20170329 THE FOUNDATION FOR DOING GOOD
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Violet.
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First reading
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Isaiah 49:8-15 ©
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Thus says the Lord:
At the favourable
time I will answer you,
on the day of
salvation I will help you.
(I have formed you
and have appointed you
as covenant of the
people.)
I will restore the
land
and assign you the
estates that lie waste.
I will say to the
prisoners, ‘Come out’,
to those who are in
darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’
On every roadway they
will graze,
and each bare height
shall be their pasture.
They will never
hunger or thirst,
scorching wind and
sun shall never plague them;
for he who pities
them will lead them
and guide them to
springs of water.
I will make a highway
of all the mountains,
and the high roads
shall be banked up.
Some are on their way
from afar,
others from the north
and the west,
others from the land
of Sinim.
Shout for joy, you
heavens; exult, you earth!
You mountains, break
into happy cries!
For the Lord consoles
his people
and takes pity on
those who are afflicted.
For Zion was saying,
‘The Lord has abandoned me,
the Lord has
forgotten me.’
Does a woman forget
her baby at the breast,
or fail to cherish
the son of her womb?
Yet even if these
forget,
I will never forget
you.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm
144(145):8-9,13b-14,17-18 ©
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The Lord is kind
and full of compassion.
The Lord is kind and
full of compassion,
slow to
anger, abounding in love.
How good is the Lord
to all,
compassionate
to all his creatures.
The Lord is kind
and full of compassion.
The Lord is faithful
in all his words
and
loving in all his deeds.
The Lord supports all
who fall
and
raises all who are bowed down.
The Lord is kind
and full of compassion.
The Lord is just in
all his ways
and
loving in all his deeds.
He is close to all
who call him,
who call
on him from their hearts.
The Lord is kind
and full of compassion.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Jn3:16
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Glory and praise to
you, O Christ!
God loved the world
so much that he gave his only Son:
everyone who believes
in him has eternal life.
Glory and praise to
you, O Christ!
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Or
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Jn11:25, 26
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Glory and praise to
you, O Christ!
I am the resurrection
and the life, says the Lord;
whoever believes in
me will never die.
Glory and praise to
you, O Christ!
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Gospel
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John 5:17-30 ©
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Jesus said to the
Jews, ‘My Father goes on working, and so do I.’ But that only made them even
more intent on killing him, because, not content with breaking the sabbath, he
spoke of God as his own Father, and so made himself God’s equal.
To this
accusation Jesus replied:
‘I tell you most
solemnly,
the Son can do
nothing by himself;
he can do only what
he sees the Father doing:
and whatever the
Father does the Son does too.
For the Father loves
the Son
and shows him
everything he does himself,
and he will show him
even greater things than these,
works that will
astonish you.
Thus, as the Father
raises the dead and gives them life,
so the Son gives life
to anyone he chooses;
for the Father judges
no one;
he has entrusted all
judgement to the Son,
so that all may
honour the Son
as they honour the
Father.
Whoever refuses
honour to the Son
refuses honour to the
Father who sent him.
I tell you most
solemnly,
whoever listens to my
words,
and believes in the
one who sent me,
has eternal life;
without being brought
to judgement
he has passed from
death to life.
I tell you most
solemnly,
the hour will
come – in fact it is here already –
when the dead will
hear the voice of the Son of God,
and all who hear it
will live.
For the Father, who
is the source of life,
has made the Son the
source of life;
and, because he is
the Son of Man,
has appointed him
supreme judge.
Do not be surprised
at this,
for the hour is
coming when the dead will leave their graves
at the sound of his
voice:
those who did good
will rise again to life;
and those who did
evil, to condemnation.
I can do nothing by
myself;
I can only judge as I
am told to judge,
and my judging is
just,
because my aim is to
do not my own will,
but the will of him
who sent me.’
THE
FOUNDATION FOR DOING GOOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [
Is 49:8-15; Ps 144:8-9,13-14,17-18; Jn 5:17-30]
Today, the liturgy
continues with the theme of joy in expectation of the feast of the
resurrection, albeit in the shadow of hostility and death. “Shout for
joy, you heavens; earth, exult! Mountains, break into joyful cries! For Yahweh
has consoled his people, is taking pity on his afflicted ones.” In the
first reading, we read the consoling words of the Lord to the Israelites who
felt forsaken and abandoned in their exile at Babylon, “Can a woman forget her
baby at the breast; feel no pity for the child she has borne? Even if these
were to forget, I shall not forget you.” On the day of salvation,
the Lord would restore Israel. “Along the roadway they will graze, and
any bare height will be their pasture. They will never hunger or thirst,
scorching wind and sun will never plague them; for he who pities them will lead
them, will guide them to springs of water. I shall turn all my mountains into a
road and my highways will be raised aloft.”
This promise of the Lord of course was
fulfilled in Jesus who is the Suffering Servant prophesied in the first
reading. The words spoken to the Suffering Servant of Isaiah aptly
applies to Jesus when God said, “I have formed you and have appointed you to be
the covenant for a people, to restore the land, to return ravaged properties,
to say to prisoners, ‘Come out,’ to those who are in darkness, ‘Show
yourselves.’” In the last few days, the gospel narrated how Jesus manifested
Himself as a life-giver. He told the story of the Prodigal Son and the
mercy of His Father whom He sought to imitate. He said, “I tell you most
solemnly, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees the
Father doing: and whatever the Father does the Son does too.”
The works of Jesus was done in union with
the Father. He said, “My father goes on working, and so do I.” So
like the Father, Jesus gave life to the Court Official’s son who was on the
brink of death. Yesterday, we read how Jesus healed the paralyzed man and
forgave his sins. This is justified by the fact that “the Father loves
the Son and shows him everything he does himself, and he will show him even
greater things than these, works that will astonish you. Thus, as the Father
raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son gives life to anyone he
chooses.” The authority and powers of Jesus to heal, raise and
forgive were given by the Father. Jesus saw Himself as acting on His
behalf.
On this basis, Jesus claimed
identification with the Father! And the Jews knew what He was
implying. “That only made the Jews even more intent on killing him,
because, not content with breaking the Sabbath, he spoke of God as his own
Father, and so made himself God’s equal.” By healing on the Sabbath
and giving the basis for doing good works of mercy on the Sabbath, in imitation
of His Father, Jesus was making implicit claims that He was God. They
were fully aware that Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah, the Son of Man
mentioned in the Book of Daniel, chapter 7. The miracles He performed
were messianic signs, especially the raising of the dead, curing the lame and
giving sight to the blind. He was thus seen as making a blasphemous claim to be
the Son of God.
Secondly, He claimed to speak the Word of
God. He said, “I tell you most solemnly, whoever listens to my words, and
believes in the one who sent me, has eternal life; I tell you most solemnly,
the hour will come – in fact it is here already – when the dead will hear the
voice of the Son of God, and all who hear it will live.” He is the
Word of God in person. If He were to speak God’s words, then it means
that one has to believe in Him and all that He said. It means that we
need to accept Him as the Way, the Truth and the Life. Only by
accepting Jesus, can we find life, not just life after death but life on this
earth. In following the path that Jesus set out for us, the way of
love and humble service, in obedience to the Father’s will, in everything, we
will live the fullness of life. Hence, for such a person, “without being
brought to judgement he has passed from death to life.”
Thirdly, Jesus claimed to be the Judge as
well, a position reserved for the Father. He said, “For the Father, who
is the source of life, has made the Son the source of life; and, because he is
the Son of Man, has appointed him supreme judge. Do not be surprised at
this, for the hour is coming when the dead will leave their graces at the sound
of his voice: those who did good will rise again to life; and those who did
evil, to condemnation. I can do nothing by myself: I can only judge as I
am told to judge, and my judging is just.” Jesus could judge only
because He is holy and perfect like the Father. Because He is the Word of
God, He could judge with full knowledge and understanding. He
judges with love and compassion, as the psalmist says. “The Lord is kind and
full of compassion, slow to anger, abounding in love. How good is the Lord to
all, compassionate to all his creatures.” So the judgement of Jesus is
founded on truth, love and compassion. In speaking of Himself as the
judge, He takes the place of God.
How could Jesus dare to make such claims
of divinity and authority to act on behalf of the Father? How could He be
so confident and courageous to make such claims at the risk of courting
death? How is it that He was not afraid of being misunderstood, condemned
or opposed? How do we explain the confidence in Jesus if not because of His
intimate relationship with the Father?
This identity with the Father is based on
a mutual union between the Father and the Son. This union with the Father
must be seen as a union of mind and heart. Jesus performed everything in
union with the Father, based on the union of mind and will. Jesus would
not do anything except in alignment with the Father’s will. He
reiterated, “I can do nothing by myself: I can only judge as I am told to
judge, and my judging is just, because my aim is to do not my own will, but the
will of him who sent me.” Jesus’ obedience to the Father was not a
reluctant obedience or simply a submission of will. Rather, His obedience was
the consequence of a union of will and love. As Jesus said to the
disciples, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his
work.” (Jn 4:34)
Jesus loved His Father because of His Father’s love for Him. He lived and
died for His Father. He said, “For this reason the Father loves me,
because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No
one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay
it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command
from my Father.” (Jn 10:17f)
What about us? What is the basis
for our good works? What is the basis for living a life of love and
truth? Is it based on purely humanitarian reasons, simply because we feel
the sufferings of our fellowmen or because of moral obligation to contribute to
society because we have been beneficiaries? In truth, many of us do
good out of guilt, or at most out of responsibility because of our
conscience. Of course, some do out of love for their fellowmen but many
help because of fear of condemnation or at least to gain respect and honour
from the world.
In the case of Jesus, His good works came
from His identification with the compassion and love of His Father. His
union with the Father was the cause of His mission to humanity. As the
psalmist says, “The Lord is faithful in all his words and loving in all his
deeds. The Lord supports all who fall and raises all who are bowed down.
The Lord is just in all his ways and loving in all his deeds. He is close to
all who call him, who call on him from their hearts.” So it was out of
the love of the Father in Him that He went about doing good so that the Father
could be seen through Him. This too must also be the source of our strength in
doing good. We must not be like the pagans. “For if you love those who
love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And
if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than
others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your
heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt 5:46-48)
So today, we need to return to the
ancient times when Catechumens were instructed more intensely during this
time. At this mass, salt would be placed in their mouths so that they
would receive the Word of God and be the salt of the earth. They too
would be given the creed, the Lord’s Prayer and the Four Gospels so that they
will become more identified with the Lord in how they live their lives.
For those of us who are baptized, let us renew our appreciation for the love of
God in Christ as we contemplate on His passion. We must come to know the
identity of Jesus more and more so that we can truly be identified with Him in
mind and in heart as Jesus is with the Father.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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