20141117 RENEWING THE ENTHUSIASM OF OUR EARLY LOVE
First
reading
Apocalypse
1:1-4,2:1-5 ©
This
is the revelation given by God to Jesus Christ so that he could tell his
servants about the things which are now to take place very soon; he sent his
angel to make it known to his servant John, and John has written down
everything he saw and swears it is the word of God guaranteed by Jesus Christ.
Happy the man who reads this prophecy, and happy those who listen to him, if
they treasure all that it says, because the Time is close.
From John, to the seven churches of Asia:
grace and peace to you from him who is, who was, and who is to come, from the
seven spirits in his presence before his throne.
Write to the angel of the church in Ephesus
and say, “Here is the message of the one who holds the seven stars in his right
hand and who lives surrounded by the seven golden lamp-stands: I know all about
you: how hard you work and how much you put up with. I know you cannot stand
wicked men, and how you tested the impostors who called themselves apostles and
proved they were liars. Know, too, that you have patience, and have suffered
for my name without growing tired. Nevertheless, I have this complaint to make;
you have less love now than you used to. Think where you were before you fell;
repent, and do as you used to at first, or else, if you will not repent, I
shall come to you and take your lamp-stand from its place.”
Psalm Psalm 1:1-4,6 ©
Those
who prove victorious I will feed from the tree of life.
Happy
indeed is the man
who follows not the counsel of the wicked;
nor
lingers in the way of sinners
nor sits in the company of scorners,
but
whose delight is the law of the Lord
and who ponders his law day and night.
Those
who prove victorious I will feed from the tree of life.
He
is like a tree that is planted
beside the flowing waters,
that
yields its fruit in due season
and whose leaves shall never fade;
and all that he does shall prosper.
Those
who prove victorious I will feed from the tree of life.
Not
so are the wicked, not so!
For
they like winnowed chaff
shall be driven away by the wind.
for
the Lord guards the way of the just
but the way of the wicked leads to doom.
Those
who prove victorious I will feed from the tree of life.
Gospel
Acclamation Jn8:12
Alleluia,
alleluia!
I
am the light of the world, says the Lord;
anyone
who follows me will have the light of life.
Alleluia!
Or Jn8:12
Alleluia,
alleluia!
I
am the light of the world, says the Lord;
anyone
who follows me will have the light of life.
Alleluia!
Gospel Luke 18:35-43 ©
As
Jesus drew near to Jericho there was a blind man sitting at the side of the
road begging. When he heard the crowd going past he asked what it was all
about, and they told him that Jesus the Nazarene was passing by. So he called
out, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.’ The people in front scolded him and
told him to keep quiet, but he shouted all the louder, ‘Son of David, have pity
on me.’ Jesus stopped and ordered them to bring the man to him, and when he
came up, asked him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ ‘Sir,’ he replied ‘let
me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Receive your sight. Your faith has saved
you.’ And instantly his sight returned and he followed him praising God, and
all the people who saw it gave praise to God for what had happened.
RENEWING
THE ENTHUSIASM OF OUR EARLY LOVE
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: REVELATIONS 1:1-4; 2:1-5; LUKE 18:35-43
As we
approach the end of the liturgical year, it is appropriate that the
readings of the liturgy focus on the end, specifically the need to be prepared
at all times by renewing our desire to live a holy life. So the readings
are not meant to evoke fear, but rather to inspire hope and enthusiasm in
developing our spiritual life seriously.
In a
pertinent way, the readings of today are very applicable to all of us
serving in Church ministries and good Catholics alike. Like the
Christians at Ephesus, we cannot be faulted for being bad Catholics. In
fact like them, we could also say, we have worked hard, put up with much
difficulty, especially in community life, stood up for truth and goodness,
tested the imposters and proved them liars. Indeed, we have been patient
even when misunderstood and ridiculed. Truly, we have suffered for the
name of Jesus without growing tired.
But as
Jesus said, there is perhaps one thing we are lacking, that is, the fervour
of the early love we had for our Lord. This is His only complaint for
He said, “You have less love now than you used to.” The danger is that we
could be doing all these things as every good Catholic should, and yet not be
pleasing to the Lord. How could this be so? This is because love is
absent. There is a real danger that we could fall into boredom and become
jaded in our faith and ministry. Everything that we are doing
becomes mere duty. We act as if we are automaton, operating without a
heart. We become cynical of love, of the community, of our priests and of
the Church. We are no longer excited about spiritual stuff like prayer, bible
sharing, spiritual or theological input. Just like married couples who, after
years of marriage, live like intimate strangers who no longer feel for or with
each other. They may appear to be good and faithful couples in marriage,
doing their duties as spouse and parent but there is no more spark or
enthusiasm in their married and family life.
Such
people are the most difficult to be challenged in their growth. It
is very difficult to tell priests, ministry members and good Catholics to grow
further in their spiritual life. This is because most think that they are
not too bad. In fact, they are quite good, better than others. They
also have not committed any big or scandalous sins. They feel that they have
done enough for their faith. They might feel that they have contributed
enough to the community. They might also think that they have grown in
piety and in their spiritual life. That is why this group of so-called
good people is very difficult to convert, for at least sinful people could
admit their faults and seek conversion. But for good people, they do not
feel the need to change.
Indeed,
the Lord is asking those of us who have arrived at this crossroad, what has
happened to our first love for Him? He said, “Think where you were
before you fell; repent, and do as you used to at first.” Just as married
couples should be challenged to reflect and recall their romance and love for
each other when they were courting, we too should also be reflecting on those
earlier days when the Lord was courting us to share in His life in a special
way by being His disciples. Why has our love and enthusiasm for the Lord turned
sour and insipid? What has happened to our zest for the mission and for Christ
and His Church? What has made us lose our ideals and aspirations?
Have we forgotten those days before we were baptized, or
right after our conversion experience, how excited we were about wanting to
serve the Lord in ministry? Can we remember the joy we experienced at our
encounter with Him? But all this excitement and joy seems to have vanished!
Hence, we need to follow
Bartimaeus in our faith and commitment to the Lord. We are just like
the crowd and the disciples who followed Jesus. They were still unaware
that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of David. Ironically, only a blind
beggar who recognized his nothingness could see Him. Indeed, Pope
Benedict XVI said, “Faith is a path of illumination; it starts from the
humility of acknowledging one’s need of salvation and arrives at the personal encounter
with Christ, who calls [one] to follow him on the way of love.” Unless,
we recognize our poverty, we cannot make that act of faith. Unless we
come to realize that we are lacking fervour in our commitment to the Lord and
our love for Him, we will not seek Him. Instead of seeking the Lord, we
seek to do things apparently for Him, but in reality it is all for ourselves,
as our works do not spring from our love for Him but from our need to feel
useful and recognized.
So if we are serious about
making the same prayer of Bartimaeus, then we must be ready for change.
Bartimaeus yearned to return to a normal life where he could see again.
However, receiving back his sight meant that he would have to make changes in
his life. He would have to return to his family and his friends and to
assume responsibility for contributing to the growth of his family and
humanity. He could no longer just be sitting and waiting for someone else
to supply his needs. We too, if we want to see like Bartimaeus, we must ask
whether we are ready to make fundamental changes in our lives. We might
not be able to live in complacency anymore. We might have to sleep less
so that we can pray more. We might have to sacrifice our pleasures and do
more sacrifices and exercise self-discipline. We might have to sacrifice
our holidays and use that time for pastoral outreach. We might have to
sacrifice our wealth to help those in need. We might have to sacrifice
our freedom so that we can help others to be free.
The question is: are you
ready? This explains why Jesus asked the blind beggar the question,
“What do you want me to do for you?” Surely Jesus knew what he
wanted. But He was not too sure whether he was ready for the consequences
of receiving back his sight. Only when he affirmed that he was ready, did
Jesus say to him, “Receive your sight. Your faith has saved you.” And
“instantly his sight returned and he followed him praising God, and all the
people who saw it gave praise to God for what had happened.” Upon
receiving his sight, Bartimaeus followed Jesus down the road to
Jerusalem. His life was not centered on himself but on God and in giving
glory to Him. He could no longer live for himself but for his family, his
community and for Jesus, even unto death.
Indeed, quite often we
focus too much on miracles and overlook the serious implications and
responsibilities arising from the gifts we received from the Lord.
Hence, if we say we are ready, it means we are ready for a total change of
lifestyle, a life that is focused on the Lord, a life that is spent for the
Lord, a life that is spent for His people because we love the Lord, not because
we will be loved by those we serve. In this way, in everything we do, we
do for the Lord with love and enthusiasm, whether as part of our duty or
spontaneously. Perhaps, readiness would require us to be heroic, at times
even to be point of being persecuted, misunderstood and repudiated by our
friends, our loved ones and those in authority. In those crucial moments of
test, we must persevere and remain firm in our love for the Lord because we
remember how He has loved us!
In the light of the
challenges ahead of us, just like the crowd trying to suppress the
voice of the voiceless Bartimaeus, we too might be cowed as well. That is
why conversion for us is still very real and necessary. But if today we
humbly admit, like the beggar, that our conversion is not yet total,
spontaneous or enthusiastic, and we ask the Lord for that grace. He will give
it to us. All He wants of us is to place our faith and trust in Him, like
Bartimaeus did. That faith, not any kind of faith but a trusting faith,
in Jesus and His love for us, and a faith that works through love, will save
us. Let us pray for this radical conversion in our lives, especially in
enkindling a warm relationship with the Lord so that we can truly live out our
faith and ministry with love and enthusiasm.
WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV
WILLIAM GOH
ARCHBISHOP
OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No comments:
Post a Comment