20161103 BRINGING BACK THE LOST SHEEP
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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Philippians
3:3-8 ©
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We are the real
people of the circumcision, we who worship in accordance with the Spirit of
God; we have our own glory from Christ Jesus without having to rely on a
physical operation. If it came to relying on physical evidence, I should be
fully qualified myself. Take any man who thinks he can rely on what is
physical: I am even better qualified. I was born of the race of Israel and of
the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrew parents, and I was circumcised
when I was eight days old. As for the Law, I was a Pharisee; as for working for
religion, I was a persecutor of the Church; as far as the Law can make you
perfect, I was faultless. But because of Christ, I have come to consider all
these advantages that I had as disadvantages. Not only that, but I believe
nothing can happen that will outweigh the supreme advantage of knowing Christ
Jesus my Lord.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm
104(105):2-7 ©
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Let the hearts
that seek the Lord rejoice.
or
Alleluia!
O sing to the Lord,
sing his praise;
tell all
his wonderful works!
Be proud of his holy
name,
let the
hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
Let the hearts
that seek the Lord rejoice.
or
Alleluia!
Consider the Lord and
his strength;
constantly
seek his face.
Remember the wonders
he has done,
his
miracles, the judgements he spoke.
Let the hearts
that seek the Lord rejoice.
or
Alleluia!
O children of
Abraham, his servant,
O sons of
the Jacob he chose.
He, the Lord, is our
God:
his
judgements prevail in all the earth.
Let the hearts
that seek the Lord rejoice.
or
Alleluia!
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Gospel
Acclamation
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cf.Ps129:5
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Alleluia, alleluia!
My soul is waiting
for the Lord,
I count on his word.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Mt11:28
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Come to me, all you
who labour and are overburdened,
and I will give you
rest, says the Lord.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 15:1-10 ©
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The tax collectors
and the sinners were all seeking the company of Jesus to hear what he had to
say, and the Pharisees and the scribes complained. ‘This man’ they said ‘welcomes
sinners and eats with them.’ So he spoke this parable to them:
‘What man
among you with a hundred sheep, losing one, would not leave the ninety-nine in
the wilderness and go after the missing one till he found it? And when he found
it, would he not joyfully take it on his shoulders and then, when he got home,
call together his friends and neighbours? “Rejoice with me,” he would say “I
have found my sheep that was lost.” In the same way, I tell you, there will be
more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine
virtuous men who have no need of repentance.
‘Or
again, what woman with ten drachmas would not, if she lost one, light a lamp
and sweep out the house and search thoroughly till she found it? And then, when
she had found it, call together her friends and neighbours? “Rejoice with me,”
she would say “I have found the drachma I lost.” In the same way, I tell you,
there is rejoicing among the angels of God over one repentant sinner.’
BRINGING
BACK THE LOST SHEEP
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: [ PHILIPPIANS 3:3-8; PS 104:2-7; LUKE 15:1-10 ]
The Catholic Church as a
single Christian Church is the biggest in the world with more than one billion
members. In Singapore too, we have about three hundred and
eighty-eight thousand people who claim to be Catholic. While it is great
to know that we have so many adherents to the Catholic Faith yet not many are
practising their faith or even attending church services.
The irony of the Catholic
Church is that we have quantity but we lack quality. Many are not well
formed in the faith. Most do not have a sense of community or belong to
any Catholic group, formal or informal. Some do not even have Catholic
friends to share their faith with, or have someone to journey with them in
their faith.
Without encouragement and
support, they either drop out of the faith or become nominal Catholics, coming
for services only on special occasions. They do not have any real
relationship with the Lord other than uttering some formula prayers that they
had learned. Of course, when it comes to praying the scriptures, it is
totally alien to them. They are easily swayed by the arguments of other
faith denominations when challenged on the Church’s doctrines, as they are not
able to explain what they believe. Unable to deal with the secularistic
and relativistic views of the world, they fall easily into the snares that the
world presents to them as sources of happiness in life, pleasure, money, power
and status.
Indeed, negligence will
lead to indifference and then hostility. We find this situation happening
before our very eyes but many of us chose to turn a blind eye to this
reality. We know that many young people leave the Church after the
sacrament of confirmation. Without ongoing formation in their faith, how
can they ever grow in maturity in faith? Without being involved in the
Catholic community, who can give them support, especially for those who come
from non-Catholic families?
Why are we indifferent to
the stark reality in the Catholic Church? Why is it that we cannot feel
with the sadness of God and with Christ for those who are lost?
Firstly, it is because we
cannot identify with the pain, the suffering and the loneliness of our fellow
Catholics. We cannot feel with them in their struggles. Some feel
marginalized and rejected, especially those with same sex orientation, those
who are divorced and those who are struggling with sins. They feel
judged, condemned and ostracized. We do not empathize with them when they feel
the absence of God or when they feel the community had abandoned them.
Indeed, do we understand what it means to be lost and confused and
rejected? We only need to put ourselves in the position of the lost
sheep. How would the sheep be feeling, all alone, wandering, looking for
direction home, and anxious over the wild animals hunting them for food?
How would a young boy who lost his mother feel? Surely, we all have the
experience of being lost and confused! And worst of all, there is no one
who is willing to give us direction, to help us or to show us that they care.
Secondly, we do not feel
with the shepherd who lost one of his sheep or the woman in today’s parable who
lost one of her drachmas. When we lose something or someone whom we love
dearly, it always brings us much pain and anxiety. So we can imagine how
worried the shepherd must have been, and the woman as well. Those of us
who have lost things know how frustrating it is when we cannot find them,
especially when something is of great sentimental value. The drachma
might not have been worth much in monetary value but in terms of beauty and
joy, it is worth everything.
So if we have not done
anything to bring back the lost sheep, it clearly shows that we do not know the
heart of the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. If we do, then we would
quickly help to find the lost sheep as well. It is natural for us to love
those whom our loved ones love. This is because we seek to do anything
that can make our loved ones happy. If we love Jesus as we claim, then we
should also be loving all our brothers and sisters; especially those who have
left us and are lost in their faith and direction in life. To do
nothing to bring them back to Jesus means that our love for Jesus is not
sincere. We only love ourselves and what Jesus can do for us, not what we
can do for Jesus.
Thirdly, we do not make our
brothers and sisters our own. Our mentality is that they are not
ours. They belong to Jesus and so it is not our responsibility.
What if the one who is lost is our own child, would we not search for that
child? Every parent loves his or her child. Even if there are
twelve children, and if one is missing, the parent would feel anxious and look
for the child till he or she is found. The truth is that we always
give attention to the weakest. If a parent has ten children and one
is weak because of illness or physical mobility, it is natural that the parent
would give that particular child more attention, not that the others are not
important but that child needs more help. So too, when there are wounded
sheep, lost ones, confused and led astray, these are the ones we have more
responsibility towards rather than just taking care of only the healthy and
strong ones. Sadly in our community, we tend to care only for those who
are active and neglect those who do not contribute to the church or do not come
because they do not add value to our lives. We cut them off like dead
branches instead of attempting to reach out to them and help to revitalize
their faith.
Today, the gospel invites
us to go out and actively search for the lost members of our family. They
could be your immediate loved ones, your friends, your colleagues or former
members of your church ministry. With tact and compassion, we need to
reach out to them, not so much to convert them but to give them the love of
Jesus, to offer them the fullness of life and love in Jesus. They are
seeking for true meaning in life. We who have Jesus can offer them the
greatest of all gifts, faith in Him who is our life.
How can we do this?
We begin by being friends with them. We need to connect with them
and hear them out, their pains, struggles and aspirations. When possible,
we can invite them to join our Catholic community for fellowship. Like
Jesus, we must welcome sinners and tax collectors. Like Jesus, we
do not judge, condemn or label them. We can encourage them as we
get to know them better by sharing our personal faith with them, what Jesus
means to us and how He has been a source of inspiration and strength in our
lives. When the occasion permits, gently invite them to join our renewal
and conversion or healing retreats. The last thing we should ever do is
to approach them with doctrines and the laws or use threats. St Paul
tells us in the first reading that the laws could not save him. It was
the love of Jesus, His mercy and forgiveness.
Indeed, the joy of bringing
someone back to the Lord and to the right path is worth the sacrifices.
That was how St Paul felt when he said, “But because of Christ, I have come to
consider all the advantages that I had as disadvantages. Not only that,
but I believe nothing can happen that will outweigh the supreme advantage of
knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” To give life and hope to someone is
what is desperately needed in our times. St James tells us, “if one of
you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back,
remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save
them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” (Jms 5:19f) The
truth of course is found in Jesus. Conversion is not just a change of
opinions but to come to Jesus who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights
Reserved
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