20140728 BEING ROOTED IN CHRIST FOR OUR
MISSION
Reading 1, Jeremiah 13:1-11
1 Yahweh said this to me, 'Go and buy a linen waistcloth
and put it round your waist. But do not dip it in water.'
4 'Take the waistcloth that you have bought and are
wearing round your waist. Up, go to the Euphrates and hide it there in a hole
in the rock.'
6 A long time later, Yahweh said to
me, 'Up, go to the Euphrates and fetch the waistcloth I ordered you to hide
there.'
7 So I went to the Euphrates, and I searched, and I took
the waistcloth from the place where I had hidden it. And there was the
waistcloth ruined, no use for anything.
9 'Yahweh says this, "In the same way I shall ruin
the pride of Judah,
the immense pride of
Jerusalem.
10 This evil people,
these people who refuse to listen to my words, who follow their own stubborn
inclinations and run after other gods, serving and worshipping them -- this
people will become like
this waistcloth, no good for
anything.
11 For just as a waistcloth clings to a man's waist, so I
made the whole House of Israel and the whole House of Judah cling to me, Yahweh declares,
to be my people, my glory, my honour and my
pride. But they have not listened."
Responsorial Psalm, Deuteronomy 32:18-19, 20, 21
19 Yahweh saw it and, in anger, he spurned his sons and
daughters.
20 'I shall hide my face from them,' he said, 'and see
what will become of
them. For they are a deceitful brood, children with no loyalty in them.
21 They have roused me to jealousy with a
non-god, they have exasperated me with their idols. In my turn I shall rouse
them to jealousy with a
non-people, I shall exasperate them with a stupid nation.
Gospel, Matthew 13:31-35
31 He put another parable before them, 'The kingdom of Heaven is like a
mustard seed which a man took and
sowed in his field.
32 It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has
grown it is the biggest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the
air can come and shelter in its branches.'
33 He told them another parable, 'The kingdom of Heaven is like
the yeast a woman took and
mixed in with three measures of flour till it was leavened all through.'
34 In all this Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables;
indeed, he would never speak to them except in parables.
35 This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet: I will speak to
you in parables, unfold what has been hidden since the foundation of
the world.
BEING ROOTED IN CHRIST FOR OUR MISSION
Today’s scripture readings
call to mind our Christian ministry.
As members of the royal priesthood, we all have a responsibility to exercise
our threefold office of priest, prophet and king through our various callings,
be it in the secular world or as lay ministers and collaborators in the
Church. Just as the tree benefits the birds and the yeast benefits the
flour, so too, we should use our different talents and influence for the
service of the Kingdom of God. Like the tree in today’s parable, we are
called to be the arbor for those in need of shelter from life’s vicissitudes.
Many are hungry, lost and alone in their sufferings and pain. They need
us to help them find refuge and strength.
We
are called to be a transformative agent in society, like the yeast of today’s
gospel. We are called to be a light to the world, leading people to truth
and the fullness of life. We are called to bring out the best in this
world. But how seriously do we take this mission? How well do we
use our positions of influence and authority to make this world a better place
for humanity? Where do we draw our strength to exercise our mission if
not from Christ alone?
The parables in today’s
gospel remind us that the kingdom of
God is brought about through the grace of Christ operating in our lives.
He is the one that gives grace to the mustard seed to grow into a shrub and
then a tree. He is the agent that can transform society. That is
why Prophet Jeremiah invites us to examine
our relationship with the Lord. If we are not effective in our
mission, it is because we are trying to build our ministry without a deep
relationship with the Lord. This was what happened in today’s first
reading. The Israelites were proud and arrogant. Instead of
trusting in God, they trusted in their might and military strength. Yet,
Prophet Jeremiah reminds us that we must cling to the Lord like a loin-cloth or
a waist-belt. Unless we cling to the Lord, who wants to be close to us,
like a belt which we wear to hold up our trousers, we cannot withstand the
struggles and difficulties facing our ministry.
The
loincloth too is a symbol of our dignity, for when we were baptized we were clothed with the white garment
symbolizing our dignity as sons and daughters of God. Without the baptismal garment, we were nobodynobodies.
Hence, we must ask ourselves whether we are conscious of the dignity of our calling. If we do, then we
must ask ourselves whether we have kept our loincloth somewhere, letting it
rot. In other words, what is our relationship with the Lord? Is
that relationship rotting or being strengthened? Have we deepened our
love for the Lord? Have we become more Christ-like over the years since we had
been baptized?
One good gauge of whether
we love the Lord is to analyze our time
management. We say we love God. How much time do we spend
with Him consciously in relationship and in proper time? If we find our
time mostly devoted to other things, then that large portion of time indicates
where our treasure and heart really are. Another way of course is to
examine our relationship with others. Have we grown in love, compassion,
patience and generosity? True faith in Christ must be expressed in charity
for our neighbors.
If we find ourselves still
far from living a life of Christian perfection, we must not be discouraged,
especially if we find ourselves still very attached to the things of this
world. Rather, we must also be humble enough to accept our inadequacy and
limitations in love. Loving ourselves for who we are just as the Lord
loves us in our sinfulness is a necessary predisposition to grow in the love of
God and others. If we cannot love ourselves, we will not be able to love
God and ourselves in them. Like the mustard seed and the yeast, it tells
us that a small beginning will make a
big ending, so long as we cooperate with the grace of God. Indeed,
God’s kingdom starts from the smallest beginnings in the hearts of those who
are receptive to His word. And it works unseen in us and causes a
transformation from within. Yes, if we yield ourselves to the
transforming power of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, God will give us the
strength to live up to our calling.
But we must begin to take
our spiritual life seriously. We must
make our resolution to begin now. We can no longer wait, certainly
not until when we are on our deathbed. It will be too late by then to find
ourselves ready to accept Christ and His judgment. Of course
holiness is dependent on the grace of God ultimately. But we must
cooperate with His grace by striving and working hard for the building of God’s
kingdom, beginning with our own personal lives.
Indeed, for those of us in
ministry or in positions of influence and authority, we can cause great misery
to those under our care if we fail or misuse the gifts and talents God has
given to us to help build up the kingdom. Our mediocrity will make us
lose our vision and enthusiasm. Indeed, the responsorial psalm warns us
not to forget the God who fathered us because if we ignore the Lord, He will
hide His face from us. When that happens, we will destroy
ourselves. If our spiritual, intellectual and community life is not
strengthened now, we will not be able to do great things for the Lord. We
need to grow in holiness and intimacy with the Lord. Let us cooperate
with the grace of God if not for our sakes, at least for those whom we have
been given the responsibility to serve. Losing our peace and salvation is
awful, but to be responsible for causing those entrusted to our care to lose
their salvation is an even greater sin.
WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV
WILLIAM GOH
ARCHBISHOP OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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