20150120 FAITH HOPE AND CHARITY: THE THREE THEOLOGICAL
VIRTUES TO KEEP US FAITHFUL TO OUR PRIESTHOOD
Readings at Mass
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First reading
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Hebrews 6:10-20 ©
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God would not be so
unjust as to forget all you have done, the love that you have for his name or
the services you have done, and are still doing, for the saints. Our one desire
is that every one of you should go on showing the same earnestness to the end,
to the perfect fulfilment of our hopes, never growing careless, but imitating
those who have the faith and the perseverance to inherit the promises.
When God
made the promise to Abraham, he swore by his own self, since it was impossible
for him to swear by anyone greater: I will shower blessings on you and give
you many descendants. Because of that, Abraham persevered and saw the
promise fulfilled. Men, of course, swear an oath by something greater than
themselves, and between men, confirmation by an oath puts an end to all
dispute. In the same way, when God wanted to make the heirs to the promise
thoroughly realise that his purpose was unalterable, he conveyed this by an
oath; so that there would be two unalterable things in which it was impossible
for God to be lying, and so that we, now we have found safety, should have a
strong encouragement to take a firm grip on the hope that is held out to us.
Here we have an anchor for our soul, as sure as it is firm, and reaching right
through beyond the veil where Jesus has entered before us and on our behalf, to
become a high priest of the order of Melchizedek, and for ever.
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Psalm
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Psalm
110:1-2,4-5,9,10 ©
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The Lord keeps his
covenant ever in mind.
I will thank the Lord
with all my heart
in the
meeting of the just and their assembly.
Great are the works
of the Lord,
to be
pondered by all who love them.
The Lord keeps his
covenant ever in mind.
He makes us remember
his wonders.
The Lord
is compassion and love.
He gives food to
those who fear him;
keeps his
covenant ever in mind.
The Lord keeps his
covenant ever in mind.
He has sent
deliverance to his people
and
established his covenant for ever.
Holy his name, to be
feared.
His
praise shall last for ever!
The Lord keeps his
covenant ever in mind.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Ps118:18
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Open my eyes, O Lord,
that I may consider
the wonders of your
law.
Alleluia!
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Or
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cf.Ep1:17,18
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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!
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Gospel
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Mark 2:23-28 ©
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One sabbath day Jesus
happened to be taking a walk through the cornfields, and his disciples began to
pick ears of corn as they went along. And the Pharisees said to him, ‘Look, why
are they doing something on the sabbath day that is forbidden?’ And he replied,
‘Did you never read what David did in his time of need when he and his
followers were hungry – how he went into the house of God when Abiathar
was high priest, and ate the loaves of offering which only the priests are
allowed to eat, and how he also gave some to the men with him?’
And
he said to them, ‘The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath; the
Son of Man is master even of the sabbath.’
FAITH,
HOPE AND CHARITY: THE THREE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES TO KEEP US FAITHFUL TO
OUR PRIESTHOOD
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: HEBREWS 6:10-20; MARK 2:23-28
Yesterday,
the scripture readings spoke about our calling as priests. By
virtue of our baptism, we are called to share in the priesthood of Christ,
common or ordained. It is truly a great calling and privilege
indeed. Yet, we all know too well that to be a bridge for others to Jesus
is a tall order. We are so inadequate and lacking in holiness, compassion and
courage.
Many challenges confront
us as we seek to be a priest for Jesus Christ. On the personal front, we struggle in our fight
against sin in our own lives. We find ourselves falling into sin so often
that at times we become discouraged in our desire to grow in holiness.
Furthermore, whilst many of us do not mind praying for others, we are not ready
to make sacrifices for them, be it fasting, mortification or actively helping
them in their needs and difficulties. Making ourselves a sacrificial
offering, a victim for them, requires selflessness, for which we might not have
the capacity to undertake.
On the level of
ministry, we often face challenges, obstacles, opposition and even persecution in seeking to be true to the
gospel. We find that no matter what we do, even good initiatives are
often thwarted by our enemies, slanderers and competitors. So much so, we
lack courage and perseverance to pursue what we have started. Without the
fortitude to speak the truth and make bold changes, we fall into mediocrity in
our faith. In the gospel, Jesus, our High Priest, had to contend with His
critics as well, especially when He challenged the institution of His day, in
particular the legalistic practices of the Sabbath, many of which did not have
any due regard for the motives and the purpose of the Sabbath Law. Without
determination and strength, we easily succumb to the trials and join the crowd,
instead of leading them to the fullness of truth and life.
Hence, in the light of
such difficulties, it is important that we do not lose hope or courage. How is this possible? We
need to see all our tribulations from a larger perspective. As Jesus soundly
told His detractors, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath; so
the Son of Man is master even of the Sabbath”, we too must see things in
perspective. We must not act like His enemies who only picked the fact
that His disciples broke the Sabbath Law by plucking the ears of corn.
What help can we get to
see the big picture to all our problems? In the first place, we must
cling on to faith in God. We must trust that God is faithful to us. He is not a
liar. He has committed Himself to us by promising that He would be
faithful to His covenant. The responsorial psalm reads, “The Lord will
remember his covenant forever. He has won renown for his wondrous deeds;
gracious and merciful is the Lord. He has given food to those who fear him; he
will forever be mindful of his covenant. He has sent deliverance to his people;
he has ratified his covenant forever; holy and awesome is his name. His praise
endures forever. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.”
In the letter to the
Hebrews, the author wrote, “when God made the promise to Abraham, he
swore by his own self, since it was impossible for him to swear by anyone
greater.” Yes, we can take God’s word as it is, for He is faithful to
Himself. He cannot lie, as the author wrote, “In the same way, when
God wanted to make the heirs to the promise thoroughly realize that his purpose
would be unalterable, he conveyed this by an oath; so that there would be two
unalterable things in which it was impossible for God to be lying.” So if
we ever get discouraged, we must cling in faith to His promise. It was
this faith that made it possible for Abraham to persevere and see “the promise
fulfilled.” God was faithful to Jesus the High Priest. He too will
be faithful to us, His priests. This fidelity is seen in Jesus’ death and
resurrection. In the passion, death and resurrection of Christ, we do not
need any more assurance of God’s fidelity to us until the end. Jesus, in
His incarnation, death and resurrection, is God’s irrevocable commitment to us,
His creation.
Secondly, we must be
confident of the Hope that is before us and our goal in life. The
author of Hebrews exhorts us to persevere to the end in earnestness “to the
perfect fulfillment of our hopes, never growing careless.” And we
can do this because we have found the anchor of our faith, hope and life, namely
Jesus, in whom we “have found safety”. So we “should have a strong
encouragement to take a firm grip on the hope that is held out to us.
Here we have an anchor for our soul, as sure as it is firm, and reaching right
through beyond the veil where Jesus has entered before us and on our behalf, to
become a high priest of the order of Melchizedek, and forever.”
Thirdly, we must, as we
cling on to our faith in Christ who is our Hope, continue to live out our
priesthood to the best of our ability and with the help of His grace. Even if we do not live
out our priesthood perfectly, let us continue to love sincerely. We must
not think that God does not appreciate the efforts and the meager fruits that
we produce as priests for Him. The author assures us that “God would not
be so unjust as to forget all you have done, the love that you have for his
name or the services you have done, and are still doing, for the saints.”
So let us continue doing whatever good we can do. Even if our motives are
not so pure at times, let us all the same continue to do good works and in the
process gradually purify ourselves.
Finally, the author exhorts
us to imitate the saints of God and find strength and encouragement from
them. He encourages us to follow “those who have the faith and the
perseverance to inherit the promises.” If ever we feel like giving
up, let us think of the saints before us and in our midst, those men and women
who have strived to be faithful to their priesthood. We thank God for the
many good and holy priests, ordained ministers and holy men and women who have
shown themselves truly to be the priests of Jesus Christ by their fidelity to
their vocation of love and service. We thank God for the many wonderful
lay faithful who, through their vocation in the world as married couples,
professionals, entrepreneurs, ordinary workers, church workers, volunteers,
civil servants, etc, have been the face of Jesus to the world and leading
many to Him. In their humble and selfless service, they have become
bridges for people to encounter God. Let us imitate their resilient faith
in Christ in the face of temptations, trials and failures. With them and
in the company of the saints and with the Spirit of Jesus in us, we will
overcome and become the true priests of our Lord Jesus Christ, perfected in
Him. No one is a priest alone. We are priests in Jesus
Christ. We all share in the royal priesthood of Christ as the people of
God. We are a community of priests for the Church and the world.
WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV
WILLIAM GOH
ARCHBISHOP
OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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