20141018 LONELINESS AND OPPOSITION IN THE MINISTRY
First
reading
2
Timothy 4:10-17 ©
Demas
has deserted me for love of this life and gone to Thessalonika, Crescens has
gone to Galatia and Titus to Dalmatia; only Luke is with me. Get Mark to come
and bring him with you; I find him a useful helper in my work. I have sent
Tychicus to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus in
Troas, and the scrolls, especially the parchment ones. Alexander the
coppersmith has done me a lot of harm; the Lord will repay him for what he has
done. Be on your guard against him yourself, because he has been bitterly
contesting everything that we say.
The first time I had to present my defence,
there was not a single witness to support me. Every one of them deserted me –
may they not be held accountable for it. But the Lord stood by me and gave me
power, so that through me the whole message might be proclaimed for all the pagans
to hear; and so I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.
Psalm
Psalm
144:10-13,17-18 ©
Your
friends, O Lord, make known the glorious splendour of your reign.
All
your creatures shall thank you, O Lord,
and your friends shall repeat their blessing.
They
shall speak of the glory of your reign
and declare your might, O God.
Your
friends, O Lord, make known the glorious splendour of your reign.
They
make known to men your mighty deeds
and the glorious splendour of your reign.
Yours
is an everlasting kingdom;
your rule lasts from age to age.
Your
friends, O Lord, make known the glorious splendour of your reign.
The
Lord is just in all his ways
and loving in all his deeds.
He
is close to all who call him,
who call on him from their hearts.
Your
friends, O Lord, make known the glorious splendour of your reign.
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 Luke 10:1-9 ©
The
Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to
all the towns and places he himself was to visit. He said to them, ‘The harvest
is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send
labourers to his harvest. Start off now, but remember, I am sending you out
like lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no
one on the road. Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, “Peace to
this house!” And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on
him; if not, it will come back to you. Stay in the same house, taking what food
and drink they have to offer, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not move
from house to house. Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat
what is set before you. Cure those in it who are sick, and say, “The kingdom of
God is very near to you.”
LONELINESS
AND OPPOSITION IN THE MINISTRY
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: 2 TIMOTHY 4:10-17; LUKE 10:1-9
http://www.universalis.com/20141018/mass.htm
Today we celebrate the
feast of St Luke the evangelist. Following him, we hear the words of
Jesus reminding us of the urgency to spread the Good News of the Kingdom.
“The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest
to send labourers to his harvest.” Like the Seventy Two disciples, the
Lord is sending us out to His vineyard to proclaim the gospel.
Every one of us, irrespective of whether we are full time in the ministry
or otherwise, has a responsibility to share in the mission of Christ in
proclaiming and establishing the Kingdom of God.
And how are we to
proclaim the gospel? The Good News must be proclaimed not only in
words but in deeds. In the responsorial psalm, our response is “Your
friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.” It is
significant also that Jesus instructed them as follows, “Cure those in it who
are sick, and say, ‘The kingdom of God is very near to you.’” Indeed, it
is not enough simply to tell people that the kingdom of God is near, that is,
that God loves them. We must also match our words with deeds, whether
with miracles of healing and deliverance, or simply with acts of kindness,
compassion and forgiveness.
Why then, are we not reaping a
bountiful harvest for God, in spite of the fact that all who are baptized
are called to be Christ’s missionaries to the world? So many people in
the world are hungering for God’s love. If secularization is taking root
and making inroads in our society and culture, it is because many in the world
cannot experience or feel the presence of God in their lives. Even for
many believers, God is redundant in their lives.
The reason is because although
many have been called to the vineyard of the Lord, not all are working! Priests
and religious are not labouring untiringly in His vineyard. Laity are not
taking their baptismal commitment to heart but living like the rest of the
world. Truly, we have been irresponsible and lukewarm in bringing
the Good News to others.
Why is this so? Priests and religious have
become jaded and lackadaisical in their vocations. The laity in Church
ministries quickly become disillusioned when things do not work out the way
they want, or are scandalized by the sins of the hierarchy and the
community. After baptism, Catholics very quickly lose touch with Jesus
and their love for Him, and His love for them.
The problem is that most
of us are not prepared for the difficulties ahead of us in the ministry. We
think only of the joys of the ministry but not the pain and the sacrifices
demanded of us. We see the glamour, but not the loneliness and the
struggles of being faithful to the Lord in our service to Him. It’s like
those getting into marriage. They only think of the romance and the joys
of being in love. But they fail to see that marriage calls for mutual
dying to self in love, which entails sacrifices and giving.
The irony is that even though we may have been
exposed to the struggles and failure of others in marriage and in ministry, yet
we refuse to consider the possibility that we, too, might follow the same path
unless we do something about it. How sure are we that we will be happy in
marriage, or in the priesthood, or in the religious life; that we will not lose
our commitment, our vision and zeal?
Of course, it does not mean
that ministry is all suffering and no joy. Nay, it is joy in
suffering. We feel delighted and happy when people are healed,
enlightened, liberated, reconciled and found new meaning in life in
Christ. But the fruits of the ministry require hard work and our
cooperation with the grace of Christ. We too must share in His
sacrificial offering and His Passion. If we have paid attention to the
first reading, we would have recognized the tension in Paul’s ministry,
especially the oppositions he faced and the loneliness of being misunderstood,
ridiculed and rejected. Jesus too warned us about such suffering when He spoke
about rejection and the need to travel light. Indeed, the harsh reality is
that being in the ministry is to share in the cross of Christ and His
sufferings.
So let us not think that
everyone is for us in our ministry. We will face opposition from within and
without. That there will be hostility from without is obvious,
and we should not be surprised at all. We can see how the secular world
is up in arms against the Catholic Church. The Media is particularly hostile to
religion, especially the Catholic Church. Of course in our own homes and
offices, we too face ridicule simply because we try to be faithful to the
gospel values. Hence, when St Luke wrote, “Start off now, but remember, I
am sending you out like lambs among wolves” (Lk 10:3), he is warning us of the
dangers ahead in the ministry as he had experienced with St Paul.
But more painful still, is
to find resistance within our own kind and our own community. To be hurt
and betrayed by our own people and loved ones is perhaps the most hurtful kind
of betrayal. We can detect the sadness and great disappointment in
today’s pastoral letter of St Paul to Timothy. Paul was alone in prison,
deserted by most of his friends. He lamented, “Demas has deserted me for love
of this life … Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm … the first time I
had to present my defenses, there was not a single witness to support me. Every
one of them deserted me.” Surely we can feel with and for St Paul,
because we too often experience betrayal, jealousy, lack of support,
abandonment, loneliness and slander in the ministry. We too feel so
alone!
Yet, in the face of such
opposition, we must imitate St Paul who did not retaliate against his
enemies and detractors. Paul did not pass judgment on Alexander,
but left judgment to the Lord. He asked the Lord not to hold accountable
those who did not stand by him when he was on trial. Indeed, St Paul
never repaid a wrong with another wrong, even though he was so broken and
wounded. He forgave them and learnt from such lessons, warning others as
well. “Be on your guard against him yourself; because he has been
bitterly contesting everything that we say.” Regardless, he chose to be
faithful to his mission.
What is the secret of St
Paul’s single mindedness in his apostolate? Simply this: his personal relationship with Christ,
a relationship that is sustained by his total dependence on the Lord.
Following the exhortation of Jesus in the gospel, he lived the evangelical
spirituality of poverty. The spirit of poverty demands that he not be
dependent on his own strength and resources, but to rely totally on the
strength and providence of God. Although St Paul was an eloquent speaker,
he relied not on his abilities but his availability to Christ to work in and
through him. Indeed, because St Paul knew Jesus, His love and His fidelity, he
was not disappointed.
Today’s scripture
readings give us consolation in our ministry. Remember that even when we are alone and feel
discouraged in our desire to serve Him courageously, let us have confidence
that He will not fail us, so long as we remain docile to His grace and love.
So in humility, let us remain faithful, courageous and joyful in
having the privilege to suffer with Christ for the love of humanity. Surrendering
our mission and ministry to the Lord, we know that where we have failed, Christ
will make it fruitful. Just as He handed His mission to the Holy Spirit
on the cross to complete His work, so too, we must surrender our ministry to
the Lord in the Holy Spirit to accomplish all that He wants to work in and
through us. As Mother Teresa reminded us, “we are called to be faithful
not successful.” Success is the Lord’s responsibility, ours is only to be
faithful.
WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV WILLIAM GOH
ARCHBISHOP OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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