WHAT IT MEANS TO BE COMMISSIONED

20160420 WHAT IT MEANS TO BE COMMISSIONED

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: White.

First reading

Acts 12:24-13:5 ©

The word of God continued to spread and to gain followers. Barnabas and Saul completed their task and came back from Jerusalem, bringing John Mark with them.

  In the church at Antioch the following were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. One day while they were offering worship to the Lord and keeping a fast, the Holy Spirit said, ‘I want Barnabas and Saul set apart for the work to which I have called them.’ So it was that after fasting and prayer they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

  So these two, sent on their mission by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and from there sailed to Cyprus. They landed at Salamis and proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews; John acted as their assistant.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 66:2-3,5-6,8 ©

Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.

or

Alleluia!

O God, be gracious and bless us

  and let your face shed its light upon us.

So will your ways be known upon earth

  and all nations learn your saving help.

Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.

or

Alleluia!

Let the nations be glad and exult

  for you rule the world with justice.

With fairness you rule the peoples,

  you guide the nations on earth.

Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.

or

Alleluia!

Let the peoples praise you, O God;

  let all the peoples praise you.

May God still give us his blessing

  till the ends of the earth revere him.

Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.

or

Alleluia!

Gospel Acclamation

Jn20:29

Alleluia, alleluia!

‘You believe, Thomas, because you can see me.

Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.

Alleluia!

Or

Jn8:12

Alleluia, alleluia!

I am the light of the world, says the Lord;

anyone who follows me will have the light of life.

Alleluia!

Gospel

John 12:44-50 ©

Jesus declared publicly:

‘Whoever believes in me

believes not in me

but in the one who sent me,

and whoever sees me,

sees the one who sent me.

I, the light, have come into the world,

so that whoever believes in me

need not stay in the dark any more.

If anyone hears my words and does not keep them faithfully,

it is not I who shall condemn him,

since I have come not to condemn the world,

but to save the world.

He who rejects me and refuses my words has his judge already:

the word itself that I have spoken will be his judge on the last day.

For what I have spoken does not come from myself;

no, what I was to say,

what I had to speak,

was commanded by the Father who sent me,

and I know that his commands mean eternal life.

And therefore what the Father has told me

is what I speak.’

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE COMMISSIONED

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ ACTS 12:24-13:5; PS 66:2-3, 5-6, 8; JOHN 12:44-50    ]

How can we speak the Word of God with authority and conviction?  Above all, who is authorised to speak for the community?  In both scripture readings of today, the theme of commission is highlighted.  In order for us to be the voice of the community we need to be commissioned.  So in the first reading, we read how Barnabas and Saul were commissioned to spread the Good News to the neighboring cities: the leaders “laid their hands on them and sent them off.”  Of course, this was understood as the Holy Spirit commissioning them through their leaders. In the gospel too, we have Jesus speaking of how He had been commissioned by the Father.  Jesus stated in no uncertain terms that He was sent by the Father.  “Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in the one who sent me, and whoever sees me, sees the one who sent me.”  So, all of us are sent. The origin of mission comes from someone above us.  Jesus was sent by the Father and He then sent the apostles who, in turn, commissioned members of the community.

Consequently, those of us who are sent must be conscious that we do not speak on our own behalf, unlike someone who has a special charism.  Indeed, there were many prophets and teachers in the early Church.  They were gifted by God but they spoke in their personal capacity and in the power of the Holy Spirit as was given to them.  But they did not represent the community officially.  They were believed on the basis of the charism that the Holy Spirit had given to them.  Of course, not all members of the community accepted their teaching because they were not the authorized representatives of the community.  Without the endorsement of the community and the leaders, a man with charisms alone cannot speak with authority.

This was the case of Saul after his conversion.  He was filled with conviction, having been renewed in the power of the Risen Lord.  Upon recovery, he immediately preached the gospel of our Lord.  But “…when he had come to Jerusalem he attempted to join the disciples; and they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus.” (Acts 9:26f)  Without the support of Barnabas and the Christian community, Paul would have had no authority.  Then again, we read how “after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas, and remained with him fifteen days.”  (Gal 1:18)   Before Paul could be fully accepted by the community as the authorized apostle of Christ, he needed to be verified and accepted by the leaders of the Christian community first.

The fact that we have been commissioned means that we are responsible to those who have commissioned us.  This means that we do not act independently from those who have commissioned us.  As an official representative, we do not speak with our voice but the voice of the community.  So a president does not speak in his own personal capacity when he is in office but speaks on behalf of the nation.  A minister does not speak in his own capacity but on behalf the Prime Minister.  So too, a priest does not speak in his own capacity but always on behalf of the bishop, as he has been deputized by him.  So too, a bishop does not speak in his own capacity but always in union with the apostolic college represented by the Holy Father.  We cannot therefore take things into our own hands and do and act as we like.  For that reason, we are called public servants for those in Civil Service; and religious servants for those who are bishops, priests and religious.

Indeed, Jesus was very conscious that He spoke in the name of the Father.  He made it clear, “what I have spoken does not come from myself; no, what I was to say, what I had to speak, was commanded by the Father who sent me, and I know that his commands mean eternal life. And therefore what the Father has told me is what I speak.”  Jesus, as the Word of God in person, only spoke the Word of the Father and His will.  Jesus did not come to proclaim Himself but the Father, because He acted in the name of the Father and on His behalf.  Similarly too, the bishop does act according to his personal whims and fancies but always in union with the Holy Father to whom he promised obedience and respect.  This should also be the case of a priest in his relationship to the bishop of the local Church.  The priest himself after all expects respect and submission from those who work with him in the parish because he acts in the name of the community, but primarily in the name of the bishop who is in charge of the entire flock of God entrusted to his care. 

Of course, the task of a leader who speaks in the name of God and the community must be one who lives in the light because he is called to enlighten the community under his charge.  Jesus said, “I, the light, have come into the world, so that whoever believes in me need not stay in the dark anymore.”   He is called to announce the love and mercy of God and to lead his flock to the fullness of life.  This is what the psalmist says, “O God, be gracious and bless us and let your face shed its light upon us.  So will your ways be known upon earth and all nations learn your saving help.”  He is called to bring unity, peace and justice to the community.   “Let the nations be glad and exult for you rule the world with justice. With fairness you rule the peoples, you guide the nations on earth.”

But before he can do it for others, he must have first heard the Word of God before he can proclaim the Word to others.   Only then does juridical and personal authority blend beautifully into one.  This explains why Jesus said that to reject such a person who has both the juridical authority that comes from being sent or commissioned, and from one who has that personal authority of being aligned with God or the one who sent him, is to reject God Himself.  Jesus declared that, “Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in the one who sent me, and whoever sees me, sees the one who sent me.  If anyone hears my words and does not keep them faithfully, it is not I who shall condemn him, since I have come not to condemn the world, but to save the world: he who rejects me and refuses my words has his judge already: the word itself that I have spoken will be his judge on the last day.”

But who commissions us?  The person who commissions us must have the authority of the community.  In the case of the country, the President and the Prime Minister, together with his government, through an election process is given the mandate to rule and speak on behalf of the people.  For this reason, when they speak, they are heard as the voice of the people.  So too when the bishop ordains a candidate to the priesthood, he acts on behalf of the Christian community in choosing the candidate for priestly ordination.  Similarly, when the Pope appoints a bishop, he does so on behalf of the Universal Church and of the local Church.

For those of us who have faith in Christ, the authority of the Church is more than just a human appointment. In faith we know that appointments to the priesthood and episcopal office and religious vocation are the work of the Holy Spirit given to the Church and particularly to the authorized leaders of the community.   For this reason, when Paul and Barnabas were commissioned and then sent out, it was recorded as the wish of the Holy Spirit. Twice, reference to the Holy Spirit was made.  First, “while they were offering worship to the Lord and keeping a fast, the Holy Spirit said, ‘I want Barnabas and Saul set apart for the work to which I have called them.’  Then again, “So these two, sent on their mission by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and from there sailed to Cyprus.”

Consequently, in appointing officials to represent the community and especially in the case of priests and bishops, much discernment and prayer is needed when they are appointed to represent Christ.  We are told that Paul and Barnabas’ appointments took place in the context of discernment in worship, prayer and fasting.  It was not through a logical deduction of who was most qualified to do the job; as what most headhunters would do.  Beyond external qualifications and experience, when we look for leaders to serve in the Church, we must also consider whether they are men of faith, humility, generosity and obedience. When leaders lack humility and obedience to authority, they often cause division in the Church; more so when they are talented, or even when they are not. Because of the authority invested on them, they can become proud and arrogant, individualistic and disobedient.  Let us, as leaders therefore, be discerning when choosing leaders to serve the community.  When we do not pray and discern properly but choose leaders based on their influence, money, power, status and talents, we might end up choosing someone who could do greater damage to the Church.  Hence we need to act in union with the Holy Spirit and our Lord, like the early disciples, when appointing people to serve Him and act and speak in His name.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved