11-Feb-2013 Dear Friend,
Few people like to be tested. We fear that we might fail, that we might not be up to the mark, that our weaknesses might be exposed. But we also realize that the true worth of anything or person is only seen when tested. In exams students can see how well they have mastered their studies, in sports competitions can reveal how good athletes are, in work our caliber is proved in tough assignments. In life our faith is tested in temptations and trials. Have a 'Spirit-filled' weekend beginning this Lent! Fr. Jude Sunday Reflections: First Sunday of Lent: "Resisting temptation and overcoming Sin!" 17-Feb-2013 Readings: Deuteronomy 26: 4-10;Romans 10: 8-13;Luke 4: 1-13; Today we begin a journey - a faith journey that will extend over the next forty days and end with Easter. For forty years the Jewish people made their way in the wilderness. The experience of the wilderness leads the Jewish people to deepen their faith. Biblical faith is historical faith. Our belief in God is rooted in the presence of his liberating love in history. This love is opposed to every form of humiliation and exploitation. Even today the Lord continues to liberate us from oppression and sin. We are called to believe that through His death and resurrection Jesus has liberated us and will liberate us. To accept that liberation we have to fight temptation and be prepared to let Jesus transform us this Lenten season. Giving into temptation A story is told of a wealthy woman who travelled to Europe with several friends. Her husband stayed home and played the stock market. While in Paris she found a fur coat that was the most beautiful she had ever seen. She sent a telegram to her husband that said, "Have found the perfect coat for only $50,000. What do you think?" He replied immediately with a telegram saying, "No, price too high." Imagine his surprise when she returned home with that $50,000 coat. The angry husband said, "Didn't you get my telegram?" "Yes," she said, "and here it is." The husband looked at that telegram which said, without punctuation, NO PRICE TOO HIGH." He forgot to put the coma after NO. -The devil however we may imagine it -is persistent, and in daily life we often grow discouraged when we have to face the same temptation over and over again. Being tempted is an opportunity to turn more fervently to God. With God's help we can resist all temptations. John Pichapilly in 'The Table of the Word' In today's gospel we are reminded that like us Jesus was tempted. He spent forty days in the wilderness before starting his mission. The Devil tempted Jesus in various ways. Jesus was promised instantaneous fame, abundant wealth and limitless power, in other words he could have the entire world at his feet without working for it. The temptations were serious, deceitful and treacherous. He was hungry in the desert and was tempted to use his power to satisfy his bodily needs. Jesus will also be asked to forget the meaning of the kingdom of God to put himself in the first place. Jesus also overcomes the temptation of arrogance subtly presented to him in words of scripture. But the God of Jesus is not the God who works miracles to amaze us and to overpower us, but instead he is a God of love and service. The message is clear: In the mission that is beginning Jesus proclaims the primacy of God and his kingdom. We cannot use God or his kingdom for our own personal prestige or to dominate others in any way. The attitude of Jesus must be our own and that of his church. The Church's message and its power are not to serve itself but to serve God and his chosen ones: the poor. Jesus was led by the spirit into the wilderness and we too as we begin the Lent are being led into the wilderness by the spirit. We need not be scared. In the Bible, the wilderness is the classic place of encounter with ourselves and the place where we are put to the test. As angels ministered to Jesus in his moments of temptation, God's Spirit will strengthen and console us. Leading to temptation A young boy was forbidden by his father to swim in the canal near their home. One day the boy came home carrying a wet bathing suit and his father asked him where he had been. The boy calmly stated that he had been swimming in the canal. The father was angry and said, "Didn't I tell you not to swim there?" The boy assured him that he had. The father wanted to know why he had disobeyed him. The boy said, "Well, Dad, I had my swimming suit with me, and I couldn't resist the temptation." Furious the father asked the boy why the boy had his bathing suit with him. The boy answered with total honesty, "So I would be prepared to swim, just in case I was tempted." James Valladares in 'Your Words O Lord, are Spirit and they are life.' Do not be deceived by temptations A successful female executive stood before the Pearly Gates, facing St. Peter himself. "Strange," mused St. Peter, "we've never had an executive make it this far before. I'm not sure what to do with you. While I think it over, I'll let you experience a day here and a day in Hell." So the woman spent an entire day lounging on clouds, playing the harp and having intelligent, civilized discussions with great philosophers. Her 24 hours passed quickly, and then she was transported to hell, where the devil took her to a beautiful country club where she found many of her old friends, dressed to the nines, drinking, joking, laughing and having a great time. Before she knew it, her 24 hours were up, and she was back at the Pearly Gates. St. Peter said. "I've considered your placement and decided I'll let you choose where you wish to spend eternity." She thought only briefly before she replied. "Well, Heaven was nice, but, no offense, I had a great time in Hell." And back down she went. But this time she found herself in a desolate wasteland covered with garbage. Her friends were still there, but now they were dressed in rags, picking up garbage and carrying it from one pile to another. "Wait a minute," stammered the woman to the Devil, "I don't understand. Yesterday when I was here, there was a golf course and a country club, and we ate lobster and drank champagne, and we danced the night away, having a wonderful time. Now everyone is slaving away shoveling garbage." The devil looked at her and smiled. "Yesterday we were recruiting you. Today, you're staff!" Tomi Thomas in 'Spice your homilies' We can begin again It is reported that Thomas Edison's laboratory was virtually destroyed by fire in December 1914. Although the damage exceeded $2million, the buildings were only insured for $238,000 because they were made of concrete and thought to be fireproof. Much of Edison's work literally went up in smoke on that fateful December night. At the height of the fire, Edison's 24 year-old son, Charles frantically searched for his father among the smoke and debris. He finally found him, calmly watching the scene, his face glowing in the reflection, and his white hair blowing in the wind. Said the sympathetic son, "My heart ached for him. He was 67 -no longer a young man - and everything was going up in flames. When he saw me he shouted, "Charles, where is your mother?" When I told him I didn't know, he said, "Find her. Bring her here. She will never see anything like this as long as she lives." The next morning, Edison looked at the ruins and said, "There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start anew." Three weeks after the fire, Edison managed to deliver his first phonograph! James Valladares in 'Your Words O Lord, are Spirit and they are life.' When we are tempted, may we look to God and His word to strengthen us to resist sin! 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.
