Sunday 31 July 2016

FINDING STRENGTH FROM THE EUCHARIST TO KEEP US AS TRUE PROPHETS

20160801 FINDING STRENGTH FROM THE EUCHARIST TO KEEP US AS TRUE PROPHETS

Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: White.

First reading
Jeremiah 28:1-17 ©
At the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah in the fifth month of the fourth year, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, a Gibeonite, spoke as follows to Jeremiah in the Temple of the Lord in the presence of the priests and of all the people. ‘The Lord, the God of Israel, says this, “I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. In two years’ time I will bring back all the vessels of the Temple of the Lord which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon carried off from this place and took to Babylon. And I will also bring back Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles of Judah who have gone to Babylon – it is the Lord who speaks. Yes, I am going to break the yoke of the king of Babylon.”’
  The prophet Jeremiah then replied to the prophet Hananiah in front of the priests and all the people there in the Temple of the Lord. ‘I hope so’ the prophet Jeremiah said. ‘May the Lord do so. May he fulfil the words that you have prophesied and bring the vessels of the Temple of the Lord and all the exiles back to this place from Babylon. Listen carefully, however, to this word that I am now going to say for you and all the people to hear: From remote times, the prophets who preceded you and me prophesied war, famine and plague for many countries and for great kingdoms; but the prophet who prophesies peace can only be recognised as one truly sent by the Lord when his word comes true.’
  The prophet Hananiah then took the yoke off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it. In front of all the people Hananiah then said, ‘The Lord says this, “This is how, two years hence, I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and take it off the necks of all the nations.”’ At this, the prophet Jeremiah went away.
  After the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke which he had taken off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah the word of the Lord was addressed to Jeremiah, ‘Go to Hananiah and tell him this, “The Lord says this: You can break wooden yokes? Right, I will make them iron yokes instead! For the Lord Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this: An iron yoke is what I now lay on the necks of all these nations to subject them to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. They will be subject to him; I have even given him the wild animals.”’
  The prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah, ‘Listen carefully, Hananiah: the Lord has not sent you; and thanks to you this people are now relying on what is false. Hence – the Lord says this, “I am going to throw you off the face of the earth: you are going to die this year since you have preached apostasy from the Lord.”’
  The prophet Hananiah died the same year, in the seventh month.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 118:29,43,79-80,95,102 ©
Lord, teach me your statutes.
Keep me from the way of error
  and teach me your law.
Do not take the word of truth from my mouth
  for I trust in your decrees.
Lord, teach me your statutes.
Let your faithful turn to me,
  those who know your will.
Let my heart be blameless in your statutes
  lest I be ashamed.
Lord, teach me your statutes.
Though the wicked lie in wait to destroy me
  yet I ponder your will.
I have not turned from your decrees;
  you yourself have taught me.
Lord, teach me your statutes.

Gospel Acclamation
Jn14:6
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord;
No one can come to the Father except through me.
Alleluia!
Or
Mt4:4
Alleluia, alleluia!
Man does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Alleluia!

Gospel
Matthew 14:13-21 ©
When Jesus received the news of John the Baptist’s death he withdrew by boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves. But the people heard of this and, leaving the towns, went after him on foot. So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them and healed their sick.
  When evening came, the disciples went to him and said, ‘This is a lonely place, and the time has slipped by; so send the people away, and they can go to the villages to buy themselves some food.’ Jesus replied, ‘There is no need for them to go: give them something to eat yourselves.’ But they answered ‘All we have with us is five loaves and two fish.’ ‘Bring them here to me’ he said. He gave orders that the people were to sit down on the grass; then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven and said the blessing. And breaking the loaves handed them to his disciples who gave them to the crowds. They all ate as much as they wanted, and they collected the scraps remaining; twelve baskets full. Those who ate numbered about five thousand men, to say nothing of women and children.


FINDING STRENGTH FROM THE EUCHARIST TO KEEP US AS TRUE PROPHETS

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [  JER 28:1-17; MT 14:13 -21  ]
We do not mind being prophets of good news.  We are all so desperate for peace at all costs.  We want to be accepted by people and be loved by all.  We want to be known as nice people, amiable and agreeable.  As a result, very few of us dare to speak the truth even when we know that the truth must be spoken.  At most we will try to give some hints, hoping that those concerned might come to realize what we really want to tell them.   We are afraid that if we say things that are disagreeable to the ears of our listeners, they would no longer like us or see us as their friends and they might even marginalize us. This was precisely the way the false prophets in the Old Testament acted. Hananiah prophesied victory and peace for the kingdom.  He said all that the people and the King were so desperate to hear.  Instead of telling them what God wanted them to hear, he told them of things that were to their liking.  
In contrast, we have the prophet Jeremiah who was alone in proclaiming the Word of God as it should be spoken.  He spoke against all the false prophets, the King and the people’s expectations.   Jeremiah was brutally honest in his message.   Whilst he wished that the words of the Prophet Hananiah were true, he knew that this was not the message from God.  So he told them the plain truth, which of course did not sit well with his people.  Instead of welcoming the truth of his message, he was condemned, persecuted and castigated as a traitor and a wet blanket.
Indeed, how many of us can be as courageous as the prophet Jeremiah to speak the truth with such boldness even when all others are against us?  Most of us would succumb under pressure and at the first sign of hostility we would cave in and submit to the popular wishes of the group even if we know from the depths of our heart that this is not the truth or what the Lord is asking of us. Such tendency to gain cheap popularity and acceptance is very common, whether in politics, in the office or even in Church.  Whether we are dealing with individuals or at meetings, we dare not speak the truth frankly for fear of losing favour with our friends.
It is important that we make a distinction between being negative and speaking the truth.   Being positive does not mean that we compromise the truth. To be positive on the contrary, is to look at the whole situation in perspective and highlighting the good aspects of a particular situation whilst not denying the negative aspects as well.  Being true does not require us to be negative in outlook.  In fact, to be true is a positive thing, for by speaking the truth, we can also help a person or the group to face the problem squarely and find positive means to deal with the situation rather than to suppress it and pretend that it does not exist.
How, then, can we find the fortitude to be faithful to the truth that the Lord has planted in our minds and hearts?  Jesus shows us the way in today’s gospel.  We read that “when Jesus received the news of John the Baptist’s death he withdrew by boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves.”  The death of His cousin, John the Baptist, surely must have affected Jesus greatly.   Not only was He sad and distressed at the loss of John the Baptist whom He commended as a great prophet, but He knew that that would likely be his fate as well, since all prophets in the Old Testament were killed and martyred.  It was in such a bewildered mood that He became pensive and needed some time to calm His thoughts and heart. Hence, the need to withdraw to a lonely place so that He could pray to His Father and find enlightenment, encouragement and strength.
Yes, if we are confused, insecure and fearful of our future even though we know we are doing the right thing, like Jesus, we need to withdraw to a lonely place to pray.  In our solitude, the Lord will speak to our hearts and give us the conviction and the grace to be true to our beliefs and to His Word.  Hence, if there are moments when we are tempted to seek false compromises and make uneasy alliances with evil, let us quieten ourselves before the Lord and listen to the prompting of His Holy Spirit.  Only in the desert, can we hear the voice of God clearly.  Without withdrawing we can only hear the voice of our fear and that of the world speaking to us loudly.
To listen to the Lord requires that we follow the psalmist in deepening our love for the Word of God. Truly, if we are troubled and lack courage in speaking the truth, we must, with the psalmist, ask the Lord to teach us His statutes and to remove us “from the way of falsehood” and instead pay heed to His decrees and ordinances.  So being grounded in the Word of God, listening attentively to His Word, is the first step in finding courage to remain true to what we believe.  St Paul reminded Timothy, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16-17)
But for us Catholics, we are truly privileged, for besides the Word of God, we have the Eucharist to give us the personal presence of Jesus.  The multiplication of loaves in today’s gospel miracle is an anticipation of the Eucharist that the Lord would give to the Church at the Last Supper.  Jesus, who is the Word of God, is also the Bread of Life. Just as He multiplied the five loaves and two fish to feed the five thousand, so too through the Eucharist, He now makes Himself present to us all in the form of bread and wine.  By adoring and receiving the Eucharist, we remember His passion, death and resurrection.  Contemplating on His love for us on the cross and the power of His resurrection, we no longer need to fear the possible rejection by our fellowmen. With the assurance of Christ’s love for us and confident that we too will share in His victory over sin and death, we can with faith surrender ourselves and our lives to Jesus.
Today, we also take consolation that Jesus will be with us in our trials and difficulties.  He will respond to our prayers for help when we are disheartened and downhearted.  For even in His sadness, He put aside His pain and attended to the sick and the people who were hungry for the Word of God and His love.  We can also be confident that Jesus will stand by us whenever we need Him.  Learning from Jesus, we must also selflessly put aside our need for comfort and acceptance by people.  Instead, like Jesus, let us serve the people of God with selflessness.
Most of all, we can rest assure that with Jesus, there is nothing we cannot do.  He will accomplish His work in us.  Just as He made use of the meager food that was given to Him to feed the multitude, so too, by offering Him all that we have, He will use us mightily to proclaim the Good News which is the Word of God in its entirety, the Word that sets people free from falsehood, sin and evil so that they can share in the freedom and truth of God’s kingdom.

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



THE MEANING OF LIFE IS TO RESTORE OUR IMAGE, WHICH IS HIDDEN IN CHRIST

20160731 THE MEANING OF LIFE IS TO RESTORE OUR IMAGE, WHICH IS HIDDEN IN CHRIST

Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Green.

First reading
Ecclesiastes 1:2,2:21-23 ©
Vanity of vanities, Qoheleth says. Vanity of vanities. All is vanity!
  For so it is that a man who has laboured wisely, skilfully and successfully must leave what is his own to someone who has not toiled for it at all. This, too, is vanity and great injustice; for what does he gain for all the toil and strain that he has undergone under the sun? What of all his laborious days, his cares of office, his restless nights? This, too, is vanity.
EITHER:
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 89:3-6,12-14,17 ©
O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.
You turn men back to dust
  and say: ‘Go back, sons of men.’
To your eyes a thousand years
  are like yesterday, come and gone,
  no more than a watch in the night.
O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.
You sweep men away like a dream,
  like the grass which springs up in the morning.
In the morning it springs up and flowers:
  by evening it withers and fades.
O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.
Make us know the shortness of our life
  that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Lord, relent! Is your anger for ever?
  Show pity to your servants.
O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.
In the morning, fill us with your love;
  we shall exult and rejoice all our days.
Let the favour of the Lord be upon us:
  give success to the work of our hands.
O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.
OR:
Alternative Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 94:1-2,6-9 ©
O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’
Come, ring out our joy to the Lord;
  hail the rock who saves us.
Let us come before him, giving thanks,
  with songs let us hail the Lord.
O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’
Come in; let us bow and bend low;
  let us kneel before the God who made us:
for he is our God and we
  the people who belong to his pasture,
  the flock that is led by his hand.
O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’
O that today you would listen to his voice!
  ‘Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
  as on that day at Massah in the desert
when your fathers put me to the test;
  when they tried me, though they saw my work.’
O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’

Second reading
Colossians 3:1-5,9-11 ©
Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ, you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is, sitting at God’s right hand. Let your thoughts be on heavenly things, not on the things that are on the earth, because you have died, and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God. But when Christ is revealed – and he is your life – you too will be revealed in all your glory with him.
  That is why you must kill everything in you that belongs only to earthly life: fornication, impurity, guilty passion, evil desires and especially greed, which is the same thing as worshipping a false god; and never tell each other lies. You have stripped off your old behaviour with your old self, and you have put on a new self which will progress towards true knowledge the more it is renewed in the image of its creator; and in that image there is no room for distinction between Greek and Jew, between the circumcised or the uncircumcised, or between barbarian and Scythian, slave and free man. There is only Christ: he is everything and he is in everything.

Gospel Acclamation
Jn17:17
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your word is truth, O Lord:
consecrate us in the truth.
Alleluia!
Or
Mt5:3
Alleluia, alleluia!
How happy are the poor in spirit:
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Alleluia!

Gospel
Luke 12:13-21 ©
A man in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Master, tell my brother to give me a share of our inheritance.’ ‘My friend,’ he replied, ‘who appointed me your judge, or the arbitrator of your claims?’ Then he said to them, ‘Watch, and be on your guard against avarice of any kind, for a man’s life is not made secure by what he owns, even when he has more than he needs.’
  Then he told them a parable: ‘There was once a rich man who, having had a good harvest from his land, thought to himself, “What am I to do? I have not enough room to store my crops.” Then he said, “This is what I will do: I will pull down my barns and build bigger ones, and store all my grain and my goods in them, and I will say to my soul: My soul, you have plenty of good things laid by for many years to come; take things easy, eat, drink, have a good time.” But God said to him, “Fool! This very night the demand will be made for your soul; and this hoard of yours, whose will it be then?.” So it is when a man stores up treasure for himself in place of making himself rich in the sight of God.’


THE MEANING OF LIFE IS TO RESTORE OUR IMAGE, WHICH IS HIDDEN IN CHRIST

What do you live for?  Some live for work.  This is vanity.  For if the meaning of life is found in work, then life becomes drudgery.  Indeed, the author of Ecclesiastes bemoans, “for what does he gain for all the toil and strain that he has undergone under the sun? What of all his laborious days, his cares of office, his restless nights?”  Perhaps you live for power and status.  Well, this is also vanity.  Great leaders, presidents and prime ministers, famous movie stars and singers have come and gone.  One day, we will have to relinquish our office and positions to someone else.  And once out of office, like those once great and famous people, we will languish away quietly and fade from the world.
What if you live for money and wealth?  That too is vanity.  The truth in life is that nothing lasts.  At any rate, money cannot buy you everything in life.  Money cannot buy love and peace.  In fact, the more money you have, the more worries and anxieties there are.  Most of all, you cannot bring your money to your grave.  Hence, once again as the author laments, “a man who has laboured wisely, skillfully and successfully must leave what is his own to someone who has not toiled for it at all.”   Lastly, maybe you live for pleasure.  But can one find fulfillment in sensual pleasure alone?  Are we mere animals that can be satisfied by the physical and material needs alone?  Do we not have spirits that cry out for fulfillment? So pleasure too is vanity!
The stark truth is that even when we have status, power, money and the luxuries of life, we are not much happier.  In fact, surveys have shown that increase in status, power, wealth and luxury do not bring a corresponding increase in happiness.  They might give us some satisfaction but not happiness. There is a limit to the satisfaction that power, money and luxury can bring to a person. Once the limit is reached, greed begins to take control of our life. We become increasingly dissatisfied and this greed will eventually destroy our happiness and peace.
What is most frustrating in life is that after all the hard work accumulating wealth, power and status, we live in fear and anxiety.  Quite often, the people who are beneficiaries of our wealth and inheritance are ungrateful.  Even at our deathbed we can hear our loved ones fighting for their share of our property and wealth.
In the light of all these, the author of the first reading could not but be pessimistic because of the great injustices of life. Life is unfair! Ironically, many of those who commit suicide are seldom poor, but people who are rich, powerful and famous. In spite of their success and fame, they find life meaningless. Having attained all they wanted, they found success a disillusion, as it has not brought them real happiness.  So why invest so much energy to work for something so transient?  Why spend our whole life making a living when we do not know how to live?
For this reason, Jesus warns us, “Watch, and be on your guard against avarice of any kind, for a man’s life is not made secure by what he owns, even when he has more than he needs.”  Security and happiness in life is not determined by our possessions.  Even though what we own can provide some security, it cannot fulfill our emotional, affective and spiritual needs.  Life is surely vanity if we think that it is simply about physical wealth, prestige and power or even pleasure.
Where, then, can we find happiness in life?  We must live for a higher purpose. The truth is that we cannot live only for this world or for ourselves alone.  Such a life is always a life under threat and is meaningless.  What is this higher goal that St Paul is inviting us to aspire to? We are called to live for others by living for God.  We must go beyond ourselves.  We must live in a transcendent manner, living transcendent values.  St Paul says, “since you have been brought back to true life with Christ, you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is, sitting at God’s right hand. Let your thoughts be on heavenly things, not on the things that are on the earth, because you have died.”
It is the life of the Spirit, the life of God.  This is what Jesus is inviting us in today’s gospel as well.  He warns us not to store up treasure for ourselves in place of making ourselves rich in the sight of God.  The only treasure that can last is when we are rich in God, which is to share in His life.  The good news is that this treasure is already given to us in Christ.  St Paul reveals to us that the true meaning of life is sharing in the life “hidden with Christ in God. But when Christ is revealed – and he is your life – you too will be revealed in all your glory with him.”
In other words, what is the meaning of life and its happiness if not to become Christ and to share in His life?  Our goal and purpose of life is to be restored in the image and likeness of God.  St Paul says, “you have put on a new self which will progress towards true knowledge the more it is renewed in the image of its creator.”
What is the life of Christ?  It is a life of love and selfless service.  It is a life that is concerned with values and virtues.  Such is the life of the Spirit and being rich in the sight of God.  Indeed, when we look at the life of Christ, it is about relationship, love and service.
Relationship makes life meaningful.  Only a right relationship with God, others and ourselves can give us fulfillment and happiness.  One of the main reasons for our unhappiness in life is disunity in our family, workplace and community.  Quarrels, misunderstandings and broken relationships cause us to be upset and incomplete.  What is the use of bringing so much money home when there is no peace in the house because your spouse is fighting with you; and your siblings are fighting among themselves or even not talking to you?
Indeed, it is for relationship that Christ came into this world, to put us in right relationship with God and with each other.  St Paul tells us “there is no room for distinction between Greek and Jew, between the circumcised or the uncircumcised, or between barbarian and Scythian, slave and free man. There is only Christ: he is everything and he is in everything.”  In Christ, we become one. This is what the reconciling work of Christ is all about.
Besides relationship, what makes us happy is when we are able to go beyond ourselves to care for others through selfless service. St Paul urges us, “you must kill everything in you that belongs only to earthly life: fornication, impurity, guilty passion, evil desires and especially greed, which is the same thing as worshipping a false god; and never tell each other lies. You have stripped off your old behaviour with your old self.”
Hence, Jesus’ advice to us all is that we must store for ourselves the riches of God. We do this by cultivating virtues such as love, forgiveness and compassion.  We must realize that what we do in life will build up our character for better or for worse.  Every time we do something wrong, selfish or evil, we reinforce negative attitudes in us.  Conversely, when we do good works, even if it is a small act of good deed, we increase our capacity to love.  Our whole life is really a pilgrimage, pedagogy, when we learn to grow in love and selflessness through our struggles in relationships and the difficulties of loving.  If we pursue that direction, we will build up our Christian character and restore our image in Christ.
With the invitation to a life in Christ as our goal, there is also a warning not to procrastinate and live in false security.  Whatever time, talents and money we have we should use them for personal sanctification through a life of charity without expecting any return.  In this way, when the time comes for us to leave this world, we can depart in peace without any unfinished agenda or unresolved issues.  If not, we would have to endure the restlessness and the pains of not being able to let go of this life to return to God.  For at the end of our lives, what remains is only the soul, that is, the “I”, our thoughts, feelings, our mind and heart!  If our hearts remain resentful and selfish, we cannot leave this world in peace.  Our attachment, anger and unforgiveness will return to haunt us.
One thing that is certain about life is this: death. The question we must ask ourselves today is:  How do you want to die?  The way we respond to this question will determine how we should live our lives now.  Do you want to end your life in misery, anger, resentment, and bitterness, feeling that life has been unjust to you?  Or do you want to let go of all that you have, be these riches or negative feelings, so that you can be free from selfishness and be free for love and service.   It is better that we die poor and be rich in heaven.  We die poor when we have given our lives in service and love to others.  In emptying ourselves for others, we enrich ourselves with love, generosity, goodness and kindness.  A rich life is one of love, compassion and detachment.  This is the life of God.  So if we want to avoid falling into a state of disillusionment at the end of our lives, we must start living now by loving and serving and sharing until we extinguish ourselves. For when we are not, then Christ lives in us and everything is in Christ.

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