3-Nov-2013
Dear Friend
From time to time there arise prophets of doom who predict the day the world will end! These prophets are not popular or credible as no one wants to hear bad news. Prophecies that the world is about to end have never been part of mainstream Catholic thought. We live between the times, not in anticipation of the end of time. For believers, natural disasters or acts of terrorism should be a summons to faith and hope. The call of faith is: "Be not afraid! Your perseverance will save you!" Have a faith-reassuring weekend! Fr. Jude
Sunday Reflections: 33rd Sunday 'Be not worried about the end of the world! Your perseverance will save you!' 17-Nov-2013
2 Malachi 3:19-20 2 Thessalonians 3: 7 -12 Luke 21:5-19
The community during prophet Malachi's time found it difficult to distinguish right from wrong anymore, since the faithless seemed to prosper and the faithful made to suffer more. Their frustration led them to wonder whether serving God was worthwhile. Malachi insists that evildoers will be punished on the Day of the Lord and the just will be the special possession of the Lord. Their names will be written in the Book of remembrance. The righteous could look forward to vindication, healing, and the warmth of God's faithful love towards them. The just need to hold on and persevere in their faith, for God's justice will triumph and vindicate them.
Are you brave enough?
There is a moving incident in the life of St. Anthony, who, for the love of God, went and stayed in the desert. Far from the maddening crowds of men, he lived a life in communion with God. Yet he was not free from trials. One day he had to undergo intense suffering. When he emerged from his trials, he said to God, "Ah, Beloved God, where wert Thou when I was in great distress?" He heard the voice of God say, "My child, I was with you all the time, even as I am with you now! I wanted to see how brave you were!"
J.P. Vaswani in '101 Stories for You and Me'
In today's gospel Luke handles two themes: one is historical -the destruction of Jerusalem and the victory of the gospel. The other is the end of the age and the coming of the Son of man. Our reading is concerned with the prediction of the destruction of the temple and the situation of Christians in a time of trial. While the splendid temple is doomed, Jesus distinguishes this event from the end of the world: the fall of Jerusalem will not mark the End. The language consciously echoes traditional Old Testament images of disaster and could well be applied to the destruction of Jerusalem seen as a divine intervention and as a prefiguring of the persecution they must face. Jesus warns that his followers are going to be mistreated and persecuted. But this must be an opportunity to bear witness to the Lord's teaching. Luke looks at things from the point of view of victims of persecution. We are assured that the Lord will assist his witnesses at that moment to enable them to resist and contradict their adversaries. The Lord will give them the necessary eloquence and wisdom to confront their opponents' accusations. However, among those who oppose Jesus' followers there will be people who were very close to them, thus making the situation even more painful. The call is to be faithful and persevere in trusting the Lord, and those who hold on will be saved.
The Temple destroyed
Jesus made a prediction of the destruction of the Temple, which to the ordinary Jew must have seemed impossible and unthinkable. This was no ordinary building. The temple symbolized the entire Jewish system of worship. The Jerusalem temple had a long history of building, destruction and re-building. The first temple was built by King Solomon, and it was destroyed by the Babylonians. The Second temple was built by Cyrus the Great and it was desecrated by Antiochus Epiphanes. Then it was renovated by Herod the Great, but later it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. during the siege of Jerusalem. A million people were killed or died by starvation during the siege. The temple was burned to the ground. Thus Jesus' prophesy came true to the letter. (After the Muslim conquest of Jerusalem in the 7th Century, an Islamic shrine was built on the site of the temple. This shrine, along with the entire Old City of Jerusalem, was recaptured by Jewish forces in 1967 during the Six-Day War. Israel officially annexed East Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount, in 1980 under the Jerusalem Law.) - Human achievements can be fragile. It is not only a question of buildings, but also of empires and kingdoms. This temple building reduced to dust and rubble is a reminder that God does not dwell is structures of stone, wood and costly adornment. Our mortal bodies too will be reduced to dust and rubble, a reminder that God does not dwell in a cosmetically-enhanced human body. But Jesus says that the holiest of temples will last forever. What is it? It is the human heart, which is God's chosen earthly dwelling place. Therefore we must re-focus our attention on what is good for the soul. Let us focus on love, friendship and peace. Their fruits will endure forever.
John Pichappilly in 'The Table of the Lord'
Witnessing in a time of confusion and uncertainty
Anne frank was a teenage Jewish girl who lived in Amsterdam during the early years of World War II. When the Germans began rounding up all the Jews, she and her family went into hiding. For two long years, seven of them lived in the attic of their home, haunted by the constant fear of detection. So it was anything but a normal existence of the young teenage and her terrified family. During that time, Anne frank kept her famous diary, which her father found only after the war had ended. In it the young girl frankly expressed her thoughts and feelings with a maturity way beyond her years. So inspiring was that diary that it has been translated into many languages and continues to inspire people of all ages even today, almost sixty years after it was written. In one remarkably passage, Anne Frank says: "It's twice as hard for us young people to hold our ground, in a time when all ideals are being shattered and destroyed, when people are showing their worst side, and do not know whether to believe in truth and right and God. It's really a wonder that I haven't dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are good at heart. I see the world being turned into a wilderness; I hear the ever-approaching thunder, which will destroy us too; I can feel the suffering of millions and yet, if I look up into the heavens, I think it will all come right, that this cruelty will end, and that peace and tranquility will return again." In spite of her hope and optimism, poor Anne did not live to see her dream fulfilled. In 1944, she and her family were found, arrested, and imprisoned in the horrific Berge-Belsen Concentration Camp, where the Jews were exterminated and where she eventually died. What sustained Anne Frank during her ordeal was her faith in God and in humanity. - Living an authentically Christian life today certainly poses a tough challenge; but of one thing we are absolutely assured, and that is our victory through our faith in and our commitment to Christ Jesus. In the words of the famous freedom-fighter Alexander Solzhenitsyn, "A person without fear is no hero; the person who overcomes fear is."
James Valladares in "Your words, O Lord, Are Spirit, and They Are Life"
"The hypocrites are gone now. You may begin the service."
The 2000-member church was filled to overflowing capacity one Sunday morning. The preacher was ready to start the sermon when two men, dressed in long black coats and black hats, entered via the rear of the Church. One of the two men walked to the middle of the Church while the other stayed at the back of the church. They both then reached under their coats and withdrew automatic weapons. The one in the middle announced, "Everyone willing to take a bullet for Jesus stay in your seat!" Naturally, the pews emptied, followed by the choir loft. The deacons ran out of the door too. After a few moments, there were about 20 people left sitting in the church. The preacher was holding steady in the pulpit. The men put their weapons away and said, gently to the preacher, "All right, pastor, the hypocrites are gone now. You may begin the service." -We should not be so anxious about when the world will end but rather should concern ourselves with the preparation needed for the end of our own individual life. Can we be faithful no matter what??
Tomi Thomas in "Spice up your homilies"
The Decay of the best is the worst
Joseph Stalin was the most ruthless dictator of the former Soviet Union. He was the General Secretary of the Communist Party from 1922 to 1953. In 1928, he launched a series of five-year plans for the rapid industrialization and enforced collectivization of agriculture. As a result more than ten million farmers were killed. He ruthlessly murdered hundreds and hundreds of the intellectuals who opposed him. He, in fact, had murdered more men than that manic Hitler. But the surprising thing is that Stalin as a teenager had joined the seminary to become a priest. He was expelled from it because of his revolutionary ideas. A noble desire went awfully wrong. A man who desired to save souls became a monster who ruthlessly murdered people in millions. The decay of the best is always the worst. -In today's gospel, Jesus foretells the utter ruin and destruction of Jerusalem. Upon the Lord's visitation, the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the temple authorities rejected Him, and consequently destruction visited them. Today, let us look at the great beauty of the temple, and also consider its ruin and the cause of it.
John Rose in 'John's Sunday Homilies'
May we hold on to our faith when we are put to the test! Our victory is in Him!
Fr. Jude Botelho
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.
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