11-Oct-2013 Dear Friend, We know from experience that when we want something we keep at it all the time. If something is not very important then we may mention it once or twice and then we forget about it. Do we request something only for ourselves or also for others? If God is our Father, can we not intercede for our brothers and sisters? Are not their needs our concerns as well? We can build our community by praying for others. Have an intercessory weekend, pleading for others with God! Fr. Jude Sunday Ref. 29th Sun. of the Year: "The Prayer of Intercession is always heard! Ask with faith! God always hears!" 20-Oct-2013 Readings: Exodus 17: 8-13; 2 Timothy 3: 14 -4: 2; Luke 18: 1-8; In the first reading from Exodus we read of Israel entering into battle for the first time in its history. Israel's way to the Promised Land was blocked by the Amelekites and Moses orders Joshua to fight them. Joshua does. Meanwhile, while the battle rages Moses looks at the battle scene from a hilltop. Moses then raises his hands in prayer and whenever his hands are raised Israel prevails in battle and whenever he lowers his hands the Amelekites prevail. So Moses' companions support him so that he can pray continuously and victory is assured. Prayer Power Some years ago Guideposts magazine printed a remarkable story. It was about a young high school teacher named Mary. She wanted so much to succeed as a teacher. But a student named Bill was turning her into a nervous wreck. One morning, before school began, Mary was sitting at her classroom desk writing something in shorthand. Suddenly Bill appeared at the door. "What are you writing?" he asked as he approached her desk, "I'm writing a prayer to God," she said, "Can God read shorthand?" he joked. "He can do anything," said Mary, "even answer this prayer." Then she tucked the prayer inside her Bible and turned to write on the chalkboard. As she did, Bill slipped the prayer from her Bible into his typing book. Twenty year later Bill was going through a box of his belongings that his mother had stored in her attic. He came across his old typing book. Picking it up, he began to thumb through it. Lo and behold, he found the shorthand prayer. It was yellow and faded with age. Bill stared at the jottings on the paper and wondered what they said. He took the prayer and put it in his wallet. When he got to his office, he gave the prayer to his secretary to decipher. She read it and blushed. "It's rather personal," she said. "I'll type it out and put it on your desk when I leave tonight." That night Bill read the prayer. It said: "Dear God, don't let me fail this job. I can't handle my class with Bill upsetting it. Touch his heart. He's someone who can become either very good or very evil." The final sentence bit Bill like a hammer. Only hours before, he was contemplating making a decision that would commit him to a life of evil. During the next week Bill took the prayer out several times to read it. To make a long story short, that prayer caused Bill to change his mind about doing what he was contemplating. Weeks later Bill located his old teacher and told her how her prayer had changed his life. Mark Link in 'Sunday Homilies' Today's gospel speaks of the need of perseverance in prayer. To illustrate this, Jesus tells the parable of the unjust judge and the persistent widow. She seeks judgement against her enemy, but the judge does not have time to listen to her. But she kept at him until he finally helped her. In the parable the focus is clearly on the widow. The unjust judge is the foil that makes her greatness stand out; he is not important in himself. We must certainly not identify him with God. Though he ends like God -giving justice to the widow, that is the only resemblance. The widow is in fact a wonderful person, one of the great characters of the gospels. The widow is poor. She cannot back her claims for justice with money or influential people; her power lies entirely in her moral qualities, her passion and her perseverance. But she believes that her cause is just and that ultimately justice will prevail. She stands as a symbol of hope; of the poor and helpless who rely solely on God to grant them justice. Jesus says in conclusion, "Will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you God will quickly grant justice to them." God is faithful in answering our prayers, although the answers may take time and may not quite be what we expect. God's time may not be our time, but in His time He will answer our prayer. Prayer is the key... Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the Indian nation and the chief architect of its freedom from colonial rule and independence, was a secret admirer of Jesus Christ. Gandhi used to read the gospels and was particularly fascinated by the Sermon on the Mount. Mahatma Gandhi was first and foremost a man of prayer. He faithfully began each day at four in the morning with an hour's prayer in the little sanctuary he had arranged in his modest home. His phenomenal success and unparalled fame as a freedom fighter can be ascribed to his indomitable patience and tenacity and his unshakable faith in God. In a word, Gandhi, like every devoutly religious person and successful person, worked as though all depended on him, but prayed as though all depended on God. Gandhi once said: "I am neither a man of letters nor of science, but I humbly claim to be a man of prayer. It is prayer that has saved my life. Without it I would have lost my reason long ago. If I did not lose my peace of soul in the midst of my many trials, it is because of the peace that came to me through prayer. One can live several days without food, but not without prayer. Prayer is the key to each morning and the lock to each evening. Let everyone try this experience and they will find that daily prayer will add something new to their lives, something which cannot be found elsewhere." James Valladares in 'Your Words O Lord, are Spirit, and They are Life' Hang in there! Once there was a little boy who wanted more than anything to play in the school band. The boy went home one day and asked his parents if they would buy him and instrument and let him play in the band. They said, "We will think about it. After all, a musical instrument costs a lot of money and we are not sure you will stick with it." A few days went by and the boy's parents hadn't said anything, so the boy decided to ask again. The boy's parents didn't say yes and they didn't say no. They said, "We are still thinking about it." On his way home the next day, the boy decided to stop by the local music store to check out the musical instruments. When he walked in the store, the first thing that caught his eye was a beautiful shiny trumpet. It wasn't new, but it was in good condition. It was just what he wanted. That night at supper the boy said to his parents, "I went by the music store today after school and they really have a nice trumpet, it is exactly what I want and it costs only $100,: The boy's father turned to his wife and said, "We had better go and take a look at that trumpet or we are not going to hear the end of this." The next day the boy went to the music store with his parents and they bought him that trumpet. The boy joined the band and he stuck with it. He played in the band all through high school and when he graduated from high school, he went on to university and studied music. After graduating from university, he became a music teacher. I wonder how differently his life might have turned out if he had asked his parents for that musical instrument one time and never mentioned it again. Perhaps God too wants us to show that we are really serious about what we ask of Him. He may not always answer in the way we want but we have to trust that God loves us and knows what is best for us. John Pichappilly in 'The Table of the Word' Film –Heartland The movie Heartland dramatizes the story of rugged prairie life in the early 1900's. A widow named Elinore Randall answers an ad to become a housekeeper for Clyde Stewart, a taciturn cattle homesteader in Burntfork, Wyoming. After a rocky beginning, their relationship smoothes out and they eventually get married, partly out of economic convenience and partly out of deep human needs. Together they heroically endure the hardships of a stubborn soil that yields little food, freezing winter winds that decimate their herd and the death of their new born little boy. In the climax of the story, Clyde Stewart has given up on the cattle ranch and begins to pack their belongings. But Elinore won't let him quit. She pleads and bargains with him not to abandon their dream. Her tenacity triumphs when a calf is born, a sign of a new beginning, new life and new hope. Clyde finally agrees to stay and give the ranch one more try. Elinore's persistence and faith are comparable to the widow's in today's parable. The widow kept coming to the judge for her rights and eventually wore him out. Jesus uses her as an example of praying always and not losing heart. Albert Cylwicki in 'His Word Resounds' Never give up! Years ago in Illionis, a young man with six months' schooling to his credit ran for an office in the legislature. As might have been expected, he was beaten. Next, he entered business but failed at that, too, and spent the next 17 years paying the debts of his worthless partner. He fell in love with a charming lady and became engaged - and she died. He had a nervous breakdown. He ran for Congress and was defeated. He then tried to obtain an appointment to the U.S. Land Office, but didn't succeed. He became a candidate for the Vice-Presidency and lost. Two years later he was defeated for Senator. He ran for office once more and was elected. The man's name was Abraham Lincoln. -And it took Winston Churchill three years to get through the eighth grade, because he couldn't pass English - of all things! Ironically, he was asked many years later to give the commencement address at Oxford University. His now famous speech consisted of only three words: "Never give up!" Harold Buetow in 'God Still Speaks! Listen' May we pray unceasingly not to get something from God but just to love him!! 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.
