FULFILLING OUR VOCATION ON EARTH

20170530 FULFILLING OUR VOCATION ON EARTH

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: White.

First reading

Acts 20:17-27 ©

From Miletus Paul sent for the elders of the church of Ephesus. When they arrived he addressed these words to them:

  ‘You know what my way of life has been ever since the first day I set foot among you in Asia, how I have served the Lord in all humility, with all the sorrows and trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews. I have not hesitated to do anything that would be helpful to you; I have preached to you, and instructed you both in public and in your homes, urging both Jews and Greeks to turn to God and to believe in our Lord Jesus.

  ‘And now you see me a prisoner already in spirit; I am on my way to Jerusalem, but have no idea what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit, in town after town, has made it clear enough that imprisonment and persecution await me. But life to me is not a thing to waste words on, provided that when I finish my race I have carried out the mission the Lord Jesus gave me – and that was to bear witness to the Good News of God’s grace.

  ‘I now feel sure that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will ever see my face again. And so here and now I swear that my conscience is clear as far as all of you are concerned, for I have without faltering put before you the whole of God’s purpose.’

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 67(68):10-11,20-21 ©

Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.

or

Alleluia!

You poured down, O God, a generous rain:

  when your people were starved you gave them new life.

It was there that your people found a home,

  prepared in your goodness, O God, for the poor.

Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.

or

Alleluia!

May the Lord be blessed day after day.

  He bears our burdens, God our saviour.

This God of ours is a God who saves.

  The Lord our God holds the keys of death.

Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.

or

Alleluia!

Gospel Acclamation

cf.Jn14:18

Alleluia, alleluia!

I will not leave you orphans, says the Lord;

I go, but I will come back to you,

and your hearts will be full of joy.

Alleluia!

Or

Jn14:16

Alleluia, alleluia!

I shall ask the Father,

and he will give you another Advocate

to be with you for ever.

Alleluia!

Gospel

John 17:1-11 ©

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said:

‘Father, the hour has come:

glorify your Son

so that your Son may glorify you;

and, through the power over all mankind that you have given him,

let him give eternal life to all those you have entrusted to him.

And eternal life is this:

to know you,

the only true God,

and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

I have glorified you on earth

and finished the work that you gave me to do.

Now, Father, it is time for you to glorify me

with that glory I had with you

before ever the world was.

I have made your name known

to the men you took from the world to give me.

They were yours and you gave them to me,

and they have kept your word.

Now at last they know

that all you have given me comes indeed from you;

for I have given them the teaching you gave to me,

and they have truly accepted this, that I came from you,

and have believed that it was you who sent me.

I pray for them;

I am not praying for the world

but for those you have given me,

because they belong to you:

all I have is yours

and all you have is mine,

and in them I am glorified.

I am not in the world any longer,

but they are in the world,

and I am coming to you.’

FULFILLING OUR VOCATION ON EARTH

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ ACTS 20:17-27; JN 17:1-11 ]

How will we know whether we have lived our life well?  How can we ensure that when we arrive at our deathbed, we can die in peace with God, with our fellowmen and with ourselves?  The answer is clear.  It all depends on whether we can render an account of our lives.  To die with a clear conscience like St Paul and Jesus, having done all that is required of us, is what will determine whether we have lived well and to the full.  Today’s scripture readings invite us to reflect on how much we have been faithful to our calling in life, regardless of our vocation and state of life.

All of us have a mission in this life.  Each one is called to live out his life according to his talents. This was what Jesus said, “Now, Father, it is time for you to glorify me with the glory I had with you before ever the world was.”  In our case, we were created in time, yet our coming into being on earth was already in the mind and plan of God.  Jeremiah reflected on his own calling also said, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”  (Jer 1:5)  Jesus played His part and so did St Paul.  We can learn from them; how they saw themselves, their roles on earth and how they lived their lives accordingly.

In the first place, Jesus saw the purpose of His life as leading people to God His Father.   “I have made your name known to the men you took from the world to give me.” As the Son, He was sent to reveal the Father’s love for humanity.  He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  He came to show us the face of the Father.   By His life, preaching, healing and most of all, His death and resurrection, Jesus showed us the compassionate and merciful face of the Father. In His priestly prayer, He made it clear that His whole life was to make the name of God known so that people can come to know Him. “Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. 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 17:25f)

St Paul also saw his ministry as revealing Jesus as the mystery of God.  He wrote, “I have carried out the mission the Lord Jesus gave me – and that was to bear witness to the Good News of God’s grace.”  Christ, of course, was the revealer and revealed of God’s love and His divine plan for humanity.  “Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?'”  When we see the face of God, we will come to know our identity, purpose and goal in life.  That is why, looking at Jesus and listening to His Word, we will also be satisfied.

Indeed, salvation is the reason why we desire to lead people to God through Jesus so that they can find life.  This was what Jesus prayed to the Father; that “through the power over all mankind that you have given him, let him give eternal life to all those you have entrusted to him. And eternal life is this: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”  To find life, we must come to Jesus.  He is the fullness of life.  Keeping the word that Jesus gave to us is what gives life.  “They were yours and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now at last they know that all you have given me comes indeed from you; for I have given them the teaching you gave to me, and they have truly accepted this, that I came from you, and have believed that it was you who sent me.”  Our task is to show Jesus to those who are seeking life.

But how can we lead people to Jesus if not to glorify God in our lives?  “Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said: ‘Father, the hour has come: glorify your Son so that your Son may glorify you.'”  Of course, glorifying God is more than just a verbal declaration or even a prayer of praise and adoration.  The most effective way of glorifying God is by our lives.   This is what we mean when we pray the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father in heaven.  Holy by your name!”  His name is holy when seen in our lives of love and service because children reflect their parents’ upbringing.  If Jesus asked the Father to glorify Him, it was not out of vanity but rather, He was asking the Father to endorse all that He said and did as expressing the Father’s love and mercy.   Hence, He said, “I have glorified you on earth and finished the work that you gave me to do.”  The question is, can others see the Face of God in us?  In the final analysis, It is not what we say or preach that God’s name is known, but by the way we Catholics live our lives in charity and in communion.

Glorifying God is not confined to doing good but also in suffering for love and truth as well.  St Paul understood the trials of his apostolate as a way of glorifying God, like Jesus in His suffering.  Jesus showed forth God’s face in His crucifixion.  Isaiah speaks of the Suffering Servant in these words.  “See, my servant shall prosper; he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high.  Just as there were many who were astonished at him – so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of mortals –  he shall startle many nations.”  (Isa 52:13-14)  St Paul who learnt from the martyrdom of St Stephen also understood how he too must give glory to God through his suffering and even his death.  He said, “You know what my way of life has been ever since the first day I set foot among you in Asia, how I have served the Lord in all humility, with all the sorrows and trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews.”   Fidelity to our vocation, especially in the face of suffering, is the ultimate litmus of what can truly inspire people.   We are always edified by those who, through their struggles, show us how success is wrought by perseverance and fidelity.

Consequently, the success of our mission is wrought by God, through fervent prayer; not by man. Both the Lord and Paul surrendered their work to God.  Jesus concluded His mission on earth in a prayer of surrender when He knew His death was imminent.  His preaching and miracles only had limited success in transforming lives.  Thus, He needed to commend His work ultimately to God who would complete the mission for Him.  Jesus said,   “I pray for them; I am not praying for the world but for those you have given me, because they belong to you: all I have is yours and all you have is mine and in them I am glorified. I am not in the world any longer, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you.”   In the Synoptics, this prayer of surrender is beautifully captured in the last words of Jesus on the cross, “Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.’ Having said this, he breathed his last.”

Completing the mission that God has entrusted to us requires that we walk by faith.  We will never know if what we do will be successful as we have no control over the situation or people.   Like Jesus, we can only walk in faith. Paul is the perfect example of faith in God.  He just walked in faith, without fear of the future.  “And now you see me a prisoner already in spirit; I am on my way to Jerusalem, but have no idea what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit, in town after town, has made it clear enough that imprisonment and persecution await me.”  He was ready and submissive to God’s will. The awareness of the suffering ahead of him did not deter him from continuing his mission.  So too, knowing the trials that we have to go through should not deter us from fulfilling our responsibilities entrusted to us by God.  In and out of season, we must, like St Paul, finish the work that God has given to us.

What is important is that at the end of the day we must be true to our conscience. St Paul expressed his commitment with a clear conscience.  “I now feel sure that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will ever see my face again. And so here and now I swear that my conscience is clear as far as all of you are concerned, for I have without faltering put before you the whole of God’s purpose.”   Only when we are true to our conscience can we find peace.  If we have done all we could, we should not worry too much about success as this is the grace of God.  Paul tried his best to do all he could by using whatever resources and energy he had.  He wrote,” I have not hesitated to do anything that would be helpful to you; I have preached to you, and instructed you both in public and in your homes, urging both Jews and Greeks to turn to God and to believe in our Lord Jesus.”  That is why he was at peace with himself, regardless of the result or the future of his mission.

Today, let us follow both our Lord and Paul who kept their focus without deviating from their goal.  We too must keep our focus and not lose ourselves along the journey.   Many of us, during times of difficulty or opposition, lose our original goal and succumb to pressure.  At other times, we are carried away by the temptations of life that we become complacent in our mission.   We have many goodwill people who initiate noble projects but never persevere long enough to see them through.   So we must take inspiration from St Paul who said, “Life to me is not a thing to waste words on, provided that when I finish my race I have carried out the mission the Lord Jesus gave me – and that was to bear witness to the Good News of God’s grace.”  At the end of the day, it is not mere talking about our mission but living it out in our daily life with fervor and commitment that matters.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved