20150322 SEEING GOD IN JESUS IN HIS PASSION AND RESURRECTION
Readings at Mass
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First reading
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Jeremiah
31:31-34 ©
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See, the days are
coming – it is the Lord who speaks – when I will make 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 broke that covenant of mine, so I had to
show them who was master. 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. Deep within them I will plant my Law, writing it 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 – it is the Lord who speaks – since I will forgive their
iniquity and never call their sin to mind.
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Psalm
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Psalm
50:3-4,12-15 ©
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A pure heart
create for me, O God.
Have mercy on me,
God, in your kindness.
In your
compassion blot out my offence.
O wash me more and
more from my guilt
and
cleanse me from my sin.
A pure heart
create for me, O God.
A pure heart create
for me, O God,
put a
steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away
from your presence,
nor
deprive me of your holy spirit.
A pure heart
create for me, O God.
Give me again the joy
of your help;
with a
spirit of fervour sustain me,
that I may teach
transgressors your ways
and
sinners may return to you.
A pure heart
create for me, O God.
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Second reading
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Hebrews 5:7-9 ©
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During his life on
earth, Christ offered up prayer and entreaty, aloud and in silent tears, to the
one who had the power to save him out of death, and he submitted so humbly that
his prayer was heard. Although he was Son, he learnt to obey through suffering;
but having been made perfect, he became for all who obey him the source of
eternal salvation.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Jn12:26
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Glory to you, O
Christ, you are the Word of God!
Whoever serves me
must follow me, says the Lord;
and where I am, there
also will my servant be.
Glory to you, O
Christ, you are the Word of God!
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Gospel
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John 12:20-33 ©
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Among those who went
up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. These approached Philip, who
came from Bethsaida in Galilee, and put this request to him, ‘Sir, we should
like to see Jesus.’ Philip went to tell Andrew, and Andrew and Philip together
went to tell Jesus. Jesus replied to them:
‘Now the hour has
come
for the Son of Man to
be glorified.
I tell you, most
solemnly,
unless a wheat grain
falls on the ground and dies,
it remains only a
single grain;
but if it dies,
it yields a rich
harvest.
Anyone who loves his
life loses it;
anyone who hates his
life in this world
will keep it for the
eternal life.
If a man serves me,
he must follow me,
wherever I am, my
servant will be there too.
If anyone serves me,
my Father will honour him.
Now my soul is
troubled.
What shall I say:
Father, save me from
this hour?
But it was for this
very reason that I have come to this hour.
Father, glorify your
name!’
A voice came from
heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.’ People standing by,
who heard this, said it was a clap of thunder; others said, ‘It was an angel
speaking to him.’ Jesus answered, ‘It was not for my sake that this voice came,
but for yours.
‘Now sentence is
being passed on this world;
now the prince of
this world is to be overthrown.
And when I am lifted
up from the earth,
I shall draw all men
to myself.’
By
these words he indicated the kind of death he would die.
SEEING
GOD IN JESUS IN HIS PASSION AND RESURRECTION
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: JER 31:31-34; PS 50:3-4,12-15; HEB 5:7-9; JN 12:20-33
“We want to see
Jesus.” This is the cry of nominal Catholics, Christians and
non-believers. All
are looking for truth, life and everlasting love and happiness. Anyone
who is seeking for fullness of life is seeking to see Jesus.
Today, God is absent in
the lives of many people, even believers. This is the result of secularism and
materialism. God is not real and many cannot feel Him, much less see
Him. God has been taken out of public life. Because God is not felt
or experienced, man needs to assume full control of his own life. He
thinks science and technology can solve all the problems of humanity.
Yet, he has never learnt his lessons. The world cannot solve the
spiritual and moral needs of humanity. Although we have made great
strides in technological advancement, yet, the world is not any happier or
united. On the contrary, increased power only threatens the unity and
peace of humanity, as people use power for their own interests and not for
others. Happiness lies in the heart.
God is absent also
because of our sins and the consequences of our sins. We cannot feel or see God
because of our brokenness and pain from the consequence of our sins. We
live in double obscurity of sin and ignorance. When we are hurt, wounded,
disappointed and disillusioned, how can we see God at work in our lives?
Precisely, many have given up on God because of the circumstances they are
in. Those who are sick, abandoned, unloved and in financial difficulties,
find it hard to believe in a loving God. Indeed, many young people who
come from dysfunctional families or have parents who do not care for them
wonder whether a loving God exists. If God does not care about their
lives, why should they care whether He exists?
The Good News is that
the Lord is faithful to His side of the Covenant. He has not given up hope
on us. Through Jeremiah, the Lord said, “See, the days are coming – it is
the Lord who speaks – when I will make 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 broke that covenant of mine, so I had to show them who was master.”
God promised deliverance
and He will help us to know Him directly. He said, “Deep within them I will plant
my Law, writing it on their hearts. Then I will be their God and they shall be
my people.” How can the Law of God be written in our hearts? How
can we know the Lord personally without others telling us? For many of
us, our knowledge of Christ is not personal but at most doctrinal. We
have no personal knowledge of the Lord or any personal relationship, other than
what we picked up from catechism classes or read in some books. We cannot
speak about Him with conviction. We do not speak about God like His sons
and daughters, but more like grandchildren. Christ remains distant, like a
historical figure, but not personally risen in our lives.
So what can bring about
a radical change in our relationship with the Lord? It can happen only
when we receive Holy Spirit, who leads us to Jesus, and who in turn reveals to us the love
of the Father. Once we receive the Holy Spirit, God becomes real in our
lives. We now want to do the will of God and walk in His ways. The
laws are no longer external to us or a burden but we see them as the wisdom of
God, providing us with guidance on how to live a righteous and holy life, a
life of peace, love, joy and grace. We can then testify that we now
know the Lord personally and that all power belongs to Him and that He is
love. How does this happen?
Firstly, it happens
through acknowledgement of our sins and our misery, like the Israelites in
exile. We need
to confess our sins. So long as we are not conscious of our sins
and our mistakes, the Lord cannot show us the way. Humble acknowledgement
that we do not have the answers and that we are not perfect is the first step
to recovering the presence of God in our lives.
Secondly, contemplation
on the passion of Christ. He is the leader of our salvation. When we consider the love of God in
Christ, we cannot but be moved at His mercy and compassion. The truth is
that, like Jesus, we have to learn obedience through suffering. Suffering
can make us bitter or better. The Lord permits us to suffer through the
consequences of our sins and the sins of others so that we can come to know His
will for us and align ourselves with His divine plan. When we contemplate
how He was tempted and suffered for us, we too find strength and consolation in
our temptations as we struggle to do the will of God as Christ did.
Most of all, His obedience unto death for us teaches us to do the same.
He showed us that doing God’s will is not only possible but the only way to
find life. Reflection on Christ and on our sufferings leads us to
obedience and helps us see the wisdom and truth of God through our mistakes.
Finally, contemplation
on His resurrection. As a consequence of Jesus’ surrender, the Father raised Him from
the dead and glorified Him. Indeed, in the final analysis, reflection on
His resurrection gives us hope that truth and love will prevail at the end.
Crucifixion without resurrection is tragic but resurrection without crucifixion
has no power. So when we reflect on Christ’s resurrection, we are filled
with hope that no matter what happens, love and life will triumph in the end,
not hatred or death. That is why the foundation of Christian love is the
crucified Christ and that of Christian hope is the resurrection of
Christ. Consequently, we can understand and appreciate why disorder in
the world and the division within man because of pride, rebellion and
inordinate self-love can only be overcome, be purified and be perfected by the
passion, death and resurrection of our Lord.
Having received the Lord’s
favours, we too must now do the same. We share in Jesus’ mission to give glory to the
Father. We too must show the way for others who are seeking for true
happiness and freedom in life. We are called to be the messengers of the
Good News. What we have received freely, we must now give freely.
How do we lead others
back to God if not by glorifying His name? How do we glorify the Father? The
first way is by dying with Jesus to our sins, to self and by loving others unto
death. Giving up our lives for the service of others is the way
to glorify the Father. People might not believe in our God but
everyone desires love and compassion. So by witnessing to the world our
love and compassion, they will come to know the love of God. This
requires that we die to ourselves more and more so that others can live.
We must put the interests of others before our own. We must come to
believe that the only way to live fully is to live for others. When we
forget ourselves and reach out to others in love, we find our true self.
Like Jesus, we will draw
others to Christ when we also die with Jesus in love and service. So be a witness in love and charity at
home, in office and in the parish. Be a witness to His passion and
resurrection in your life by living a life of humble service and giving hope
and confidence to those who are lacking direction in life.
Finally, do it with
Jesus in earnest prayer. Contemplating on Christ’s faith in God, we too learn not to rely
on ourselves but on God alone. Only God has the power to give us the
grace to overcome the trials of life. This grace is always given through
fervent prayer and intercession, as in the case of Jesus who spent hours in the
Garden of Gethsemane before His passion.
When we cooperate with
His grace, we share in His glory, the fullness of life and joy. Jesus
promised us, “If a man
serves me, he must follow me, wherever I am, my servant will be there too. If
anyone serves me, my Father will honour him.” Indeed, when we serve
the Lord and die to ourselves, we will also be glorified with Him and share in
the fullness of life. Ut Vivant, that they may live, requires us to
die. But the joy of helping others live and be happy is greater than just
attending to our own interests and happiness. We must be like Jesus,
ready to give up our lives for God and for the service of others.
If we love the world then the world will possess us and we live in constant
insecurity. So let us die with Jesus for the salvation of the world.
WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV
WILLIAM GOH
ARCHBISHOP
OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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