27-Dec-2009 Dear Friend,
One of our traditional invocations when we want to wish people well is to say ‘God bless you’ or ‘God be with you.’ A Blessing implies finding favour with God and that God is looking down on us with love. On the first day of the New Year it would be good to bless and thank God for the gift of yet another year and ask for his blessings on every day of the New Year. One of the beautiful blessings we have received is the gift of a mother, the gift of Mary Mother of God and our mother. It would be a great blessing if we could count our blessings, the marvel God has done for us everyday! ‘Have a blessed New Year!’ –Fr. Jude Sunday Reflections: New Year Day “Mary treasured these things in her heart!” 1-Jan-2010 Readings: Numbers 6: 22-27; Galatians 4: 4- 7; Luke 2: 16-21; In the first reading from the Book of Numbers we have the blessing imparted by priests to all the people after the offering of the sacrifice in the temple. Yahweh’s name was three times invoked. This invocation was reserved to priests. It symbolized plenitude of God’s blessings in everything they could desire: peace with their God, peace with their neighbours and all men. To let one’s face shine on one meant to be well disposed to the person. In this case the blessing asks for God favour to rest on them, to be benevolent towards them. -As we begin a New Year we wish each other God’s blessings and ask the Lord to bless every moment of the year. Mother Of All Years ago Fulton Oursler was the editor of a highly successful national magazine. The story behind his rise to success is fascinating. But even more fascinating is the story of his search for God. As a reporter for the Baltimore American, Oursler had covered Methodist meetings, Baptist conventions, and outdoor revivals. He had even waited for ghosts in darkroom séances. “Out of all of this,” he says, “I emerged at the age of 30 a self-styled agnostic.” But instead of finding peace, his unbelief left him totally empty inside. It also left him unhappy. Eventually the emptiness and unhappiness turned into gnawing depression. Then one day serious trouble threatened his family. He needed help. But the kind of help he needed was not the kind of help friends could give. There was no one to whom he could turn, not even God – for he didn’t believe in God. One windy day in New York he was walking down Fifth Avenue. He came to the cathedral. He stopped, looked at it, and thought he was desperate. Minutes later he found himself walking up the steps, going inside, and sitting down. After a few minutes of collecting his thoughts, he bowed his head and asked for the gift of faith. He sat there a while, then got up, and walked over to the Chapel of Our Lady in the cathedral. He went inside, knelt down, and prayed the following prayer: “In ten minutes or less I may change my mind. I may scoff at all this and love error again. Pay no attention to me then. For this little time I am in my right mind and heart. This is my best – take it and forget the rest, and if you are really there, help me.” At that moment, he said, there began a remarkable transformation in his life. The transformation ended in his becoming a deeply committed Christian. Mark Link in ‘Sunday Homilies’ Today’s gospel focuses on the wondrous event of the birth of Jesus, the good news which was too good to be true. The first beneficiaries of the good news were the poor and simple shepherds who heard the news and in their simplicity and faith believed in it. Because they believed they rushed to see the new-born Jesus. They found everything exactly as they were told by the angels. On discovering Jesus they were overjoyed and in their joy started to tell every one who would listen to them. Joy has to be shared and in through their sharing the good news of Jesus spread. The simple shepherds became the first missionaries. They told of what they had heard, seen and felt and many were astounded at the good news, though many perhaps could not understand or comprehend the mystery, or refused to believe. The shepherds returned to their fields glorifying God. In the gospel we are told that Mary too heard what the shepherds said and treasured all the things that were happening to her as a mother and reflected on them in her heart. Motherhood and memories seem to go together. By reflecting on important family events they not only store them in their memory, but also draw from them meaning and significance. The last part of the gospel tells us that after the eighth day the child Jesus was circumcised and was given the name Jesus. Circumcision was not confined to the Jews but for them it took on an important significance of belonging to the Covenant, the covenant between Abraham and Yahweh. By his circumcision Jesus became a member of the chosen people and an heir of the promises made to Abraham and the Patriarchs. These promises were fulfilled in himself. Circumcision was also the occasion of giving the child a name. The name Jesus was a common name but in this case it received special significance in so far as it was a name decreed by God himself before the conception of Jesus. It means ‘God saves’ or ‘God is salvation’, and expresses the mission of Jesus. He was born and came into the world with one mission, to save us. The Big Difference A shoeshine boy was plying his trade in New York’s Grand Central Station. A silver medal danced at his neck as he slapped his shine cloth, again and again, across a man’s shoes. “Sonny,” said the man curiously, “what’s the hardware around your neck?” It’s a medal of the mother of Jesus,” the boy replied. “Why her medal?” said the man. “She’s no different from your mother.” “Could be,” said the boy, “but there’s a real big difference between her son and me.” The boy’s devotion to Mary, the mother of Jesus, invites me to ask: What role does Mary play in my life? How might she play an even bigger role? Mark Link in ‘Vision 2000’ “If Mary plays an unobtrusive role in today’s gospel story, she is nevertheless essential to it. She is the centre towards which all gravitate –shepherds and people of Bethlehem. By a subtle play of light and shade, these people show Mary in relief. Luke takes evident delight in describing these bustling, talkative shepherds who are in a ferment over the angel’s message. Their excitement and outpourings serve to underline the astonished silence of the townspeople of Bethlehem, who neither stir not speak. As for Mary, motionless and silent, she contrasts with both shepherds and townspeople. She, too, must be amazed. Yet she is self-possessed. She is no introvert; quite the contrary: she is fully attentive to what she sees and hears. She takes in everything, with the conviction that it concerns her intensely. She ‘pondered these things in her heart’, St. Luke tells us. The biblical context of this expression is clear – namely she kept and turned over in her mind what the shepherds told her. She prepares herself to come to terms with the future (Lk 1:66) – her child’s future and her own. The two could not be separated. Doubtless she understood all this well only when she stood by the cross. At the resurrection, her understanding was deepened. On the threshold of a new year, in which God will be with us, there is much food for reflection and prayer for us in Mary and her faith. We too must learn to recognise the Lord and to give him thanks. ” -Glenstal Bible Missal Come To The Stable “A Legend from Russia” is a poem by Phyllis McGinley about Christmas. The poem begins as the old grandmother, Babushka, is about to retire for the evening: When out of the winter’s rush and roar Came shepherds knocking upon her door. They tell her of a royal child a virgin just bore and beg the grandmother to come and adore. Babushka is good-hearted, but she likes her comfort, and so her reaction is to go later. “Tomorrow,” she mutters. “Wait until then.” But the shepherds come back and knock again. This time they beg only for a blanket: With comforting gifts, meat or bread, And we will carry it in your stead. Again Babushka answers, “Tomorrow.” And when tomorrow comes, she’s as good as her word. She packs a basket of food and gifts: A shawl for the lady, soft as June, For the Child in the crib a silver spoon, Rattles and toys and an ivory game . . . but the stable was empty when she came. Albert Cylwicki in ‘His Word Resounds’ In The Deep Shadow A Light Has Shone High in the Andes, an Indian prince is anointed in the darkness. Then, on a large raft in the centre of a sacred lake, his naked body is plastered with gold dust by members of his tribe. They turn away so that they do not look on his face. They all wait in silence. Then the sun comes over the horizon and bathes in its light the Indian prince, gold in glory. He plunges into the lake, and the people cast jewels and sacred objects of gold into the water to sanctify the place where he swims. He is the legendary Eldorado, the gilded one. The ceremony is the annual ritual to the god of the sun on behalf of the people who depend on its power. The feast of Christmas originated when the cult of the sun was particularly strong in Rome. The pagan festival was baptized by the church in Rome which used the same date to celebrate the birth of Christ. We do not know the date of Jesus’ birth, but we do know why December 25th was chosen as the date to celebrate the birth. For us the Yule logs and candles symbolize the warmth and light of another sun: the Son of God. In the darkness of this night we celebrate the birth of the light of the world. Anthony Castle in More quotes and Anecdotes’ Being Given A Name In his book Roots, Alex Haley tells how his African ancestors name their children. Eight days after the child’s birth, the father took the child into his arms whispered its name into its ear. That night the father completed the ceremony. Carrying the child out under the stars, alone, he lifted the baby up to the sky and said, “Behold the only thing greater than yourself.” This naming rite helps us appreciate better the two rites that surrounded the birth of Jesus: circumcision and presentation. Circumcision initiated Jesus into the community of God’s chosen people. Presentation consecrated Jesus to God. Mark Link in ‘Daily Homilies’ May the name of Jesus be our blessing and His mother our protection!!!! 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. The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage. http://in.yahoo.com/
