21-Mar-2010 Dear Friend,
Often in life we refuse to take sides, we want to play it safe, we do not want to burn our fingers, we prefer to sit on the fence. But there are times when we have to reveal who and what we stand for, our values, and our faith. Especially when it comes to our faith we have to be either for or against Jesus. To be a Jesus fan is easy especially when the going is good, but to be a follower is difficult especially when the road is lonely. Are we satisfied with ‘Hosanna’ and ‘Praise the Lord’ or can we walk the way of the Cross? Have a quiet weekend reliving His passion! Fr. Jude Sunday Reflections: Palm Sunday ‘Unless the grain of wheat dies it cannot bear fruit!’ 28- Mar-2010 Isaiah 50:4-7 Philippians 2:6-11 Luke 22:14—23:56 For St. Luke the triumphal procession of Jesus is the last warning given by him to his city. Jesus is about to face his passion and death but he enters the city fearlessly unmindful of the consequences. He is in charge and he instructs his disciples accordingly. He is not the victim seeking escape from his fate but the one who takes command of the situation. Yet he comes not as a conqueror of people, not forcing them into submission but inviting them to accept their Savior. The reaction of the people is seen in sharp contrast: on the one side his disciples who hail him as their king with their Hosannas and on the other the Pharisees who do not accept the peoples rejoicing, but rather crucify him. Jesus’ Triumphant Entry Voltaire was the 18th century French atheist philosopher. All his life he openly proclaimed and preached atheism. He was a very brave and outspoken critic of religion. But when he neared his death, he started shivering and shuddering. He said to the doctor attending him, “I will give you half of what I am worth if you will give me six month’s life.” His doctor said, “Sir, you cannot even live for six weeks.” Then Voltaire despairingly said, “Then I will go to hell and you will go with me.” Later he died in despair. The prospect of his death shook his convictions and composure. Today, we commemorate the triumphal entry of Jesus into the city of Jerusalem. As He entered the Holy City riding on a donkey, people took up palm branches and spread them on the road and began to sing – Hosannas to Him. John Rose in ‘John’s Sunday Homilies’ The first reading is from the third of the four Suffering Servant songs, in which the prophet tells us of the servant of Yahweh, who before preaching to others underwent suffering and humiliation. He offers no resistance and it was through him and his humble acceptance of all that he suffered that the glory of God was manifested. It is through his suffering that he becomes instrumental in bringing the Israelites back to God and extending God’s mercy to all beyond Israel. We can see how well Jesus fulfilled this prophecy, becoming the suffering servant obedient unto death for our salvation. Jesus Is With You In Your Pain “Francis, I have some bad news to give you. Ishan is suffering from cancer – Leukemia.” The voice at the end of the phone broke down in tears and I felt a stab of pain in my heart. Four-year old Ishan is the only son of my closest friends in Delhi, Lester and Ishita Coutinho. I write this reflection after sitting with little Ishan in hospital, crucified to his cot with injections, saline drips and blood transfusions. Suffering even more are Lester and Ishita with whom I sat silently, only being able to whisper, “Everyone’s praying for you; Jesus is with you in your pain.” Jesus, I believe is unfailingly with us in our sufferings, and so, it would be fitting on Passion Sunday to be with Him in His. Francis Gonsalves in ‘Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds’ Today’s account of St. Luke’s passion is that of a disciple who recalls again with tenderness the story of his Master’s passion and death. Luke will stress the human greatness, the non-violence, the generous spirit, the forgiveness and total surrender of Jesus to the will of the Father. Since Luke was a disciple of Peter, he focuses on Peter’s role and how Peter got it all wrong many times and blundered, He also looks at Judas and other characters in the passion narrative. It would be worthwhile to examine the role of each of the characters and see if we cannot in some way identify with them and see each role against the role of Jesus, the centre of the story. In the midst of all that is happening during the passion Jesus stands out as the innocent one. Each of the others has a personal agenda. It is important to see Jesus as standing out from all that surrounds him; he is no victim of circumstances, he has come there to fulfil his mission and will be there till his mission is accomplished. His mission is to do the will of the Father and that will be accomplished no matter what the cost. His mission is one of love; tough love that gives and forgives till the very end no matter that it is not reciprocated. Most people do not understand his mission; his disciples abandon him and run away, but his mother is there. While not understanding all that is happening to her son, she is there to share his pain, believing that it somehow fits into God’s plan. Those there with their personal agenda could not see or understand what was happening because they were caught up in their own immediate interests. To walk with Jesus we have to focus on him and not on ourselves. Peter is not the only moral coward, Pilate and Herod are equally so, they know that Jesus is not guilty but do not have the courage to stand for the truth against the crowd. We cannot walk with Jesus during his passion with indifference, we have to stand either with him or against him. “If you wish to be my disciples, take up your cross and follow me!” Two Suffering Fr. Titus Brandsma was a university president in Holland during World War II. He was arrested by the Nazis and taken to a concentration camp at Dachau. There he was isolated in an old dog kennel. His guards amused themselves by ordering him to bark like a dog when they passed. Eventually he died from torture. What the Nazis didn’t know was that the priest kept diary of his ordeal, writing between the lines of print in an old prayer book. He wrote that he was able to endure his suffering because he knew Jesus has suffered before him. In a poem addressed to Jesus, he wrote: “No grief shall fall my way, but I shall see your grief–filled eyes; The lonely way that you once walked has made me sorrow-wise…“Your love has turned to brightest light this night-like way (of Mine)… “Stay with me, Jesus, only stay; I shall not fear if, reaching out my hand, I feel you [are] near.” Kilian Healy in ‘Walking with God’ “With the Hebrew children, the Church today takes part in the prophetic triumph of Christ, who enters the holy city of Jerusalem in order to pass from this world to the Father. The narratives of the passion read today are certainly the early kernel of our gospels. Each evangelist has his individual set of values and emphases when telling this simple yet dramatic story. Careful to show that Christianity was no rebellious or criminal movement, the evangelists highlight the plot which led to the death of Jesus, the innocent Servant crucified for sinners. For the Jewish people, the conformity of this death with the scriptures demonstrated not only by the central event of the passion itself, but also by its details. The historical frame work of the crucifixion set into the Jewish celebration of the Pasch is of particular significance. There is a sacrifice, a new rite of covenant which is to replace the immolation of a lamb. And, for Christians, there is the exemplary value of prayer, lowliness, suffering and endurance – all of which went to the perfectioning of Jesus’ human nature. In the light of the cross, other elements of faith are emphasised: the relationship of Jesus with Judaism; the origin and nature of the Church’s mission; the role of the apostles in general, and that of Peter in particular. These varying accounts cannot be reduced to a mere listing of events. Stamped by the personality of each evangelist, each forms a unified narrative of which the dominant theme is the mastery of God over the assaults of evil, an evil; which reached its apex in the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ.” -Glenstal Bible Missal Fearless Resolve Hollywood heroes often capture our imagination because they symbolize something that we admire. For example, when we watch Charles Bronson in Death Wish, Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry or Sylvester Stallone in Rambo, it is not their violent actions that attract us, but their cool courage in confronting danger. We’re inspired whenever we see these film heroes walk fearlessly into what they know are high-risk situations, because they have resolved to do what they have to do to right some wrong. Spontaneously we almost want to stand up and cheer for them as they defy death and demonstrate daring, because we wish that we too could face our own challenges with the same kind of courage. On this Palm Sunday we see another hero enter a high-risk situation determined to do what he has to do. The hero is Jesus, who knew that his enemies were plotting his death, yet, in the opening verses of today’s gospel, “went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.” Albert Cylwicki in ‘His Word Resounds’ Engaging Attention They say that everyone loves a parade. We’ve probably all enjoyed watching some kind of parade make its way through the streets, celebrating a special occasion. When it comes to parades, nothing succeeds like excess: large floats, headline banners, loud music, dressed-up people and outlandish characters, all competing for our attention. The streets become the scene for a movable feast and with all the drama it becomes difficult for the passersby to pass by a parade. Of course, the whole point of a parade is to grab people’s attention and hold it for as long as possible. The appeal is big and loud – making parades unknown for their subtlety. Often the parade is a demonstration to publicize people’s concern. Sometimes, we watch unmoved; sometimes, we might be moved to join in. Parades and demonstration always try to engage the onlooker to be more than an onlooker and be moved to action. That is why parades are always public: they are always aimed beyond themselves. But not everyone loves a parade. As Will Rogers proclaimed in 1924: “Parades should be classed as a Nuisance and participants should be subject to a term in prison. They stop more work, inconvenience more people, stop more traffic, because more accidents entail more expense, and commit and cause hundreds of misdemeanours.” Parades make some people nervous; particularly those people in authority who might stand to lose if the parade is successful. And in today’s Gospel we have a parade that makes some people very nervous. Denis McBride in ’Seasons of the Heart’ On Which Side Do We Stand? Karla Tucker was executed in Huntsville, Texas, at the end of January, 1998. She had spent fourteen years on death row, after being found guilty of the murder of two people. Her execution was an occasion that showed up what is best and what is worst in the human condition. While her pending execution evoked world-wide condemnation, it also galvanized those who favour capital punishment. On the night of her execution, a large crowd gathered outside the prison. Some carried placards calling for an end to capital punishment, while others dressed up in death-the-reaper costumes, demanding that she should die. The official announcement of her death brought tears to some, and brought cheers from others. Even the next-of-kin of the victims were divided; some demanding revenge, and others who became her friends, and who were genuinely impressed by her extraordinary Christian conversion. Once again, as with today’s gospel, it would be a very worthwhile exercise to examine the stances, the motives, the roles, and the responses and reactions of all those involved. Jack McArdle in ‘And that’s the Gospel truth’ May we walk with Jesus our own way of the cross! 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. Your Mail works best with the New Yahoo Optimized IE8. Get it NOW! http://downloads.yahoo.com/in/internetexplorer/
