20170117 JESUS THE ANCHOR OF LOVE AND CHARITY
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
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First reading
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Hebrews 6:10-20 ©
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God would not be so
unjust as to forget all you have done, the love that you have for his name or
the services you have done, and are still doing, for the saints. Our one desire
is that every one of you should go on showing the same earnestness to the end,
to the perfect fulfilment of our hopes, never growing careless, but imitating
those who have the faith and the perseverance to inherit the promises.
When God
made the promise to Abraham, he swore by his own self, since it was impossible
for him to swear by anyone greater: I will shower blessings on you and give
you many descendants. Because of that, Abraham persevered and saw the
promise fulfilled. Men, of course, swear an oath by something greater than
themselves, and between men, confirmation by an oath puts an end to all
dispute. In the same way, when God wanted to make the heirs to the promise
thoroughly realise that his purpose was unalterable, he conveyed this by an
oath; so that there would be two unalterable things in which it was impossible
for God to be lying, and so that we, now we have found safety, should have a
strong encouragement to take a firm grip on the hope that is held out to us.
Here we have an anchor for our soul, as sure as it is firm, and reaching right
through beyond the veil where Jesus has entered before us and on our behalf, to
become a high priest of the order of Melchizedek, and for ever.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm
110(111):1-2,4-5,9,10 ©
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The Lord keeps his
covenant ever in mind.
I will thank the Lord
with all my heart
in the
meeting of the just and their assembly.
Great are the works
of the Lord,
to be
pondered by all who love them.
The Lord keeps his
covenant ever in mind.
He makes us remember
his wonders.
The Lord
is compassion and love.
He gives food to
those who fear him;
keeps his
covenant ever in mind.
The Lord keeps his
covenant ever in mind.
He has sent
deliverance to his people
and
established his covenant for ever.
Holy his name, to be
feared.
His
praise shall last for ever!
The Lord keeps his
covenant ever in mind.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Ps118:18
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Open my eyes, O Lord,
that I may consider
the wonders of your
law.
Alleluia!
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Or
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cf.Ep1:17,18
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Alleluia, alleluia!
May the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of
our mind,
so that we can see
what hope his call holds for us.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Mark 2:23-28 ©
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One sabbath day Jesus
happened to be taking a walk through the cornfields, and his disciples began to
pick ears of corn as they went along. And the Pharisees said to him, ‘Look, why
are they doing something on the sabbath day that is forbidden?’ And he replied,
‘Did you never read what David did in his time of need when he and his
followers were hungry – how he went into the house of God when Abiathar
was high priest, and ate the loaves of offering which only the priests are
allowed to eat, and how he also gave some to the men with him?’
And he
said to them, ‘The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath; the Son
of Man is master even of the sabbath.’
JESUS,
THE ANCHOR OF LOVE AND CHARITY
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: [ HEB 6:10-20; PS 110:1-2,4-5,9,10, MK 2:23-28 ]
What is Christian life?
What does it mean to be a Christian? Many of us often reduce
religion to the practices and the observance of the laws. The laws of
course are good. They are meant to assist us in living a righteous life
so that we do not allow ourselves to be deceived by the delusion the world offers
us. Laws tell us what we cannot do. So it is understandable
why the Pharisees in the gospel were very protective of the laws of
Moses. They were considered sacred because they were given by God Himself
who is the law-giver. So we should not be surprised that they were
scandalized when Jesus apparently did not discipline His disciples when they
did “something on the sabbath day that is forbidden”.
Whilst laws remain good and
important for righteous living, what is of paramount importance is love and
charity. The height of religion is not in obeying the laws and keeping
ourselves from doing wrong, but rather, it is a proactive approach to doing
good to all. The mark of a true religion is not the laws or the
institutions because they are the means to the end. It is about love,
forgiveness of our enemies and charity, especially towards the poor and the
suffering. This is clearly brought out in Matthew 25 in the parable
of the Last Judgement when the King will say, “Whatsoever you do to the least
of my brothers, you do unto me.” (Mt 25:)
In the
gospel, we have the example of King David whom Jesus quoted, “Did you
never read what David did in his time of need when he and his followers were
hungry – how he went in the house of God when Abiathar was high priest, and ate
the loaves of offering which only the priests are allowed to eat, and how he
also gave some to the men with him?” In the understanding of Jesus,
He relegates all laws under the great law of charity. In times of need
and for a greater good to save life, such laws must be broken. The
principle enunciated by the Lord is clear, “The sabbath was made for man, not
man for the sabbath; so the Son of Man is master even of the sabbath.”
The Sabbath is for the sake of men, not for God. The worship of God is
not an end itself, but so that we can enter into the life of God and live out
His love towards our brothers and sisters. We can spend hours in prayer
and right rituals, but if we lack love and sacrifice and generosity, even the
best liturgical practices and most popular devotions will not do us any good.
For
this reason, the author of Hebrews exhorts us to persevere in good works even
if faith is lacking. “God would not be so unjust as to forget all you
have done, the love that you have for his name or the services you have done,
and are still doing, for the saints.” So good works are important
even when faith is lacking. Often, by doing good and reaching out to the
poor, those who have no deep love for God might come to meet Christ in
them. There are many who, through works of charity, have come to
appreciate the meaning of love and the dignity of the human person. Even
if they do not know God personally, the capacity to make sacrifices for their
fellowmen is already a participation in the love of God. In this sense,
as the Constitution of the Church would say, through no known fault of theirs,
they would have participated in the paschal mystery of Christ and find
salvation. “But, linked with the paschal mystery and patterned on the dying
Christ, he will hasten forward to resurrection in the strength which comes from
hope. All this holds true not only for Christians, but for all people of good
will in whose hearts grace works in an unseen way. For, since Christ died
for all men, (cf. Rom. 8:32)
and since the ultimate vocation of the human person is in fact one, and divine,
we ought to believe that the Holy Spirit in a manner known only to God offers
to every person the possibility of being associated with this paschal
mystery.” (Gaudium et Spes No. 22) We can therefore approach
the question of salvation with confidence, even if we cannot understand how the
Holy Spirit works.
Let us
take heed of the encouragement of the author of Hebrews. “Our one desire
is that every one of you should go on showing the same earnestness to the end,
to the perfect fulfilment of our hopes, never growing careless.” We must
persevere in our good works. St Paul in his letter to the Galatians also
told them to continue sowing the good seeds even when we are not
appreciated. God is faithful and He will see to it that we will reap the
harvest. “So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will
reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an
opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the
family of faith.” (Gal 6:9f)
He is true to His word and
promise. “When God made the promise to Abraham, he swore by his own self,
since it was impossible for him to swear by anyone greater: I will shower
blessings on you and give you many descendants.” The psalmist says, “The
Lord keeps his covenant ever in mind. He makes us remember his wonders.
The Lord is compassion and love. He gives food to those who fear him;
keeps his covenant ever in mind. He has sent deliverance to his people
and established his covenant for ever. Holy his name, to be feared. His praise
shall last for ever!” What is more, the author assures us that not
only is God’s Word reliable, but He even made an oath. “When God wanted
to make the heirs to the promise thoroughly realise that his purpose would be
unalterable, he conveyed this by an oath; so that there would be two
unalterable things in which it was impossible for God to be lying, and so that
we, now we have found safety, should have a strong encouragement to take a firm
grip on the hope that is held out to us.”
Jesus is our anchor and the
center of our lives. “Here we have an anchor for our soul, as sure
as it is firm, and reaching right through beyond the veil where Jesus has
entered before us and on our behalf, to become a high priest of the order of
Melchizedek, and for ever.” With Jesus, we can find stability and
strength. With Jesus, we can be strong. He has shown us the
way. He is our leader, our pioneer our advance party leading us to the
Kingdom of God. He has already entered beyond the veil and showed
us the face of the Father. We are not without an exemplar and without
hope. We just have to follow the leader. The question is whether we
will be like Abraham who responded in faith to God’s promise. He was
already 75 years old when the Lord called him to leave for the Promised
Land. Yet, he was ready to take risks simply on the Word of God and His
promise. We too must take inspiration from all the saints who have gone before
us. Let them too be our witnesses and models of faith and trust in God.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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