20160727 PAYING THE PRICE OF BEING FAITHFUL TO OUR VOCATION
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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Jeremiah
15:10,16-21 ©
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‘Woe is me, my
mother, for you have borne me
to be a man of strife
and of dissension for all the land.
I neither lend nor
borrow,
yet all of them curse
me.
‘When your words
came, I devoured them:
your word was my
delight
and the joy of my
heart;
for I was called by
your name,
the Lord, God of
Hosts.
I never took pleasure
in sitting in scoffers’ company;
with your hand on me
I held myself aloof,
since you had filled
me with indignation.
Why is my suffering
continual,
my wound incurable,
refusing to be healed?
Do you mean to be for
me a deceptive stream
with inconstant
waters?’
To which the Lord
replied,
‘If you come back,
I will take you back
into my service;
and if you utter
noble, not despicable, thoughts,
you shall be as my
own mouth.
They will come back
to you,
but you must not go
back to them.
I will make you
a bronze wall
fortified against this people.
They will fight
against you
but they will not
overcome you,
because I am with you
to save you and to
deliver you
– it is the Lord who
speaks.
I mean to deliver you
from the hands of the wicked
and redeem you from
the clutches of the violent.’
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm
58:2-5,10-11,17-18 ©
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O God, you have
been a refuge in the day of my distress.
Rescue me, God, from
my foes;
protect
me from those who attack me.
O rescue me from
those who do evil
and save
me from blood-thirsty men.
O God, you have
been a refuge in the day of my distress.
See, they lie in wait
for my life;
powerful
men band together against me.
For no offence, no
sin of mine, Lord,
for no
guilt of mine they rush to take their stand.
O God, you have
been a refuge in the day of my distress.
O my Strength, it is
you to whom I turn,
for you,
O God, are my stronghold,
the God
who shows me love.
O God, you have
been a refuge in the day of my distress.
As for me, I will
sing of your strength
and each
morning acclaim your love
for you have been my
stronghold,
a refuge
in the day of my distress.
O God, you have
been a refuge in the day of my distress.
O my Strength, it is
you to whom I turn,
for you,
O God, are my stronghold,
the God
who shows me love.
O God, you have
been a refuge in the day of my distress.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Ps118:105
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Your word is a lamp
for my steps
and a light for my
path.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Jn15:15
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I call you friends,
says the Lord,
because I have made
known to you
everything I have
learnt from my Father.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 13:44-46
©
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Jesus said to the
crowds, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which someone
has found; he hides it again, goes off happy, sells everything he owns and buys
the field.
‘Again,
the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls; when he finds
one of great value he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it.’
PAYING
THE PRICE OF BEING FAITHFUL TO OUR VOCATION
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: [ JER
15:10, 16-21; MT 13:44-46 ]
If you
have found a pearl of great value in life, are you willing to pay the price,
just as the merchant did when he sold everything he had to buy it? To
risk everything for this one particular thing means to give your life to
it. These parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great value
found only in St Matthew’s gospel could be the evangelist’s way of suggesting
that finding Jesus was better than all the money he made through his position
as a tax-collector. Indeed, this has been the case for thousands of Christians
who have given up their lives to become a priest, religious or a missionary for
Christ. The joy of knowing and serving Jesus is greater than everything
else in this world, so much so that those who found Him were willing to give up
everything to follow Him.
What
about us? Is Jesus the pearl that we are willing to give up everything
for? Are we willing to pay the price to be with Jesus? The stark reality
is that, too often, we consider Jesus to be not like a treasure or an
incomparable pearl but some item from a clearance sale. We do not mind
having Jesus if the price is not too high. We desire to have both, if
possible. We want the world and also Jesus, provided He can give us the
worldly things as well. And the truth is that many Christians come to
Christ under the pretext of loving and serving Him when in fact they want to
serve themselves. They come to Christ to get something from Him, not to give
Him something. If they give anything to Him, it is provided they receive back
ten-fold or more. So they do not give Him their wealth or resources out
of love. It is more a kind of investment for worldly things. In
truth, we are more willing to make sacrifices for earthly things and worldly
honour than serving Jesus in our lives.
Yet,
the fact remains that for heavenly things, there is a price to be paid.
It is not given to those swines, as Jesus remarked, because they will step on
them and destroy them. Anything that is truly worthwhile deserves to be
given our whole heart, mind and soul and strength. What could anything be
greater than worldly power and worldly wealth if not love? The Song of
Songs has this to say, “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown
it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, it would be
utterly scorned.” (Songs 8:7) Truly, those who have experienced human
love will appreciate even more the love of God, the love described by the
mystics who have arrived at the stage of nuptial love, a love that is
transforming, when they experience it. For the sake of love, many of us
are willing to sacrifice even our wealth, status and position in life. What
more if we come to experience the unconditional and overwhelming love of God in
Christ and the Holy Spirit?
Jeremiah himself came to
understand the price of sharing in the life of God. In the first reading
he recognized the joy of receiving the Word and being called by Him. He
said, “When your words came, I devoured them: your word was my delight and the
joy of my heart; for I was called by your name.” However, the privilege
of being called also implies the invitation to suffering. Five times in
the book of Jeremiah (11:18-12:6, 15:10-21, 17:12-18, 18:18-23, 20:7-18), he
complained to God because of the inner anguish he suffered under the weight of
the prophetic office. He cursed his birth and lamented the sufferings on
account of his vocation.
In our
own ways, we too are like Jeremiah. Although, our trials and tribulations
cannot be compared to his, yet, how often, in times of difficulty and when the
weight of our vocation is overwhelming, we feel like quitting, especially when
the going gets tough! This is particularly so when we are misunderstood,
taken for granted, wrongly accused and treated unjustly. Many of us feel that
our loved ones take advantage of us. We are always at their beck and
call, more like their servants and financiers than their loved ones.
Surely, many times in our lives, when we are going through a rough patch with
our spouse or loved ones, don’t we instinctively want to give up?
Then
there are those of us who are torn between two loves. Many a man wants to
be a priest but is forced to choose between his vocation to serve Christ and
someone whom he really loves. There is a great price to pay to serve the
Lord in the priesthood and religious life. Certainly, in our pain and
loneliness, many of us feel like giving up a responsibility given to us, to
resign from some position or some project because we face many obstacles and
challenges. This is even true in Church ministry when we have to deal
with wounded Church members who are jealous of our position. We give up
so easily because we are not quite ready to pay the price for the great pearl
of life. So quickly, like Jeremiah, we allow the joy and fulfillment we
received through what we do to be overshadowed by our sufferings.
In such moments, like
Jeremiah, we cry out to God. Like the psalmist we plead with the Lord,
“Rescue me, God from my foes; protect me from those who attack me. See
they lie in wait for my life; powerful men band together against me. For
no offence, no sin of mine, Lord, for no guilt of mine, they rush to take their
stand.” But the reply from the Lord at times, as Jeremiah found out,
might not seem to be overly sympathetic. Instead of showing mercy, the
Lord reprimanded him. God’s reply was certainly not overly sympathetic,
insisting on Jeremiah’s repentance for his nearly blasphemous complaints.
God said, “If you come back, I will take you back into my service; and if you
utter noble, not despicable, thoughts, you shall be as my own mouth.”
Why repentance? God wanted
Jeremiah to purify his love in serving Him and His people. More often
than not, our service comes from our selfishness. As I have mentioned
earlier, very few of us come to the Lord or serve Him out of pure love for Him
and His love for us. We come to Him only because we desire something from
Him. We do not truly love Him for His sake but we love Him for our sake.
The moment, we feel we are not getting anything from Him we dump Him.
Isn’t this what the purification of the dark night of the senses and the spirit
is all about? In prayer, we come to the Lord only if we experience
consolation, like having nice feelings of His presence and love, insights and
visions. But when we experience desolation, His absence and darkness, we
immediately give up praying. Because we serve the Lord for less than
noble reasons, the Lord invites us to reflect for ourselves and repent of our
own sins, rather than trying to justify ourselves for our sufferings. Not
all sufferings that come from our so-called enemies, or those whom we serve,
are because of their injustice or lack of love. More often than not,
maybe we are the ones who are at fault. We do not see our mistakes or
lack of love.
The call to repentance
really is a call to be faithful to one’s identity. Taking the easy way
out or copping out will not give us happiness. It means infidelity to
oneself. Those of us who watched the Lion King movie will understand how
Simba was trying to escape from his identity and his calling to be the
King. Only by accepting his calling and being true to himself, could he
find himself. To abandon our vocation and our calling in life is not only
about abandoning God, but it is tantamount to being unfilial to oneself.
Such a person will only live a life of regret, for he cannot find true
happiness except when he is being himself and the person God has destined him
to be. But if we stand up for God and for the love of Him, like Jeremiah,
we will find life and love.
So
whilst God might appear to be indifferent to Jeremiah’s cries, He was actually
renewing Jeremiah’s vocation. He promised him His divine protection if
Jeremiah remained faithful to Him. Similarly, God is inviting us all
again, especially those of us who are hesitating in our vocation in life.
He is re-calling us to fidelity in our vocation and promising the protection of
His presence. No matter what difficulties we encounter, we will find God
with us when we are faithful to His call.
Where will His fidelity be
found? God’s fidelity comes in the form of offering words of encouragement from
scripture through contemplative prayer; through the sacraments, especially of
reconciliation and the Eucharist. Quite often He comes through
friends who console us even when they do not know our problems or send people
to help us carry our problems. God never leaves us alone. He will always send
an angel to support us in our vocation and be faithful to the end. At
times, He confirms us by giving success to the work of our hands. With
His assurance of fidelity and love we can carry on. Like the psalmist we
only need to pray, “O my Strength, it is you to whom I turn, for you, O God are
my stronghold, the God who shows me love. As for me, I will sing of your
strength and each morning acclaim your love for you have been my stronghold, a
refuge in the day of my distress.” Freedom, as Confucius says, comes from
being faithful to our vocation, not the praises or criticisms of men.
Only then are we truly free.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights
Reserved
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