20160927 REMEMBERING GOD’S MERCY AS THE BASIS FOR MERCY
1Cor
1:26-31
26
Consider, brothers, how you were called; not many of you are wise by human
standards, not many influential, not many from noble families.
27 No, God
chose those who by human standards are fools to shame the wise; he chose those
who by human standards are weak to shame the strong,
28
those who by human standards are common and contemptible -- indeed those who
count for nothing -- to reduce to nothing all those that do count for
something,
29 so
that no human being might feel boastful before God.
30 It
is by him that you exist in Christ
Jesus, who for us was made wisdom from God, and
saving justice
and holiness
and redemption.
31 As scripture
says: If anyone wants to boast, let him boast of the Lord.
Psalms 111:1-9
1
Alleluia! I give thanks to Yahweh
with all my heart, in the meeting-place of honest people, in the assembly.
2 Great
are the deeds of Yahweh, to be pondered by all who delight in them.
3 Full
of splendour and majesty his work, his saving justice
stands firm for ever.
4 He
gives us a memorial of his great deeds; Yahweh
is mercy and tenderness.
5 He
gives food to those who fear him, he keeps his covenant ever in mind.
6 His
works show his people his power in giving them the birthright of the nations.
7 The
works of his hands are fidelity and justice, all his precepts are trustworthy,
8
established for ever and ever, accomplished in fidelity and honesty.
9 Deliverance he sends to his people, his covenant he imposes
for ever; holy and awesome his name.
Gospel Mt 9:35-37
35
Jesus made a tour through all the towns and villages, teaching in their
synagogues, proclaiming the good
news of the kingdom and curing all kinds of disease and all kinds of illness.
36 And
when he saw the crowds he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and
dejected, like sheep without a shepherd.
37 Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is rich but the
labourers are few, so ask the Lord
of the harvest to send out labourers to his harvest.'
REMEMBERING
GOD’S MERCY AS THE BASIS FOR MERCY
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: [ 1 COR 1:26-31; PS 111:1-9. R/V.1; MT 9:35-37 ]
Jesus
said to his disciples, “The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask
the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest.” Indeed, the works of
charity are many. There are many who are in need today. We still
have the poor with us and they will always be with us till the end of
time. Although in Singapore the poor are much better off compared to the
poor in developing countries who suffer abject poverty; without proper food,
lighting, water and accommodation, much less a roof over their heads, medical
help and education, still, we cannot turn a blind eye to them, especially when
some of us are living in mansions, driving big cars and go for luxury
holidays. We must be careful that we do not end up being condemned like
the rich man who was oblivious of the sufferings of Lazarus who was just
outside the door of his house.
Indeed, we must remember
that in the first place, the goods of this world are never meant for
ourselves. God blessed us with riches, which include health and talents,
so that we can use them for the service of God and humanity. We do not
have a right to the exclusive use of these as if there is no social
responsibility on our part. Doing charity is not an option but an
obligation for us all, particularly for those of us who have received
much. Many think that charitable works or giving to the poor is something
they do out of their own generosity. On the contrary, in failing to help
the poor, we fail in our duties, not just as Christians but as human beings.
That is
why St Paul wrote, “Take yourselves, brothers, at the time when you were
called: how many of you were wise in the ordinary sense of the word, how many
were influential people, or came from noble families?” These words of St
Paul give us the motivation for the work of mercy. Indeed, when we look
at our lives, we are what we are today because of God’s mercy on us.
There is nothing for us to boast about except God’s mercy. “The human race has
nothing to boast about to God … If anyone wants to boast, let him boast about
the Lord.” God has blessed us with people who were willing to suffer for
us. Our parents and our forefathers sacrificed much for us and the
country. No one must ever live as if he has made it on his own.
Without the help of many people and the opportunities provided to us by the
State and the Church, our family and friends, we would never have been able to
afford the lifestyle we enjoy today. That is why we must be thankful and
grateful. This is the beginning of the work of mercy. Gratitude is
always a human response to God’s mercy. If people lack generosity and
compassion, it means that they lack gratitude for what they have. Such
people are inward-looking and they can never be truly happy in life.
In reaching out to the
poor, let us give special preference to those whom the world counts useless and
hopeless. St Paul wrote, “No, it was to shame the wise that God chose
what is foolish by human reckoning, and to shame what is strong that he chose
what is weak by human reckoning; those whom the world thinks common and
contemptible are the ones that God has chosen – those who are nothing at all to
show up those who are everything.” The greatness of God is revealed when He
bestows His mercy on those the world considers useless. When we think of
the many truly successful and generous people who are doing well in life today
and have become great philanthropists, it was because there was a time in their
lives when they were without anything and they had practically no hope in life,
but some people came to their help. In the early days, most of our
Catholic schools catered to the poor, the orphans and the dropouts. Many
of those who went on to become successful in life have in turn contributed much
back to society, never forgetting who they were.
We are called to be like the
psalmist who praised the just man who is generous and merciful towards the
poor: “Riches and wealth are in his house; his justice stands firm
forever. His is a light in the darkness for the upright: he is generous,
merciful and just. The good man takes pity and lends, he conducts his
affairs with honour. The just man will never waiver: he will be remembered for
ever. Open-handed, he gives to the poor; his justice stands firm forever.
His head will be raised in glory.” We can consider ourselves to be
the just man in the bible if we too serve and care for the poor. The real
riches and wealth in our house are realized when we give them away. As
Jesus in the gospel warns us, ““Do not store up for yourselves treasures on
earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but
store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust
consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure
is, there your heart will be also.” (Mt 6:19-21)
Jesus is a good example of
one who was rich but became poor for our sake. “For you know the generous
act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he
became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” (2 Cor 9:8) He went
“through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming
the Good News of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness,”
because He knew what it was like to be deprived, to be sick, to be in pain and
without hope. “And when he saw the crowds he felt sorry for them because
they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd.” Jesus was able
to give Himself to the poor only because the Father gave Him the Holy Spirit to
work miracles and to proclaim the gospel in both words and deeds.
Jesus did not keep His
talents or riches for Himself. In fact, He never worked any miracles for
His own needs but He always did so for those who were sick or poor to reveal
the mercy and compassion of God. Even when He was hungry in the desert
and tempted by the Devil, He refused to use His power to transform stones to
bread. In the same way, whatever the Lord has given to us, we must use
them for the good of others and not limit their use to ourselves and our loved
ones. For those of us who are involved in works of mercy, let us be grateful
that we are given this opportunity to be of service to the poor. We must
never think that we are better than them. We serve only because we have
been blessed by the Lord. For us it must be seen as a privilege, not as a
duty only. So even in reaching out to them, let us remain humble,
selfless and never serve in a condescending manner. We serve not only
with our deeds but with our hearts, with love, gentleness, respect and with a
big smile. By so doing, we receive the reward of joy and peace.
Finally, for those of us
who engaged in serving the poor, we must never forget to pray. Jesus did
not tell us to have a big promotion campaign to get more labourers to help us
in the harvest. He tells us to pray. We must pray and contemplate
on the face of Christ and His mercy for us. The day we forget to look at
His love and mercy for us in the Eucharist or in His passion, we will lose our
passion for the poor. Our works of charity will become another project
and another chore to be accomplished. It will not be done with a personal
touch and with the love of Jesus in our hearts. Only the love of Christ
in us will give us the strength and capacity to love like Him, and be gentle,
sensitive and patient towards those whom we serve. We must never forget
that they are persons, not cases that we deal with, as if they have no feelings.
Rather, we regard them as persons and identify them with our Lord who lives in
them. Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the
least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” (Mt 25:40) The heart
and the source of Christian charity is Christ’s love for us and our love for
Him.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights
Reserved
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