20140817 CONVERSION AND RENEWAL BEFORE MISSION
Reading 1, Isaiah 56:1, 6-7
1 Thus says Yahweh: Make fair judgement your concern, act
with justice, for soon my salvation will come and my
saving justice be
manifest.
6 As for foreigners who adhere to Yahweh to serve
him, to love Yahweh's name and become his servants, all who observe the
Sabbath, not profaning it, and cling to my covenant:
7 these I shall lead to my holy mountain and make them
joyful in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and
sacrifices will be accepted
on my altar, for my house will be called a
house of prayer for all
peoples.
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8
3 Let the nations praise you, God, let all the nations
praise you.
4 Let the nations rejoice and sing for joy, for you judge
the world with justice, you judge the peoples with fairness, you guide the
nations on earth.Pause
5 Let the nations praise you, God, let all the nations
praise you.
5 Let the nations praise you, God, let all the nations
praise you.
Gospel, Matthew 15:21-28
22 And suddenly out came a Canaanite woman from that
district and started shouting, 'Lord, Son of David, take pity on me. My
daughter is tormented by a devil.'
23 But he said not a word in answer to her. And his
disciples went and pleaded with him, saying, 'Give her what she wants, because
she keeps shouting after us.'
24 He said in reply, 'I was sent only to the lost sheep of
the House of Israel.'
26 He replied, 'It is not fair to take the children's food
and throw it to little dogs.'
27 She retorted, 'Ah yes, Lord; but even little dogs eat
the scraps that fall from their masters' table.'
28 Then Jesus answered her, 'Woman, you have great
faith. Let your desire be granted.' And from that moment her daughter was well
again.
CONVERSION
AND RENEWAL BEFORE MISSION
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: ISAIAH 56:1.6-7; ROMANS 11:13-15.29-32; MT 15:21-28
http://www.universalis.com/20140817/mass.htm
The theme and motif that
run through all the three scripture readings is the cry of the nations to find
God, meaning and purpose in life. In the first reading, we read of how God would eventually
not only restore Israel but she will be the Light to the Nations as an
instrument to bring foreigners or pagans back to Him.
Indeed, many people are
seeking for God. Yet, they do not know God anymore. Without God, there is
no purpose and meaning in life. This is the predicament of the modern
man. He lives only for today but has no hope for tomorrow. He lives
simply to eat, enjoy and make merry because tomorrow is not guaranteed.
There is no future for those who are without God, neither in this life nor in
the next. Life is just a mystery, without any real goal or purpose.
In a similar vein, the
Gentiles during the time of St Paul were living a life of materialism and sin. They represent those of us who
are living a sensual life. In many of the Greek cities that St Paul went to,
they were worshipping false gods and especially the sin of the flesh. They
were living lives of selfishness, causing division. Indeed, many of us
like them want to be delivered from our sinful way of life. We too are
seeking for God to enlighten us and liberate us from our addictions and bondage
to sins.
The cry of the nations
for God is expressed by the Canaanite woman seeking Jesus’ help to heal her
daughter. Like her,
many of us are living desperate lives. We face so many challenges in our
lives, whether in marriage, raising of our children, or our work. Often
we find ourselves unable to cope with the burdens placed on our
shoulders. Some of us are sick and are unable to find a cure.
For such people, we too turn to our Lord for help. We need to know that
this God is a living, merciful and powerful God who can work wonders.
Otherwise this talk of God is too abstract and unreal if we do not experience
His love and mercy.
Consequently, the prayer of
the Church and of humanity is that of the psalmist, “Let the peoples praise
you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.” Yes, it is the
hope of humanity and of the Church that all humanity will come to know God and
His ways so that they can live purposeful and meaningful lives filled with joy
and hope, not only in this life but hereafter.
God wants all to be
saved, regardless of
whether we are Gentile or Jew, because He is the Father of us all. “God
never takes back his gifts or revokes his choice.” St Paul assures us
that “those who are disobedient now – and only because of the mercy shown to
you – will also enjoy mercy eventually. God has imprisoned all men in their own
disobedience only to show mercy to all mankind.” Such is the wisdom and
providence of God. In the gospel, Jesus, although reluctant to go beyond
Palestine in His ministry, did intend that His mercy reaches out to all. He
testified this in the case of the Canaanite woman. Because of her
persistent faith, the Lord healed her daughter even though it was then not time
for Him to proclaim the message beyond Palestine.
But who is going to
bring the Good News to the world if not us who have received the mercy of God
so freely? It
is our duty to share the joy and mercy of God which we have encountered with
the rest of the world. We cannot keep the gospel for
ourselves. Anything that is good must always be shared with others,
especially our loved ones. The Church exists for the world, for humanity and
for mission. We are called to be the sign and instrument of the human
race to come to know God.
Secondly, God has called
us to live in the truth and in love. The prophet said, “Have a care for justice, act with
integrity, for soon my salvation will come and my integrity be manifest.”
To find God is to live a life of integrity and in accordance with the love that
we have received from Him. The truth about life is the call to love
selflessly. The purpose of our whole life is to give glory to God by serving
Him and serving our fellow human beings. By so doing, we find life, love
and meaning. Only those who live for God and others can find the fullness
of life. Those who live for themselves will, at some point in their
lives, experience emptiness and futility.
Why is it that many
Catholics are indifferent to the responsibility of spreading the Good News, the work of evangelization and
mission, unlike our Christian brethren? In fact, many of us are shy or
even embarrassed to let people know we are Catholics. We are rather
apologetic to the world that we are Catholics! What is the
issue? Are we proud to be Catholics? Are we grateful that we
are Catholics? Are we excited that we are Catholics? If the answer
is negative, it simply means that we have not yet encountered the Good News
both in Word and in person. We have not yet discovered the beauty and
wisdom of the Word of God and the personal love of Jesus in your life.
Hence, before we can
change the world, we must first be renewed in our faith. Quite often, just like the
Canaanite woman, non-Christians who come to our churches have more faith in
Jesus than us, even though they are not baptized. We are like the
Israelites and Jews who have grown cold to the Word of God and not able to hear
the truth anymore. Somehow, we have become stubborn and we have
hardened our hearts to the Word of God.
So we need to rediscover
the joy of the gospel first, before we can attract others to Christ. How
can we do it? We need
to be renewed in our faith and learn new things, always be surprised by the
richness of the Word of God, the depth of our doctrines and most of all, the
wondrous ways God works in our lives. People must see us as being
different, as having something unique and special to offer them. If we
cannot make a difference in their lives, why should they come to know Christ?
Unless they see us living the fullness of life, they are not going to be convinced.
So the gospel must be attractive to them.
The New Evangelization
calls for a re-appropriation of our faith, a renewal and personal conversion,
from the Pope down to every Catholic. This explains why Jesus told the disciples not to go
beyond Palestine. He Himself was not keen to reach out to the Gentiles
because He needed to take care of the home front first. This is because
Jesus knew that unless He had formed His disciples properly, the mission to the
Gentiles would be weak and ineffective. The work of converting the
Gentiles would be done by the disciples of Jesus later on when they were fully
formed after the death and resurrection of the Lord.
This explains why in my
10-year plan I am focused on the renewal of priests, religious laity, first
and foremost, above everything else. Without spiritual conversion and
moral, doctrinal and pastoral renewal, we cannot think of evangelizing the
nations. If our officers and soldiers lack conviction, morale and
direction, how can they go out to battle? If they have not
encountered Christ personally and do not share the joy of the gospel of God’s
mercy and love, then they have nothing to tell the world. Thus it is
urgent that we must begin with renewing the faith of our people before we send
them out for battle. The stark reality is that many of us want to be
apostles without first being disciples of the Lord. We want to do before
we are. Doing is a great temptation as it a can be a form of escapism and
a frivolous activity. Discipleship must come before apostleship. Being
must come before doing.
Indeed, we need to put
our interior house in order first. This is what the first reading
says. God will only hear our prayers if we act justly. “Thus says
the Lord: Have a care for justice, act with integrity, for soon my salvation
will come and my integrity be manifest. Foreigners who have attached themselves
to the Lord to serve Him and to love His name and be His servants – all who
observe the Sabbath, not profaning it, and cling to my covenant – these I will
bring to my holy mountain.” Let us first renew ourselves and live
an integrated life of faith and charity. Unless we live righteous lives,
we cannot be powerful instruments for the Lord.
Most of all, we need to
pray. We need to intercede for the Church. This is what the prophet is asking of
us. “I will make them joyful in my house of prayer. Their
holocausts and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar, for my house will
be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.” Without fervent
prayers, there can be no real conversion or a spiritual renewal. We are
called to make our community a house of prayer. Let us therefore
above all else, pray for a renewal and conversion of Catholics so that once
renewed and healed, we will be empowered with joy and zeal to let the whole
world know who God is and how Jesus is the Way to the Truth and to the fullness
of life and love.
WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV WILLIAM GOH
ARCHBISHOP OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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