take a stand and passes on the responsibility to others. When
Jesus is led to his death seemingly vanquished, John presents him standing tall
and victorious. Beaten, his face disfigured, like the suffering servant of
Isaiah, Jesus “will startle many nations, kings shall shut their mouths because
of him” (Is. 53:12). The way of the cross thus becomes a triumphal procession,
In contrast to the other synoptic, there is no Simon of Cyrene to help Jesus,
he needs no help, he is master of his destiny. The cross is not the instrument
of torture but the throne of this king. In fact the passion ends on a note of
triumph: “It is finished! It is fulfilled!” It follows that the account cannot
end with the death of Jesus but will climax with the resurrection. The
death-resurrection
for John is one single event. From the Cross Jesus is calling us to follow in
his footsteps carrying our own crosses, not with reluctance or complaint but
with love. Like Jesus we can make our crosses a means of loving service and
through the cross merit salvation for others and for ourselves. We can welcome
the kingdom of service which Jesus brought to us in solidarity with everyone
and especially with the most marginalized, with those who need our support,
friendship and love,
Mark of the Nails
A father wanted his son to realize the importance of making wise choices and
their consequences. And so if his son made a bad decision, he’d give him a
hammer a nail to take out and pound it into a fence. Every day the son went
through the whole day making good decisions, he’d let him go out and remove one
of the nails. Until the boy was fifteen there were always two or three nails on
the post –seems he’d been nailing new ones just as fast often as he’d pull out
others. The youth started to mature and make better decisions till one day all
the nails were removed from the post. That was when his dad said, “I want you
to notice something about the fence.” Looking at the fence the boy realized
that though the nails were removed there were some holes where the nails were
driven in and removed. His dad said, Son, I want to tell you something about
bad choices or decisions. Even though you may be totally forgiven from your bad
choices or
decisions, there are remaining effects, the consequences of those choices and
decisions; just like the holes in the fencepost.”
Brian Cavanaugh in ‘Sower’s seeds of Christian Family Values’
“From the moment the Lamb, the Servant came, the apparent harmony of the world
broke down, man is divided against man, all is naked confrontation! The best
witnesses to this crisis are those men who in the act of condemning Jesus pass
judgement on themselves. How has he come to the cross this innocent, one whose
origins are not of this world? He has set everyone against him; he stands
before a foreigner, accused by his own people; he has been judged, condemned by
the Jews and by a pagan, each citing their own laws, and he has been crucified.
But this has involved a double betrayal. The Jews betray their faith by
appealing to Caesar, and Pilate the skeptic betrays his own conscience in
condemning one who is innocent. But Jesus a king despised and disfigured, the
victim of corrupt justice, symbolizing in his state of abandonment the
degradation to which man can reduce man, yet remains all the while, in God’s
view, the ‘Man for Others’ whom we are
called on to imitate. At the very hour when Jewish priests are sacrificing
their paschal lambs in the temple, God himself suffers and dies. But from the
pierced side of this ambassador in chains, that love with which God so loved
the world is poured out even to the last drop. The grain of wheat fallen into
the earth has already begun to produce the fruit of salvation.” -Glenstal Bible
Missal
Who are You? What are You?
William Blatty, author of The Exorcist, has written another novel called
Legion. In one scene in Legion, Lieutenant Kinderman, a Jewish detective, is
standing alone in Holy Trinity church in Washington DC. A priest had just been
brutally murdered while hearing confessions. Kinderman looks down at the blood
on the floor. It has trickled from under the confessional door into the aisle
of the church. He sits down in a pew and shakes his head. Then he slowly lifts
his eyes to a huge crucifix on the wall. As he gazes at it his face softens and
a quiet wonder comes to his eyes. He begins to speak to Jesus on the cross:
“Who are you? God’s son? No, you know I don’t believe that. I just asked to be
polite. . . I don’t believe that. I just asked to be polite. . . I don’t know
who you are, but you are someone. Who could miss it? . . . Do you know how I
know? From what you said. When I read, ‘Love your enemy,’ I tingle. . . .No one
on earth could ever
say what you said. No one could even make it up. Who could imagine it? . . .
Who are you? What is it that you want from us?”
Mark Link in ‘Journey’
Nothing More to Give
Some years ago, divers located a four-hundred-year-old ship off the coast of
Northern Ireland. Among the treasures found on the sunken ship was a man’s
wedding ring. When it was cleaned up, the divers noticed that it had an
inscription on it. Etched on the wide band was a hand holding a heart. Under
the etching was this inscription: “I have nothing more to give you.” Off all
the treasures on that ship, none moved the divers more than that ring and the
beautiful inscription on it. The words on that ring, “I have nothing more to
give you,” could have been written on the cross of Jesus. For on the cross,
Jesus gave us everything he had. He gave us his love. He gave us his life. He
gave us all that one person could give to another. He had nothing more to give
us.
Anonymous
May we, by carrying our cross, find new life for ourselves and 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 remodelled web
site www.netforlife.net Thank you.
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