20140908 COOPERATING WITH THE GRACE OF GOD BY PLAYING HER ROLE IN SALVATION HISTORY

20140908 COOPERATING WITH THE GRACE OF GOD BY PLAYING HER ROLE IN SALVATION HISTORY

EITHER:

First reading Micah 5:1-4 ©

The Lord says this:

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

the least of the clans of Judah,

out of you will be born for me

the one who is to rule over Israel;

his origin goes back to the distant past,

to the days of old.

The Lord is therefore going to abandon them

till the time when she who is to give birth gives birth.

Then the remnant of his brothers will come back

to the sons of Israel.

He will stand and feed his flock

with the power of the Lord,

with the majesty of the name of his God.

They will live secure, for from then on he will extend his power

to the ends of the land.

He himself will be peace.

OR:

Alternative First reading     Romans 8:28-30 ©

We know that by turning everything to their good, God co-operates with all those who love him, with all those he has called according to his purpose. They are the ones he chose specially long ago and intended to become true images of his Son, so that his Son might be the eldest of many brothers. He called those he intended for this; those he called he justified, and with those he justified he shared his glory.

Psalm            Psalm 12:6-7 ©

I exult for joy in the Lord.

Lord, I trust in your merciful love.

  Let my heart rejoice in your saving help.

I exult for joy in the Lord.

Let me sing to the Lord for his goodness to me,

  singing psalms to the name of the Lord, the Most High.

I exult for joy in the Lord.

Gospel Acclamation          

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessed are you, holy Virgin Mary,

and most worthy of all praise,

for the sun of justice, Christ our God,

was born of you.

Alleluia!

EITHER:

Gospel

Matthew 1:1-16,18-23 ©

A genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham:

Abraham was the father of Isaac,

Isaac the father of Jacob,

Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah, Tamar being their mother,

Perez was the father of Hezron,

Hezron the father of Ram,

Ram was the father of Amminadab,

Amminadab the father of Nahshon,

Nahshon the father of Salmon,

Salmon was the father of Boaz, Rahab being his mother,

Boaz was the father of Obed, Ruth being his mother,

Obed was the father of Jesse;

and Jesse was the father of King David.

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,

Solomon was the father of Rehoboam,

Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa,

Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat,

Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,

Joram the father of Azariah,

Azariah was the father of Jotham,

Jotham the father of Ahaz,

Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,

Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh,

Manasseh the father of Amon,

Amon the father of Josiah;

and Josiah was the father of Jechoniah and his brothers.

Then the deportation to Babylon took place.

After the deportation to Babylon:

Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel,

Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud,

Abiud the father of Eliakim,

Eliakim the father of Azor,

Azor was the father of Zadok,

Zadok the father of Achim,

Achim the father of Eliud,

Eliud was the father of Eleazar,

Eleazar the father of Matthan,

Matthan the father of Jacob;

and Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary;

of her was born Jesus who is called Christ.

This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph; being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to fulfil the words spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son

and they will call him Emmanuel,

a name which means ‘God-is-with-us.’

OR:

Alternative Gospel   Matthew 1:18-23 ©

This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph; being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to fulfil the words spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son

and they will call him Emmanuel,

a name which means ‘God-is-with-us.’

CO-OPERATING WITH THE GRACE OF GOD BY PLAYING HER ROLE IN SALVATION HISTORY

SCRIPTURE READINGS: MIC 5:1-4 OR ROM 8:28-30; MT 1:1-16, 18-23
http://www.universalis.com/20140908/mass.htm

Today we celebrate the birthday of the Virgin Mary. Mary’s Immaculate Conception and birth was a grace from God.  She did not merit it by her own efforts, but because of God’s election of her to be mother of the Saviour, she was given this privilege.  Truly, it is this experience of the gracious kindness of God that Mary fittingly expressed in the Magnificat that God the mighty has done great things for her in her lowliness.

But it is not enough to say that Mary was given the special grace from God to be born immaculate, or to be the mother of the Messiah. It is equally important to affirm that Mary cooperated fully with the grace of God.  Mary was not forced to be the mother or to serve the Lord.  She freely chose to be the handmaid of the Lord and do His will.  It is within this context that we read the genealogy of our Lord Jesus Christ on her birthday.  By this genealogy, the evangelist is situating her place and her role in the history of salvation.

How did Mary cooperate with the grace of God in salvation history?  Firstly, she cooperated by being the mother of the Saviour. Mary nurtured Jesus especially in His faith. That is why Mary is considered in scriptures as the woman of arrival and departure.   In Mary, the Old and New Testament meet.  She stood by Jesus in His ministry, even when she was under pressure from family members to bring Him back because He was thought to be out of His mind.  Most of all, she cooperated with the saving work of Christ when He was on His mission and at the foot of the cross.

We might not be given the grace of Immaculate Conception, but we too have been graced when we were baptized.  What Mary received at her conception, we received at our baptism.  Of course Mary did not suffer the consequences of original sin, like us.  Yet, be it our physical birth or spiritual birth at baptism, all is grace.  To be born in this world is grace.  To have the gift of faith in Christ is an even greater grace.  We too have been given the means to live a life of holiness and perfection in union with God.  Like Mary, we too have an important role in the economy of salvation.  Each one of us has been given specific graces and charisms to fulfill our part in the world.  Like Mary, we were not born into this world by chance, but within the plan of God.  Our task on earth is to fulfill our responsibility, so that we can truly be molded in the image of Christ.

But how have we cooperated with the grace which we have received? Have we been responsible in playing our role in salvation history?  If we are called to be teachers or parents or religious, have we been responsible? Just as Mary’s life affects ours, so too our lives will affect others as well.   It is vital that we play our part in the world.

How then can this be done if not by imitating Mary?  We can be sure that fulfilling our responsibilities in life is never easy.  Doing God’s will is never easy, especially when we have to face opposition, misunderstandings, ridicule and even harm!  This was true for Mary, for in saying “Yes” to the angel, she must have experienced tremendous fear and anxiety. She must have wondered whether anyone would believe such an incredible story, whether they would accuse her of infidelity, if she would be stoned for adultery, whether Joseph would lose faith and trust in her, and the reaction of her parents who had taken care of her all these years….

But Mary trusted in the Lord.  It was her faith that the Lord who chose her, will help her along the way.  Indeed, if there is anything we can learn from Mary, it is her faith and confidence in the Lord’s love for her.  She knew that God would see her through even though she knew not how.  This is because, as the gospel tells us, Jesus is the Emmanuel, God with us.  This conviction of Mary’s would give us the courage to accept all things from the hand of God.

But in assuming our responsibilities in life, how many of us cave in when faced with opposition and difficulties?  How many of us have the courage and strength to remain faithful to our beliefs and convictions?  Indeed, in the face of problems, we become easily discouraged. We give up on our marriage, our work, our relationships, and our ministry at the first sign of trouble. Some of us lose faith because of our sinful past.  We condemn ourselves and resent not only our parents and those who have caused us to sin, but ourselves as well.

As a result, we become angry with God, with life and with people.  Instead of turning to God for help, we turn to human solutions, or to ourselves.  Today, we are called to be like Mary, to be responsible and faithful to our beliefs and commitments because the Lord will give us the strength to remain strong.  He will protect the just and the innocent.  He will make things right for us if we are sincere in repentance.  He will use our mistakes for the greater work that He wishes to do in and through us.  We simply have to trust Him in faith and rely on His grace.

Secondly, we are called to imitate Mary in her humility and gratitude.  Her privileges never made her proud.  Instead, in her Magnificat, she gave all glory to God for she knew her own nothingness.  It was her humility that made her grateful for all that she received from the Lord.  Such gratitude and humility taught her to be generous and caring towards others.  Her humility is shown also in her desire to keep away from the limelight when her Son was active in the ministry.  She remained one among the crowd, never claiming any special rights.

We must learn from Mary never to be too proud of our achievements or status in life.  All that we have comes from God.  We should be humble and realize that our success is the result of His grace.  This should make us grateful to God for choosing us to cooperate in fulfilling His plan on earth.  Only in humility can we learn to be unassuming and empathetic to others.  We must acknowledge that the gifts given to us are never for ourselves but meant for the service of the community.  So the higher the office we hold, the more humble we should be, for without His grace and kindness, we are nothing.

From Mary too, we can learn the virtue of poverty and detachment.  Mary was able to detach herself from her Son when the time came for Him to leave for His ministry.  She did not make Him feel guilty for leaving her to preach the Good News.  Instead, she stood by Him in His mission, even when He was grossly misunderstood by the people.

How many of us practice the spirit of poverty and detachment in our relationships with others and in whatever we do?  Often, we do not allow people to be free in relationships.  We want to control their lives and make them serve our interests.  Truly, if parents are really concerned for their children, they should be able to let them pursue their calling in life.  Instead, we become obstacles to their growth and fulfillment, dictating who they marry and how they live their lives. We must have the spirit of detachment in letting go of relationships when the time comes.  This is especially true when our loved ones have to return to the Lord.  We should never be bitter for what we have lost, but be happy for what our loved ones have gained in returning to the Lord.  Selfless love that comes from detachment is necessary in all relationships.

In our journey of life, we can also learn from Mary’s charity in thought, word and deed. Such concern for those in need was manifested in Mary’s spontaneous offer to help her cousin Elizabeth in her pregnancy, and in her request to her son to change the water into wine at Cana.  Mary was never inward looking, but always looking out for others’ interests.  We too, are called to serve others selflessly and generously in our vocation in life.  Even when her son was wrongly condemned and crucified, Mary uttered not a single word of condemnation or anger, neither against men nor God, or manifested any signs of revenge.  Like Jesus, she only felt sorry for His accusers, and like Him, asked for their forgiveness.

We too must always seek the interests of others.  We must be attentive to what others need rather than we what need.  Only those who have a heart for others have met the Lord.  Our calling in life is to serve God in our neighours.  Only in selfless service can we attain self-transcendence, which gives us real fulfillment and joy.  Such service also must be unconditional.  Such charity is also reflected in our readiness to forgive the misunderstandings and weaknesses of men.  Let us be charitable not only in service but in thought and word, like Mary.

Finally, we are called to make ourselves the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, just as she was the spouse of the Holy Spirit, the temple of God.  We cannot live a life of faith and love without the presence of the Holy Spirit in us.  Like Mary who carried Jesus in her womb, we too must carry Jesus in our hearts as the tabernacle of God. Necessarily, we need to intensify our relationship with God.  In this way, we, like Mary, will become like her son.  We need to live a life of holiness and purity, not allowing sin to touch our lives.  Only then can we truly live the life of God and become the image of her son, which is our ultimate destiny in life.

WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV WILLIAM GOH


ARCHBISHOP OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED