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**** Annual Goanetters Meet ****
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The annual Goanetters Meet is scheduled for the first week
in January 2012. Details to follow.
If you plan to attend, send an email to [email protected] with contact
details so we could reach you once the details are finalized.
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25-12-2011
Dear Friend,
On this first day of the New Year we are reminded that every day, everything,
is a blessing from God. We can get so used to gifts that we take them for
granted or expect them as though we have a right to receive them. Every present
should remind us of the Giver. God's presence in our life is more important
than his presents! One way of appreciating our gifts is to reflect and ponder
over them like Mary. Let's begin the New Year thanking God for Jesus our
greatest blessing! Have a Blessed New Year! Fr. Jude
Sunday Reflections: Mary, Mother of God-"Needing God's blessings to be fully
alive!" 1-Jan-2012
Number 6: 22-27; Galatians 4: 4-7;
Luke 2: 16-21;
Today's first reading from the Book of Numbers contains the words of blessings
that Moses invoked on the Israelites. "The Lord bless you and keep you; the
Lord make his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his
countenance upon you and give you peace." This blessing the Israelites invoked
upon each other. We should constantly invoke God's blessings on ourselves and
on all those whom we come in contact with. Even if we don't say the words aloud
our inner attitude should be one of blessing and invoking God's blessings and
of seeing everything that we receive as a blessing from God. We are truly
blessed everyday of our life. Sometimes it takes a disaster to realize our
blessings.
Appreciating our Blessings
Two old friends bumped into one another on the street one day. One of them
looked forlorn, almost on the verge of tears. His friend asked, "What has the
world done to you, my old friend?" The sad fellow said, "Let me tell you. Three
weeks ago, an uncle died and left me forty thousand dollars." "That's a lot of
money." "But you see, two weeks ago, a cousin I never even knew died, and left
me eighty-five thousand free and clear." "Sounds like you've been blessed...."
"You don't understand!" he interrupted. "Last week my great-aunt passed away. I
inherited almost a quarter of a million." Now he was really confused. "Then,
why do you look so glum?" "This week... nothing!" It's the same way with the
blessings God gives us every day. I don't deserve the comfortable home I live
in, the beautiful scenery around me, the clean water that I drink. But after
receiving these gifts (and a multitude of others) for years, I sometimes fail
to be grateful. I've come to
expect these good things. And when one of them is removed I get upset.
Alan Smith
In today's gospel we are reminded that though Jesus came for all mankind, the
good news of his coming was given first to simple shepherds as they watched
over their flock by night. The shepherds did not merely listen to the good news
but they acted on it. "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has
taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." They also shared the good
tidings, their good fortune with others. 'All who heard it were amazed at what
the shepherds told them. Like the shepherds many of us are favoured and blessed
by God yet we can sometimes hoard our blessings instead of sharing them. All
God's blessing are freely given and all God's blessings are not only for
ourselves but for the well being of others as well. One way of realizing the
blessings of God is pondering all things in our hearts. 'But Mary treasured all
these words and pondered them in her heart.' We lose out on so many wonderful
things that God is doing in us and
for us because we have no time to stop and reflect, no time to ponder and
pray.' To live this New Year well we have to count our blessings, we have to
find time to acknowledge the giver of all blessings. The last lines of today's
gospel remind us that at his circumcision the new-born Son of God was given the
name 'Jesus', meaning the one who saves. As believers we are given the
privilege of calling on Jesus and invoking the power of his name. From our
human experience we call those who are personally known and close to us by
their name. Jesus wants to be called by name, and wants to be known by us in a
personal intimate way. We need to call on the name of Jesus frequently and thus
experience the power of his blessing in our life.
Mother's love for her children and our love for mother
One Mom had a most revealing experience on her birthday. Her two children
ordered her to stay in bed. She lay there looking forward to being brought her
breakfast, as the inviting smell of bacon floated up from the kitchen. At last
the children called her downstairs. She found them sitting at the table, each
with a large plate of bacon and eggs: "As a birthday surprise," one explained,
"we've cooked our own breakfast." Application: A mother's love is
inexhaustible. Can we say that about our love for our family, friends, and
strangers?
Gerard Fuller in 'Stories for all Seasons'
Divine Comedy -Enjoying God's Blessings!
At the beginning of the Old Testament there is the story of an empty womb.
Given the age count of the old couple, Abraham and Sarah, an empty womb would
come as no surprise to anyone: but there is an added difficulty in the fact
that Sarah has always been barren. In spite of this the old couple live in hope
of having their own child. The promise of God has led them to believe it
possible, and they make the promise of God their daily bread - nourishing their
fond hope that one day they will be parents. One day three visitors arrive.
They are carriers of the most precious news that God is a keeper of promises
and Sarah will have a child in her old age because God will visit her in a
special way. The response to this long-awaited news is laughter: when Sarah
hears the announcement from her hiding - place behind the door, she laughs.
Laughter is a good response to the fulfillment of the promise of God: that the
couple will have a son not out of necessity or
medical ingenuity, but because of the ability of God to do the humanly
impossible. It is divine comedy: Sarah gets the joke, and she conceives and
gives birth to the promise of God. Not surprisingly when her son is born he is
called Isaac - which in Hebrew means 'laughter'. The promise has become flesh,
and taken shape in the bundle of a baby. There is rejoicing that God has indeed
visited his people - that without him the great family of Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob, could not have started. God made their beginning; for nothing is
impossible to God.
Denis McBride in 'Seasons of the Word'
Home is Where Mother is
Mother Teresa relates this incident about a boy. "Once I picked up a child and
took him to our Children's Home; we gave him a bath, clean clothes, and
everything. After a day, the child ran away. Somebody else found him, but again
he ran away. Then I said to the Sisters: "Please follow the child and see where
he goes when he runs away'. And the child ran away the third time. There under
the tree was the mother. She had put a small earthenware vessel on two stones
and was cooking something she had picked out of the dustbin. The Sisters asked
the child: 'Why did you run away from the Home?' And the child said, 'This is
my home because this is where my mother is'". True! Wherever our mothers are,
there our home is.
John Rose in 'John's Sunday Homilies'
We may count our blessings every day of the New Year!
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.
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