BEING RESPONSIBLE FOR THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD’S FAMILY

20161019 BEING RESPONSIBLE FOR THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD’S FAMILY

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Green.

First reading

Ephesians 3:2-12 ©

You have probably heard how I have been entrusted by God with the grace he meant for you, and that it was by a revelation that I was given the knowledge of the mystery, as I have just described it very shortly. If you read my word you will have some idea of the depths that I see in the mystery of Christ. This that has now been revealed through the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets was unknown to any men in past generations; it means that pagans now share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same body, and that the same promise has been made to them, in Jesus Christ, through the gospel. I have been made the servant of that gospel by a gift of grace from God who gave it to me by his own power. I, who am less than the least of all the saints have been entrusted with this special grace, not only of proclaiming to the pagans the infinite treasure of Christ but also of explaining how the mystery is to be dispensed. Through all the ages, this has been kept hidden in God, the creator of everything. Why? So that the Sovereignties and Powers should learn only now, through the Church, how comprehensive God’s wisdom really is, exactly according to the plan which he had had from all eternity in Christ Jesus our Lord. This is why we are bold enough to approach God in complete confidence, through our faith in him.

Responsorial Psalm	Isaiah 12 ©
The rejoicing of a redeemed people

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

Truly, God is my salvation,

  I trust, I shall not fear.

For the Lord is my strength, my song,

  he became my saviour.

With joy you will draw water

  from the wells of salvation.

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

Give thanks to the Lord, give praise to his name!

  Make his mighty deeds known to the peoples!

  Declare the greatness of his name.

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

Sing a psalm to the Lord

  for he has done glorious deeds;

  make them known to all the earth!

People of Zion, sing and shout for joy,

  for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

Gospel Acclamation

Jn10:27

Alleluia, alleluia!

The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,

says the Lord,

I know them and they follow me.

Alleluia!

Or	Mt24:42,44

Alleluia, alleluia!

Stay awake and stand ready,

because you do not know the hour

when the Son of Man is coming.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 12:39-48 ©

Jesus said to his disciples:

  ‘You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what hour the burglar would come, he would not have let anyone break through the wall of his house. You too must stand ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’

  Peter said, ‘Lord, do you mean this parable for us, or for everyone?’ The Lord replied, ‘What sort of steward, then, is faithful and wise enough for the master to place him over his household to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? Happy that servant if his master’s arrival finds him at this employment. I tell you truly, he will place him over everything he owns. But as for the servant who says to himself, “My master is taking his time coming,” and sets about beating the menservants and the maids, and eating and drinking and getting drunk, his master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. The master will cut him off and send him to the same fate as the unfaithful.

  The servant who knows what his master wants, but has not even started to carry out those wishes, will receive very many strokes of the lash. The one who did not know, but deserves to be beaten for what he has done, will receive fewer strokes. When a man has had a great deal given him, a great deal will be demanded of him; when a man has had a great deal given him on trust, even more will be expected of him.’

BEING RESPONSIBLE FOR THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD’S FAMILY

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [  EPHESIANS 3:2-12; LUKE 12:39-48 ]

In the letter to the Ephesians, St Paul reveals to us that God wants all men to share in His life and love, to belong to His Family. Christ came to bring all of us to share in the life and love of His Father.  It is God’s grandiose plan that we all become one in Him.  Indeed, St Paul says, “it means that pagans now share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same body, and that the same promise has been made to them, in Christ Jesus, through the gospel.”  We are called to be the body of Christ so that we can all belong to the family of God. The Church is the seed of the family of God, the sacrament of unity and love.  God wants us all to be united in Him and with each other in His Son, with Him being our head and we His body.  We are created to share in His life and love, that of the Holy Trinity.

Having been revealed this mystery, St Paul was given this responsibility of handing over the plan of God to all.  He knew that the revelation he received was never for himself alone but for the whole of humanity.  From being a recipient of grace, he was now called to be the messenger of grace.   Today, as Church, we have a duty too to share the Good News we have received.  That is why the Church is essentially missionary in nature.  The Church does not exist for herself but for the salvation of humanity.  As St Paul wrote, “So that the Sovereignties and Powers should learn only now, through the Church, how comprehensive God’s wisdom really is, exactly according to the plan which he had had from all eternity in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

In the context of our time, when marriages are under threat, not just the family alone but society and the future of humanity, it is exigent that we who have received the gift of revelation must enlighten all humanity on the plan of God for the family and for marriage.  The laity therefore has a prophetic mission in the world to be at the service of the family.  We need the laity to be the salt and the light of the world, proclaiming the gospel of the family.  In a world where marriage is becoming just a choice and a private agreement between two persons, with increasing numbers of couples cohabiting and divorced; and others who choose to be single, we need to enlighten humanity on the beauty and joy of the family.

How do we do this?  Firstly, we must be proactive by preempting so that we will not degenerate to the extent that Western culture has reached.  Jesus in the gospel calls us the steward of God’s house.  He said, “You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what hour the burglar would come, he would not have let anyone break through the wall of his house.”   We are called to be good stewards of God’s household and guardians of the plan of God for humanity through the institution of marriage.   We can do this through education, formation and conscientizing our Catholics on the meaning of marriage and family in the context of God’s plan for creation.  Indeed, at times, when we proclaim the truth about the indissolubility, unity, fidelity and fruitfulness of marriage, we might seem like a voice crying out in the wilderness and worse still, ridiculed by the media and those who challenge our view of the family.

Secondly, besides education and formation, we need good witnesses of the gospel of the family.   We are called to be responsible in taking care of the family of God, our spouse, children and workers.  “What sort of steward, then, is faithful and wise enough for the master to place him over his household to give them their allowance of food at the proper time?”  This is the question addressed to us.  Have we been good stewards of God’s grace and mercy?  Are we guardians of the family of God?  Have we safeguarded the people He has entrusted to our care, especially our wife and children?

Indeed, one of the causes for disillusion about marriage and family is the lack of living witnesses.  Married couples are individualistic, caring more about himself or herself than the spouse.  Parents are not exemplary in their faith and love for their children.  With divorce, infidelity and lack of love in the family, the marriage institution is seen as a burden.  The laity must be prophets not just of words but to have the courage to stand up against the current tide of society and the prevailing counter-culture that is being promoted, eroding the sanctity of marriage and the importance of the family. 

Before we teach others, we need to teach ourselves and live out our convictions.  We need to put our own house in order first.  We need to be good parents and spouses and set good examples and bring up our children in the faith.  We need parents and couples to be models of the beauty and joy of marriage and family life.  Otherwise, we have no credibility. It is more than teaching the world about the plan of God for the family, but to make family and marriage an attractive vocation in the world. The real challenge against marriage and family is the breakdown in marriages and family and dysfunctional families.  Hence, the institution of marriage and family is being redefined, as some think the conventional family is no longer viable.  We need to enlighten them by our words and by our own lives, proving that the Christian family is indeed what God wants for all of humanity.

To do this work, we need to draw grace and strength from the Lord.  Without His grace, we cannot be good spouses and parents.  With the psalmist we pray, “…with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation”.  We need to be strengthened in our faith.  This is why the New Evangelization is the pre-requisite.  Unless our faith is renewed, and we come to appreciate our faith, we will not be able to embrace the teachings of Christ.  We need to encounter Jesus, the Good News in person, so that He can be our guide to the fullness of life and love.  So on the level of knowledge and especially of prayer, this is absolutely necessary.

To draw water from the well means to be supported by the Church, the family of God.   Couples need to turn to the Church for formation, spiritual and moral support.  More facilities should be provided in terms of counselling.  Parishes must provide more services to the family.  More lay organizations could be formed to help to strengthen the family.  The Church should also accompany those preparing for marriage, and Christian couples who are in crisis, because of divorce or living in irregular situation.

For us who have been privileged to receive the mercy and revelation of God with regard to marriage and family, we have no excuse for being irresponsible guardians of the household of God.  For those who are ignorant of God’s revelation, they could be excused.  Jesus says, “The servant who knows what his master wants, but has not even started to carry out those wishes, will receive very many strokes of the lash.”  By failing to act, we will hurt the future of our children and humanity.   Saint John Paul II wrote in Familiaris Consortio: “The future of humanity passes by way of the family”.  We must be the face of a counter-culture, offering humanity the gospel of the family through proclamation and witness of a holy life.  This is part of the work of the New Evangelization and an act of mercy to the work.  Gaudium et Spe reminds us, “The well-being of the individual person and of human and Christian society is intimately linked with the healthy condition of that community produced by marriage and family”. 

Indeed, if we are faithful to our vocation in life, we will find ourselves at peace and happy.  Otherwise, we will only hurt ourselves.  Jesus warns us, “Happy that servant if his master’s arrival finds him at this employment. I tell you truly, he will place him over everything he owns.”  So with confidence, the Church looks to the younger generation to believe that they are capable of authentic and lasting love.  Indeed, we must look at the future of the family with hope rather than with gloom.  Notwithstanding the challenges, we want to say that this situation can be arrested and we can turn the tide in favour of the family.  The Lord is with us and He will see us through.  Jesus Christ is the Lord of History.  He has overcome sin and death.  Following His path, we too will preserve the family and the future of humanity.

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