[Goanet] CAREFUL: Fr. Jude's funeral pictures attached
My dear Friends, Thank you so much for your touching responses. It is going to take me some time to respond to each one. In the interim, I am reaching out with this email with a link to the article from the Archdiocese of Mumbai's facebook page and a few pictures of the funeral which friends shared with me so that I could email them to you. The send off was beautiful... https://www.facebook.com/296743457005759/posts/2774239919256088/?substory_index=0 Warmly, Brenda
[Goanet] Very Sad news .......
Dear Friends, It is with deep sadness that I share this information with you. Fr. Jude is now with Our Father in Heaven. May his soul rest in peace. In grief, Brenda Fernandes(Admin Support)
[Goanet] Sunday Reflections: Take a B-r-e-a-k !!
Dear Friends, You may have noticed that the SRs have been delayed often of late. I have not been able to do the job in time. I have decided to take a break. My health is not good at the moment, when I am ready to continue I will do so. Love and prayers, Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
? If there is something in our life that lessens Christ’s life in us or in our family or community, are we ready to surrender it to the Lord? Christianity is not about special membership bonuses, exclusive deals and cost-free guaranteed right to Heaven! Christianity is rather about breaking down barriers and building bridges to and for Christ no matter what the cost! We all have prejudices, our blinkers that prevent us from seeing God working in strange and wonderful ways that are different from the way we see things. His ways are not our ways, He is the God of surprises, and his folly confronts our wisdom. >From war to peaceYears ago, a man was shocked to see his own obituary in the >morning newspaper. His death was mistakenly reported. But what shocked him >most was how the obituary described him: as someone who had devoted his life >to making weapons of war. In fact his business was manufacturing and selling >dynamite. That morning he resolved to turn his energies in a new direction, >working for world peace and human betterment. That man was Alfred Nobel, >founder of the Nobel Peace Prize.Mark Link On the wrong footA young lady was dating a businessman. The relationship developed and the man was considering marriage. To make certain there was nothing in the woman’s past that would embarrass him, he hired a detective agency to run a check on her. The agency assigned an agent who was not told the client’s identity. When the agent reported back, he said: “the young lady is a splendid person except for one unfortunate blemish. Lately she has been dating a businessman of questionable reputation.”Mark Link The daily hidden giftEach day a king sat in state hearing petitions and dispensing justice. Each day a holy man, dressed in the robes of a beggar, approached the king and silently offered him a piece of very ripe fruit. Each day the king accepted the fruit and handed it to his treasurer who stood behind the throne. Each day the beggar, again without saying a word, withdrew and vanished into the crowd. This ritual went on endlessly. Then one day, months later, after the beggar appeared, something different happened. A tame monkey, having escaped from the woman’s apartment in the inner palace, came bounding in to the hall and leapt up on to the arms of the master’s throne. The poor beggar had just presented the king with his usual gift. But this time, instead of passing it on to his treasurer, as was his usual custom, the king handed it over to the monkey. When the animal bit into it, a precious jewel dropped out and fell to the floor. The king amazed, quickly turned to his treasurer behind him. “What has become of all the others?” he asked. But the treasurer had no answer. All the time he had simply thrown the unimpressive gifts through a small upper window. He hadn’t even unlocked the door, so he excused himself and ran quickly down the stairs and opened the courtyard. There on the floor lay a mass of rotten fruit in various stages of decay. But amidst this garbage lay a heap of precious jewels.Source Unknown Open our eyes Lord that we may see your presence and power in every situation and in everyone! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
the Sunday Gospel’ Servant of allDr Charles Mayo with his father and brother founded the famous Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. One time a group of European medical experts were guests of Dr Mayo at his home. According to the custom of their homeland the guests placed their shoes outside their bedroom doors to be polished during the night. Dr Charles was the last to retire. As he went to his room he noticed the shoes. It was too late to wake up any of the servants. With a sigh he gathered up all the footwear, hauled them into the kitchen, and spent half the night polishing them.Msgr Arthur Tonne All God’s childrenThere is a legend told about Abraham in the Mideast. According to the legend, he always held off eating his breakfast each morning until a hungry man came along to share it with him. One day an old man came along and, of course, Abraham invited him to share his breakfast with him. However, when Abraham heard the old man say a pagan blessing over the food, he jumped up and ordered the old man from his table and from his house. Almost immediately God spoke to Abraham. Abraham! Abraham! I have been supplying that unbeliever with food everyday for the past eighty years. Could you not have tolerated him for just one meal?” We are all children of God. God has no grandchildren!Jack McArdle in ‘And That’s the Gospel Truth’ The kind of person one isWhen Nelson Mandela was a student lawyer in Johannesburg, he had a friend whose name was Paul Mahabane. Mahabane was a member of the African National Congress (ANC), and had the reputation of being a radical. One day the two of them were standing outside the post office when the local magistrate, a white man in his sixties, approached Mahabane and asked him to buy him some stamps. It was quite common in those days for a white person to call on a black person to perform a chore. Paul refused, the magistrate was offended. ‘Do you know who I am?’ he asked, his face turning red with anger. ‘It is not necessary to know who you are’ Mahabane replied. ‘I know what you are.’ The magistrate boiled over and exclaimed. ‘You’ll pay dearly for this,’ and then walked away. That white man was convinced that he was superior to Mahabane simply because he was a magistrate. And it had become second nature to him to expect others, especially if they were black, to serve him.Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday and Holy day Liturgies’ May I be master of myself to be the servant of all! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
eally believe I will gain in the long run, not just in the after-life but in this life as well.” Jude Siciliano in ‘First Impressions’ Double LivesG. K. Chesterton has a story about a popular philanthropist. The main reason for his popularity was his unfailing good humor. 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. The man who made others laugh was in fact a deeply depressed man. The man had two lives. One was 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’ What do we believe we are? What will we be?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 the structure of a castle or a palace, so it would be a spectator in the lives of the high and the mighty of society. The second wanted to end up as the mast in 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 part to play in the one great story of redemption.Jack McArdle in ‘And that’s the Gospel truth!’ “Send me Lord”…Mrs. O’ Reilly received the news that one of her neighbors was seriously ill. She said to the person who gave her the news, ‘Tell her that I’ll remember her in my prayers, and that I hope she’ll soon be feeling better.’ And she was as good as she promised. She prayed very sincerely and fervently for her neighbor. She said to God, ‘Lord, I want to commend my neighbor to you. She’s very seriously ill. She needs a lot of help, a lot of support.’ When she finished her prayers, she felt better. And yet, something was bothering her. She sat down to think about it. Then she fell into a dream-like state in which she heard God saying to her, ‘I can see that you’re very concerned about your neighbor.’ ‘Yes, Lord, I really am,’ she replied with no little pride. ‘And I understand that your neighbor is in great need of help,’ said God. ‘So I’ve been told,’ said Mrs. O’Reilly. ‘You know, what she most needs is someone to spend a little time with her,’ said the Lord. ‘You’re absolutely right Lord. I was thinking the same myself,’ Mrs. O’Reilly answered. ‘Now when you asked me to help her, you weren’t expecting me to come down from heaven to visit her, were you?’ ‘No, Lord, I wouldn’t expect you to do that. Nor would my neighbor expect it either. In fact, I think the shock of it might kill her.’ ‘But she does need someone to call on her?’ ‘She does, Lord.’ ‘Who can I send?’ After a long pause, Mrs. O’Reilly said, ‘Send me, Lord.’ When she woke up from her dream, she knew exactly what she had to do. Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sundays and Holy Day Liturgies’ May our deeds, not our empty words, reveal that we are followers of the Master! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
cheap, to the thoughtless crowd, cuch like the old violin. But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd never can understand, the worth of a soul, and the change that’s wrought, by the Touch of the Master’s Hand.’Albert Cylwicki in ‘His Word Resounds’ What brought about the sudden change?During World War II, there was in Poland a brilliant and Popular pianist, named Marta Korwin-Rhodes. As a matter of fact, she was in Warsaw when the city was bombarded. The devastation to both life and property was so horrible, that the brave and noble musician decided to stay and help the wounded in crowded hospitals instead of fleeing to safely. One night as Marta was walking through the wards, she heard a soldier sobbing loudly and pathetically. Going over to his side, she watched helplessly as his heart-rending cries literally broke her heart. What was she to do? And how was she to console such a disconsolate person? Suddenly she looked at her hands, and a most interesting thought crossed her mind. “If these hands can produce harmony from the keys of a piano, then surely God can use them to comfort and reassure a person in extreme pain.” Instantly she bent down and gently placed her hand on his forehead and earnestly prayed: “O God, help this man, for he is in pain and misery. Give him your comfort and peace in this moment of trial.” To her stunned disbelief, the man’s sobbing stopped, and he soon fell into a peaceful sleep.James V. in “Your Words, O Lord, Are Spirit, and They Are Life” God’s marvelous love and healing powerAbout eight years ago I was called to the Queen Victoria Hospital at Rose Park to minister to twin boys, who had been born prematurely. Even as I was ushered to their oxygen tents and looked down at their tiny bodies, I could not help but feel a crippling sense of helplessness. But like Marta Korwin- Rhodes, I reached out and touched them gently, praying as she did with faith that God would save them by his healing and love and power. And God did. As I said, God’s marvelous love and healing power are normally channeled through the co-operation of people, who serve as visible and effective channels. God needs us to reach out to people, so that in and through us they can experience His compassionate love and healing power. And there are innumerable people today, who like the heart-broken soldier of the story, are yearning for someone who will give them a little token of caring concern as the brave and noble Marta Korwin-Rhodes did. This is precisely why I never cease to repeat that the age of miracles is not over. The famous, ingenious and inspired Indian poet, Rabindranath Tagore said, “God waits to win back his own flowers, as gifts from man’s hands.”James V. in “Your Words, O Lord, Are Spirit, and They Are Life.” St. James says, “It was those who are poor according to the world that God chose to be rich in faith and to be heirs to the kingdom, which he promised to those who love him” Whenever I hear these words, I think of a scene I witnessed many a Sunday morning in Dublin. As I drove through the city on my way to say an early morning Mass. I would see an elderly woman making her way to the local church. She was slightly stooped and walked with the aid of a cane, I could clearly see that it was a struggle for her. Yet, hail, rain or snow, she was there every Sunday morning. It was quite clear that the woman was materially poor. Yet she had something that many rich people do not have. She had a strong faith. I have no doubt that it was of people such as her that St. James was talking.James V. in “Your Words, O Lord, Are Spirit, and They Are Life.” Handicaps of the NormalOne day while listening to a talk given by Jean Vanier (Founder of L’Arche) I learnt a great lesson. It was a disturbing one, but I am glad I learnt it. Until that day I thought I had no handicaps. I had two good hands, two good feet, two good ears, and so on. In other words, I was what is considered ‘normal’. But in listening to Vanier I discovered I too had handicaps – of a different kind. The gospel concerns the cure of a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment. In other words, a handicapped man. Because the man was handicapped, we might think that the miracle has relevance for us, this would be a mistake. The man’s handicaps were physical. But there are other kinds besides the physical ones. In truth all of us are handicapped in one way or another. The fact that our handicaps are not visible as those of the man in the gospel doesn’t make them less real. The greatest handicap of all, however is that of a crippled heart. A paraplegic observed: “Living as a cripple in a wheelchair allows you to see more clearly the crippled hearts of some people whose bodies are whole and whose minds are sound.”Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies’ May our faith be seen in our actions, not merely in our words!! Fr. Jude botelhobotelhoj...@gmail.com Fr. Jude Bot
[Goanet] Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
into life. -The bush alive today is a living witness to the mighty virtues of obedience and faith. F. H. Drinkwater in ‘Quotes and Anecdotes’ The Wrongs of RitesA disciple once boasted about the effectiveness of his prayers and pilgrimages. His Guru advised him to take a bitter gourd along with him on his pilgrimage to place at every altar, to dip into every holy river and to be blessed at every shrine. When the disciple returned, the Guru reverently conducted a liturgy with the bitter gourd, cut it into pieces and distributed it as sacramental food. Tasting it he declared, “Isn’t it surprising that all the prayers, and pilgrimages, have not reduced the bitterness of this gourd?” Many people spend much time discussing rectitude of rituals and reinforcement of rites. Isn’t it time to stop fighting about rituals and begin fighting for the rights of those orphans and widows mentioned in Scripture?Francis Gonsalves in ‘Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds’ “First, empty your cup”The scribes and the Pharisees who gather around Jesus ask him why his disciples fail to keep the traditions of the elders. They are what Nan-in calls full cups that must be emptied. What fills them are their opinions and speculations. They have pegged Jesus and his disciples as bad people, and it is this condemnation that absorbs their energy. They have no energy for anything better, anything more important. Their cups are full, and anything more poured in at this moment would only be wasted. Jesus announces that the heart is where the problem lies. Our hearts overflow, but what they hold are not simply our own opinions and speculations, but poisons that can prove lethal for ourselves and other people. What we require at the center of our being is for God to create a new heart. This needs to happen, not one time only but continually so that the transforming grace of Christ can find a home in us. As Christians, we must not let peripheral matters take center stage. To prevent this, we must repeatedly challenge ourselves. We must turn time and again to the majors of discipleship.Charles Hoffacker Heart MattersOne day a master put the following question to his disciples. “What is the thing one should avoid in life?” “An evil eye,” said the first. “A treacherous friend,” said the second. “A bad neighbor,” said the third. “A bad heart,” said the fourth. The Master liked the last answer best because it included all the others. Then he said, “And what it the most desirable thing to strive for in life?” “A good eye,” said the first. “A good friend,” said the second. “A good neighbor, said the third. “A good heart,” said the fourth. The master liked the last answer best, because it included all the others. We must strive for cleanliness of heart. Today purity of heart is unattainable here on earth. A heart that is full of love is a pure and healthy heart. An answering machine is a useful thing to have. But when we make a phone-call, we prefer to be greeted by a human being rather than by a machine. Yet thanks to the marvels of modern technology, a person’s voice can be there while the person is absent.Anonymous Their heart is not in it…A man died recently and went to heaven. He was very happy up there as he wandered about exploring the place. One Sunday morning he bumped into Jesus. Jesus called him over to show him something. He opened a sort of trap-door in the floor of heaven, so that the man could look through, and see even as far as the earth below. Eventually, Jesus got to focus his attention on a church, his own local church at home, where there was a full congregation at Mass. The man watched for a while, and then something began to puzzle him. He could see the priest moving his lips, and turning over the pages. He could see the choir holding their hymnals, and the organist thumping the keyboards. But he couldn’t hear a sound. It was total silence. Thinking that the amplification system in heaven had broken down, he turned to Jesus for an explanation; Jesus looked at him in surprise. ‘Didn’t anybody ever tell you? We have a rule here that if they don’t do those things down there with their hearts, we don’t hear them up here at all!’Jack McArdle in ‘And that’s the Gospel truth! May our faith be seen in our actions, not in our words!! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
ed and he was able to softly mumble: “You can do it! You are my God!” He had surrendered to the Lord! A few weeks later when he went to his doctor, it was discovered that by mistake he was given the wrong dosage of medicine that was causing the strange reaction. After the error was corrected, the young man soon returned to normal. He was allowed to continue his priestly studies and a month later, to his great joy, he was ordained a priest of God. At his ordination he felt that the priesthood was not something he deserved, something he merited, but a gift from the Lord, who can do anything with our lives. Are we ready to surrender our dearest plans to the Lord?Anonymous May we take a stand for Jesus and accept the consequences! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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. | | | | Net For Life | | |
[Goanet] Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
h, 1972, their airplane crashed over the snow-capped Andes Mountains. Out of forty passengers only a handful survived. Lost in the snowy Andes for two months, when all food supplies were exhausted, the weaker players sensed that death was near. Thus, they begged their companions to eat their flesh after they were dead. Surviving on the flesh of their friends, the few who remained alive tearfully narrated how their friends wanted them to survive by consuming their flesh. – The Uruguayan rugby players offered their flesh to friends after death so that they could stay alive. Jesus challenges us to be flesh-and-blood Christians before death so that everything, everyone, everywhere may be fully ‘Alive’.Francis Gonsalves in ‘Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds’ May our receiving of the Eucharist make our lives more sacrificial like Jesus himself! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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. | | | | Net For Life | | |
[Goanet] Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
e man decided to hold on to the rope with all his strength. The rescue team tells that the next day a climber was found dead and frozen, his body hanging from a rope, his hands holding tight to it, only one foot away from the ground. Lesson from the Story: And We? How attached are we to our rope? Will we let go??? Don't ever doubt about the Words of God. We should never say that He has forgotten us or abandoned us.Anonymous Every human being yearns for a full life, for a life that will not end. Jesus was offering the people the possibility of life that would last, he was offering them himself as the means to obtain this fullness of life but the people would not accept him. They wanted proof. "Show us right now that you have miraculous powers. Provide us with what we want right now.” They just wanted bread! Today Jesus is offering us a fuller life. The blessings that he is offering are not something that we have to wait for until we reach heaven. He is bread to be eaten now, not preserved in a freezer for the future. Jesus is all we need for a full life. If we have Jesus now there is no reason for us to be discouraged or to pray for death as Elijah did. Jesus invites us to get up and eat and continue on our journey. Have we tried Jesus? He never fails! May we be nourished daily by His Word that sustains us! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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. | | | | Net For Life | | |
[Goanet] Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
ould not sleep. Men died with such torture but Stockdale survived, and the reason he did was because of the music of sympathy. That is he got messages from the prisoners that encouraged him to fight on. He would hear a towel snapping in their special prisoner code, and it would say God bless you Jim Stockdale. The sound of a snapping towel in the midst of torture does not seem like much to us, but for him it was a symphony of sympathy that helped keep him alive.John Rose in ‘John’s Sunday Homilies’ May we find rest in Him to work for others! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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. | | | | Net For Life | | |
[Goanet] Fifteen Sunday in Ordinary Time
begging on a wind-swept city bridge. The boy was shivering from the cold and obviously in need of a good meal. On seeing him the man got very angry and said to God: “God why don’t you do something about this boy?” And God replied, “I have already done something about him.” This surprised the man so he said, “I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but whatever you did, it doesn’t seem to be working.” “I agree with you there,” replied God. “By the way, what did you do?” the man asked. “I made you” came the reply.Flor McCarthy, in 'New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies' My Father owns the shop!There was a program on American television where three or four people were given trolleys in a supermarket and given a certain time to fill them with groceries. The winner was decided as the one who had the highest bill at the checkout. A whistle blew and the stampede began! When the time was up and they made their way to have their goodies checked, they looked into each others’ trolleys; they saw the things they had missed, and were annoyed with themselves at some of their stupid choices. Now let me present that scenario again, except this time we give the trolley to a committed Christian. We have the whistle, the stampede and everything all over again, except that our Christian friend is seen to act very differently. He strolls along at ease. He put a loaf of bread, some milk, butter, and sugar in his trolley. He picks up an item that fell from one of the other trolleys and put it in the trolley. The final whistle blows and they arrive at the check point. Immediately our friend get’s every one’s attention. One of them said, “Who let you out? Did nobody tell you what this is all about? Why are you laid-back, and why didn’t you go for it, like the rest of us? The young man smiled and replied, “My Father owns the supermarket!”-Being out there in the world, giving Christian witness, is supposed to make a major difference!Jack McArdle in ‘And that’s the Gospel truth’ Trust in GodOnce a knight set out on a long journey. He tried to foresee all the possible problems and dangers he was likely to encounter, and to take precautions against them. He took a sword and a suit of armor in case he met an enemy. He took a jar of ointment to guard against sunburn. He took an axe to chop wood for a fire at night. He took a tent and several blankets. He took pots and pans for cooking. And of course he took a sack full of oats for his horse. Thus heavily laden, he set forth. However, he hadn’t gone very far when he came to a rickety old bridge which straddled a deep gorge. He was only halfway across when the bridge collapsed under him, and he fell and got killed. When Jesus sent out his apostles he urged them to place complete confidence in God and not in things. God would take care of their needs.Flor McCarthy in 'New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies' Your contribution is important!The mayor of a certain town decided to hold a harvest festival. All, without exception, were invited. The mayor himself offered to provide the food. To ensure that there would be adequate wine, each guest was asked to bring along a bottle of white wine. The wine would be poured into a huge cask from which all could drink. The day of the festival arrived. Everyone in town showed up. Thanks to the generosity of the mayor, there was an abundance of food. Each guest duly arrived with a bottle of wine and poured it into the cask. When all was ready the mayor went to the cask. An aide tapped it and filled the mayor’s glass. Holding up the glass, the mayor said, ‘I declare the festival open.’ Then he took a drink out of the glass only to discover that it was not wine but water. It seems that each guest had argued like this: ‘My contribution won’t be missed.’ So instead of bringing a bottle of wine they had brought a bottle of water. The festival was ruined! Something is asked of every person. And everybody’s contribution, no matter how small, is important. For the forest to be green the individual trees must be green.Anthony Castle in ‘Quotes and Anecdotes’ May we trust more and more in Him but remember he relies on our contribution! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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. | | | | Net For Life | | |
[Goanet] Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
as dead. Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He gave up and died. The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop and just die. He jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he got out, the other frogs said, "Did you not hear us?” The frog explained to them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the entire time. This story teaches two lessons: Firstly, there is power of life and death in the tongue. An encouraging word to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it through the day. Secondly, a destructive word to someone who is down can be what it takes to kill them. We need to be careful of what we say. Let us speak life-giving words to those who cross our path.Anonymous God next door!God calls us too, not by extraordinary people, but by very ordinary beings in whom we have to recognize the unpredictable presence of the one sent by God. The guest, the neighbor, the sick person, the stranger, the one at my side, are so many channels of grace, if we guard in our hearts this dynamism of expectancy which calls for and brings about miracles. Yes God has need of men in order to manifest himself.”Glenstal Missal In spite of rejections, may we be prophets of hope in the world today! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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. | | | | Net For Life | | |
[Goanet] Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
to take care of him. Shortly afterwards, the waters came roaring down the main street, and all ground floors were under water. The man was forced to retreat upstairs. He was at a front window when a boat came by, and the people in the boat tried to persuade him to get in the boat and come with them to safety. Once again, the man insisted that he had asked God to help him, and that God would look after him. After some time the water rose so high that the man was forced to climb up on the roof. Soon a helicopter came along but, once again, he refused the offer of help, because God was going to take care of him. Anyhow, surprise! Surprise! The man drowned. He arrived at the gates of heaven in a very angry and belligerent mood and asked Peter, what happens when someone like him asks for help. This puzzled Peter, who explained that, yes, God always answers prayers. He brought out the logbook of prayer, asked the man his name, and began to check the records. After a while he looked at the man, and said, ‘Yes, there is a record here of your prayers. What puzzles me, though, is that there is also a record here of several answers to those prayers. It says here that we sent you the police, a group of people in a boat, and we even sent you a helicopter. Whatever happened to all that help? Didn’t they show up?’Jack McArdle in ‘And that’s the Gospel truth!’ Reaching out!According to a legend, a man became lost in his travels and wandered into a bed of quicksand. Confucius, the Chinese philosopher, saw the man’s predicament and said, “It is evident that man should stay out of places as these.” Brahma came on the scene and said, “You suffer because of your sins.” Next, Buddha observed the situation and said, “Let that man’s plight be a lesson to the rest of the world.” Then Mohammad came by and said to the sinking man, “Alas! It is the will of God.” Finally Jesus appeared. “Take my hand, brother,” He said, “and I will save you.”John Rose in “John’s Sunday Homilies” Merchant of death or life?About eighty years ago a man picked up the morning paper and, to his horror, read his own obituary! The newspaper had reported the death of the wrong man. Like most of us, he relished the idea of finding out what people would say about him after he died. He read past the bold caption which read, “Dynamic King Dies,” to the text itself. He read along until he was taken aback by the description of him as a “merchant of death.” He was the inventor of dynamite and had amassed a great fortune from the manufacture of weapons of destruction. But he was moved by this description. Did he really want to be known as a “merchant of death”? It was at that moment that a healing power greater than the destructive force of dynamite came over him. It guided him so that his energy and money moved to works of peace and human betterment. Today, of course, he is best remembered, not as a “merchant of death,” but as the founder of the Nobel Peace Prize – Alfred Nobel.Anonymous Story to healMartin Buber tells the story of his paralyzed grandfather who was asked to relate a story about his great teacher, the famous and holy Baal Shem Tov. The grandfather replied by telling how the holy man used to jump up and down and dance when he was praying. Being swept up in the fervor of the narrative, the grandfather himself stood up and began to jump and dance to show how the master had done it. At that moment the grandfather was completely healed of his paralysis.Brian Cavanaugh in ‘The ‘Sower’s Seeds’ “Illnesses exist to remind us that we are not made of wood!”(Van Gogh). A painful experience causes us to reflect on our lives, and teaches us to be compassionate towards other sufferers. Compassion is not learnt without suffering. May we receive life and healing in giving more and more of ourselves to others! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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. | | Net For Life |
[Goanet] Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
in the juvenile court. He was sent to a reform school for six months, but when he came out he went back to his old ways. Then he was sent to a lock-up center. Here he had a team of professionals looking after him, all experts in fixing up broken kids. There was a doctor, a nurse, a psychiatrist, a welfare officer, a housefather and mother, and so on. It cost the state a staggering 70,000 pounds annually to keep him there. Will all those experts succeed in fixing Johnny? It’s possible but far from certain. And just think of it. All those experts could be got rid off in the morning. Their work could be done, and done far more efficiently, by two people: a man and a woman. Not the Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman either; just two very ordinary people –two parents. If Johnny had two parents who loved him and cared for him in the first place, he would never have got broken, and he would never have needed all those experts. The family is vital for our well being as individuals and for the well being of society as a whole. No family is perfect, but no better place for raising children has been devised.Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies’ Building God’s KingdomI remember an elderly priest saying, “To serve is hard work and often humbling – but being a servant of Christ is Joy.” We have to remember, we are not sampling mortar. We are building a Cathedral. We do not give time and money grudgingly; we are building the Body of Christ. We have been entrusted with a stewardship. It is good to have money and the things money can buy, but it is good to check up once in a while and make sure you haven’t lost the things money can’t buy. Opals are often dull and lusterless when first picked up. After a few moments in the hand they become bright and glowing with soft colors that make them so beautiful and appealing. They have been called ‘sympathetic jewels’ because of this response to the hand that holds them. The explanation for the change we are told is that opals are composed of sensor crystals. They need the warmth of the human touch for them to sparkle. Money as well, can be dull and without life or color. But suddenly it glows into warmth, quickened into new beauty and new vitality because it is shared with God’s ministry to others. God’s touch releases the brilliance, the glow, the luster, when we put our money and other resources in the hands of God.John Pichappilly in ‘The Table of the Word’ You are graced by God’s presence!The greatness of John the Baptist consisted in two very important facts. First, he was chosen by God to be the predecessor or forerunner of Jesus Christ. Second, his birth and the circumstances are nothing short of the most miraculous. His parents, Elizabeth and Zachariah, were well beyond child-bearing age. Nonetheless, Elizabeth did conceive and bore a son, so that all wondered what will this child grow to be. The ways of God are mysterious, but always marvellous. All of us are blessed when we are born into this world. We are further blessed by the way we are brought up by wonderful parents who not only give us life but help us to discover the fullness of life through faith. What we will become will be the unfolding of God’s present to us! Rejoice, the best is yet to come!James V. ‘Your Words O Lord are Spirit, and They Are Life’ May we rejoice in the wonder of our being as His life increases in us! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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. | | | | Net For Life | | |
[Goanet] 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time
over us and hand down instructions. But you are not like that. You speak your word in parables, in Bible passages, in things that happen to us, in people. We cannot get to the bottom of them, but you give us time because you only teach as far as we are capable of understanding. Then when the time comes we understand the parable so clearly, with so much joy; it is as if you had taken us aside as your own special pupils and explained everything to us. Lord, help us to relate to others as you relate to us.”Michel de Vertreuil in ‘Lectio Divina’ May we discover You working in a big way in the small things of Life! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time
it as a miracle that our rabbi does God’s bidding.”Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies’ May we live like the family of God, reaching out and doing good always! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] Corpus Christi
body had taught him how to light the fire or say the prayers or do the dance, but it still worked, God appeared. In the end, he died, but he too had a pupil. One day this pupil wanted God’s presence. So he searched for the place in the woods, but couldn’t find it. And he didn’t know how to light the fire or say the prayers or do the dance. All he knew was how to tell the story. But it worked. He discovered that whenever he told the story of how the others had found God, God would appear. In essence, this story explains how the sacred ritual, liturgy, works.Ronald Rolheiser in ‘In Exile’ Jesus, Bread of LifeBrennan Manning, an American Franciscan priest, tells this story of his mother, a lady in her mid-seventies in Brooklyn. Mrs. Manning’s day centered on her daily Eucharist. Because she began her voluntary stint at a drug detoxification centre each morning at 7.30 am, the only mass she could reach was at 5.30 am. Across the road from her lived a very successful lawyer, mid-thirties, married with two children. The man had no religion and was particularly critical of daily church-goers. Driving home from a late party at 5.00 am one January morning, the roads glassy with ice, he said to his wife: “I bet that old hag won’t be out this morning”, referring to Mrs. Manning. But to his shock, there she was on hands and knees negotiating the hill up to the church. He went home, tried to sleep, but could not. Around 9.00 am he rose, went to the local presbytery and asked to see a priest. “Padre,” he said, “I am not one of yours. I have no religion. But could you tell me what do you have there that can make an old woman crawl on hands and knees on an icy morning?” Thus began his conversion along with his wife and family. Mrs. Manning was one of those people who never studied deep religious books, never knew the big theological words, but she knew what it is to meet Jesus in Holy Communion. Jesus Christ is the bread of life. What more could we want?Sylvester O’Flynn in ‘The Good News of Mark’s Year’ May we become the bread of life for others through the Eucharist we share! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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. | | | | Net For Life | | |
[Goanet] Feast of the Holy Trinity
’ Mysterious towards the end of his life The most beautiful experience we can have is that of the mysterious towards the end of his life, the great mathematician and scientist Isaac Newton said of his achievements: “I do not know what I appear to the world, but to myself I appear to have been like a little by playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or prettier shell than ordinary, while the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.” Even when we think we understand the mystery of God, we are still only beginning. We are still only children playing on the shore. The mystery grows instead of diminishing with each new discovery.Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday & Holy day Liturgies’ May we know the family of God by living for others and for God! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] Pentecost Sunday
. The artificial language Dr. Zamenhof created is called Esperanto, “the language of hope.” The name signifies hope for humankind that a common language might heal the divisions that exist among the different peoples of the earth. Pentecost is the Church’s celebration of her unity and universality in the Holy Spirit, and so some of the readings used express this in terms of language. Dr. Zamenhof’s invention of an universal language like Esperanto has been followed by: establishing the United Nations Assembly, holding of Summit meetings, having cultural exchanges and reviving Olympic Games. Pentecost is more than a work of human creation, more than a work of art and music. Pentecost is a new outpouring of God’s Spirit into our hearts to kindle in us the fire of his love.Albert Cylwicki in ‘His Word Resounds’ Carnal versus SpiritualThere was once an Eskimo who used to take his two dogs for a bet-fight in the town square. One was a black dog the other was white. The people gathered week after week to see the dogs fight and betted heavily. On some days the black dog won and on others the white. No matter which dog won, the Eskimo made money. The secret behind duping the people was that he would feed the dog, which he wanted to win, well. - Do you feed your spiritual self and keep it strengthened to win over the carnal person? “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man, but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members”Daniel Sunderaj in ‘Manna for the Soul’ Film: ‘Being John Malkovich’In the very strange 1999 surrealist movie ‘Being John Malkovich’, someone discovers a portal into Malkovich's mind, enabling visitors to see and experience things through his body and to influence his actions. He becomes aware of what's happening and finds the portal himself. At the climax of the movie, there is a bizarre but powerful scene when he enters the portal, being swept down a dark tunnel with a roaring sound to emerge as a participant/observer in his own world. He discovers that everyone has his face and his voice, and every word spoken is his name. Connections with the Pentecost story: - the paradox of the creator entering his own creation by an unexplainable power; - the potential of the portal to connect people in an unprecedented kind of indwelling; - the portal is exploited by those who find it - selling access, allowing it to be used to violate someone's integrity - reminds me of all who abuse the gift of the Spirit for their own ends or to manipulate others. - Seeing the face of Malkovich everywhere reminds me of the Spirit making Jesus present through us in a new and all-encompassing way. We are recognizably Christ-like, though still ourselves, and all we say and do is 'in his name'. It's a frightening moment in the movie, because Malkovich has no wish to become omnipresent as a Christ-figure, but the image is powerful.Marnie Barrel Film insights in ‘The Text this Week’ Paganini on one string!The renowned Italian violinist, violist, cellist, guitarist and composer, Niccolo Paganini, was due to perform one night in a very prestigious Concert Hall in Paris. Even as he walked on to the stage, the audience stood up and cheered with irrepressible excitement and heart-warming esteem. Resting his violin under his chin, the celebrated musician began to play with such dexterity and brilliance that the audience listened with spellbound silence. Suddenly one string of the violin snapped. But the consummate professional was not deterred. On the contrary, he continued to play with three strings, and the music was just as fascinating and impressive. Moments later a second string snapped; and minutes later the third. The audience gasped in stunned disbelief. What was Paganini going to do? Would he bow and leave regretfully? Without losing his cool, the famous maestro raised his hand, called for silence and announced: “Ladies and gentlemen, you are about to hear Paganini on one string.” What followed thereafter literally took everyone’s breath away – the performance was flawless, the music exquisite, the entertainment heavenly and just on one string! Such is the incomparable touch of the Master’s hand. This extraordinary story aptly describes the singular and marvellous role of the Spirit in our personal lives.J. Valladares in ‘Your Words, O Lord, Are Spirit, and They are Life’ May the Holy Spirit make all the difference in our lives! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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
[Goanet] The Ascension of the Lord
idea: “I know where to conceal my image,” he said. “I will put it where people would never think of looking; I will put it into their hearts. There it will never be discovered.” And the three wise men nodded in agreement; they knew that God was right, indeed right.Denis McBride in ‘Seasons of the Heart’ The same yet differentLech Walesa worked for years as an electrician in the Gdansk shipyards. During those years he and his fellow workers founded the movement which came to be known as ‘Solidarity.’ Walesa became its leader. This brought them into open conflict with the communist leaders. Eventually the workers won out. The communist regime collapsed and democracy returned to Poland. Then on December 9, 1990 something happened which a few years prior would have been unthinkable. Walesa, the shipyard worker, was elected first president of a free and democratic Poland. His fellow workers were delighted. They felt honored because of their association with him. However there was sadness too. They knew that it would change forever the way they related to him. They knew they were losing him. However, they were hoping that he would not forget them and that he would help them from his new and more influential position. -The illustration may go some way in helping us to understand what we are celebrating on this great feast of Ascension.Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies’ The Divine FoolThe coach of a high school swimming team asked a senior member of the team to pay special attention to a gifted newcomer who the coach felt could become a national champion. He gave the senior full authority over the young man to set his training schedule, monitor his eating and sleeping habits, direct his swimming exercises. The senior himself was a skillful athlete, reliable and well-versed in all the best of training methods. He was placed in some events, occasionally won an event, but was not considered to be champion material. He worked faithfully with the talented youngster for months, taught him everything he knew, demonstrated every move with fine precision, and practiced side by side with him. The time for the big meet finally arrives. Was the extraordinary youngster ready to climb to the top and win big races? The steady senior, by working so hard to train the gifted young man, so refined his own skills that he himself won five major events at the meet. He went on to become a national champion. He was ‘the divine fool.’ – There is nothing contrary to the spirit of Christ in seeking and using great amounts of authority and power. Jesus teaches us that our use of authority must be service, that in using our authority to serve the human community, we discover the divine dimension that lies deep within each of us.Eugene Lauer in ‘Sunday Morning Insights’ Passing the Good NewsChristopher was a practicing Christian. However, one thing bothered him. It concerned his next neighbor who never went to church. Christopher thought it was his duty to try and convert him. He tried on a number of occasions to talk to him but got nowhere. Then one day Christopher got an inspiration. If only he got his neighbor to read the Bible that would surely do the trick. So he mailed out a paper-back copy of the Bible to him anonymously. He waited to see what would happen. Days went by and nothing happened. About two weeks later Christopher’s wife had an occasion to visit their neighbor. When she came back she said “The copy of the bible you sent him, I found in the garbage bin.” Christopher was shocked. He went next door picking up the garbage bin. Christopher said to his neighbor, “I found this Bible in the garbage bin. You know, if you read it, you might find God.” “But I do read it,” came the surprising reply. “I read it every day,” “I don’t understand,” said Christopher. His neighbor said, “You are a Christian aren’t you?” “Yes, why,” said Christopher. His neighbor said, “I have been reading your life for the past ten years.” –There is a song that goes like this, “I am my neighbor’s Bible; he reads me when we meet. Today he reads me in my house, tomorrow in the street. He may not even know my name, yet he is reading me.”John Pichappilly in ‘The Table of the Word’ May our lives reflect the mystery that God is beyond us yet within us! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] 6th Sunday of Easter
, and doubt vanishes like the early morning mist before the sun,’ replied the monk. The youth thought about this for a while, then asked, “How can I achieve this kind of certainty?’ ‘By acts of love,’ came the reply. ‘Try to love your neighbours; love them actively and unceasingly. As you learn to love them more and more, you will become more and more convinced of the existence of God and the immortality of the soul. The monk was only echoing the worlds of St. John: “My dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love’” Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies’ Choosing to loveIn everything that he did Jesus kept on choosing to love. He did not choose once upon a time; he choose to love at all times. It drained him. That self-giving quality of divine love is one that can be seen in the lives of many people. One doctor saw it in a way that he can never forget. As a young medical student, he watched an unusual operation in a London hospital: It was the first time that this particular brain operation had been carried out in this country. It was performed by one of our leading surgeons upon a young man of great promise for whom, after an accident, there seemed to be no other remedy. It was an operation of the greatest delicacy, in which a small error would have had fatal consequences. In the outcome the operation was a triumph: but it involved seven hours of intense and uninterrupted concentration on the part of the surgeon. When it was over, a nurse had to take him by the hand, and lead him from the operating theatre like a blind man or a little child. That kind of self-giving and concentration on the needs of another reflect something of the quality of God’s love in Jesus.Denis McBride in ‘Seasons of the Word’ Where love is, God isIn a certain village in the Swiss Alps there is a small church which has been used by generations of worshippers. What makes it so beautiful is the story of how it came to be built on that particular spot. The story goes like this. Two brothers worked a family farm, sharing the produce and profit. One was married, the other wasn’t. The climate was harsh with the result that grain was sometimes scarce. One day the single brother said to himself, ‘It’s not fair that we should share the produce equally. I’m alone, but my brother has a family to support.’ So, every now and then he would go out at night, take a sack of grain from his own barn, quietly cross the field between their houses, and place it in his brother’s bin. Meanwhile, his brother had a similar idea, and said, ‘It’s not right that we should share the produce equally. I have a family to support me but my brother is all alone.’ So, every now and then he would go at night, take a sack of grain from his barn, and quietly place it in his brother’s bin. This went on for a number of years. Each brother was puzzled how his supply of grain never dwindled. Then one night they bumped into each other in the dark. When they realized what had been happening, they dropped their sacks, and embraced each other. Suddenly a voice from heaven said: ‘Here I will build my church. For where people meet in love, there my presence shall dwell.’Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday and holy Day Liturgies’ Love makes God presentA man was walking down the road when he spied a farmer. He approached him and said. “Sir, I have travelled a long way and am thinking of settling down in the next town. Tell me, what kind of people live there?” The farmer asked. “What kind of people were in the town you left?” The man replied, “Oh, it was not so good. The people were selfish, indifferent, just out for themselves. Couldn’t care less about you or what happened.” The farmer replied. “You will find the same kind of folks in the next town.” The man thanked him and went in another direction. later that day another traveller passing by said to the farmer, “Sir, I have travelled a long way and am thinking of settling down in the next town. Tell me, what kind of people are there?’ The farmer asked, “What kind of people were in the town you left?” The man replied, it was hard to leave. The people sang with you in good times and helped you in bad times. It was not perfect, but the people were basically good and friendly.” The farmer said, “You will find the same kind of folks in the next town.” Since we’re made in the image and likeness of God, it is true that we will find God in every person we see. So, it is reasonable that we love everyone.John Pichappilly in ‘Ignite your Spirit’ May our God experience make us more focused on others than on ourselves! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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
[Goanet] Fifth Sunday of Easter
dramatic and glorious twenty minutes of my life were those I spent in that chapel that morning: ‘God will take care of you.’”John Rose in ‘John’s Sunday Homilies’ May we discover that when God is taking care of us, nothing can stop us!!! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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. | | | | Net For Life | | |
[Goanet] Fourth Sunday of Easter
man with young children, who was chosen by the guards for the firing squad. Saint Kolbe is considered a good shepherd. He laid down his life for his sheep. Today is Good Shepherd Sunday, a good time to pray for the good shepherds as well as the bad ones; and a good time to realize that the Good Shepherd still walks with us.John Pichappilly in ‘The Table of the Word’ May we discover the Risen Lord our God Shepherd always caring for us! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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. | | | | Net For Life | | |
[Goanet] Third Sunday of Easter
family was falling to pieces. My wife and children would dread my return home each evening. I was desperate. I gave my heart to God. Now I have given up booze, we are out of debt, and my wife and I are in love once more. All this Christ has done for me. This much I know!”John Pichappilly in ‘Ignite your Spirit’ May we discover the Risen Lord in our broken lives and broken world! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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. | | | | Net For Life | | |
[Goanet] Easter Sunday - The Resurrection of the Lord
. They began to pray not so much for themselves, but for one another. Slowly the camp went through a transformation that amazed not only the Japanese but also the prisoners themselves. One night Gordon was hobbling back to his shack after a meeting with his study group. As he walked along in the darkness he heard the sound of men singing. Someone was keeping time with a stick on a piece of tin. The sound of the stick hitting the tin, and the sound of men singing, made the darkness come alive. The difference between that joyful sound and the deadly silence of the past months was the difference between life and death – the difference between death and resurrection. The transformation in that Japanese prison camp is what Easter is all about!Mark Link Did you see Jesus?A preacher was baptizing a man in a lake. He dunked the man’s head under the water for about fifteen seconds and pulled his head up. The preacher said: “Did you see Jesus?” “No. I didn’t see Jesus,” the man replied. The preacher dunked his head under the water for another thirty seconds and pulled him back up. “Did you see Jesus?” the preacher asked. Again the man said, “No, I didn’t see Jesus.” So the preacher dunked the man’s head back under the water for a third time, this time keeping him there for another forty-five seconds. This time as the minister pulled the man back for the third time he was gasping for a breath of air. The minister said, “Did you see Jesus?” The man blinked and thought for a moment and asked: “Are you sure this is where he fell?” -At the Easter vigil, the elect will be baptized, and all others who are already baptized will be renewing their baptismal promises. Today’s gospel does not present us with the risen Jesus. Instead it presents us with an empty tomb! Unfortunately, we humans are still looking for the living among the dead. We look for life among things that have no life in them. May the Risen Lord bring fullness into our empty lives! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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. | | | | Net For Life | | |
[Goanet] Good Friday of the Lord's Passion
hearing, but tonight, we had a trained singer with a wonderful voice, and he sang the service for us. For the first time in all these years our music was beautiful.” The angel smiled. “And yet up in heaven we heard nothing,” he said softly.Quoted from ‘Sunday Companion’ in ‘Quotes and Anecdotes’ Cross ConnectionLittle Johnny was doing badly in mathematics. His parents did everything such as getting tutors and flashcards, and taking him to special learning centers, until they decided to send him to a Catholic school. At the end of the year Johnny came out on top of the class. When his parents asked him what made him change so dramatically Johnny replied, “You see, the moment I walked into that new school and saw that guy hanging on the plus sign, I knew that the people here were very serious, so I decided not to take any chances.” The cross might have helped Johnny to improve his score but it is easy to see that Johnny has misread the crucifix. The man on the cross is not there to scare little boys but to show them how much he loves them. The cross is always powerful. It is always a positive sign. It is always a plus sign. On the cross a man is hanging with three nails. The greatest mathematical equation is said to be: 1 cross + 3 nails = 4giveness.John Pichappilly in 'The Table of the Word' The Way of the CrossAlone. Abandoned. Forsaken. How must it have felt for Jesus on that fateful Friday? The day we have come to call “good”; the first day of the celebration of the Lord’s passion. His crime? He healed the sick, he embraced the poor, he made the lame walk and blind see; he spoke of love, justice and mercy. The way of the Cross is a journey that each one of us will make in our own way. For some, it has been one that called them to sacrifice their lives to be tortured and imprisoned for the sake of justice so that others might live free from oppression. But for most of us, our way is often that of keeping vigil over loved ones in palliative care, or struggling to ensure that there is food on the table and a decent place for our children to live, or helping others who struggle to live day by day. Good Friday reminds us that Jesus is our rock, our refuge and our safe harbor. He knows what suffering and feeling helpless means. We need only call on him to find strength and the grace to help us on our way.Jack Panozzo May our acceptance of suffering and death and the Cross lead to new life! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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. | | | | Net For Life | | |
[Goanet] Holy Thursday
, I was on my way back to my plush hotel when I saw something I’d never seen before. Lying on the sidewalk against a building in four inches of snow was a man sleeping with only a cardboard blanket to keep him from being completely exposed to the freezing cold. What really broke my heart was when I realized that he wore no shoes or socks. I thought to stop and help him but was not quite sure what to do. As the traffic light turned green, it seemed life was demanding that I move along. So I did and I promptly forgot about the man on the street. Several days later, I was having coffee and Danish in the green room at the station. All of the “Important” people had left the room and it was just me and the janitor remaining. He always had a smile to give to everyone. When I asked him how he was feeling today, he told me that he’d been having to ride his bike to work in the snow and that he’d been feeling rather sorry for himself…that is, until he saw a man sleeping down on the corner of Yonge Street and Bloor with just a piece of cardboard for covering from the cold and no shoes. I almost choked on my Danish as I heard him go on to relate how he was so moved with compassion for the man that he went around the corner to a store and bought the man a pair of socks and shoes. “The smallest deed always exceeds the grandest of intentions.”Fr. Sudac in ‘Hear His Voice’ May our devotion to the Eucharist be seen in our service to our fellow humans! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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. | | | | Net For Life | | |
[Goanet] Palm Sunday
of a little girl who while walking in a garden noticed a particularly beautiful flower. She admired its beauty and enjoyed its fragrance. “It’s so pretty!” she exclaimed. As she gazed on it, her eyes followed the stem down to the soil in which it grew. “This flower is too pretty to be planted in such dirt!” she cried. So she pulled it up by its roots and ran to the water faucet to wash away the soil. It wasn’t too long before the flower wilted and died. When the gardener saw what the little girl had done, he exclaimed, “You have destroyed my finest plant!” “I’m sorry, but I didn’t like it in that dirt,” she said. The gardener replied, “I chose that spot and mixed the soil because I knew that only there it would grow to be a beautiful flower.”John Pichappilly in ‘Ignite Your Spirit’ We join our sufferings to those of Christ… then they make senseA.J. Cronin tells of his days as a medical officer to the Welsh mining company in his book Adventures in Two Worlds. I have told you of Olwen Davies, the middle aged district nurse who for more than twenty years with fortitude and patience, calmness and selflessness, served the people of Tregenny. This unconscious selflessness, which above all seemed the keynote of her character, was so poorly rewarded, it worried me. Although she was much beloved by the people, her salary was most inadequate. And late one night after a particularly strenuous case, I ventured to protest to her as we drank a cup of tea together. “Nurse,” I said, “Why don’t you make them pay you more? It is ridiculous that you should work for so little.” She raised her eyebrows slightly. But she smiled. “I have enough to get along.” “No, really,” I persisted, “you ought to have an extra pound a week at least. God knows you are worth it.” There was a pause. Her smile remained, but her gaze held a gravity which startled me. “Doctor,” she said, “if God knows I am worth it, that’s all that matters to me.” – Are we content to do our work in silence, knowing that God knows our efforts, and sufferings?Gerard Fuller in ‘Stories for All Seasons’ May we accept the good and the not so good as coming from God’s hands! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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. | | | | Net For Life | | |
[Goanet] Fifth Sunday of Lent
Seeds for Daily Deeds’ May we be ready to surrender, knowing that we are safe in His love! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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. | | | | Net For Life | | |
[Goanet] 4th Sunday of Lent
through the treacherous riptide to save the boy. After the boy recovered from his harrowing experience, he said to the man, “Thank you for saving my life!” The man looked into the boy’s eyes and said, “That’s okay kid! Just make sure your life was worth saving.”John Pichappilly in “The Table of the Lord” Gift of GraceDostoyevsky tells the story of a woman who found herself in hell and felt she did not belong there. She could not bear the suffering and cried out in agony for the mercy of God. God listened and was moved with pity. “If you can remember one good deed you did in your lifetime, I will help you,” said God. Searching her brain, she remembered that once she had given a starving neighbour an onion. God produced the onion complete with stem. The woman grabbed the onion, and God began to pull her out of hell. But others, damned with her, began to grab hold of the woman’s skirts to be lifted out, too. The stem of the onion held and would have saved them all, but the woman began to kick and scream for them to let go, Trashing about trying to dislodge her friends was too much for the onion and the stem snapped, plunging them all back into the depths of hell.John Pichappilly in “Ignite your Spirit” May we relish His unconditional love and be witnesses of that love to others! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] Third Sunday of Lent
are threatened, however marginally. But how few get worked up when it’s their neighbor’s interests that are threatened. Jesus didn’t get angry on his own account. His anger resulted from his love of God. His action in the temple has been seen as a protest against the commercialization of religion and the desecration of the temple. But it went deeper than that.Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday and Holyday Liturgies’ Living the LawSeveral years ago, a preacher from out-of-state accepted a call to a church in Boston, Texas. Some weeks after he arrived, he had occasion to ride the bus from his house to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the bus driver had mistakenly given him a quarter too much in change. As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, “You’d better give the quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it.” Then he thought, “Oh, forget it, it’s only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount? Anyway the bus company gets too much fare; they will never miss it. Accept it as a ‘gift from God’ and keep quiet.” When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, and then handed the quarter to the driver and said, “Here, you gave me too much change.” The driver with a smile, replied, “Aren’t you the new preacher in town?” “Yes,” he replied. “Well I have been thinking a lot lately about going somewhere to worship. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change. I’ll see you at Church next Sunday.” When the preacher stepped off the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, held on and said, “Oh God I almost sold your Son for a quarter.” –Our lives are the only Bible some people will ever read!J. Valladares in ‘Your Words are Spirit and they are Life’ Cleansing the TempleBilly Martin tells the story of himself and Mickey Mantle in his autobiography, Number 1. Billy says he and Mickey were doing a little hunting down in Texas. Mickey had a friend who would let him hunt on his ranch. When they got there, Mickey told Billy to wait in the car while he went in and cleared things with his friend. Permission was quickly granted for them to hunt, but the owner asked Mickey to do him a favor. He had a pet mule in the barn that was going blind and he didn’t have the heart to put him out of his misery. He asked Mickey to shoot the mule for him. Mickey agreed. On the way back to the car a plan formed in Mickey’s mind. Reaching the car, he pretended to be angry. He scowled and slammed the door shut. Billy wanted to know what was wrong. Mickey replied that the owner wouldn’t let them hunt there after all. “I’m so mad at that guy that I’m going out to the barn to shoot one of his mules,” Mantle said. He drove like a madman to the barn. Martin protested: “We can’t do that!” But Mickey was adamant. “Just watch me,” he shouted. When they got to the barn, Mantle jumped out of the car with his rifle, ran into the barn and shot the mule and killed it. When he got back to the car he saw that Martin had also taken his gun and smoke was curling from his barrel too. “What are you doing Martin?” Mantle yelled. Martin answered, “We’ll show that son-of-a-gun. I killed two of his cows.” – Are we ever concerned about whether or not our anger is based on God’s will?Gerard Fuller in ‘Stories for All Seasons’ Worthwhile ObjectivesIn a little country community, a farmer had a dog who spent part of his time sitting by the side of a large highway waiting for big red trucks. Whenever the dog saw a truck come round the corner, he would get ready and as it passed him, he would take off after it down the road. One day the farmer’s neighbor said, “Sam do you think that hound of yours is ever going to catch a truck?” “Well Bill” Sam replied, “that isn’t what worries me. What does worry me is what he would do if he caught one!” – Many of us run wildly after things we could not use if we caught them. We are passionate about the wrong things in life.Frank Mihalic in ‘Tonic for the Heart’ Knowing the LawOne of President Reagan’s favorite stories involves a farmer and a lawyer whose cars collided. The farmer took a look at the lawyer, then reached in the back of his car and took out a bottle of whiskey. “Here, you look pretty shook up,” “Take a nip of this; it’ll steady your nerves.” After taking five or six gulps, the lawyer suggested the farmer have a drink himself. “Not me,” declared the farmer. “I’m waiting for the traffic police.”Christopher Notes May our zeal be for doing the Father’s will in all things, no matter what the cost! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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
[Goanet] Second Sunday of Lent
, whom the mother had named Michael, the same name she had given to her first son. And the mother wrote: “Now I have a son in heaven and a son Michael to give me joy on earth.”Emeric Lawrence in ‘Daily Meditations for Lent’ May we hear the Father affirming us saying: “You are my beloved, my favour rests on you!” Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] First Sunday of Lent
ot;No," he said, "All the while I felt as if the wilderness were sustaining me." Maybe that's what it means when it says today that angels ministered to Jesus in the desert. We may not be able to go off to the mountains, but we could decide to set some extra time aside to pray and listen.Anonymous Clothing ourselves in newnessOnce, a king was walking through the streets of the capital city when he came upon a beggar. The beggar asked him for money. But the king didn’t offer him any money. Instead, he invited him to visit him in his palace. The beggar took up the king’s offer. On the appointed day he made his way to the royal palace, and was duly ushered into the king’s presence. However, as he came into the king’s presence, he became acutely conscious of his rags and felt ashamed of them. Those rags were an eloquent symbol of his misery and wretchedness of his life. The king, an exceptionally kind man, received him warmly, took pity on him, and among other things gave him a new suit of clothes. The beggar departed the royal palace in good spirits. However, a few days later, he was back to begging on the streets, dressed in his old rags. Why did he give up the new suit? Because he knew that if he wore it, he would have to give up the life of a beggar and make a new life for himself. This he was not prepared to do. It wasn’t that the new life did not appeal to him. It was just that he knew that it would involve painful changes in his behaviour and way of living.Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies’ What profound Humility!I read recently that Copernicus, the great astronomer, wrote a masterpiece entitled The Revolution of the Heavenly Bodies. When he was dying, we are told that a copy of that scholarly masterpiece was placed in his hands, so that he could treasure his finest achievement in his last moments and enjoy both solace and pride. Much as he valued that outstanding work, Copernicus had other things on his mind. Calling a friend, he requested that the following epitaph be placed on his grave at Frauenberg: “O Lord, the faith thou didst give to St. Paul, I cannot ask; the mercy thou didst show to St. Peter, I dare not ask; but, Lord, the grace thou didst show unto the repentant thief, that Lord, show to me!” What profound humility! What amazing faith!James Valladares in ‘Your Words O Lord Are Spirit, and They Are Life’ I am guilty and richly deserve all that I get!One day Frederick William I visited a prison at Potsdam and listened to a number of pleas for pardon from prisoners who had grievances against the law’s injustice. All said they had suffered imprisonment on account of prejudiced judges, perjured witnesses, and unscrupulous lawyers. From cell to cell the tale of wronged innocence continued, until the King stopped at the door of one cell inhabited by a surly inmate who said nothing. Surprised at his silence Frederick said jocularly, “Well I suppose you are innocent too.” “No, your Majesty”, was the startling response; “I am guilty and richly deserve all that I get.” On hearing this, the King shouted at the jail authorities and asked them to set the prisoner free. The prisoner who admitted his guilt showed certain potential for improvement. The others were not likely to change.Francis Xavier in ‘Inspiring Stories for Successful Living’ Get behind me Satan!A husband was struggling to make ends meet at home on one salary. Then one day he had to confront his wife with a receipt for a $250.00 dress she had bought. “How could you do this?” “I was outside the store looking at the dress in the window, and then I found myself trying it on,” she explained. “It was like Satan whispering in my ear, “You look fabulous in that dress. Buy it!” “Well,” the husband replied, “You know how I deal with that kind of temptation. I say, Get behind me Satan!” His wife replied, “I did that, but then he said, it looks fabulous from the back too!”J. Pichappilly in ‘The Table of the Word’ TemptationsThere is a story about a bird that saw a cat carrying a can of worms. The worms made the bird’s mouth water, so he asked the cat how much each cost. The cat said it was very cheap, only a feather per worm. So the bird plucked one feather and gave it to the cat. A little later, he again craved for a worm, so he plucked another feather and bought another worm. His cravings were not satisfied, so he kept buying worms with his feathers. He never realized he was losing his feathers, and when he saw the cat about to prey on him, he could not fly away to escape the cat anymore. –The point is clear that temptation is a fact of life. It is everywhere. Nobody is really strong in the face of temptation. Temptation is tasty because it is always sugar-coated with a promise of pleasure. We must be careful always lest we fall.J. Pichappilly in ‘The Table of the Word’ May we fight against temptations and never give up with God’s help! Fr. Jude Botelho bot
[Goanet] 5th Sunday of the Year
wherever she turned, in hovels and in palaces, she found one tale after another of sadness and misfortune. Ultimately, she became so involved in ministering to other people’s grief than she forgot about her quest for the magical mustard seed, never realizing that it had, in fact, driven the sorrow out of her life.Brian Cavanaugh in ‘The Sower’s Seeds’ May we let his presence within transform us and the world around! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] 4th Sunday of the Year
is that Jesus liberates us, as he did the man in the synagogue. If we wish to be free from anxieties and worries, we need to be liberated from our captivities. I got an ordination gift which said, “Lord help me to remember that nothing is going to happen to me today that you and I together cannot handle.” I hope you have heard the Lion King Movie song: “Hakuna Matata!” It is a Swahili phrase literally translated as “there are no worries” for the rest of our days, it is our problem-free life philosophy. Hakuna Matata!John Pichappilly in ‘The Table of the Word” May we acknowledge God’s authority over us and be transformed by it! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] Second Sunday of the Year
and his team had taken off in a chartered plane to return to Texas. Suddenly the plane developed serious trouble. The pilot announced that he would attempt a crash landing. The plane was loaded with fuel, so an explosion was likely. As the plane sped downwards one of the players called out, “Coach Teaff would you lead us in prayer? We’re all frightened.” Teaff prayed aloud for everyone. Seconds later the plane bellied across the ground. A shower of sparks engulfed it. Miraculously, however, it didn’t explode and no one was hurt. The next night Teaff and his family were in the Church together. Right in the middle of the services Teaff got up and left the church and went to the McMurry Fieldhouse about a mile away. He went directly to the team’s dressing room and knelt down and prayed: “God, I know you have a plan, a purpose, and a will for my life and the lives of these young men. I do not know what it is but I’ll… try to impress upon the young men I coach this year and forever that there is more to life than playing football; that you do have a purpose for our lives.”Mark Link in ‘Sunday Homilies’ May we discover the hidden purpose of our lives by listening to Him! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] The Epiphany of the Lord
a moment, then on impulse wet its wings and pasted it to the glass of the lamp. Climbing back in to his cab, he switched on the light and saw the “flagman” in the beam, seconds before the train was due to reach the washed-out bridge. In the fog, it appeared to be a phantom figure, waving its arms. When Queen Victoria was told of the strange happening she said, “I’m sure it was no accident. It was God’s way of protecting us.” No, the figure the engineer saw in the headlight’s beam was not an angel…and yet God, quite possibly through the ministry of His unseen angels, had placed the moth on the headlight lens exactly when and where it was needed.Billy Graham from ‘Unto the Hills’ May we find God in all things and see all things in God! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God
e she was dumb. This dumb girl made an effort and finally got the sound ‘Maam’ with great effort on her part. She shared that when her mother heard her dumb daughter say ‘Mum’ for the first time, it brought tears to her eyes and she embraced her. Only then did the dumb girl realize what a joy she had brought to her mother by calling her ‘Maam.’ Have we, who are believers, realized what a joy we give to our God when we call him ‘Abba Father’, and what a blessing it is when we say the name ‘Jesus’?Anon. The big differenceA 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’ 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: "AAAhhh!!!" To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating, somewhere in the mountain: "AAAhhh!!!" 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: "God Bless you!" The voice answers: "God Bless you!" 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 give to it."- Unknown Being given a nameIn his book Roots, Alex Haley tells how his African ancestors name their children. Eight days after the child’s birth, the father took the child into his arms whispered its name into its ear. That night the father completed the ceremony. Carrying the child out under the stars, alone, he lifted the baby up to the sky and said, “Behold the only thing greater than yourself.” This naming rite helps us appreciate better the two rites that surrounded the birth of Jesus: circumcision and presentation. Circumcision initiated Jesus into the community of God’s chosen people. Presentation consecrated Jesus to God.Mark Link in ‘Daily Homilies’ Back door entryOne day God made a tour of heaven to check out the recent arrivals. He was shocked by the poor quality of many of those allowed in to live in heaven. So God went out to confront Peter about it. “You have let me down again.” He told Peter. “What’s wrong now?” Peter asked. “You have let a lot of people in that shouldn’t be here.” “I didn’t let them in.” Then who did?” “I turned them away at the front gate, but they went around the back and your mother let them in.” This story tells us that Mary is the Mother of God and our mother too and like any mother, her only interest is the happiness and salvation of her children.John Pichappilly in ‘Ignite Your Spirit’ Same One?One of my favourite stories is the one of about the sisters who were captives of the Japanese in the Philippines in World War II. They were allowed to have their services. They were celebrating a novena leading up to Christmas, bringing up the infant in procession and placing him on the altar. The Japanese guard watched all this with great interest. About the fifth day he figured it out and asked Mother McCarthy a question. “Same one?” he asked, pointing to the infant and the crucifix nearby. “Yes,” she replied. “Same one, and he said: “Sorry.” The story shows the intimate connection between Christmas and the cross. Perhaps only when she sees her son die on the cross that she realizes the full meaning of her title: Mother of God. On this special day, we give thanks to God for Mary’s inspiring example and ask for her intercession for peace in our world.John Pichappilly in ‘Ignite Your Spirit’ May we be blessed today and everyday of this New Year! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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
[Goanet] Feast of the Holy Family
ers were left to starve to death in an underground bunker as a deterrent to would-be escapees. In the days that followed, the guards watched through a peephole the agony of the dying men. They saw the men gathered around Fr. Kolbe. At times they were seen joking. At other times praying and singing hymns, Fourteen days went by. One by one they all died. Last to die was Fr. Kolbe. On the night of August 14th, he was still alive. A guard put an end to his agony by forcibly administering a lethal injection of carbolic acid to him. The man whose place Kolbe had taken survived the camps. Later he stated, “At first I felt terrible at the thought of leaving another man to die in my place. But then I realized he had done this, not so much to save my life, but to be with the other nine men in their last terrible agony. His nearness to them in those dreadful last hours was worth more than a lifetime of preaching” True love goes beyond the giving of gift. It requires the giving of self. What Kolbe did was an astonishing act of love, like his master and Lord, Jesus Christ.Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies’ May we experience our God incarnate in our homes, and in every member of our family! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] The Nativity of the Lord
and that are, To the place where God was homeless, And all men are at home.Denis McBride in ‘Seasons of the Word’ The House of the Dead – Christmas dawn in a Siberian campIt was a dingy little settlement among frozen wastelands. From the grim prison at one end of a single muddy street the convicts peered through barred windows at the small cathedral on a hill at the other side of town. The bells rang merrily as that Christmas dawn arrived and the villagers trooped in happy procession to the early church service. It was Christ’s mass, Christmas. “But not for us, who are cut off from all humanity,” the ragged prisoners wept, huddled together for comfort from the cold. Finally, however, when the long cathedral service ended, a priest came to the prison, set up a crude altar, and began the service of worship. “Now God has come to us!” the convicts shouted in surprised joy. “Oh yes,” replied the priest. “This is where he lives all year long. You see, he goes to the cathedral only on special occasions.”Dostoyevsky in ‘The House of the Dead’ May we discover Emmanuel –God with us - in our hearts, in our homes!! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] Third Sunday of Advent
of Christ. It is reckoned to be worth about 20 million pounds. But in reality it is beyond price. It isn’t only paintings that go unrecognized. People go unrecognized too. Many people spend their lives in obscurity. They live in small communities and hidden places. Jesus shared the same fate as millions of little people. For most of his life he went unrecognized. He lived for thirty years in Nazareth, where he was poor and labored as a village carpenter. This led St. John to sadly say “He was in the world that had its beginnings through him, and the world did not know him.” Even when he finally came into the public arena, not everyone believed in him. Even John the Baptist did not recognize him at first. But having recognized him, John took it upon himself to point him out to the people. He said, “There stands among you –unknown to you – the one who is coming after me.” Jesus (the Messiah) was that close to them, but like Caravaggio’s painting he was unrecognized.Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies’ Witnessing to the LightA few years ago a priest made a visit to China. While there, he met an elderly couple who were both doctors. They had studied together in medical school, fallen in love and married. She was a Catholic, he was not. She wanted to convince him to join the Church but he did not wish to be baptized. A short time later she had a child. During one of China’s political movements, her husband with several other intellectuals, was arrested and sent to a labor camp. The separation was very difficult for the wife, who had to work long hours at the hospital during the day and care for her son at night. In addition to her loneliness, she was under pressure from the government to divorce her husband and renounce her religion, so that she could gain political advantages. But she refused. Every night after she returned home, she and her son knelt down to pray and ask strength from God to endure the difficulties. At the end of the 1970s, she heard that her husband and other intellectuals were to be allowed to come home. When the day came, she and her son went to the railway station. They were the only family members on the platform to welcome the men. Unable to endure the long separation, all the other women had divorced and remarried. Deeply moved, her husband took instructions and was later baptized.Flor McCarthy in ‘Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies' Prepare the way for Him!A religious sociologist, Dr. Dean Hoge, has written a book entitled ‘Converts, Dropouts and Returnees’. Very briefly, he narrates his experiences with individuals, who either left the Catholic Church or had been reconverted, and what led them to take that important decision. And he found that “the happiest Catholics were the dropout Catholics” –persons who had left the Catholic Church for a time, but returned. Even more, he found that the best recruiters of dropout Catholics are the dropouts themselves. More specifically, Dr. Dean Hoge found that two-thirds of the thousands of Catholics who return to the faith each year do so because a neighbor, a friend or a relative invited them to return. This is where each and every one of us can play a vital role in the return of many. And we could begin just by inviting them to attend a service this Christmas. We have been anointed for this very specific outreach; so let the Holy Spirit speak through you in preparing the way for the Lord.James Valladares in ‘Your words, O Lord, Are Spirit, and They are Life’ Are we ready?A guru once revealed the route by which he was led to God-realization. “First,” he said, “God took me to the Land of Action and after many years to the Land of Sorrows.” He continued. “I was taken to the Land of Love where I was emptied of everything; next God took me to the Land of Silence, where I pondered the mysteries of life.” The impatient disciple asked, “What was the final stage?” The guru replied, God finally said that I’d see God’s innermost Self, and God led me to the Land of Joy.” Jesus brings joy because he binds the broken hearts and breaks captives’ chains. His joy will be ours if we too, in the power of the Spirit, help him free the brokenhearted and captives. But this, demands breaking our own chains first. Are we ready?Francis Gonsalves in ‘Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds’ May we be joyful witnesses of God’s love in the world today! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] Second Sunday of Advent
ical era, even in those great axial ruptures in history such as ours. Our new spirituality will remind and reassure us that God is still Emmanuel, that is, still very much “with us” in the wilderness.”Richard Cote Waiting to be a saintGraham Greene’s protagonist in the ‘Power and the Glory’ is the hero or non-hero really, a seedy, alcoholic catholic priest who, after months as a fugitive, is finally caught by the revolutionary Mexican government and condemned to be shot. On the evening before his execution, the priest sits in his cell with a flask of brandy to keep his courage up, and he thinks back over what seems to him the dingy failure of his life. Greene writes: Tears poured down his face. He was not at that moment afraid of damnation –even the fear of pain was in the background. He felt only an immense disappointment because he had to go to God empty-handed, with nothing done at all. It seemed to him at that moment that it would have been quite easy to have been a saint. It would have needed a little restraint, and a little courage. He felt like someone who has missed happiness by seconds at the appointed place. He knew now that, at the end, there was only one thing that counted –to be a saint. –To be a saint I suggest to learn how we walk, and talk to Mary our mother during these advent days. She is a woman who knew how to become a saint. She waited and waited for nine long months for the quiet life within her to become the Savior, the long-desired Christ. Like her, we have to wait for God to help us become saints.William Bausch in ‘40 More Seasonal Homilies’ Ways and WavesPeople love creating ripples and making waves. But, Reid Stowe and Alejandro Molina had really gone too far. Sailing out in a 21-meter schooner named ‘Anne’ from New York harbour in November 2005, they had embarked upon a 1000-day ‘around the world’ trip. They would sail around the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans and return to terra firma only sometime in August 2008. “Everyone has just dreamed of sailing away and leaving everything and everyone behind,” said Stowe, “We’re actually doing it!” Could we just leave everything and everyone behind this Sunday of Advent and sail with Jesus?Francis Gonsalves in ‘Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds’ Struggles make us what we are!A man was sitting on his porch one summer day and in the corner of his porch a caterpillar had made a cocoon. While he sat there and looked at the cocoon he noticed a butterfly beginning to break the cocoon. As the man watched, he saw the butterfly struggling to exit the cocoon. He said, “I know what I will do. I will open the cocoon so the butterfly can get out and won’t have to struggle.” So he opened the cocoon so the butterfly could get out. When he opened the cocoon the butterfly came out and stayed on the porch. The man tried to pick up the butterfly to help it to fly, but all the butterfly did was fall back to the ground. The man did all a man could to help the butterfly to fly but the butterfly would not fly. So the man took the butterfly to the vet to see why it couldn’t fly. The vet looked at the man and said, “What you did was a mistake. See when the butterfly struggles to get through the cocoon its wings cause it to be bigger than the hole it is trying to escape. The struggle you witnessed was actually the process of progress. See, as the butterfly struggles through the cocoon, the cocoon actually scrapes all the dead old molten skin of the wings which in turn enables the butterfly to fly.” Our struggles are divinely designed. They are providential to help make us what God envisioned.John Pichappilly in ‘Ignite your Spirit’ Forget him!There is an interesting and thought-provoking incident from Lawrence of Arabia. While crossing the desert in a blinding sandstorm, Lawrence suddenly noticed that one from his group had been mistakenly left behind. Turning to the group, he asked, “Where is Jasmine?” “Forget him,” said one of the leaders, “not only is he sick, but he is worthless!” Without batting an eyelid, the valiant leader turned back in search of his lost companion, even at the risk of his own life, and would not rest content until Jasmine had been traced and re-united to the group. Lawrence’s refusal to abandon the lost Jasmine is indeed a striking image of God’s unfailing and unwavering concern for us all. This image is echoed by the Word of God today: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” Bob Goddard said: “Be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, and tolerant with the weak and wrong. Sometime in life you have been all of these.”James Valladares in ‘Your words, O Lord, Are Spirit, and They are Life’ May we be always prepared and actively waiting to find and be found by God!!! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com PS. The stories, incidents and anecdotes used in the reflections have
[Goanet] First Sunday of Advent
ells the story of how he survived the atrocities of the concentration camp at Auschwitz. Frankl says one of the worst sufferings at Auschwitz was waiting: waiting for the war to end; waiting for an uncertain date of release and waiting for death to end the agony. This waiting caused some prisoners to lose sight of future goals, to let go of their grip on present realities and give up the struggle. This same waiting made others like Frankl accept it as a challenge, as a test to their inner strength and a chance to discover deeper dimensions of freedom.”Albert Cylwicki in ‘The Word Resounds’ Doors and Dormant DoormenKaka, you’re the only man in the world who’s paid for sleeping!” remarked Joe Dias to the doorkeeper of Premal Jyoti, our Jesuit HQ in Ahmedabad. Early 1980s, when things were missing from the open corridors and gardens of Premal Jyoti, we suspected that it was the work of the Vaghris, a nomadic tribe that lived in the slums nearby. It was Dahyabhai, our parlour attendant, a Vaghri himself, who advised us to keep a Vaghri to keep watch and terminate the thieving. It worked. We employed a Vaghri leader nicknamed Kaka, who ordered his people to stop stealing from Premal Jyoti or else he’d lose his job. Thereafter Kaka has slept at the doors of Premal Jyoti. And, is paid for it! Not all doorkeepers are as lucky as Kaka. In fact, the doorkeeper described in Mark’s gospel must keep watch ‘evening, midnight, cockcrow, dawn”! Doorkeeper, are you awake? Will you open the door so that He will dine with you this Christmas?Francis Gonsalves in ‘Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds’ Watchful alwaysOne of the wisest, noblest and gentlest men who ever lived was Socrates. He lived in Athens in the fifth century B.C. He was unjustly put to death by the Athenian judges. When Socrates was in prison waiting for his death, his friend Crito came to visit him. Crito tried to persuade Socrates to escape from the prison. He said, “Socrates, I have enough silver to bribe the prison guards to help you to escape from here.” But Socrates declined it. Then Crito asked him to delay the drinking of the poison. He said, “Socrates, I know other people drink it late. They dine and get drunk and keep company with those they happen to desire. So don’t hurry.” Even this suggestion Socrates declined. He said to Crito, “You know Crito; I wouldn’t do what others have done. I don’t gain anything by clinging on to life a little longer.” Socrates called the jail attendant who came with the cup filled with hemlock poison. Then Socrates asked him, “Sir, you have knowledge of this. What is necessary to do?” The attendant said, “Nothing except drink it and walk around until your legs become heavy, and then lie down and thus it will do it for itself.” Socrates took the cup, raised it and said a prayer and emptied its contents. For some time he walked around; when his legs became heavy, he lay down and pulled a blanket over his head and closed his eyes in death. - As in life, so in death Socrates was a virtuous man. He wanted to be always at-right with justice and with God. He was a man who was perpetually watchful about his righteousness; he was a man who was perpetually prepared to meet his God.John Rose in ‘John’s Sunday Homilies’ Wake up!Do you remember the movie ‘Awakening’? Robert De Niro plays the part of a patient who, for thirty years, does not move or speak. A particularly sensitive and enterprising doctor tries out some new theories and, lo and behold, the patient begins to move around, talk and feel. For a brief period he returns to this world and announces to those amazed folks around him that he is back: “I have been away for quite some time... now I am back.” He becomes gradually aware of the love and concern that surrounds him and what is really alive inside of his heart and soul. –It is never too late to wake up. Advent is a nice time to wake up. Wake up to give an account of your stewardship. Wake up into a time for giving and sharing, a time that we are called to be thankful and prepare our hearts for the Christ child. Wake up and open your eyes in faith to see God present and active in your life and in your world.John Pichappilly in ‘The Table of the Word’ At all times may we be watchful and awake, waiting in hope for God’s coming! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] Feast of Christ the King
rist lies hidden. Elias Dias in ‘Divine Stories for families’ In all things may we be gentle and loving like Christ our Shepherd King! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] ***LATE***: 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
So with little trepidation, he rang the door bell. As he stood there waiting, he asked himself, ‘I wonder will the Lord know me?” And a voice from inside him replied, “Of course he will know you! But that’s not the question. The question is will he recognize you as a disciple of his?” Yes, that indeed was the question. ”I wonder what he is going to look for? Then he thought of the parable of the lamps. The Lord would look for a lamp that was burning brightly. And so he asked himself, “What have I done with my lamp?” He was relieved to discover that he still had it. But, when he looked at it he found to his horror that it had gone out. However, at that moment he woke up to find out it was only a dream. What a relief! Wouldn’t it be terrible to arrive at heaven’s door and for the Lord say to us, “I do not know you.” And find ourselves outside in the dark, while inside all is light and joy?Flor McCarthy in “New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies’ May we make wise choices daily inspired by God’s ever-present spirit! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] 31st Sunday of the Year in OrdinaryTime
Liturgies’ May our every deed reveal our desire to be servants of our God and of one another! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] 29th Sunday of the Year in Ordinary Time
his decision. But all to no avail. Franz was beheaded on August 9, 1943. He felt he was obeying the words of Christ: “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” He was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007.Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday & Holy day Liturgies’ I am God’s servant first!It is hoped that our double citizenship of being citizens of two worlds, the material and spiritual, never clash. If they ever do, the Christian must resolve the conflict as St. Thomas More, the martyr did. King Henry VIII was validly married to Catherine of Aragon. He appealed to Rome to annul the marriage so he could marry Ann. Rome refused. Henry cut off allegiance to the Pope and declared himself ‘The only supreme head of the Church of England.’ He ordered his friends and officials to sign a document declaring that they agreed he acted rightly. Many signed but Thomas More his friend and Lord Chancellor refused. He was put in prison for 15 months and finally executed. His last words were “I am the King’s good servant but God’s first.”Anonymous Spiritual FoundationsThe Great Wall of China was a gigantic structure, costing immense expenditure and labour, and when finished it seemed a superb way to gain security; but within a few years of its building it was breached three times by the enemy. Only note, it was breached, not by breaking down the wall but by bribing the gate-keepers. It was the human element that failed; what collapsed was character, proving insufficient to the task to make the great structure men had built really work. A like fate awaits all those who, absorbed in political tasks, forget the spiritual foundation.Anthony P. Castle in ‘More Quotes and Anecdotes’ What will you give me?There was once a prince and his family. When they were brought before him, King Cyrus asked the captured prince: “What will you give me if I release you?” “Half of my wealth.” “And if I release your children?” “Everything I possess.” “And If I release your wife?” “Your majesty, I will give you myself.” Cyrus was so greatly moved by his devotion that he freed them all. As they returned home the prince said to his wife, “Wasn’t Cyrus a handsome man!” With a look of deep love for her husband, she said to him, “I didn’t notice. I could keep my eyes only on you my husband – the one who was willing to give himself for me.” John Pichapilly in ‘The Table of the Word’ Give back to God...Theologian Jon Sobrino published a book “Spirituality of Liberation: Towards Political Holiness.” A political holiness is what the church badly needs. I sense that we have too much of ‘Church Politics’ and too little of a ‘political Church.’ There’s politicking present in demands for ecclesiastical appointments, but hardly any interest in burning issues facing society and Church. The current issue of granting concessions to Dalit-Christians (former untouchables) in India is significant. Is this a political or a religious question? I frame the question differently: “Is there anything which is not political? Or anything which is not religious?” Evidently, everything belongs to God. Let us give back to God even what belongs to Caesar!Francis Gonsalves in ‘Sunday Seeds for Gospel Deeds’ Remember who you look likeWe can look at today’s gospel from many angles. One of them could be images – how they affect our lives. Ultimately the question is: where do we find God’s image in our society? We are all citizens of two realms, the earthly and the spiritual. We find God’s image stamped on creation, on every human being, and in every word we speak and every good deed we do. Once we discover what image we wish to reflect, our lives and decisions will fall into place. Remember who you look like. Image can be everything. The Chilean poet Pablo Neruda wrote a poem that suggests that once we have decided on living the image of Christ we will know how to live: Let us sit down to eat with all those who haven’t eaten, Let us spread great tablecloths, put salt in the lakes of the world…. For now I ask no more that the justice of eating.John Pichappilly in “The Table of the Word” May we enjoy being citizens of heaven and earth, but firstly God’s! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
to repentance. In point of fact, both groups have their faults, but at least the group who turns to God is to be preferred to the one that turns away from him. The ideal is for us to live in such a way that what we profess and practice meet and match.Albert Cylwicki in ‘His Word Resounds’ Saying ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to GodThere is one important thought I must leave you with. In all these groups –those who say “no,” those who say “yes,” and those who say “maybe,” their response is almost always influenced by another Catholic. People who encounter scandalous, ignorant, or indifferent Catholics are repelled. People who encounter joyful Catholics who believe and can give an account of their faith are attracted and converted. I guess, therefore, the bottom line is this: can you give an account of your faith? Have you kept up your understanding of the Church and its teachings? When was the last time you read a book or magazine about your faith? Advent is around the corner. I suggest that this is a good time for all of us to do some basic reading about our faith. It is really up to each of us to learn more about our faith so that we can do our duty as Catholics which, when you come right down to it, is to confirm our “yeses,” confront our “no’s,” and encourage the “maybes.”William Bausch in ’40 More Seasonal Stories’ Internal obedienceTo put the will of God into action we need internal conversion. Thomas Merton had a tragic life. His father and mother died of cancer at an early age. His brother died of an accident. His guardian abandoned him. He became a sceptic and lived an immoral life. He fathered a child out of wedlock. In the end he abandoned the woman and the child and restlessly wandered through life. On the advice of friends he went into a Franciscan monastery. Hearing his story, no religious congregation was willing to admit him. He was close to despair and perhaps not too far from suicide. At last he reached the Gethsemane Abbey of the Cistercians. Like a shipwrecked mariner reaching the shore, he grasped all the straws available. He was twenty-six years when he entered and died at fifty-three. The last few years of his life contain remarkable glimpses of his human and divine love. He penned ‘The Seven Storey Mountain’, and his later spiritual classic ‘Seeds of Contemplation’ made him a worldwide spiritual master. Merton is a modern St Augustine.Elias Dias in ‘Divine Stories for Families’ Which of the two sons are we?A survey was distributed during a worship service one Sunday morning. Among the questions was, “Do you think there should be an Evening Bible Study?” The young pastor was overwhelmed by the response. Over fifty persons indicated that there should be an evening Bible study. The elated pastor began making plans. A day or two later, a wise experienced lay leader came to visit the pastor. Gently he advised the young pastor that he had asked the wrong question. Instead of asking, “Do you think there should be a Bible study?” the pastor should have asked, “Are you willing to attend an evening Bible study?” A second questionnaire was issued. This time the question was, “Are you willing to attend Bible study?” The result was quite different from the week before. This time only twelve persons indicated that they would be willing to attend!King Duncan in ‘Dynamic Preaching’ Never too late!Leonard Cheshire witnessed the dropping of the atomic bomb in Nagasaki. The city went up in flames, thousands were killed, and thousands were maimed for life. After Nagasaki he was a changed man. On his return to England he resigned from the Air Force, became a devout Catholic and vowed to spend the rest of his life working for peace. He plunged into social work and founded Cheshire Homes for the terminally ill and disabled.Elias Dias in ‘Divine Stories for Families’ Actions speak louder than wordsA Manager of a well-known firm was told by his officials that one of his officials was swindling money. The culprit was called by the Manager and given a promotion to be a supervisor. He was surprised but continued with his old habit of swindling money. When the Manger was informed he promoted him to a yet higher level as one of the officers. But the man did not change. Finally, he was appointed as the personal secretary of the Manager. In his dealings with the Manager he discovered that the Manager was aware of this man’s greed and yet had not punished him but given more and more opportunities to improve. He was embarrassed and changed his ways. Within a year he had become popular among his co-workers for his sincerity and transparency. It was little wonder that after the retirement of the Manager, he was chosen to replace the Manager.Robert D’Souza in ‘The Sunday Liturgy’ May our ‘Yes’ to God be seen in our daily loving deeds and actions! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com PS. The stories, incidents and anecdotes used in the reflections have been collected over the years from
[Goanet] XX Sunday of the Year
in Melbourne, an Australian Marist Brother told his gathered friends the story of his spirituality. It came from watching trapeze artists performing in a circus a few years ago. Trapeze artists are those who perform in a circus with swings. It is an air borne performance. While talking to one of the artist, he explained, “As a flyer I must have complete trust in my catcher, he explained. He has to be there for me with split–second precision and grab me out of the air as I come to him in the long jump.” The artist explained that the flyer does nothing and the catcher does everything. When the artist flies, he has simply to stretch out his arms and hands and wait for him to catch him and pull him safely over the apron behind the catcher. The flyer should actually do nothing. The worse the flyer can do is to catch the catcher. The flyer is not supposed to catch the catcher. If the flyer grabbed the catcher’s wrists, he might break them, or the catcher might break the flyer’s wrists, and that would be the end of them both. A flyer has to fly and the catcher has to catch, and the flyer has to trust with outstretched arms, that his catcher will be there for him.” This is the trust we should have in Jesus and the woman in today’s story demonstrated such a faith.Augustine K. in ‘The Sunday Liturgy’ No giving upOnce during a particularly severe winter in the Arctic, all but two people in a certain camp died of starvation. The two survivors were an Eskimo woman and her baby. The woman began a desperate search for some means of obtaining food. Eventually she found a small fishhook. It was a simple matter to rig a line, but she had no bait, and no hope of getting bait. Without a moment’s hesitation she took a knife and cut a piece of flesh from her thigh. Using this as bait she caught a fish. She fed her child and herself, saving the fish gut for bait. She lived on fish until spring when she walked out of the camp and found some other people. It was no coincidence that the only adult to survive in that camp was a mother. What kept that mother alive was her concern for her child. There seems to be no limit to what a mother will go through for the sake of her child. A mother does not give up easily.Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday and Holy Day Homilies’ The look of acceptanceWhen I see a beggar in the street or in the Metro, I tend to put my hand into my pocket and give him the first coin –big or small –that I find there. As I give it to him, I look into his eyes and say a few words to him. As our eyes meet, there seems to be a moment of communion and mutual understanding between us that brings me peace. This simple look can give him back a little confidence in himself. Maybe it can give me confidence in myself too. “Every man who loses confidence in himself, who has fallen into the world of alcohol or drugs, who has failed in family life or relationships or work, needs someone who looks at him as a human being with tenderness and trust. And it is this moment of communion that enables him, little by little, to rebuild his confidence”Jean Vanier, Founder of L’Arche Community May our persevering faith make us more open to God and others! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] XIX Sunday of the Year
, would lie strapped to a Stryker frame. And for much of her time she would lie with her face down, looking at nothing but the floor. That is when she had a spiritual experience. As Joni lay strapped in her Stryker frame, she thought of Jesus nailed to the cross. He was God yet he was totally powerless and helpless. And she adds, “I pictured Jesus standing by my Stryker frame and saying to me, “Don’t lose heart, Joni, for I am with you and will help you to achieve the impossible.” Even as she lay there a curious thought crossed Joni’s mind. She could attempt painting if she could hold a painting brush between her teeth. And that is precisely what she did- so successfully and admirably that she is author of two best-sellers –one being autobiographical and entitled Joni –and has played the lead role in a movie of her own life. This inspiring story aptly demonstrates what Jesus can do in the life of any and every individual, if we let him. As the saying goes, “Where some see a caterpillar, others see a butterfly.” As someone has rightly said, “We must let go, and let God.” This precisely is what Joni did in her absolute helplessness. But with faith in the almighty power and the never-failing help of the Lord Jesus, she was able to achieve the impossible.J. Valladares in ‘Your Words O Lord, are Spirit, and they are Life’ Launch out into the deepThe God-encounter is possible when one dives deeper, climbs higher, ventures further and ‘burns one’s boats’ to launch out into the deep. The conquistador, Hernan Cortes (1485- 1547), was an ambitious man and desired to conquer Mexico for King Charles V of Spain. Frightened by unknown lands and its many inhabitants, his sailors dreamt of turning back to their ships, whereupon Cortes ordered them to ‘burn their boats.’ Are you ready to burn your boats and launch out into the deep to meet Deep?Francis Gonsalves in ‘Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds’ Ready to uphold you!Peter’s encounter with Jesus becomes a model of the Church’s encounter with God. Life tosses us about and makes us scream, “Help!” Rather than saving us by shortcuts, Jesus appears in life’s storms saying, “Courage, it is I!” His invitation follows: “Come!” Are we ready –as individuals and Church – to jump off the boat, leave the bandwagon and abandon the crowd? The Indian state of Gujarat suffered devastating floods in July 2005. The oldest Church in Gujarat, at Anand, was inundated like never before. This “Church in deep waters” is symbolic of the Church called to weather today’s tempests of godlessness, globalization, materialism, fundamentalism, and individualism. Indeed, Christ the Captain calls us to enter depth and encounter Deep. Isn’t that the same hand that held Peter ever ready to hold you and me?Francis Gonsalves in ‘Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds’ May we with faith launch out knowing He will uphold us! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] Seventeenth Sunday of the Year
for Daily Deeds’ In his book ‘Life after Death’ Raymond Moody says that when ‘the Being of light’ (God) interviews you after your death, He will ask you two questions. The first, what wisdom have you gained from this life? The second, how have you expanded your capacity to love? Hey! There is a final exam! There are only two questions, and it is a take home test! In the education field there is nobody teaching for this real test! There are very few classes in any school or university called extracting wisdom from your experience or learning how to love unconditionally. Remember we inflict pain on ourselves and also on others when we withhold our love and acceptance. Strive to let people be who they are, believe what they believe, and pursue happiness in their own unique ways. This will remove a lot of stress for yourself, your family and friends. Keep going back to those questions very often: how can I be more loving in this situation? And what wisdom can I learn from this experience?” Your answer to these questions will change your life more than you ever imagined. One of the best things I ever heard about understanding was this: Seek first to understand then to be understood. You know the opposite of understanding is misunderstanding or failure to understand correctly. Failure to understand correctly can ruin our lives.John Pichappilly in ‘The Table of the Word’ May we seek above all the gift of wisdom and understanding in all things! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] Sixteenth Sunday of the Year
my shift I thought about just driving away, but instead I put the car in park and walked up to the door and knocked. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. By her side was a small nylon suitcase. 'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, and returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.' When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?' 'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly. 'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice. I don't have any family left,' she continued in a soft voice. 'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. For the next two hours, we drove through the city. Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing. As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired. Let's go now'. We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home. Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair. 'How much do I owe you?' She asked, reaching into her purse. 'Nothing,' I said. 'You have to make a living,' she answered. 'There are other passengers,' I responded. Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. 'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said. 'Thank you.' I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life. I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away? On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life. We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.Author Unknown May we wait on others just as God waits patiently for us!!! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] Fifteenth Sunday of the Year
Prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” We need to constantly thank God for giving us the privilege to see his works and hear his word though we are unworthy of his blessing! Consider this: From failure to success*Woody Allen –Academy-Award-Winning writer, producer and director-flunked motion picture production at New York University and the City College of New York. He also failed English at New York University.*Leon Uris, author of the bestseller Exodus, failed high school English three times.*When Lucille Ball began studying to be an actress in 1927, she was told by the instructor of the John Murray Anderson Drama School, “Try any other profession. Any other.”*In 1959, an Universal Pictures executive dismissed Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds at the same meeting with the following statements. To Bert Reynolds: “You have no talent.” To Clint Eastwood: “You have a chip on your tooth, your Adam’s apple sticks out too far and you talk too slow.” As you no doubt know Bert Reynolds and Clint Eastwood went on to become big stars in the movie industry.*When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876, it did not ring off the hook with calls from potential backers. After making a demonstration call, President Rutherford Hayes said, ‘That’s an amazing invention, but who would ever want to use one of these?”Jack Canfield & Mark Hansen in “A 2nd Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul” Keep your goal in sightWhen she looked ahead Florence Chadwick saw nothing but a solid wall of fog. Her body was numb. She had been swimming for nearly sixteen hours. On that 4th of July 1952, the sea was like an ice bath and the fog was so dense she could hardly see her support boats. Against the frigid grip of the sea, she struggled on – hour after hour- while millions watched on national television. Alongside Florence in one of the boats, her mother and trainer offered encouragement. They told her it wasn’t much farther. But all she could see was fog. They urged her not to quit. She never had ……until then. With only a half mile to go, she asked to be pulled out. Still thawing her chilled body several hours later, she told a reporter, “Look, I’m not excusing myself, but if I could have seen land I might have made it.” It was not fatigue or even the cold water that defeated her. It was the fog. She was unable to see her goal. Two months later, she tried again. This time despite the same dense fog, she swam with her faith intact and her goal clearly pictured in her mind. She knew that somewhere beyond that fog was land and this time she made it! Florence Chadwick became the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel, eclipsing the men’s record by two hours!Author unknown –Submitted by Michele Borba Means of growthOne day I was walking down the street, when I saw my friend George approaching. It was evident from his downtrodden look that he wasn’t over-flowing with the ecstasy and exuberance of human existence, which is a high-class way of saying George was dragging bottom. Naturally I asked him, “How are you, George?” While that was meant to be a routine inquiry, George took me very seriously and for 15 minutes he enlightened me on how he felt. And the more he talked, the worse I felt. Finally I said to him, “Well George, I am sorry to see you in such a depressed state. How did you get this way?” That really set him off. “It’s my problems,” he said. “Problems –nothing but problems. I’m fed up with problems. If you could get rid of all my problems, I would contribute $5,000 to your favourite charity.” Well now, I am never one to turn a deaf ear to such an offer, and so I meditated, ruminated and cogitated on the proposition and came up with an answer that I thought was pretty good. I said. “Yesterday I went to a place where thousands of people reside. As far as I could determine, not one of them has any problems. Would you like to go there?” “When can we leave? That sounds like my kind of place,” answered George. “If that’s the case George, I said, “I’ll be happy to take you tomorrow to Woodlawn Cemetery because the only people I know who don’t have any problems are dead.” I love that story. It really puts life in perspective. I heard Norman say many times, “If you have no problems at all – I warn you – you’re in grave jeopardy- you’re on the way out and you don’t know it! If you don’t believe you have any problems. I suggest that you immediately race from wherever you are, jump into your car and drive home as fast and as safely as possible, run into your house, and go straight to your bedroom and slam the door. Then get on your knees and pray, “What’s the matter Lord? Don’t you trust me anymore? Give me some problems.”Ken Blanchard in “A 2nd Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul” May our lives be touched by God’s Word that is beyond us yet can transform us! Fr. Jude Botelho bote
[Goanet] 14th Sunday of the Year
02-Jul-2017 Dear Friend, Most of us have experienced fatigue, tiredness and at times weariness. We feel overburdened with the responsibilities of our family, or our job and the pressure only keeps increasing. It seems nobody cares and there is no way out! Those who face this predicament are invited to come to God: “Come to me, all you that labour and are burdened and I will give you rest says the Lord.” Have an uplifting weekend! -Fr. Jude. Sun. Ref: XIV Sun. “Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened I will give you rest” 09-Jul-2017Zech: 9: 9-10; Rom 8: 9, 11-13; Matt. 11: 25-30; In today’s first reading Zachariah the last of the minor prophets, describes the coming of the Messiah and his nature as a triumphant and victorious king and yet humble and lowly in nature. In order to belong to the Messiah promised and sent for us we have to fulfill a very important condition: We have to imbibe the spirit of the Messiah without which we cannot belong to him. He gives up all authority and power, he does not control, He walks the way of justice and peace for all. Have we the Spirit of Jesus dwelling in us? Do we live life according to the Spirit of Jesus? What goes around comes aroundWhen I was working as a disc jockey in Columbus Ohio, I used to go to the University Hospital or Grant Hospital on my way home. I would walk down the different corridors and just enter different people’s rooms and read scripture to them or talk to them. It was a way of forgetting my own problems and being thankful to God for my health. I was very controversial on radio. I had offended someone in an editorial that I had done and the person I exposed literally took a contract out on me. One night I was coming home at about two o’clock in the morning. I had just finished working at the night club where I was emcee. As I began to open my door, a man came out from behind the side of my house and said, “Are you Les Brown?” I said, “Yes, sir.” he said. “I need to talk to you. I was sent here to carry a contract on you.” “Me? Why?” I asked. He said, “Well, there’s a promoter that’s very upset about the money you cost him when you said that the group that was coming to town was not the real group.” “Are you going to do something to me?” I asked. He said, “No.” I was glad. He continued, “My mother was in Grant Hospital and she wrote about how you came in one day and talked to her and read Scripture to her. She was so impressed that this morning disc jockey, who didn’t know her, came in and did that. She wrote to me when I was in the Ohio penitentiary. I was impressed with that and I always wanted to meet you. When I heard the word out on the street that somebody wants to knock you off” he said, “I accepted the contract and then told them to leave you alone.”Les Brown in ‘A 2nd Helping of Chicken Soup for the soul’ This Sunday’s gospel begins on a note of thanksgiving with Jesus acknowledging the Father for hiding things from the wise and the clever and revealing them to infants, to those who stand in humility before God. When the people returned from the Babylonian captivity, the Davidic dynasty no longer ruled in Jerusalem. In a shift it was thought that the ideal king would come in the indefinite future when the Davidic throne would be restored. This gave rise to the idea of the emergence of the Messianic king. Yet, since there was no visible dynasty to produce this figure, other Jewish expectations emerged. Some Jews expected salvation through an ideal priest or prophet like Moses or by God himself without human assistance. It was amidst these expectations that Jesus was born to poor parents in Jerusalem. Jesus himself did not openly claim to be the Messiah. He appeared to be the humble Messiah that Zechariah prophesied a few centuries before the birth of Jesus. Jesus chose the title ‘Son of Man’ while speaking of his life and mission. Jesus is the messiah who lived among suffering humanity, a friend of the out-castes of society, who sought table fellowship with sinners and tax collectors. It is in this context that his invitation to us in today’s gospel becomes intelligible. “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Centuries ago Jesus summoned his apostles and disciples and sent them two by two to communicate God’s love, to bind up wounds and to be peace-makers in a troubled world. Jesus knew they would make mistakes; nevertheless he involved them in his mission and gave them his authority. Today, all the baptized understand their call to Jesus’s mission and ministry to others. Whatever our position in society, we are invited to set out with full hearts to build our Church, and help it grow. Armed with faith and our personal experience of Jesus, we can all proclaim with our lives the reign of God. Through simple acts of caring,
[Goanet] 13th Sunday of the Year
of grain never dwindled. Then one dark night the two brothers bumped into each other. Slowly it dawned on them what was happening. They dropped their sacks and embraced one another.Author Unknown from “More Sower Seeds by Brian Cavenaugh” Finding God in my neighborOne American family was travelling in their motor home through Alaska, when the axle broke and they were stranded in the middle of nowhere. So the father left the family in their motor home and began to walk in search of help. To his good luck, he came upon an isolated farmhouse. He knocked on the door and a very friendly farmer responded. When he learned of the man’s distress, the farmer just patted him on the shoulder and said he could help him. Without wasting a minute he got into his tractor, drove out and towed the motor house to his yard. And then, in a very short time, he used his welder and fixed the problem. The American family were extremely relieved and grateful. Taking out his wallet the father of the family offered to pay, but the farmer would have none of it. “It was my pleasure” was all he said. “As you can see, I live in isolation and often do not see anybody for weeks and even months. You have given me the pleasure of your company. That is more than adequate compensation.” The American family were greatly impressed. It certainly enhanced their belief in the essential goodness of human beings.James Valladares in ‘Your Words, O Lord, Are Spirit, and They Are Life’ RescuedA little girl whose parents had died lived with her grandmother and slept in an upstairs bedroom. One night there was a fire in the house and the grandmother perished while trying to rescue the child. The fire spread quickly, the neighbours called the fire department, and then stood helplessly by unable to enter the house. The girl appeared at an upstairs window crying for help. Suddenly, a man appeared with a ladder, put it against the side of the house and disappeared inside. When he reappeared, he had the little girl in his arms. He delivered the child into the waiting arms below, and then disappeared into the night. As the child had no known relatives, weeks later a meeting was held to determine who would take the child into their home and bring her up. A teacher said she would like to raise the child. She pointed out that she could ensure a good education. A farmer offered her an upbringing on his farm. Others spoke, giving their reasons why it was to the child’s advantage to live with them. Finally, the town’s richest resident rose and said, “I can give this child all the advantages that you have mentioned here, plus money and everything that money can buy.” Throughout all this the child remained silent, her eyes on the floor. “Does anyone else want to speak?” asked the meeting chairman. A man came forward from the back of the hall. His gait was slow and he seemed in pain. When he got to the front of the room he stood directly before the little child and held out his arms. The crowd gasped. His hands and arms were terribly scarred. The child cried out, “This is the man that rescued me!” With a leap, she threw her arms around the man’s neck, holding on for dear life, just as she had that fateful night. She buried her face in his shoulder and sobbed for a few moments. Then she looked up and smiled at him. ”This meeting is adjourned” said the chairman.Author unknown May we move from hostility to hospitality! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] Twelfth Sunday of the Year
day an eagle swooped down from the sky and carried away a tiny baby who was sleeping on the front porch of his mother’s cottage. Nearly everyone in the village ran after it, but the eagle soon placed the baby high on a cliff near its nest. It quickly became evident that the baby might not be recovered. A sailor tried to climb the cliff, but his limbs began to tremble and he had to give up the attempt. Then a shepherd accustomed to climbing tried, but after a short distance he lost his footing and fell to the bottom of the cliff. At last a peasant woman tried. She put her feet on one shelf of the rock, and then on another, and then on a third. Slowly she climbed higher and higher until she reached the eagle’s nest on the top of the cliff. She took the baby in her arms, and then step by step, she began her dangerous descent. She moved slowly and carefully. Finally she stood at the bottom of the cliff with the baby in her arms. She was the baby’s mother.Anonymous Archbishop Oscar RomeroOscar Romero is an outstanding example of being a true witness of Christ. When he was made Archbishop of El Salvador in 1997 he was a conservative. But he soon changed when he saw what was happening. Every Sunday he preached at the Cathedral. His homilies so electrified the country that national affairs halted when he spoke from the altar. He made public the unspeakable crimes being committed by many agents of the government. He was under constant threat of death. Some of his best friends were murdered. And still he would not be silenced. Nor would he go into hiding or exile. “At the first sight of danger the shepherd cannot run and leave the sheep to fend for themselves. I will stay with my people.” He said. According to Romero it didn’t take courage. All it took was the understanding that his enemies dwelt in fear, and that he was not afraid of them, they would have no power over him. They might be able to kill his body, but they would not and could not kill his soul. There is also a story of a priest, who during the genocide in Rwanda (1994) sheltered Tutsis in his house. When a mob arrived at his door and ordered him to release them, he refused to do so. They shot him and took the people away. Even though we may not aspire such heights of heroism people like these are an inspiration to us.Flor McCarthy in 'New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies' Praying for courageHere is a story of a sea captain who on his retirement skippered a boat taking day trippers to the Shetland Islands. On one trip the boat was full of young people. These young ones laughed at the old captain when they saw him saying a prayer before setting out, because the day was fine. However, they were not long out at sea when a storm suddenly blew up, and the boat began to pitch violently. The terrified passengers came to the captain and asked him to join them in prayer. But he replied, “I say my prayers when it is calm. When it is rough, I attend to my ship.” The lesson is that if we cannot or will not seek God in quiet moments of our lives, we are not likely to find him when trouble strikes. -One of the shortest prayers ever composed was written by a French sailor. It goes like this: “Lord, my boat is small and the ocean is great. Come quickly.”John Pichappilly in ‘The Table of the Word’ May we find courage in witnessing that comes from trusting Him! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] Solemnity of the Body & Blood of Christ
ring victory which made him master of Europe. The emperor looked thoughtful. “Ah –the happiest day of my life? That was the day of my first communion. I was near to God then.”F.H. Drinkwater in ‘More Quotes and Anecdotes’ Oscar RomeroWhen installed as Archbishop, Oscar Romero was just a conservative churchman unaware of the massive repression against poor Salvadoran campesinos, the peasant victims of State-sponsored violence. Stunned by the murder of his Jesuit friend, Rutilio Grande, a ‘prophet of the poor’ in BCC’s and sugar plantations, Romero courageously called for cessation of violence and criticized national leaders, many of whom were Christians. Thereafter, he received death-threats. A day before his murder, Romero said, “If they kill me, I will rise again in the people of El Salvador!” On March 24, 1980, Romero preached, “This Eucharist is an act of faith...May this body immolated and this blood sacrificed for humankind nourish us also, so that we may give our body and blood, like Christ, for our people”. Minutes later, while raising the chalice during consecration, Romero was shot dead.Francis Gonsalves in ‘Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds’ May we ‘remember’ Jesus, and become Jesus, through the Eucharist! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] The Feast of the Trinity
Gonsalves in ‘Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds’ May we live as members of God’s family living with and for others! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] Pentecost Sunday
h. Van Gogh immediately laid his own clothing out on the bed, set aside enough for one change, and determined to give the rest away. He gave the old man a suit of clothes and he gave his overcoat to a pregnant woman, whose husband had been killed in a mining accident. He lived on starvation rations and spent his stipend on food for the miners. When children in one family contracted typhoid fever, though feverish himself, he packed up his bed and took it to them. A prosperous family in the community offered him free room and board. But Van Gogh declined the offer. He believed that if he wanted the miners to trust him, he must become one of them. And if they were to learn of the love of God through him, he must love them enough to share with them. He knew that people's lives often speak louder and clearer than their words. Maybe it was that same knowledge that led Francis of Assisi to frequently remind his monks, "Wherever you go, preach. Use words if necessary." Today, others will be "listening" carefully to your actions.Steve Goodier Let the Spirit flowAccording to Greek mythology, one of the ‘labours’ imposed on Heracles was to cleanse the stables of Augeas. The stables had a herd of three thousand oxen, and the stalls had not been cleansed for thirty years. According to the bond the stables were to be cleared in a single day. Heracles accomplished the task not by his own labour, but by directing the river Alphaeus and making it run through the stables. It is only thus that the heart of man can be cleansed, not by fighting individual impurities by unaided effort, but by letting in the river of cleansing, the Holy Spirit. Here is the joy and the method of overcoming sin.J.B.F. Hallock in ‘More Quotes and Anecdotes’ “I’m just sitting here in case she needs something”In his book The Friendship Factor, Alan Loy McGinnis relates a beautiful story about author Norman Lobsenz. Young Norman’s wife was in the midst of a prolonged, serious illness. Norman was emotionally and physically drained. The ordeal was taking its toll on him. One night he was on the verge of collapse. Suddenly a long-forgotten incident from his childhood flashed into his mind. The incident took place during an illness of his own mother when he was a child. He had gotten up in the middle of the night to get a drink of water. As he passed his parent’s bedroom he saw his father sitting at the bedside of his mother. She was fast asleep. Norman rushed into the room and cried, “Daddy, is Mom worse?” “No,” said the father quietly. “I’m just sitting here waiting in case she gets up and needs something.” The memory of that incident gave Norman the courage he needed to carry on. Our God is always with us!Mark Link in ‘Sunday Homilies’ The light withinI have read somewhere about an old sculptor who had, among many other pieces of work in his workshop, the model of a beautiful cathedral. It was covered with the dust of years, and nobody admired it, although it was an exact model, inside and out, of a fine cathedral. One day the old attendant placed a light inside the model, and its gleams shone through the beautiful stained glass windows. Then all stopped to admire its beauty. The change that was wrought by the light within was marvellous. It is so with us all. We must have the light within.Anthony Castle in ’Quotes and Anecdotes’ Don’t stop, Keep Playing!Once, a mother took her five-year-old son with her to a concert by Ignace Paderewski, the great Polish pianist. She hoped the experience would encourage her son in his own young efforts at music. The mother and son got their seats close to the stage. Then the mother met her old friend and got involved talking with her. She failed to notice that her son had slipped away to do some exploring. At the right time the lights dimmed and the spot lights came on. Only then did the mother see her five-year-old son on the stage, sitting on the piano bench, innocently picking out “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little star.” Before she could retrieve her son, Paderewski walked on to the stage. Walking on to the piano, he whispered to the boy, “Don’t stop, keep playing.” Then, leaning over the boy, Paderewski reached out his left hand and began to fill in the bass. Later, he reached around the other side of the boy and added a running obbligato. Together, the great maestro and the tiny five-year-old mesmerized the audience with their playing. The image of the great maestro and the five-year-old at the piano makes a fitting image of the Holy Spirit coming upon the disciples. On the first Pentecost the Holy Spirit encircled the disciples with love. The Holy Spirit whispered encouragement to the disciples. The Holy Spirit transformed the feeble efforts of the disciples into something powerful.John Pichappilly in ‘The Table of the Word’ May we go forth in His name and manifest His power working in us! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com PS.
[Goanet] Ascension of the Lord
22-May-2017 Dear Friend, Life is full of moments of transitions, moments when things have to come to an end, moments when we have to begin anew. Yet, generally we don’t like transitions. We get used to the way things are and we don’t want to move on. The Christian is called to be on the move, to be in transition, for we are a pilgrim people, journeying in faith. Jesus had to leave the earth and leave his disciples. The disciples had to move to complete His mission. May His word confront us in our complacency and comfort us in our doubts and distress. Have an uplifting weekend! -Fr. Jude Sun. Ref: Ascension. Jesus was taken into heaven. “I am with you always till the end!” 28-May-2017Acts: 1: 1-11; Ephesians 1: 17-23; Matt. 28: 16-20; The first reading establishes a link between Jesus’ going and the coming of the Holy Spirit, and it also establishes the connection between Jesus and the founding of the Church. The disciples were not ready to cope with the transition, they wanted to know when and how things would take place. “Lord, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now?” Jesus responds by telling them that it is not important to know the exact time and date, or the shape of things to come. What is of prime importance is to believe and let the Spirit take possession of us and guide our every step. Yes, Jesus will not be with them but He will be in them. Jesus will remain the same and yet he will be differently present to us after his ascension to the right hand of his Father. Solar PowerOne of the national coordinators of Sun Day held early in May every year is Denis Hayes. He worked as researcher at a Washington D.C. ‘think-tank’ and has written a book on solar energy entitled Rays of Hope: The Transition to a Post-Petroleum World. Hayes claims that we are at the crossroads of making a critical choice for mankind –the choice between going solar or going nuclear. Hayes opts for the sun because it is “the world’s only inexhaustible, predictable, egalitarian, non-polluting, safe, terrorist-resistant and free energy source.” We’ve already learned to use the power of the sun to grow food, make wine and operate green houses. All we need to do is develop better technology to harness solar energy to heat houses, drive our cars and run our industry. People like Hayes are looking at the sky with its sun as the main source of our future energy supply. Today we turn our attention to the sky for another reason –to commemorate our Lord’s Ascension into heaven. In the first reading from the Acts Jesus makes a promise: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes down on you.” That Spirit is the power source that can give all the energy we need to live our lives to the full.Albert Cylwicki in ‘His Word Resounds’ The gospel of Matthew links the end of the ministry of Jesus to the beginning of the new ministry of the Spirit in the Church. Interestingly, Matthew seems to lead us to the point of the ascension and then is deliberately silent about it. He does not mention the ascension of Jesus. Jesus is not departing. He is with us always. Matthew prefers to discuss the mission of the disciples. They are told that they will receive His power and will act in His name. We who are caught in these ‘in-between’ times have to make a start and yet not any start will do. For the disciples had to wait till the Lord had ascended into heaven; they had to wait for the Spirit to descend on them; they had to wait to be filled with his power. For this to happen they waited in prayer, they waited together, and they waited in hope. Their waiting was rewarded by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in whose name they went forth to the ends of the earth. We are often caught on the horns of a dilemma: do we stay put and let things happen? Or do we busy ourselves in a flurry of activity? The temptation is to just keep waiting for something to happen that pushes us or to do anything that will keep our mind off the things that worry us. We are empowered in our mission only when we discover that God is with us in our innermost being. “And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.” “The Gospel of the Ascension calls us and challenges us to move beyond the boundaries that are set by our own fear and weakness and sinfulness. The story of Jesus’ ascension reminds us that Jesus is beyond us –sitting at the right hand of the Father, yet at the same time the same story reminds us that the Lord was working with the apostles by confirming their word by the signs that accompanied it. He is beyond us yet very much within us! Our stories are not finished, the last word has not yet been written, and the final scenes are still open-ended.”Denis McBride. Where to look for God’s image?You may have heard the ancient tale of God’s original problem: where to conceal his most precious possession, his own image. He called three wise counselors to listen to their
[Goanet] Sixth Sunday of Easter
of footprints. I don’t understand why in times when I needed you most, you should leave me.” The Lord replies, “My precious little child, I love you and I would never leave you during your times of trial and suffering. When you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.” – The good news given to us today is that while the journey of life will not always be easy, it need not be travelled alone.John Pichappilly in ‘The Table of the Word’ May we discover the power of His Spirit working in us and through us! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] Fifth Sunday of Easter
with both hands. Thoreau says, “Fear not that your life will end; fear rather, that it may never have begun.Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies’ Have you enjoyed life?There is a delightful Spanish legend that goes like this. When people arrive at the gate of heaven seeking to enter, St. Peter asks them a strange question. He says to each one, “Tell me this. Have you taken advantage of all the earthly joys which God in his goodness made available to you while you were on earth?” If a person answers, “No I haven’t,” Peter shakes his head sadly and says, “Alas, my friend, I can’t let you in –not yet at any rate. How can you be ready for the heavenly joys if you have not prepared yourself for them through the medium of earthly ones? I shall be obliged to send you back down to earth until you learn better.”Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies’ May Jesus be our way to fullness of life! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] Third Sunday of Easter
and suddenly they understand it all with eyes of faith. The events remain the same but they have changed and they see the old experience with new meaning.Denis McBride in ‘Seasons of the Word’ Finding Jesus TodayRegina Riley tells the story of a woman who for years prayed that her two sons would return to the faith. Then one Sunday morning in church she couldn’t believe her eyes. Her two sons came in and sat across the aisle from her. Her joy and gratitude overflowed. Afterwards she asked her sons what prompted their return to the faith. The younger son told the story. One Sunday morning, while vacationing in Colorado, they were driving down a mountain road. It was raining cats and dogs. Suddenly they came upon an old man without an umbrella, who was soaked through and through, who walked with a noticeable limp. Yet he trudged doggedly along the road. The brothers stopped and picked him up. It turned out that the stranger was on his way to Mass at a church three miles down the road. The brothers took him there. Since the rain was coming down so hard, and since there was nothing better to do, they decided to wait for the stranger to take him home after Mass. It wasn’t long before the boys figured that they might as well go inside, rather than wait out in the car. As the two brothers listened to the reading of the scriptures and sat through the breaking of the bread, something moved them deeply. The only way they could explain it was: “You know, Mother, it felt so right. Like getting home after a long, tiring trip.” -The story of the two brothers, and their encounter with a stranger on the Colorado road, bears a striking resemblance to today’s gospel. Like the two brothers, the disciples were on a journey disillusioned by the happenings of the day. Then they met a stranger who opened their eyes, as he listened to them and made them understand the deeper meaning of the events taking place, till they recognized him in the breaking of bread. The stranger spoke to the brothers not by using words but by his heroic example.Mark Link in ‘Sunday Homilies’ May we find Jesus is with us as we try to make sense of life’s disappointing moments! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] Second Sunday of Easter
as flickering and threatening to go out. In desperation the man turned to God and promised that he would do anything that God wanted, if God would give back to him his peace of mind. Then something strange happened. God seemed to speak to the man. God seemed to say to him, “Start living the gospels. Start living out the teachings of Jesus, even though you don’t understand them.” At that moment the man made a decision. He resolved then and there to live his life according to the teachings of Jesus. The decision turned the man’s life around. It wasn’t easy at first. He fell back into his old ways again and again. But that one decision made all the difference. In an article entitled ‘Living the Word’, the man says that his cabin experience taught him a lesson he never forgot the rest of his life. “I learned,” he says, “to hear the word and act on it.” Blaise Pascal, a 17th century mathematical genius, who was deeply religious, once wrote: “if you want to strengthen your faith, do not augment your arguments but weed out your passions.” In other words, the way to strengthen our faith is to live it, to put it into practice in our daily lives.Mark Link in ‘Sunday Homilies’ May the touch of divine mercy wipe away all doubts from our lives! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] Easter Sunday
ne risen in Christ that we are called to? How?Gerard Fuller in ‘Stories for all Seasons’ May we choose life and experience the Risen one in our midst!!! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] Good Friday
it fatally into the other’s chest. In fear he fled across the desert, fled from the slain boy’s vengeance-seeking relatives, fled to find a Bedouin’s sanctuary, a ‘tent of refuge’, designed by law for those who kill unintentionally or in the heat of anger. At last he reached what might be termed – the black-tented encampment of a nomad tribe. The boy flung himself at the feet of the leader, an aged sheik, and begged him: “I have killed in the heat of anger; I implore your protection. I seek the refuge of your tent.” “If God wills,” the old man responded, “I grant it to you, as long as you remain with us.” A few days later the avenging relatives tracked the fugitive to the tent. They described the assailant and asked. “Have you seen this man? For we ask for him.” “He is here,” said the sheik, “but you will not have him.” “But he has killed, and we the blood relatives of the slain will stone him according to the law.” The sheik raised his voice, “You will not as long as he remains with us.” “We demand him,” the relatives declared. “No! The boy has my protection,” said the sheik. “I have given my word, my promise of refuge.” “But you don’t understand,” the relatives implored. “He killed your grandson!” The old man was silent. No one dared to speak. Then in visible anguish, with tears searing his face, the old man stood up and spoke ever so slowly, “My only grandson –is he dead?” “Yes, your only grandson is dead.” “Then….” said the sheik, “then this boy will be my grandson. He is forgiven, and he will live with us as my own. Go now; it is finished.”Walter J. Burghardt in ‘Sower’s Seeds of Christian Family Values’ The Sign of the CrossLike the electric chair, the cross is scandalous, a symbol of shame. Jesus died on the cross and we are asked to embrace it. So look at it for what it is. Don’t sanitize it. The cross is not a pendant. It is not a decoration. It is not pretty. It is a challenge. Realize how bizarre you and I are to centre our lives around a cross. Yet it is precisely this terrible, shameful symbol which is offered us by Jesus. “Whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” It is a risky thing to sign yourself in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.William Bausch in ‘The Word in and out of Season’ May we accept the Lord’s merciful forgiveness freely offered to us! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] Holy Thursday
re was never anything he was asked to do that he considered beneath him. Whether it was cleaning up the vomit left by some violently sick alcoholic or scrubbing toilets after careless men had left the men’s room filthy, Joe did what was asked with a smile on his face and a seeming gratitude for the chance to help. He could be counted on to feed feeble men who wandered off the street and into the mission, and to undress and tuck into bed men who were too out of it to take care of themselves. One evening, when the director of the mission was delivering his evening evangelistic message to the usual crowd of still and sullen men with drooped heads, there was one man who looked up, came down the aisle to the altar, and knelt to pray, crying out for God to help him to change. The repentant drunk kept shouting, “Oh God! Make me like Joe! Make me like Joe! Make me like Joe! Make me like Joe! The director of the mission leaned over and said to the man, “Son, I think it would be better if you prayed, ‘Make me like Jesus.’” The man looked up at the director with a quizzical expression on his face and asked, “Is he like Joe?”Tony Campolo –from ‘Everything You Heard Is Wrong’ Praying hands –MemorialTwo young friends in Germany, Albrecht Durer and Franz Konigstein, were struggling to become artists. Since their funds were too meager for attending the university, they decided that one of them should find employment and support the other until he had completed school. Then he could sell his paintings and finance the other’s education. They drew lots and Durer went to school and Konigstein went to work. Durer turned out to be a genius. After he had made a good deal of money from the sale of his paintings, he returned home to keep his part of the bargain. Only then did he painfully realize the great price his friend had paid. Franz’s delicate and sensitive fingers had been ruined by years of rugged manual labour. Although he had to abandon his artistic dream, he had no regrets, but rejoiced in his friend’s success. One day Durer saw Franz Konigstein kneeling with his gnarled hands intertwined in prayer. The artist quickly sketched the praying hands. Today’s art galleries feature many of the works of the famous Albrecht Durer, but the people’s favourite is the ‘Praying hands’. That painting has been copied millions of times the world over, telling its tender eloquent story of sacrifice, and gratitude.-Love demands sacrifice! Where there is no sacrifice, there can hardly be genuine love. The story of these two friends is a reminder to all of us that sacrifices made because of genuine love will never be a waste!Percival Fernandez in ‘100 Inspiring Anecdotes’ May our lives be patterned on Jesus who loved to serve! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] Fifth Sunday of Lent
a comfortable bench under the trees just opposite the opening of the tomb. In the evening as the sun is going down, I go and sit there and think to myself, Jesus of Nazareth has slept in this tomb and God raised him from death. Joseph of Arimathea will also lie in this tomb, and what will God do with him?’ Jesus had said, ‘I live and you shall live’. I can depend on that word.”Hans-Georg Lubkoll May His Word empower us to rise from our graves to new life! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] Fourth Sunday of Lent
, not only his physical sight but also spiritual insight; he opened his eyes of faith, so that the man believed in Jesus as one believes in the sun.”Vima Dasan True VisionOne night a few years ago there was a total eclipse of the moon. Everybody was talking about it. Many stayed up till the small hours in the hope of witnessing it. I ask myself: “Why all this interest in the moon, simply because it is disappearing?” I was convinced that most of those people wouldn’t see a full moon in the sky, much less stop to admire it. It brought to mind the words of Emerson: “The fool wonders at the unusual; the wise person wonders at the usual.”Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies’ The Allegory of the CaveThe story of the blind man in today’s gospel reminds us of Plato’s ‘Allegory of the Cave’ It is an allegory used to illustrate “our want of education.” There we find all humanity chained in a darkened cave throughout life. These captives can see nothing but flickering images on a wall…shadows, appearances, illusions, which they take for reality. One prisoner, liberated from the chains, makes the arduous crawl upwards to the world of the shining sun. When he returns to the cave with his tales of the new-found source of light and life and warmth it gives, the prisoners think him crazy. They simply deny his experience. It just can’t be. The chains and the amusing images on the wall are reality. Thus his conversion is ridiculed; his invitation is resisted. Clearly there are parallels between the Platonic myth of the cave and the story of the man born blind. Each figure is given new sight. Each is rejected by the inhabitants of the old world. And even the so-called wise authorities would rather cling to their chains and discuss the shadows than embark on the journey of faith.John Pichappilly in ‘The Table of the Word’ May we acknowledge our blindness so that we may see anew! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] Third Sunday of Lent
the ceiling was about to cave in. For two hours I listened, and heard little else but the sound of running water. Finally, I could no longer contain my inner frustration, so I mentioned it, and asked about it. With a smile, my host explained the situation to me. It seemed that forty years before, when the people had built the farmhouse, they discovered a spring of water right in the middle of the property. They built a spring room around it and then planned and built the rest of the house around that inner spring room. For forty years, the people who lived in that house had come to be conscious of that spring of water right at the very core of their home, and its significance for them grew over the years. I thought to myself "That is what Jesus is constantly trying to tell us: that it is possible to build the rooms of our lives around the life-giving spirit."Jack McArdle Drink from a running streamThere was a college student who working in the college dining hall and who, on his way to work early in the morning, walked past the home of one of his professors. Through a window he could see the light on and the professor at his desk, morning after morning. At night the student stayed at the library until closing, and on his return trip again he would see the professor’s desk light on. It seemed that he was always pouring over his books and notes. One day, after class, the professor was walking along the courtyard when the student approached him with several lecture questions to clarify. Finally the student asked, “Would you mind if I ask you a more personal question?” “Of course not,” replied the professor. So the student asked, “Well, every day I walk by your house and you are so intent at work. What keeps you studying? You never seem to stop.” The professor answered, “Well you see, I would rather have my students drink from a running stream than a stagnant pool.”Howard Henricks Gifts from the heartAccording to legend, a young man while roaming the desert came across a spring of delicious crystal-clear water. The water was so sweet he filled his leather canteen so he could bring some back to a tribal elder who had been his teacher. After a four-day journey he presented the water to the old man who took a deep drink, smiled warmly and thanked his student lavishly for the sweet water. The young man returned to his village with a happy heart. Later, the teacher let another student taste the water. He spat it out, saying it was awful. It apparently had become stale because of the old leather container. The student challenged his teacher: "Master, the water was foul. Why did you pretend to like it?" The teacher replied, "You only tasted the water. I tasted the gift. The water was simply the container for an act of loving-kindness and nothing could be sweeter. Heartfelt gifts deserve the return gift of gratitude."Michael Josephson The inner wellOnce there was a woman who had to make a daily trip of a mile to draw water from a public well. Over the years she grew weary of the journey. No matter how much water she brought home, she always ended with an empty container. Then one day she was doing some work in her own garden when in a remote corner she came across a large flagstone lying on the ground. The flagstone was completely covered with moss. Her curiosity flared up. She cleared away the moss and then removed the flagstone to discover a lovely well. She was thrilled. Never again would she have to make the tiresome journey to the public well. She now had an unfailing source of water of her own. – Christ made people aware of their own emptiness, but did not leave it at that. He showed them how to begin to fill this emptiness, not from without, but from within. Oh, that we might find the inner well, the well that lies hidden under the moss of our hearts.Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies’ May His Spirit well up within us and quench the real thirst within! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] Second Sunday of Lent
other wrote: “Now I have a son in heaven and a son Michael to give me joy on earth.”Emeric Lawrence in ‘Daily Meditations for Lent’ May the reassurance of His transfiguration and our own encourage us to move on! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] First Sunday of Lent
ving school he entered the world of work. There unfortunately, he got involved in crime. He told the priest that he now wanted to get rid of it. Then he made a most unusual request. He said, “Father, make me once more the boy I was when I was fifteen.” The boy’s earnest request moved the priest deeply. The young man knew that he had tarnished himself. Now he felt a longing for the unstained innocence of his boyhood. Just as Adam and Eve lost their original innocence, so the boy had lost his childhood innocence. But the priest could see that within that young man the boy who had made his first Holy Communion still survived. There is in every human heart, a longing for the lost Eden. No matter how old we may be, Jesus makes it possible for us to be reborn in innocence of character. Now is that moment of salvation!Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies’ May the example of Jesus tempted spur us on in our own moments of temptation! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] Eighth Sunday of the Year
one of the priests from the parish met her as she was on her way to prison. “This son has ruined your life”, the priest said. He’ll never change. Why don’t you just forget him?” “How can I?” she replied. “I don’t like what he’s done, but he’s still my son.” You could say that that mother was foolish. Yet she was only doing what any mother worthy of the name can’t help doing and that is, loving her child through thick and thin. For most of us, the love of a mother is the most reliable kind of human love we will experience. It is no wonder that the Bible uses a mother’s love as an image of God’s love for us.Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies’ “I want to thank you for tomorrow!”Benjamin Reaves tells about a little fellow whose mother had died. His father was trying hard to be both mom and Dad under difficult circumstances. His father had scheduled a picnic for the two of them. The little fellow had never been on a picnic. He was excited – so excited that he could not sleep. Soon there was a patter of little feet down the hall to where his father was sleeping. He shook his dad who could have responded gruffly except he saw the expression on his little son’s face. “What’s the matter son?” he asked. The little fellow said, “Oh Daddy, tomorrow’s going to be so wonderful. I just can’t sleep I’m so excited.” The father laughed and said, “Son, it won’t be wonderful if we don’t get some sleep. Now go back to your bedroom and try to get some sleep.” A while later the ritual was repeated. The father was already sleeping soundly, when the boy placed his excited hand on his shoulder. “What do you want now?” his father asked. “Daddy,” said the boy, “I just wanted to thank you for tomorrow.” –Do we trust our Father in heaven to take care of us ‘for tomorrow’? Do we thank God in advance for doing so?Gerard Fuller in ‘Stories for all Seasons’ One day at a time!Sir William Orsler was a Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford –the highest honor that could be bestowed upon any medical man in the British Empire. The King of England also knighted him. He organized the famous John Hopkins School of Medicine. As a medical student he was worried about passing the final examinations; he was worried about his life, what to do, where to go, how to make a living? His life profoundly changed and he led a life free from worry because of the twenty-one words of Thomas Carlyle. These are those words; “Our main business is not to see what lies dimly ahead at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand.” What made him great in life was his principle-‘living in day-tight compartment.’ He said to the students, “Shut the past –the dead yesterdays; shut off the future- the unborn tomorrows… the load of tomorrows, add to that of yesterdays, carried today, makes the strongest falter. Shut of the tomorrows as tightly as the past…. The future is today. There is no tomorrow. The day of man’s salvation is Now. Waste of energy, mental distress dogs the step of a man who is anxious about the future.”John Rose in ‘John’s Sunday Homilies’ Let’s not insult our God by worrying!! Let him carry your burden. He cares for you! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time
ountry which should have been a haven for all the peoples of >Southern Africa became instead a heaven for a privileged white minority. Many >people tried in vain to change South Africa’s apartheid system. Finally, >Nelson Mandela appeared on the scene. He too tried to bring about reforms. But >like reformers before him, he was rejected. Worse, he was hounded by the >government, and ended up spending twenty-seven years in prison. However, he >not only survived prison, but came out of it with the respect of his enemies >and of the entire world. Furthermore, he came out without bitterness. In fact, >he came out smiling, and immediately sought reconciliation with the leaders >that kept him, in prison.Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies’ Oskar, Saint or Sinner?Oskar Schindler was a German industrialist who personally saved over a thousand Polish Jews from the horrors of the concentration camps during the Second World War. One grateful person had this to say in appreciation: "Oskar Schindler was our father, our mother, our liberator and our only hope." On the other hand, Oskar Schindler was unfaithful to his wife and was totally immersed in the proverbial good life of wine, woman and song. He was a Catholic, but only in name. Oskar Schindler was no saint. But there was a better side to him, and that came to the fore one day when appalled by the horrors of the concentration camps he felt something had to be done, and using his personal wealth and connections, he saved more than a thousand Jews. Like Schindler, none of us is perfect. But, also like him, there is in each and every one of us a better side, on which we must steadily build, so that we grow with each passing day, with virtue and Christian holiness.James Valladares in 'Your Words, O Lord, Are Spirit, and They Are Life' Evil is DeceptiveAlbert Speer was an important member of the Nazi hierarchy during Hitler's reign. He was Hitler's architect, and minister of Armament, Munitions and War Productions. After the defeat of Hitler and Germany, he was tried at Nuremberg for crimes against humanity and subsequently condemned to serve 20 years in prison. Albert Speer was one of the most intelligent, educated and principled persons in Germany. How he was captivated by Hitler's magnetism to accept such bizarre ideologies -the secret policies, the concentration camps, the nonsensical rhetoric of Aryan Supremacy and anti-Semitism, is beyond anyone's comprehension. During his trial at Nuremberg, he took responsibility for the horrors of the Nazi regime, although most of the time, he was not aware of the happenings around. Later in life, he sincerely regretted his association with Hitler. He could still not explain completely why he subscribed to Hitler's evil idiosyncrasies.John Rose in 'John's Sunday Homilies' A Better WayOne day a native American was talking to his grandson about the atrocities that happened in New York city on September 11, 2001. Suddenly the grandson asked, “Grandpa, how do you feel about that atrocity?” “I feel as if there are two wolves fighting in my heart. One wolf is angry, vengeful and violent. The other is loving, forgiving and compassionate.” he answered. “Which wolf will win the fight in your heart? The grandson asked. “The one I feed.” Jesus says to us, “Love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you.” He never said that we would have no enemies – there is no lack of realism here. But he offers us a new way of dealing with our enemies. The injunction ‘Love your enemies’ is a radical rejection of violence.Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies’ Let’s make our enemies our friends by loving and reaching out to them!! Fr. Jude botelhobotelhoj...@gmail.com Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] 6th Sunday of the Year
. The other- Christopher Marlow perished midway in his life at the age of twenty-nine, because of his anger. Christopher wrote some of the best tragical plays at a very young age. One of his best plays is “The tragical life of Dr. Faustus.” Had he lived longer he probably would have become greater than Shakespeare. He was a man given to anger. He picked up a quarrel with a man in a tavern. That man challenged him to a sword fight unto death. They both fought and Christopher was mortally wounded and later succumbed to his injuries. A great promise was terminated because of anger.John Rose in ‘John’s Sunday Homilies’ “Take me to a better neighbourhood!”Several years ago William F. Merton of Mt. Clements, Michigan, wrote to Reader’s Digest to tell of a memorable argument he had with his wife. The argument was well underway as they left the party one evening. Once they were in the car, words were flying. The area they were driving through was not the best, so they stopped arguing just long enough to lock the doors. Then they started again. Merton’s wife had really worked up a storm, and after a few choice words from him, she shouted, “Stop the car and let me get out!” Merton pulled over to the curb. His wife unlocked the door and got out, but then looked around and got back in again. Looking a little sheepish she said, “Take me to a better neighbourhood.”William F. Merton in “Our Argument….Argument too” –Reader’s Digest Oct. 1983 The forbidden AngerLittle Johnny had a quarrel with his younger brother, Willy. Before he said his night prayers, Johnny’s mother said to him, “Now I want you to forgive your brother.” But Johnny was not in a forgiving mood.” No, I won’t forgive him”, he said. Mother tried persuasions of every motherly variety, but nothing worked. Finally she said, “What if your brother were to die tonight? How would you feel if you knew that you hadn’t forgiven him?” Johnny gave in or so it seemed. “Alright, I forgive him,” he said, “but if he is alive in the morning, I’ll get even with him.” The gospel invites us to reconcile with our brothers and sisters before we come to him.John Pichappilly in ‘The Table of the Word’ Develop the virtue of forgivenessOnce the son of King Louis XVI was taken prisoner by a rival nation and sent to the torture room. The French Dauphin was held prisoner by one of the most difficult jailors. The jailor was waiting to lay his hands upon this poor helpless child, for having been born into the royal family. Everyday, the jailor would increase his torture a little more, and each time the child would quietly bear it all, praying to God. One day the jailor asked him, “What would you do, Carpeto, if the Vendeanos set you free? What would you do with me? Would you have me hanged?” The little boy smiled and said: “I would forgive you.” Forgiveness is one of the noblest virtues of man. As St. Francis of Sales once said, “If, someone in hatred were to pluck out my left eye, I think I could look kindly at him with my right eye. If he plucked that one out too, I would still have the heart with which to love him.”G. Francis Xavier in ‘101 Inspiring Stories’ Let’s let go of our anger and lust and reach out with forgiveness and love! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] Fifth Sunday of the Year
, fortune favoured the banished son and he became king in another faraway kingdom. But he missed his father and longed to meet him. Years later, he invited his father –very old by then – for a banquet and ordered that sumptuous dishes be prepared, but without any salt. When the old king came to the palace, his son pretended to be away and the courtiers requested the king to begin feasting. The aroma of the food pleased the king, but, when he tasted it, he was aghast- it was tasteless, saltless! Angry, he demanded an explanation for the insult. His son-king appeared in his regalia, and the old king recognized him, realizing his indiscretion. – Jesus tells you, today, that you are not only ‘as dear as salt’ but “You are salt! You are light!”Francis Gonsalves in ‘Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds’ “Are you God?”Joe had always been a helpful neighbour and so the lady next door asked him if he could drive her little son to the hospital. Actually Joe had other plans but he did not know how to say no. So he sat the little boy into the car seat, fastened his seat belt, and started off on the 50-mile trip to the hospital. As they were driving along, the little boy slowly turned to Joe and asked, “Are you God?” Startled, Joe said, “No.” The boy continued, “I heard my mommy asking God for some way to get me to a doctor. If you are not God do you work for him?” Joe replied, “I guess so sometimes. And now that you ask, I will be doing it a lot more.” Gandhi said, “If I had ever met a genuine Christian, I would have become one immediately.” Jesus commanded that people must see our good deeds. Jesus did not say we should become the salt of the earth, but we are the salt of the earth. He was telling us the way He wanted to find us daily.John Pichappilly in ‘The Table of the Word’ Let your light shineA poor Scottish farmer named Fleming heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog and found a terrified boy, mired up to his waste in black muck. Fleming saved the child from what could have been a slow horrible death. The next day a fancy carriage pulled up at his home and an elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Fleming saved. “I want to repay you” said the nobleman for saving my son’s life.” “No I can’t accept payment for what I did.” said the Scottish farmer. At that moment, the farmer’s son came to the door of the family hovel. “Is that your son?” the nobleman asked. “Yes.” The farmer replied proudly. “I will make you a deal. Let me provide him with the level of education that my son will enjoy. If the lad is anything like his father, he will no doubt grow to be a man we both will be proud of.” And he did. Farmer Fleming’s son attended the very best schools and in time graduated from St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School, London University, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the man who discovered Penicillin. Years afterward, the same nobleman’s son who was saved from the bog was stricken with pneumonia. What saved his life this time? Penicillin. The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill. His son’s name? Sir Winston Churchill. Let us be the salt of the earth; and let our light shine before others.John Pichappilly in ‘The Table of the Word’ “That’s a mistake!”A young lady asked for an appointment with her priest to talk to him about a besetting sin about which she was worried. When she met him, she said, “I have become aware of a sin in my life which I cannot control. Every time I am at Church I begin to look at other women, and I realize I am the prettiest one in the whole congregation. None of the others can compare with my beauty. What can I do about this sin?” The pastor replied, “Mary, that’s not a sin, that’s just a mistake!”John Pichappilly in ‘The Table of the Word’ Let us be worth our salt and let His light shine through us! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] 4th Sunday of the Year
d his life forever.Gerard Fuller in ‘Stories for all Seasons’ Living the BeatitudesSome modern gurus belittle Jesus’ be-attitudes. For instance, the late Bhagwan Rajneesh, popularly known as Osho, pooh-poohed Jesus’ preaching with a “Cursed are you poor!” Note that Luke’s beatitudes –just four, are written in the second person, namely, “Blessed are you poor!” coupled with a “Woe to you rich!” (Lk. 6:20f) –closely follow the Isaian Messianic tradition and more closely resemble what Jesus actually preached. This makes the Church’s ‘option for the poor’ not an ‘option’ but an ‘obligation’. India’s prestigious magazine ‘The Week’ nominated Viji Srinivasan as ‘Woman of the Year 2004’. Renouncing family wealth, Viji has devoted herself to serving the poor aboriginals in Jharkhand and Bihar, north India. Her efforts have resulted in non-formal education, women’s empowerment, self-help groups, farmer’s cooperatives and employment for adivasis. People of other religions often give us enviable examples of ‘be-attitudes’ and ‘option for the poor’. Let us imitate Him who “though he was rich, yet for our sake became poor, so that by his poverty, we might become rich.” (2 Cor. 8:9)Francis G. In ‘Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds’ Look BeyondOne day a king was sitting in his darbar. He had a very unusual visitor – a man who had travelled through the desert, wanted to meet him. The man was poorly clad, and he carried a leather bag. He said to the king, “Dear king! I have nothing to give you, except this water, which I collected from an oasis in the desert. This is the sweetest water, which I have tasted in my life. I brought this as a gift for you. The king took the water and drank. After drinking it, he said, “This is the sweetest water that I have ever tasted.” He gave his visitor a lot of gifts and sent him away. The ministers were surprised at the gifts the king lavished upon that visitor. They wanted to taste the water too. So each one took a sip from the leather bag. Immediately all of them puked –it was odious and bitter. The ministers asked the king how he could say that the water was the sweetest water. Then the king said, “You have tasted only the water, but I have tasted the heart of that man. The man was travelling through the desert and he was tired and thirsty. When he drank the water it was the sweetest water that quenched his thirst and relieved his tiredness. At that moment he remembered me and wanted to give me the best that he had tasted in his life. I looked at that heart which loved me so much. I looked beyond this water and found that it was sweet.” Happiness lies for him who can look beyond – who can look beyond the obvious. The king looked not at the matter, but at the spirit beyond the matter! Look beyond and you will find happiness!John Rose in ‘John’s Sunday Homilies’ I have seen love in action…A man visited Mother Teresa’s home for the poor and dying in Calcutta. He arrived just as the sisters were bringing in some of the dying off the streets. They had picked up a man from the gutter, and he was covered with dirt and sores. Without knowing that she was being watched, one of the sisters began to care for the dying man. The visitor kept watching the sister as she worked. He saw how tenderly she cared for the patient. He noticed how as she washed the man she smiled at him. She did not miss a detail in her attentive care for that dying man. After carefully watching the Sister the visitor turned to Mother Teresa and said, “When I came here today I didn’t believe in God, and my heart was full of hate. But now I am leaving here believing in God. I have seen the love of God in action. Through the hands of that Sister, through her tenderness, through her gestures, which were so full of love for that wretched man, I have seen God’s love descend upon him. Now I believe.”Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies’ May our lives and daily deeds proclaim our faith in God! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
of a man who was brought out of darkness into the light. One day in Melbourne, Australia, she visited a poor man whom nobody knew existed. The room in which he was living was in a terrible state of untidiness and neglect. There was no light in the room. The man hardly ever opened the blinds He hadn’t had a friend in the world. She started to clean and tidy the room. At first he protested, saying, “Leave it alone. It’s all right as it is.” But she went ahead anyway. Under a pile of rubbish, she found a beautiful oil lamp but it was covered with dirt. She cleaned and polished it. Then she asked him, “How come you never light the lamp?” “Why should I light it?” he replied. “No one ever comes to see me. I never see anybody.” “Will you promise to light it if one of my sisters comes to see you?” “Yes,” he replied. “If I hear a human voice I’ll light the lamp.” Two of Mother Teresa’s nuns began to visit him on a regular basis. Things gradually improved for him. Then one day he said to the nuns, “Sisters, I’ll be able to manage on my own from now on. But do me a favour. Tell that first sister, who came to see me, that the light she lit in my life is still burning.”Flor McCarthy in New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies The Arrival of the LightSome Alpine valleys are so deep that the rays of the sun do not reach them at all for days or even weeks in the middle of winter. A priest who ministered in one of these valleys tells the following story. One day in the depths of winter he was in the classroom of the local school chatting with the children, who hadn’t seen the sun for nine days. Then all of a sudden a ray of sunshine shone into the classroom. On seeing it the children climbed and cheered and shouted for sheer joy. It showed that even though the sun may not touch the skin it can still warm the soul. This little incident shows how light is the source of great joy. For sick people the night is usually the hardest time of all. Matthew compares the arrival of Jesus on the scene to the coming of a great light to the people who had been living in deep darkness. Jesus described his mission in simple terms when he said: “I am the light of the world!” We still walk in the bright light Jesus brought into the world. By living in it, we become a source of light to others, a lamp for our steps and a light for their paths.Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies’ The Heart of the EnlightenedThe devotee knelt to be initiated into discipleship. The guru whispered the sacred mantra into his ear, warning him not to reveal it to anyone. “What will happen if I do?” asked the devotee. Said the guru, “Anyone you reveal the mantra to will be liberated from the bondage of ignorance and suffering, but you yourself will be excluded from discipleship and suffer damnation.” No sooner had he heard those words, the devotee rushed to the market place, collected a large crowd around him, and whispered the sacred mantra for all to hear. The disciples later reported this to the guru and demanded that the man be expelled from the monastery for his disobedience. The guru smiled and said, “He has no need of anything I can teach. His action has shown him to be a guru in his own right.”Anthony De mellow in ‘The Heart of the Enlightened’ FishermenIn one of the finest films ever made, The Old Man and the Sea, Spencer Tracy plays the lead role of an aging fisherman. Based on Ernest Hemingway’s novel the movie depicts man’s struggle against insurmountable odds. As the Old Man, Spencer Tracy battles for hours to catch a great fish, only to have it attacked by sharks as he tows it towards shore. He says: “Man is not made for defeat. Man can be destroyed, but not defeated.” Today’s gospel begins with the story of some other fishermen. The fishermen are Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, and two other brothers, James and John. Walking along the shore, Jesus calls them to leave their fishing nets. They immediately abandon their nets and follow him. Why should Jesus choose fishermen as his disciples? It certainly wasn’t for their educational background or their training in Scripture. No, the disciples were probably chosen because they were like the Old Man in Hemingway’s story. Not pious, but good men deep down. Not easily discouraged, but patient and persevering. Not self-indulgent, but hard working. And like the Old Man, they would come to know that through their experience with Jesus, that “man can be destroyed, but not defeated.” Although we may not be fishermen like the first disciples. We too are called by Jesus to live for him, not just earn a livelihood. We are invited to leave behind our old securities and launch out with him onto a larger sea in life. To be fishers of men and women is more than a metaphor. It is a mission from, through and in Christ.Albert Cylwicki in ‘His Word Resounds’ May we radiate His light by our lives! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com PS. The sto
[Goanet] Second Sunday of the Year
who act in blindness or in passion, but nowhere could I find a truly evil person. All of them are good at heart, despite the bad things they have done.” –We see people not as they are but as we are.Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies’ “There He is, here I am!”Fascinated by the beauty of a moonlit night, a Guru once took his disciples out and pointed his finger to the moon. His unenlightened disciples were captivated by the guru’s finger. Thereafter, these disciples held prolonged discussions and debates on the significance of the Guru’s finger. His wisest disciple gazed at the moon and remained silent. Like the Guru pointing out to the moon, John the Baptist points to the Son, but we often miss the point. Like a presenter of a TV show after cameras converge on some TV star, the Baptist –who elsewhere asserts, “He must increase, I must decrease” John gives Jesus centre-stage and wanes as witness. For the salvation of the ‘Lamb of God’ to reach the ends of the earth, we need witnesses –finger-pointers and voice raisers. Like John when a Christian witness points out, “There He is” one is bound to query, “And, who are you?” Jesus becomes vibrantly visible when the witness perfectly images Him. Thus, witnessing does not merely imply finger-pointing and voice-raising, but also imitating and imaging. Are we ready to wholeheartedly whisper, “Here I am!” that we may perennially point out and proclaim, “There He is”?Francis Gonsalves in ‘Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds’ Small beginningsOn a cold January day, standing in the rain in the innermost reaches of the forest at Gougane Barra, it was hard to visualise that the little rivulets forming before one’s eyes were the source of the river Lee. From this small beginning, the river gathers strength, carves out a valley route, generates electricity, harbours salmon, supplies water to towns and city, creates the port of Cork and generally nurtures life as it flows seawards. From this apparently insignificant beginning, a river is born that enriches so many lives, most of whom never advert to its presence. Something similar happens in every Christian life. A seed is planted in love. A child is born. Rivulets of faith coalesce to tune a heart to hear God’s call. A generous, if tentative, response prepares the way for a deeper call and a more courageous response. Today’s gospel recounts how John the Baptist, in fulfilling his own life role, came to recognise the Chosen one of God and then was led to martyrdom, but not before he pointed out the Messiah to Andrew and John the first disciples. Our pattern of life vocation is the same. Through daily fidelity, we recognise Jesus and point him out to those who do not know him so that together we may become a stream of peace and goodness enriching the world of our time.Tom Clancy in ‘Living the Word’ Be God’s hands, arms, and legs – now!A university student who was having a hard time getting his act together decided to take his frustrations on God. He went to the university chapel, sat in a pew, looked heaven-wards and said, “All we have on earth are problems and a bunch of dummies who will never figure out how to solve them.” And somewhere deep inside him the student heard God’s answer: “That’s what you’re supposed to do.” Application: How are we God’s hands, arms, and legs –now?Gerard Fuller in ‘Stories for All Seasons’ You are chosen for...When a new prime minister takes up office one of the first things he or she does is to appoint cabinet ministers. Then in an official ceremony the chosen ones get their seal of office. These are not slow in telling the world how pleased they are to have been chosen. You hear them say such things as, “I feel very privileged,” “I feel very honoured,” the odd one may say, “It’s a great challenge” or “It’s a great responsibility.” But I don’t think I have ever heard anyone say. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to serve.” Of course it’s an honour to be chosen. But many of them forget, if indeed they were aware of it, that it is a call to service, to ministry. There is the very human temptation to be attracted to the ‘Mercs and perks’ that go with the office, as well as the status it bestows on the holder. John the Baptist gives us a wonderful example of service. There is no harder task than to take second place especially when one has enjoyed the first place. We must learn from the Baptist not to make ourselves the centre of the world. We must put ourselves at the service of others, at the service of Jesus! May our lives and actions speak of Jesus! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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
[Goanet] Epiphany Sunday
not only the secret of the state, but the secret of the whole universe –the secret of God’s incredible love for his people. For the child they found was no ordinary child but the very Son of God become man.Albert Cylwicki in ‘His Word Resounds’ Star of BethlehemGordon Wilson’s daughter was killed by a bomb in Enniskillen on Remembrance Day 1987. Instead of calling for revenge, he forgave her killers and began a campaign for peace and reconciliation. He said: “I am a very ordinary sort of man. I have few personal ambitions and no political aspirations. I just want to live and let live. Life has been kind to me in the main, and I have tried to live by the Good Book. I do not profess to be a good man, but I aim to be. I would like to leave the world a better place than I found it, but I have no exaggerated ideas of my ability to do so. I have hitched my wagon to a star, a star of hope, the Star of Bethlehem.”Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies’ I have a dreamA dying king wanted to bequeath the reins of his reign to the wisest of his sons. To test them, he inquired, “what would you do if you were made king?’ The eldest bragged, “I will make our people rich!” Said the second, “I will make our people powerful!” The youngest replied, “I will plant a dream in people’s minds and hope in their hearts.” Highly pleased, the king invested his youngest son with the right to reign. On August 28, 1963, before a quarter million Afro-Americans Martin Luther King Jr. thundered, “I have a dream that former slaves and slave owners will sit together at the table of brotherhoodI have a dream that little black boys/girls will be able to join hands with little white boys/girls as sisters and brothers I have a dream that my four children will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character.” Likewise Mahatma Gandhi envisioned “The India of my dreams.” Martin Luther King and Gandhi left their footprints indelibly on the sands of human history.Francis Gonsalves in ‘Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds’ We three kings...For the Magi, at the end of their journey, it was to engage the sacred, to look into the face of Christ and falling down, to offer him their gifts and worship him. It is the same for us: to offer our gifts and talents and minister to Jesus –which, in fact, we do whenever we feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, and clothe the freezing because when we do these things for the very least of humanity, we are doing them for Jesus himself. It’s all there in today’s gospel. That’s why the story of the Magi resonates so well with us. Deep in our subconscious, you see, we recognize ourselves; we are the Magi still en route. That recognition forces us to examine where we are right now on our spiritual journey, what risks we have taken for the sake of the kingdom of God, or even, perhaps how our quest for God has been replaced by false idols or sidetracked by modern day Herods. We are made to pause in our life journey and ask: is it possible that we have gained the whole world at the expense of our own souls? If so we pray:O star of wonder, star of nightStar with royal beauty bright,Westward leading, still proceeding,Guide us to thy perfect light.William J. Bausch in ’40 more Seasonal Homilies’ We are all the hiding-place of God. May our every action reveal Him! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] New Year
inward eye we see the star which led the Magi to Bethlehem. We have a tendency to pretty up the Christmas story. But in doing so, we distance it from ourselves. We empty it of much of the meaning it carries for us.Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies’ The blessing of presenceSt. Anthony’s is a home to a small number of endangered boys. The boys had to be removed from their own homes, or have run away from their homes, because of difficult situations. Not surprisingly, they are not the easiest of kids to deal with. The home is staffed by qualified social workers, who in the circumstances do a very good job. They work shifts and do not live in the home. Brother Aidan also works for those boys. But unlike the paid staff, he lives on the premises. It is his home too. He tries to be a father figure and an elder brother to the youth. It is not the easiest or quietest place to live. But Aidan likes it. And the fact that he lives on the premises makes a big difference to the kids. Aidan tells how one day he met one of the kids on the street. The kid greets him warmly and in the course of a chat said, “You’re different Brother Aidan. The staff go home every evening, but you live with us.” Brother Aidan knows all the youth by name. He eats and drinks with them, listens to their stories, lets them know with words, handshakes, and hugs that he truly loves them. Presence is very important. Our presence with others is the deepest expression of our love for them; it is the best gift we can give others. –Mary was present to her son in life and as he died on the cross. She is present to us as well, our greatest blessing.Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies’ A great blessing –the Search for GodYears ago Fulton Oursler was the editor of a highly successful national magazine. The story behind his rise to success is fascinating. But even more fascinating is the story of his search for God. As a reporter for the ‘Baltimore American’, Oursler had covered Methodist meetings, Baptist Conventions, and outdoor revivals. He had even waited for ghosts in darkroom séances. “Out of all of this” he says, “I emerged at the age of 30 a self-styled agnostic.” But instead of finding peace, his unbelief left him totally empty inside. Eventually the emptiness and the unhappiness turned into a gnawing depression. Then one day serious trouble threatened his family. He needed help. But the kind of help he needed was not the kind of help his friends could give. There was no one to whom he could turn, not even God, for he did not believe in God. One windy day in New York he was walking down Fifth Avenue. He came to the Cathedral. He stopped, looked at it and thought. He was desperate. Minutes later he found himself walking up the steps, going inside and sitting down. After a few minutes of collecting his thoughts, he bowed his head and asked for the gift of faith. He sat there a while, then got up, and walked over to the Chapel of Our Lady in the Cathedral. He went inside, knelt down, and prayed the following prayer: “In ten minutes or less I may change my mind. I may scoff at all this and love error again. Pay no attention to me then. For this little time I am in my right mind and heart. This is my best –take it and forget the rest, and, if you are really there, help me.” At that moment, he said, there began a remarkable transformation in his life. The transformation ended in his becoming a deeply committed Christian. Fulton Oursler’s search for God ended in the House of God. And his spiritual birth into a new life began in a chapel dedicated to Mary the Mother of God.Mark Link in ‘Sunday Homilies’ All is well! All things shall be well!They say Robert Louis Stevenson told this story first. It seems a storm caught a sea faring vessel off a rocky coast. The winds and the waves threatened to drive the boat to its destruction. In the midst of the terror, one daring passenger, contrary to orders, made his way across the ship. Grouping along the passageway, he found the pilot house. Then he beheld an intriguing sight. The ship’s pilot was lashed to his post. Secure against the raging elements, he held the wheel fast, turning the wheel inch by inch once more out to sea. The pilot saw the watcher and smiled. The daring passenger found his way below deck where the other passengers were huddled. Encouragingly, he said, “I have seen the face of the pilot, and he smiled. All is well.”Frank Michalic in ‘Stories You can Use’ Be with us Mary along the Way, and all will be well! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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
[Goanet] Christmas Sunday
then at the man. Our meal came and the man began shouting from across the room, "Do you know peek-a-boo? Hey, look, he knows peek-a-boo." My husband and I were embarrassed. We ate in silence; all except for Erik, who was running through his repertoire for the admiring skid-row bum. We finally got through the meal and headed for the door. My husband went to pay the check and told me to meet him in the parking lot. The old man sat poised between me and the door. As I drew closer to the man, I turned my back trying to side-step him. As I did, Erik leaned over my arm, reaching with both arms in a baby's pick-me-up position. Before I could stop him, Erik had propelled himself from my arms to the man's. Suddenly Erik in an act of total trust, love and submission laid his tiny head upon the man's ragged shoulder. The man's eyes closed, and I saw tears hover beneath his lashes. His aged hands, full of grime, gently cradled my baby's bottom and stroked his back. No two beings have ever loved so deeply for so short a time. I stood awe struck. The old man cradled Erik for a moment, and then his eyes opened and said in a firm commanding voice, "You take care of this baby." Somehow I managed, "I will." He pried Erik from his chest unwillingly, longingly, as though he were in pain. I received my baby, and the man said, "God bless you, ma'am, you've given me my Christmas gift." With Erik in my arms, I ran for the car. My husband was wondering why I was crying and holding Erik so tightly, and why I was saying, "My God, my God, forgive me." I had just witnessed Christ's love shown through the innocence of a tiny child who saw no sin; a child who saw a soul, and a mother who saw a suit of clothes. I was a Christian who was blind, holding a child who was not, I felt it was God asking - "Are you willing to share your son for a moment?" when He Shared His for All Eternity. He comes to us as a child, no condemnation, no judgement, no expectations, just love!Anon Come to the Stable“A legend from Russia” is a poem by Phyllis McGinley about Christmas. The poem begins as the old grandmother, Babushka, is about to retire for the evening: ‘When out of Winter’s rush and roar came shepherds knocking at her door.’ They tell her of a royal child a virgin just bore and beg the grandmother to come and adore. Babushka is goodhearted, but she likes her comfort, and so her reaction is to go later. “Tomorrow,” she mutters. “Wait until then.” But the shepherds come back and knock again. This time they beg only a blanket: ‘With comforting gifts, meat or bread, and we will carry it in your stead.’ Again Babushka answers, “Tomorrow.” And when tomorrow comes she is as good as her word. She packs a basket of food and gifts: ‘A shawl for the lady, soft as June, For the Child in the crib a silver spoon, Rattles and toys and an ivory game……but the stable was empty when she came.’ –Is that sometimes our own story? Not empty stables, but empty lives. Like Babushka in the story we say, “Tomorrow not today; another time not now” we’re too busy, or too blind; we like our comforts too much, and care about others too little. And so opportunities pass us by. We find the stable empty, our lives hollow, our lives wasted.Albert Cylwicki in ‘His Word Resounds’ The first cribIt was St Francis of Assisi who assembled the first crib in a cave on an Italian hillside in the year 1223. His aim was to make the Christmas story come alive for the people of the locality. His idea was to show them how close it was to them and their lives. And it seems that he succeeded. On Christmas Eve the friars and the people assembled with candles and torches around the crib. Francis spoke to the people, who were mostly farmers and shepherds, about God’s Son coming among us to teach us that we too are children of God. The shepherds and farmers got the messages: God had time for simple folks like them. At the end of the vigil they all returned to their homes, full of peace and joy, feeling very close to God and to one another.Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies’ I want to wish you personally all God’s wonderful blessings which his coming assures us of. As you re-live the Christmas story, may you experience the joy of Christmas, the renewed hope that He comes to bring and the love that is the heart of Christmas! May Christmas be the beginning of a new life for us! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] 4th Sunday of Advent
ry said, “Jesus, did you not hear all the noise and the commotion that took place last night as well as tonight?” “Yes, I did.” said Jesus. “Why did you leave me to fight the devil by myself? I was almost killed by them and yet you just remained in your room doing nothing!” he complained. Looking into his eyes Jesus said, “Henry, you welcomed me into your house, you led me to this room and locked me in. I wanted very much to be with you but while you struggled you preferred to battle alone.” Ashamed of the way he had treated Jesus, Henry apologized, “Sorry to have confined you, this whole house is yours, do what you will.” That night when Henry went to bed there was that loud knocking but it quickly subsided as Jesus answered the door.Author Unknown “You did what you were asked to do”A father whose wife had died lived with his son and daughter in a southern town in America. An upright man and an excellent lawyer, he was strict but good to them and they loved him. However he made himself very unpopular in town by defending a black man, who was accused of murder -the town was rife with discrimination against black people. At the end of the street lived an elderly woman who spent her afternoons sitting in the front garden. She gave out to the lawyer’s two children as they passed to and from their school. The kids were very hurt by the names she called their father. One evening the son jumped over her garden wall and destroyed some of her flowers. Later his father said, “Son, you shouldn’t have done that. She is a very sick woman. Now go down and apologize to her.” Reluctantly the son did so. The woman asked him if he would read to her for an hour each evening. He was horrified at the thought but when his father insisted that he say ‘Yes’ to the old lady, he agreed to do so. Each evening the boy accompanied by his little sister, went and read for the old lady. After about an hour she would get a violent fit of trembling. The children would leave and a nurse took over. However as the weeks went by the fits became less frequent. Then one evening their father told them that the old lady had just died. Then the father told them that several years previously a doctor had prescribed pain-killing drugs and she had become addicted to them. When she was told she hadn’t long to live, she decided that she would try and kick the habit before she died. The fits they saw were her withdrawal symptoms. “Just before she died she told me that she would never have succeeded if you hadn’t read to her. She wanted me to thank you.” The kids were moved, and said, “If only we had known what she was going through, we would have been nicer.” “It doesn’t matter,” the father said. “The main thing is that you did what you were asked to do. You are good children. I’m proud of you.”Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies’ My mother is my homeMother Teresa relates this incident about a boy. “Once I picked up a child and took him to our Children’s Home; we gave him a bath, clean clothes, and everything. After a day, the child ran away. Somebody else found him, but again he ran away. Then I said to the Sisters: ‘Please follow the child and see where he goes when he runs away’. And the child ran away the third time. There under the tree was the mother. She had put a small earthenware vessel on two stones and was cooking something she had picked out of the dustbin. The Sisters asked the child: ‘Why did you run away from the Home?’ And the child said, “This is my home because this is where my mother is’.” True! Wherever our mothers are, there our home is.John Rose in ‘John’s Sunday Homilies’ May we rejoice in being chosen to be the dwelling place of God! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] 3rd Sunday of Advent
her what the matterwas. She said she had been playing hide-and-seek with her friends. But when itwas her turn to hide, she had hidden so well that they had given up looking forher and had gone off to play another game. She waited and waited for them tofind her, but they failed to do so. When she finally came out of her hidingplace she found herself alone. Perhaps God sometimes feels lonely. He hashidden himself so successfully in his creation that some people are unable to findhim. And eventually they give up looking for him, and go off in anotherdirection. Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies’ Be a lamplighter Several parents were sitting on aneighbour’s porch discussing their children. They were talking about thenegative environment in which their kids had to grow up and were wondering howthey could bring any light into their children’s world since it seemed so darkand hopeless. Could they be enough of a positive influence to change the worldaround them? One of the parents, a science teacher remarked, “I think we canmake a difference in our children’s lives if we become lamplighters.”“Lamplighers? What do you mean?” the others asked. She explained. “Around theturn of the century a lamplighter went around the streets lighting the streetlamps. He carried a long pole that had a small candle on top with which hewould reach up to light the kerosene-fed lamps, “she said. “But from a distanceyou could not see the lamplighter very well. The light from one small candlewas not very bright in the surrounding darkness of night.” “However,” shecontinued, you could follow the progress of the lamplighter as he went along astreet. The presence of his candle was barely visible until it joined with theflame of the street lamp being newly lit. A radiant glow erased a portion ofthe darkness and looking down the street, you could see the light from theglowing lamps made the entire street bright as day. The darkness was held atbay.” “That’s it” exclaimed the parents. “We’ll be lamplighters for ourchildren. We’ll share from our own flame in order to light each child’sindividual lamp of wisdom. Brian Cavanaugh in ‘The Sower’sSeeds ‘The one who is to come’ Once a group of salesmen wereattending a sales convention. They had assured their families that they wouldbe home in time for dinner. But the meeting ran overtime so they had to run forthe train. Tickets in hand, they dashed along the platform. One of them knockedover a table supporting a basket of apples. But neither he nor any of hiscompanions stopped to help the boy who staffed the apple stand. All reached thetrain and boarded it with a sigh of relief. But then one of them felt a twingeof compassion for the boy whose apple stand had been overturned. He immediatelydecided to do something about it. Saying good-bye to his companions, hereturned to the scene of the accident. He was glad he did so. He discoveredthat the boy was blind. The salesman began to gather up the apples. As he didso he noticed that some of them were bruised. He took out his wallet andhanding the boy some money said, “Here, take this for the damage we did. I hopewe didn’t spoil your day.” As he started to walk away, the bewildered boycalled after him, “Are you Jesus?” - Are you Jesus? In a sense he was.Because he acted like Jesus. So where is Jesus to be found today? In hisdisciples. Blessed are we if we do not lose faith in Jesus. And twice blessedare we if, like Jesus, we are able to show forth our faith in deeds of love andmercy. People will encounter Jesus in us. Flor McCarthy in New Sunday Day Liturgies’ Imprisoned in our own prisons! John the Baptist exemplified howwe can be imprisoned in our own perception of God’s plan, our own schemes, ourown memory of the golden past. We may be resisting the new order. The presenceof the Spirit, however will always be shown in new life, fresh vitality andgrowth. But where is the evidence of the Spirit? Many can see signs of springalready in the church. And in abundance. But others seem to be asked by God tostay some time longer in winter. – When the ways of the past have lost theirvitality and no longer attract the young. we must wait. –When the presentvision is very unclear and we feel very insecure. we must wait. –When theway forward cannot be seen we must wait. –Advent spirituality develops thestrength to wait: to wait with patience: patience that is born out of hope.“Blessed are those who do not lose faith in me.” Sylvester O’Flynn in ‘The GoodNews of Matthew’s Year’ May our every action enlightenthe way for His coming! Rejoice! He arrives! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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 w
[Goanet] 2nd Sunday of Advent
as heavyweight boxing champion. It shows not only how he was gifted naturally with agility and strength, but also how he trained extensively with rigorous workouts and diets. But Muhammad Ali said one time that although all these things helped, the real secret of his power source was a set of inspirational tapes to which he listened. The tapes were recorded speeches of a Black Muslim leader, the honorable Elijah Muhammad. They deal with self-knowledge, freedom and potential. Muhammad Ali would listen to these tapes when he got up in the morning, when he ate his meals during the day and when he retired at night. He claimed that these inspirational messages gave him the power to fight for his black people, not only for their glory in the ring, but also for their civil rights in the arena of life. In the gospel, we have revealed the secret of the power of another man, Jesus Christ. At the very beginning of his gospel, Mark wants there to be no mistake about who Jesus is and what the source of his power is.Albert Cylwicki in ‘His Word Resounds’ Pathways and PeacemakersEarly September 1998, Delhi’s Flood Control Board (FCB) offered assistance to Gopalpur slum-dwellers –mainly rickshaw pullers and handcart vendors living alongside the River Yamuna, to widen their access road to the outside world. Before that, the Gopalpur slum was accessible only through a muddy pathway broad enough only to accommodate a cycle-rickshaw or handcart. The gullible slum-dwellers, assured by the FCB officials that their cycle-rickshaws and handcarts would smoothly move in and out of Gopalpur, laboured for weeks to construct a broader pathway into their slum. To their horror, the very road they constructed was used to bring in bulldozers and demolish their shanties that stood undisturbed for decades. This pathway was a death trap!Francis Gonsalves in “Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds” Repent, change for the Kingdom is at hand!While working on his famous painting, ‘The Last Supper’, Leonardo da Vinci had an argument with a certain man. He lashed out against the fellow with bitter words and threatening gestures. When the argument was over, da Vinci went back to the canvas where he was working on the face of Jesus. He could not paint one stroke. At last he realized what the trouble was. He put down his brush, found the man he had offended, and asked his forgiveness. He returned to his studio and calmly continued painting the face of Jesus. Application: Who do we need to forgive?Gerard Fuller in ‘Stories for All Seasons' Repent! Let Go!I’m sure you have heard of the story of how hunters catch monkeys. They will cut a small hole in a coconut, just large enough for the monkey to put its hand in and fill it with a sweet treat and leave the coconut fixed under a tree. The poor monkey would smell the treat, squeeze its hand into the coconut, grab the treat in its little paw and find that its fist would not come through the hole. Since the monkey will not let go of the treat, the monkey holds itself a prisoner. While it sits there desperately grasping its treat, the smart hunter comes and catches it. Silly monkey! All it had to do was let go of the treat and remove its hand from the coconut and run for freedom. This story brings me to another level. To get my hand out of the jar, regardless of what the jar is, I need to change. Einstein said “We cannot solve problems using the same kind of thinking we used to create them.” We like to think we are smart enough to let go of something to gain our freedom, however, the truth is, many of us hang on to things so tightly that we imprison ourselves. “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.”John Pichappilly in ‘The Table of the Word’ With His help we can change whatever needs to be changed in our lives! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] 1st Sunday of Advent
in Athens in the fifth century B.C. He was unjustly put to death by the Athenian judges. When Socrates was in the prison waiting for his death, his friend Crito came to visit him. Crito tried to persuade Socrates to escape from the prison. He said, “Socrates, I have enough silver to bribe the prison guards to help you to escape from here.” But Socrates declined it. Then Crito asked him to delay the drinking of the poison. He said, “Socrates the sun is still in the mountains and hasn’t yet set. I know other people drink it late. They dine and get drunk and keep company with those they happen to desire. So don’t hurry.” Even this suggestion Socrates declined. He said to Crito, “You know Crito; I wouldn’t do what others have done. I don’t gain anything by clinging on to life a little longer.” Socrates called the jail attendant who came with the cup filled with hemlock poison. Then Socrates asked him, “Sir, you have knowledge of this. What is necessary to do?” The attendant said, “Nothing except drink it and walk around until your legs become heavy, and then lie down and thus it will do it for itself.” Socrates took the cup, raised it and said a prayer and emptied its contents. For some time, he walked around; when his legs became heavy, he lay down and pulled a blanket over his head. A few second later, Socrates uncovered his head and said to Crito, “We owe a cock to Mr. Asclepius; please pay it and don’t neglect it.” Then he covered himself with the blanket and closed his eyes in death. - As in life, so in death Socrates was a virtuous man. He wanted to be always at-right with justice and with God. He was a man who was perpetually watchful about his righteousness; he was a man who was perpetually prepared to meet his God.John Rose in John’s Sunday Homilies’ Awake! Arise!The headlines “Veerappan Shot Dead!! Was received with relief from many quarters in India some years ago. A saga of killings and kidnappings ended when India’s bloodiest bandit and self-styled Robin Hood was literally napping. Veerappan’s ambulance was ambushed when he was sick and sleeping. That night, after many months of intense police plotting, an armed ambulance unsuspectingly slid into the lion’s lair –Special Task Force gunmen were fully awake and fittingly armed. Their wakefulness, watchfulness and wiliness were richly rewarded.Francis Gonsalves in “Sunday Seeds for daily Deeds' A Time for WatchingA teacher introduced a sentence to his students and asked them what they thought of it. The sentence was “Wait for the light.” Some thought it was beautiful, others thought it was a spiritual maxim to live by. Finally, he told them where he had read it: on the corner of an intersection that flashed the warning: “Wait for the light.” -Do we habitually make important decisions without first praying to Jesus for light? Gerard Fuller in ‘Stories for All Seasons” “I became awake!”A story comes to us from Eastern mysticism:A monk asked, “Abbot, what has God’s wisdom taught you? Did you become divine?”“Not at all."“Did you become a saint?”“No, as you can clearly see.”“What then, O Abbot?”“I became awake!”James Gilhooley in ‘Pastoral Life’ May we constantly wait for the Lord in life so we are ready for Him always! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] XXXIV Sunday of the Year
could carry him, the fugitive sped away to a large house in the centre of the town where a number of his friends were concealed and breathlessly told them what he had seen. It at once flashed upon them how to act. A goat was in the yard. It was immediately killed and its blood splashed on the door, scarcely could they close the door again when a band of soldiers rushed into the street and began to slay right and left. But when they came to the blood marked door they made no attempt to enter. The sword –or so they thought- had already entered and performed its work in that house. Thus, while many around were put to death, all inside the blood sprinkled door were saved.- Do we find joy in serving a crucified Lord and King?Gerard Fuller in ‘Stories for all Seasons’ Stumbling block or stepping stoneOnce, two travelers were going through a forest when night came upon them. In a matter of minutes, the path they were following became invisible. In the darkness terror lurked everywhere. To make matters worse, a violent storm broke over the forest. Terrifying flashes of lightning were followed by loud peals of thunder that shook the ground under their feet. Torrents of rain poured down upon them. The trees swayed dangerously. The first man looked on the storm as a calamity. Every time there was a flash of lightning, he looked up at the sky and cursed. The result was that he strayed from the path and got lost in the forest. The second man looked on the storm as a blessing in disguise. Each flash of lightning lit up a bit of the path ahead of him and thus he was able to take a step forward. By keeping his head down he succeeded in staying on the path. And so, step by step he made his way out of the forest. Sometimes that’s the way it is in life, there is just enough light to take the next step, and just enough strength to do the present task. The thunderstorm was the exact same for both travelers. Yet for one it proved to be a stumbling block, while for the other it proved to be a stepping stone. – In today’s gospel one of the thieves cursed the darkness, the other saw a gleam of light through it. The light came from the person of Christ and he decided to appeal to Jesus. “Remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” Jesus moved with compassion said to him in that memorable reply that has brought hope to millions: “This day you will be with me in Paradise.”Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies’ Won’t you come down, King?A king once fell in love with a poor girl. At first he thought of simply bringing her to the palace and marrying her, but he realized this wouldn’t work since she would soon realize the immense difference in their backgrounds and not be happy. After much reflection, he decided to renounce his kingdom and go and live near her so that she’d realize how deeply he loved her. Shocking one and all, he left the palace. This story –adapted from philosopher Kierkegaard’s original –somehow reveals to us the great love of our king Jesus Christ, who ‘comes down’ that we might be raised up.Francis Gonsalves in ‘Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds’ The Compassionate KingIn one of his homilies Fr. William Bausch gives us the following insight:Jesus did not have a sceptre but he did have a towel.He did not have people bowing backwards from his presence but he himself bowed instead and washed their feet. He had no army but He did have disciples. He sat on no throne but rather on a donkey’s back. He wore no crown of gold but of thorns.He did not take life but gave it. He did not set boundaries but included prostitutes, tax collectors, foreigners and good thieves in his kingdom. He did not exploit people but spoke sympathetically of widow’s mites, prodigal sons, good Samaritans, and poor farmers. He did not wield the sword but mercy. He said: “Today, you will be with me in paradise.” Jesus is a compassionate King. Shouldn’t we be compassionate?John Pichappilly in ‘The Table of the Word’ Living like an animal but dying like an angelMother Teresa told how one day in Calcutta she picked a man out of the gutter and brought him to the home for the dying. Before he died he said to her, “I have lived like an animal but dying like an angel, loved and cared for.” Mother Teresa remarked on the greatness of a man who could speak like that and who could die without blaming anyone or cursing anyone. She felt privileged to have been able to help him to live out his last hours feeling loved and cherished. Here is a man who had lived through a life of hell who had a luminous death.Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies’ May we be loyal citizens of God’s kingdom by living for God and his people! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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
[Goanet] XXXIII Sunday of the Year
king with the disabled. The first person to be sent to him was a man by the name of Arthur, who was dying of cancer. Cheshire felt totally inadequate but decided to offer him the only thing he could, namely companionship. During the last months of Arthur’s life a great bond developed between them. Arthur was in a lot of pain. The long nights were the loneliest time of all. When he got very ill, Cheshire put a mattress outside his bedroom door and slept there. He gave Arthur a little hand bell, which he could ring whenever he needed help. The presence of someone who cared deeply about him made the world of difference to Arthur, even though it did not take away his pain or hold back the advance of death. Though Arthur was a simple man he died with great dignity. A lapsed Catholic, during his last months he regained his faith and acquired a serenity that made him an altogether different person from the one he had been up to that time. Thanks to Arthur’s example, Cheshire became a Catholic himself. No particular skills are needed for this kind of ministry. Just love. In a world where selfishness is rampant, love is the best way of witnessing to Christ and to the Gospel.Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies’ Faith put to the testYears ago in Scotland, the Clark family had a dream. Clark and his family made plans for his nine children and themselves to travel to the United States. They worked hard and had finally saved enough money and had gotten passports and reservations for the whole family on a new ocean liner to the United States. But seven days before their departure, the youngest son was bitten by a dog. Because of the possibility of rabies, they were being quarantined for fourteen days. The family’s dreams were dashed. The father filled with disappointment and anger, stomped on the dock to watch the ship leave -without the Clark family. The father cursed both his son and God for their misfortune. Five days later, the tragic news spread throughout Scotland –the mighty Titanic had sunk. The unsinkable ship had sunk, taking hundreds of lives with it. The Clark family was to be on that ship, but because their son had been bitten by a dog they were left behind in Scotland. When Mr. Clark heard the news, he hugged his son and thanked him for saving the family. He thanked God for saving their lives and turning what he felt had been a tragedy into a blessing.AK in ‘The Sunday Liturgy’ Ours is a better choiceIn the film Romero, which tells the story of Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador, a supporting character named Lucia foresees that her continuing struggle for freedom may end up in personal tragedy. She asks a priest who is also involved in the struggle whether it is all worthwhile. She wonders whether there really is an afterlife. If not, why keep up the fight for freedom? Yet she chooses to continue the fight, knowing what her choice means. Eventually her fears are realised and she is murdered for her beliefs. In our own country we do not face the choice Lucia faced. But we do have to choose whether to follow Christ or simply eat, drink and be merry. There is no timetable for end-times. But we have a clear agenda, we are to go about our daily task of loving God and our neighbour and all that such love entails, and leave the rest to God. The end may be tomorrow or a million years away. No matter. It will come. Today remains a time of preparation. That is the task at hand.J. E. Spicer in ‘Preparing for Sunday’ May we live one day at a time, knowing that God is with us and will see us through! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] XXXII Sunday of the Year
such a terrifying evil to happen? Why do we have to die at all? Is there really a resurrection? –Today’s readings suggest some answers to these questions not in the sense of complete explanations, but in the sense of strengthening our faith in Jesus Christ, the Risen Son of the Living God. We don’t get a satisfying answer from the Scriptures to the question, “How can a good God allow such terrible evils like the slaughter of the seven sons of the Maccabees family? Or the death of innocent people in terrorist attacks? But we do get an affirmation of our faith in an afterlife. No matter how terrifying death may be, whether at the hands of terrorists or nuclear weapons, life will be restored. No matter how much destruction a nuclear holocaust may cause, the day after will never be the last day. A new heaven and a new earth will appear because our God is a God of the living and not of the dead. With Christian faith and hope we are strong enough to survive any today, and, if need be, any day after.Albert Cylwicki in ‘His Word Resounds’ Courage in the face of deathThere are two kinds of courage. The first is loud angry and assertive. This is associated with the battlefield. The second is quiet, serene and unassertive. Even so, it is unflinching and impervious to blandishments and threats. We see a heroic example of the second kind of courage in the First Reading. But there are some examples closer to our own times. The following happened in a Jewish ghetto in Eastern Europe during the Second World War. The German authorities appointed a man by the name of Ephraim to the post of president of the Jewish Council. One day they asked Ephraim to submit a list to them of 30 people for slave labour. Ephraim went away and thought about it. Eventually he came back and presented a list to the German authorities. When they examined the list, instead of finding 30 names, they found one name written 30 times. That one name was Ephraim’s own. Ephraim knew that in doing what he did he was signing his own death warrant. Yet he refused to betray one of his brothers or sisters. Before courage like this, one feels poor.Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies’ A Shining WitnessShahbaz Bhatti was born to Catholic parents in Lahore, the provincial capital of Punjab. His father was an army officer and then became a teacher like his mother. The couple had six children, five boys and one girl. His father, who died after a protracted illness, was the main source of strength for Shahbaz. In 2002 Shahbaz formed the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance and became its first leader. He also joined Benazir Bhutto’s Party and such was the respect in which he was held that he was appointed Minorities Minister that same year. In his acceptance speech he said he was accepting it ‘to help the oppressed, down-trodden and marginalized, and to send a message of hope to the people living a life of disappointment, disillusionment and despair’. He went on, ‘Jesus is the nucleus of my life and I want to be his true follower through my actions by sharing the love of God with poor, needy and suffering people.’ And he was as good as his word. Christians make up only 1.5 percent of Pakistan’s 185 million people. He decided to campaign against the country’s draconian blasphemy law, knowing that in all probability it would cost him his life. It was his defence of one woman in particular, Mrs. Bibi, that sealed his death warrant. Mrs. Bibi was falsely accused of insulting Mohammed, and was sentenced to death by hanging. Bhatti’s support for Mrs. Bibi was the last straw for his enemies. After a visit to his elderly mother, his body was riddled with bullets in Islamabad on March 2, 2011. He was only 42. Later a video he had made in view of such an eventuality was released. In it he said, ‘I am living for my community and for suffering people and I will die to protect their rights. I want to share that I believe in Jesus Christ, who has given his own life for us.’ Everybody loves life. Bhatti loved life too, but he did not cling to it at all costs. For him the real life was eternal life. Faith in eternal life enabled him to sacrifice his life for Christ.Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies’ May we believe in God who sustains and nourishes life always! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] 30th Sunday of the Year
by the law. The tax collector was a sinner by employment – he was guilty of breaking the law by the very work he did. Each man prays in the Temple. If Jesus had stopped to ask us, “Who do you think went home justified?” we probably would have answered, “The Pharisee!” But Jesus would say, “You’re wrong! The other guy is the good guy. “How come?” we would protest. Then Jesus would give us the punch line: “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.” In terms of Transactional Analysis the Pharisee was relating to God like a parent to a child. He was telling God all about the good things he was doing for him –fasting, praying, tithing and so on. He was almost demanding that God admire and approve of him. On the other hand, the tax collector related to God like a child to a parent. He humbly acknowledged that he had done wrong but trusted in his heavenly Father’s love and mercy.Albert Cylwicki in ‘His Word Resounds’ Forgetting our rootsA clergyman had reached the end of his rope, and he decided to try some other way of life that might give him a greater personal satisfaction. He was very disappointed to discover that a job was hard to come by. At last, he landed a job in the local zoo. Unfortunately, when he went there, the job was not exactly available just yet, but the manager asked him to consider taking a temporary job, until the other one was vacant. As it happened the chimpanzee had died, and had not yet been replaced. The chimp was a great favourite with the children, and the cage could not be left empty for long. They had a chimp suit, and the man was asked if he would mind getting into the suit, and taking the place of the chimp. All he’d have to do was to roll around a few times, eat a banana, go back in the back for a rest, etc. He decided to give it a go. He was an instant success. The children gathered around his cage. He soon discovered that he was now getting much more attention than he ever got in the pulpit. One day, he decided to really get into the act. He jumped up, grabbed an overhead bar, and began to swing to and fro, to the delighted screams of the children. He got carried away with himself, and he really began to swing with gusto. Unfortunately, after one huge effort, his hands (paws?) slipped, and he went flying over the partition into the cage next door. A huge tiger approached, and, forgetting that he was supposed to be a chimp, he screamed ‘Help! Help!’, to which the tiger whispered sharply, ‘Shut up, you fool; I’m a minister too!’ We are all the same when we stand before God.Jack McArdle in ‘And that’s the Gospel truth!’ My prayer answeredA good life, like a good prayer, comes from emptying ourselves of ourselves to let God in. That means a realization of the truth of the words scribbled long ago by an anonymous soldier of the Confederacy:“I asked God for strength, that I might achieve – I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey. I asked for help that I might do greater things – I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.I asked for riches, that I might be happy – I was given poverty, that I might be wise.I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life – I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.I got nothing that I asked for – but everything I had hoped for.Despite myself, my prayers were answered. I am, among all men, most richly blessed!”Harold Buetow in ‘God Still Speaks! Listen’ May we remember that God listens when we speak humbly to Him! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] XXIX Sunday of the Year
. 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 Illinois, 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’ Never giving up!His name is Bruce MacDonald. He has never married and is earnestly looking for a wife. At sixty-one years of age he protests that he is not a confirmed bachelor but a prospective husband. In a television interview he admitted that time was running out. From the interview it became clear that our hero had developed through the years a dry sense of humour. He said that nobody seems to want the serious attention of a sixty-one year old whose declared pastime is playing the bagpipes! In an effort to speed his chances of success, Mr. MacDonald has taken to going on “Singles Weekends”. His success so far has been the exchange of addresses with promises to keep in contact. Nobody ever has. Still, Mr. McDonald lives in the belief that his persistence will be rewarded. -When people are persistent but seem to have little chance, we wonder why they bother. Persistence is often regarded in our society not as a virtue but as a vice: ‘He’s got a nerve asking again when he’s been refused time and time again.” Some people refuse to take no for an answer and hope that their persistence will pay off in the long run. Sometimes it does.Denis McBride in ‘Seasons of the Word’ May we never forget that God our Father listens to our prayers always! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] XXVIII Sunday of the Year
a prayer for this occasion”.“Never mind, any prayer will do.” “Well”, said the second one, “I will say the prayer I remember my father used to say before meals: ‘For what we are about to receive, O Lord, make us truly grateful’ ”John Rose in ‘John’s Sunday Homilies’ Expressing Our GratitudeIn 1976 Louise Fletcher was awarded an Oscar for best actress for her role as Nurse Ratched in the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. She had given up acting for eleven years to raise her children before she won that role after five big-name actresses had turned it down. In accepting her Academy Award, Louise Fletcher did a very dramatic thing. With her voice breaking with emotion she faced a national television audience and said: “For my mother and my father, I want to say thank you for teaching me to have a dream. You are seeing my dream come true.” Louise Fletcher delivered the message in sign language at the same time, because both of her parents are deaf mutes and were watching from their home in Alabama.Albert Cylwicki in ‘His Word Resounds’ Best of GiftsThere is a huge fortress on a hill overlooking the town of Weinsberg in Germany. One day, far back in feudal times, the fortress was surrounded by the enemy. The commander of the enemy troops agreed to let all women and children leave the fortress. He also agreed to allow each woman take one valuable possession with her. Imagine the amazement and frustration of the commander when he saw each woman leave the fortress with her husband on her back! Charity begins at home. The hardest place to practice the gospel is at home in my own house.Jack McArdle in ‘And that’s the Gospel truth!’ Thank You!The English writer Somerset Maughan had a problem. He had earned a good sum of money from his Spanish royalties but the law forbade him to take any of the money out of the country. Maughan decided to use the money to pay for a luxury holiday. He chose one of the best hotels and dined extravagantly every evening. Nothing was too costly. When he felt satisfied that he had spent most of the money that was due to him, he told the manager that he would be leaving the following day. He asked for the bill. Instead of going off to get the bill, the manager stood where he was and beamed at his distinguished guest. Maughan was confused. The manager said to him: “It has been an honour having you in our hotel. You have brought much publicity to us while you have been here. We would like to show our gratitude. Therefore, there is no bill.”Denis McBride in ‘Seasons of the Word’ May we express our gratitude by giving thanks to God in every situation! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] Twenty-seventh Sunday of the Year
into fame. This story about faith and trust leads us in to today’s readings which focus on the same themes. As Luciano Pavarotti put his trust in his master teacher, we too must put our trust in our mentor Jesus Christ.Albert Cylwicki in ‘His Word Resounds’ Accusing GodThe year is 1965. The Jewish writer Elie Wiesel, who survived Auschwitz concentration camp as a boy, is attending the service. His eyes are fixed on the old rabbi who is praying and sighing as though in a trance. Wiesel has a mad thought that the rabbi will shake himself, pound the pulpit, and cry out his pain, his truth. In his heart he addresses the rabbi: ‘Do something, say something, free yourself tonight and you will enter our people’s legend; let the hushed reality buried inside you for so many years explode; speak out, say what oppresses you – one cry, just one, will be enough to bring down the walls that encircle and crush you’. My eyes pleaded with him, prodded him. In vain. For him it was too late. He had suffered too much, endured too many ordeals for too many years. He no longer had the strength to imagine himself free. So nothing happened. Nothing interrupted the rhythm of the solemn service. Wiesel was hoping that the old rabbi would find a voice to express suffering that he would name the anguish that fidelity to God can bring. Suffering can deaden boldness of spirit; but it can also give the sufferer a liberating madness to become God’s accuser. And Judaism has given us a tradition of boldness in dealing with God. It is the boldness of faith which dares to scream at God.Denis McBride in ‘Seasons of the Heart’ Remaking life through faithNorman Vincent Peale relates the pathetic fall and the rise of a Chinese Christian, who remade his life through faith. A Chinese gentleman, who was a successful broker came to a prayer meeting and shared his life-story with a group of Christians. He came from a wealthy family and had every opportunity that wealth and social connections could afford. He lost his wife through his wasteful living and his money, through gambling. His health failed and a nervous breakdown made him unfit for any, but limited work. At this juncture he met some Christians whose joy and delight in life amazed him. It awakened in him a hope that there may be a way out of his sad failure. They told him that the way was by faith. He had neither faith in God nor in himself. He was desperately determined to overcome his failure. And he knew the only way was through faith. He charted out a daily plan of communion with God. Initially, perseverance was difficult because of his nervous state. But he desperately kept at it, for it was his only hope. For thirty minutes each day, he gave himself to meditation. As a result of this practice, he overcame his disability. Once again his mind began to function with its old-time efficiency. His faith in God remade his entire life, including his health, happiness and business.John Rose in ‘John’s Sunday Homilies’ Faith is a jump!A man who loved the Lord was going through deep and discouraging trials and his confidence was near breaking-point. One day he went for a walk in the orchard with his little son. The boy wanted to climb an old apple tree, so the father patiently stood below watching him as he ascended. Many of the limbs were dead and some of them began to break under the youngster’s weight. Seeing his son’s plight, the man held up his arms and called, “Jump son, I’ll catch you.” The boy still clung on, then he said, “Shall I let go of everything, Daddy?” “Yes” came the reassuring reply. Without any hesitation the boy jumped and was safely caught in his father’s arms. That is faith!Vima Dasan in ‘His Word Lives’ May we work as though all depends on us and trust knowing it all depends on Him! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] XXVI Sunday of the Year
and the PoorAlbert Schweitzer has been acclaimed the world over as a multiple genius. He was an outstanding philosopher, a reputable theologian, a respected historian, a concert soloist, and a missionary doctor. But the most remarkable thing about him was his deep Christian faith. It was a faith that influenced even the smallest details of his life. At the age of 21, Schweitzer promised himself that he would enjoy art and science until he was 30. Then he would devote the rest of his life to working among the needy in some direct form of service. And so on his 30th birthday, on October 13, 1905, he dropped several letters into a Paris mailbox. They were to his parents and closest friends, informing them that he was going to enroll in the university to get a degree in medicine. After that he was going to Africa to work among the poor as a missionary doctor. The letters created a stir and many berated him and questioned his decision. Nevertheless, Schweitzer stuck to his guns. At the age of 38, he became a full-fledged medical doctor. At the age of 43, he left for Africa where he opened a hospital at the edge of the jungle in what was then called Equatorial Africa. He died there in 1965 at the age of 90. What motivated Albert Schweitzer to turn his back on worldly fame and wealth and work among the poorest of the poor in Africa? He said that one of the influences was his meditation on today’s gospel about the rich man and Lazarus. He said: “It struck me as incomprehensible that I should be allowed to live such a happy life, while so many people around me were wresting with…..suffering.”Mark Link in ‘Sunday Homilies’ Do you care?A man came home from work late and tired. He found his five year-old son waiting for him at the door. ‘Daddy, may I ask you a question?’ ‘Yeah, sure, what is it?’ replied the dad. ‘Daddy, how much money do you make an hour?’ ‘That’s none of your business! What makes you ask such a thing?’ the man said angrily. ‘I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?’ pleaded the little boy. ‘If you must know, I make $20 an hour.’ ‘Oh,’ the little boy sighed, head bowed. Looking up, he asked ‘Daddy, may I borrow $10 please?’ The father was furious. ‘If the only reason you want to know how much I earn an hour is just so you can buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you can march yourself straight to your room, and go to bed. I work hard hours every day, and don’t have time for such childish games.’ The little boy went quietly to his room, and closed the door. The man sat down, and began to get even more annoyed about his son’s attitude. How dare he ask such questions, just to get some money? After an hour or so he calmed down, and began to think that he may have been a little hard on his son. Perhaps there was something his son really needed to buy with that $10, and he really didn’t ask for money very often. The man went to the door of the little boy’s room, and opened it. ‘Are you asleep, son?’ he asked. “No, daddy, I’m awake,’ replied the boy. ‘I’ve been thinking. Maybe I was too hard on you earlier,’ said the man. ‘I’ve had a long day, and I took annoyance out on you. Here’s that $10 you asked for.’ The little lad sat straight upright, beaming. ‘Oh, thank you, daddy!’ he exclaimed. Then, reaching under his pillow, he pulled out some more crumpled notes. The man, seeing the boy already has money, began to get angry again. The boy slowly counted out his money, and then he looked up at his dad. ‘Why did you want more money if you already had some?’ the father demanded. ‘Because I didn’t have enough, but now I do,’ the boy replied. ‘Daddy, I want to give you this $20, if you’ll spend an hour with me.’Jack McArdle in ‘And that’s the Gospel truth!’ May we discover our calling to share with the poor the riches we all have! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] 25th Sunday of the Year
ngs that make the living of life a glorious adventure.P. Fontaine in ‘Quotes and Anecdotes’ Street-wiseJesus went on to point out that the children of this world are more astute in dealing with their own kind of people than are the children of light. That is the point –the only point that Jesus praises. An up-dated but innocent example of the children of this world being enterprising is the department store clerk who had broken all sales records. Modestly disclaiming credit, he explained to his boss, “A customer came in, and I sold him some fishhooks. “You will need a line for those hooks,” I said, and sold him some line. Then I told him, “You have to have a rod to go with the line,” and I sold him a rod. “You aught to have a boat so you can use your new rod in deep water,” I suggested, and sold him a boat. Next I told him, “You’ll need a boat trailer” and he fell for that too. Finally, I said, “How will you pull the trailer without a car? and guess what? He bought my car.” And the boss said, “But I assigned you to the greetings card department.” “That is right,” the salesman nodded. “This customer came to me for a get-well card for his girl, who had a broken hip. When I heard that I said to him, ‘You haven’t got anything to do for six weeks, so you might as well go fishing.’ ”Harold Buetow in ‘God still speaks: Listen!’ An Astute ManagerA few years ago a priest was giving a retreat to inmates in a federal prison in the South. One of the talks dealt with Jesus’ teaching about revenge. Jesus said: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. When someone strikes you on [your] right cheek, turn the other one to him as well.” To illustrate Jesus’ point, the priest told the story of Jackie Robinson, the first black athlete to play in the major leagues. When Branch Rickey signed Jackie to a Dodger contract in 1945, he told him, “You will have to take everything they dish out to you and never strike back.” Rickey was right. On the field, pitchers brushed Jackie back with blazing fastballs, and opposing fans and teams taunted him. Off the field, he was thrown out of hotels and restaurants where the rest of the team stayed and ate. Through it all, Jackie kept his cool. He turned the other cheek. And so did branch manager Rickey, who was abused by people for signing Jackie. The priest ended the story by asking the prisoners this question: “Where do you think black athletes would be today had Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey not turned the other check?” After the talk, a prisoner said to the priest: That’s a nice story, father. But why didn’t you tell the whole story? Why didn’t you tell why Rickey and Robinson turned the other cheek? It wasn’t for love of God. It was for love of money. “Rickey turned the other cheek because if he succeeded, he would make a fortune too.” The priest thought to himself for a minute: “If the prisoner’s right, then he’s just shot my nice little story right out of the water.” But then the priest thought: “Hey! Wait a minute! If the prisoner’s right, then my story makes an even more important point!” It’s the same point Jesus makes in today’s gospel. Jesus says: “The children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.”Mark Link in ‘Sunday Homilies’ May we be as astute for God’s kingdom as we are in acquiring material things! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] Twenty-fourth Sunday of the Year
and faster. Soon the tree will be visible around the bend. But David can’t bring himself to look at it. He’s afraid the white cloth won’t be there. Turning to the man next to him, he says nervously: “Mister will you please do me a favour? Around this bend on the right, you’ll see a tree. Tell me if there’s a white cloth tied to it.” As the train rumbles past the tree, David stares straight ahead. Then in a quaking voice, he asks the man, “Mister, is a white cloth tied to one of the branches of the tree?” The man answers in a surprised tone of voice: “Why, son, there’s a white cloth tied to practically every branch!”Richard Pindell STThere is a story told about two brothers who were convicted of stealing sheep. They were each branded on the forehead with the letters ‘ST’ – Sheep Thief. One brother immediately ran away from the area and attempted to build a new life in a foreign land. Even there, people asked him about the strange letters on his forehead. He wandered restlessly and eventually, unable to bear the stigma, took his own life. The other brother took a different approach. He said to himself, “I can’t run away from the fact that I stole sheep. But I will stay here and win back the respect of my neighbours and villagers.” As the years passed, he built a reputation of integrity for himself. One day, a stranger saw the old man with the letters branded on his forehead. He asked a citizen of the town what the letters stood for. The villager replied, “It happened a great while ago. I’ve forgotten the particulars, but I think the letters are an abbreviation of ‘Saint’.John Rose in ‘John’s Sunday Homilies’ “I almost sold your Son for a quarter”Several years ago, a preacher from out-of-state accepted a call to a church in Houston, Texas. Some weeks after he arrived, he had occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change. As he considered what to do, he said to himself, “You’d better give the quarter dollar back. It would be wrong to keep it.” Then he thought, “Oh, forget it, it’s only a quarter dollar. Who would worry about such a small amount? Anyway, the bus company gets too much as it is; they will never miss it. Accept it as a gift from God and keep quiet.” But when his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door; then handed over the quarter dollar to the driver and said, “Here, you gave me too much change.” The driver smiled and replied, “Aren’t you the new preacher in town?” “Yes” he replied. “Well” said the driver, “I’ve been thinking a lot lately about going somewhere to worship. I just wanted to see what you would do, if I gave you too much change. I’ll see you in Church on Sunday.” When the preacher stepped off the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, held on, and said, “Oh God, I almost sold out your Son for a quarter dollar.”J. Valladares in ‘Your Words, O Lord, Are Spirit, and They Are Life’ May we live in the hope that God always welcomes us and accepts us! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
[Goanet] Twenty-third Sunday of the Year
, but my servant appeared not. Doors were all open, the water was not drawn from the well, and my servant had been out all night. My morning meal was not ready; my clothes were all lying unfolded. As the hours passed by my anger grew, and I devised hard punishment for him. At last he came, late in the morning, and bowed low. I called out angrily: “Go forth from my presence and never see my face again.” He looked at me and remained silent, and then said in a low voice: “My little daughter died last night.” And without another word he went to his daily task.Rabindranath Tagore in ‘Quotes and Anecdotes’ Keeper of the flameSometime ago the Los Angeles Times carried a moving story by reporter Dave Smith. It was about a modern Christian who puts God first in his life, other people second, and himself third. His name is Charlie DeLeo. After returning from Vietnam, he got a job as maintenance man at the Statue of Liberty. Charlie told the reporter that part of his job is to take care of the torch in the statue’s hand and the crown on the statue’s head. He has to make sure that the sodium vapour lights are always working and that the 200 glass windows in the torch and the crown are always clean. Pointing to the torch, Charlie said proudly, “That’s my chapel. I dedicated it to the Lord, and I go up there and meditate on my breaks.” But Charlie does other things for the Lord, as well. He received a commendation from the Red Cross after donating his 65th pint of blood. And since hearing of the work of Mother Teresa in India, he has given over $12,000 to her and to people like her. Charlie told the Los Angeles Times reporter: “I don’t socialize much; don’t have enough money to get married. I don’t keep any of my money. After I got my job, I sponsored six orphans through those children’s organizations.” Charlie ended by telling the reporter that he calls himself the “Keeper of the Flame” of the Statue of Liberty. Later a park guide told the reporter: “Everybody knows Charlie is special. When he first gave himself that title, people smiled. But we all take it seriously now. To us, he’s exactly what he says: ‘Keeper of the Flame.”Mark Link in ‘Sunday Homilies’ Bridge BuildingIn the early 1980’s, two famous bridges had anniversaries. In November of 1982, festivities marked the 25th anniversary of the opening of the Mackinac Bridge in northern Michigan. In May of 1983, there was a celebration to mark the 100th anniversary of the Brooklyn Bridge. Both bridges are regarded as remarkable accomplishments for the particular eras in which they were constructed. The Mackinac Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge stand as monuments to excellence in design, architecture and engineering. By contrast, the Zilwaukee Bridge near Saginaw, Michigan is becoming infamous for faulty design, engineering blunders and excessive cost. If the historical Jesus were with us today, he would probably use the Zilwaukee Bridge to illustrate the first of his twin parables in today’s gospel. Of course, Jesus would not be giving a lecture on bridge-building to us. Instead he would be telling us something about discipleship. The point of the parables in today’s gospel is to make us realize that becoming a disciple of Jesus is not something we do because of a sudden whim or flight of fancy.Albert Cylwicki in ‘His Word Resounds’ May we choose wisely and let God lead us daily in life! Fr. Jude Botelho botelhoj...@gmail.com 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.
