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Dear Friend, When confronted
with violence, political instability or natural calamities we often think
that the end has come and we fear the worst possible consequences. We worry
about: ‘What will happen if…..’ What will I do if I lose my job, my
possessions, my family?’ ‘What if I am caught up in an accident?’ We can be
paralyzed by fear. The Christian is challenged to carry on living in spite of
all that may happen. God is always near and we need not worry or fear his
coming. Have a ‘worry-free’ God-filled weekend! Fr. Jude Botelho |
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The day of the Lord came when Jesus came; it
will come again when he returns at the end of time; it comes today each time
grace visits us. God is always coming into our lives and His coming passes
judgement upon us. Just as in the light we see ourselves and others more clearly,
so in the presence of God we are exposed and the darkness in us is revealed.
His coming is cleansing and brings healing. Only when we open ourselves to
God and to others do we discover our true selves. God and sin are
incompatible, the prophet predicts that God will visit his people and when he
comes he will destroy sin, and sinners will be punished, but the just will
have no cause to fear the coming of the Lord. Expectation of the coming
of the Lord had some people from Thessalonica abandoning their work and
spending time in laziness and idleness. We can pass on the burden of our duty
and responsibility to God in the name of religion. Paul reminds his readers
that they are not to await the return of the Lord in anxiety and idleness.
Paul says that the proper way to prepare ourselves for the last times is to
work conscientiously at our daily tasks, following the example of Paul
himself. What’s your work? In today’s gospel Jesus wishes to remind us that catastrophic
happenings are not to be seen too quickly as signs that the world is ending.
In Luke Gospel the destruction predicted is the destruction of the temple and
the destruction of Jerusalem. The disciples of Jesus were proud of their
temple which had been reconstructed by the emperor. But its beauty would be
short-lived as Israel’s enemies sort to destroy the temple. But this gave
rise to many false Messiahs who offered all kinds of false assurances and
proclaimed themselves as the redeemers of Israel. The temptation of the
Israelites was to believe in false promises or to resign themselves to their
fate. Jesus warns his disciples that to faithful to God would entail persecution
and endurance. In their trials they would need patience and fortitude. The
time of the Church is not a time of calculations but a time for perseverance
in the faith. Jesus does not give his disciples false security, nor does he
promise an easy discipleship. Suffering and persecution from the least
expected persons, from one’s own relatives and friends and fellow religious
people can be the toughest type of suffering. Our security is not based on
people, even our own, but only on God. In spite of all that can happen, the
faithful Christian will be assured of victory. “Stand erect, hold your head
high, because your liberation is near at hand.” Perseverance will
win us our lives One morning a couple of cowpunchers went out to bring in a wild steer
from their range in the mountains. They took along one of those shaggy little
grey donkeys – a burro. Now a big three-year old steer that had been running
loose in the timber is a rough customer to handle. But these cowpunchers had
a technique. They got a rope on the steer and then tied him neck to neck,
right up close, to the burro. When they let go the burro had a bad time. The
steer threw him all over the place –against trees, over rocks, into bushes.
Time after time they both went down. But there was one great difference
between the burro and the steer. The burro had an idea. He wanted to go home.
And no matter how often the steer threw him, every time the burro got to his
feet he wound up a step nearer the corral. As the cowpunchers left, this was
going on and on. After about a week the burro showed up at the ranch
headquarters. He had with him the tamest, sorriest looking steer you ever
saw. – Benjamin Franklyn once observed: “The noblest question in the world
is, “What good may I do in it?” To do anything good, it is necessary to
patiently endure reverses, and to persevere in loyalty to Christian values. Harold Buetow in ‘God Still Speaks: Listen!’ “An obsession with the end of the world, accompanied with a cosmic upheaval and all sorts of disasters, is not at all strange in our day. We all know of the danger of a nuclear catastrophe. These dramatic happenings have been the theme of many books and films, as if the end of the world is upon us! And there are always false Messiahs. St. Luke was aware of the danger to the faithful posed by imposters announcing the immediate return of Christ. Consequently, more than Mark and Matthew he seeks to distinguish the different warnings. There is no connection between the destruction of the temple and the end of the world. The ruin of Jerusalem has not meant the close of the ages: this may well be a long way off. On the other hand, before the scenes of catastrophes which will really precede the end of time, the disciples must know that they will be much persecuted. These persecutions having been overcome by faith will serve as a guarantee of salvation. St. Paul opportunely brings us back to what is happening today, ‘before all this’ to our today. Even if much seems to be crumbling, we should not seek to escape from the present: the end of the world is not the end of the world. What counts is to stand firm in the Lord no matter what happens. In this way we shall not be deceived!” - Glenstal Bible Missal Film –Far East Morgan Keefe is an expatriate proprietor of the Koala Klub,
one of the sleazy strip joints that existed in Manila during the 1970s after
the Vietnam War. Into his club, of all the clubs in the world, comes Jo, whom
he loved many years before. She is now the wife of Peter, a prominent
Australian journalist who had come to Manila to report on social and
political issues. Peter wants to make contact with trade unions and a church
worker, Rosita so that he can get full and accurate stories of life in
Marcos-era Philippines. Rosita and the journalist are kidnapped by government
agents and tortured. Jo presumes on her past love for Morgan to use his
influence to free her husband. This requires Morgan to confront the criminal
element in Manila and risk losing his club. The situation is dangerous and he
succeeds in helping Jo and her husband leave Manila secretly at night by
boat. Rosita however, decides she must stay in the country to work for people
in need. As she flees government agents across the rooftops with Morgan’s
partner, Morgan is shot and killed while trying to save them. -Far East shows
the slums, criminals, terrorists, police, and military of Manila and other
cities like it is: ugly, abusive and exploitative. It challenges the values
of the three expatriate Australians, none of whom is without fault. The
character of Rosita focuses on the theme of the gospel. She suffers and is
then offered the opportunity to escape to Australia, where it is said that
she can do good work by exposing injustice. She chooses to stay with her
people and to give witness with her life. Peter Malone in ‘Lights Camera… Faith’ May we believe persevere in faith when put to the test! Fr. Jude
Botelho |
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Recent
Sunday Reflections Thirty-Second Sunday of the Year 11-Nov. 2007 Thirty-First Sunday of the Year 04-Nov. 2007 Thirtieth Sunday of the Year 28-Oct. 2007 Twenty-Nineth
Sunday of the Year 21-Oct. 2007 Twenty-Eight
Sunday of the Year 14-Oct. 2007 Twenty-Seventh
Sunday of the Year 07-Oct. 2007 Twenty-Sixth Sunday of the Year 30-Sept. 2007
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