20140709 CONSTANTLY SEEK THE FACE OF THE LORD
Reading 1, Hosea 10:1-3, 7-8, 12
1 Israel was a luxuriant vine yielding plenty of fruit.
The more his fruit increased, the more altars he built; the richer his land
became, the richer he made the sacred pillars.
2 Theirs is a divided heart; now they will have to pay
for it. He himself will hack down
their altars and wreck their sacred pillars.
3 Then they will say, 'We
have no king because we have not feared Yahweh, but what could the king do for
us?'
7 Samaria has had her day. Her king is like a straw
drifting on the water.
8 The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, will be
destroyed; thorns and thistles will grow over
their altars. Then they will say to the
mountains, 'Cover us!' and to the hills, 'Fall on us!'
12 Sow saving justice for
yourselves, reap a harvest of faithful love; break up your fallow ground: it is
time to seek out
Yahweh until he
comes to rain saving justice down on
you.
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 105:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
2 Sing to him, make music for him, recount all his wonders!
5 Remember the marvels he has done, his wonders, the
judgements he has spoken.
Gospel, Matthew 10:1-7
1 He summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority
over unclean spirits with power to drive them out and to cure all kinds of
disease and all kinds of illness.
2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon
who is known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James the son of Zebedee, and his brother
John;
3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;
4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who was also his
betrayer.
5 These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them as follows:
'Do not make your way to gentile territory, and do not enter any Samaritan
town;
6 go instead to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.
Scripture
Reflection
CONSTANTLY SEEK THE FACE OF THE LORD
We
are called like the
apostles by Christ to share in His ministry. We are all
different, like those chosen to be His apostles. God call us in our own
ways to spread the Good News. He said, “And as you go, proclaim
that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.” The Good News is
essentially a gospel of mercy and compassion. And as Pope Francis tells
us, a gospel of joy. It is good news and joy because we are given the
power to heal and to deliver the people from evil. “Jesus summoned
his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power
to cast them out and to cure all kinds of diseases and sickness.”
However,
it is important to take note that we are reminded to begin with our own
house. “These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them as follows: ‘Do
not turn your steps to pagan territory, and do not enter any Samaritan town; go
rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.’” Why did Jesus tell His
apostles to focus on the House of Israel? It is not because He did not
come for the Gentiles. It was simply a question of strategy.
Israel was chosen to be a sign for others. But they could not go out on
mission unless they themselves had received the Good News.
Indeed,
there is a need to be focused in the way we do mission. There is a need
to be formed ourselves before we can be ready to go out to the world. The
great mistake of us Catholics is that many of us have not yet been touched by
the Good News radically before we begin serving or reaching out. Most of
us who are active church members in ministry are not yet discipled but we are
already serving. As a result, we become disillusioned in ministry when we
meet difficulties and challenges. Some of us get hurt easily or burnt out
by the demands of the ministry. How could we go out to the battleground
when we are untrained and unskilled? We cannot go out to the world
unless we are empowered and strengthened. The church is called to be a sign for
the world.. But no evangelizatioen can take place unless we are well grounded
in our faith and in personal relationship with the Lord.
Thus
the advice of the Lord is timely. He said, “Go rather to the lost sheep
of the House of Israel.“ This house refers to the need to minister to
our own Catholics, especially the leaders. It also refers to our own
individual relationship with Him. We must avoid the temptation of Israel
to be self-sufficient and get carried away by their wealth and success. “Israel
was a luxuriant vine yielding plenty of fruit. The more his fruit increased,
the more altars he built; the richer his land became, the richer he made the
sacred stones.” They abandoned God, their king. They wanted to rule
their own lives without God. The prophet warned them of the disaster and
punishment ahead. “Their divided heart; very well, they must pay for it;
the Lord is going to break their altars down and destroy their sacred
stones.” We too can be too focused success. We could be that apostle who
betrayed Jesus if we do not take care of ourselves. To avoid such a disaster we
must take care of our house. Charity begins at home even if it does
not end there.
We are
exhorted to follow the psalmist’s invitation, “Constantly seek the face of
the Lord. Consider the Lord and his strength; constantly seek his
face.” To seek His face in prayer is to recall our privilege of being chosen
and His power that is given to us to heal and deliver those from their bondages.
To serve the Lord and be given the gifts is a great privilege. At the
same time, we are reminded to “Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles,
the judgements he spoke.” Indeed, in gratitude for His love and His work
in and through us, we cannot but be filled with joy and confidence.
Finally to seek His face is to pursue a life of integrity. We must seek
to put our own lives in order and our priorities. We need to be holy if
we want to serve the Lord. “Sow integrity for yourselves, reap a
harvest of kindness, break up your fallow ground.” Indeed, deep and
fervent prayer, especially intercessory prayer, is needed to be fruitful in
ministry. The prophet encourages us, “It is time to go seeking the Lord
until he comes to rain salvation on you.”
WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV WILLIAM GOH
ARCHBISHOP OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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