20150529 BEARING FRUITS IN OUR MINISTRY AND APOSTOLATE
Readings at Mass
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First reading
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Ecclesiasticus
44:1,9-13 ©
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Let us praise
illustrious men,
our
ancestors in their successive generations.
Some have left no
memory,
and
disappeared as though they had not existed,
they are now as
though they had never been,
and so
too, their children after them.
But here is a list of
generous men
whose
good works have not been forgotten.
In their descendants
there remains
a rich
inheritance born of them.
Their descendants
stand by the covenants
and,
thanks to them, so do their children’s children.
Their offspring will
last for ever,
their
glory will not fade.
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Psalm
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Psalm 149:1-6,9 ©
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The Lord takes
delight in his people.
or
Alleluia!
Sing a new song to
the Lord,
his
praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel rejoice in
its Maker,
let
Zion’s sons exult in their king.
The Lord takes
delight in his people.
or
Alleluia!
Let them praise his
name with dancing
and make
music with timbrel and harp.
For the Lord takes
delight in his people.
He crowns
the poor with salvation.
The Lord takes
delight in his people.
or
Alleluia!
Let the faithful
rejoice in their glory,
shout for
joy and take their rest.
Let the praise of God
be on their lips:
this
honour is for all his faithful.
The Lord takes
delight in his people.
or
Alleluia!
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Ps118:36,29
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Bend my heart to your
will, O Lord,
and teach me your
law.
Alleluia!
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Or
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cf.Jn15:16
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I chose you from the
world
to go out and bear
fruit,
fruit that will last,
says the Lord.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Mark 11:11-26 ©
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After he had been
acclaimed by the crowds, Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the Temple. He
looked all round him, but as it was now late, he went out to Bethany with the
Twelve.
Next day
as they were leaving Bethany, he felt hungry. Seeing a fig tree in leaf some
distance away, he went to see if he could find any fruit on it, but when he
came up to it he found nothing but leaves; for it was not the season for figs.
And he addressed the fig tree. ‘May no one ever eat fruit from you again’ he
said. And his disciples heard him say this.
So they
reached Jerusalem and he went into the Temple and began driving out those who
were selling and buying there; he upset the tables of the money changers and
the chairs of those who were selling pigeons. Nor would he allow anyone to
carry anything through the Temple. And he taught them and said, ‘Does not
scripture say: My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples?
But you have turned it into a robbers’ den.’ This came to the ears of the chief
priests and the scribes, and they tried to find some way of doing away with
him; they were afraid of him because the people were carried away by his
teaching. And when evening came he went out of the city.
Next
morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered to the roots. Peter
remembered. ‘Look, Rabbi,’ he said to Jesus, ‘the fig tree you cursed has withered
away.’ Jesus answered, ‘Have faith in God. I tell you solemnly, if anyone says
to this mountain, “Get up and throw yourself into the sea,” with no hesitation
in his heart but believing that what he says will happen, it will be done for
him. I tell you therefore: everything you ask and pray for, believe that you
have it already, and it will be yours. And when you stand in prayer, forgive
whatever you have against anybody, so that your Father in heaven may forgive
your failings too.’ But if you do not forgive, your Father in heaven will not
forgive your failings either.’
BEARING
FRUITS IN OUR MINISTRY AND APOSTOLATE
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Often,
we wonder why our ministries do not seem to bear fruit, notwithstanding the
hard work we put into it. And even if we have attained some measure of
success, we are not able to sustain the momentum. What could be the cause
of barrenness in our ministry and apostolate? The truth is “in vain does the
man labour if the Lord does not build!” (Ps 127:1) In a nutshell, it has to with our
spiritual house. What is the state of our spiritual house?
It is
within this context that we can better appreciate the incident of the cursing
of the fig tree. This is perhaps one of the most intriguing and apparently
incoherent actions of Jesus, as what He did seems to be totally
unreasonable. The evangelist narrated how Jesus cursed the fig tree when
He found no fruits on it except leaves, even though “it was not the season for figs.”
Why would Jesus do such a thing when the fig tree was not to be blamed?
This incident should be seen in the context of a prophecy in action, that is, a
prophetic word dramatized in such a way that the listeners are awakened to the
lesson that it wanted to teach.
In this
case, the barren fig tree represents the scribes and the Pharisees, and by
extension, the people of Israel. We see them performing all the rituals,
observing all the commandments meticulously, especially the Sabbath Law, and
engaging in the study of the Torah. Yet for all their so-called spiritual
activities, they were actually spiritual hypocrites, as all these observances
did not make them more compassionate, caring and respectful of their
fellowmen. Most of all, they became proud and self-righteous before God
and man. So they were just like the fig tree, full of leaves but no
fruit; nice in appearance, but barren within.
What is
true of them is also reflective of our lives as well, whether as individuals,
or as a community of believers. Many of us apparently observe the
commandments of the Church, yet are lacking in charity, compassion and
integrity in the way we conduct ourselves at home, and especially at
work. As Church, we can be involved in many activities, and yet our
spiritual life, in terms of relationship with the Lord and living a gospel
life, is not growing. There is always a danger that we can hide the reality of
the situation by hiding behind activism, but inside us, we lack depth and
integration. There are some of us who, although actively involved in Church,
are living a double life. We can have many activities, yet our lives
remain sterile.
In
cleansing the Temple, Jesus was also giving a prophetic act as the One who has
come to restore the Temple to its original intention. In one way, it was
an attack on the institution of the priesthood, which had been so
institutionalized in such a way that the worship at the Temple was no longer
reconciling the people with God or uniting them with each other. It
became a means to hold on to power and to segregate the people. It even
became a means to make money out of the people through exorbitant taxes on the
Temple currency and the sale of animals in the Temple grounds for
worship. When worship and sacrifices become money-making
instruments to enrich the priests of the Temple and strengthen their power over
the people, such worship cannot transform lives; not that of the priests, nor
those of the worshippers.
We,
too, need to seriously ask ourselves whether our Church is truly a house of
worship. Have you ever wondered how it is that our Catholic Churches are
packed to the brim every Sunday, even with so many services, and yet its
followers are lacking in evangelical zeal and passion for the Lord and His
Church? Practically all Catholics receive Holy Communion, and yet there
is so little change in the way we live our lives. Many are living in
serious sin and yet have no qualms about receiving the Lord in Holy Communion
without first going for the sacrament of reconciliation. Like the Jews
too, there seems to be a dichotomy between life and faith. Receiving the
Lord in the Eucharist has not brought about any change in our lives, because we
do not share in the sacrifice of Christ personally!
Hence,
if we find that our spiritual life or our ministry is not bearing fruit, we
must invite Jesus to purify the temple in us as individuals and as
Church. As individuals, if we are not intent in wanting to live an
upright life according to the teachings of the gospel and the Church, we cannot
expect the grace of God to work effectively in us. Our sins will block
the channels of God’s grace to reach out to us. When we are not connected
with Jesus the Vine, we cannot expect to bear much fruit. So the first
step to take in making ourselves available to the Lord’s grace is to go for the
sacrament of reconciliation. We must make peace with God and our
fellowmen if we are to remove all the obstacles that prevent us from
experiencing His healing love and the operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit
in us.
Secondly,
we need to let go of unforgiveness in our hearts. Jesus made it clear
when He said, “And when you stand in prayer, forgive whatever you have against
anybody, so that your Father in heaven may forgive your failings too. But
if you do not forgive, your Father in heaven will not forgive your failings
either.” If we hold so much bitterness and anger in our hearts, we cannot
expect to exude a heart of compassion and understanding. Those who are
wounded in ministry or in their lives tend to transfer their wounds to those
whom they minister. When a person suffers from low self-esteem, he might
be inclined to choose a profession that gives him a sense of being wanted and
loved. Another person who has been hurt in a relationship might become
coloured in the way he looks at future relationships. So a wounded heart
cannot really be effective in ministering to others until it is healed.
This explains why Jesus says that effective prayer demands that we forgive, for
only then can we receive the full installment of God’s healing love, which in
turn will extend to our enemies and all those who hurt us. Indeed, in the first
reading we read that the good works of illustrious men will be passed on to
their children’s children.
Finally,
our personal life and ministry must be accomplished through prayer if we are to
be fruitful. No amount of hard work and technique can change the hearts
of men or bring people to Christ. We are called to pray with faith,
especially for our conversion and the conversion of others. Jesus exhorts
us, “have faith in God. I tell you solemnly, if anyone says to this
mountain, ‘Get up and throw yourself into the sea,’ with no hesitation in his
heart but believing that what he says will happen, it will be done for
him. I tell you therefore: everything you ask and pray for, believe that
you have it already, and it will be yours.” Prayer ultimately is
THE key to all our problems in life. Prayer connects us with God and with
the sufferings of our fellowmen. Prayer, most of all, helps us to get in
touch with ourselves. Only through the Holy Spirit at work in our hearts,
with His love poured into us, will we find the strength to accomplish His
mission entrusted to us. But it is not enough to pray, we must pray with
faith and in faith.
What is
the basis of this faith in God’s power to change lives? The responsorial
psalm tells us that God delights in us. “Let Israel be glad in their
maker, let the children of Zion rejoice in their king. For the Lord loves his
people, and he adorns the lowly with victory.” We can be certain that He
loves us because we are the New Temple of the Lord where His Holy Spirit lives
in us. For this reason, the psalmist invites us to sing for joy and exult
in glory. “Let the high praises of God be in their throats. This is the
glory of all his faithful. Alleluia.” When we live a life of praise in
word and deed, we become a people of praise, truly the Temple of the Lord.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh
Roman
Catholic Archbishop of Singapore
©
All Rights Reserved
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