21-Feb-2012 Dear Friend, No one likes to be tested, whether it be children in school, college students who have to undergo entrance tests, or workers whose work will be evaluated to decide on their future prospects. Yet when it comes to purchasing something costly or trying out something new, we want to test its worth before investing in anything that is not free. Athletes will readily admit that they know their true potential only when tested. We are now faced with Lent - a testing time! May we come out victorious with God's help! Fr. Jude Sunday Reflections: First Sunday of Lent "His Word our hope amidst temptation always! 26-Feb-2012 Readings: Genesis 9: 8-15 1 Peter 3: 18-22 Mark 1: 12-15 The first reading from Genesis reminds us that Noah alone was spared during the flood. God made a promise, a covenant that man would not be destroyed by the floodwaters and the sign of his covenant was the rainbow. God is faithful to his promise and each time we see a rainbow, it should remind us of a God who is faithful to His promise. All kinds of situations test us and there are times we will falter and fail, we will be unfaithful to our God, but God will not destroy us, He is faithful to his promise, He will save us. The Real Temptation The popular picture we have of Mother Teresa is either carrying a tiny undernourished child or applying medicines on the wounds of a leper. We have identified her with social works. One day, when Mother Teresa was talking to Father Le Joly, a Jesuit priest, who had written few books on Mother and her congregation, she said to him, "Father, when you write a book about me, tell everybody we are not here for work, we are here for Jesus. We are religious, not social workers, or nurses, or teachers; we are religious Sisters. All we do, our prayer, our work, our suffering, is for Jesus. Without Jesus our life would be meaningless... Incomprehensible..." John Rose in 'John's Sunday Homilies' The Gospel reminded us that the Spirit led Jesus to be tempted and he was in the desert amidst wild beasts but at the same time angels were ministering unto him. All through our life we are tempted and that in itself is not a bad thing. It is how we deal with temptations that really matters. We are tempted to compromise on values, to go by the popular majority, to do the easy or more convenient thing rather than what is right and proper. While we may be surrounded by evil forces we are also supported by God's help. The wild beasts and the angels will always be there in the desert experience. We too have to go through periodic training periods of discipline and testing called Lent. We too have to be ready to do battle with Satan and evil in this world. We consider it criminal if a soldier is sent to war without basic training, or to send a doctor into an operating theatre without adequate schooling and internship. Yet we casually assume that we can fight evil in us and around us without taking Lent seriously. Opting for God When I was a young boy, Anthony Eden was reputed to be every woman's fancy. According to many of the pub's customers, his handsome looks created many interesting and tempting situations for him. One small little man, Johnny, was sitting on a high stool listening pensively to stories of Eden's supposed prowess. Johnny himself was somewhat less than handsome. His comment was cryptic. 'Thank God, I was not born good looking.' His limited attractiveness relieved him of some temptations, he felt. However, I am sure that Johnny still had his own temptations as we all have. Even Christ was tempted as we hear in today's gospel. For him, the temptation was to selfishness and self-centredness, to accept security and fame for himself. His response was to reject these passing joys and opt for the Fathers' will which led to the cross before the glory of the resurrection. Lent is an opportunity to ask God to open our eyes to our smugness and to fill our hearts with courageous generosity towards our brothers and sisters everywhere. Tom Clancy in 'Living the Word' Spiritual Boot Camp In the movie 'An Officer and a Gentleman’, we are taken inside a boot camp, where candidates are trained to be naval flight officers. Actor Richard Gere plays the lead role of a candidate, who is so intent on being a flight officer that he endures, every test and challenge his tough drill sergeant, played by Lou Gossett, can throw at him. In the end Richard Gere emerges from the training grounds a changed man. Upon entering boot camp he was selfish; he cared only about his own success and comforts. Before he left he learned how to reach out and help his batch mates, he felt real pain when his close friend committed suicide, and he proved a true gentleman by marrying his girlfriend, played by Debra Winger. Lent is like a spiritual boot camp in a sense. Its theme of spiritual training is set forth in the Gospel. Internet Notes Selling Our Soul It was 11.00 P.M. and when the clock struck, terror engulfed Dr. Faustus. He had one more hour to live and then, he had to surrender his soul to Satan. He helplessly cried out in terror: "Stand still, you ever moving spheres of heaven, That time may cease, and midnight never comes; Fair Nature's eye, rise again and make Perpetual day; or let this hour be but a year, A month, a week, a natural day, That Faustus may repent and save his soul." But the clock struck 12:00; the devil came and took his soul. This is the tragic story of Dr. Faustus. He got into an agreement with Lucifer, the chief lord of perpetual darkness. In return for bequeathing his soul to Lucifer, he demanded a life of voluptuousness for 24 years, and then attendance of Mephistopheles to grant whatever he demanded either to aid his friends or slay his enemies. He cut his arm, and with the blood when he wrote the deed of agreement the blood congealed. Later, Faustus finished the deed and sold his soul. In life, we always confront situations wherein we sell out. We sell out for good or for bad causes. We sell out to the Devil or to God. Jesus, too, confronted such a situation. Today we heard in the Gospel about Jesus' temptation. John Rose in 'John's Sunday Homilies' What more can I do? - Radical Solution There is a story of a man who had an apple tree in his garden. He loved apples and believed he could not live without them. However, while the tree never failed to supply him with apples, apples which tasted good, there was something definitely lacking in their quality. One thing was missing - there was no nourishment in them. He consulted a friend who was an expert on apple trees. The expert looked at the tree and pointed out some obvious deficiencies in it. It needed to be sprayed for its branches were encrusted with moss, the branches needed pruning. It could do with having the earth around it dug up and fertilized. The man listened and acted on the expert's advice. Yet the following autumn the apples, though slightly more plentiful were no more nourishing. The quality remained unchanged. The man was disappointed and once more consulted the expert. "What more can I do?" he asked. "You are wasting your time." The expert answered. "What do you mean?" "Obviously the only thing to do is to cut the tree down and plant a new one in its place." "But what will I do in the meantime for apples?" "You will have to do without them, won't you?" came the answer. The question is: was the man ready for a radical decision, in order to have new and wholesome fruit? Are we ready for a radical change of heart? Anonymous God and the Devil In the Christian tradition, Lucifer, the most brilliant of all the denizens of the heavenly sphere, vaingloriously waged war to overturn the regime in heaven. Defeated by the Archangel Michael, the angel who would be God was cast into the inferno. With him went about a third of the heavenly host, a border of fallen angels. There is no possibility of redemption for Satan and his minions. Unlike Adam and Eve, the fallen angels were not tempted to sin but chose it out of untrammelled free will. They have no excuse for their disobedience. Whether the devil is a person or not, he exists as the quintessence of evil in the world. From the time of Adam and Eve, who tried to pass the buck for their sin to the serpent, to ourselves who joke that "the devil made me do it," to today's screaming headlines, we don't have to be convinced of the existence of evil. Harold Buetow in 'God Still Speaks! Listen!' A Chance to be Free There is a story about a young man who worked in a shop, where his boss persistently harangued him, gave him a rough time and insulted him in front of customers, and, in general, treated him like a slave. One day a businessman entered the shop. He noticed what was going on, so he spent some time pretending to be looking at various items, until he got a very clear picture of what exactly was happening. Finally, he could take no more, so he intervened. He called the young man aside and asked him if he would be interested in coming to work for him. The young man readily agreed, and walked out the door right then, and took to his new job with gusto, and in no time at all, the boss made him his manager. He was a good and honest worker. He now had responsibility, authority, and power, and he used all very wisely and well. One day who walked into the shop but his boss from his previous job. No sooner had he come in the door than he resumed his berating and his offensive degrading of the young man, in front of all the customers. This did not last for long. The young man went over, opened the front door, spun the man around by the shoulders, and pointed him towards the door. 'Out!' he shouted, with such authority that his former boss was dumbstruck, and unable to deal with the new reversal of roles. The customers cheered the young man. No longer would he be anybody's slave. That day was over, and he would never allow himself get into a situation like that again. That is the freedom, dignity, and gift that is offered in today's gospel. Jack McArdle in 'And That the Gospel Truth'. May we call upon His power and presence when put to the test!
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. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Protect Goa's natural beauty Support Goa's first Tiger Reserve Sign the petition at: http://www.goanet.org/petition/petition.php ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
