20150725 SPIRITUALITY OF THE EMPTY VESSEL
Readings at Mass
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First reading
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2 Corinthians
4:7-15 ©
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We are only the
earthenware jars that hold this treasure, to make it clear that such an
overwhelming power comes from God and not from us. We are in difficulties on
all sides, but never cornered; we see no answer to our problems, but never
despair; we have been persecuted, but never deserted; knocked down, but never
killed; always, wherever we may be, we carry with us in our body the death of
Jesus, so that the life of Jesus, too, may always be seen in our body. Indeed,
while we are still alive, we are consigned to our death every day, for the sake
of Jesus, so that in our mortal flesh the life of Jesus, too, may be openly
shown. So death is at work in us, but life in you.
But as we
have the same spirit of faith that is mentioned in scripture – I
believed, and therefore I spoke – we too believe and therefore we too
speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus to life will raise us with
Jesus in our turn, and put us by his side and you with us. You see, all this is
for your benefit, so that the more grace is multiplied among people, the more
thanksgiving there will be, to the glory of God.
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Psalm
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Psalm 125:1-6 ©
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Those who are
sowing in tears will sing when they reap.
When the Lord
delivered Zion from bondage,
it seemed
like a dream.
Then was our mouth
filled with laughter,
on our
lips there were songs.
Those who are
sowing in tears will sing when they reap.
The heathens
themselves said: ‘What marvels
the Lord
worked for them!’
What marvels the Lord
worked for us!
Indeed we
were glad.
Those who are
sowing in tears will sing when they reap.
Deliver us, O Lord,
from our bondage
as
streams in dry land.
Those who are sowing
in tears
will sing
when they reap.
Those who are
sowing in tears will sing when they reap.
They go out, they go
out, full of tears,
carrying
seed for the sowing:
they come back, they
come back, full of song,
carrying
their sheaves.
Those who are
sowing in tears will sing when they reap.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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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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Matthew 20:20-28
©
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The mother of
Zebedee’s sons came with her sons to make a request of him, and bowed low; and
he said to her, ‘What is it you want?’ She said to him, ‘Promise that these two
sons of mine may sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your
kingdom.’ ‘You do not know what you are asking’ Jesus answered. ‘Can you drink
the cup that I am going to drink?’ They replied, ‘We can.’ ‘Very well,’ he said
‘you shall drink my cup, but as for seats at my right hand and my left, these
are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been allotted by
my Father.’
When
the other ten heard this they were indignant with the two brothers. But Jesus
called them to him and said, ‘You know that among the pagans the rulers lord it
over them, and their great men make their authority felt. This is not to happen
among you. No; anyone who wants to be great among you must be your servant, and
anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son of
Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for
many.’
SPIRITUALITY
OF THE EMPTY VESSEL
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SCRIPTURE
READINGS: 2 COR 4:7-15;
MT 20:20-28
Often,
Catholics feel diffident about their faith. When approached to share
their faith or called upon to undertake leadership in Church organizations and
ministry, we feel that we are not worthy or capable enough. We have so
many human frailties and we know our faith in Christ and our spiritual life is
rather shallow. And so we do not want to appear as empty vessels!
But precisely, today’s liturgy invites us to be empty vessels for Christ and
for His people. For the spirituality of the earthen vessel is not
complete without a spirituality of the empty vessel. What then is
this spirituality of the empty vessel?
It is
simply this, to empty ourselves for others. For what is the meaning of
love if not to be an empty vessel for others? In other words, we are
called to empty our lives and be available not just for our loved ones at home
but also for the service of the people of God. This is made clear
in today’s gospel reading. Jesus instructed His apostles that if they
were to sit in His kingdom, sharing in His kingdom life, they too would have to
share His life of service and servanthood. We are called to “be like the
Son of man who has come, not to be served but to serve and to give his life to
redeem many.” So the invitation is to empty our lives completely for the
service of all. It is to drink the cup of Jesus, which is to share His life of
passion and death.
But do
we really understand the import of what Jesus is asking of us? Do we
understand what is required of us in our vocation? Unfortunately, many of
us who are entering into marriage or are married and are parents never fully
consider what it takes to live up to our vocation. This is also true when
we assume leadership either in the world or in the Church. This is the
question Jesus is asking us, “Do you know what you are entering into?”
That is what Jesus pointedly told James and John as well. “You do not know what
you are asking.”
The
truth is that if we knew what we were asking, we would not now be grumbling,
complaining and embittered about the weight of the cross we are carrying in our
state of life. Isn’t this what the Lord Himself had gone through? Isn’t
this what the cup is all about? So why should we be surprised that we are
now suffering? We said that we want to die with Jesus, didn’t we?
We were prepared to give up our lives for Him, for our loved ones and for
others, were we not? So why all this grumbling, bitterness and resentment
now?
Where
did we gone wrong? The truth is that we have not really emptied
ourselves. Firstly we are blinded by our ambition, like the apostles, so
much so we cannot see the full reality of what we are asking for in life.
Somehow we have deceived ourselves. We know about the sufferings of the
vocation we choose in life. Yet, somehow deep within, we do not believe
what others tell us. We just cannot believe that there can be suffering
in marriage life since we feel so much joy now in loving our partner or in
serving others. Like the apostles, we tend to focus more on the benefits,
glory, privileges and joys without really considering the sacrifices and
sufferings of whatever vocation or office we undertake.
Indeed,
quite often people only want to believe that married life or leadership is a
bed of roses. We are so confident that our love for our partner will
always be romantic and happy. We think that as leaders we can make great
changes in the lives of others. People only see the external aspects, but
they are not aware of the challenges that those in married life and in leadership
face each day.
Secondly,
in our ambitiousness, we have overestimated ourselves. Like the apostles
who responded immediately “We can” when challenged by the Lord as to whether
they could drink the cup that He was about to drink, we too, in saying this,
show that we are full of ourselves. We think we can perform better than
others before us. We delude ourselves into believing we can solve all the
problems. For the irony is that in emptying ourselves for others, we have
actually boosted our own ego. We have unconsciously followed the
spirituality of self-perfection. We think we can be givers and helpers
simply because we will it. We actually believe that we can imitate
Christ if we just reflect on the scriptures. So even in the process of
helping and serving others, there is a lot of ego and self-will on our
part. Although we say that we need the grace of God, we depend more on
our human effort and strength than anything else.
As a
result, many of us who are now in the process of trying to live up to the
ideals of life in our vocation have come to realize that we are earthen vessels
after all. Once we are married or have assumed an office, then we will be
forced to eating humble pie and take back our words. In the spirituality
of the earthen vessel, we are asked to be in touch with our weaknesses and
brokenness. We are not impeccable. We cannot do everything by
ourselves. We do not have all the solutions. We are not so perfect
after all. But this experience of our brokenness is not bad.
Indeed, it is a necessary stage of purification in our love for Jesus.
The spirituality of the earthen vessel invites us to recognize our human
limitations. We do not have to pretend that we are a perfect spouse,
parent or leader; that we do not make mistakes or know everything. Once
we recognize that we are earthen vessels, we come to the full understanding of
what it means to live out the spirituality of the empty vessel. Yet, this
experience of our brokenness is important. It is not meant to lead us to
despair or complacency, but to give up relying on ourselves alone. If we
are struck down it is because the Lord wants to raise us up and give us a new
and transformed life in the Spirit. So we should thank God for this
“struck-down” experience so that we might be awakened to His love and power.
The
truth is that we cannot really empty ourselves for others in love and service
unless we empty ourselves for Christ. We must not forget that we are
earthen vessels only, but that we also hold the treasure of Christ in us.
But we can hold this treasure only if we have emptied ourselves of our
self-sufficiency and self-perfectionist attitude. This was the way of Jesus
Himself. In the prophecy of the passion just before the episode of
today’s gospel, Jesus recognized His need to entrust His mission to the Father
and to trust that only His Father can vindicate Him and His mission.
So the
spirituality of the empty vessel is simply to allow ourselves to be filled with
the treasure that is the grace of God. The blunder is that we do not
allow God to work in and through us. We are not like the flute that God
can play in and through us. When the flute is not hollow, no music can be
created. So too when we are too full of ourselves, we become the obstacle to
the work of God. Our mistake is that we rely too much on our intelligence
and logic to meet the challenges of life. We rely more on our talents and
ingenuity than the grace and power of God. We only pay lip service to
Him, if not why is it that we do not pray? We do not trust that He can
help us and so we work doubly hard. We do not rely on His inspiration and
wisdom to guide us.
And the
warning is this, so long as death is not at work in us, the life of Christ
cannot be seen in us. Yes, St Paul tells us, we are “given up continually
to death for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may appear in our
mortal existence.” It is St Paul’s experience of his helplessness that
allowed him to experience the power of God in Christ. Hence, it is only
when we experience our desperation and limitations that we entrust ourselves to
the mercy of God. Unless and until we realize our nothingness and our
inadequacy, the power of God cannot work in us. Instead of relying
on our good works, we are called to rely on the power and grace of God.
We are called to surrender our lives to Him in faith, trust and love.
Precisely, the spirituality of the earthen vessel is to remind us that we are
weak and broken in order that we no longer rely on ourselves but on the grace
that comes from the power of our Lord Jesus Christ. Only then, in our
total surrender of our lives and our vocation and ministry to the Lord, can the
glory of God be seen in us.
Truly,
the spirituality of the earthen vessel is to have faith in the power of the
resurrected Christ. Indeed, it is Paul’s faith in the power of the risen
Christ in his life, especially in the way He worked in his conversion and
ministry that he could proclaim Him so mightily. Yes, he said, “We also
believe and so we speak. We know that He who raised the Lord Jesus will
also raise us with Jesus and bring us, with you, into his presence.”
Only
then can we live out the other aspect of the spirituality of the empty vessel,
which is to empty ourselves for others, especially those whom we find difficult
to love and serve. Without a deep love and gratitude for God’s mercy to
us, we cannot empty our lives in compassion for others. Because of His
love for us, we would then want to unite our lives in the priesthood of Christ
which is a sacrifice. We want to drink His cup because we love
Jesus. We want to give our lives for others because we want them to
experience the same power and grace that St Paul had experienced in
Jesus. It is only because Christ has been experienced as love and mercy
that we can now be ready to serve and be like Jesus to give our lives as a
ransom for many.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh
Roman
Catholic Archbishop of Singapore
©
All Rights Reserved
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