20150131 HOW IS IT THAT YOU HAVE NO FAITH?
Readings at Mass
|
First reading
|
|
Hebrews
11:1-2,8-19 ©
|
Only faith can
guarantee the blessings that we hope for, or prove the existence of the
realities that at present remain unseen. It was for faith that our ancestors
were commended.
It was by
faith that Abraham obeyed the call to set out for a country that was the
inheritance given to him and his descendants, and that he set out without
knowing where he was going. By faith he arrived, as a foreigner, in the
Promised Land, and lived there as if in a strange country, with Isaac and
Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. They lived there in tents
while he looked forward to a city founded, designed and built by God.
It was
equally by faith that Sarah, in spite of being past the age, was made able to
conceive, because she believed that he who had made the promise would be
faithful to it. Because of this, there came from one man, and one who was
already as good as dead himself, more descendants than could be counted, as
many as the stars of heaven or the grains of sand on the seashore.
All these
died in faith, before receiving any of the things that had been promised, but
they saw them in the far distance and welcomed them, recognising that they were
only strangers and nomads on earth. People who use such terms about themselves
make it quite plain that they are in search of their real homeland. They can
hardly have meant the country they came from, since they had the opportunity to
go back to it; but in fact they were longing for a better homeland, their
heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, since
he has founded the city for them.
It was by
faith that Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac. He offered to
sacrifice his only son even though the promises had been made to him and he had
been told: It is through Isaac that your name will be carried on. He was
confident that God had the power even to raise the dead; and so, figuratively
speaking, he was given back Isaac from the dead.
|
Canticle
|
Luke 1:69-75 ©
|
Blessed be the
Lord, the God of Israel! He has visited his people and redeemed them.
He has raised up for
us a mighty saviour
in the
house of David his servant,
as he promised by the
lips of holy men,
those who
were his prophets from of old.
Blessed be the
Lord, the God of Israel! He has visited his people and redeemed them.
A saviour who would
free us from our foes,
from the
hands of all who hate us.
So his love for our
fathers is fulfilled
and his
holy covenant remembered.
Blessed be the
Lord, the God of Israel! He has visited his people and redeemed them.
He swore to Abraham
our father
to grant
us that free from fear,
and saved
from the hands of our foes,
we might serve him in
holiness and justice
all the
days of our life in his presence.
Blessed be the
Lord, the God of Israel! He has visited his people and redeemed them.
|
Gospel
Acclamation
|
cf.Ps26:11
|
Alleluia, alleluia!
Instruct me, Lord, in
your way;
on an even path lead
me.
Alleluia!
|
Or
|
Jn3:16
|
Alleluia, alleluia!
God loved the world
so much that he gave his only Son:
everyone who believes
in him has eternal life.
Alleluia!
|
Gospel
|
Mark 4:35-41 ©
|
With
the coming of evening, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let us cross over to the
other side.’ And leaving the crowd behind they took him, just as he was, in the
boat; and there were other boats with him. Then it began to blow a gale and the
waves were breaking into the boat so that it was almost swamped. But he was in
the stern, his head on the cushion, asleep. They woke him and said to him,
‘Master, do you not care? We are going down!’ And he woke up and rebuked the
wind and said to the sea, ‘Quiet now! Be calm!’ And the wind dropped, and all
was calm again. Then he said to them, ‘Why are you so frightened? How is it that
you have no faith?’ They were filled with awe and said to one another, ‘Who can
this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him.’
HOW
IS IT THAT YOU HAVE NO FAITH?
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: HEBREWS 11:1-2, 8-19; MARK 4:35-41
The
letter to the Hebrews was written to Jewish Christian converts who were
facing persecution from their own members of the community. We can
empathize how painful it must have been for them. Those of us who are
converts from families that are staunch in traditional religions would be
familiar with these sentiments; of being ridiculed, isolated or treated coldly
by our loved ones and in some instances, by our community. What the
Jewish Christians in the primitive Church were facing is recapitulated in the
gospel story of the calming of the storm today. Indeed, the boat that was
being tossed about by the waves and the winds was symbolic of the Church under
persecution. This incident in the life of the apostles was chosen to give
encouragement to the Christians under persecution.
We too face trials and
opposition in our search to live an authentic Christian life. We can be sure that it is not
easy to be a Christian. In fact if your life is too comfortable, devoid
of challenges and trials either from within or without, then you are living a
complacent life, which cannot be that of the gospel. Even if we do
not face external persecutions, we will find restlessness in our interior life
because of our lack of perfection in our love for God and for our neighbours.
More painful still is when you find opposition from within, your family
members, Church friends and perhaps even your Church leaders! When
we are rejected by those whom we love and respect, such hurts are even more
unbearable.
In the face of personal
trials, some give up on God. When sufferings come from misunderstanding in the Church,
especially with Church leaders and members, we become disillusioned and
wounded; we give up on the Church. If we ever come to this state of
giving up on God or on our fellow Catholics or on the world, then Jesus’
indictment of His disciples would apply to us “Why are you so frightened? How
is it that you have no faith?” If we say we love God and are grateful for
the sacrificial death of Jesus for us, how could we give up so easily in our
fight against sin and evil? Where is our faith in God? This is the
question that is asked of us. But before we can answer this question, we
must clarify the nature of faith.
What then is the nature
of faith? The
author of Hebrews tells us that “only faith can guarantee the blessings that we
hope for, or prove the existence of the realities that at present remain
unseen.” Faith requires us to believe without seeing the realities at
hand. It therefore requires first and foremost, trust in God’s promises.
A case in point was Abraham whom we read, “by faith he arrived, as a foreigner,
in the Promised Land, and lived there as if in a strange country, with Isaac
and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.” Faith is to
believe in things not seen.
Secondly, faith is to
believe in the impossible simply because God is the One who makes the
promise. “It was
equally by faith that Sarah, in spite of being past the age, was made able to
conceive, because she believed that he who had made the promise would be
faithful to it.” Faith therefore is to rely on the authority of God’s
word. We believe not because of a rational understanding of some truths
or because the command is reasonable but simply because God said it. To
have faith in God is to believe that somehow He will provide and make it
possible even when we think humanly it would not be achievable.
Consequently, the
corollary of faith is obedience. Since God is the One who commands,
one simply must obey, regardless of the command. So “it was by faith that
Abraham obeyed the call to set out for a country that was the inheritance given
to him and his descendants, and that he set out without knowing where he was
going.” Such was the faith of Abraham. In fact the total obedience
of Abraham is truly exemplary, for very few can obey like him. As the
author says, “it was by faith that Abraham, when put to the test, offered up
Isaac. He offered to sacrifice his only son even though the promises had been
made to him and he had been told: It is through Isaac that your name will be
carried on. He was confident that God had the power even to raise the dead; and
so, figuratively speaking, he was given Isaac back from the dead.” Which
parent would be able to surrender their children so willingly to the Lord as
Abraham did, considering he was the only child in his old age!
Faith goes beyond this
earthly life to the eternal realities. Having faith in God who works in
this world for our benefit would not be the height of faith. It is to
believe beyond the blessings of this world to that of the world beyond.
“They lived there in tents while he looked forward to a city founded, designed
and built by God. All these died in faith, before receiving any of the
things that had been promised, but they saw them in the far distance and
welcomed them, recognising that they were only strangers and nomads on
earth.” Faith ultimately is to hope that one day we will be with our
Heavenly Father, the Son in the Holy Spirit, together with the communion of
saints. If our faith is only in this life and in this world, then
we cannot be said to be people of faith, since the things of this world are
transient and our life on earth is short. Faith in God does not mean only to
believe that He will provide us all the things we need in this life, but most
of all, that we will live forever in union with Him in heaven in joy and peace.
How then can we grow in
faith, a faith that can withstand all trials and difficulties in life?
The key to faith is relationship. We can grow in trust and in confidence of someone through
a personal relationship with that person. As in today’s scripture
reading, Abraham knew God and hence, he could surrender his whole life to Him
and even obeyed His apparently ridiculous and irrational commands. He
believed that God knows best. Conversely, the disciples in spite of being
with Jesus, saw His miracles, yet did not perceive His identity. The gospel
recounts that after the calming of the storm, “they were filled with awe and
said to one another, ‘Who can this be? Even the wind and sea obey him.’”
This question is the key
to faith. “Who
can this be? Even the wind and sea obey him.” Indeed, St Mark
in his gospel wants us to reflect on this question, “Who is Jesus?” The
answer to this will impact the way we respond to Him. If we know
Jesus is truly the Son of God, then why do we still fear? If we believe
that Jesus is the presence of God, then God is always with us. He might
appear to be asleep at that time, but He is very much aware of what is happening
in our lives. It might seem that we have lost control, but with God,
everything is under control. Evil and darkness cannot overcome God who is
Goodness and Light. When the time is opportune, He will show Himself as
Lord. He will wake and rebuke the storms in our lives “Quiet now! Be
calm!” And the wind dropped, and all was calm again.”
Indeed, in the life of
Jesus, it was His own confidence in His Father’s love and fidelity that
enabled Jesus to surrender His own life to the Father, especially at the
cross. It was the experience of God as His Abba Father that gave Him the
strength to submit in obedience even unto death on the cross. Jesus was
more than Abraham, even though the author says, “He was confident that God had
the power even to raise the dead; and so, figuratively speaking, he was given
Isaac back from the dead.”
WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV
WILLIAM GOH
ARCHBISHOP
OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No comments:
Post a Comment