20150126 FORMATION AND MISSION AS THE MOTIVATION AND REASON
Readings at Mass
EITHER:
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First reading
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2 Timothy 1:1-8 ©
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From Paul, appointed
by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus in his design to promise life in Christ
Jesus; to Timothy, dear child of mine, wishing you grace, mercy and peace from
God the Father and from Christ Jesus our Lord.
Night and
day I thank God, keeping my conscience clear and remembering my duty to him as
my ancestors did, and always I remember you in my prayers; I remember your
tears and long to see you again to complete my happiness. Then I am reminded of
the sincere faith which you have; it came first to live in your grandmother
Lois, and your mother Eunice, and I have no doubt that it is the same faith in
you as well.
That is
why I am reminding you now to fan into a flame the gift that God gave you when
I laid my hands on you. God’s gift was not a spirit of timidity, but the Spirit
of power, and love, and self-control. So you are never to be ashamed of
witnessing to the Lord, or ashamed of me for being his prisoner; but with me,
bear the hardships for the sake of the Good News, relying on the power of God
who has saved us and called us to be holy.
OR:
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Alternative
First reading
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Titus 1:1-5 ©
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From Paul, servant of
God, an apostle of Jesus Christ to bring those whom God has chosen to faith and
to the knowledge of the truth that leads to true religion; and to give them the
hope of the eternal life that was promised so long ago by God. He does not lie
and so, at the appointed time, he revealed his decision, and, by the command of
God our saviour, I have been commissioned to proclaim it. To Titus, true child
of mine in the faith that we share, wishing you grace and peace from God the
Father and from Christ Jesus our saviour.
The
reason I left you behind in Crete was for you to get everything organised there
and appoint elders in every town, in the way that I told you.
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Psalm
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Psalm
95:1-3,7-8,10 ©
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Proclaim the
wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.
O sing a new song to
the Lord,
sing to
the Lord all the earth.
O sing to
the Lord, bless his name.
Proclaim the
wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.
Proclaim his help day
by day,
tell
among the nations his glory
and his
wonders among all the peoples.
Proclaim the
wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.
Give the Lord, you
families of peoples,
give the
Lord glory and power;
give the
Lord the glory of his name.
Proclaim the
wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.
Proclaim to the
nations: ‘God is king.’
The world
he made firm in its place;
he will
judge the peoples in fairness.
Proclaim the
wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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cf.Mt4:23
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Jesus proclaimed the
Good News of the kingdom
and cured all kinds
of sickness among the people.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Lk4:17
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The Lord has sent me
to bring the good news to the poor,
to proclaim liberty
to captives.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Lk7:16
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Alleluia, alleluia!
A great prophet has
appeared among us;
God has visited his
people.
Alleluia!
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Or
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cf.1Tim3:16
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Glory to you, O
Christ,
proclaimed to the
pagans;
glory to you, O
Christ,
believed in by the
world.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Mt4:16
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The people that lived
in darkness
has seen a great
light;
on those who dwell in
the land and shadow of death
a light has dawned.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 10:1-9 ©
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The
Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to
all the towns and places he himself was to visit. He said to them, ‘The harvest
is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send
labourers to his harvest. Start off now, but remember, I am sending you out
like lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no
one on the road. Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, “Peace to
this house!” And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on
him; if not, it will come back to you. Stay in the same house, taking what food
and drink they have to offer, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not move
from house to house. Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome,
eat what is set before you. Cure those in it who are sick, and say, “The
kingdom of God is very near to you.”
FORMATION
AND MISSION AS THE MOTIVATION AND REASON
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: 2 Tim 1:1-8 or TiTUS 1:1-5; LK 10:1-9
Every day we read news
of the problems facing humanity and the untold suffering in the world. We read of the injustices in
society and the wars that are being fought. There are so many who are
suffering either from injustices, the rages of war or poverty. We are
very much aware of the culture of death and materialism being promoted in the
world. Humanity is facing a crisis with regard to its future, identity
and unity. When cultural and moral relativism become our dictators, then
the future is bleak because technology and progress without ethical foundation
will eventually destroy us. Within this context, how do we want to
react? This is where as Christians; we must offer a message of hope to
the world.
For us, of course,
Christ is our hope. He is Truth and Love in person. Indeed, there can be no peace
unless there is justice and love which is founded on truth. Relativism and
secularism have caused the world to fall into despair. They do not know
the truth. Worst of all they say that truth cannot be found and we are
resigned to ignorance. Indeed half-truths are worse than lies. The
Lord knows that and warms us, “remember, I am sending you out like lambs among
wolves.” There is no peace from within as their hearts are restless. They
live in fear of tomorrow, especially of death, the greatest enemy of mankind.
The consequences are selfishness and competition. On the social level,
individual needs breed disagreement and division.
Like the seventy two
disciples, the Lord is sending us out to the world to be messengers of peace
and reconcilers. Jesus told the disciples, “Whatever house you go into, let
your first words be, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if a man of peace lives there,
your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you.”
Indeed, the world is seeking for peace. As Catholics, we are called to
bring the lasting peace that only Christ can give to us by proclaiming the
truth and living a life of compassion and love. We are appointed like the
72 disciples to prepare the way for the Lord to come into their lives. We
are to be “sent…out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he
himself was to visit.” St Paul considered himself as “an apostle of
Christ Jesus in his design to promise life in Christ Jesus; to Timothy, dear
child of mine, wishing you grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from
Christ Jesus our Lord.” Grace and peace comes from Christ. That is
why the great message of peace is Christ Himself. This is our mission.
Indeed, the harvest is
plentiful but the labourers are few. This is what the Lord said, “The harvest is rich
but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to
his harvest.” Our mission is not just to Catholics but to the whole of
society. We need more people to join us in this mission.
This mission is
urgent. That is
why, Jesus told the disciples, “Start off now. Carry no purse, no
haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road.” Indeed, the disciples
were told to travel lightly so that they can travel fast. We cannot wait
any longer. We can see how in Europe the faith is dying. In place
of faith, secularism and relativism are dominating the life of society.
If you love humanity and our people, undertake this mission with devotion and urgency.
How can we undertake
this mission of proclaiming the Good News?
We need to be sure of
our own faith. The study of theology is to help us understand our own
faith so that we can transmit to others. The end of the study of theology is to
understand our Faith and be convicted so that we will be empowered to explain
our Faith to others with utter passion and conviction. Without
understanding our own faith, we cannot give a reason to others for our hope in
Christ. Faith must be credible even if it is not
reasoned. Faith and reason always go together. So theology,
which is a systematic study of our faith, is done in such a way that we can
provide credibility in our beliefs in Christ.
But certainty of faith in
Christ does not come through study. Rather, it comes through our personal
encounter with the Lord in worship, both as individuals and as a
community. That is why the crown of theology is liturgy. It
is the worship of God. The study of theology is not an end in
itself. Theology is not mere intellectual knowledge but a living
relationship with the Lord. We know Him to love Him and to serve
Him. We want all to come and worship the Lord, to experience His
love. “Give the Lord, you families of peoples, give the Lord glory and
power; give the Lord the glory of his name. Proclaim to the nations: ‘God
is king.’ The world he made firm in its place; he will judge the peoples
in fairness. Proclaim the wonders of the Lord among all the
peoples.” This was what happened to St Thomas Aquinas. When he
encountered the Lord in the Eucharist, he said all that he wrote were merely
straws. Liturgy is where we encounter God in person and not just
talking about God. We talk to Him in worship and in prayer.
The outcome of worship
is charity. In
the final analysis, the Good News is proclaimed not simply by intellectual
arguments but by the transforming power of love. This is why Jesus told
the disciples, “Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to
offer, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house.
Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is set before
you.” We must manifest the power and mercy of the Lord through our
lives and work. “Cure those in it who are sick, and say, ‘The kingdom
of God is very near to you’”. The psalmist says, “O sing a new song to
the Lord, sing to the Lord all the earth. O sing to the Lord, bless his
name. Proclaim his help day by day, tell among the nations his glory and his
wonders among all the peoples.” Yes, through our love and
transformed life, we bring others to Jesus.
What, then, is the
secret in preparing ourselves for the mission?
Firstly, we must be
grateful for the faith that we have received from our forefathers. When we are grateful, we return out
thanks by transmitting the same Good News we have received. It is our
duty to pass on what we have received. Just as we have received the faith
from others like Timothy, we should give what we have received. Freely
received, freely given! St Paul wrote, “I am reminded of the sincere
faith which you have; it came first to live in your grandmother Lois, and your
mother Eunice, and I have no doubt that it is the same faith in you as well.”
Secondly, we need to
have faith-anointed, loving, understanding and patient teachers to guide
us. We note the
encouraging letter that St Paul sent to Timothy. It was a personal letter
filled with love, tenderness, encouragement and hope. He wrote,
“Night and day I thank God, keeping my conscience clear and remembering my duty
to him as my ancestors did, and always I remember you in my prayers; I remember
your tears and long to see you again to complete my happiness.” When we
have good teachers who encourage us along the way, never giving up hope in us,
we will be able to find greater self-confidence. Affirmation and
encouragement go a long way to keep us interested in what we are studying or
doing.
Thirdly, we must
pray and rely on the grace of God and not on our own strength and intellectual
capacity. Jesus
did not ask us to promote vocations but to pray for the Lord of the harvest to
send labourers. St Paul did the same in his mission by praying and
depending on the Lord, not on His own strength for the mission. “That
is why I am reminding you now to fan into a flame the gift that God gave you
when I laid my hands on you. God’s gift was not a spirit of timidity, but the
Spirit of power, and love, and self-control. So you are never to be ashamed of
witnessing to the Lord, or ashamed of me for being his prisoner; but with me,
bear the hardships for the sake of the Good News, relying on the power of God
who has saved us and called us to be holy.” Prayers help us to
connect with the Lord and our faith will not remain cerebral but a living encounter.
Most of all, prayers means that we are humble to rely on His power and not on
our own.
So,
too, if we wish to be a good theologian and a great apostle for the Lord, we
must pray as much as we study and minister to our people. Indeed, the process is to know Jesus,
to love Him and to serve Him. Our studies must not be on the
cerebral level but be integrated with our prayer life. A deeper
experience of the Lord in prayer will help us to understand the faith of the
Church easier and more profoundly. A deeper understanding of the
faith will lead you to pray more fervently and devoutly in faith and
trust. The Lord will bless you with truths that you can grasp in a deeper
manner. With a deepening relationship with the Lord, with a change of
heart and mind, we will manifest this life of faith in love and service and
mission.
WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV
WILLIAM GOH
ARCHBISHOP
OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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