2-Dec-2012
Dear Friend, Whether we admit it or not, very often what prevents us from going ahead is our holding on to the past or getting bogged down by the present. We get so involved in what is happening right now that we cannot look beyond. Life is more than what is happening now -it will change. The darkest hour is the one before dawn! But we have to wait in hope for God's coming into our lives. Have a 'hopeful' weekend! Fr. Jude Sunday Reflections: Second Sunday of Advent: "Looking forward with hope! He is coming!" 9-Dec-2012 Readings: Baruch 5: 1-9Philippians 1: 4-6, 8-11Luke 3: 1-6 Today's portion of the Book of Baruch was written around 200 B.C. for the Jews living there who had a problem keeping their faith in God. Their temple was far away and they had no hope of returning. They were living among a culture completely opposed to their own religious beliefs and they were finding it difficult to be faithful to Yahweh. Baruch tells them not to give up their faith, not to give up on God. "Your God is coming to help you. You came here in shame dragged by your enemies but God will carry you back". We too live in pagan times where the philosophy of life is: 'Forget God! He is not interested in you!' Today's reading reminds us that God is doing something for us. He is ready to level mountains and fill up valleys so that we might walk safely out of the mess we are in. In the midst of darkness he will bring light; in our brokenness he will bring healing if only we look up to him. Broken voices bring healing Last night I listened to voices in a small room, that were not the best trained. They belonged to ex-criminals and other convicts who had spent time in jail. But as they sang there were tears in the eyes of their leader an old man. Slowly his worried face looked up to God and he smiled. I knew why he had that troubled look. He had just heard that his eldest son had a tumour in his stomach which had been diagnosed as malignant. They had operated but the doctors had not been successful in removing the cancerous growth. The old man knew that his son was dying. Those around him were ones he had counseled over the years and helped in rehabilitating after they had been released from jail. They also felt his sorrow, and so with broken untrained voices they sang to him. Those songs made him remember that even in this hour of trial he could look up to God, and he did and he smiled. Those voices had managed to do what no trained voice could have ever done..! Anonymous Today's gospel begins with a description of the political situation of the times. It is not an easy time for the Jews, the Romans were task masters and oppressed them and made unreasonable demands on the Jews. The Jews were fed up and longed for a Messiah who would rescue them from Roman tyranny. Yet this very hopeless situation was also the context of hope and repentance. The person proclaiming this message of hope was John the Baptist. John the Baptist was a sign, everything about him was a sign and he was pointing to the imminent coming of Lord. He was not the promised one. He was the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." The reading reminds us that our preparation for the coming of the Lord is a two-way process. On the one hand we were reminded in the first reading that God himself will make the first move, he will level the mountains and fill the valleys so that we might come back unhurt. On the other hand ours is not a passive hopeless waiting. We have to play our part and open ourselves to his coming into our lives. For some of us it might imply knocking off the mountains of pride, for others it might be filling up the emptiness of our lives with good works, for still others it might mean giving up our crooked ways and walking straight along the path of truth. The present times might be difficult times for us but there are, in these very upsetting times, signs of his coming. Are we able to read the signs of his coming? Can we listen to the voice in the wilderness crying out? To be able to listen we have to believe, we have to hope, we have to be open to the God who comes in surprising ways into our lives. Let the one who has ears listen...! Wrong Swing! It was a hot Sunday in June. Millions of Americans were watching the U. S. Golf Open on TV. At a critical point in the play, the camera focused on Jack Nicklaus. He was in the rough and preparing to shoot out. Slowly and deliberately, he addressed the ball. Then for a full 20 seconds of prime time TV, he stood poised and ready to swing. Suddenly, at the last moment, he backed away from the ball and said loud enough for everybody to hear, "That's the wrong swing." The sports announcer covering the match was confused and said, "But he didn't swing! What's going on here?" A lot was going on. And Nicklaus explains exactly what it was in his book Golf My Way. There he describes how he prepares for every shot he takes. It's a process called mental rehearsal. This simply means that he plays every shot in his imagination before he plays it for real. Nicklaus writes: "It's like a colour movie. First, I 'see' the ball where I want it to finish, nice and white on the bright green grass. "Then the scene quickly changes and I 'see' the ball going there. ...even its behaviour on landing. "Then there's a sort of fade-out, and the next scene shows me making the kind of swing that will turn the previous images into reality.' What Jack Nicklaus was doing that hot Sunday afternoon in the U. S. Open is what the Church asks us to do during the season of Advent. The Church asks us to go through a kind of mental rehearsal to prepare for the coming of Christ. Mark Link in 'Sunday Homilies' May I know your name? In a certain cathedral in Europe, there was a magnificent pipe organ that only the designated church organist was allowed to play. One day, while the sexton was checking the choir loft before closing the church, he heard the footsteps of a stranger climb into the choir loft. "Please, sir," begged the stranger, "I have travelled a long way only to be able to sit and play this marvelous organ. May I have your kind permission to do so?" "No," replied the sexton, "This instrument may be played only by one person. If I allow you, I may lose my job." The stranger understood, but appeared deeply disappointed. "But," he persisted, "may I play just a few chords? I promise it won't be long. A few moments is all I ask." The sexton was moved to compassion and permitted that stranger to play the pipe organ, on condition that he stopped after a few bars. Moving to the seat before that magnificent organ, the stranger closed his eyes for a few moments, and then began. His touch was so masterful and the music so delightful, that the sexton just stood there as though transfixed to the ground. He just couldn't believe his ears. The stranger was an accomplished musician and brilliant organist. A few minutes later, the stranger stopped and slid off the stool. Gratefully he thanked the sexton for permitting him that rare privilege and began to walk away. "Wait," pleaded the sexton, "I have never heard such music from this organ before. Please tell me your name?" The stranger replied, "Meldelssohn." "What!" exclaimed the stupefied sexton, "are you truly the famous composer and musician, Felix Mendelssohn?" "Yes, sir," replied the stranger, and modestly walked away. -Every good turn done to another in need is actually done to Jesus, who like Felix Mendelssohn, presents himself in a surprising disguise. James Valladares in 'Your words are Spirit and they are Life' Do you hear the music? Have you heard the story of the dancers who had no music? Can you imagine how hard that would be? Dancing with no music? Day after day they came to the great hall just off the corner of Main and Broadway. They brought their wives. They brought their husbands. They brought their children and their hopes. They came to dance. The hall was prepared for a dance. Streamers strung, punch bowls filled. Chairs were placed against the walls. People arrived and sat, knowing they had come to a dance but not knowing how to dance because they had no music. They had balloons; they had cake. They even had a stage on which the musicians could play, but they had no musicians. Some tried to dance without the music. Over time, however, the dancers grew weary, and everyone resumed the task of sitting and staring and wondering if anything was ever going to happen. And then one day it did. Not everyone saw him enter, only a few. Nothing about his appearance would compel your attention. His looks were common, but his music was not. He began to sing a song, soft and sweet, kind and compelling. And as he sang, people stood-a few at first, then many-and they began to dance together. Flowing to a music they had never heard before, they danced. Some, however, remained seated. What kind of musician is this who never mounts the stage? Who brings no band? Who has no costume? Why, musicians don't just walk in off the street. They have an entourage, a reputation, a persona to project and protect. Why, this fellow scarcely mentioned his name! "How can we know what you sing is actually music?" they challenged. His reply was to the point: "Let the man who has ears to hear use them." But the non-dancers refused to hear. So they refused to dance. Many still refuse. The musician comes and sings. Some dance. Some don't. The musician gives the same appeal: "Let the man who has ears to hear use them." Let God have you, and let God love you-and don't be surprised if your heart begins to hear music you've never heard and your feet learn to dance as never before. Max Lucado from 'Just Like Jesus' I am ready to meet Him! Jim had always been a quiet man. His voice was gentle and pleasant, and he had a sincerity about him that held you when he spoke to you. He seemed to have a constant sense of being in contact with God, and God's presence in his life, and in the world. He had absolutely no aggression in his personality, but he was always deeply upset by reports of injustice, ethnic cleansing, and the flow of refugees, in search of safety and security. Jim got cancer. From the very beginning, he was totally aware of his situation, and he insisted on being kept informed of the prognosis. He retained his dignity, his composure, and his peace of mind. He was very realistic about life and about death. He spoke openly about how he felt, and what he thought. Most impressive of all was his attitude towards death. Whenever I was with him during his final weeks, I always felt that his whole life was a preparation for what was to come. It was obvious that he had made a direct connection between the first coming of Jesus, and his return to call Jim home. He was ready, and he had a sense of waiting patiently. He spent a lot of his time, while he still had the energy, in reaching out to others, in sorting out his affairs, and in preparing his wife and family for what lay ahead. I was with him when he died. He died as he had lived, with peace, and dignity. When I read today's gospel, I think of Jim. He represents for me what today's gospel is all about. My own personal reinforcement of the gospel message has come from the people I have met who are living the message. Jack McArdle in 'And that's the Gospel truth!' Let's wait with hope and change whatever needs to be changed, for God will come! 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.
