20141104 BE FAITHFUL TO YOUR VOCATION
First
reading
Philippians
2:5-11 ©
In
your minds you must be the same as Christ Jesus:
His
state was divine,
yet
he did not cling
to
his equality with God
but
emptied himself
to
assume the condition of a slave,
and
became as men are;
and
being as all men are,
he
was humbler yet,
even
to accepting death,
death
on a cross.
But
God raised him high
and
gave him the name
which
is above all other names
so
that all beings in the heavens,
on
earth and in the underworld,
should
bend the knee at the name of Jesus
and
that every tongue should acclaim
Jesus
Christ as Lord,
to
the glory of God the Father.
Psalm Psalm 21:26-32 ©
You
are my praise, O Lord, in the great assembly.
My
vows I will pay before those who fear the Lord.
The poor shall eat and shall have their fill.
They
shall praise the Lord, those who seek him.
May their hearts live for ever and ever!
You
are my praise, O Lord, in the great assembly.
All
the earth shall remember and return to the Lord,
all families of the nations worship before
him;
for the kingdom is the Lord’s, he is ruler of
the nations.
They
shall worship him, all the mighty of the earth.
You
are my praise, O Lord, in the great assembly.
And
my soul shall live for him, my children serve him.
They shall tell of the Lord to generations
yet to come,
declare
his faithfulness to peoples yet unborn:
‘These things the Lord has done.’
You
are my praise, O Lord, in the great assembly.
Gospel
Acclamation cf.Ep1:17,18
Alleluia,
alleluia!
May
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten
the eyes of our mind,
so
that we can see what hope his call holds for us.
Alleluia!
Or Mt11:28
Alleluia,
alleluia!
Come
to me, all you who labour and are overburdened,
and
I will give you rest, says the Lord.
Alleluia!
Gospel Luke 14:15-24 ©
One
of those gathered round the table said to him, ‘Happy the man who will be at
the feast in the kingdom of God!’ But he said to him, ‘There was a man who gave
a great banquet, and he invited a large number of people. When the time for the
banquet came, he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, “Come
along: everything is ready now.” But all alike started to make excuses. The
first said, “I have bought a piece of land and must go and see it. Please
accept my apologies.” Another said, “I have bought five yoke of oxen and am on
my way to try them out. Please accept my apologies.” Yet another said, “I have
just got married and so am unable to come.”
‘The servant returned and reported this to
his master. Then the householder, in a rage, said to his servant, “Go out
quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor, the
crippled, the blind and the lame.” “Sir” said the servant “your orders have
been carried out and there is still room.” Then the master said to his servant,
“Go to the open roads and the hedgerows and force people to come in to make
sure my house is full; because, I tell you, not one of those who were invited
shall have a taste of my banquet.”’
BE
FAITHFUL TO YOUR VOCATION
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11; LUKE 14:15-24
We have
just celebrated the Solemnity of All Saints when we were reminded of our
vocation to holiness in Christ. On the Feast of All Souls, we reflected
on how, like the souls, we need to purify ourselves in love for God and for
others each day. In today’s scripture readings, we are invited to reflect
on the obstacles that hinder us from sharing in the heavenly banquet, a
symbol of the life of the communion of saints and our life with God. In
the gospel, Jesus began His parable by saying, “Happy the man who will be at
the feast in the kingdom of God!” But the tragedy is that those who have been
invited were not interested to come. This was in spite of the fact that
during the time of Jesus, a pre-notice for the dinner would have been given,
followed by the invitation on the actual day.
In many
ways, we are not much different from those who excused themselves from
attending the banquet. Indeed, by virtue of our baptism we have all
in principle accepted the invitation to share in the life of God and to be a
member of the Body of Christ, the communion of saints. But today, we lack
enthusiasm and commitment to a life of Christian discipleship. What could
be the reasons for the indifference, apathy or negligence in our relationship
with the Lord? We continue to live a life of sin and justify ourselves
for not living an authentic Christian life. What are some of the common
lame excuses we give to soothe our conscience?
Firstly,
the failure to be committed to our prayer life and the Christian community we
belong to is always due to work. This was the apology given by the
man who said, “I have bought a piece of land and must go and see it. Please
accept my apologies.” If work is a good excuse, then we can give a
thousand and one reasons why we have no time to pray, grow in our spiritual
life or attend Church services. Who does not have work to do? Work
has no end. The question is whether we are working for God or working for
ourselves. More importantly, are we doing the work of God or simply doing
God’s work? We can be engaged even in doing good things but more for ourselves
rather than out of love for Him. The one who says, “I’m so busy.
Work is my prayer” is deluding himself. Work can be our prayer only
provided we first begin the day with prayer. Only a man who is deeply
conscious of God’s presence can consecrate his whole day and all his activities
to God for the love of Him and for the good of his fellowmen. Or else,
how do we explain our ambitious and competitive spirit that breeds impatience,
slander, dishonesty, manipulation and intolerance of others?
The second obstacle to
living a life of the kingdom is the temptation to activities and
novelties. Those
of us who are sensitive to the working of the evil spirits will know how the
Evil One will distract a man of goodwill to focus on other activities when he
decides to pray. The Devil will suggest to him that he could perhaps do
one thing first, like tidying his cupboard, or call a friend, or write an
urgent email, or try out the latest gadget that he has bought. This was
certainly how the second man conducted himself when he said, “I have bought
five yokes of oxen and am on my way to try them out.”
By allowing
distractions, especially our possessions and trivial matters to occupy our
attention, we neglect the most essential and important thing in our life,
which is our relationship with God. If we truly believe that God is the
most important person in our lives, without which we lose all focus and
perspective with regard to the other areas of our life, then necessarily, the
first place must be given to God in everything we do. We must begin the
day with prayer and end the day with prayer. God’s presence must prevail
throughout the day, especially when we make the daily examen of conscience at
periodical intervals during the day. Alas, prayer and reading the Word of
God are among the last things we do if at all. We place internet, the TV
and other possessions or personal interests before Him. Very soon, we
would have no taste for His love and presence.
The third apology given by
the guest was that he had just got married. This seems again to be a
valid reason proposed to us by the Evil One. We often put our family
and human relationships before God. We neglect our commitment to a
life of prayer, study and service to God because of personal attachment.
We are willing to spend hours in cultivating friendship with others, being with
our family members and doing things for our loved ones. But we have no
time available for the love and service of God. Little do we realize that
no true love and lasting relationship can be built if such relationships are
not grounded in God. Relationships that are founded on mutual love alone
are fragile, since human love is fickle-minded, self-serving, insecure and
possessive. True love can only be given by God; a love that is unconditional,
selfless, humble and faithful.
When we have no room for
Jesus in our hearts, very soon, things of this world will take possession of
us. Either we are possessed by the love of God or are possessed by
the world. One becomes what he desires to possess. Those who desire
money and power will be consumed by them. They will dictate the way they
live their lives and the values they hold. If we allow God to
possess us or we seek to possess God, then we allow the Lord to take charge
over our lives. Where your heart is, there is your treasure. If we
do not want ourselves to be reduced to a material being, then we must be
sensitive to our spirit that seeks union with God. If not, our hearts
will be restless and we become insecure, anxious and agitated by the vicissitudes
of life. We are easily swayed by the other attractions in the world. When
we lack a discerning heart as to what is truly essential for us, we harm not
only ourselves but those whom we profess to love. Not all good works come
from the Lord, because the Devil quite often comes under the guise of
light. Without a discerning love, we will end up deceiving ourselves into
thinking that we are doing the work of God.
In the light of our lack of
discretion, the first reading offers us the way to live our lives, which is to
be focused on God so that everything will have its proper place. Jesus,
our exemplar of consecration to God, shows us the way of self-emptying. As
the hymn reads, “His state was divine, yet he did not cling to his equality
with God but emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave, and became as
men are; and being as all men are, he was humbler yet, even to accepting death,
death on a cross.” Indeed, only when we empty ourselves of ourselves, can
the grace and power of God fill us. So long as we want to maintain our
power and rely on ourselves, our possessions and talents, God cannot make use
of us fully. To give ourselves to Jesus means that we must be ready to
seek the Lord above all things. By giving excuses for not having time for
God, we only cheat ourselves. It is not God who needs us but we need
Him. We are not doing Him a favour but He is doing us a favour by making
Himself available to us.
How, then, can we
recover our vocation and increase our zeal for Him? Firstly, the gospel warns us about the
danger of cheap grace. Whilst it is true that God has freely invited
us to His banquet without conditions, by ignoring the free gift of God,
treating His gratuitous mercy with contempt, the price we have to pay for this
rejection will be high. St Paul reminds us that it cost the life of God’s
only Son to save us from our sins. The grace won by Christ for us all was
paid by his blood, his suffering, his humiliation and abandonment on the
cross. No one has suffered, or been humiliated or abandoned to the extent
that Jesus was. How could we, therefore, treat the grace of baptism given
to us with indifference and without appreciation?
That is why if we fail to
return to grace, then we need to contemplate on the love of Jesus for us on
the cross. St Paul in urging his fellow Christians to live in unity
among the saints, prefaced his argument by saying, “In your minds you must be
the same as Christ Jesus.” Until and unless we understand how much Jesus
has loved us, we will not be able to respond with gratitude and love and be
able to rejoice with the psalmist, saying, “I will praise you, Lord, in the
assembly of your people”. So, contemplating on the kenosis, the
self-emptying love of Jesus, will move us to tears and our hearts to
love. Most o, all, by contemplating His passion at every Eucharist we
celebrate or in the Blessed Sacrament, we too will be renewed in love and
strength.
Finally, the gospel
warns us that those who are invited and failed to respond will only live to
regret that others have taken our place. It would be a pity to hear
the words of Jesus addressed to us, “I tell you, not one of those who were
invited shall have a taste of my banquet.’ Indeed, it is tragic
that we who have been given the gift of sonship in baptism do not appreciate
this gift. Others who have to pay a price to find Jesus will be the ones
who are happily sharing the life of the kingdom, whereas we are put out of it.
WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV
WILLIAM GOH
ARCHBISHOP
OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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