20160103 THE PROCESS OF FAITH IS A GIFT AND A TASK
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
These
readings are for the Vigil Mass on the evening before the feast:
First
reading Isaiah 60:1-6 ©
Arise,
shine out, Jerusalem, for your light has come,
the
glory of the Lord is rising on you,
though
night still covers the earth
and
darkness the peoples.
Above
you the Lord now rises
and
above you his glory appears.
The
nations come to your light
and
kings to your dawning brightness.
Lift
up your eyes and look round:
all
are assembling and coming towards you,
your
sons from far away
and
your daughters being tenderly carried.
At
this sight you will grow radiant,
your
heart throbbing and full;
since
the riches of the sea will flow to you,
the
wealth of the nations come to you;
camels
in throngs will cover you,
and
dromedaries of Midian and Ephah;
everyone
in Sheba will come,
bringing
gold and incense
and
singing the praise of the Lord.
Psalm
Psalm
71:1-2,7-8,10-13
Second
reading
Ephesians
3:2-3,5-6 ©
You
have probably heard how I have been entrusted by God with the grace he meant
for you, and that it was by a revelation that I was given the knowledge of the
mystery. This mystery that has now been revealed through the Spirit to his holy
apostles and prophets was unknown to any men in past generations; it means that
pagans now share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same body,
and that the same promise has been made to them, in Jesus Christ, through the
gospel.
Gospel Matthew 2:1-12 ©
After
Jesus had been born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of King Herod, some
wise men came to Jerusalem from the east. ‘Where is the infant king of the
Jews?’ they asked. ‘We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage.’
When King Herod heard this he was perturbed, and so was the whole of Jerusalem.
He called together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, and
enquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ‘At Bethlehem in Judaea,’
they told him ‘for this is what the prophet wrote:
And
you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
you
are by no means least among the leaders of Judah,
for
out of you will come a leader
who
will shepherd my people Israel.’
Then
Herod summoned the wise men to see him privately. He asked them the exact date
on which the star had appeared, and sent them on to Bethlehem. ‘Go and find out
all about the child,’ he said ‘and when you have found him, let me know, so
that I too may go and do him homage.’ Having listened to what the king had to
say, they set out. And there in front of them was the star they had seen
rising; it went forward, and halted over the place where the child was. The
sight of the star filled them with delight, and going into the house they saw
the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage.
Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense
and myrrh. But they were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, and
returned to their own country by a different way.
THE
PROCESS OF FAITH IS A GIFT AND A TASK
Our
hearts are restless.
And the reason is because our hearts need to rest on something that gives
stability and meaning. Some call this the Ultimate Ground of Being or the
Supreme Being or simply, God. Whatever name we call it, the inescapable
reality is that one can find no peace and security until one finds God who
gives meaning, direction and synthesis to our lives. However, this search
for God is fraught with many obstacles as God is Mystery. For some, they
give up the search because of the incomprehensibility of life and especially
the sufferings of the world and conclude that there is no God.
Nevertheless, there are still many who believe in God today, even though this
faith in God is expressed in different ways.
For
us Christians, not
only have we been given the faith to believe in God but also the
revelation of who God is. Through God’s grace and revelation, it has
been revealed to us through the apostles and the prophets, that Jesus is the revelation
of the Father and that believing in Him, we will also share in His life and
glory. Indeed, today the scriptures want us to know that Jesus is
the glory of the Father. Through Jesus, the whole earth will come to know
who God really is.
But the
thorny question is, how does one come to embrace the faith of the apostles,
since we do not have a direct knowledge of Christ? How can we come
to believe in the same way that they believed? Indeed, today’s feast causes us
to ponder and reflect how one can grow in faith in Jesus as the Christ, the
epiphany of God. Certainly, we all wish that we have the same or even the
deep faith of the apostles. But the truth is that the depth of our faith
varies according to each person. Some do not even have faith; others have
only lukewarm faith, but such faith is not sufficient to bring about a deep
encounter with the Mystery of life. How then can one grow in faith in God
as the Incarnation of God so that like the Magi we can really surrender
ourselves, our entire life and being in worship and in our daily life?
Firstly,
one must realize that faith is primarily a gift from God. It is the way
of Paul, the way of grace. It is possible that one can suddenly be graced
from God with a revelation and come to find Him. Yes, there are some
people who have come to experience God through attendance at one prayer meeting
or through a miracle of healing or even an apparition. This is certainly
possible. However, such immediate enlightenment in faith is rare.
Even then, after such an experience, they also need to grow in faith through
prayer and study.
For
most, however, faith
is a gradual growing process. It demands our co-operation and it
comes about through our own personal search for God. This is the normal
way of coming to faith. It is the way of the Catechumenate. So for
most of us, we begin the journey of faith like that of the Magi. First,
we see the star. In other words, the beginning of the journey of faith
begins with a glimpse of God. It could be the result of some
dissatisfaction in us; a hunger for God; a certain sense of emptiness and a
need to be satisfied. The restlessness in our hearts is the beginning
of faith. It tells us that we need something more to be fulfilled in
life and that even earthly things and success somehow cannot fill that
emptiness in us. It was true in the case of the Magi. They saw the
star rising and that led them to the search for the Infant king of the Jews.
This
step of searching is what we call the step of inquiry in the RCIA. It is a period when one asks
many questions about life, God and sufferings. So, we begin the search by
inquiring. Like the Magi, we feel the need to check up. We must
dare to inquire about what is happening within us and outside us. Quite
often, people say that faith is given to some and not to all. This is not
quite correct. Faith is given to all. The problem is that many
are not attentive enough to the prompting of the Spirit. Instead of
listening to their restlessness and their lack of wholesomeness, many suppress
His voice instead by distracting themselves with other things. Indeed, if
we find ourselves seeking for a deeper meaning in life, a more lasting peace
and happiness or meaning, then it means that the Spirit is prompting us in our
hearts to search for the truth.
Like
the Magi, therefore, we must be courageous enough to search. Of
course, the search can be quite daunting. Where and who to search?
We can be quite sure that these were the same fears that confronted the
Magi. They too did not know where to begin. But they began anyhow,
from the place where they saw the star. And so they travelled to the East
with just the guidance of one star. We too must travel deeper into our interior
being so that we can feel and understand the depths of our hearts and ask
searching questions about life, death, meaning and happiness. Only then, can we
fill it with God’s presence and love.
But how
can this be done? Like the Magi, the search for God must begin with
consultation of the religious leaders and competent authorities. So for the
Magi, it was only logical of them to consult the political and religious
leaders of Israel to help them locate the Infant King of the Jews. For
the inquirers, growing in faith presupposes that we come to learn from Christians
or from priests and religious to help them to gain a deeper insight into the
faith. Here again, the problem with many of our Catholics is that they do
not seek to grow in understanding of their faith. We only need to ask
ourselves, what is the percentage of our Catholics that go for upgrading
courses in their faith?
Nevertheless,
while religious leaders can help us to grow in faith, ultimately, the
encounter with God is a personal event. Our friends and religious
leaders can help us to come to know God, but in the final analysis, one must
take the leap of faith in relating with Jesus. That is why after
seeking advice from Herod and his courts, the Magi went again on their way
seeking for the Infant King. This means that no one can give us a personal
relationship with Jesus. It must be our own choice, freewill and desire
that make such a relationship possible. The problem with Herod and with
many of us is that we cannot be bothered to make the personal search
ourselves. We want to know God through secondary sources. If Herod
never came to find Christ, it was because he relied only on the words of his
advisers but never personally. The fact of life is that we cannot experience
for another person. Without a personal search, one cannot find God.
This is
where the journey of faith becomes difficult for many. In this
journey, we cannot but meet with many difficulties. King Herod was
perturbed when confronted with a possible contender to his throne. He was
frightened and fearful. Already, in his mind, he was scheming to get rid
of his future competitor. In our journey of faith, in listening to the
gospels and living in the Christian community, we too will feel disturbed at
the kind of life we are living, or others in the Christian community are
living; a life that is not faithful to the gospel values. Quite often,
like Herod and his courts, the problems and scandals in the Christian
community, including some of the religious leaders, can prevent people from
coming to faith. At other times, we seem more confused than ever about
life, as no answer seems to satisfy us. Whatever it is, today, we are
called to be like the Magi who remained undaunted in spite of their
difficulties. Because of their perseverance, their efforts were not in
vain. They came to find Jesus ultimately. Yes, so long as
we have given our best, then we can depend on God’s grace to help us.
Like the Magi, we will soon find the star once again when we come out of our
dark tunnel. The reappearance of the star is a stark reminder to us all
not to give up hope but to persevere in the grace of God.
The
consequence of finding the star, of finding Christ, is of course one of great
delight and joy.
In finding Christ, we will find great joy, for we come to realize the true
meaning of life. That is why the Magi, upon finding Jesus, bowed down in
worship, for they had encountered Jesus, the Infant King and God in
person. In presenting the Infant Jesus with all the gifts befitting a
king and priest, they expressed their total surrender to one who had revealed
to them the real meaning of life. Indeed, it is true for those of us who
have found Christ. Before, we came to know Christ, we were anxious about
our future, about our career, our worldly success and health. But for
those of us who have found Christ and tasted the great joy of love and peace in
service and prayer, we regard all such things as unimportant in themselves,
unless they can help us to serve others better.
The
result is a new and transformed life. Yes, we are told that the Magi, after worshipping Jesus,
returned to their own country by a different way. We who have come to
know Jesus will return home by a different way too. That is to say, we
will see a change of life-style in us. We will never be the same again. We
will have a new life in Christ. This life is now lived fully, for we have
come to realize that real meaning is found only when one is in a deep union
with God and our fellow human beings in love and service.
However,
the journey of faith continues. This journey is not confined to inquirers or catechumens
only; it is for everyone. All of us must grow and deepen our faith each
day. There is no graduation in terms of faith. The graduation can
come about only when we die and enjoy the beatific vision of God. Until
then, the life of faith for everyone, including us priests, is a life-long
process as God is fathomless and inexhaustible; and life is full of novelties
and unpredictability. But the gift of faith is that the more we come
to know God, the more we come to find life, both in this world and the
next. Yes, to the extent we deepen our faith, to that extent, we become
more liberated, enlightened and filled with God’s love, life and joy.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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