20170425 SURRENDERING OUR MINISTRY TO THE LORD
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Red.
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First reading
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1 Peter 5:5-14 ©
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All wrap yourselves
in humility to be servants of each other, because God refuses the proud and
will always favour the humble. Bow down, then, before the power of God now, and
he will raise you up on the appointed day; unload all your worries on to him,
since he is looking after you. Be calm but vigilant, because your enemy the
devil is prowling round like a roaring lion, looking for someone to eat. Stand
up to him, strong in faith and in the knowledge that your brothers all over the
world are suffering the same things. You will have to suffer only for a little
while: the God of all grace who called you to eternal glory in Christ will see
that all is well again: he will confirm, strengthen and support you. His power
lasts for ever and ever. Amen.
I write
these few words to you through Silvanus, who is a brother I know I can trust,
to encourage you never to let go this true grace of God to which I bear
witness.
Your
sister in Babylon, who is with you among the chosen, sends you greetings; so
does my son, Mark.
Greet one
another with a kiss of love.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm
88(89):2-3,6-7,16-17 ©
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I will sing for
ever of your love, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
I will sing for ever
of your love, O Lord;
through
all ages my mouth will proclaim your truth.
Of this I am sure,
that your love lasts for ever,
that your
truth is firmly established as the heavens.
I will sing for
ever of your love, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
The heavens proclaim
your wonders, O Lord;
the
assembly of your holy ones proclaims your truth.
For who in the skies
can compare with the Lord
or who is
like the Lord among the sons of God?
I will sing for
ever of your love, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
Happy the people who
acclaim such a king,
who walk,
O Lord, in the light of your face,
who find their joy
every day in your name,
who make
your justice the source of their bliss.
I will sing for
ever of your love, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
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Gospel
Acclamation
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1Co1:23-24
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Alleluia, alleluia!
We are preaching a
crucified Christ,
who is the power and
the wisdom of God.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Mark 16:15-20 ©
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Go out to the
whole world; proclaim the Good News
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Jesus showed himself
to the Eleven and said to them:
‘Go out
to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation. He who believes and
is baptised will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned. These are
the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name they will cast out
devils; they will have the gift of tongues; they will pick up snakes in their
hands, and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison; they will lay their
hands on the sick, who will recover.’
And so
the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven: there at
the right hand of God he took his place, while they, going out, preached
everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs
that accompanied it.
SURRENDERING
OUR MINISTRY TO THE LORD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [
1 Pt 5:5-14;
Ps 88:2-3,6-7,16-17; Mk 16:15-20 ]
By virtue of our baptism, we are called
to proclaim the Good News. “Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News
to all creation. He who believes and is baptized is saved; he who does not
believe will be condemned.” This call is an obligation, not an
option. This is so not just for the sake of saving souls and bringing
them to Christ but for our own salvation. The truth is that in
proclaiming Christ and in sharing the Good News with others, we save our own
souls! Only by proclaiming Christ and the gospel, can we grow in faith
and in understanding. The best way to protect what we have, especially
our knowledge and experience, is to share with others. When we hide our
talents, as Jesus taught us in the Parable of the Talents, we will lose what we
have. “For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have
an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be
taken away.” (Mt 25:29)
How do we do it? We are called to
proclaim the gospel by words and deeds. “And so the Lord Jesus, after he
had spoken to them, was taken up to heaven: there at the right hand of God he
took his place, while they, going out, preached everywhere, the Lord working
with them and confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it.”
Words and deeds are both important in the proclamation of the Good News.
We cannot do one without the other. Proclamation without deeds will not change
lives. It can inspire for a while. Only concrete deeds of mercy and
love can transform lives. That is why the gospel underscores the
necessity of “confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it.” This
explains why the gospel is proclaimed by the Church in two ways, a direct
evangelization through the preaching of the Word, catechesis and
teaching. But equally important are the deeds, which consist of
liturgical worship and prayer, manifested in works of charity and mercy.
Indeed, in the time of Jesus and in the
early Church, the gospel was never about doctrines but about the person of
Jesus, experienced and encountered as Lord and Saviour. This is
demonstrated through miracles and works of healing and mercy. “These are
the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name they will cast out
devils; they will have the gift of tongues; they will pick up snakes in their
hands, and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison; they will lay their
hands on the sick, who will recover.” As it was in the early Church and
as it is today, the power of the Risen Lord is shown in concrete acts of mercy
and love. At times, the Lord worked miraculously by intervening to heal
us and protect us from harm and evil as He did for the apostles in the early
Church. These signs remain necessary today so that people would not reduce
the gospel to another ideology or philosophy of life but truly as the work of
God. The Church is not another human organization but the work of the
Holy Spirit and guided by the Holy Spirit.
For those of us who are called to social
service and works of charity, they must bear in mind what they are doing.
They are not doing humanitarian works, that is, distributing food and helping
the needy, serving the poor, taking care of the sick and the destitute.
On the surface, there is no real difference between humanitarian works and
Christian charity and works of compassion. But there is a considerable
difference in terms of motivation and goal. The motivation for service is
not simply a response to the sufferings of humanity, but a recognition that
they are children of God, created in God’s image and likeness. So we
serve them because they are God’s people and Jesus has identified with
them. “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of
these, you did not do it to me.” (Mt 25:45) Hence,
beyond supplying their physical, material and affective needs, the ultimate
goal is to help them spiritually as well. We are not just giving them a
better life on earth but preparing them for eternal life with God.
Doing God’s work is always very
challenging. We must not think that serving the Lord and His people is
without its difficulties. On the contrary, the cross is ahead of
us. Jesus already warned us. “You do not know what you are asking. Are
you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I
am baptized with?” (Mk 10:38)
“Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” (Lk 14:27) The
apostles and the early Christians were not spared from persecution, slander and
suffering. That was why St Peter wrote to encourage them. “I write
these few words to you through Silvanus, who is a brother I know I can trust,
to encourage you.”
When we suffer, let us remember that we
do not suffer alone. “Stand up to him, strong in faith and in the
knowledge that your brothers all over the world are suffering the same
things.” That is why it is important that we do not do the work of God
alone. This is a team ministry. We must carry the cross together as
a family, supporting each other in good and in difficult times. When we
suffer alone, we will not last. That is why many left the ministry and
many more have left the Church because they felt alone in their burden and
suffering. They feel that their brothers and sisters do not care for
them. The truth is that right doctrines alone will not attract people to
Christ but love will. We go to a particular church because there is
fellowship, warmth and community support. Hence, it is important that
Catholics must support each other in serving the Church and in their spiritual
life. We must come together to share our faith, the Word of God and to
have fellowship. St Peter said, “Greet one another with a kiss of
love. Peace to you all who are in Christ.”
When we suffer, we also suffer only for a
time. “You will have to suffer only for a little while: The God of all
grace who called you to eternal glory in Christ will see that all is well
again: he will confirm, strengthen and support you. His power lasts for ever
and ever. Amen.” Suffering will not last forever. We need to be
patient in times of tribulation and difficulties. The end of the tunnel will
come. God will see to it that we triumph in the end. Indeed, St Peter
said, “never to let go this true grace of God to which I bear witness.”
Thus, the key to service is always
humility before God and before man. St Peter urges us, “All wrap
yourselves in humility to be servants of each other, because God refuses the
proud and will always favour the humble.” We are servants of God. We can
only do so much. As long as we are conscious that we are servants and that
the Lord is our master, we will do what we can and leave the rest to His
grace. Pride comes in when we become ambitious and self-serving, worry
about popularity and self-interests than in proclaiming the Gospel. But
when we serve with all humility, then we will find peace in whatever we do.
This is why those of us in service must
always be watchful of the temptations of the Evil One. St Peter reminds
us to “be calm but vigilant, because your enemy the devil is prowling round
like a roaring lion, looking for someone to eat.” Indeed, the devil is
always watching out for when we are vulnerable. When we are having
problems, difficulties and trials, the devil will come to distract us from our
goals. We must keep our focus at all times on the Lord and His
mission. The devil will tempt us with money, power and popularity.
Most of us in times of trials think of our pains and sufferings and fail to
look beyond ourselves.
That is why we must turn to Him for
support, strength and consolation. This is what St Peter urges us, “Bow
down, then, before the power of God now, and he will raise you up on the
appointed day; unload all your worries on to him, since he is looking after
you.” God understands our limitations. Hence we should not rely on
ourselves but on His grace. Instead of worrying, we should pray and lift up our
anxieties and fears to the Lord. He can work miracles in our lives if we
surrender our lives to Him. We must believe in the power of grace and the
power of prayer and not just rely on our own strength. The psalmist
assures us that God is faithful. “I will sing forever of your love, O Lord;
through all ages my mouth will proclaim your truth. Of this I am sure,
that your love lasts forever, that your truth is firmly established as the
heavens.”
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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