20160809 REACHING OUT TO THE LOST SHEEP
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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Ezekiel 2:8-3:4 ©
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I, Ezekiel, heard a
voice speaking. It said, ‘You, son of man, listen to the words I say; do not be
a rebel like that rebellious set. Open your mouth and eat what I am about to
give you.’ I looked. A hand was there, stretching out to me and holding a scroll.
He unrolled it in front of me; it was written on back and front; on it was
written ‘lamentations, wailings, meanings.’ He said, ‘Son of man, eat what is
given to you; eat this scroll, then go and speak to the House of Israel.’ I
opened my mouth; he gave me the scroll to eat and said, ‘Son of man, feed and
be satisfied by the scroll I am giving you.’ I ate it, and it tasted sweet as
honey.
Then he
said, ‘Son of man, go to the House of Israel and tell them what I have said.’
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm
118:14,24,72,103,111,131 ©
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Your promise is
sweet to my taste, O Lord.
I rejoiced to do your
will
as though
all riches were mine.
Your will is my
delight;
your
statutes are my counsellors.
Your promise is
sweet to my taste, O Lord.
The law from your
mouth means more to me
than
silver and gold.
Your promise is
sweeter to my taste
than
honey in the mouth.
Your promise is
sweet to my taste, O Lord.
Your will is my
heritage for ever,
the joy
of my heart.
I open my mouth and I
sigh
as I
yearn for your commands.
Your promise is
sweet to my taste, O Lord.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Mt11:25
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed are you,
Father,
Lord of heaven and
earth,
for revealing the
mysteries of the kingdom
to mere children.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Mt11:29
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Shoulder my yoke and
learn from me,
says the Lord,
for I am gentle and
humble in heart.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew
18:1-5,10,12-14 ©
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The disciples came to
Jesus and said, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ So he called a
little child to him and set the child in front of them. Then he said, ‘I tell
you solemnly, unless you change and become like little children you will never
enter the kingdom of heaven. And so, the one who makes himself as little as
this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
‘Anyone
who welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. See that you
never despise any of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in
heaven are continually in the presence of my Father in heaven.
‘Tell me.
Suppose a man has a hundred sheep and one of them strays; will he not leave the
ninety-nine on the hillside and go in search of the stray? I tell you solemnly,
if he finds it, it gives him more joy than do the ninety-nine that did not
stray at all. Similarly, it is never the will of your Father in heaven that one
of these little ones should be lost.’
REACHING
OUT TO THE LOST SHEEP
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: [ EZEKIEL
2:8-3:4; MATTHEW 118:1-5, 10, 12-14]
It is a
fact that our churches are packed with worshippers every Sunday. Many
churches are alive and vibrant with activities and programs. Priests are
kept busy ministering to their parishioners. Some are overworked and
tired. Thanks to the migrants, it seems the Catholic Church is growing in
Singapore. According to government statistics, there are about 1.6
million migrants in Singapore. Many come from the Philippines, Indonesia
and Kerala. So we can expect that many would be Catholics. It is
estimated that we could have at least 150,000 migrant Catholics. If that were
so, the rise in attendance at our churches could be due more to the migrants
than the growth in the number of local Catholics.
The downside is that when
our churches are full, it brings about complacency and a parochial
mindset. We have enough work to do. Hence, we do not feel the need
to reach out beyond our parish boundaries. Perhaps, we have no more
energy left after spending them on those who come to our churches.
Or it could be a feeling that we are growing so much and we have no more space
for newcomers anyway. At the same time, a growing number of Catholics
also mean that effective formation of the members is weakened. Whilst it
is true that we might have more Catholics in attendance at our services, we
wonder how well formed they are in their faith. Are they fully
alive, committed, empowered and faith-filled with a personal relationship with
the Lord? Or are our pews packed with ritualistic and nominal Catholics
who do not really have any fervor in their faith? Many do not understand
their faith, the doctrines or even the liturgy they celebrate. Our young people
cannot wait to complete their catechism classes so that they do not have to go
for any more lessons. Ironically, once having received the Sacrament of
Confirmation, many young people stop coming to church eventually. We can
be very sure that many of our Catholics have been neglected, hurt, confused,
misled and have left to join other denominations or other religions. Those who
are nominal in their faith will eventually leave the Church as they do not find
purpose, meaning and hope. We do not have statistics unfortunately, but
the number is not small. Many more have left the Church and given up on
God completely and live pagan, atheistic and materialistic lives. These
are the lost sheep today as mentioned in the gospel.
But to forget about our
mission means we have failed in our responsibility. When the Church is
only functioning as a maintenance Church, providing services to its
parishioners, it will eventually die as it lacks vision and mission. In
the gospel, Jesus made it clear that He came precisely for the lost
sheep. His heart was not so much for the self-righteous but for the
sinners. The parable of the lost sheep illustrates the heart of
God. Every sheep is important to God, even the little ones. No one
is insignificant to God. As Jesus said, “See that you never despise any
of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven are
continually in the presence of my Father in heaven.” Whether they are sinners
or children, they are all children of God. God cares for every
individual. Jesus did not come to merely save humanity or a
community. He comes to save the individual as well.
The question that we need
to ask as Church is, what are we doing for these lost sheep? Some might not be
lost completely yet, but are wounded, confused, strayed and hungry. How are we
feeding our faithful the Word of Life and nurturing them in the faith? What
programs do we have and if there are such programs, are they effective in
bringing them back to the Church? How can we help our Catholics and those
who are lapsed to be connected with God and find hope and solace in Him?
If we are not proactive in reaching out to them, then we do not have the heart
of the Good Shepherd. The truth is that whether we are clergy or active
lay in Church ministry, we do not seem to see the urgency to reach out to all
the lost sheep, not forgetting the very many people in the world seeking for
meaning, purpose and life because they do not know Jesus as the Way, the Truth
and the Life. How can we be proactive when we are not even reactive to
the current challenges facing the Church? Merely being contented with
those who come to our parishes means that we are missing out on the great
opportunities presented to us in bringing Christ especially to those young and
old Catholics who have lapsed and to the migrant Catholics as well. Most
of all, we have the big harvest waiting in the vineyard for us to reap in the
many migrants who are searching for God. However, unlike other Christian
churches, we are slow to act.
What, then, does it take
for us to be a truly evangelical and missionary Church? Today’s first
reading gives us the clue. Firstly, we read that God told the prophet,
Ezekiel, “’son of man, listen to the words I say; do not be a rebel like that
rebellious set. Open your mouth and eat what I am about to give you.’ I
looked. A hand was there, stretching out to me and holding a
scroll. He unrolled it in front of me; it was written on back and front;
on it was written ‘lamentations, wailings, moanings.’” In other words, if
we were to reach out to all the lapsed, wounded, stray Catholics and those
outside our churches, we must first learn to identity with them in their pain,
hopelessness, hurts and confusion. So long as we cannot feel with the
sick, the abandoned, the marginalized, the lost and the oppressed, we will not
see the need to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to alleviate their
sufferings. If the prophet was asked to eat the scroll of “lamentations,
wailings, moanings”, it is in order that he might feel with God for His
people. Once we hear their cries and empathize with them in their pains,
our hearts will be moved for them as God’s heart is moved by our sins.
Secondly, to reach out to
such people, we ourselves must first find hope. We must have already
tasted the love of God. Otherwise, how can we give what we have not
got. Once again, we hear God telling the prophet, “’Son of man, eat what is
given to you; eat the scroll, then go and speak to the House of Israel.’ I
opened my mouth; he gave me the scroll to eat and said, ‘Son of man, feed and
be satisfied by the scroll I am giving you.’ I ate it, and it tasted sweet as
honey. Then he said, ‘Son of man, go to the House of Israel and tell them what
I have said.’”
Indeed,
passion for mission presupposes that we have tasted the goodness of the Lord in
our lives. This was what gave the psalmist the confidence in God when he
prayed, “How sweet to my taste is your promise! In the way of your decrees I
rejoice, as much as in all riches. Yes, your decrees are my delight; they are
my counselors. The law of your mouth is to me more precious than thousands of
gold and silver pieces. How sweet to my palate are your promises, sweeter than
honey to my mouth! Your decrees are my inheritance forever; the joy of my heart
they are. I gasp with open mouth, in my yearning for your commands.” Only
when we have discovered the love and mercy of God, can we proclaim Him to others
in thanksgiving. Only the lost sheep appreciates the mercy of God when he
is found. Those who are lukewarm Catholics, neither dead nor alive, live
their faith like a dead fish or dead bones. There is no passion, no joy,
no love or gratitude to God because we do not know we are lost because of our
self-righteousness. To be excited about Christ is the condition of
proclamation. Truly, until and unless we have been touched by the Lord’s
love and mercy in our wretchedness, we will never know the heart of God and His
love for us. But if we have the grace to come to realize how ignorant,
ungrateful and foolish we are in living a self-righteous or sinful, worldly way
of life, then we will be powerful and zealous prophets and missionaries of our
Lord.
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