20161017 SEEING PROBLEMS FROM A BIGGER PERSPECTIVE
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Red.
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First reading
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Ephesians 2:1-10
©
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You were dead through
the crimes and the sins in which you used to live when you were following the
way of this world, obeying the ruler who governs the air, the spirit who is at
work in the rebellious. We all were among them too in the past, living sensual
lives, ruled entirely by our own physical desires and our own ideas; so that by
nature we were as much under God’s anger as the rest of the world. But God
loved us with so much love that he was generous with his mercy: when we were
dead through our sins, he brought us to life with Christ – it is through
grace that you have been saved – and raised us up with him and gave us a
place with him in heaven, in Christ Jesus.
This was
to show for all ages to come, through his goodness towards us in Christ Jesus,
how infinitely rich he is in grace. Because it is by grace that you have been
saved, through faith; not by anything of your own, but by a gift from God; not
by anything that you have done, so that nobody can claim the credit. We are
God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to live the good life as from the
beginning he had meant us to live it.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm 99:1-5 ©
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He made us, we
belong to him.
Cry out with joy to
the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the
Lord with gladness.
Come
before him, singing for joy.
He made us, we
belong to him.
Know that he, the
Lord, is God.
He made
us, we belong to him,
we are
his people, the sheep of his flock.
He made us, we
belong to him.
Go within his gates,
giving thanks.
Enter his
courts with songs of praise.
Give
thanks to him and bless his name.
He made us, we
belong to him.
Indeed, how good is
the Lord,
eternal
his merciful love.
He is
faithful from age to age.
He made us, we
belong to him.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Ps24:4,5
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Teach me your paths,
my God,
make me walk in your
truth.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Mt5:3
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Alleluia, alleluia!
How happy are the
poor in spirit:
theirs is the kingdom
of heaven.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 12:13-21 ©
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A man in the crowd
said to Jesus, ‘Master, tell my brother to give me a share of our inheritance.’
‘My friend,’ he replied, ‘who appointed me your judge, or the arbitrator of
your claims?’ Then he said to them, ‘Watch, and be on your guard against
avarice of any kind, for a man’s life is not made secure by what he owns, even
when he has more than he needs.’
Then he
told them a parable: ‘There was once a rich man who, having had a good harvest
from his land, thought to himself, “What am I to do? I have not enough room to
store my crops.” Then he said, “This is what I will do: I will pull down my
barns and build bigger ones, and store all my grain and my goods in them, and I
will say to my soul: My soul, you have plenty of good things laid by for many
years to come; take things easy, eat, drink, have a good time.” But God said to
him, “Fool! This very night the demand will be made for your soul; and this
hoard of yours, whose will it be then?.” So it is when a man stores up treasure
for himself in place of making himself rich in the sight of God.’
SEEING
PROBLEMS FROM A BIGGER PERSPECTIVE
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: [ EPHESIANS 2:1-10; LUKE 12:13-21 ]
We all have problems.
We are not happy with many things in life. We are not pleased with this
person or that person. We cannot stand this person’s character. We
are not even happy with ourselves. We feel that society or people are not
fair to us. We want to fight for our rights in the name of justice, as
this man did in the gospel, asking Jesus to arbitrate in an inheritance
dispute. “A man in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Master, tell my brother to give me
a share of our inheritance.’ ‘My friend,’ he replied ‘Who appointed me your
judge, or the arbitrator of your claims?’”
What is the real
problem? It is this. We do not see beyond our problems and
everything in perspective. We are only interested to solve it
directly. The truth is that we need to look at bigger issues. We need
to get to the root by analyzing the real cause of our dissatisfaction and
unhappiness. This was what Jesus did. He refused to settle the
question raised by the man. Instead, He helped the man situate his thirst
for justice in a broader perspective.
The crux of the issue is
not about justice but true happiness in life. What are you living for in
life? What brings real happiness? Is wealth everything even if we
have them? What really matters in life? To answer these questions,
we need to search deeper into ourselves why we are unhappy and always
dissatisfied.
What causes
unhappiness? It boils down to insecurity. We live in fear of
tomorrow. We are afraid we will never have enough. We want to
control our lives. We are afraid of suffering, that we might not have
enough to live on comfortably. This is understandable because the
survival instinct is in our genes. But this causes undue anxiety and
tension.
For some, it is because of
greed and selfishness. They want to have more and more so that they can
have a luxurious life. They only think of themselves. This was what
the rich man did. This is what St Paul wrote, “You were dead,
through the crimes and the sins in which you used to live when you were
following the way of this world, obeying the ruler who governs the air, the
spirit who is at work in the rebellious.”
What is the real problem?
It is ignorance! Where can we find security? The truth is, security
is not found in wealth and possessions. That is what Jesus said, “Watch,
and be on your guard against avarice of any kind, for a man’s life is not made
secure by what he owns, even when he has more than he needs.” This
was what happened to the rich man when he thought he had made it. Jesus
called him a fool! The man said, “This is what I will do: I will pull
down my barns and build bigger ones, and store all my grain and my goods in
them, and I will say to my soul: My soul, you have plenty of good things laid
by for many years to come; take things easy, eat, drink, have a good time.” And
Jesus remarked, “Fool! This very night the demand will be made for your soul;
and this hoard of yours, whose will it be then?”
Neither is happiness found
in possessions. Wealth is not ours. What we have are meant to
be used for the service of love. Bringing joy and love to others’ lives
is real and lasting happiness because it goes beyond oneself. When we
live only for ourselves, we cannot find happiness. Only when we
share the goods we have, are we enriched. Wealth therefore is never an
end in itself but only a means. When we do not distribute that wealth, we
will live in guilt and be deprived of the double joy of giving.
Thirdly,
no amount of worldly pleasures can satisfy us, as the first reading tells us,
because we are also spiritual beings. Instead of being free for love, we
become self-centered. Often, worldly pleasure leads to all kinds of sin and
self-destruction. Eating and drinking too much will lead not only to destruction
of physical health but also spiritual life and emotional life. It leads
to dullness of mind, weakness to lust and greed. Indeed, St Paul remarked, “We
all were among them too in the past, living sensual lives, ruled entirely by
our own physical desires and our own ideas; so that by nature we were as much
under God’s anger as the rest of the world.”
So the key to happiness is
to live a virtuous life. This is what Jesus said, “So it is when a man
stores up treasure for himself in place of making himself rich in the sight of
God.” All possessions, material or personal, are means to grow in virtue
when we use them for others. Only love brings happiness. Only when
we have a clear conscience and recognize that we are but stewards of God, using
our resources wisely, can we then find peace and joy. Ill-gotten gains
will only destroy the peace in us.
What, then, is required to
live a life of contentment? We need to trust in divine providence.
The psalmist says, we are His sheep. “Know that he, the Lord is God. He
made us, we belong to him. We are his people, the sheep of his
flock.” He is in charge of our lives. Indeed, God has always
been generous towards us, as St Paul said, “But God loved us with so much love
that he was generous with his mercy: when we were dead through our sins, he
brought us to life with Christ – it is through grace that you have been saved –
and raised us up with him and gave us a place with him in heaven, in Christ
Jesus.”
Whatever we do cannot earn
the love of God. Everything is given to us as grace. So we only
need to respond to that grace by utilizing all we have for His greater glory
and to become His gift to others through our works of love by simply being the
person we are, filled with His love and mercy. This is what Paul wrote,
“This was to show for all ages to come, though his goodness towards us in
Christ Jesus, how infinitely rich he is in grace. Because it is by grace
that you have been saved through faith; not by anything of your own, but by a
gift from God; not by anything that you have done, so that nobody can claim the
credit. We are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to live the
good life as from the beginning he had meant us to live it.”
Coming back to the question
of justice which the man posed to Jesus, what, then, would be the response of
Jesus? Most probably He would have said, “leave it be”. Even if he
had the property, he would not be happy. And even if the one who cheated
him appears to have the better of it, he would have no peace and happiness anyway.
Better show our magnanimity and detachment than allow money to be a cause of
our unhappiness and anger. That is why Jesus at the Sermon on the Mount
told us to give the cloak to one who asked, and to one who slaps us, to offer
the other cheek. Non-violence and letting go is the way to finding peace
and joy. We must transcend the pettiness and selfishness of our enemies so that
we can inspire them to find the way to true happiness and life. When we
respond with love, they will be converted sooner or later.
So let
us live a good and righteous life. Let us grow in virtues, of love,
integrity and compassion. He will take care of us. With the
psalmist we say, “Indeed, how good is the Lord, eternal his merciful love. He
is faithful from age to age.” We only have to cooperate with His grace.
Let us live life with a larger perspective in view of eternity and true
happiness.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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