20150920 HUMBLE AND SELFLESS SERVANTS OF GOD
Readings at Mass
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First reading
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Wisdom
2:12,17-20 ©
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The wicked
prepare to ambush the just man
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The godless say to
themselves:
‘Let us lie in wait
for the virtuous man, since he annoys us
and opposes our way
of life,
reproaches us for our
breaches of the law
and accuses us of
playing false to our upbringing.
‘Let us see if what
he says is true,
let us observe what
kind of end he himself will have.
If the virtuous man
is God’s son, God will take his part
and rescue him from
the clutches of his enemies.
Let us test him with
cruelty and with torture,
and thus explore this
gentleness of his
and put his endurance
to the proof.
Let us condemn him to
a shameful death
since he will be
looked after – we have his word for it.’
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Psalm
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Psalm 53:3-6,8 ©
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The Lord upholds
my life.
O God, save me by
your name;
by your
power, uphold my cause.
O God, hear my
prayer;
listen to
the words of my mouth.
The Lord upholds
my life.
For proud men have
risen against me,
ruthless
men seek my life.
They have
no regard for God.
The Lord upholds
my life.
But I have God for my
help.
The Lord
upholds my life.
I will sacrifice to
you with willing heart
and
praise your name for it is good.
The Lord upholds
my life.
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Second reading
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James 3:16-4:3 ©
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Wherever you find
jealousy and ambition, you find disharmony, and wicked things of every kind
being done; whereas the wisdom that comes down from above is essentially
something pure; it also makes for peace, and is kindly and considerate; it is
full of compassion and shows itself by doing good; nor is there any trace of
partiality or hypocrisy in it. Peacemakers, when they work for peace, sow the
seeds which will bear fruit in holiness.
Where do
these wars and battles between yourselves first start? Isn’t it precisely in
the desires fighting inside your own selves? You want something and you haven’t
got it; so you are prepared to kill. You have an ambition that you cannot
satisfy; so you fight to get your way by force. Why you don’t have what you
want is because you don’t pray for it; when you do pray and don’t get it, it is
because you have not prayed properly, you have prayed for something to indulge
your own desires.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Jn8:12
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the light of the
world, says the Lord;
anyone who follows me
will have the light of life.
Alleluia!
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Or
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cf.2Th2:14
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Through the Good News
God called us
to share the glory of
our Lord Jesus Christ.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Mark 9:30-37 ©
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After leaving the
mountain Jesus and his disciples made their way through Galilee; and he did not
want anyone to know, because he was instructing his disciples; he was telling
them, ‘The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men; they will put him
to death; and three days after he has been put to death he will rise again.’
But they did not understand what he said and were afraid to ask him.
They
came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you
arguing about on the road?’ They said nothing because they had been arguing
which of them was the greatest. So he sat down, called the Twelve to him and
said, ‘If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and
servant of all.’ He then took a little child, set him in front of them, put his
arms round him, and said to them, ‘Anyone who welcomes one of these little
children in my name, welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not me
but the one who sent me.’
HUMBLE
AND SELFLESS SERVANTS OF GOD
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SCRIPTURE
READINGS: Wisdom 2:12,
17-20;
Ps 53:3-6,8; James 3:16 – 4:3;
Mark 9:30-37
In the
gospel, Jesus made it clear that the heart of Christian charity is humble and
selfless service. Christian Faith is not just pious worship and devotions
or even right doctrines and lofty moral values, but it must be expressed in
charity and good works. All of us are called to share our talents,
resources, time and wealth with the Church and society, especially for the poor
and the marginalized. Most Catholics are aware of this obligation.
What
many do not know is that the call to service is not without pain, self-denial
and disappointment. Many who are serving in such organizations are often
hurt and wounded as well. Many end up resentful, disillusioned and
angry. Not a few have even left the Church because they have been
scandalized and hurt, unfortunately sometimes by priests and religious, besides
their fellow parishioners. How could one end up in such a disaster
when serving God and humanity should bring one much joy and happiness?
The truth is that often many of us serve without the right motives, consciously
or unconsciously. Underlying our services, whether at work, in Church or
NGOs or voluntary organizations, is the sin of pride. This is not
surprising.
We see
the apostles in today’s gospel struggling for power and jostling for position
and privileges. Jesus was aware and said to them, “What were you arguing
about on the road?” They were embarrassed because “they had been arguing
which of them was the greatest.” This desire for power, position,
control and privileges is deeply rooted in the fallen human nature. Even
the Christian community of St James experienced the same tension. It was in
this context that he wrote about the dangers of ambition and jealousy. He
warned them, “Wherever you find jealousy and ambition, you find disharmony, and
wicked things of every kind being done; whereas the wisdom that comes down from
above is essentially something pure; it also makes for peace, and is kindly and
considerate; it is full of compassion and shows itself by doing good; nor is
there any trace of partiality or hypocrisy in it.”
So this
self-centered and competitive spirit in every community is nothing new.
Even today, in our Church organizations, priests and religious and even bishops
included, seek power, position, honour and privileges. We want to be
recognized and be honored and appreciated. Members often fight for power
and control in organizations. Sometimes, such infighting could become
violent and sadly end up in legal suits taken against each other for slander
and injustices. Ambition and pride cause division and disunity.
Again St James wrote, “Where do these wars and battles between yourselves first
start? Isn’t it precisely in the desires fighting inside your own selves? You
want something and you haven’t got it; so you are prepared to kill. You have an
ambition that you cannot satisfy; so you fight to get your way by force.”
Hence,
it is important to cultivate the right attitudes towards service. All
those who are serving in Church or in organizations must develop the Christian
spirituality of service. To serve, we need first and foremost a deep
humility. As Christians, if we truly love God, we do not serve for any
other motives other than that He is praised and glorified.
Humility
is to recognize that all blessings and talents come from Him. So we have
nothing to boast except His mercy and love. We are not God or someone
important. We must be selfless and be like Jesus, ready to die for those
whom we serve. Jesus instructed His apostles, “The Son of Man will be
delivered into the hands of men; they will put him to death; and three days
after he has been put to death, he will rise again.” But they did not
understand what he said and were afraid to ask him.” Because we have
received freely from God, we are called to give freely and without conditions.
Secondly,
we must be conscious that we are merely servants, serving Christ our master,
then our earthly superiors. Regardless of what office we hold, we are all
servants of God. The words of Jesus must be carved in our hearts, “If
anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of
all.” (Mark 9:35)
We must not cling to our offices and privileges. If we are given a
position of honor, it is not for ourselves but for the office that we hold and
whom we are representing. It is not a personal honor; rather it is
accepted on behalf of the community that we lead. We need to remind
ourselves that we are only servants; not the master, the voice nor the Word of
God. We must not allow pride to get into our head and start to
think highly of ourselves. Like John the Baptist, our spirituality of
service should be, “I must decrease so that He can increase.” We must take heed
of the teaching of Jesus seriously. “Be careful not to practice your
righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have
no reward from your Father in heaven.” (Mt 6:1)
Thirdly,
the joy of our ministry and service does not rest on success or recognition or
even appreciation. So long as we know we have done our part and served
Him according to His will, we should be happy. Success or failure
is the sovereignty of God. St Bernard expresses his sentiments in
this manner, “Love is sufficient of itself, it gives pleasure by itself and
because of itself. It is its own merit, its own reward. Love looks for no cause
outside itself, no effect beyond itself. Its profit lies in its practice. I
love because I love. I love that I may love.” In a nutshell, that we are
capable of love and being loved by God is itself the greatest of all
rewards. We do not need any more reward than to know that we have
participated in God’s love and immersed in His love. There is no other
joy that the world can give us or that we need when God has already filled us
with so much joy and love.
To
think that our service is connected with rewards, recognition and appreciation
would be contrary to the gospel. Jesus said, “So you also, when you have done
everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have
only done our duty.” (Lk 10:17)
Our service is for the glory of God and His people. We do not wait around
for appreciation and recognition. If the Good News is spread and Jesus is
known and loved, this should be our greatest reward and joy. In
fact, we should feel reserved and uncomfortable with praises and honors for
fear that we would distract people from focusing on Christ. Our ministry
is fruitful when they love the Lord and they live joyful and meaningful
lives. We do not ask for more or ask anything for ourselves. They
do not have to love or like us so long as they love Jesus and serve the poor.
What
are the implications of humble servanthood? Firstly, in a special way, we
are called to serve the poor and be identified among the poor and
unknown. We should be more identified with the lowly, ordinary and the
poor. These are the people that God loves most. Jesus said, “If
anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.”
He then took a little child, set him in front of them, put his arms round
him, and said to them, “Anyone who welcomes one of these little children in my
name, welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who
sent me.”
Secondly,
in service, we must take integrity, honesty and impartiality seriously.
These must be the hallmarks of our service in ministry. Indeed, our
service of God and others must be guided by the principles of integrity,
inclusivity and impartiality. No one is excluded or deprived because of
race, language, status, wealth or influence. No one is favored because of
connections. Everyone is important to us and will be employed according
to their charism for the service of the Church and society. Everyone is
also given appreciation and when the opportunity arises, they will be
acknowledged accordingly. Thus, in all our actions and in all decisions,
we seek to be objective and transparent. Service and position is given to
one not because of personal ties or favor or affinity, but because of his
ability to contribute best. The Church cannot be run like a family
business because it is Christ’s Church. We are His stewards and only act
for His best interests. Favoritism will cause division and jealousy, as St
James warns us, “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good life let
him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.” The last thing we should do is
to destroy our credibility or sow seeds of division by provoking jealousy.
St
James urges us to spend time in discernment and prayer. “Why you don’t
have what you want is because you don’t pray for it; when you do pray and don’t
get it, it is because you have not prayed properly, you have prayed for
something to indulge your own desires.” We must pray and search our inner
motives for service. Otherwise, we will become heartless and indifferent
to the sufferings of others, as the apostles were indifferent to Jesus’
imminent passion. Or else we become competitive and destructive like the
apostles. May the Lord purify us in humble service for His greater glory.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh
Roman
Catholic Archbishop of Singapore
©
All Rights Reserved
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