20160126 SUPPORTING EACH OTHER IN THE FAITH AND IN OUR MISSION
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
EITHER:
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First reading
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2 Timothy 1:1-8 ©
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From Paul, appointed
by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus in his design to promise life in Christ
Jesus; to Timothy, dear child of mine, wishing you grace, mercy and peace from
God the Father and from Christ Jesus our Lord.
Night and
day I thank God, keeping my conscience clear and remembering my duty to him as
my ancestors did, and always I remember you in my prayers; I remember your
tears and long to see you again to complete my happiness. Then I am reminded of
the sincere faith which you have; it came first to live in your grandmother
Lois, and your mother Eunice, and I have no doubt that it is the same faith in
you as well.
That is
why I am reminding you now to fan into a flame the gift that God gave you when
I laid my hands on you. God’s gift was not a spirit of timidity, but the Spirit
of power, and love, and self-control. So you are never to be ashamed of
witnessing to the Lord, or ashamed of me for being his prisoner; but with me,
bear the hardships for the sake of the Good News, relying on the power of God
who has saved us and called us to be holy.
OR:
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Alternative
First reading
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Titus 1:1-5 ©
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From Paul, servant of
God, an apostle of Jesus Christ to bring those whom God has chosen to faith and
to the knowledge of the truth that leads to true religion; and to give them the
hope of the eternal life that was promised so long ago by God. He does not lie
and so, at the appointed time, he revealed his decision, and, by the command of
God our saviour, I have been commissioned to proclaim it. To Titus, true child
of mine in the faith that we share, wishing you grace and peace from God the
Father and from Christ Jesus our saviour.
The
reason I left you behind in Crete was for you to get everything organised there
and appoint elders in every town, in the way that I told you.
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Psalm
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Psalm
95:1-3,7-8,10 ©
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Proclaim the
wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.
O sing a new song to
the Lord,
sing to
the Lord all the earth.
O sing to
the Lord, bless his name.
Proclaim the
wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.
Proclaim his help day
by day,
tell
among the nations his glory
and his
wonders among all the peoples.
Proclaim the
wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.
Give the Lord, you
families of peoples,
give the
Lord glory and power;
give the
Lord the glory of his name.
Proclaim the
wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.
Proclaim to the
nations: ‘God is king.’
The world
he made firm in its place;
he will
judge the peoples in fairness.
Proclaim the
wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Ps118:135
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Let your face shine
on your servant,
and teach me your
decrees.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Mt11:25
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed are you,
Father,
Lord of heaven and
earth,
for revealing the
mysteries of the kingdom
to mere children.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 10:1-9 ©
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1 After
this the Lord
appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him in pairs, to all
the towns and places he himself would be visiting.
2 And
he said to them, 'The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord
of the harvest to send labourers to do his harvesting.
3 Start
off now, but look, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.
4 Take
no purse with you, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road.
5
Whatever house you enter, let your first words be, "Peace to this
house!"
6 And
if a man
of peace lives there, your peace will
go and rest on him; if not, it will
come back to you.
7 Stay
in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the
labourer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house.
8
Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is put before
you.
9 Cure those in it who are sick, and say, "The kingdom of God
is very near to you."
SUPPORTING
EACH OTHER IN THE FAITH AND IN OUR MISSION
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: 2 TIM 1, 1-8 OR TIT 1, 1-5; PS 95:1-3, 7-8, 10; LK 10, 1-9
In the
gospel, Jesus said, “The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the
Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest.” The irony of
this statement is that even with these few labourers, there is a lack of
support from the Church and the Christian community! This makes the
mission of the Church even more difficult to accomplish. Indeed, Jesus
reminded the 72 disciples that He sent out with this warning, “Start off now,
but remember, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.” Who could
these wolves be, if not those opposed to the gospel of Christ? But some
of these wolves are unfortunately within the Christian community as well,
because they are the ones that hinder the work of the gospel.
The
sad reality of the Church is that most Catholics journey alone in their
faith. Many are
not connected to the community; and those within the community often face much
politicking that they give up on their own community. More often than
not, they feel that the Church is not supporting them and not feeling with them
in their struggles. They feel that they are being used, but not fed and
nurtured. This is the experience not only of the ordinary
Catholics, but Church leaders also feel very much alone in their journey.
They feel that they lack support from their own leaders and members.
Often, they feel misunderstood, and that the community is indifferent to their
needs and their difficulties.
Loneliness
in faith, loneliness in our sufferings, loneliness in ministry and loneliness
in leadership was never what Jesus had intended for His disciples. That is why in today’s gospel we read
that He sent out the seventy two disciples in pairs. “The Lord appointed
seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns
and places he himself was to visit.” For the same reason, He established
the foundation of the Church by choosing the Twelve apostles. Jesus knows that
the mission cannot be accomplished alone, but we must accomplish it together as
a team. As the African proverb says, “If you want to travel fast, you
travel alone, but if you want to travel far, bring someone with you!”
Truly, none of us should be so proud as to think we can do without
others. We need to carry the burden of the Church together.
We need to share the responsibility of spreading the gospel with each other.
Today,
we celebrate the feasts of Sts Timothy and Titus. Both are very good
examples of what it means to support each other in faith and in mission.
First of all, we need the support of our parents and teachers. We need
good mentors in discipleship. The truth in life today is that we lack credible and inspiring
witnesses of the faith. Religious and lay leaders are failing in
example. Without good mentors, we cannot inspire others in faith and help
them to persevere. If marriages are breaking down today, it is
because we do not have enough loving and faithful couples in marriage. In
the case of St Timothy, he was blessed with loving and God-fearing parents and
grandparents. That is what St Paul wrote, “Then I am reminded of the
sincere faith which you have; it came first to live in your grandmother Lois,
and your mother Eunice, and I have no doubt that it is the same faith in you as
well.” Indeed, faith is caught, not taught. If our children have
lost faith, it is because the faith of our parents is weak, superficial and at
most ritualistic; not a living faith. Of course, sometimes, our religious
leaders too have failed to project a fervent and living faith in their
lifestyle and in their ministry.
Secondly,
there is a beautiful fraternal relationship between Paul and his fellow
collaborators, Timothy and Titus. He addressed both of them as his own children in
faith. To Timothy, he wrote with such tenderness and love, “Timothy, dear
child of mine, wishing you grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from
Christ Jesus our Lord.” And to Titus, in the same vein, he said, “To Titus,
true child of mine in the faith that we share, wishing you grace and peace from
God the Father and from Christ Jesus our saviour.” We can be sure that St Paul
had a close and fraternal relationship with them. They are not just
workers or his collaborators but his “children”, his brothers in the faith,
sharing in a common mission because they have been appointed by the Lord.
Without doubt, it is the constant support of St Paul for the young Bishop
Timothy, who was made bishop of Ephesus, and Titus, the Bishop of Crete, that
they could oversee the flock under their care even in those times when they had
to deal with divisions and challenges in their community.
Thirdly,
we need the support of the larger community. As Catholics we are never alone.
It is the duty of the community to support their leaders and to support their
fellow Catholics wherever they are, even outside their community. They
must welcome their leaders and their own fellow Catholics especially in times
of need. Parishes that lack hospitality will only drive out our lonely
Catholics. Indeed, many who have left the Church, did so not because of our
doctrines or spirituality, but because they had been wounded, marginalized and
hurt by fellow Catholics. This is what the Lord said, “Whatever house you
go into, let your first words be, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if a man of peace
lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to
you.” To be Catholic means to be in the Universal Church and
therefore every Catholic not only has the responsibility to help his fellow
Catholics in his particular community, but he or she must extend his or her
support to Catholics from other parishes and beyond the local diocese.
But
rendering support is two ways. It is not just receiving but also
giving. Sts Timothy and Titus supported St Paul all the way. How often, St Paul
was consoled by them. As much as St Paul encouraged them, in his
difficult moments he too found solace in them. He wrote, “Always I
remember you in my prayers; I remember your tears and long to see you again to
complete my happiness.” Without the consolation and support of St
Timothy and Titus, St Paul would not have been able to remain firm and strong
in the face of opposition and even death.
Secondly,
we are called to serve the community. Jesus said, “Whenever you go into a town where they make you
welcome, eat what is set before you. Cure those in it who are sick, and say,
‘The kingdom of God is very near to you’.” It is important for us to not
just receive from the community, but it is equally important that we serve the
community. There are many Catholics who treat the Church as a dispensing
machine. They come to Church only to receive, but not to give. They
are demanding and have high expectations. They want this and that from
their priests and the community. They demand to have special
privileges. But when it comes to service to the community, they are not
there. They leave others to serve in the Church. They are only
recipients but not fellow workers in the vineyard. They are not generous
with their resources, money, talents or time. When things are not doing
well, they only know how to criticize and condemn. But as Jesus, “They
tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others;
but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them.” (Mt 23:4)
Thirdly,
we must be grateful to others who have helped us. Jesus instructed the disciples
thus, “Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer,
for the labourer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house.” This
gratitude is expressed in not being choosy or selective. Regardless of
how much people can offer, they must be received with grateful thanks.
Those who are richer must give more, but it does not mean that just because
they give more, they are more generous than those who give less. It is
not a matter of how much we give but how much we give from our abundance.
We must never forget the story of the Widow’s Mite when Jesus remarked, “Truly
I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; for all of them
have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in
all she had to live on.” (Lk 21:3f)
In
the final analysis, the real and fundamental support we need to rely on is God
alone. That is
why Jesus told the disciples, “Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute
no one on the road.” In saying this, not only is He underscoring the need
to travel light in preaching the Good News but to depend on His grace alone and
not on our strength and ingenuity. Only God can bring success to the
works of human hands. We must not think that this mission can be
accomplished without the primacy of God’s grace. This is God’s work and
the work of God, not of man. This is what St Paul reminded St Timothy,
“So you are never to be ashamed of witnessing to the Lord, or ashamed of me for
being his prisoner; but with me, bear the hardships for the sake of the Good
News, relying on the power of God who has saved us and called us to be
holy.” So let us not ever think that when the mission is fruitful,
we can give credit to ourselves. Nay, the psalmist reminds us to
“sing a new song to the Lord, sing to the Lord all the earth. O sing to the
Lord, bless his name. Proclaim his help day by day, tell among the nations his
glory and his wonders among all the peoples. Give the Lord, you families of
peoples, give the Lord glory and power; give the Lord the glory of his name.”
As
St Paul invites us today, let us rekindle our faith and the commission to
proclaim the gospel in ways as the Lord has invited us. He said to St Timothy, “That is why I
am reminding you now to fan into a flame the gift that God gave you when I laid
my hands on you. God’s gift was not a spirit of timidity, but the Spirit of
power, and love, and self-control.” This faith can be rekindled by
remembering His love for us, His choice in choosing us; and most of all the
faith given to us by our community that continues to support us in our journey.
We express this gratitude to them by keeping, as St Paul says, our conscience
clear, “remembering my duty to him as my ancestors did.”
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