20170509 DOCILITY TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
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First reading
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Acts 11:19-26 ©
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Those who had escaped
during the persecution that happened because of Stephen travelled as far as
Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, but they usually proclaimed the message only
to Jews. Some of them, however, who came from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to
Antioch where they started preaching to the Greeks, proclaiming the Good News
of the Lord Jesus to them as well. The Lord helped them, and a great number
believed and were converted to the Lord.
The
church in Jerusalem heard about this and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. There
he could see for himself that God had given grace, and this pleased him, and he
urged them all to remain faithful to the Lord with heartfelt devotion; for he
was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and with faith. And a large number
of people were won over to the Lord.
Barnabas
then left for Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him he brought him to
Antioch. As things turned out they were to live together in that church a whole
year, instructing a large number of people. It was at Antioch that the
disciples were first called ‘Christians.’
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 86(87) ©
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O praise the Lord,
all you nations!
or
Alleluia!
On the holy mountain
is his city
cherished
by the Lord.
The Lord prefers the
gates of Zion
to all
Jacob’s dwellings.
Of you are told
glorious things,
O city of
God!
O praise the Lord,
all you nations!
or
Alleluia!
‘Babylon and Egypt I
will count
among
those who know me;
Philistia, Tyre,
Ethiopia,
these
will be her children
and Zion shall be
called “Mother”
for all
shall be her children.’
O praise the Lord,
all you nations!
or
Alleluia!
It is he, the Lord
Most High,
who gives
each his place.
In his register of
peoples he writes:
‘These
are her children,’
and while they dance
they will sing:
‘In you
all find their home.’
O praise the Lord,
all you nations!
or
Alleluia!
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Jn10:27
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The sheep that belong
to me listen to my voice,
says the Lord,
I know them and they
follow me.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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John 10:22-30 ©
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It was the time when
the feast of Dedication was being celebrated in Jerusalem. It was winter, and
Jesus was in the Temple walking up and down in the Portico of Solomon. The Jews
gathered round him and said, ‘How much longer are you going to keep us in suspense?
If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.’ Jesus replied:
‘I have told you, but
you do not believe.
The works I do in my
Father’s name are my witness;
but you do not
believe,
because you are no
sheep of mine.
The sheep that belong
to me listen to my voice;
I know them and they
follow me.
I give them eternal
life;
they will never be
lost
and no one will ever
steal them from me.
The Father who gave
them to me is greater than anyone,
and no one can steal
from the Father.
The Father and I are
one.’
DOCILITY
TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [
ACTS 11:19-26; PS 86:1-7; JOHN 10:22-30 ]
It is a fact of life that a prophet is
seldom accepted in his own country. There is always a great prejudice
against anything that is home-grown or local. Not surprisingly, Jesus met
with much resistance from His own people. They were not ready to listen
to Him or to accept Him. They said to Jesus, “How much longer are you
going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
Were they really keen to find out the truth about Jesus or just finding reasons
to reject Him? They wanted Jesus to declare Himself as Messiah for
malicious reasons so that they could expose Him to be a liar. Of course,
some hope that He would be a political messiah to drive out the Romans.
But Jesus told them,
“I have told you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s
name are my witness; but you do not believe, because you are no sheep of mine.”
When we are not with Jesus, we are not receptive to Him, regardless what He
said or did. Jesus not only made claims but He demonstrated His claims by
the works He performed. His works, miracles and His life are witnesses to His
identity. He is the Light of the World. Ironically, Jesus appeared
at the Feast of Dedication, the festival of lights celebrated at winter; yet
they could not recognize Him as the Messiah. He came to purify the Temple
once again from false worship. Truly, for those not ready to see, no
matter what proofs or signs Jesus could offer, they would not accept.
When people are not receptive, nothing is going to change them. With a
closed mind, no conversion is possible. There are many people like
that. They are prejudiced right from the start. So it is a
waste of time as their hearts are not ready.
Ironically those converted were the
Gentiles. They were receptive to the Word of God. These are the
sheep that Jesus said we must invite to the fold because they belong to
Him. “I have told you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my
Father’s name are my witness; but you do not believe, because you are no sheep
of mine. The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them and they
follow me.” Indeed, many Gentiles are counted among the sheep of the Lord
because they are ready to listen to His Word. We count ourselves as the
sheep of Jesus when we listen to His Word and obey Him. Conversely, there
are many who call themselves Catholics but in truth are not the sheep of the
Lord. They take direction from the voice of the secular world, not from
the scriptures or the teachings of the magisterium. Those who openly
disagree with the teachings of scripture and the Church are not His
sheep. As they do not know the Lord, they cannot identify themselves with
Him. They are not one with the Lord.
Only those who are one with the Lord can
call themselves Christians. “It was at Antioch that the disciples were first
called ‘Christians’.” It is significant that they called themselves
Christians to identify themselves as disciples of the Lord. All Catholics
are Christians provided they center their lives on Christ. So too all who
call themselves Christians must have Christ as the center of their lives.
Christianity is not about a book or even the bible but about a personal
relationship with Christ our Lord. When one lives a life in union with
Him, he or she is rightly a Christian. Otherwise, we are merely nominal
Christians and often counter-witnesses of our Lord. It is Christ who
reveals to us the plan of the Father and sends us the Holy Spirit. It is
the same Christ that appointed His successors to lead His Church and promised
them the Holy Spirit to guide them in the truth. “Go therefore and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything
that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of
the age.” (Mt 28:19f)
Indeed, such is the guarantee of Christ’s
promise to be with the Church until the end of time; that we can be certain
that the plan of God cannot be derailed by men. The scripture readings
show the power of God and His wisdom. What the Church was going through,
in the eyes of man, was a setback for the mission and the expansion of the
Church. But the persecution of the Church was the means by which the
gospel was able to spread beyond the territory of our Lord. Until then,
the gospel was still constrained by the location and the people. Philip
only preached to the half-Jews in Samaria. Cornelius was already a
believer in God. Although they were sent out to all the nations, they
were still confining themselves to spreading the Good News among the
Jews. It was because of the persecution that they were forced to move out
and preach to the Gentiles in Antioch. “Those who had escaped during the
persecution that happened because of Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia and
Cyprus and Antioch, but they usually proclaimed the message only to Jews. Some
of them, however, who came from Cyprus and Cyrene went to Antioch where they
started preaching to the Greeks, proclaiming the Good News of the Lord Jesus to
them as well. The Lord helped them, and a great number believed and were
converted to the Lord.” This was unplanned. But the Holy Spirit was
guiding the apostles and the disciples. The mission was planned by the
Holy Spirit.
That is why we need to be docile to the
Holy Spirit. Like the disciples, we need to be receptive to the voice of
the Lord who comes to us in the Holy Spirit. When we are open to the Holy
Spirit, He will lead us to the impossible dream; one we would never even dare
to think about. It is the Holy Spirit that will empower us, help us to dream
big and to find the resources and energy to realize the mission that He gives
us to. All we need to do is to be alert and sensitive to the movements of
the Spirit like the disciples, and not put obstacles in His work through
us. The limitations and obstacles we face are meant to be building blocks
for us to scale higher for He has bigger dreams for us. We should not get
discouraged simply because we face opposition and hurdles, but surrender
ourselves to the Holy Spirit who will bring us to where He wills.
Jesus is our model who trusted in His
Father’s fidelity. He said, “The Father who gave them to me is greater
than anyone, and no one can steal from the Father.” He was confident that
everything comes from the Father and will return to the Father. He knows
that His Father is faithful to His promises. As the Father gave Him the
sheep to look after, He will also give Him the grace to bring them home.
Jesus felt secure not in His power but in the power of His heavenly
Father. And this is because Jesus was united with the Father in everything.
“The Father and I are one.” He is one in mind and heart with His
Father. It is a willingness of mind and heart because of the love between
the Father and the Son. This union is a consequence of love. This
is the union that Jesus prayed for us also. “Holy Father, protect them in
your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are
one.” (Jn 17:11)
If we are docile to the Holy Spirit and
listen to His voice, we too will share the same union He had with His Father.
Jesus prayed, “I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so
that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” (Jn 17:26) Only
lovers can hear the voice of the beloved. If we are one with Jesus and
are His sheep, then only love for the Lord will enable us to respond
effectively to His call and His voice. If there is no love, the voice
would not be heard. This explains why many Catholics do not hear the
voice of the Good Shepherd. They read the scriptures and are not
moved. They hear a homily but their hearts are hardened. But if we
fall in love with Jesus, then we become identified with Him. The Holy Spirit
leads us to Jesus, the Spirit of love unites us with Him. So let us pray
for a greater docility and reception of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The
promise given to those who follow Him is that they find “eternal life; they
will never be lost and no one will ever steal them from me.” Those who
follow Jesus will have a foretaste of the life of God. Walking with
Jesus is to walk in truth and in love.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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