20150114 IDENTIFICATION WITH GOD AND OUR FELLOWMEN AS THE BASIS
FOR SERVICE IN MINISTRY
Readings at Mass
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First reading
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Hebrews 2:14-18 ©
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Since all the
children share the same blood and flesh, Christ too shared equally in it, so
that by his death he could take away all the power of the devil, who had power
over death, and set free all those who had been held in slavery all their lives
by the fear of death. For it was not the angels that he took to himself; he
took to himself descent from Abraham. It was essential that he should in this
way become completely like his brothers so that he could be a compassionate and
trustworthy high priest of God’s religion, able to atone for human sins. That
is, because he has himself been through temptation he is able to help others
who are tempted.
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Psalm
|
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Psalm
104:1-4,6-9 ©
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The Lord remembers
his covenant for ever.
or
Alleluia!
Give thanks to the
Lord, tell his name,
make
known his deeds among the peoples.
O sing to him, sing
his praise;
tell all
his wonderful works!
The Lord remembers
his covenant for ever.
or
Alleluia!
Be proud of his holy
name,
let the
hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
Consider the Lord and
his strength;
constantly
seek his face.
The Lord remembers
his covenant for ever.
or
Alleluia!
O children of
Abraham, his servant,
O sons of
the Jacob he chose.
He, the Lord, is our
God:
his
judgements prevail in all the earth.
The Lord remembers
his covenant for ever.
or
Alleluia!
He remembers his
covenant for ever,
his
promise for a thousand generations,
the covenant he made
with Abraham,
the oath
he swore to Isaac.
The Lord remembers
his covenant for ever.
or
Alleluia!
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Gospel
Acclamation
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cf.Col3:16a,17
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Let the message of
Christ, in all its richness,
find a home with you;
through him give
thanks to God the Father.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Jn10:27
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The sheep that belong
to me listen to my voice,
says the Lord,
I know them and they
follow me.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Mark 1:29-39 ©
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On leaving the
synagogue, Jesus went with James and John straight to the house of Simon and
Andrew. Now Simon’s mother-in-law had gone to bed with fever, and they told him
about her straightaway. He went to her, took her by the hand and helped her up.
And the fever left her and she began to wait on them.
That
evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were sick and those who were
possessed by devils. The whole town came crowding round the door, and he cured
many who were suffering from diseases of one kind or another; he also cast out
many devils, but he would not allow them to speak, because they knew who he
was.
In
the morning, long before dawn, he got up and left the house, and went off to a
lonely place and prayed there. Simon and his companions set out in search of
him, and when they found him they said, ‘Everybody is looking for you.’ He
answered, ‘Let us go elsewhere, to the neighbouring country towns, so that I
can preach there too, because that is why I came.’ And he went all through
Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out devils.
IDENTIFICATION
WITH GOD AND OUR FELLOWMEN AS THE BASIS FOR SERVICE IN MINISTRY
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: HEB 2:14-18; MK 1:29-39
Those
of us who have found Christ or have had a Christ-experience are usually on
cloud nine. We are so much in love with Christ and become very
enthusiastic in our faith, whether in spiritual life or in ministry. With
so much fire in us, we give ourselves generously, not to only one or two
ministries but often involving ourselves in many ministries, since we seem to
be in demand by many people. Yet, not infrequently, we find ourselves
losing steam within a short while. Many of us suffer from burn-out. Others
become disillusioned and scandalized when they realize that they are working
with imperfect priests and fellow lay Catholics. Others become too tired
because of over commitment, leading to an unbalanced lifestyle that affect not
only their prayer life but also their relationships at home and at work.
We become jaded, skeptical, doing the minimum and in a perfunctory manner
too. What pitfalls must we avoid in order not to lose our commitment and
zeal for the ministry?
Firstly,
we must always stay in touch with our fellowmen, especially the people
we serve. We must know them well enough so that we can feel for and with
them. Indeed, today’s first reading makes it clear that “it was not the
angels that he (Jesus) took to himself; he took to himself descent from
Abraham.” The reason is clear. If Jesus became man, it was so that He
could share equally our blood and flesh and understand what it means to be
human. As man, Jesus too suffered the same trials and faced the same
challenges we go through each day. He too had to live in fear under the
threat of death. He too was tempted each day. Hence, Jesus
understands too well what it means to be human. Hebrews tells us
“it was essential that he should in this way become completely like his
brothers so that he could be a compassionate and trustworthy high priest of
God’s religion, able to atone for human sins. That is, because he has
himself been through temptation he is able to help others who are tempted.”
Being
in touch with our fellowmen arouses compassion in our hearts.
Understandably, the gospel relates the hectic activity in the life of
Jesus. He was busy reaching out to those who needed help. He healed
the sick and “cured many who were suffering from diseases of one kind or
another.” Besides, healing the afflicted, “he also cast out many
devils.” Hence, the twofold purpose of ministry, namely, healing and
liberation. He understood the basic needs of the people. Before He could
even proclaim about God and teach them about His love, He knew it was necessary
to first demonstrate the power and love of God by reaching out to them.
Indeed,
the people initially came to Jesus not because they recognized Him as the Son
of God but simply because they wanted to be healed of their infirmities and
be rid of their bondage to sin, fear and the Evil One. Thus, it should
not be surprising that “the whole town came crowding round the door” seeking
for Jesus’ help. This should be an important reminder to those of us in
ministry. We must be sensitive to the needs of our people and
respond to their immediate needs before even speaking to them about God.
We cannot proclaim God’s love and mercy in the abstract. His love and
mercy must be demonstrated concretely in their lives. Let us proclaim in
actions before we proclaim in words.
However,
we must also be watchful. In our desire to fulfill the needs of our
people, we can lose focus. Compassion can lead to possession by
those whom we minister to. As we reach out to those who need our help, we
can expect that many would be grateful to us and would want to own us for
themselves. If we are not careful, we can allow ourselves to be possessed
by those who love us and thereby hinder our ministry to others who are still
waiting for the Good News to be proclaimed to them. This was what
happened to Jesus. The people, we are told, were looking for Jesus.
Of
course, the reverse could also be possible. When we become so popular,
we can be tempted to build our own kingdom. We must be conscious that
we are leading people to Jesus and not to ourselves. Indeed, Jesus was tempted
by His popularity since the disciples told Him, “Everybody is looking for you.”
But Jesus would not even think about staying in His comfort zone.
All He wanted to do was to proclaim the Good News to all and for the sake of
the people of God. We must learn to be like Jesus, to do our job and then
disappear from the scene. To seek recognition and appreciation can lead
us to egotism and self-worship.
So in
order to stay focused, we must learn from Jesus. If Jesus had a heart for
man, it was because His heart was first and foremost with the Father.
Jesus was not only identified with us, more importantly, He identified Himself
with the Father. The strength and secret of Jesus’ ministry lay in His
communion with the Father. St Mark tells us “in the morning, long
before dawn, he got up and left the house, he went off to a lonely place and
prayed there.” Hence instead of simply being complacent and creating a
niche for Himself in the village, Jesus told Simon and His companions “’Let us
go elsewhere, to the neighbouring country towns, so that I can preach there
too, because that is why I came.’ And he went all through Galilee,
preaching in their synagogues and casting out devils.”
Yes,
Jesus remained focused in His ministry. He did not suffer from any
burn-out or fall into complacency, or conversely became ambitious and
self-seeking. His only concern was His Father’s desire to reach out to
all. Jesus the Good Shepherd after the heart of His Father could feel
with so many people who were waiting for the Good News. Let us too, in
our ministry, keep our focus by remaining connected with the sufferings of our
people and at the same time, grow in compassion and wisdom through our union
with God in prayer.
WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV
WILLIAM GOH
ARCHBISHOP
OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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