29 Sunday B: Not where you sit, but how you serve

Fr. Jude Botelho:

Today's first reading from the fourth servant song of the prophet Isaiah portrays the picture of the just man, the Suffering Servant of Yahweh, who is ready to carry the burden of others and endure pain and hardship for others' sake. The Suffering Servant ideal placed before us is the challenge put to all people who claim to be disciples of the Master. Our idea of discipleship is one of privilege, one of power, one of influence, one of being close to the decision maker. God's idea of leadership is one who is ready to bear the burden of others, one who can take responsibility not only for his own deeds but the deeds of others as well, and to do so without complaint. Instead of playing the boss, instead of claiming 'I am the head so you have to do as I say!' can I be the leader who shoulders the burdens of others?

Mission Sunday - Oct 21, 2018

During the American Revolution, a man in civilian clothes rode past a group of soldiers who were busy pulling out a horse carriage stuck in deep mud. Their officer was shouting instructions to them while making no attempt to help. The stranger who witnessed the scene asked the officer why he wasn't helping. With great dignity, the officer replied, "Sir, I am a Corporal!" The stranger dismounted from his horse and proceeded to help the exhausted soldiers himself.

28 Sunday B: Discipleship: Sell, Give and Come

  

27 Sunday B - Marriage

FROM FR. JUDE BOTELHO:

The first reading speaks to us of love – God’s love for his creation, his people, his very own. He does not create and leave them to manage on their own. God is constantly involved in our life! “It is not good that man should be alone. I will make him a helpmate.” We have been made to be people who need people. It is part of our nature to be in relationship with one another, to be people who live in love, people who live in community, in a family, in togetherness. We are made for one another, made from one another. The description of woman being created from man’s rib is symbolic. She is not created from his foot to be controlled, she is not created from his head to dominate him but from close to his heart, always needed, always to be cared for.

25 Sunday B: Who's the Greatest?

From Fr. Jude Botelho

Dear Friend,

Mohamed Ali, the one-time heavy weight champion would often boast, "I am the greatest!", and people believed he was. We may not openly claim to be the greatest in any particular field but deep down we like to feel that we are on the top, we belong to the elite, second to none. We all play the power game in one way or another and much of our behaviour is aimed at asserting: "I am No.1!" For that matter, who is the greatest in the Kingdom of God? Is my life running on man-power or God's power? May His word challenge us to be powerless in His Kingdom. 

24 Sunday B - You are the Christ

From Fr. Jude Botelho:

If your non Catholic friend /colleague asked you a blunt question: “Who or what does Jesus mean to you?” What would your answer be? A prophet? An inspiring person? A miracle worker? A great personality? Is that it? Or is Jesus more than that for you? It is easy to give book answers, or second-hand answers. Is my life in any way dependent on Jesus or influenced by Jesus?? Have a quiet weekend reflecting on whether Jesus makes any difference in my daily Life.

23 Sunday B: Ephphatha - Be Opened

1. FR. JUDE BOTELHO

We have come to associate the good news of salvation with something that is going to take place in the distant future, as something purely spiritual. But Scripture pictures salvation in more realistic and physical terms. In today's first reading Isaiah reminds the people that God will save them and they will experience tangible signs of his power and loving care for them. The message of the prophet is loud and clear to all who believe in God. We may be living in difficult times, we may be faced with uncertainty. What is God saying to us? His promise is not something for the distant future but will be realized right now. He is coming to save us and He will give us signs of his presence. Are we open to His touch? Can we believe that His hand is there in all that is happening to us today? "Be open!"