9-Sep-2012 Dear Friend,
If your non Catholic friend /colleague asked you a blunt question: “Who or what does Jesus mean to you?” What would your answer be? A prophet? An inspiring person? A miracle worker? A great personality? Is that it? Or is Jesus more than that for you? It is easy to give book answers, or second-hand answers. Is my life in any way dependant on Jesus or influenced by Jesus?? Have a quiet weekend reflecting on whether Jesus makes any difference in my daily Life. Fr. Jude Sunday Reflections: 24th Sunday “Who do you say that I am? Who is Jesus to you?” 16-Sep-2012 Readings: Isaiah 50: 5-9 James 2: 14-8 Mark 8: 27-35 In today’s first reading the prophet Isaiah refers to the coming of the Messiah in tones of resignation as the ‘Suffering Servant.’ The servant is all the people of God, personified in the one who exemplified their best goals and traits – to overcome evil by good, violence by love, war by peace. In contrast to the unfaithful and unhearing Israel, the servant declares that he is obedient and listens to the Lord. The prophet Isaiah tells us how to recognize the Messiah. In spite of his sufferings, the Messiah, and the true follower and believer, will be the one who will not turn back from his course. Instead, he will set his face like flint and go on to achieve his purpose. Response to Suffering Until the age of twenty five, Eugene O’Neill was a failure. His life was without purpose, discipline or direction. Then one day he took seriously ill, and was taken to hospital. It was during his long stay in hospital that he got a chance to do something he had never done before. He got a chance to think about his life and where it was headed. It was also in the hospital that he discovered that he had a talent for writing plays. Eventually Eugene O’Neill recovered, took up a writing career, and went on to revolutionize American drama. It all happened because O’Neill reacted to sorrow and suffering in a constructive way. He responded to them in a life-giving way. Take also the case of Golda Meir. As a young person, Golda felt depressed because she was not beautiful. She wrote: “It was only much later that I realized that not being beautiful was a blessing in disguise. It forced me to develop inner resources. I came to understand that women who can’t lean on their beauty… have to work hard, and therefore have an advantage. In other words, Golda Meir accepted her cross. She didn’t cry out against it, she didn’t fret over it or resent it. She acknowledged it, picked it up and carried it courageously. Golda Meir went on to become the first woman prime minister of Israel. Mark Link in ‘Sunday Homilies’ In today’s gospel Jesus asks his disciples the perception of the crowd regarding himself: “Who do people say that I am?” There are various answers: ‘Prophet’, ‘Wonder-worker’, but ‘Messiah’ is not one of them. Now he turns to his disciples and asks: “And you, who do you say that I am?” A second-hand faith is a watered down faith. We cannot live only by what others say or believe. Peter’s answer on behalf of the disciples; “You are the Christ”, is pious, but incomplete. The Jews expected the Messiah to come in power, to free them from Roman dominion, but they did not expect the Messiah to suffer. Jesus therefore to dispel the false idea that they held on to, predicted that the Messiah would suffer and ultimately be put to death. Peter remonstrates with Jesus. “You must not talk about suffering. You cannot suffer. Don’t let people know that they have to suffer to follow you!” Jesus has to put Peter in his place and set the record straight. “Get behind me Satan! Because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s.” Who do you say that I am? Is not merely a question to establish the identity of Jesus but a rhetorical question mainly about us – his followers. “If we say that Jesus is “the Christ” then we must move aside from the throne of our own life and let him rule. In Mark we are confronted by both suffering and exaltation, defeat and victory, weakness and power, death and life in its fullness. Peter on the one hand refuses to accept the suffering, defeat and death; on the other, he readily expresses the desire to stay where the exaltation, victory and manifestation of full life are revealed." Where do we stand with regard to Christ? Film: ‘The Giant of Thunder Mountain’ Eli Weaver, "the giant," lives like a hermit on Thunder Mountain, due to the hostility, gossip, and rejection of the local townspeople, who, without evidence, accuse him of murdering his parents. A young girl, Amy Wilson, seeks to turn the tables by befriending the giant, –learning that Eli was innocent of the tragic deaths of his parents. Eventually, she succeeds in winning his heart, and Eli agrees to visit the townspeople again, only to be rejected and cast out a second time. However, Amy and her brothers persist in keeping their friendship alive with the giant. Through a series of suspense-filled events, which are totally misunderstood by the townspeople, a lynch mob erroneously hunts down Eli. However, the truth is revealed in the nick of time, and Eli is instrumental in capturing the real criminals, associated with a travelling carnival. The townspeople, finally accepting the truth, regard Eli as a hero. Eli, in several respects, comes across as a Christ-figure in the movie: suffering many hardships from the rejection, scorn and derision of the townspeople, reminding me a little of William Butler Yeats’ "rough beast" exterior, contrasted with the biblical tender, gentle Jesus who loves and welcomes children. Rev. Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson –From Internet Sources The Cross at the Crossroads…. There were three young trees growing together in the forest. They were young healthy and ambitious. They compared their dreams. One wanted to be part of a structure of a castle or a palace, so that it could be a spectator in the lives of the high and mighty of society. The second wanted to end up as a mast of one of the tall ships, sailing around the world with a great sense of adventure. The third hoped to end up as part of some public monument, where the public would stop, admire and take photographs. Years passed by, and all three were cut down. The first was chopped up, and parts of it were put together to form a manger for a stable in Bethlehem. The second was cut down, and the trunk was scooped out to form a boat, which was launched on the Sea of Galilee. The third was cut into sections, two of which were put together, to form a cross on Calvary. Each had a unique and special role to play in the one great story of redemption. Jack McArdle in ‘And that’s the Gospel Truth’ Film- Pay it Forwards In the film, "Pay It Forward" Trevor, a seventh-grader, responds to the call of his Social Studies teacher to come up with a plan to change the world and act on it. Turning "pay backs" upside down, he devises, "pay it forward" wherein you seek to find three people who need some help in a "really big" way and requiring some kind of sacrifice one helps these three with the understanding that if they are helped they will pay it forward to three more people...and the plan works in wonderful ways, resulting in the death of the student who sacrifices his life for one of his people. His compassionate heart is memorialized at the end of the film as we see a long line of cars...people who have been touched by his sacrifice who never knew him, but have experienced his compassion in their lives through someone else. Diane C. Jackson Readiness to Face Death When the Berkenhead sank, Alexander Russell, a young officer aged seventeen, was ordered to command one of the boats which carried women and children. As they were pushing off, a sailor who was drowning clasped the side of the boat, but there was no room for even one more. A woman on the boat cried: “Save him! He is my husband.” Russell rose, jumped clear off the boat, and amidst a chorus of “God bless you!” he sank in the water, which was full of sharks and was seen no more, while the sailor was being pulled in to take his place. Anthony Castle in ‘More Quotes and Anecdotes’ Double Lives G. K. Chesterton has a story about a popular philanthropist. The main reason for his popularity was his unfailing good humour. No one bothered to ask how he managed to be always happy. They assumed he was born an optimist. But then one day he was found dead in mysterious circumstances. Foul play was immediately suspected. However, the case completely baffled the police. Eventually it was Chesterton’s unlikely detective, Fr. Browne, who solved the case. His verdict – the man committed suicide. At first the people refused to accept Fr. Browne’s verdict. They couldn’t imagine how such a happy man could commit suicide. But then it emerged that there was a serious side to the funny man. The man who made others laugh was in fact a deeply depressed man. But he could never tell anyone how he really felt. The man had two lives. One open, seen and known by all, the other secret, and known only to himself. In public he was the man who smiled at everyone. But in private he was wounded and desperate. He felt he had to live up to people’s expectations in return for their attention and esteem. He was never able to be himself. Finally, he realized that his whole life was based on a lie. The strain of trying to maintain the public image became so great that he could no longer cope with it. So he committed suicide. Flor McCarthy in ‘Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies’ May we be followers of Jesus sharing the Cross and the Crown! 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.
