20170501 WORKING FOR THE LORD
Readings at Mass
First
Reading : COL 3:14-15,17,23-24
14 Over
all these clothes, put on love, the perfect bond.
15 And may the peace of Christ reign in your
hearts, because it is for this that you were called together in one body.
Always be thankful.
17 and whatever you say or do, let it be in the name of the Lord
Jesus, in thanksgiving to God
the Father through him.
23 Whatever
your work is, put your heart into it as done for the Lord
and not for human beings,
24 knowing that the Lord will
repay you by making you his heirs. It is Christ the Lord
that you are serving.
Psalms 89 : 2-4,12-14,16
2 for
you have said: love is built to last for ever, you have fixed your constancy
firm in the heavens.
3 'I
have made a covenant with my Chosen One, sworn an oath to my servant David:
4 I have made your dynasty firm for ever, built your throne
stable age after age.
2 you
created the north and the south, Tabor and Hermon
hail your name with joy.
13
Yours is a strong arm, mighty your hand, your right
hand raised high;
14
Saving Justice
and Fair Judgement the foundations of your throne, Faithful Love and Constancy
march before you.
16 In your name they rejoice all day long, by your saving justice
they are raised up.
Gospel : MT 13:54-58
54 and,
coming to his home town, he taught the people in their synagogue
in such a way that they were astonished and said, 'Where did the man
get this wisdom
and these miraculous
powers?
55 This
is the carpenter's son, surely? Is not his mother the woman
called Mary, and his brothers James and Joseph
and Simon and Jude?
56 His
sisters, too, are they not all here with us? So where did the man
get it all?'
57 And
they would not accept him. But Jesus
said to them, 'A prophet
is despised only in his own country and in his own house,'
58 and he did not work many miracles there because of their lack
of faith.
WORKING
FOR THE LORD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [
COL 3:14-15,17,23-24; PS 89:2-4,12-14,16; MT 13:54-58 ]
Today, we celebrate the Feast of St
Joseph the worker. All are called to be collaborators in the vineyard of
the Lord. It does not matter whether we are priests working in the
Church, or full time workers, or even volunteers helping in Church
organizations or involved in humanitarian services. The problem for many
people helping in the Church or in charitable organizations is that we often do
not have the right disposition or attitudes in the way we commit
ourselves. That is why we need to reflect on today’s scripture readings
and see what we can learn from St Joseph.
Firstly, St Joseph was clear that in
whatever he did, he was serving God and not man. St Paul reminds us, “Whatever
your work is, put your heart into it as if it were for the Lord and not for
men, knowing that the Lord will repay you by making you his heirs. It is Christ
the Lord that you are serving.” Our primary attitude in service,
regardless who we are and wherever we serve, is to remember that it is God who
is our boss. We do not even serve the priest or even the bishop in the
church. Our allegiance is not to a particular priest or a particular
person, just as St Paul reprimanded his people for the divisions they were
causing because some said they were for Paul and others for Apollos. So
St Paul said, “For when one says, ‘I belong to Paul,’ and another, ‘I belong to
Apollos,’ are you not merely human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul?
Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each.”
(1 Cor 3:4f)
Only when we are aware of this principle
of serving God, can we then take instructions from legitimate authority appointed
by Christ for His Church. Following this principle, we then obey and
collaborate with those appointed by the Lord to lead us, whether at home, in
church or in the office. That is why St Paul also told the slaves to obey
their earthly masters “in everything, not only while being watched and in order
to please them, but wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord.” (Col 3:22) At the end
of the day, we must be conscious that we are accountable to God, for He is the
ultimate person that we serve. Our service to God is rendered through the
service of man appointed to lead us.
Flowing from this principle, it means
that regardless whether we are full-time or part-time workers or volunteers,
our commitment to our vocation or responsibility cannot be lesser, since it is
God we are serving. Often, in the church, volunteers think that they do
not need to be accountable for what they do because what they do is voluntary
work. They come and go as they like; and do what they want. If that
were the case, can priests and religious just walk in and out as we like, or
give up our priesthood too when faced with trials and difficulties, since we
are also volunteers? Of course not! Again, this is because it is
the Lord we serve. And we must always give our best to the Lord for He
deserves all our devotion and fidelity and collaboration. There is no excuse
for slipshod work.
Secondly, vocation is a gift. It is
a calling. We cannot demand to be a priest or even be appointed to any
position in life. It is God’s free choice to determine our vocation in
life and what we are called to do. We do not merit our position, for what
we are, who we are, all our talents and resources come from God alone.
Indeed, this was what the townsfolks of Jesus did not understand. We read
that “Coming to his home town, Jesus taught the people in their synagogue in
such a way that they were astonished and said, ‘Where did the man get this
wisdom and these miraculous powers? This is the carpenter’s son, surely? Is not
his mother the woman called Mary, and his brothers James and Joseph and Simon
and Jude? His sisters, too, are they not all here with us? So where did the man
get it all?’” The answer is clear; Jesus is the appointed messiah of God,
the Chosen and anointed one of God! So there is nothing for anyone of us
to claim glory and honor because it is all the work of God and purely His
grace.
Instead, we are called to be thankful to
our vocation. Again this is what St Paul urges us. “Always be
thankful. Never say or do anything except in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving
thanks to God the Father through him.” Gratitude is most important in any
vocation we are in, whether it is a married vocation, a profession or priestly
and religious life. When we give thanks, it means we are appreciative and
we value what we are doing and the responsibility given to us. The sign
of gratitude is always zeal, commitment and sacrifice. When we are
grateful for what has been given to us, we give ourselves generously out of
gratitude for the gifts that we have received. Those who have no sense of
gratitude often abuse their position and their privileges. Instead of
using their gifts for the service of God and His people, we use them for ourselves.
Gratitude for our vocation is expressed
in fidelity. From St Joseph, we must learn that commitment is to seek the
will of God and to do it. St Joseph had his own plans with regard
to his marriage with Mary. But when God chose Mary, his plans were
totally derailed. Instead of insisting on his own ways, he was totally
available to the Lord’s will for Him. Instead of sending Mary away, he
cooperated with God’s divine plan by being the spouse of Mary and the foster
father of Jesus. Such was the generosity and docility of St Joseph to the
will of God for him in his life. He was obedient to the Lord’s
command as Mary was. In whatever we do in life, we too must always,
at every moment, seek the will of God, for in His will is our peace.
How do we know that we are doing God’s
work and His will? What are the fruits of the Spirit? St Paul gives
us these basic criteria. Firstly, he said, “Over all these clothes, to
keep them together and complete them, put on love.” All that we do at the
end of the day must be for the service of love. Whatever we do must be
done for the sake of love and out of love. St Paul said, even “If I give
away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may
boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” (1 Cor 13:3) The
second criterion is this: that in whatever we do, we foster unity and love in
the Body of Christ because we are parts of this one body. “It is for this that
you were called together as parts of one body.” The promotion of unity
among those whom we are serving is the sign that we are walking in the Spirit
of Christ because the Holy Spirit brings unity and oneness.
If we fulfill our responsibilities and
have the right attitude towards our work, then the end result is peace!
Again, St Paul said, “May the peace of Christ reign in your hearts.”
Indeed, when our conscience is at peace with God, then we will have peace in
our hearts, the peace that the world does not know. This peace comes from
a certitude that we have done what we should before God and His people.
This peace comes about because we are accountable to God. Having said this, St
Paul also reminds us not to be over presumptuous. He said, “I am not
aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the
Lord who judges me.” (1 Cor 4:4)
Finally, the psalmist warns us not to
take for granted the privilege that God has given to us. If we do
not do all we can now, later on we will regret and it will be too late.
The psalmist reminds us of the shortness of our life. “You turn men back
to dust and say: ‘Go back, sons of men.’ To your eyes a thousand years are like
yesterday, come and gone, no more than a watch in the night. Make us know the
shortness of our life that we may gain wisdom of heart. Lord, relent! Is your
anger forever? Show pity to your servant!” So, whilst we have the time
and the energy, let us give our full devotion to what the Lord has appointed us
to do. A time will come when we are sickly and when we no longer hold
office, and then we will not be able to do even if we want to.
Nevertheless, let us not be too worried
about success either. Success is the work of God and not ours! So
we do not rely on ourselves, our strength and our ingenuity. The psalmist
invites us to pray to the Lord for success. After we have done all we
could, let us commend our work to the Lord. “Give success to the work of
our hands, O Lord. Before the mountains were born or the earth or the
world brought forth, you are God, without beginning or end. In the
morning, fill us with your love; we shall exult and rejoice all our days. Show
forth your work to your servants; let your glory shine on their
children.” As St Teresa of Calcutta told us, God is pleased with us so
long as we are faithful to our calling, for we are not called to be successful
but faithful like St Joseph in doing the will of God and cooperating with His
Divine plan for humanity.
Written by The Most
Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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