20150123 CALLED TO BE APOSTLES OF THE NEW COVENANT
Readings at Mass
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First reading
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Hebrews 8:6-13 ©
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We have seen that
Christ has been given a ministry of a far higher order, and to the same degree
it is a better covenant of which he is the mediator, founded on better
promises. If that first covenant had been without a fault, there would have
been no need for a second one to replace it. And in fact God does find fault
with them; he says:
See, the days are
coming – it is the Lord who speaks –
when I will
establish a new covenant
with the House of
Israel and the House of Judah,
but not a covenant
like the one I made with their ancestors
on the day I took
them by the hand
to bring them out
of the land of Egypt.
They abandoned
that covenant of mine,
and so I on my
side deserted them. It is the Lord who speaks.
No, this is the
covenant I will make
with the House of
Israel
when those days
arrive – it is the Lord who speaks.
I will put my laws
into their minds
and write them on
their hearts.
Then I will be
their God
and they shall be
my people.
There will be no
further need for neighbour to try to teach neighbour,
or brother to say
to brother,
‘Learn to know the
Lord.’
No, they will all
know me,
the least no less
than the greatest,
since I will
forgive their iniquities
and never call
their sins to mind.
By speaking of a new
covenant, he implies that the first one is already old. Now anything old only
gets more antiquated until in the end it disappears.
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Psalm
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Psalm 84:8,10-14
©
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Mercy and
faithfulness have met.
Let us see, O Lord,
your mercy
and give
us your saving help.
His help is near for
those who fear him
and his
glory will dwell in our land.
Mercy and
faithfulness have met.
Mercy and
faithfulness have met;
justice
and peace have embraced.
Faithfulness shall
spring from the earth
and
justice look down from heaven.
Mercy and
faithfulness have met.
The Lord will make us
prosper
and our
earth shall yield its fruit.
Justice shall march
before him
and peace
shall follow his steps.
Mercy and
faithfulness have met.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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cf.2Th2:14
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Through the Good News
God called us
to share the glory of
our Lord Jesus Christ.
Alleluia!
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Or
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2Co5:19
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Alleluia, alleluia!
God in Christ was
reconciling the world to himself,
and he has entrusted
to us the news that they are reconciled.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Mark 3:13-19 ©
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Jesus went up into
the hills and summoned those he wanted. So they came to him and he appointed
twelve; they were to be his companions and to be sent out to preach, with power
to cast out devils. And so he appointed the Twelve: Simon to whom he gave the name
Peter, James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom he gave
the name Boanerges or ‘Sons of Thunder’; then Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew,
Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and
Judas Iscariot, the man who was to betray him.
CALLED
TO BE APOSTLES OF THE NEW COVENANT
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: HEB 8:6-13; MK 3:13-19
In order to understand
the significance of today’s first reading on the New Covenant, it is important to appreciate the
background of Jeremiah’s prophecy which the author of the letter to the Hebrews
cited. For this we return to the beginning of creation and its fall.
What is the cause of sin
and misery? It
is because man has rejected his relationship with God. He wants to gain
his autonomy without being subjected to God. By negating his fundamental
and constitutive relationship with God, he is unable to find himself. He
becomes insecure and fearful of his life. Apart from God, he becomes
selfish and self-preservative. He feels threatened by his own fellowmen. The
consequences of this broken relationship are death, sin and alienation.
In response to this failed
relationship and the resultant disorder in creation, God, who initiated this
relationship, must also be the One to restore it. He began by calling
Abraham to be the father of the Chosen People and the multitude of
nations. From Abraham originated the twelve tribes of Israel. After their
deliverance from Egypt, they became the Chosen People of God. They were
supposed to be the model of God’s people for the rest of humanity, living a
life of obedience to the Word of God and in harmony amongst themselves.
Unfortunately, this was not the case. The kings and the people did not
obey God. Instead, they adopted the pagan practices of their neighbouring
countries by worshipping false gods. Instead of relying on Yahweh, they
relied on worldly powers and man-made gods. This led to their
eventual destruction and the fall of the kingdom to Assyria, then Babylon and
then Persia.
But why did the Mosaic
Covenant established with the People of God fail? It was not effective because the laws
were merely observed externally. The worship rendered to God was mere
rituals, without true expression of a contrite and loyal heart. This was very
clear during the time of the prophet Jeremiah, when he condemned the people for
worshipping God whilst continuing with their evil deeds. As the author
noted, “See, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks – when I will
establish a new covenant with the House of Israel and the House of Judah, but
not a covenant like the one I made with their ancestors on the day I took them
by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. They abandoned that
covenant of mine, and so I on my side deserted them.” Indeed, the laws
which were written on tablets and on stones could not change the hearts of the
people. They failed to interiorize what they had seen, especially the powers
of God and His divine providence and might in delivering them from Egypt and
the dangers they encountered whilst wondering in the desert for forty
years. They forgot what their forefathers had gone through. They
failed to see the wisdom of the Laws God gave to them.
Consequently, a better
and more effective Covenant was needed. What is this New Covenant
that is required to effect the communion between God and man, since the animal
sacrifices did not bring about that result? Again, the prophet said, “It
is the Lord who speaks. No, this is the covenant I will make with the House of
Israel when those days arrive – it is the Lord who speaks. I will put my laws
into their minds and write them on their hearts. Then I will be their God and
they shall be my people.” This New Covenant, unlike the Old Covenant,
will be effective because God will be giving them the Spirit of His Son.
It would not be so much a question of obeying the commandments or a legalistic
conformity to some burdensome laws, but rather, it would be in the spirit of
love and union with God. In the death and resurrection of Jesus, we see
Jesus giving Himself freely as a sacrificial offering for us out of love for
His Father and for us. And through His resurrection, He gave us all a
share in His Spirit as well.
As a consequence too, our
sins are forgiven and we are able to respond in love and not out of fear or
obligation. As we contemplate on the love of God made visible in Christ
Jesus, especially in His paschal mystery, we cannot but respond with gratitude
and joy. Furthermore, our knowledge of God is no longer from without,
but from within our hearts. It is no longer merely an intellectual
assent to God but a personal assent that engages the mind and the will.
Through the Holy Spirit given to us, we grow in intimacy with God whom we know
as a friend and most of all, as our Father who counts us worthy to be His
children, adopted sons and daughters in Christ. Indeed, this is what the
Lord said through His prophet who wrote, “Then I will be their God and they
shall be my people. There will be no further need for neighbour to try to teach
neighbour, or brother to say to brother, ‘Learn to know the Lord.’ No, they
will all know me, the least no less than the greatest, since I will forgive
their iniquities and never call their sins to mind.”
Having received this New
Covenant in Christ, we too, like the apostles, are sent out to bring others
into the ambit of God’s love. We read in the gospel about the calling of the Twelve.
Those whom Jesus called, noticeably, comprised of a motley crowd of
different characters and temperaments with very diverse theological and
political affiliations. Yet, He chose them “to be his companions and to
be sent out to preach, with power to cast out devils.” Regardless of
their background and character, the Lord knew that the love of God and the Holy
Spirit will bind them together as a college so that they would work together
for the establishment of the kingdom of love on earth.
They were also called to
preach and to heal.
Both are integral in the proclamation of the gospel. Preaching must be
accompanied by healing and vice versa. We are called to offer forgiveness
to those who have hurt us, and to reconcile hurting parties. Like the
apostles, we too, are called to “cast out devils” in a real sense of the word
and also by extension, to conquer and eradicate the evils of fear and
selfishness in the world through the proclamation of God’s love and mercy,
definitively concretized in Jesus, especially in the Paschal Mystery.
In order to continue this
work of extending the New Covenant given to us by Christ in the Holy Spirit, we
must therefore remember that we are called first and foremost to be His
companions before we are sent out. To go to the hills or the
mountains or the desert is an invitation to intimacy with Him. Otherwise
we cannot acquire the Spirit of love and compassion of the New Covenant.
Only when we are immersed in His love and filled with His mercy can we be
passionate about sharing what the Lord has done for us with others.
Indeed, in Jesus, we can rejoice with the psalmist, “Kindness and truth shall
meet; justice and peace shall kiss. Truth shall spring out of the earth, and
justice shall look down from heaven.” May we who come to know God’s mercy
and truth be set free to live a life of compassion and truth in our
relationship with everyone so that all will come to share in the unity of God’s
family.
WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV
WILLIAM GOH
ARCHBISHOP
OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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