20161110 CHRISTIAN HOPE IS PUTTING NEW HEARTS INTO THE SAINTS
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
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First reading
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Philemon 1:7-20 ©
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I am so delighted,
and comforted, to know of your love; they tell me, brother, how you have put
new heart into the saints.
Now,
although in Christ I can have no diffidence about telling you to do whatever is
your duty, I am appealing to your love instead, reminding you that this is Paul
writing, an old man now and, what is more, still a prisoner of Christ Jesus. I
am appealing to you for a child of mine, whose father I became while wearing
these chains: I mean Onesimus. He was of no use to you before, but he will be
useful to you now, as he has been to me. I am sending him back to you, and with
him – I could say – a part of my own self. I should have liked to
keep him with me; he could have been a substitute for you, to help me while I
am in the chains that the Good News has brought me. However, I did not want to
do anything without your consent; it would have been forcing your act of
kindness, which should be spontaneous. I know you have been deprived of
Onesimus for a time, but it was only so that you could have him back for ever,
not as a slave any more, but something much better than a slave, a dear
brother; especially dear to me, but how much more to you, as a blood-brother as
well as a brother in the Lord. So if all that we have in common means anything
to you, welcome him as you would me; but if he has wronged you in any way or
owes you anything, then let me pay for it. I am writing this in my own
handwriting: I, Paul, shall pay it back – I will not add any mention of
your own debt to me, which is yourself. Well then, brother, I am counting on
you, in the Lord; put new heart into me, in Christ.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm
145(146):7-10 ©
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He is happy who is
helped by Jacob’s God.
or
Alleluia!
It is the Lord who
keeps faith for ever,
who is
just to those who are oppressed.
It is he who gives
bread to the hungry,
the Lord,
who sets prisoners free.
He is happy who is
helped by Jacob’s God.
or
Alleluia!
It is the Lord who
gives sight to the blind,
who
raises up those who are bowed down.
It is the Lord who
loves the just,
the Lord,
who protects the stranger.
He is happy who is
helped by Jacob’s God.
or
Alleluia!
The Lord upholds the
widow and orphan
but
thwarts the path of the wicked.
The Lord will reign
for ever,
Zion’s
God, from age to age.
He is happy who is
helped by Jacob’s God.
or
Alleluia!
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Gospel
Acclamation
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1P1:25
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The word of the Lord
remains for ever:
What is this word?
It is the Good News
that has been brought to you.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Jn15:5
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the vine,
you are the branches.
Whoever remains in
me, with me in him,
bears fruit in
plenty,
says the Lord.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 17:20-25 ©
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Asked by the
Pharisees when the kingdom of God was to come, Jesus gave them this answer,
‘The coming of the kingdom of God does not admit of observation and there will
be no one to say, “Look here! Look there!” For, you must know, the kingdom of
God is among you.’
He
said to the disciples, ‘A time will come when you will long to see one of the
days of the Son of Man and will not see it. They will say to you, “Look there!”
or, “Look here!” Make no move; do not set off in pursuit; for as the lightning
flashing from one part of heaven lights up the other, so will be the Son of Man
when his day comes. But first he must suffer grievously and be rejected by this
generation.’
CHRISTIAN
HOPE IS PUTTING NEW HEARTS INTO THE SAINTS
As we
come towards the end of the Liturgical year, the theme of the liturgy focuses
on Christian hope. Hope is an essential component of the Christian faith.
Without hope, there is no faith. As Christians, we are called to give
hope to a hopeless people. Hence we must be people of hope. When we
give hope to a downtrodden people, we are saying to them that they will live
and that they have a future.
Today,
in the gospel, Jesus gave His disciples hope. They too would have been
disheartened in the face of suffering. They too would have been looking
towards the coming of the Kingdom, the visitation of God in times of
persecution. But Jesus warned them, “Make no move; do not set off in
pursuit; for as the lightning flashing from one part of heaven lights up the
other, so will be the Son of Man when his day comes. But first he must suffer
grievously and be rejected by this generation.’” Where is this kingdom to
be found? Jesus told them, “You must know, the kingdom of God is among
you.” These words of Jesus can be interpreted in two senses.
Firstly,
it means, “The kingdom of God is within you.” Within this context, we can
appreciate why Jesus told the Pharisees that “The coming of the kingdom of God
does not admit of observation and there will be no one to say, “Look here! Look
there!” Clearly, this would mean that the kingdom grows imperceptibly
within us, observable only in faith. The kingdom works in men’s hearts, not so
much to produce new things but new people. Indeed, we are all growing, perhaps
slowly for some, but surely. We might not be able to see it for ourselves
but somehow growth is taking place. We might think that God’s grace is
not operating, especially when we are going through difficult and challenging
times, but His grace is at work in ways beyond our understanding. Hence
we must be patient, especially when we deal with people in whose lives we wish
to see changes, or when our ministry and projects seem to be bearing few
fruits.
Secondly,
our hope and foundation for the growth of the kingdom within us is rooted in
that the kingdom of God is already among us. Jesus tells us, “The kingdom
of God is among you.” Jesus is for us the very embodiment of the kingdom even
though the Pharisees did not recognize Him. In His life, words and deeds,
especially in His passion and resurrection, Jesus manifested the fullness of
the kingdom. We too must ask God to open our eyes to see the goodness and
the ways in which God’s love and presence are already present. The real reason
why God is not seen is because we often look for His kingdom in the wrong
places. Humility and gratitude are virtues that will help us to see the
mercy and love of God in our lives. The Pharisees were too proud of their
knowledge and self-righteousness to be able to see God, who manifested Himself
in Christ. Hence, Jesus Himself reminded us that this kingdom could only
come through the cross. Thus He said for Himself and for us, “But first
he must suffer grievously and be rejected by this generation.” In our
suffering or rather because of our suffering and helplessness God’s power and
mercy is shown even more clearly. Isn’t this the experience of the
psalmist when he wrote, “The Lord secures justice for the oppressed, gives food
to the hungry. The Lord sets captives free. The Lord gives sight to the blind.
The Lord raises up those who were bowed down; the Lord loves the just. The Lord
protects strangers.”
In this
respect, we have St Paul and Philemon who are the exemplars of people who
inspire hope for their fellow Christians. St Paul praised Philemon when
he was told by the brothers how the latter had “put new heart into the
saints.” Paul wrote, “I am so delighted, and comforted, to know of your
love.” Philemon must have been a man with a big heart, capable of love
and generosity. We do not doubt that Philemon tried his best to live the
life of the kingdom.
St Paul
himself too inspired hope when he gave new life to the runaway slave, Onesimus.
Paul took him under his tutelage and won him over by his tender love.
Without St Paul giving him shelter and protection, Onesimus would probably have
died, or if caught, he would have been executed. Onesimus, a slave
whose name meant “useful”, was given hope by St Paul when he was then thought
useless by his master. Not only did St Paul have hope in Onesimus but he
remained hopeful that Philemon would accept his slave back and treat him with
charity and compassion, like a brother in Christ. Otherwise St Paul would
not have made up his mind to send Onesimus back to him and the latter himself
would not have had the courage to return as well.
If St
Paul and Philemon were people who inspired hope, it was because both had a
common love for each other, a love that was founded in Christ. Indeed,
when Paul appealed to Philemon, he did not appeal to his authority as an
apostle but that of a friend in Christ. He wrote to Philemon saying, “So
if all that we have in common means anything to you, welcome him as you would
me; but if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, then let me pay
for it. “
St Paul
also appealed to the love of Christ in Philemon. By appealing to his
sympathy and love alone, St Paul drew out the goodness in him. It is very
true in life that when we affirm a person’s goodness, he grows even more in
goodness. Affirmation and hope in another person will help a person to
grow much more than destructive criticisms. For this reason, we must temper
criticisms, even if these are constructive and sincere, with affirmations of
love and encouragement. Yes, we can learn from St Paul who always
expected the best from others. Paul was an optimistic person. He
did not allow negativism to destroy his hope in those he met. And isn’t it true
that to “expect the best from others is often to be more than half way to
getting the best.” (William Barclay)
The
truth that love is transforming is demonstrated in Onesimus. This was
what happened to Onesimus. St Paul said, “He was of no use to you before,
but he will be useful to you now, as he has been to me. I am sending him
back to you, and with him – I could say – a part of my own self.” St Paul
had imparted some of his spirit to Onesimus, so much so that he was no longer
the disobedient slave. Indeed, St Paul said to Philemon that Onesimus
was “not a slave any more, but something better than a slave, a dear
brother; especially dear to me, but how much more to you, as a blood-brother as
well as a brother in the Lord.” Hence, in Christ, the useless person is
made useful. Christianity transforms people. As Christians we must always
welcome back those who have made mistakes in their lives. Only through love,
can we transform the man.
In the
light of how the Kingdom is coming, let us learn from St Paul that the best way
to prepare for the kingdom is not to indulge in vain speculation but to
faithfully and humbly do our duty and all within the perspective of hope.
Concretely, it is to live the life of the kingdom and to help others to live
this life of the kingdom with us. Instead of being anxious about the date
of the coming of the kingdom, we must attend to this life by cooperating with
the grace of the kingdom at work within us. Regardless of whatever
situation we are in, we must live in hope, trusting that as we cooperate with
His grace, God will see that His reign is established eventually. Those
who live in hope will surely inspire hope in others. And our hope is
certain because it is found in Christ Himself.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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