20160511 GIFT OF COUNSEL: BE WATCHFUL OF THOSE UNDER OUR
CARE
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
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First reading
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Acts 20:28-38 ©
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Paul addressed these
words to the elders of the church of Ephesus:
‘Be on
your guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has
made you the overseers, to feed the Church of God which he bought with his own
blood. I know quite well that when I have gone fierce wolves will invade you
and will have no mercy on the flock. Even from your own ranks there will be men
coming forward with a travesty of the truth on their lips to induce the
disciples to follow them. So be on your guard, remembering how night and day
for three years I never failed to keep you right, shedding tears over each one
of you. And now I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace that has
power to build you up and to give you your inheritance among all the
sanctified.
‘I have
never asked anyone for money or clothes; you know for yourselves that the work
I did earned enough to meet my needs and those of my companions. I did this to
show you that this is how we must exert ourselves to support the weak,
remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, who himself said, “There is more happiness
in giving than in receiving.”’
When he
had finished speaking he knelt down with them all and prayed. By now they were
all in tears; they put their arms round Paul’s neck and kissed him; what
saddened them most was his saying they would never see his face again. Then
they escorted him to the ship.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm
67:29-30,33-36 ©
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Kingdoms of the
earth, sing to God.
or
Alleluia!
Show forth, O God,
show forth your might,
your
might, O God, which you have shown for us.
For the sake of your
temple high in Jerusalem
may kings
come to you bringing their tribute.
Kingdoms of the
earth, sing to God.
or
Alleluia!
Kingdoms of the
earth, sing to God, praise the Lord
who rides
on the heavens, the ancient heavens.
He thunders his
voice, his mighty voice.
Come,
acknowledge the power of God.
Kingdoms of the
earth, sing to God.
or
Alleluia!
His glory is on
Israel; his might is in the skies.
God is to
be feared in his holy place.
He is the Lord,
Israel’s God.
He gives
strength and power to his people.
Blessed be God!
Kingdoms of the
earth, sing to God.
or
Alleluia!
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Mt28:19,20
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Go, make disciples of
all the nations.
I am with you always;
yes, to the end of time.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Jn17:17
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Your word is truth, O
Lord:
consecrate us in the
truth.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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John 17:11-19 ©
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Jesus raised his eyes
to heaven and said:
‘Holy Father,
keep those you have
given me true to your name,
so that they may be
one like us.
While I was with
them,
I kept those you had
given me true to your name.
I have watched over
them
and not one is lost
except the one who
chose to be lost,
and this was to
fulfil the scriptures.
But now I am coming
to you
and while still in
the world I say these things
to share my joy with
them to the full.
I passed your word on
to them,
and the world hated
them,
because they belong
to the world
no more than I belong
to the world.
I am not asking you
to remove them from the world,
but to protect them
from the evil one.
They do not belong to
the world
any more than I
belong to the world.
Consecrate them in
the truth;
your word is truth.
As you sent me into
the world,
I have sent them into
the world,
and for their sake I
consecrate myself
so
that they too may be consecrated in truth.’
GIFT OF
COUNSEL: BE WATCHFUL OF THOSE UNDER OUR CARE
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: [ ACTS 20:28-38;
PSALM 67:29-30, 33-36; JOHN 17:11-19 ]
The
liturgy provides us with two farewell discourses from both St Paul and
our Lord. Both are similar in their circumstances in many ways.
They were about to come to the end of their mission on earth. They had
spent much time and effort building up the community of disciples. It was
natural that they, like all parents or leaders, were concerned about the future
of the community that they had started. St Paul told the
elders, “So be on your guard, remembering how night and day for three years I
never failed to keep you right, shedding tears over each one of you.” It
was for the same reason that Jesus prayed to His heavenly Father before His
departure from this world. Both of them were giving counsel to the
community, which is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Hence, the
warning to be watchful against the enemies of the Church, otherwise the
church would be divided and destroyed. The Church has enemies from within
and without. From without, as Jesus said, the world hates us.
The world cannot tolerate us because we are teaching values that are contrary
to theirs. The Church is facing much hostility with respect to our teachings on
marriage, family, sexuality and respect for life. The world does not
subscribe to our moral values. That is why they are finding ways to attack the
credibility of the Church, especially her leaders, by exposing their scandals.
St Paul calls them ‘wolves’, ready to devour us.
For
this reason, the real enemy is not from without but from within.
This is what St Paul told the Christian community, “Even from your own ranks
there will be men coming forward with a travesty of the truth on their lips to
induce the disciples to follow them.” Indeed, enemies from within are
more insidious and dangerous than those from without. That is why we must
be watchful at all times and be alert to the tactics of the enemies of the
gospel.
What
should we be alert to? Firstly, there is always the danger of sowing
discord as they mislead us by half-truths and cause division within the
community. Indeed, the confusion in the world is rooted in
relativism. With so many opinions and half-truths, many are misled by the
arguments and propositions that they read on the internet. Using reason
alone, they cannot agree on anything, as clever arguments could always be put
forward. The sin of pride and presumption hinder us from hearing the
truth with humility. Without knowing the truth, there is no basis for
unity since unity is founded on common truths that we hold together. For
this reason, the Lord prayed that His disciples be consecrated in the truth.
“As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world, and for
their sake I consecrate myself so that they too may be consecrated in truth.”
Secondly,
we must be alert to the temptations of the Evil One to sin,
especially that of greed for money or power or fame. Mindful of such
temptations, St Paul set for us a fine example of detachment. This
spirit of poverty is seen in detachment from material goods. Not only did
he work for his keep but he used all his money for the service of the
Kingdom. He was a man who knew the art of contentment. He lived
simply and frugally, without desiring material things. The things of this world
could not fulfill his joy in sharing the Good News.
But St Paul was not only
detached from material things, he was disinterested in position, power and
authority. It is
significant that wherever he went, he would start a community and then appoint
leaders to look after them. Once the foundation is laid, he would move on
to places that Christ had not yet been proclaimed. He was not one who
would cling to popularity, power and, most of all, the comfort and convenience
of life. He was a man always on the move for the spread of the gospel.
Because of the urgency in proclaiming the Good News, he would not allow himself
to be domesticated in any place. We are reminded of the words of Jesus as
well, when His disciples tried to hold him back. Jesus’ reply was, “Let
us go on to the next town, that I may preach there also; for that is why I came
out.” (Mk 1:37f)
As leaders or overseers,
all of us,
according to our responsibility, must ensure that we are alert to what
destroys the community, whether at home, in church or in the office. We
must be careful of people who are always gossiping, negative in outlook,
complaining, grumbling and demanding. St Paul instructed the elders, “Be on
your guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has
made you the overseers, to feed the Church of God which he bought with his own
blood.” Let us be conscious of the price that our Lord and leaders before
us have paid in order for us to be where we are today; and especially for the
blood, sweat and tears.
What can we do to
protect those under our care? We ourselves must be consecrated in the
truth. This is
what Jesus asked for us. “Consecrate them in the truth; your word is
truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world, and for
their sake I consecrate myself so that they too may be consecrated in truth.”
What does it mean to be
consecrated if not to be rooted in the Word of God? If we were to be leaders, we
must be watchful of ourselves first and foremost. We need to be rooted in
the Word as Jesus told us. We need to be in touch with the Word of God,
praying and reflecting on His Word daily; and purifying our minds and our
hearts in the way we serve God and His people. Unless, we are praying
people, we will not be in the truth and as a consequence, mislead those under
our charge. Hence, the higher the responsibility, the greater is the onus
for leaders to spend sufficient time in prayer, studies and contemplation.
Secondly, we must
sanctify ourselves. To be consecrated in the truth means to sanctify ourselves. We are called to be more and
more like Christ. Holiness is to be true to our identity as the sons and
daughters of God. We are called to glorify God by our lives as we are a
reflection of God our Father. Whether God is known and loved is dependent
on how we who profess ourselves to be Christians are manifesting the life of
Christ in us, His mercy and compassion.
Thirdly, to be
consecrated means to be set apart from the world. This does not mean that we are to
withdraw from the world completely and hide in the church or in the
chapel. No, it means that we show ourselves to be different from the
world by living the values of the gospel, of humble service, forgiveness,
generosity and compassion. We live in the world and witness among the peoples
that we live with, showing them the truth not just in words but in life, in
charity and compassion. Truth, at the end of the day, is simply a love
that is authentic, unselfish, unconditional and totally self-giving.
Besides, being
consecrated in the truth,
we also need to have the right motivation and His grace. Hence, we
must keep our focus at all times, lest we lose the motivation in our mission
and to live the gospel life. At all times, we must focus on the joy
of the gospel, the joy of living the life of Christ. The gospel must be
truly Good News, enabling us to live a life of joy, freedom, love, unity and
peace. This ultimately would be the reason for us to hope and persevere
in our faith and our mission.
Secondly, we must pray
and surrender ourselves to the Lord. The work of God means that everything is His grace. So
whilst we labour for the gospel, the success of our work is dependent on the
Lord. Hence, St Paul said, “And now I commend you to God, and to the word
of his grace that has power to build you up and to give you your inheritance
among all the sanctified.”
Finally, we must find
support from the community. Without the support of the community, it would have been
impossible for St Paul to continue in his mission. Thus, we must never
forget that our mission must be accomplished in communion. Division in
the community, division at home or in the office, will destroy all that we want
to achieve. So let us be on guard against disunity and division among
us. Let us support each other in prayer and in fraternal love as we
labour to establish the kingdom of God. Let us be forgiving of each
other’s human frailties and consider the bigger picture ahead of us, which is
to glorify God and make Him known so that all would acknowledge Him as King of
all the earth, as the psalmist prayed: “Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God,
praise the Lord who rides on the heavens, the ancient heavens. He
thunders his voice, his mighty voice. Come, acknowledge the power of God.”
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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