Pages

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Daily Reflections - December 5,2012


Parasite or Pelican
 
It was the morning after Christmas and two boys were conversing about the gifts they received on Christmas day. The first one proudly announced, “As Christmas gift, my big brother gave me a bicycle.” Amazed, the second  boy wondered aloud, “Wow, how I wish…” “That you got a bicycle too?” the first one interrupted. “No,” he continued, “how I wish I could give a bicycle to my brother, too.”
A pelican is a species of a bird that is known to be a self-sacrificing animal. Mythic stories abound that with their long pointed bills, they would wound their breasts and feed their young with their own blood until they die of blood loss. (How different it is today when it is the young who lose their blood for the sake of the mothers in the name of “choice.” I believe the pro-choice philosophy can learn a lot from the pelican).
This is the reason why the early Christians associated the pelican with the symbol of Christ Himself (a big capital P with a cross at the base), whose self-emptying sacrifice won for humanity the fullness of life.
In today’s Gospel Jesus teaches the multitude, then feeds them by the miraculous multiplication of the loaves. This prefigures the ultimate self-giving that Jesus will make of Himself – “this is my body…this is my blood” for the salvation of humanity. Jesus is the divine pelican who feeds the young with His very self, which is what we commemorate at every Eucharistic celebration. Ironically, the people of Jesus’ time acted more like parasites, following Jesus wherever He went, not because of His teaching but because of a free meal, prompting Jesus to confront them saying, “I tell you truly, you are looking for Me not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the bread and had your fill” (John 6:25).
As we draw nearer to the Christmas mystery, what part of you becomes more operative – the parasite or the pelican? May we all summon the pelican in us and allow it to soar and bring us all up to the heavenly heights. Fr. Joel Jason
 
REFLECTION QUESTION: If you were to complete the sentence, “Wow, how I wish…” what would it be? That “I received a bicycle” or “that I can give a bicycle”?
 
Lord Jesus, as I receive You in the Eucharist, give me a share in Your mission, “This is my body, given for you.” Amen.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Interesting Blogs