20160423 PROCLAIMING THE GOSPEL WITH CREATIVITY AND FORTITUDE
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
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First reading
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Acts 13:44-52 ©
|
The next sabbath
almost the whole town assembled to hear the word of God. When they saw the
crowds, the Jews, prompted by jealousy, used blasphemies and contradicted
everything Paul said. Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly. ‘We had to
proclaim the word of God to you first, but since you have rejected it, since
you do not think yourselves worthy of eternal life, we must turn to the pagans.
For this is what the Lord commanded us to do when he said:
I have made you a
light for the nations,
so that my
salvation may reach the ends of the earth.’
It made the pagans
very happy to hear this and they thanked the Lord for his message; all who were
destined for eternal life became believers. Thus the word of the Lord spread
through the whole countryside.
But the
Jews worked upon some of the devout women of the upper classes and the leading
men of the city and persuaded them to turn against Paul and Barnabas and expel
them from their territory. So they shook the dust from their feet in defiance
and went off to Iconium; but the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy
Spirit.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm 97:1-4 ©
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All the ends of
the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
or
Alleluia!
Sing a new song to
the Lord
for he
has worked wonders.
His right hand and
his holy arm
have
brought salvation.
All the ends of
the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
or
Alleluia!
The Lord has made
known his salvation;
has shown
his justice to the nations.
He has remembered his
truth and love
for the
house of Israel.
All the ends of
the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
or
Alleluia!
All the ends of the
earth have seen
the
salvation of our God.
Shout to the Lord,
all the earth,
ring out
your joy.
All the ends of
the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
or
Alleluia!
|
Gospel
Acclamation
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Rm6:9
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Christ, having been
raised from the dead, will never die again.
Death has no power
over him any more.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Jn8:31-32
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Alleluia, alleluia!
If you make my word
your home
you will indeed be my
disciples,
and you will learn
the truth, says the Lord.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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John 14:7-14 ©
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Jesus said to his
disciples:
‘If you know me, you
know my Father too.
From this moment you
know him and have seen him.’
Philip said, ‘Lord,
let us see the Father and then we shall be satisfied.’
‘Have I
been with you all this time, Philip,’ said Jesus to him, ‘and you still do not
know me?
‘To have seen me is
to have seen the Father,
so how can you say,
“Let us see the Father”?
Do you not believe
that I am in the
Father and the Father is in me?
The words I say to
you I do not speak as from myself:
it is the Father,
living in me, who is doing this work.
You must believe me
when I say
that I am in the
Father and the Father is in me;
believe it on the
evidence of this work, if for no other reason.
I tell you most
solemnly,
whoever believes in
me
will perform the same
works as I do myself,
he will perform even
greater works,
because I am going to
the Father.
Whatever you ask for
in my name I will do,
so that the Father
may be glorified in the Son.
If you ask for
anything in my name,
I
will do it.’
PROCLAIMING
THE GOSPEL WITH CREATIVITY AND FORTITUDE
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: [ ACTS 13:44-52;
PS 97:1-4; JOHN 14:7-14 ]
In the
responsorial psalm, we prayed the prayer of the psalmist, “All the ends of
the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Sing a new song to the
Lord for he has worked wonders. His right hand and his holy arm have brought
salvation. The Lord has made known his salvation; has shown his justice to the
nations. He has remembered his truth and love for the house of Israel.”
Indeed, it is our hope that all peoples will come to experience the salvation
of our God, be saved, healed and live meaningful lives.
It is
for this reason that the Church urges us to share in the passion and zeal of
the early disciples by sharing the Good News with all of humanity: “We must
turn to the pagans. For this is what the Lord commanded us to do when he
said: I have made you a light for the nations, so that my salvation may reach
the ends of the earth.’” As disciples of the Lord all of us therefore
have a responsibility in the mission of the Church to spread the Good News to
all of creation.
Indeed,
the world is bereft of God and therefore of meaning and purpose. Many
are asking the same question as the apostles, “Master, show us the Father, and
that will be enough for us.” Many do not know their real identity
as they do not know the Father and therefore their origin, calling and
destiny. They only live for this life. If it is a life of
suffering, whether due to failures, sickness or poverty, it is even more meaningless.
Regardless of who we are, whether we are well off or financially in need,
healthy or sick, we are not fulfilled. There is emptiness in our hearts.
We are hungry for many
things. It could be material needs. But we need more than material satisfaction.
At any rate, we will never have enough of anything. The moment we have
it, we lose it. The moment we are satisfied, we begin to thirst for
something else. Our hearts are always restless. So we turn to
affective needs. Again, whilst affective fulfillment is greater, yet
relationships, no matter how intimate and loving, cannot last forever.
Then again, many of us have never found any true relationship in our
lives. We are lonely, unloved, unappreciated and often misunderstood.
That is why, in the
final analysis, we are searching for truth and meaning, which is love. This can only be found
in God alone. Only God, who is the ultimate truth, can satisfy the search
of our intellect, and God, who is ultimate love, can satisfy the hungry
heart. Jesus as the Word of God and the love of the Father reveals to us
what is truly satisfying by enlightening us on our real identity as children of
His Father and the call to love each other as brothers and sisters. This
was what He told the disciples, “If you know me, then you will also know my
Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Just earlier on,
He said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through me.” (Jn 14:6)
So in reaching out to
all men and women, our task ultimately is to reveal to everyone the face of God
through our good works, especially of mercy and compassion to the poor and all
who seek the Good News. We are to show them the face of God as Jesus did by His
life, words and deeds. Jesus did not only perform miracles but He also
taught them, enlightened them, journeyed with them, ate and drank with
them. Jesus demonstrated the presence of God by His personal presence in
different ways. Serving our brothers and sisters is more than just
performing a service, or worse still, a task or work. Rather, it is the
whole attitude of humble, patient, encouraging, gentle and loving service.
Indeed, we must bear in
mind that what we do sometimes is less important than how we do it. Many can perform services but
they lack compassion, love and sensitivity. Quite often, in the process
of serving others, especially the poor and the suffering, they demonstrate
impatience, arrogance and condescension. As a result, instead of
making those who come to us for assistance feel loved, they are
humiliated. Instead of redeeming them and restoring their dignity, which
is the real purpose of Jesus’ coming, we make them feel small and insignificant,
as if they are lower beings than us. In the eyes of God, we are all equal
before Him because we are all His children.
We fail to realize that
whatever we have comes from God alone. There is no reason for us to be proud of our achievements
or ability to help and provide because they are given by Him alone. The
works that Jesus did were all done in the name of the Father and by the
Father. Jesus did not claim any credit for Himself. He did not
boast about His works because He gave glory to God His Father who worked in and
through Him. St Paul wrote, “We do not boast beyond limits, that is, in
the labors of others … ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.
For it is not those who commend themselves that are approved, but those
whom the Lord commends.” (2 Cor 10:15,
17, 18)
Consequently, if we want
to reveal the face of the Father, we must allow the Father to work in and
through us. We
do not do things on our own or according to our ways but how and what the Lord
wants of us. We are called to give glory to the Father, not to
ourselves. We are called to work for the Father by putting on the mind and
heart of Christ. This is what it means to ask everything in the name of
the Son. Jesus assures us that His Father will hear our prayers because
the Son’s only desire is to glorify the Father. We, too, if our motives
are sincere and correct, that whatever we do is for His glory and not to boost
our ego and bring honour to ourselves or for our own selfish interests, the
Father will surely grant our prayers. This is the assurance of our Lord,
“If you ask for anything in my name, I will do it.”
This means that we must
also be ready to suffer with Jesus for the sake of the glory of His
Father. Like the disciples of Jesus, in the process of transmitting the
Good News, they were persecuted and opposed because of jealousy and insecurity.
So too in
proclaiming the Good News either by words or deeds, we will certainly face
opposition from all quarters, sometimes, sadly, by our own members, and not
simply from the public.
But like the disciples,
instead of reacting with anger and vindictiveness, the disciples were ready to
move on to another place.
Their conscience were clear for they said, “We had to proclaim the word of God
to you first, but since you have rejected it, since you do not think yourselves
worthy of eternal life, we must turn to the pagans.” When the road
was closed to them, they did not stay back to fight against the
opponents. Instead, with a certain detachment and in obedience to the
Word of God, “they shook the dust from their feet in defiance and went off to
Iconium.” Remarkably, we are told that in spite of being rejected, they
did not complain or feel disheartened. Rather, “the disciples were filled
with joy and the Holy Spirit.” This was because they were doing the
work of God, not for themselves.
We too, when we face
opposition, we must not only be courageous before our enemies but be proactive
and resourceful.
We read the disciples, “Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly” without
fear. At the same time, they did not insist on their way when they
were humiliated by their rejection. Rather, they used that as an
opportunity to move on to Iconium to preach the gospel to the pagans.
When we serve the Lord, whether within the Church, the parish or our community,
in times of opposition from within or from without, there is no reason for us
to hang on to our positions. Instead of wasting our energy fighting with the
rest, why don’t we use our energy positively for other areas where we are
welcomed and appreciated? We must take all these challenges in stride and
see them as opportunities for growth and further development. Maybe the
Holy Spirit wants us to serve elsewhere and do something else.
Similarly, Church
organizations and members must be proactive and take new initiatives to
reinvent themselves all the time, especially when their organization has become complacent, weak,
ineffective and no longer vibrant, missionary and forward-looking. We
must never rest on our laurels. A clear sign that we are losing relevance
is when we fall into a maintenance mode, doing the same thing for years,
without change and improvement. We must be willing to take calculated
risks for the greater glory of God, like the disciples who went to unknown
lands to spread the gospel. So long as we are inward-looking and
seeking to protect our turf and privileges, the gospel is fossilized.
Yes, let us be adventurous for our Lord. Only in this way can the
Lord be glorified. Only then, will all the earth see the salvation of our
God and shout to the Lord, ringing out in joy.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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