20260725 MATURATION IN FAITH
25 July 2026, Saturday, 16th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
2 Corinthians 4:7-15 |
Such an overwhelming power comes from God and not from us
We are only the earthenware jars that hold this treasure, to make it clear that such an overwhelming power comes from God and not from us. We are in difficulties on all sides, but never cornered; we see no answer to our problems, but never despair; we have been persecuted, but never deserted; knocked down, but never killed; always, wherever we may be, we carry with us in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus, too, may always be seen in our body. Indeed, while we are still alive, we are consigned to our death every day, for the sake of Jesus, so that in our mortal flesh the life of Jesus, too, may be openly shown. So death is at work in us, but life in you.
But as we have the same spirit of faith that is mentioned in scripture – I believed, and therefore I spoke – we too believe and therefore we too speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus to life will raise us with Jesus in our turn, and put us by his side and you with us. You see, all this is for your benefit, so that the more grace is multiplied among people, the more thanksgiving there will be, to the glory of God.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 125(126):1-6 |
Those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap.
When the Lord delivered Zion from bondage,
it seemed like a dream.
Then was our mouth filled with laughter,
on our lips there were songs.
Those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap.
The heathens themselves said: ‘What marvels
the Lord worked for them!’
What marvels the Lord worked for us!
Indeed we were glad.
Those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap.
Deliver us, O Lord, from our bondage
as streams in dry land.
Those who are sowing in tears
will sing when they reap.
Those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap.
They go out, they go out, full of tears,
carrying seed for the sowing:
they come back, they come back, full of song,
carrying their sheaves.
Those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Jn15:16 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I chose you from the world
to go out and bear fruit,
fruit that will last,
says the Lord.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 20:20-28 |
'Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?'
The mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons to make a request of him, and bowed low; and he said to her, ‘What is it you want?’ She said to him, ‘Promise that these two sons of mine may sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your kingdom.’ ‘You do not know what you are asking’ Jesus answered. ‘Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?’ They replied, ‘We can.’ ‘Very well,’ he said ‘you shall drink my cup, but as for seats at my right hand and my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been allotted by my Father.’
When the other ten heard this they were indignant with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that among the pagans the rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt. This is not to happen among you. No; anyone who wants to be great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’
MATURATION IN FAITH
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 COR 4:7-15; MT 20:20-28]
Very often, we are impatient with ourselves and even more impatient with others in their growth toward emotional, intellectual, or spiritual maturity. We feel that we are not good enough. We are, as St. Paul says, “earthenware jars.” We are weak in so many ways: slow to understand and ignorant of what is truly good for us. We are short-sighted, worldly in our thinking, selfish in our outlook, and ambitious for ourselves. We often lack genuine love for others — or even for God. We tend to love only when we expect love in return; our love and service are not so altruistic after all.
This was certainly the case with James and John in the Gospel. They were ambitious and insensitive to Jesus’ feelings. He had just prophesied His imminent suffering and death as He was on His way to Jerusalem. He took the Twelve aside and said, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified; and on the third day he will be raised.” (Mt 20:18-19). Ironically, it took the two blind men in the very next pericope to confess their faith in Jesus as the Lord, Son of David! (cf. Mt 20:29-31).
Their ambitions blinded them to Jesus’ needs. They were more concerned with what they would gain by standing up for Him, thinking purely in terms of glory, honour, and power. They could not truly hear Jesus when He asked, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?” Without considering the implications of their answer, they replied with foolish confidence, “We can.” Indeed, our ambition and desires often blind us to the true commitments required of us. Many a person takes on a massive responsibility simply because it pays well and offers prestige, without considering the toll it will take on them and their family. Many men and women engage in physical intimacy without a genuine commitment of love, only to discover later that the woman is pregnant or that the man is already married.
When we look at the life of St. James, he was naturally impulsive. On one occasion, when a Samaritan village refused to welcome Jesus, James and John asked, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But He turned and rebuked them (Lk 9:54-55). This is hardly surprising, as the two brothers shared the same impetuous and ambitious nature — consumed as they were with pride and self-righteousness.
Yet, the most surprising and gracious truth about Jesus is that He meets us right where we are. He does not expect us to immediately be where He wants us to be on His timeline; He waits patiently for His apostles to mature in faith. He did not condemn them for their spiritual immaturity, selfishness, or inward focus, nor did He write them off or dismiss them. Instead, He continued to guide them gently: “You know that among the Gentiles the rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt. This is not to happen among you. No; anyone who wants to be great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” In fact, the ones who were most disgusted with James and John were the other ten apostles — they were indignant with the two brothers. The truth is that James and John were not the only ones serving the Lord for the wrong reasons; the rest lacked noble motives as well.
It takes time for us to come to our senses — like the Prodigal Son and come to terms with who we are. Rather than pretending to be what we are not or remaining blind to our weaknesses, we should simply acknowledge and accept them. We are all earthenware jars, and this realisation must be the starting point of spiritual growth. Unless we acknowledge our weakness, we cannot become strong. As St. Paul wrote, “Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’ So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor 12:8-10). Hence, we should not be overly impatient with ourselves or with others in their journey. No one becomes a saint overnight.
This is what St. Paul meant when he wrote, “Indeed, while we are still alive, we are consigned to our death every day, for the sake of Jesus, so that in our mortal flesh the life of Jesus, too, may be openly shown. So death is at work in us, but life in you.” We must continue to die to ourselves more and more each day so that God’s grace and power may shine through us. This was true for Jesus: without His death, there would be no resurrection! “Indeed, we too believe, and therefore we too speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus to life will raise us with Jesus in our turn, and put us by his side and you with us. You see, all this is for your benefit, so that the more grace is multiplied among people, the more thanksgiving there will be, to the glory of God.”
When we recognise this, we realise that true greatness lies not in our own strength, but in allowing God’s grace to work in and through us. We are called to cooperate with His grace and love. As St. Paul wrote, “We are only the earthenware jars that hold this treasure, to make it clear that such an overwhelming power comes from God and not from us. We are in difficulties on all sides, but never cornered; we see no answer to our problems, but never despair; we have been persecuted, but never deserted; knocked down, but never killed; always wherever we may be, we carry with us in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus, too, may always be seen in our body.”
Looking back on our lives, we often wonder how we arrived at where we are today. We have faced many challenges — times when we thought we wouldn’t survive or make it through, yet we did. We all operated under disadvantages and constraints. But miraculously, through those challenges, we have become stronger, wiser, more resilient, and more self-aware. Our faith has grown because we know that without God’s grace, we would not have made it. We become more humble and grateful for His blessings, learning not to despise those who are weak, slow, or ignorant, but to support them in their growth with patience and love.
As we celebrate the Feast of St. James, we see how the grace of Christ transformed him over time. Instead of seeking earthly glory and power, he endured shame for Christ; instead of chasing honours, he embraced martyrdom. He became the first among the apostles to lay down his life for the Lord. Historical tradition tells us that during the reign of King Herod Agrippa in the 40s AD, James — as a pillar of the Jerusalem church — was beheaded. He died for Christ, truly drinking the cup he once claimed he could drink. When he first made that pledge, he did not understand its full weight. But when the time came to profess his ultimate love and faith, he was given the strength to prove his fidelity unto death.
We, too, must remain patient, knowing that God’s grace is continually at work within us. We are dying to ourselves little by little each day — some faster, some slower, but all by God’s grace. Let us thank God if we are able to yield more of ourselves to Him and share in His life and love. And for those parts of us that still struggle, let us remain humble, accept our limitations, and ask for His mercy. In His perfect time, He will work wonders for us, just as He did for the Israelites.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
