Sunday, 28 June 2015

ASSURANCE OF DIVINE PROTECTION FOR HIS BESIEGED CHURCH

20150629 ASSURANCE OF DIVINE PROTECTION FOR HIS BESIEGED CHURCH
Readings at Mass

First reading
Acts 12:1-11 ©
King Herod started persecuting certain members of the Church. He beheaded James the brother of John, and when he saw that this pleased the Jews he decided to arrest Peter as well. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread, and he put Peter in prison, assigning four squads of four soldiers each to guard him in turns. Herod meant to try Peter in public after the end of Passover week. All the time Peter was under guard the Church prayed to God for him unremittingly.
  On the night before Herod was to try him, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, fastened with double chains, while guards kept watch at the main entrance to the prison. Then suddenly the angel of the Lord stood there, and the cell was filled with light. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him. ‘Get up!’ he said ‘Hurry!’ – and the chains fell from his hands. The angel then said, ‘Put on your belt and sandals.’ After he had done this, the angel next said, ‘Wrap your cloak round you and follow me.’ Peter followed him, but had no idea that what the angel did was all happening in reality; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed through two guard posts one after the other, and reached the iron gate leading to the city. This opened of its own accord; they went through it and had walked the whole length of one street when suddenly the angel left him. It was only then that Peter came to himself. ‘Now I know it is all true’ he said. ‘The Lord really did send his angel and has saved me from Herod and from all that the Jewish people were so certain would happen to me.’

Psalm
Psalm 33:2-9 ©
From all my terrors the Lord set me free.
or
The angel of the Lord rescues those who revere him.
I will bless the Lord at all times,
  his praise always on my lips;
in the Lord my soul shall make its boast.
  The humble shall hear and be glad.
From all my terrors the Lord set me free.
or
The angel of the Lord rescues those who revere him.
Glorify the Lord with me.
  Together let us praise his name.
I sought the Lord and he answered me;
  from all my terrors he set me free.
From all my terrors the Lord set me free.
or
The angel of the Lord rescues those who revere him.
Look towards him and be radiant;
  let your faces not be abashed.
This poor man called, the Lord heard him
  and rescued him from all his distress.
From all my terrors the Lord set me free.
or
The angel of the Lord rescues those who revere him.
The angel of the Lord is encamped
  around those who revere him, to rescue them.
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
  He is happy who seeks refuge in him.
From all my terrors the Lord set me free.
or
The angel of the Lord rescues those who revere him.

Second reading
2 Timothy 4:6-8,17-18 ©
My life is already being poured away as a libation, and the time has come for me to be gone. I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith; all there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that Day; and not only to me but to all those who have longed for his Appearing.
  The Lord stood by me and gave me power, so that through me the whole message might be proclaimed for all the pagans to hear; and so I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from all evil attempts on me, and bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Gospel Acclamation
Mt16:18
Alleluia, alleluia!
You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.
And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it.
Alleluia!

Gospel
Matthew 16:13-19 ©
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ Then Simon Peter spoke up, ‘You are the Christ,’ he said ‘the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.’

ASSURANCE OF DIVINE PROTECTION FOR HIS BESIEGED CHURCH

SCRIPTURE READINGS: Acts 12: 1-11; Ps 33:2-9; 2 Tim 4, 6-8. 17-18; Mt 16, 13-19
Today, the Church is living through a very difficult period of her history.  She is facing hostility from without and division from within.  From without, she is attacked by the world for her fidelity to the teachings of the gospel and our Lord Jesus Christ, particularly in the areas of morality and more specifically, with respect to the Church’s position on marriage, the family, human sexuality, abortion, euthanasia and bioethics. Besides moral issues, the Church has to contend with moral relativism, materialism, consumerism and a growing secularism.  Within the Church, there is division on the pastoral approach towards these contemporary issues facing our people.  There is a growing tension between the traditionalists and the liberals with respect to theological, moral and liturgical issues.  Even the sacred authority of the Church, the Pope and bishops are being challenged.
Indeed, the persecution of King Herod in today’s first reading takes new forms in our times.  We read how “King Herod started persecuting certain members of the Church. He beheaded James the brother of John, and when he saw that this pleased the Jews he decided to arrest Peter as well.”  Notable too, was that he carried these out during the Festival of the Unleavened Bread.  This was because he wanted to gain political advantage by pleasing the Jews who came for the week-long celebration.  In this way, he could gain their support and popularity.
For political gains too, world leaders are bending to the demands of the people.  We have few leaders today who have the courage to implement policies because it is the right thing to do even though it is not popular.   Most would do what gives them political mileage so that they could remain popular and stay in office.  This is true even for religious leaders.  Many religious leaders also lack the fortitude to stand up for their beliefs and do the right thing for fear of opposition and suffering too.  Today, we need leaders who have the courage to do what is right and truly good for the people.
Today, as we celebrate the two pillars of faith from the early Church, we find consolation from them.   St Peter, the head of the apostolic college, the Vicar of Christ of the Universal Church, and that of St Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, were under much persecution in steering the primitive church and withstanding the onslaught of their enemies too, especially from the Jews and the Romans.
Today, we are invited to follow the examples of Sts Peter and Paul, not only in their apostolic zeal but also in being faithful to Christ and the gospel.  St Peter was faithful right through till his martyrdom in Rome.  St Paul too was executed in Rome.  But these did not deter them from being faithful to Christ.   Before his death, he wrote to Timothy, “As for me, my life is already being poured away as a libation, and the time has come for me to be gone. I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish.”
What does it take for us to stand firm in the Lord and in our beliefs?  Firstly, we need to have the faith of St Peter.  Jesus declared, “You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it.”  What is this rock, if not faith in Jesus as the Son of the Living God?  On this faith, we stand tall.  With this faith, we can overcome all trials in life.  If we truly believe that Jesus is the Son of God, then we can have confidence that He will protect His Church.
This faith of St Peter in the identity of Christ is given through revelation.  Jesus told Peter, “Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven.”   Indeed, Catholics believe that reason needs to be supplemented by faith.  Without faith, we will not be able to arrive at the supernatural truths.  But many of us in truth do not believe in divine truths.  We trust our own judgement of what is right and wrong.  We pay lip service to the faith that the bible is the inspired Word of God.  This is because we are selective in reading and believing in what the bible says.   We do not accept all that the Word of God teaches.   We need to pray for the gift of faith.
This rock also refers to the office of St Peter who has been given the authority to keep the Church firm in faith.  Hence, following the declaration, the Lord added, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.”  Truly, the Church is protected by Christ.  Just before He departed from this world at Pentecost, He assured the apostles that He will be with the Church until the end of the world.  For this reason, Catholics not only respect the Holy Father but also give unwavering support and obedience to him in matters of faith and morals.  We recognize that Jesus has granted the Pope, together with his college of bishops, the gift of infallibility in teaching morals and doctrines.  Again, we do not truly believe in the successors of Christ, the Pope and the college of Bishops.  We do not listen to the Magisterium.  We trust in ourselves and our own reasoning.  If that were the case, we might as well build our own church.
The promise of Jesus to be with His Church is not an empty promise, for historically, the Lord showed His fidelity to His promise when He rescued St Peter from an untimely death.  When St Peter was arrested and presumably waiting for execution, the Lord sent an angel to rescue him miraculously from prison. In the same vein, He also helped St Paul to accomplish his mission of bringing the gospel to the Gentiles. St Paul said, “The Lord stood by me and gave me power, so that through me the whole message might be proclaimed for all the pagans to hear; and so I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.” 
Secondly, on our part, how do we support the Church under siege?  What is the secret of being faithful to the Lord especially when under persecution?  
The most important assistance is fervent prayers.  In the early Church, we see the people always praying for their leaders.  We read, “All the time Peter was under guard the Church prayed to God for him unremittingly.”  It was the intercession of the Christian community that St Peter was spared.  We too must always pray for leaders of the Church.  That is why in the Eucharistic prayer, we always pray for the Holy Father and the bishop of the diocese, because they have to make decisions for the Church.  They need our prayers for God’s wisdom, fortitude and prudence so that they can act with courage for the sake of the truth and the good of the people of God and society.  Indeed, intercessory prayer is indispensable for the Church if the Church were to grow in strength, in depth and in number.  Every one of us; priests, religious and laity must pray and fast for Church leaders.
However, we must pray with an expectant faith.  We read later on in the same chapter that when St Peter was released from the jail and eventually returned home, they could not believe it, thinking that he was an angel.  When we pray, we must believe that God can answer our prayers.  With the psalmist, we too must pray with confidence, “The angel of the Lord is encamped around those who revere him, to rescue them.”
We also need to pray for healing for our wounded leaders.  Many of our leaders are wounded in ministry because of misunderstanding and betrayals.  St Paul as a leader did not allow his personal grievances to hinder him from preaching the gospel.  He said, “At my first defense no one came to my support, but all deserted me. May it not be counted against them!” Leaders like our Lord who suffered betrayals and rejections must not be vindictive but be forgiving so that their hearts can be set free for the gospel of mercy and compassion.  If leaders are full of anger and bitterness, they cannot proclaim the gospel of joy and compassion.  By their bitterness, they close their heart not just to our enemies but others as well because they look at all situations with a wounded and resentful heart.  Unconsciously, some of them hit back at others.  It is natural that when one is spurned in love, the person could become more vindictive, especially when he or she has given his or her whole self to the Church.  Hence, we need to pray that they be healed by the Lord so that they can forgive from their hearts. 
Besides prayers, we must support the leaders of the Church through fraternal love and encouragement as well, because they are also human.  This was what happened to St Paul.  Further down the passage, he wrote with a tinge of sadness at those who betrayed him, those who gave up the faith for worldly riches, those who abandoned him in his mission; and some even testified and worked against him. In spite of feeling alone and hurt, he forgave them all; thanks to the support he received from people like Timothy, Luke and Mark.  We too must do all we can to render support to our Church leaders.  They too, being human, can capitulate to weakness.  Together, we stand strong against the opposition of the world.  When the leader succumbs, then the whole church will suffer.  Do you encourage your pastors and leaders and stand by them?  Or do you only criticize them when things are wrong but fail to affirm them when they do well? Of the hundred letters I receive about priests, most of them are complaints, and maybe one is a compliment.  Priests are also human; they need encouragement from the people of God, whom they have given their lives to. That is why they often get very discouraged, just like parents who feel that their children do not appreciate them. 
Finally, we must surrender to the Lord all our works in faith and trust.  Let us leave justice and success to God.  Even if we have to die on earth without justice being served, let us remember that true justice is only possible in heaven.  This is our Christian hope and that of St Paul when he wrote, “I have kept the faith; all there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that Day; and not only to me but to all those who have longed for his Appearing.”
So today, let us once again find confidence in Christ our Rock and share in the faith of Sts Peter and Paul.  We pledge our allegiance to Him and His successors.  Cooperating with His grace, let us remain firm and faithful to our faith and loyal to Christ so that we too can say with St Paul that we have fought the good fight, we have won the race and we can await the Lord to glorify us with Him.


Written by The Most Rev William Goh
Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore

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