20160706 CONSTANTLY SEEK THE FACE OF THE LORD
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
First reading
|
Hosea
10:1-3,7-8,12 ©
|
Israel was a
luxuriant vine
yielding plenty of
fruit.
The more his fruit
increased,
the more altars he
built;
the richer his land
became,
the richer he made
the sacred stones.
Their heart is a
divided heart;
very well, they must
pay for it:
the Lord is going to
break their altars down
and destroy their
sacred stones.
Then they will say,
‘We have no king
because we have not
feared the Lord.’
But what can a king
do for us?
Samaria has had her
day.
Her king is like a
straw drifting on the water.
The idolatrous high
places shall be destroyed –
that sin of Israel;
thorn and thistle
will grow on their altars.
Then they will say to
the mountains, ‘Cover us!’
and to the hills,
‘Fall on us!’
Sow integrity for
yourselves,
reap a harvest of
kindness,
break up your fallow
ground:
it is time to go
seeking the Lord
until he comes to
rain salvation on you.
Responsorial
Psalm
|
Psalm 104:2-7 ©
|
Constantly seek
the face of the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
O sing to the Lord,
sing his praise;
tell all
his wonderful works!
Be proud of his holy
name,
let the
hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
Constantly seek
the face of the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
Consider the Lord and
his strength;
constantly
seek his face.
Remember the wonders
he has done,
his
miracles, the judgements he spoke.
Constantly seek
the face of the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
O children of
Abraham, his servant,
O sons of
the Jacob he chose.
He, the Lord, is our
God:
his
judgements prevail in all the earth.
Constantly seek
the face of the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel
Acclamation
|
James1:18
|
Alleluia, alleluia!
By his own choice the
Father made us his children
by the message of the
truth,
so that we should be
a sort of first-fruits
of all that he
created.
Alleluia!
Or
|
Mk1:15
|
Alleluia, alleluia!
The kingdom of God is
close at hand:
repent and believe
the Good News.
Alleluia!
Gospel
|
Matthew 10:1-7 ©
|
Jesus summoned his
twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to
cast them out and to cure all kinds of diseases and sickness.
These are
the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon who is called Peter, and his
brother Andrew; James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and
Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus,
and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, the one who was to betray
him. These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them as follows:
‘Do
not turn your steps to pagan territory, and do not enter any Samaritan town; go
rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. And as you go, proclaim that
the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’
CONSTANTLY
SEEK THE FACE OF THE LORD
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: [ HOS 10:1-3.
7-8. 12; MT 10:1-7 ]
We are called like the
apostles by Christ to share in His ministry. We are all different,
like those chosen to be His apostles. God calls us in different ways to
spread the Good News. He said, “And as you go, proclaim that the kingdom
of heaven is close at hand.” The Good News is essentially a gospel of
mercy and compassion. And as Pope Francis tells us, a gospel of
joy. It is good news and joy because we are given the power to heal and
to deliver the people from evil. “Jesus summoned his twelve
disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to cast them
out and to cure all kinds of diseases and sickness.”
However,
it is important to take note that we are reminded to begin with our own
house. “These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them as follows: ‘Do not
turn your steps to pagan territory, and do not enter any Samaritan town; go
rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.'” Why did Jesus tell His
apostles to focus on the House of Israel? It is not because He did not
come for the Gentiles. It was simply a question of strategy.
Israel was chosen to be a sign for others. But they could not go out on mission
unless they themselves had received the Good News.
Indeed,
there is a need to be focused in the way we do mission. There is a need
to be formed ourselves before we can be ready to go out to the world. The
great mistake of us Catholics is that many of us have not yet been touched by
the Good News radically before we begin serving or reaching out. Most of
us who are active Church members in ministry are not yet discipled but we are
already serving. As a result, we become disillusioned in ministry when we
meet with difficulties and challenges. Some of us get hurt easily or
burnt out by the demands of the ministry. How can we go out to the
battleground when we are untrained and unskilled? We cannot go out
to the world unless we are empowered and strengthened. The Church is called to
be a sign for the world. But no evangelization can take place unless we are
well grounded in our faith and in our personal relationship with the Lord.
Thus
the advice of the Lord is timely. He said, “Go rather to the lost sheep
of the House of Israel.” This house refers to the need to minister to our
own Catholics, especially the leaders. It also refers to our own
individual relationship with Him. We must avoid the temptation of Israel
to be self-sufficient and get carried away by our wealth and success. “Israel
was a luxuriant vine yielding plenty of fruit. The more his fruit increased,
the more altars he built; the richer his land became, the richer he made the
sacred stones.” They abandoned God, their king. They wanted to rule
their own lives without God. The prophet warned them of the disaster and
punishment ahead. “Their divided heart; very well, they must pay for it;
the Lord is going to break their altars down and destroy their sacred
stones.” We too can be too focused on our success. We could be that
apostle who betrayed Jesus if we do not take care of ourselves. To avoid such a
disaster we must take care of our house. Charity begins at home
even if it does not end there.
We are
exhorted to follow the psalmist’s invitation, “Constantly seek the face of the
Lord. Consider the Lord and his strength; constantly seek his face.” To
seek His face in prayer is to recall our privilege of being chosen and His
power that is given to us to heal and deliver those in need from their
bondages. To serve the Lord and be given the gifts is a great
privilege. At the same time, we are reminded to “Remember the wonders he
has done, his miracles, the judgements he spoke.” Indeed, in gratitude
for His love and His work in and through us, we cannot but be filled with joy
and confidence. Finally to seek His face is to pursue a life of
integrity. We must seek to put our own lives and our priorities in
order. We need to be holy if we want to serve the Lord. “Sow
integrity for yourselves, reap a harvest of kindness, break up your fallow
ground.” Indeed, deep and fervent prayer, especially intercessory prayer,
is needed to be fruitful in ministry. The prophet encourages us, “It is
time to go seeking the Lord until he comes to rain salvation on you.”
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights
Reserved
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