27-Feb-2011
Dear Friend,
Whenever we purchase something that costs us a great amount of money we make
sure that we are getting a good deal. We check and double check to make sure
nothing is amiss. If we are buying a house we make sure it is well built and
that it has solid foundations as it is meant to last a life time. What about
our
life, is it built on something solid and lasting or on something transitory and
temporary? Only God is unchanging, nothing else matters! May our daily deeds
reveal our faith founded in Him! Fr. Jude
Sunday Reflections : Ninth Sunday of the Year –‘Living life founded on rock
like
faith! 6-Mar-2011
Deuteronomy 10: 12-13, 11: 18, 26-32; Romans 1: 16-17, 3: 20-28;
Matthew 7: 21-27;
The first reading from the Book of Deuteronomy sets before the people of Israel
a choice that they had to make: to live for God or to go against him. The
Israelites were to remind themselves of this choice constantly by keeping the
word of God in their minds and hearts. If they chose God and obeyed his
commandments they would be blessed, if they disobeyed, they would be damned.
What is our choice?
Wise Choices!
Archie wanted to build a magnificent house. He approached an architect who
inquired: What’s your budget? How large is your land? How many rooms do you
want? Do you require a garden? Taking out a key from his pocket, Archie
replied,
“Please don’t ask me any questions. All I have is this beautiful key. I want
you
to build my house to suit my key.” Apparently, Archie aims at fashioning his
house upon something as small as a key. Today’s readings give tips on choices,
keys and house buildings.
Francis Gonsalves in ‘Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds’
In Matthew’s Gospel we are reminded that our lives as faith-people should be
built on the rock-like foundation of God’s word. The word of God is not enough
to be listened to, we have to act upon God’s word. In comparison to faith there
is nothing sure or lasting in the world. Human opinions are rooted in
appearances, and change from day to day. But the words of Christ do not change
or pass away. We would do well to build our lives on his precious word. People
were impressed by Jesus’ words. But Jesus told them that it was not enough to
listen to his words. They would have to act on them, if they wished to benefit
from them. Our own experience shows that words can impress for a short time but
in the long run we are not changed or moved by words but by people’ deeds and
their life. There is only one way to prove our sincerity and that is by
actions.
Fine words can never take the place of good deeds. Jesus said that those who
did
not act on his words were building on sand. Time would erase everything from
their minds, nothing would remain, everything would be lost. On the other hand,
those who listened and acted on his word, were building on solid rock, nothing
would shake or destroy their lives.
God’s Living Word
Most of us take foundations for granted. They are usually completely hidden and
we do not expect them to impinge on us directly. To discover a defect in the
foundations of one’s house must be a traumatic experience for a home owner.
Defective foundations may be due to a geological fault, poor materials or
incompetent construction, but the resulting shock is the same no matter what
the
cause. The sense of alarm can be akin to a sense of betrayal. We rely so
totally
on foundations that their failure to match expectations often undermines our
sense of well being and security. This personal distress can be even more
devastating when the foundations involved are not of our homes but our whole
way
of life. This is why Jesus warns us to build our lives upon rock, the rock of
truth, of belief in him and in his gospel, the rock of faith, hope and love.
Such building can be very challenging. The easier option is to build on the
sands of selfishness and self interest, of money and comfort. Choosing this
option is a recipe for disaster. Unlike house foundations, we are constantly
consolidating or undermining the fundamental values of our lives. Indeed, life
style betrays the caliber of personal foundations. Today’s gospel is an
invitation to examine our basic attitudes to daily living and a challenge to
align them with the values of Christ. It is a gospel value we ignore at our
peril.
Tom Clancy in ‘Living the Word’
I just want to do God’s will…….
Martin Luther King was a civil rights fighter in the United States in the
Sixties. He was shot dead on 4th April, 1968. The day before his death, somehow
having a premonition about his death, he said, “We’ve got some difficult days
ahead. But it really doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the
mountain top. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life… But I’m not
concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to
go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over and I’ve seen the Promised Land. I
may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people
will get to the Promised Land.”
John Rose in ‘John’s Sunday Homilies’
Hearers and Doers
In April 1963, a party of about 20 French Christians was on pilgrimage in the
Holy Land. They were making their way through a long, narrow gorge called “The
Pass”. Four elderly pilgrims and a driver were in a land rover; the rest were
on
foot. Suddenly a light rain began to fall. Minutes later, it turned into a
cloudburst. Within half an hour, the cloudburst sent flood waters streaming
down
from surrounding hills. When the waters hit “The Pass”, they transformed it
into
a roaring river. The water carried the helpless pilgrims away like pieces of
driftwood. And eyewitness told a Time magazine reporter. “We saw the little car
with the four women and driver swept along by the torrent. In an instant they
all disappeared in the flood waters raging along at perhaps 60 miles per
hour.’-
It was this kind of situation that Jesus had in mind in today’s gospel. The
Holy
Land is filled with gullies and ravines. For the most part they are relatively
safe places to build a house, but occasionally a flash flood strikes and turns
the gullies and the ravines into raging rivers. When a wise person builds his
house on the side of a gully or a ravine, he makes sure that it is anchored
firmly to the rock. If it isn’t, it can be swept away by a flash flood just as
the group of French pilgrims and the land rover were.
Mark Link in ‘Sunday Homilies’
Jesus: Rock of all Ages
“Rock of all ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee,
While I draw this fleeting breath,
When my eyes shall close in death,
When I rise to worlds unknown
And beholds Thee on Thy throne,
Rock of all ages, Cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.”
This hymn has traditionally been ranked as one of the most popular hymns. It
was
written by Augustus Toplady (1740-1778), who was an Anglican priest. His
courage
and hope in the face of death is commendable, for he said, “Even if death
comes,
I will hide and take shelter in the wounded side of Christ.” This priest was
frail with overwork and died of tuberculosis at the age of thirty-eight. Just
before his death he said, “Every day my heart beats stronger and stronger for
glory. Sickness is no affliction, Pain no cause, death itself no dissolution.
My
prayers are all now converted into praise.” This man lived in the presence of
Christ and he believed in the words of Jesus, and therefore, all fears were
banished from his life. He had his spiritual foundation solidly based on the
Rock-the Christ.
John Rose in ‘John’s Sunday Homilies’
The Rock and the Sand
I am singularly blessed these years to be living in very close proximity to the
mystery of the sea. Near our retreat centre is a perfect horseshoe bay which we
call Lucky Shell. It is protected from the North Atlantic by a long promontory
of weathered rock. Water is soft, the rock is hard, but the sea is relentless.
It searches every weakness and probes every fault. At one place there is a
gully
where long ago the sea found a fault. Rolling storm-waves act like frightened
monsters when they are tapped in this narrowing gully. The water howls
terrifyingly as it crashes forward before it is forced to spout dramatically in
the air as a geyser. How long before the sea forces its way through and the
promontory is cut off to form a rocky island? A day, two days perhaps. For in
the life of rocks a day is million years. It helps us to understand
God with whom a thousand years is like a single day.
Sylvester O’Flynn in ‘The Good News of Matthew’
Sustained by His Word
Some years ago, while Russia was stilled ruled by communists, some dissidents
were arrested. They were subjected to a through body-search. One man was found
to have a small ball of paper in his mouth. It contained a few pages from a
book. The man knew that long years in some remote prison lay ahead of him, and
it was quite possible that he would never return home. What pages was he taking
with him to give him the necessary courage and strength to face such a bleak
future? The pages contained the Sermon on the Mount, the conclusion of which we
have just read.
Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies’
May our lives be built and sustained on a solid foundation –faith in God!
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.
