CALLED TO SHARE IN THE VOCATION OF CHRIST

20161129 CALLED TO SHARE IN THE VOCATION OF CHRIST

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Violet.

First reading

Isaiah 11:1-10 ©

A shoot springs from the stock of Jesse,

a scion thrusts from his roots:

on him the spirit of the Lord rests,

a spirit of wisdom and insight,

a spirit of counsel and power,

a spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.

(The fear of the Lord is his breath.)

He does not judge by appearances,

he gives no verdict on hearsay,

but judges the wretched with integrity,

and with equity gives a verdict for the poor of the land.

His word is a rod that strikes the ruthless,

his sentences bring death to the wicked.

Integrity is the loincloth round his waist,

faithfulness the belt about his hips.

The wolf lives with the lamb,

the panther lies down with the kid,

calf and lion feed together,

with a little boy to lead them.

The cow and the bear make friends,

their young lie down together.

The lion eats straw like the ox.

The infant plays over the cobra’s hole;

into the viper’s lair

the young child puts his hand.

They do no hurt, no harm,

on all my holy mountain,

for the country is filled with the knowledge of the Lord

as the waters swell the sea.

That day, the root of Jesse

shall stand as a signal to the peoples.

It will be sought out by the nations

and its home will be glorious.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 71(72):1-2,7-8,12-13,17 ©

In his days justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.

O God, give your judgement to the king,

  to a king’s son your justice,

that he may judge your people in justice

  and your poor in right judgement.

In his days justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.

In his days justice shall flourish

  and peace till the moon fails.

He shall rule from sea to sea,

  from the Great River to earth’s bounds.

In his days justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.

For he shall save the poor when they cry

  and the needy who are helpless.

He will have pity on the weak

  and save the lives of the poor.

In his days justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.

May his name be blessed for ever

  and endure like the sun.

Every tribe shall be blessed in him,

  all nations bless his name.

In his days justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.

Gospel Acclamation

Ps84:8

Alleluia, alleluia!

Let us see, O Lord, your mercy

and give us your saving help.

Alleluia!

Or

Alleluia, alleluia!

Behold, our Lord will come with power

and will enlighten the eyes of his servants.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 10:21-24 ©

Filled with joy by the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do. Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’

  Then turning to his disciples he spoke to them in private, ‘Happy the eyes that see what you see, for I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear, and never heard it.’

CALLED TO SHARE IN THE VOCATION OF CHRIST

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ IS 11:1-10; LK 10:21-24   ]

Christmas is a season of hope.  The first week of Advent particularly focuses on the theme of hope.  What is the hope of every man?  It is the hope that the paradise promised to us in Adam would be ours.  It is the hope that our yearning for justice, peace, love and unity would be realized.  This too was the longing of Israel.  It was their hope that there would be a King who would gather Israel together and Israel would once again be given its glory and prosperity as during the reign of David.  Such a vision and hope for justice, peace and unity is expressed in God’s plan for us as well.  If we have the same aspiration for justice, peace and righteousness, it is because we are created in the image of God.

Indeed, in today first’s reading Isaiah too envisaged a day would come when creation, which has been destroyed by sin, would be restored to its original plan.  On that day, according to the Isaian prophecy, “the wolf lives with the lamb, the panther lies down with the kid, calf and lion cub feed together with a little boy to lead them. The cow and the bear make friends, their young lie down together. The lion eats straw like the ox. The infant plays over the cobra’s hole; into the viper’s lair the young child puts his hand. They do no hurt, no harm, on all my holy mountain, for the country is filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters swell the sea.”

But how could this dream come true?  Israel after King David had only seen kings that led the people astray and divided.  The kings were more concerned with their interests than that of the people.  Hence, Isaiah prophesied that from the dynasty of David, a Messiah would come, “a shoot springs from the stock of Jesse, a scion thrusts form his roots”.  He would have all the skills and strength of the Solomonic legend for “on him the spirit of the Lord rests, a spirit of wisdom and insight, a spirit of counsel and power, a spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.”  Since He is filled with the Spirit of the Lord, He has no fear of man, “he does not judge by appearances, he gives no verdict on hearsay, but judges the wretched with integrity, and with equity gives a verdict for the poor of the land. His word is a rod that strikes the ruthless, his sentences bring death to the wicked.”  Indeed, this king would be scrupulously fair in the administration of justice.  His strength lies not in physical or military might but in his wise and just decisions.

Of course, this prophecy is fulfilled in today’s gospel in Jesus.  In His prayer, Jesus revealed His identity as the Son of the Father.  He said, ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children.  Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do.  Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

It is significant that Luke prefaced this prayer of Jesus by specifically mentioning that when Jesus prayed, He was “filled with joy by the Holy Spirit.”  Clearly, this prayer was not uttered simply by human will but in the power and prompting of the Holy Spirit. The implication is that Jesus precisely is that man so filled with the Spirit as prophesied in today’s first reading.  He is truly the Messiah, the personal representative of God.  But more than just a representative, Jesus is the Son of the Father.

In choosing these two texts and juxtaposing them, the Church is already anticipating for us that in Jesus, who is the bearer of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God made flesh, is the fulfillment of the much-awaited king that Israel has always been waiting for.  As the Messiah-king, He would be the one who would lead all men into unity.  He is the only one who could reconcile us with the Father and with each other.  Not only is He the reconciler of humanity but of the whole of creation.

In this context, the disciples were called blessed because they were the privileged ones to come into contact with the Messiah.  Indeed, as Luke has it,  “Then turning to his disciples he spoke to them in private, ‘Happy the eyes that see what you see, for I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear, and never heard it.’”  It is true that the disciples of Jesus were blessed.  But faith in Jesus as the Son of God took time and the full revelation of this only came at the resurrection.

Hence, in a certain sense, we are more blessed than the people of the Old Testament and even the disciples because we are recipients of the final revelation as well.  In Jesus, in incarnation, passion and resurrection, and at Pentecost, we encounter Jesus, the Risen Lord in person.  On this basis, we were then able to celebrate His universal kingship two weeks ago and also to await His second and definitive coming at the end of time.

However, this fullness of revelation which we have been so privileged to receive is not only for us, it is in fact received on behalf of others. We are called to announce Him as the king of peace to others and that He is the hope of humanity.  Only when all recognize Him as king, can there be one kingdom where there is peace, love and unity.  It is therefore our responsibility to proclaim Jesus as the shepherd-king to all, for He is the one who will gather all men into unity with each other.

Indeed, by virtue of our baptism, we have been given the same spirit that anointed Him for the same mission.  We are given the gifts of the Spirit to witness to Christ who is our Prince of peace.  Like the people in the Old and New Testament, we too must play our part in guiding the people to see Christ as their Messiah.  Through the gifts of the Spirit, we are called to announce Christ as the King through our words and deeds of love, compassion and good works.

Indeed, if we are to be His disciples and apostles, we must be filled with His Spirit, the Spirit of the Shepherd as delineated in today’s first reading.  To acquire such a spirit is to have the heart of Christ.  Consequently, the most important thing for a disciple is prayer and intimacy with the Lord.  Through a deep experience of His love, springs our real calling and our vocation.  Without a love for prayer and for the Lord, one cannot speak of a true vocation.

This is the basis of missionary dynamism.  Without holiness through a deep prayer life, we who have not known Jesus cannot proclaim Him to others.  Only then will your love for Jesus and your knowledge of Jesus grow.  As the Holy Father, Pope St John Paul II told us, mission calls for a “pedagogy of holiness” which should be characterized by the “primacy given to the person of Jesus Christ, to the hearing and proclamation of his Word, to full and active participation in the sacraments, and to the cultivation of prayer as a personal encounter with the Lord.”

Thus, before anything else, those who aspire to be the disciples of Jesus Christ must strive to grow in personal holiness, which is to live the life of the Spirit. To grow in holiness is to live the life that God wants us to live here and now, by being responsible in whatever office we hold in life, be it as worker, parent, student, manager or employer. In this way, people will see you as witnesses of Christ and find in you people who are different from others.

Let us pray that we might be more prayerful, more conscious of our dependence on the Lord, so that we can be more discerning and more aware of what the Lord is calling us to do in life.  Yes, we must pray that we will be more open to God’s plan for our lives.

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