A CHANGE OF MINDSET AS THE KEY TO A BLESSED LIFE

20170129 A CHANGE OF MINDSET AS THE KEY TO A BLESSED LIFE

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Green.

First reading

Zephaniah 2:3,3:12-13 ©

Seek the Lord,

all you, the humble of the earth,

who obey his commands.

Seek integrity,

seek humility:

you may perhaps find shelter

on the day of the anger of the Lord.

In your midst I will leave

a humble and lowly people,

and those who are left in Israel will seek refuge in the name of the Lord.

They will do no wrong,

will tell no lies;

and the perjured tongue will no longer

be found in their mouths.

But they will be able to graze and rest

with no one to disturb them.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 145(146):6-10(Lord6) ©

How happy are the poor in spirit: theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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.

How happy are the poor in spirit: theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

or

Alleluia!

It is the Lord who gives sight to the blind,

  who raises up those who are bowed down,

the Lord, who protects the stranger

  and upholds the widow and orphan.

How happy are the poor in spirit: theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

or

Alleluia!

It is the Lord who loves the just

  but thwarts the path of the wicked.

The Lord will reign for ever,

  Zion’s God, from age to age.

How happy are the poor in spirit: theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

or

Alleluia!

Second reading

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 ©

Take yourselves for instance, brothers, at the time when you were called: how many of you were wise in the ordinary sense of the word, how many were influential people, or came from noble families? No, it was to shame the wise that God chose what is foolish by human reckoning, and to shame what is strong that he chose what is weak by human reckoning; those whom the world thinks common and contemptible are the ones that God has chosen – those who are nothing at all to show up those who are everything. The human race has nothing to boast about to God, but you, God has made members of Christ Jesus and by God’s doing he has become our wisdom, and our virtue, and our holiness, and our freedom. As scripture says: if anyone wants to boast, let him boast about the Lord.

Gospel Acclamation

Mt11:25

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessed are you, Father,

Lord of heaven and earth,

for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom

to mere children.

Alleluia!

Or

Mt5:12a

Alleluia, alleluia!

Rejoice and be glad:

your reward will be great in heaven.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 5:1-12 ©

Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up the hill. There he sat down and was joined by his disciples. Then he began to speak. This is what he taught them:

‘How happy are the poor in spirit;

  theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Happy the gentle:

  they shall have the earth for their heritage.

Happy those who mourn:

  they shall be comforted.

Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right:

  they shall be satisfied.

Happy the merciful:

  they shall have mercy shown them.

Happy the pure in heart:

  they shall see God.

Happy the peacemakers:

  they shall be called sons of God.

Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right:

  theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

‘Happy are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.’

A CHANGE OF MINDSET AS THE KEY TO A BLESSED LIFE

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ ZEPH 2:3; 3:12-13; 1 COR 1:26-31; MT 5:1-12]

We all seek a blessed life.  Presumably a blessed life is a happy life.  But what really is a blessed life?  Does it mean being materially rich, influential and successful in the world?  Or does it mean having a beautiful home, a loving family and a meaningful career and life-style? So whilst all might agree that we want a blessed life, the way we see a life as blessed might differ.

Basically, there are two approaches to life, which the scripture readings present to us.  One is the way of the world and the other is the way of Christ.  This is expressed by St Paul when he asked the Corinthians, “how many of you were wise in the ordinary sense of the word, how many were influential people, or came from noble families?  No, it was to shame the wise that God chose what is foolish by human reckoning, and to shame what is strong that he chose what is weak by human reckoning.”

The way to life according to the world can be summarized in one word, power; the power over life, not just one’s life but also that of others.  Power is often expressed in the desire for self-autonomy without God, self-determination and individualism.  This power can be obtained first and foremost by acquiring knowledge because knowledge is power.  Today, we know that to be successful in the world, we need education because education is power.  That is why many of us are in the paper race, earning one degree after another.  We surf the Internet for more information and knowledge. Governments and multi-corporations vie for the best CEO in town, paying them enormous salaries.  There is also the race to acquire the latest technology, be it biotechnology or arms.  For to have such knowledge means that we can defend ourselves from our enemies and we can prolong our life.   But the point is whether such power that is acquired through knowledge or wealth can really advance life.  The plain truth is that technology can also be used for the destruction of life and nations.  The world lives in a precarious state because countries are always competing with each other for better technology to develop the latest weapons. So knowledge will only create further competition and fear.

Secondly, power can also be acquired through wealth and status.  In other words, for those of us who do not have intellectual power, we can have economic power.  With money and status, one becomes influential and feared by others.  People become beholden to them because of the power they hold over others through their wealth. Indeed, we know how often politicians, governments and even religious leaders are corrupted by money and bought over by rich and influential people.   When power is acquired through wealth and corruption, this results in great social injustices. The rich get richer through unfair and unethical means.  The poor, who have neither money nor status in life, nor influence become poorer and are robbed of their dignity and respect.  This sows the seeds of jealousy, envy, hatred, greed and competition, which can lead to violence, robbery, killing and fraudulent means to acquire money.  Society becomes divided since everyone treats their fellowman as competitors or even enemies.  Because each cares for himself, society disintegrates first on the national then the global level.

Hence, we must be weary of the approach that the world provides us to solve the world’s ills since knowledge and wealth can be used to destroy humanity and life.  So we must conclude that power gained through knowledge or wealth cannot truly bring life but death! Of course, there is no denying that knowledge and wealth can help to bring about a better quality of life.  The Church is not against science or technological development.  But knowledge and wealth alone without the wisdom and love of God can be destructive.  When man confides in his own innate power and wisdom, he becomes proud and self-centred, thinking of his own interests before others.

In place of worldly power, today, the scripture readings offer us the way of God.  What is this way?  Prophet Zephaniah sums up the way to a blessed life in three pillars, namely, “Seek the Lord, seek integrity and seek humility.”  But what does it mean to seek the Lord?  To seek God is to seek His wisdom.  Knowledge of God and His wisdom will enable us to live our lives meaningfully.  This wisdom of God is of course revealed in the very life and teaching of Jesus.  St Paul declares that God has made us members of Christ Jesus and “by God’s doing he has become our wisdom, and our virtue, and our holiness, and our freedom.”  If Christ is the wisdom of God, it is because the life of Jesus manifests to us the way God looks at this world.

What then is this wisdom of God?  It is fundamentally a reversal of the values of the world, for it emphasizes powerlessness and humility.   We see this clearly in the divine plan of salvation. In St Paul’s understanding of Christ’s death on the cross, and in his choice of the poor and the weak, God has shown that life is more than power acquired through knowledge or wealth. Indeed, “those whom the world thinks common and contemptible are the ones that God has chosen.”  The death of Jesus on the cross forces us to rethink the values of the world.  For the world glorifies power, knowledge and wealth but God honours the poor, the just and those who keep faith. This is again elaborated in the beatitudes of today’s gospel. The beatitudes of Christ, of course is the blueprint to life.  It proclaims that real power is powerlessness through humility, poverty, justice and compassion. These beatitudes summarize the very life and attitudes that Jesus which lived during his life.

However, we can arrive at a real understanding of the wisdom of God in Christ only through a life of humility.  For good reason, therefore, Jesus prefaced His beatitudes with the proclamation, “Blessed are the poor in Spirit, theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  This is fundamental.  Of course, the poor in spirit is clearly not the same as being materially poor or ‘poor spirited’, that is, weak in spirit.   As Pope St Leo the Great said, “Poverty is blessed, then, when it is not beguiled by a longing for earthly goods and does not seek increase of the world’s riches, but desires to be enriched with heavenly blessings.”  (DO Wk 22 Friday)  To be poor in spirit is to recognize that one is a pauper in virtues, of love, mercy, forgiveness, generosity, compassion and truth.  Of course being materially rich can become an obstacle to such spiritual virtues since as St Leo also pointed out, “very many rich people do not use their wealth for works of charity rather than as a means to puff their pride.”

However, whether we are materially rich or poor, if we have the spirit of poverty, that is the desire to grow in spiritual values, then we all share a common purpose of bringing love and unity through peacemaking and compassion; justice with mercy; and truth with purity of heart. In this way, we live a life of integrity, a balanced and centred life.  This is precisely what the beatitudes proclaim.  Through humility, we learn gentleness and meekness in dealing with others and ourselves; we learn how to comfort others because we have gone through our own struggles; we become merciful and compassionate to others because of our solidarity with them; we thirst for justice and truth and unity because we believe we are all sons of God.  Most of all, because we live in purity of God, that is a good conscience, we are not afraid of abuses and persecutions that we might suffer on account of Christ and the truth.

Only such a life can bring us real peace, joy and happiness because such attitudes towards life and others, promote unity, mutual love and care; understanding and compassion; honesty and justice.  Indeed, Pope John Paul II reminds us that the Kingdom of God is effectively prepared by people who carry out their work seriously and honestly, not aspiring to things that are too high, but turning, in daily faithfulness, to those that are lowly.

The final question remains and which we have to answer honestly for ourselves.  Why is it as Thomas Kempis in his book the Imitation of Christ, Bk 3,3 asked, that “many listen more willingly to the world than to God, and are readier to follow the desires of their flesh than God’s good pleasure?  The world promises things temporal and of small value and is served with great eagerness”; but God promises “things most excellent and everlasting, and yet men’s hearts remain sluggish”; “for an unchangeable good, for an inestimable reward, for the highest honour and never-ending glory”, we are “loath to undergo even a little fatigue.”  “Blush, then, slothful and querulous servant …” he said, that we “are actually more ready to labour for death” than for life; to rejoice more in vanity than the truth! Let us reflect.

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