Sunday, 31 December 2017

A NEW START FOR HUMANITY

20180101 A NEW START FOR HUMANITY
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: White.

First reading
Numbers 6:22-27 ©
The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ‘Say this to Aaron and his sons: “This is how you are to bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them: 
May the Lord bless you and keep you. 
May the Lord let his face shine on you and be gracious to you. 
May the Lord uncover his face to you and bring you peace.”
This is how they are to call down my name on the sons of Israel, and I will bless them.’

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 66(67):2-3,5,6,8 ©
O God, be gracious and bless us.
O God, be gracious and bless us
  and let your face shed its light upon us.
So will your ways be known upon earth
  and all nations learn your saving help.
O God, be gracious and bless us.
Let the nations be glad and exult
  for you rule the world with justice.
With fairness you rule the peoples,
  you guide the nations on earth.
O God, be gracious and bless us.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
  let all the peoples praise you.
May God still give us his blessing
  till the ends of the earth revere him.
O God, be gracious and bless us.

Second reading
Galatians 4:4-7 ©
When the appointed time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of the Law and to enable us to be adopted as sons. The proof that you are sons is that God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts: the Spirit that cries, ‘Abba, Father’, and it is this that makes you a son, you are not a slave any more; and if God has made you son, then he has made you heir.

Gospel Acclamation
Heb1:1-2
Alleluia, alleluia!
At various times in the past
and in various different ways,
God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets;
but in our own time, the last days,
he has spoken to us through his Son.
Alleluia!

Gospel
Luke 2:16-21 ©
The shepherds hurried away to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. When they saw the child they repeated what they had been told about him, and everyone who heard it was astonished at what the shepherds had to say. As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds went back glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen; it was exactly as they had been told.
  When the eighth day came and the child was to be circumcised, they gave him the name Jesus, the name the angel had given him before his conception.



01 JANUARY, 2018, Monday, Mary, Mother of God
A NEW START FOR HUMANITY

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ NUMBERS 6:22-27GALATIANS 4:4-7LUKE 2:16-21  ]
Whether we admit it or not, the birth of Christ marks a decisive stage in the history of humanity.  The impact of Christ’s birth is felt by all, regardless of race, language or religion.  No religion or religious leader has had such worldwide and eternal implications for the whole of humanity.  This is seen in the way, human history is demarcated according to AD, that is “Anno Domini” meaning “in the year of the Lord” and BC, that is, “Before Christ.”  With the birth of Christ, the history of humanity is distinguished between the time before and after Christ.  It was only in the 18th Century that the world coined the word, CE, that is, “Common Era” or “Current Era” and BCE, that is, “Before the Common or Current Era”, because of secularism and sensitivity to non-Christians. Whether we call AD, BC or CE or BCE, the point remains that Christ is the demarcating line between the two stages of human history.
In admitting this fact, we are saying therefore that with the birth of Christ, humanity has a new beginning.  This is what St Paul says in his letter to the Galatians,  “When the appointed time came, God sent his Son.”  In other words, for all eternity, God was waiting for this appointed time to send His Son into the world to redeem the world.  Christ’s coming marked a new beginning of world history.
What, then, was the world before Christ, and the world after Christ?  Before Christ, the world had a bad start.  God created our first parents to share in His life and love.  But they did not want to live from God or for God but from themselves and for themselves.  This pursuit of a false autonomy of humanity has far-reaching implications.  It is even more prevalent in our society today because of secularism, humanism and atheism.  Man wants to establish his autonomy from God so that they can live their own life.
But by so doing, by removing God out of the equation of freedom for humanity, man has become a slave to his passions, fears and anxieties over his life and his future; and most of all, over death.  This has caused him to become selfish, inward-looking, protective of his own life and happiness. He seeks to defend himself from the pains of this world, suffering, hunger and poverty by seeking more power, wealth and control.  This is why there is so much sufferings, wars, terrorism, competition and misunderstandings in the world today, because man no longer trusts his fellowmen, nations feel threatened by other nations.
To heal the situation and to bring order into the world, laws are enacted to guide the communities to live a harmonious life that is respectful of others.  So in all communities, including the Israelites and the Jews, laws were enacted to govern the lives of the people so that they could live a life of justice and compassion.  But man is incorrigible and self-willed.  He is wounded from within and with a fallen nature, he remains selfish and self-centered.  Instead of observing the laws so that he can be at peace and live in harmony, he breaks the laws.  Indeed, God, through Moses, gave the people the Mosaic Laws.  These laws were meant to help the people live a covenanted life so that they could be seen as a model community that lived the life of God.  (cf Dt 4:6-8)
So before Christ, man lived a life without purpose, without knowing their identity, their destiny and calling.  They were either slaves of the flesh or slaves of the laws.  Either way, they were slaves.  They lived a life of fear and anxiety about the future.  The irony is that in seeking freedom from God, man became a slave to himself and to the laws.  He could not break out of his slavery to sin and yet at the same time he could not fulfill the laws.  He was trapped in both situations.  He was not free to be himself to live a life of joy, peace and love.
But with the coming of Christ, a new era had begun.  St Paul says, “When the appointed time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of the Law and to enable us to be adopted as sons.”  Jesus came to set us free from the Law and from our bondage to sin and Satan.  He came to give us back our identity as sons and daughters of God.  This is our real dignity.  St Paul wrote, “you are not a slave anymore; and if God has made you son, then he has made you heir.”
How great a privilege we have!  We are not only sons and daughters of God but also His heirs, that is to say, we enjoy the same privileges and rights as Christ the Son of God, our brother.  St Paul wrote, “If children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”  (Rom 8:17  This is unimaginable; that God would consider us as such.  St John says, See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.”  (1 Jn 3:1)
How does Christ set us free from sin and from the Law so that we can be adopted as sons and daughters of God?  He came to show us the Way to the Father.  He said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also; henceforth you know him and have seen him.”  (Jn 14:6f)  What is the way to the Father if not through a life of justice, mercy and compassion?  Jesus said, “Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me; or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves.”  (Jn 14:11)  Indeed, through His works of mercy and compassion, His eating and drinking with sinners, His healing miracles, works of exorcism and power over nature, He showed the unconditional love of God.  Hence, He was named “Jesus” at His circumcision, the Lord Saves.
What is more, He gave us the power to do the same as well.  He said, “He who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father.”  (Jn 14:12) This power is the Holy Spirit living in us, given to us in baptism.  As sons and daughters of God, we are given the same power to do what Jesus had done.  Jesus told the disciples, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe.” (cf Mk 16:15-18)
But most of all, we are no longer controlled by our human spirit, that is, a slave to the flesh.  St Paul says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death.”  (Rom 8:1f)  “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.”  (Rom 8:5f)  We live in the life of the Spirit. When we walk in the Spirit we enjoy the fruits of the Spirit, which are “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”  (Gal 5:22f)
So as we hurry away to the New Year, let us leave our past behind, as “the shepherds hurried away and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger”.  We must leave our regrets behind.  What was done in the past should be remembered not with regret but with gratitude, for all things happened for our good.  Life is a pedagogy and so they are meant to prepare us for the fullness of life.  Just as the era before Christ was to prepare for the coming of Christ, so too let our mistakes be considered as God’s grace and blessings to bring us to the future. Instead of mourning over our past, we must live for the present and glorify God by the new life given to us in Christ as the shepherds did.
Consequently, today we are called to be like Mary, to contemplate on the great privilege and dignity of God’s calling and our call to be His sons and daughters.  Mary, the mother of our Lord, whose feast we celebrate today, showed herself to be a woman of the New Era by giving her total obedience to the Lord in heeding the request to be the mother of the Saviour.   Her answer to God was not just at the Annunciation but throughout her whole life, saying “yes” to the will of our Father even in the death of her only Son for our salvation.  We too must say “yes’ to the Father’s will and cooperate with Him in bringing His Son to the world for all of humanity.
Like Jesus and Mary, we are called to make our life on earth a blessing to others.  This was what the Lord said to Moses.  “Say this to Aaron and his sons: ‘This is how you are to bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them: May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord let his face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord uncover his face to you and bring you peace.’”   Indeed, we are called to show the face of God to people as Jesus did in His earthly life, from His infancy to His ministry, passion, death and resurrection.  The whole life of Jesus was to show us the love of His Father.  “I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”  (Jn 17:26)  We read that “the shepherds went back glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen; it was exactly as they had been told.”  Let us too testify to His love, His wonders and graciousness in our lives like the Shepherds did in repeating what they heard so that the New Humanity would be born in all men and women once again.

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



BUILDING A FAMILY OF FAITH

20171231 BUILDING A FAMILY OF FAITH
First reading
Genesis 15:1-6,21:1-3 ©
The word of the Lord was spoken to Abram in a vision, ‘Have no fear, Abram, I am your shield; your reward will be very great.’
  ‘My Lord,’ Abram replied ‘what do you intend to give me? I go childless...’ Then Abram said, ‘See, you have given me no descendants; some man of my household will be my heir.’ And then this word of the Lord was spoken to him, ‘He shall not be your heir; your heir shall be of your own flesh and blood.’ Then taking him outside he said, ‘Look up to heaven and count the stars if you can. Such will be your descendants’ he told him. Abram put his faith in the Lord, who counted this as making him justified.
  The Lord dealt kindly with Sarah as he had said, and did what he had promised. So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the time God had promised. Abraham named the son born to him Isaac, the son to whom Sarah had given birth.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 127(128):1-5 ©
O blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways!
O blessed are those who fear the Lord
  and walk in his ways!
By the labour of your hands you shall eat.
  You will be happy and prosper.
O blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways!
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
  in the heart of your house;
your children like shoots of the olive,
  around your table.
O blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways!
Indeed thus shall be blessed
  the man who fears the Lord.
May the Lord bless you from Zion
  all the days of your life!
O blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways!

Second reading
Hebrews 11:8,11-12,17-19 ©
It was by faith that Abraham obeyed the call to set out for a country that was the inheritance given to him and his descendants, and that he set out without knowing where he was going. It was equally by faith that Sarah, in spite of being past the age, was made able to conceive, because she believed that he who had made the promise would be faithful to it. Because of this, there came from one man, and one who was already as good as dead himself, more descendants than could be counted, as many as the stars of heaven or the grains of sand on the seashore.
  It was by faith that Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac. He offered to sacrifice his only son even though the promises had been made to him and he had been told: It is through Isaac that your name will be carried on. He was confident that God had the power even to raise the dead; and so, figuratively speaking, he was given back Isaac from the dead.

Gospel
Luke 2:22-40 ©

My eyes have seen your salvation
When the day came for them to be purified as laid down by the Law of Moses, the parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, – observing what stands written in the Law of the Lord: Every first-born male must be consecrated to the Lord – and also to offer in sacrifice, in accordance with what is said in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.
  Now in Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon. He was an upright and devout man; he looked forward to Israel’s comforting and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had set eyes on the Christ of the Lord. Prompted by the Spirit he came to the Temple and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the Law required, he took him into his arms and blessed God; and he said:
‘Now, Master, you can let your servant go in peace,
just as you promised;
because my eyes have seen the salvation
which you have prepared for all the nations to see,
a light to enlighten the pagans
and the glory of your people Israel.’
As the child’s father and mother stood there wondering at the things that were being said about him, Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘You see this child: he is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected – and a sword will pierce your own soul too – so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.’
  There was a prophetess also, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was well on in years. Her days of girlhood over, she had been married for seven years before becoming a widow. She was now eighty-four years old and never left the Temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayer. She came by just at that moment and began to praise God; and she spoke of the child to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem.
  When they had done everything the Law of the Lord required, they went back to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. Meanwhile the child grew to maturity, and he was filled with wisdom; and God’s favour was with him.


31 DECEMBER, 2017, Sunday, Holy Family
BUILDING A FAMILY OF FAITH

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ GEN 15:1-6,21:1-3HEB 11:8,11-12,17-19LK 2:22-40  ]
What is it that makes life meaningful and purposeful? For many of us, we are deceived by the world into thinking that happiness in life is to have wealth, fame and power.  As a result many of us spend our whole life, and direct all our energies to our work, business, making money, being famous and promoted to positions of power and influence.  The truth is that those who have arrived will discover the emptiness of wealth, power and the burden of fame, because it means the loss of security and privacy.   This is the irony of life.
In the final analysis, what makes life worth living is meaningful relationships and love.  Without love, life is empty and totally meaningless.  We are not animals that simply need food and pleasure.  We have an intellect and a will to grow in knowledge, understanding and a heart that needs love and warmth.  All the wealth and power in this world cannot fill the abyss of the human heart.  This was true of Abraham.  He was rich and famous.  That was why God did not promise him wealth and power.  He himself found life so meaningless.
But it is not even enough to be married. Indeed, even though Abram had a wife, he was unfulfilled.  Abram lamented when he told the Lord, “My Lord, what do you intend to give me? I go childless. See, you have given me no descendants; some man of my household will be my heir.”  Love does not exist only between persons.  A love that stays within two persons will eventually die.  This is why the Church is against any form of relationship that is closed-in and does not go beyond themselves to be at the service of humanity. This explains why the Church has always said that every marriage must be open to procreation.  Marriage is not defined as a relationship between two persons, as in same sex union, but a man and a woman who are open to bringing forth children into the world.  The truth is that only when the love between the two persons gives birth to new life, that love will not be one of fullness.  True love for each other is never kept between the couple but is poured out into the world.  This is true of God as well.  The love between the Father and the Son is not kept within themselves but their love for each other is poured out into the world through the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of love.
Does it mean that those who are married and have no children are doomed?  Not necessarily.  Our lives at the end of the day cannot be lived for ourselves but for the service of God and humanity, by giving life to others, whether physically or in moral and material support.  Our lives are given to be consecrated for others.  It is true also for us priests and religious, as well as singles.  This was what Mary and Joseph did when they brought Jesus to the Temple.  It was the law of the Jews that every first-born child must be offered to the Lord and be consecrated to Him.  A sacrifice is offered to God to redeem the child as an acknowledgment that God is the author of life.  The child does not belong to us but to God and is to be groomed for the service of God and humanity.
Simeon said of Jesus.   “You see this child: he is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected.”  Mary and Joseph offered Jesus to the Lord and consecrated Him for the service of the people of God and for God Himself.  Jesus, we read, was called not just to be the light of the Jews but for the salvation of everyone.  This was what Simeon said.  “Now, Master, you can let your servant go in peace, just as you promised; because my eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared for all the nations to see, a light to enlighten the pagans and the glory of your people Israel.”  We too must offer our children and ourselves for the service of God and humanity.
Consequently, we are called to build up not just a human family but also a family of faith.  All the three scripture readings of this Sunday speak about the importance of faith in God. We need to build our family according to what God wants of us. The family must be god-fearing and devout.  This was what Mary and Joseph did.  “And when the day came for them to be purified as laid down by the Law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, – observing what stands written in the Law of the Lord.” We need to pray for the wisdom to raise up our family and children according to the laws of God as Joseph and Mary did.  In this way, the family would be united in love and service.  A Catholic family is not one that is inward-looking but reaching out to others in love by contributing to the larger human family.  Hence, it is important that we must ensure that our family is raised in the faith of the Church.  If we do not, we will lack the direction to guide our family to walk in the way of the Lord so that they can find life.
What is faith? Faith means first and foremost to trust in God.  This was what the Lord said, to Abram.  “Have no fear, Abram, I am your shield; your reward will be very great.”  God was saying to Abram that He would be His protector, His shield and His defence against all enemies.  Indeed, “it was by faith that Abraham obeyed the call to set out for a country that was the inheritance given to him and his descendants, and that he set out without knowing where he was going.”   He simply trusted in God’s promise.  When he left the land of Ur, he was already 75 years old!
Secondly, faith means to believe in the impossible.   It was this faith that enabled Abraham and Sarah to have a child, in spite of Sarah being past child-bearing age.  The Lord spoke to him, “…your heir shall be of your own flesh and blood. Look up to heaven and count the stars if you can. Such will be your descendants.”
Thirdly, faith means to obey.  When we have faith in God, we obey Him even when we do not understand.  Abraham obeyed God and left his homeland to a place that he had not seen even though he was already well established in life.  He did not need to venture out as he was already rich with flocks.  Most of all, his obedience was seen in the sacrifice of Isaac.   After waiting for 25 years, so much so that by the time Isaac was born Abraham was already 100 years old, yet when the Lord asked for his only son, Abraham did not hesitate but immediately set out early in the morning to sacrifice his only son.  Indeed, Hebrews tells us that “It was by faith that Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac. He offered to sacrifice his only son even though the promises had been made to him and he had been told: It is through Isaac that your name will be carried on. He was confident that God had the power even to raise the dead; and so, figuratively speaking, he was given back Isaac from the dead”
Finally, faith means to surrender oneself entirely to the Lord.  Indeed, Abraham surrendered his life entirely to the Lord, walking by faith not by sight.  He believed because of the promise of the Lord even though not all the promises were realized in his time.  “Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect.”  (Heb 11:39f)
So today, if we can find the strength to surrender our family to the Lord, especially our children and elderly, then we need to put Jesus as the center of our lives, our family, our work and our activities. We too must offer ourselves and our children to God for His service and humanity.  But for this to take place, we need to acquire the wisdom of God the way Simeon and the prophetess Anna did.  We are told that “he was an upright and devout man; he looked forward to Israel’s comforting and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had set eyes on the Christ of the Lord. Prompted by the Spirit he came to the Temple and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the Law required, he took him into his arms and blessed God.”  And for Anna, “She was now eighty-four years old and never left the Temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayer. She came by just at that moment and began to praise God; and she spoke of the child to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem.”
We cannot be faith-filled people living in the wisdom of God unless we are a praying family like Simeon and Anna.  They were people who walked close to God and were enlightened to see the Messiah when He came.  We too must walk in the spirit of faith with our own family and the larger family of faith in the Catholic community, especially worshipping together in faith and sharing our faith with the community and the people beyond our narrow confines.  In this way, together we build the family of God, a family rooted in love, faith and in Christ who shows us the way to grow in maturity and in wisdom as He did in Nazareth. “Meanwhile the child grew to maturity, and he was filled with wisdom; and God’s favour was with him.”

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