20160413 THE IRREVOCABLE AND INEXORABLE PLAN OF GOD
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
|
First reading
|
Acts 8:1-8 ©
|
That day a bitter
persecution started against the church in Jerusalem, and everyone except the
apostles fled to the country districts of Judaea and Samaria.
There
were some devout people, however, who buried Stephen and made great mourning
for him.
Saul then
worked for the total destruction of the Church; he went from house to house
arresting both men and women and sending them to prison.
Those who
had escaped went from place to place preaching the Good News. One of them was
Philip who went to a Samaritan town and proclaimed the Christ to them. The
people united in welcoming the message Philip preached, either because they had
heard of the miracles he worked or because they saw them for themselves. There
were, for example, unclean spirits that came shrieking out of many who were
possessed, and several paralytics and cripples were cured. As a result there
was great rejoicing in that town.
|
Responsorial
Psalm
|
Psalm 65:1-7 ©
|
Cry out with joy
to God, all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
Cry out with joy to
God all the earth,
O sing to
the glory of his name.
O render him glorious
praise.
Say to
God: ‘How tremendous your deeds!
Cry out with joy
to God, all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
Because of the
greatness of your strength
your
enemies cringe before you.
Before you all the
earth shall bow;
shall
sing to you, sing to your name!’
Cry out with joy
to God, all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
Come and see the
works of God,
tremendous
his deeds among men.
He turned the sea
into dry land,
they
passed through the river dry-shod.
Cry out with joy
to God, all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
Let our joy then be
in him;
he rules
for ever by his might.
His eyes keep watch
over the nations:
let
rebels not rise against him.
Cry out with joy
to God, all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
|
Gospel
Acclamation
|
Jn10:27
|
Alleluia, alleluia!
The sheep that belong
to me listen to my voice,
says the Lord,
I know them and they
follow me.
Alleluia!
|
Or
|
cf.Jn6:40
|
Alleluia, alleluia!
It is my Father’s
will, says the Lord,
that whoever believes
in the Son shall have eternal life,
and that I shall
raise him up on the last day.
Alleluia!
|
Gospel
|
John 6:35-40 ©
|
Jesus said to the
crowd:
‘I am the bread of
life.
He who comes to me
will never be hungry;
he who believes in me
will never thirst.
But, as I have told
you,
you can see me and
still you do not believe.
All that the Father
gives me will come to me,
and whoever comes to
me I shall not turn him away;
because I have come
from heaven, not to do my own will,
but to do the will of
the one who sent me.
Now the will of him
who sent me
is that I should lose
nothing of all that he has given to me,
and that I should
raise it up on the last day.
Yes, it is my
Father’s will
that whoever sees the
Son and believes in him shall have eternal life,
and
that I shall raise him up on the last day.’
THE
IRREVOCABLE AND INEXORABLE PLAN OF GOD
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: [ ACTS 8:1-8;
PSALM 65:1-7; JOHN 6:35-40 ]
The
scripture readings today bring much hope to us all, especially when we face
setbacks, failures and discouragement in life and in our desire to expand the
kingdom of God. In
the first reading, we read how the persecution in the early Church led to the spread
of the Good News to neighboring areas outside Jerusalem after the leaders
rejected the Good News. Indeed, in the gospel, Jesus made it clear, “Now the
will of him who sent me is that I should lose nothing of all that he has given
to me, and that I should raise it up on the last day.” Truly, it is the
Father’s will to save us all. St Paul says, He “desires all men to be
saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim 2:4) Earlier
St John wrote, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that
whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (Jn 3:16)
Indeed,
the salvific plan of God is unstoppable and cannot be thwarted even by the
enemies of God and the sins of man. God will somehow see through His plan for the
salvation of humanity. St Paul wrote to the Romans, “If, because of one
man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who
receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life
through the one man Jesus Christ.” (Rom 5:17) And “where
sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” (Rom 5:20)
We
see this truth revealed in the history of salvation in the aftermath of the
death of Stephen.
We read how Saul “worked for the total destruction of the Church; he went from
house to house arresting both men and women and sending them to prison.”
But ironically, he forgot the advice of Gamaliel who warned the Jewish leaders,
“Keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this undertaking
is of men, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to
overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” (Acts 5:38f) In fact,
unknowingly, by persecuting the Christians, he was used by God to force the
Christians to move out of their comfort zone to those areas that they would
never have thought of venturing out, such as Samaria, where the inhabitants
were centuries’ old enemies of the Jews in Judah. However, because of the
hostile circumstances, Philip, one of the seven deacons, like the rest of the
early Christians who “fled to the country districts of Judaea and Samaria”,
began to announce the gospel to the common village people.
Again,
it is ironical that the simple people in the countryside were more receptive to
the gospel than the great leaders, doctors and so-called holy and religious men
of Jerusalem who rejected the gospel. Ordinary people are less sophisticated
and more docile to receiving the Good News, unlike the learned teachers of the
laws and the priests because of pride, insecurity and jealousy. We can become
very perfunctory in the way we practise of our faith. We can unconsciously
reduce our faith to religion, practices, dogmas, laws and rituals. Some
of us over time are so good at these that we can even preach without preparing
a homily, teach without having to study the doctrines, perform the rituals
without praying; and spend our time debating all the meticulous details about
the right rubrics and the Canon Laws, etc. This was exactly the attitude
of the Jewish religious leaders. They were telling the people what to do
and what not to do. They were splitting hairs over the observance of the
laws and customs. But there are more important things, namely, to help
people to encounter the love and power of God in their lives; and to heal them
of their brokenness and pain.
That
was what Philip the deacon did. He did not talk about Jesus only. He
allowed Jesus to talk through and in him. St Luke wrote, “The people
united in welcoming the message Philip preached, either because they had heard
of the miracles he worked or because they saw them for themselves. There were,
for example, unclean spirits that came shrieking out of many who were possessed,
and several paralytics and cripples were cured.” Indeed, the people
believed in Philip not simply because of his preaching but because he
demonstrated the power of the Risen Lord through the miracles and exorcisms he
performed in the name of Jesus.
What
is significant is the remark that “there was great rejoicing in that town as a
result.” The true
gospel and indeed true religion must bring joy, freedom and healing. When
a religion burdens us with meticulous laws and makes us feel guilty and
condemned before God and man, it cannot be the Good News of Jesus. What
Jesus came to proclaim is the joy of the gospel, the healing of humanity,
forgiveness and reconciliation. He has come to set us free for joy and
happiness; not to make our life miserable. So if your faith is
making you miserable in life, this is not the gospel that has been preached to
you. St Paul wrote to the Galatians, “But even if we, or an angel from heaven,
should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we preached to you, let
him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if
anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let
him be accursed.” (Gal 1:8f)
He reprimanded the Christians, “Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the
Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so
foolish? Having begun with the Spirit, are you now ending with the
flesh? Did you experience so many things in vain – if it really is in vain? Does
he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works
of the law, or by hearing with faith?” (Gal 3:2-5) If we are
Christians, we should be an Alleluia people of joy and hope. Like the
psalmist we say, “Come and see the works of God, tremendous his deeds among
men. He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the river
dry-shod. Let our joy then be in him; he rules for ever by his might.
His eyes keep watch over the nations: let rebels not rise against him.”
This
was what the apostles did as well. As leaders of the Christian faith, they remained defiantly
in Jerusalem, unlike the rest of the Christians. They were people of
faith. They were not afraid to stand for what they believed. They
were ready to die for their faith. This perhaps explains why the
authorities dared not even touch them. Indeed, when we are not in the
wrong and our conscience is clear, there is nothing to fear or to hide.
It was the exemplary lives of the apostles that earned them respect, not only
from among their flocks but outside the faith as well. What the Church
today needs are leaders, clerical or lay who are outstanding in their faith,
zealous and convicted, not only by what they say but how they live their
lives. The cause of scandals among our laity is always the failure of
leaders to exercise compassion, humility, charity and forgiveness in their
dealings with others; and living a life of integrity in fidelity to the gospel
they preach.
Finally,
there is a warning that comes with the sadness of those who reject the gospel. Jesus said, “All that the Father
gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I shall not turn him
away.” This is His promise for He comes only to do the Father’s will,
which is to save all of humanity. “Now the will of him who sent me is
that I should lose nothing of all that he has given to me, and that I should
raise it up on the last day. Yes, it is my Father’s will that whoever sees the
Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and that I shall raise him up
on the last day.” Whilst no one can stop the gospel from being
proclaimed, yet, the freedom of man is also to be respected. God does not
force us to accept the Good News. Are we among those whom the Lord says,
“But, as I have told you, you can see me and still you do not believe”?
So if we want to live today and live joyfully in freedom and in peace, then the
Lord invites us again, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never
be hungry; he who believes in me will never thirst.” Let us learn the way
of humility and trust of the ordinary faithful in coming to the Lord; not the
way of the sophisticated or the educated!
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment