20150429 THE URGENCY TO SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS

20150429 THE URGENCY TO SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS

Readings at Mass

First reading

Acts 12:24-13:5 ©

The word of God continued to spread and to gain followers. Barnabas and Saul completed their task and came back from Jerusalem, bringing John Mark with them.

  In the church at Antioch the following were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. One day while they were offering worship to the Lord and keeping a fast, the Holy Spirit said, ‘I want Barnabas and Saul set apart for the work to which I have called them.’ So it was that after fasting and prayer they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

  So these two, sent on their mission by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and from there sailed to Cyprus. They landed at Salamis and proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews; John acted as their assistant.

Psalm

Psalm 66:2-3,5-6,8 ©

Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.

or

Alleluia!

O God, be gracious and bless us

  and let your face shed its light upon us.

So will your ways be known upon earth

  and all nations learn your saving help.

Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.

or

Alleluia!

Let the nations be glad and exult

  for you rule the world with justice.

With fairness you rule the peoples,

  you guide the nations on earth.

Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.

or

Alleluia!

Let the peoples praise you, O God;

  let all the peoples praise you.

May God still give us his blessing

  till the ends of the earth revere him.

Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.

or

Alleluia!

Gospel Acclamation

Jn20:29

Alleluia, alleluia!

‘You believe, Thomas, because you can see me.

Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.

Alleluia!

Or

Jn8:12

Alleluia, alleluia!

I am the light of the world, says the Lord;

anyone who follows me will have the light of life.

Alleluia!

Gospel

John 12:44-50 ©

Jesus declared publicly:

‘Whoever believes in me

believes not in me

but in the one who sent me,

and whoever sees me,

sees the one who sent me.

I, the light, have come into the world,

so that whoever believes in me

need not stay in the dark any more.

If anyone hears my words and does not keep them faithfully,

it is not I who shall condemn him,

since I have come not to condemn the world,

but to save the world.

He who rejects me and refuses my words has his judge already:

the word itself that I have spoken will be his judge on the last day.

For what I have spoken does not come from myself;

no, what I was to say,

what I had to speak,

was commanded by the Father who sent me,

and I know that his commands mean eternal life.

And therefore what the Father has told me

is what I speak.’

THE URGENCY TO SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS

SCRIPTURE READINGS: ACTS 12:24-13:5; JN 12:44-50

In the gospel, Jesus calls Himself the light so that He can lead all to the fullness of truth and life: “I, the light, have come into the world, so that whoever believes in me need not stay in the dark anymore.”  If Jesus is the Light of the world, rejecting that light will bring about our own downfall.  Not that God who is always loving and forgiving us, will condemn us if we reject the Light; rather we will condemn ourselves because we will live to regret now and in the next life for failing to walk in the light.  Hence, Jesus warns us, “If anyone hears my words and does not keep them faithfully, it is not I who shall condemn him, since I have come not to condemn the world, but to save the world: he who rejects me and refuses my words has his judge already: the word itself that I have spoken will be his judge on the last day.”  This invitation to believe in Jesus and walk in the light is urgent.

Today, He continues to issue this call to everyone through us, His witnesses.  In the first reading, we read how the apostles were set part by the Holy Spirit for the mission.  We have just celebrated Vocation Sunday last week when we were reminded to pray for an increase in priestly and religious vocations.   Of course, not only should we pray for priestly vocations, we need to pray for all vocations in general, since all vocations serve the proclamation of the gospel.  Each one of us has also been set apart to do the work of God according to the charisms He has given to us.  Regardless of our vocation, we are called to witness to Christ wherever we are, not only when we are in Church or doing strictly “Church work.”  In every situation, we are called to reveal the face of the Father, His mercy and love, just as Jesus did with His entire life, preaching and performing miracles and works of compassion. 

So why is there a shortage of vocation to the priestly and religious life?  Most of all, why is the Church so lacking in members that are truly zealous in sharing the Good News to all of humanity?  It is very difficult for us to believe that our Church’s faith is alive, regardless of the high attendance at our Church services, or even Church involvement when many are diffident of sharing the Good News about Jesus Christ with their colleagues and friends, as if bringing them to Jesus is such a wrong thing to do.  So what could be the inertia among us?

The truth is that we do not really believe in the depth of our hearts that Jesus is truly THE light of humanity and that He speaks the Word of the Father.  We tend to reduce Jesus to one light among many.  It is good to have Jesus, but He is not THE one and only true light for us.  If we truly believe that He is the Light of humanity, then we would always take our direction from Him in whatever we do, think, say or write.  Instead, we tend to rely on the world for guidance when it comes to personal values such as the importance of status, popularity, influence, power, money and recognition.  Those values that are advocated by Jesus in the gospel, such as fidelity, integrity, honesty, humility, self-effacement, non-retaliation and forgiveness, are considered disadvantages and detrimental to our well being.   As a consequence, we continue to live in darkness.

Nevertheless, the Lord’s work will not be overcome by evil in the world.   The grace of God is more powerful than the work of Satan who tries to discourage us from living the gospel life.  In the early Church, the Lord continued to call His people into the work of evangelization through the circumstances in their lives. Last week we read how the Christians when persecuted in Jerusalem, fled to Samaria, Judea and beyond, bringing with them the gospel as well.  Most of all, through the martyrdom of St Stephen, many were converted, especially Saul who was then a persecutor of the Church.  Indeed, quite often it is through suffering, persecution and trials that we learn to trust in the Lord and witness His power at work in our helpless situation.  So we can be certain the Lord is always calling us to do His work according to His divine plan.  Perhaps, we are not discerning enough and so have shut off the Lord’s voice.

The scripture readings remind us that the most important way for the Lord to call us is through prayer.   Vocation and evangelization, in the final analysis, must spring from prayer and intimacy with the Lord.  This accounts for the reason why Jesus commands us not so much to promote vocations but to pray for vocations.  Prayer is the basis for all vocations.  Only a praying person and a praying community are in sync with the Lord in heart and mind.  Without prayer and intimacy with the Lord, we will not have the sentiments to share the enthusiasm and concerns of Jesus for the people of God.

Truly, just as the disciples were commissioned to spread the Good News beyond their frontiers because of their intimacy with the Lord, Jesus was commissioned to reveal the Father because of His intimacy with Him. Jesus tells us in the gospel that He is with the Father in every way, identified with Him in love and sharing in His wisdom and power.  Indeed, Jesus tells us that He does nothing on His own.  “For what I have spoken does not come from myself; no, what I was to say, what I had to speak, was commanded by the Father who sent me, and I know that his commands mean eternal life. And therefore what the Father has told me is what I speak.” Jesus’ entire being, which is one with the Father, speaks of His total receptivity and docility to His Father’s will.  Hence, He is the Revealer, the Revealed and the Revelation of the Father in person.

However, our mission would not be effective without fasting.  Not only prayer, but fasting!  Indeed, mission springs from prayer and fasting and begins with prayer and fasting. We read that the community gathered in prayer and worship whilst fasting from food and drink.

Why is fasting important when we are doing God’s work?  Precisely, the work we do is God’s work and not ours.  We cannot rely on our own strength but His alone.  Fasting keeps us hungry for His presence and His strength.   Most of all, it helps us to connect with those who are suffering and hungering for God.  Only when we can identify and empathize with those whom we are reaching out, can we give ourselves completely to be at their service.  Without identifying ourselves with the Lord in prayer and in suffering, we can never be truly His missionaries.  When prayer is accompanied by fasting, it enables us to be docile to the Holy Spirit for guidance and inspiration.  Of course, fasting need not be reduced to mere abstinence from food but also from unnecessary talking, television, internet and the things of the world that distract us from preserving the silence of our heart.  Without silence within and without, we cannot hear the Spirit of God speaking to us.

So let us renew our faith in Jesus as the Light of Humanity through an intense and fervent prayer life and fasting as individuals and worshipping as a community, spending time listening to the Lord, inviting us to go where He wants of us, not what we want for ourselves.  We must seek to do only what the Lord wants of us, otherwise we will be doing our own will.  The early disciples were successful in their mission only because they listened to the Lord and obeyed Him instead of fulfilling their own plans.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh

Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore

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