29-Dec-2012 Dear Friend,
On New Year's Day we usually wish people a 'Happy New Year!' Do we really wish them all happiness in the New Year? For business people New Year Day is a time for stock taking, for some it is a new beginning, for others it's just another day like the rest. For believers the New Year Day is a new blessing, a new opportunity, a present from the God of all time! Have a blessed New Year! Fr. Jude Sunday Reflections: Mary Mother of God "Like Mary, enjoy God's Special Blessing!" 1-Jan-2013 Readings: Numbers 6: 22-27Gal 4: 4-7Luke 2: 16-21 In the first reading from the Book of Numbers we have the favourite prayer of Blessing of the Israelites. The blessing prayer was a reminder to God to keep blessing his people and a reminder to the people never to forget that everything that happens in life is a blessing from God. Do we bless God always and everywhere? "May the Lord bless you, May the Lord uncover his face to you. May the Lord fill you with his peace." Are we in the habit of seeking the blessing of God everyday, and can we bless people always? Birthday Blessing Here is a story about a monk called Barnabas. Barnabas was sad. All the monks in the monastery seemed to have such clever and useful things to do. It was September 8th and the monks wished to celebrate Our Lady's birthday, each according to his particular talent. One illuminated a page of a breviary in vibrant blue, red, green and gold. Another spent many hours at his easel capturing the beauty of the surrounding landscape, another composed an exquisite poem telling her of his love and a fourth set it to music, so that all were astonished at its melody. But alas, Barnabas was grieved because he had none of these talents and he did want to give Our Lady a present. Before he entered the monastery he had been a tumbler of great renown, but now his bones were old and set, but so compelling was his love for Our Lady, that his desire to give her a present overcame his fear that the cleverer monks might ridicule his poor performance. So Barnabas retired to the chapel and practiced and practiced until much of his old skill returned. His efforts exhausted him and at last he was forced to rest for a while. The perspiration was running down his head and face and soaking his habit. At this moment the other monks entered the chapel bringing their birthday gifts to lay before Our Lady's statue. To their consternation, she was not on her pedestal but had descended to the one who had loved her most. She had accepted with delight his efforts to entertain her. April O'Leary in 'More Quotes and Anecdotes' In the Gospel we see the simple shepherds come to the new born king. To meet the Lord, to receive his blessing, we have to be like the shepherds, who believed the good news. They listened, they obeyed, they believed. They saw a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, a very ordinary sight, yet they believed that this was the Son of God. It is faith that helps us to see the extraordinary in the ordinary events of life. This is the greatest blessing that we can receive - the gift of faith. It will help us to see the hand of God and discover His presence in the very ordinary events of the new year ahead of us. Mary too saw the events taking place and pondered them in her heart. Her faith moved her to believe that this simple, weak, homeless infant, lying in a manger, was the Son of God. Her faith made her share this gift of her child with the shepherds, the wise men and with all those who down the centuries have believed in him. Mary listened, she obeyed, she believed. Following the precepts of the law, she takes him to the temple to be circumcised. He was given the name "Jesus"! In whose name we are blessed each time we utter that name. The Church wishes us to acknowledge that Mary is not only the pride of the human race but also the source of numerous blessings. We need Mary as our support as we journey in faith into the New Year. The name Jesus is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew name Joshua, which means 'the one who saves', the one who earns for us the power to call God 'Abba Father'. This is what makes us free and for John being children is synonymous with being free. Thanks to Mary, through the human face of Jesus of Nazareth, the Lord 'makes his face known to us and gives peace' as the Book of Numbers reminded us. Mary Mother of God Dr. Scott Hahn was a former Protestant minister who became a catholic. He is today, a renowned catholic theologian and apologist. His path to the Catholic Church is narrated in his autobiography "Rome Sweet Home". From anti-Catholic convictions against Mary, he developed a deep filial love for the Mother of God. In his article 'She Gave the Word Flesh', he wrote, "divine providence often furnishes catholic converts with ironic stories about the twists and turns on their journeys home to the Catholic Church. In my case, as a former Protestant minister, with deep anti-catholic convictions, it was my Saul-like crusade against Mary that was wondrously transformed by God's grace into a deep filial love for the Mother of God. As they say, the bigger they come, the harder they fall-in love." "Paradoxically, my former anti-Marian views have resulted in an appreciation for the common objections frequently raised against the church's teachings about Mary, as well as the Marian dogma defined by the Pope. As an Evangelical, the one overarching reason why I opposed catholic teaching about Mary was that I believed that it undermined the perfect work of Christ, and robbed Him of glory. Today, the one overarching reason why I embrace the church's teaching is that I now see Mary as the perfect work of Christ, and greatest revelation of his glory. She no more steals the Son's glory than the moon steals the sun's." John Rose in 'John's Sunday Homilies' The difference A shoeshine boy was plying his trade in New York's Grand Central Station. A silver medal danced at his neck as he slapped his shine cloth, again and again, across a man's shoes. "Sonny," said the man curiously, "what's the hardware around your neck?" It's a medal of the mother of Jesus," the boy replied. "Why her medal?" said the man. "She's no different from your mother." "Could be," said the boy, "but there's a real big difference between her son and me." The boy's devotion to Mary, the mother of Jesus, invites me to ask: What role does Mary play in my life? How might she play an even bigger role? Mark Link in 'Vision 2000' Memories Rose Kennedy will go down in history as one of America's and the Church's most memorable mothers. During her 94 years she has seen in her children moments of triumph and moments of tragedy. No other mother in U. S. history has had three sons elected to the U. S. Senate and one to the White House as President. Few mothers have lost three sons as Rose Kennedy did: Joe Jr. in an air crash, and John and Bobby by assassination. Yet through it all, she has kept her faith: "I have always believed that God never gives a cross to bear larger than we can carry. I believe in heaven and expect to see my husband Joe there, my three sons, and my daughter Kathleen." Looking back over her life she says: "I would rather have been the mother of a great son than to have written a great book or painted a great masterpiece." May be someday Rose Kennedy will be canonized; but even if she isn't, her faith in her role as a mother mirrors to us the faith of another mother we honour today - Mary, the Mother of Jesus Albert Cylwicki in 'His Word Resounds' Mother and Model A retreat master was giving a retreat. Towards the end of it, a girl handed him a note. He put it in his pocket and forgot about it. After the retreat, he found it, unfolded it, and read: "For the past eight months I have been in psychotherapy, a fact known to only a few people. "As a child I experience overwhelming fear because of hatred and abuse. A major focus of my life right now is to overcome and transform that fear. The details are unnecessary, but much of my fear is centred on my mother. I had become so turned off to the concept of mothers that I consciously rejected the love of Mary, the mother of Jesus. "After your talk, I walked outside - feeling terribly alone, I prayed for the grace to break through the wall that was keeping me from trusting. I wanted to cry, but haven't in months. "You may have noticed a small, round building near the cemetery, Curiosity is one of my strongest traits - I walked to it and opened the door. "When I looked inside, I was filled with fear. There stood a large statue of Mary. My first impulse was to run away in anger. But something drew me slowly to the kneeler at her feet. Then, I fell to my knees, weeping into the folds of her robes. "When I was over, I felt cleansed and new. I felt willing to be a trusting child. Even more important, I felt that a mother's love had touched me -leaving in me a true desire to forgive my natural mother." Mark Link in 'Sunday Homilies' Life is what you put into it A son and his father were walking in the mountains. Suddenly, his son falls, hurts himself and screams: "AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!" To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating, somewhere in the mountain: "AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!" Curious, he yells: "Who are you?" He receives the answer: "Who are you?" Angered at the response, he screams: "Coward!" He receives the answer: "Coward!" He looks to his father and asks: "What's going on?" The father smiles and says: "My son, pay attention." And then he screams to the mountain: "I admire you!" The voice answers: "I admire you!" Again the man screams: "You are a champion!" The voice answers: "You are a champion!" The boy is surprised, but does not understand. Then the father explains: "People call this ECHO, but really this is LIFE. It gives you back everything you say or do. Our life is simply a reflection of our actions. If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart. If you want more competence in your team, improve your competence. This relationship applies to everything, in all aspects of life; Life will give you back everything you have given to it." Anonymous Poem 'Today I saw a water lily growing in a pond, it had the most beautiful colour of yellow I'd ever seen The lily -a precious treasure -was unconcerned, about whether anyone noticed its astounding beauty. As I sat there, watching it unfold its petals noiselessly, I thought of Mary, pregnant with Jesus. She too, was a precious treasure. She too was unconcerned about whether anyone noticed her astounding beauty. But to those who did, she shared a secret. Her beauty came not from herself, but from Jesus-life unfolding its noiseless petals within her." -Poem shared by a student with her retreat Director While thanking God for the New Year and for Mary, may we constantly count our blessings! 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.
