20150418
DEVOTION TO PRAYER AND THE WORD IS KEY TO MINISTRY
Readings at Mass
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First reading
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Acts 6:1-7 ©
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About this time, when
the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenists made a complaint against
the Hebrews: in the daily distribution their own widows were being overlooked.
So the Twelve called a full meeting of the disciples and addressed them, ‘It
would not be right for us to neglect the word of God so as to give out food;
you, brothers, must select from among yourselves seven men of good reputation,
filled with the Spirit and with wisdom; we will hand over this duty to them,
and continue to devote ourselves to prayer and to the service of the word.’ The
whole assembly approved of this proposal and elected Stephen, a man full of
faith and of the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon,
Parmenas, and Nicolaus of Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these
to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
The word
of the Lord continued to spread: the number of disciples in Jerusalem was
greatly increased, and a large group of priests made their submission to the
faith.
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Psalm
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Psalm
32:1-2,4-5,18-19 ©
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May your love be
upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.
or
Alleluia!
Ring out your joy to
the Lord, O you just;
for
praise is fitting for loyal hearts.
Give thanks to the
Lord upon the harp,
with a
ten-stringed lute sing him songs.
May your love be
upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.
or
Alleluia!
For the word of the
Lord is faithful
and all
his works to be trusted.
The Lord loves
justice and right
and fills
the earth with his love.
May your love be
upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.
or
Alleluia!
The Lord looks on
those who revere him,
on those
who hope in his love,
to rescue their souls
from death,
to keep
them alive in famine.
May your love be
upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.
or
Alleluia!
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Rm6:9
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Christ, having been
raised from the dead, will never die again.
Death has no power
over him any more.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Christ has risen, he
who created all things,
and has granted his
mercy to men.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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John 6:16-21 ©
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In
the evening the disciples went down to the shore of the lake and got into a
boat to make for Capernaum on the other side of the lake. It was getting dark
by now and Jesus had still not rejoined them. The wind was strong, and the sea
was getting rough. They had rowed three or four miles when they saw Jesus
walking on the lake and coming towards the boat. This frightened them, but he
said, ‘It is I. Do not be afraid.’ They were for taking him into the boat, but
in no time it reached the shore at the place they were making for.
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DEVOTION
TO PRAYER AND THE WORD IS KEY TO MINISTRY
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SCRIPTURE
READINGS: ACTS 6:1-7;
JN 6:16-21
Why do
you want to be involved in Church activities, ministries or even in
Non-Governmental Organizations? If it is because you want to serve the
Church, the poor and help people in need. That is admirable, but it would be
putting the cart before the horse. The truth is that service to others
and compassion for the poor should arise from our experience of the love and
mercy of God. Pure humanitarian motives, whilst noble, cannot get us very
far. It will not be enough to elicit the very best efforts from us.
That is
why Pope Benedict in his second Encyclical, “God is Love,” writes, “Love of God
and love of neighbour are thus inseparable, they form a single commandment. But
live from the love of God who has loved us first. No longer is it a question,
then, of a ‘commandment’ imposed from without and calling for the impossible,
but rather of a freely-bestowed experience of love from within, a love which by
its very nature must then be shared with others. Love grows through love. Love
is ‘divine’ because it comes from God and unites us to God; through this
unifying process it makes us a ‘we’ which transcends our divisions and makes us
one, until in the end God is “all in all” (1 Cor 15:28).”
Truly,
without a prior love of God, we will not be able to make present the love of
God in our works of charity and service to His people and humanity.
Hence, in the first reading, the apostles who were overwhelmed by their service
to the poor, recognized that they were losing their direction and the source of
their love and service. Thus, they concluded that they should devote
themselves to prayer instead, if they were to be of real help to the Christian
community as their leaders.
Again,
in the same encyclical, Pope Benedict warns us thus, “It is time to reaffirm
the importance of prayer in the face of the activism and the growing secularism
of many Christians engaged in charitable work. Clearly, the Christian who prays
does not claim to be able to change God’s plans or correct what he has
foreseen. Rather, he seeks an encounter with the Father of Jesus Christ, asking
God to be present with the consolation of the Spirit to him and his work. A
personal relationship with God and abandonment to his will can prevent man from
being demeaned and save him from falling prey to the teaching of fanaticism and
terrorism. An authentically religious attitude prevents man from presuming to
judge God, accusing him of allowing poverty and failing to have compassion for his
creatures. When people claim to build a case against God in defence of man, on
whom can they depend when human activity proves powerless?”
Consequently,
today, if we are to recover the enthusiasm for our ministry, we must return to
the basics, which is to devote ourselves to prayer and the Word. In her letter
for Lent 1996, Mother Teresa wrote to her lay co-workers: “We need this deep
connection with God in our daily life. How can we obtain it? By prayer!”
Unless we recognize that prayer is the basic means of establishing relationship
with Christ, and come into contact with the Risen Lord, we cannot be His
witnesses.
Like
the disciples in today’s gospel, we are often in the dark. Sometimes in the
face of helplessness over unjust situations or extreme poverty, we can end up
giving up faith in God or in humanity. Without Christ, like the disciples, we
cannot but be overwhelmed by the storms of life. Unless we hear the words
of assurance from Jesus, “Be not afraid. It is I” we cannot remain strong
in our faith and ministry. Yes, Pope Benedict urges us to stay faithful
to prayer: “as a means of drawing ever new strength from Christ, is concretely
and urgently needed. People who pray are not wasting their time, even though
the situation appears desperate and seems to call for action alone. Piety does
not undermine the struggle against the poverty of our neighbours, however
extreme.”
However,
it is not enough to simply pray. Our prayers must be grounded also in the Word
of God. To be at the service of the Lord, we must be salted by the Word of God.
This requires that we spend time studying the Word, not just praying the Word.
The Word of God of course is more than the scriptures. The Word includes
the whole gospel found in the living tradition of the Church, in the doctrines
and the liturgy. Hence, if we were to be serious in our service to Christ
and His Church, we must be willing to listen to the Word of God so that we can
draw fresh inspiration and hope in the service of God, whether temporal or
spiritual. Accordingly, the apostles said to the Christian community, “It
would not be right for us to neglect the word of God so as to give out
food.” In their discernment, they realized that their primary duty
was to be at the service of the Word. Before we are proclaimers of the
Word either by speech or action, we must first be listeners to the Word
ourselves.
Indeed,
the deacons in the first reading are our exemplars. They were appointed
not simply because they were professionals and of status in society, but because
they were people of good reputation who were “filled with the Holy Spirit and
faith and wisdom.” Only such leaders can move people to conversion,
as we read in the early Church. Truly, “the word of the Lord continued to
spread: the number of disciples in Jerusalem was greatly increased, and a large
group of priests made their submission to the faith.” What we need today are
not leaders who have professional degrees, talent, eloquence, wealth and
influence, but those who have a genuine heart for the poor and the
marginalized; a compassion that springs from their deep love for God and the
values of the gospel taught to us by our Lord Jesus Christ.
Karl
Barth, a renowned Protestant theologian once said, “What we know today as the
Church service in Roman Catholicism and in Protestantism is a torso. The Roman
Catholic Church has a sacramental service without preaching. But I wish
to speak at the moment not for or against her, but about our own Protestant
Church. We have a service with a sermon but without sacraments.
Both types of service are impossible.” Hence, it is not sufficient to celebrate
the sacraments without the Word. Just a ritualistic participation in the
Eucharist will not transform us or inspire us. Christian service and commitment
therefore must not only be nurtured through the Eucharist and the Sacraments
but the Word of God.
Yes,
whether we are priests, deacons or lay leaders, the real reason for our lack of
commitment to the ministry is due to the fact that we have neglected prayer and
the Word of God and reduced the Eucharist to a mere ritualistic and
superstitious practice. We must come back, as Pope John Paul II, urged
us, that is, to “contemplate on the face of Christ.” As the gospel
records, when Jesus was with them, the disciples “in no time reached the shore
at the place they were making for.” This is true for us as well.
The shore represents stability, compared to the sea which is a symbol of
turmoil and evil. Only with a renewed commitment to prayer and the Word,
can we as Christ’s workers become effective ministers to the people of God.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh
Roman
Catholic Archbishop of Singapore
©
All Rights Reserved
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