1-May-2011 Dear Friend,
One often repeated phrase we hear when faced with negative experiences is: "Why did it have to happen?" We find it so difficult to accept that something good can come out of what we see as bad. Why does God let these things happen? Only people who hold on to hope are able to see things differently. Our faith can give us a new perspective on life! May the Risen Lord make us see and live again! Have a renewing weekend! Fr. Jude Sunday Reflections: Third Sunday of Easter 'He is alive! Bringing me hope! Alleluia!!' 8-May-2011 Acts 2: 14, 22-28; 1 Peter 1: 17-21; Luke 24: 13-35; In today's first reading we hear Peter preaching, bearing witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ which he sees as a necessary consequence of the prophecies of the Old Testament being fulfilled in Jesus. Peter's first sermon after the resurrection reveals that Peter himself is obviously a changed man. The bumbling, impulsive, ignorant, fearful, terribly human Peter now stands before thousands of Jews and preaches fearlessly to them. Peter proclaimed Jesus in the words of the Sixteenth Psalm, which he foresaw as having foretold Jesus' passion, death and resurrection. His sermon is in a nutshell what we are called to believe. "He is the one who was not abandoned to Hades, and whose body did not experience corruption. God raised this man Jesus to life and all of us are witnesses to that." Peter, in the light of the resurrection, was able to offer a new vision of what had happened. Making Faith Work Archbishop Rembert Weakland of Milwaukee said in an interview in the magazine The Critic: "If Younger people are having an identity problem as Catholics, I tell them to do two things: Go to mass every Sunday, and work in a soup kitchen. If one does those two things over a period of time, then something will happen to give one a truly catholic identity. The altar and the marketplace - these two- must be related to each other; when they are, one works better, and one prays better." Application: Is our celebration of the Eucharist completed by our loving deeds? Gerard Fuller in 'Stories for all Seasons' The Gospel tells us the moving story of the two disciples as they journey towards Emmaus. Very obviously the two disciples are full of disappointment. They had come to Jerusalem with high hopes, hearing wonderful things about Jesus and now with the dreadful events of the passion and death of Jesus they are disillusioned and running away from Jerusalem. Along the way they vent their disappointment "Why did it all have to happen this way? Why did he have to suffer? To die? Such a waste of life! And now to top it all Jesus' body was missing from the tomb! When Jesus joined them he showed great sensitivity by joining them as a stranger. With a simple direct question he got them to open up and they unburdened their sad story to him. He accompanied them, and listened to them. Only when they finished did he begin to talk. He took up their story and helped them to look beyond as he explained the events in the light of the scriptures. He showed them how it was all necessary that it happened exactly as it did. He showed them how all the prophets had foretold that the Messiah would suffer and die and thus enter into glory. As they neared Emmaus he made as if to go on but they pressed him to stay with them. It was only as he broke bread with them that they recognized him and he disappeared from their sight. It was later that they recalled and understood all that he had said. Their eyes had been opened at the breaking of bread and their hearts were warmed up as he explained the scriptures to them. He disappeared from their physical sight because they now were able to see and experience and feel his presence in their lives. All of us feel disappointed sometimes at the unexpected outcomes of our lives. All of us at times feel like leaving the Jerusalem of our responsibilities to look for an Emmaus with more promise. We may not find God when we are looking for him but He will find us and come to us. Often he comes in the garb of a stranger! Living the Word Driving alone gives opportunities to pick up some person looking for a lift. However, each time the situation arises, there usually seems to be good reason to drive past. The old man is standing in too dangerous a place to stop. Such young children should not be encouraged to hitch. The hiker's back-pack looks very awkward. Maybe that fellow is a bank robber, a terrorist, a con man or just plain lazy. Yet, each time I overcome such negative reactions and give somebody a lift, both of us are enriched. Almost always a life story is shared. It may be a story of illness, romance, work or unemployment as the passenger turns out to be visiting a hospital, going on a date, racing for work or searching for a job. Each one gives me another insight into life and into how God touches our lives. As we hear in this Sunday's gospel, something similar happened to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus as they fled Jerusalem in disappointment and fear. They allowed Jesus to join them and, at journeys end they shared their supper with him without knowing who he was. Their reward was great. They met the Risen Lord. Tom Clancy in 'Living the Word' The God of Surprises Before the Independence of our country, there was a devout English Judge, who was serving in India. He befriended an Indian. This Indian, who was brought up in a prominently Hindu family, was thrown out after he got converted to Christianity. The Judge took the boy into his household where he happily worked as a houseboy. It was the custom of the household to have a devotional time every evening. One night, the judge read aloud the words of Jesus: "Anyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for my sake, shall receive a hundredfold (Mt: 19:29)." The judge turned towards the lad and said, "Nobody here has done this except you, Norbahadur. Will you tell us, is it true what Jesus has said?" The young Indian read the verse aloud for himself and then turned to the family and said, "No, there is an error." Startled, the Judge asked, "An error!" The lad replied, "It says, "He gives a hundredfold." I know He gives a thousandfold." John Rose in 'John's Sunday Homilies' Seeing Things Differently An old novel tells the story of a wealthy woman who travelled the world over, visiting museums and art galleries, meeting people, and viewing the sights. She became completely bored. Then she met a man who had none of this world's goods, but a great love of beauty and a sincere appreciation of it. In his company, the world looked entirely different to her. At one point she told him, "I never knew what things were like, until you taught me how to look at them." In every love story, there comes a point when the lover says that to the beloved, either directly or indirectly. The story of today's Gospel, confirms this. Anonymous Film: Healing Memories Tom Wingo tells his story of growing up on the coast of South Carolina in a dysfunctional family. As a child, he lives with his brother, sister, cultured mother, and violent father who is a captain of a shrimp boat. His parents never get along and when they finally divorce and his mother remarries, it affects the grown children. Tom has his own family, but his marriage is strained. Tom's twin sister is a poet and when she attempts suicide, her doctor, Susan Lowenstein, asks Tom to come to New York. By helping Dr. Lowenstein understand his twin sister, Tom comes to an understanding of himself. When Tom and his siblings were children, they and their mother were violently attacked and raped by two escaped prisoners. Tom's brother kills them and later drowns. Tom has masked his feelings and suppressed the memories of this horrific event, as has his sister. Once Tom is freed from the burden of his memories and guilt after telling his story to the doctor, he needs to return to his family and home in order to be reconciled and to truly begin again. Peter Malone in 'Lights, Camera..Faith!' Were not our hearts burning? There is a painting by the Butch painter, Rembrandt, of Jesus sitting at table between the two disciples. The painting tries to capture the rapturous joy on the faces of the disciples at the moment when they recognised Jesus. Once a guide was showing the picture to some visitors to the museum where it was on display. He began by telling them the story behind the picture, the story we just read in the Gospel. In the group was a couple, Mr and Mrs Browne, whose only son had recently been killed in a car accident. They were still in a state of shock, and had come to the museum that day merely in the hope that it might take their minds off their sorrow for a little while. As the guide started the Brownes were only half listening. However, he told it in such a way that by the time he had finished, they were completely captivated. Afterwards they approached the guide and said, 'We've heard that story many times, but it never moved us until now. You told it with such feeling and conviction.' 'There was a time when I told it very badly,' the guide replied. "What happened to change that?' the Browne asked. "Three years ago,' the guide began, 'my wife got cancer, and died a slow, agonising death. I could see absolutely no meaning in her terrible suffering and untimely death. She was a good person. She didn't deserve all this. I was heartbroken. It was as if the world had come to an end. Nevertheless, I was persuaded to go back to work here at the museum. So once again I found myself telling the story, only more mechanically than before. 'Then one day something clicked with me, and suddenly I realised that the story was not just about those two forlorn disciples but about me too. Like the two disciples, I was going down a sad and lonely road. Even though I'm a believer, regrettably, up to this Jesus had been little more than shadowy figure who lived only in the pages of the Gospels. But now he came alive for me. I felt his presence at my side, the presence of a friend who knew all about human suffering. 'It was as if at that moment my eyes were opened and I saw things differently. My heart began to burn within me. As I went on telling the story, a healing process was at work inside me. Even though at times I'm still fragile, I have begun to hope and live again.' By this time the Brownes were unable to hold back their tears. 'Strange,' they said, 'but as you told the story, we too felt our hearts burn within us.' Then they told him the story of the tragic death of their son. They chatted further over a cup of coffee. As they parted the Brownes said, 'Thank you for what you did for us. You are a true storyteller.' Flor McCarthy in 'New Sunday and Holy day Liturgies' May His Resurrection make us see things anew! 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.
