20170511 MISSION OR PRIVATE MINISTRY
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
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First reading
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Acts 13:13-25 ©
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Paul and his friends
went by sea from Paphos to Perga in Pamphylia where John left them to go back
to Jerusalem. The others carried on from Perga till they reached Antioch in
Pisidia. Here they went to synagogue on the sabbath and took their seats. After
the lessons from the Law and the Prophets had been read, the presidents of the
synagogue sent them a message: ‘Brothers, if you would like to address some
words of encouragement to the congregation, please do so.’ Paul stood up, held
up a hand for silence and began to speak:
‘Men of
Israel, and fearers of God, listen! The God of our nation Israel chose our
ancestors, and made our people great when they were living as foreigners in
Egypt; then by divine power he led them out, and for about forty years took care
of them in the wilderness. When he had destroyed seven nations in Canaan, he
put them in possession of their land for about four hundred and fifty years.
After this he gave them judges, down to the prophet Samuel. Then they demanded
a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin.
After forty years, he deposed him and made David their king, of whom he
approved in these words, “I have selected David son of Jesse, a man after my
own heart, who will carry out my whole purpose.” To keep his promise, God has
raised up for Israel one of David’s descendants, Jesus, as Saviour, whose
coming was heralded by John when he proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the
whole people of Israel. Before John ended his career he said, “I am not the one
you imagine me to be; that one is coming after me and I am not fit to undo his
sandal.”’
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm
88(89):2-3,21,22,25,27 ©
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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!
I have found David my
servant
and with
my holy oil anointed him.
My hand shall always
be with him
and my
arm shall make him strong.
I will sing for
ever of your love, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
My truth and my love
shall be with him;
by my
name his might shall be exalted.
He will say to me:
‘You are my father,
my God,
the rock who saves me.’
I will sing for
ever of your love, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
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Gospel
Acclamation
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cf.Rv1:5
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Alleluia, alleluia!
You, O Christ, are
the faithful witness,
the First-born from
the dead,
you have loved us and
have washed away our sins with your blood.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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John 13:16-20 ©
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After he had washed
the feet of his disciples, Jesus said to them:
‘I tell you most
solemnly,
no servant is greater
than his master,
no messenger is
greater than the man who sent him.
‘Now that you know
this, happiness will be yours if you behave accordingly. I am not speaking
about all of you: I know the ones I have chosen; but what scripture says must
be fulfilled: Someone who shares my table rebels against me.
‘I tell you this now,
before it happens,
so that when it does
happen
you may believe that
I am He.
I tell you most
solemnly,
whoever welcomes the
one I send welcomes me,
and
whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.’
MISSION
OR PRIVATE MINISTRY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [
ACTS 13:13-25; PS 88:2-3,21,22,25,27; JN 13:16-20 ]
As we reflect on the first missionary journey
of St Paul, we are reminded of our call to be missionaries for Christ. In
obedience to our Lord, the Good Shepherd, we must also bring into this fold
those who still do not know Him because they too are His sheep. But it is
important to understand the nature of mission. Being missionaries for
Christ does not mean simply undertaking what we like to do. In other
words, we must be sent. We do not send ourselves! This is the
mistake of many who involved in ministry, including priests and religious.
They choose what they like to do and what ministries they enjoy doing.
Those tasks that they do not like, they won’t do. They think ministry is
a hobby, a part-time distraction, a leisure activity.
On the contrary, mission is a very
serious business. It is not a matter of what we like to do but of being
called and sent for the work of God. When we pick and choose what
ministry we like to be involved in, we are serving ourselves, not God or the
Church. It is fulfilling our personal interests and desires; not
responding to the call of God. That is why although many of us claim to
be working for God and are involved in the mission of the Church, we are in
truth practicing private ministry. We are doing our own thing. There is
no commitment. When things get difficult, we leave. This was the case for
John Mark, the deserter. We read that “Paul and his friends went by sea
from Paphos to Perga in Pamphylia where John left them to go back to
Jerusalem.” For whatever reason, he did not see through the mission that he was
appointed to do. Scholars suggest that perhaps he was afraid of the
challenges of the precarious journey, or he could be missing his mother, or
unhappy that his cousin, Barnabas, handed over the leadership to Paul.
Regardless, John Mark acted on his own impulse. It was not from the
Lord. And this is the way most of us in ministry conduct ourselves.
If things are to our liking, we will serve. If things are not, we abandon
ship.
Hence, we need to assert that the origin
of mission is that we are called and sent. This is what Jesus told us in
the gospel. ‘I tell you this now, before it happens, so that when it does
happen you may believe that I am He. I tell you most solemnly, whoever
welcomes the one I send welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one
who sent me.” Jesus was conscious that He was sent by the Father.
He did not come on His own accord but as the Son, He was sent by the Father to
do His will. “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete
his work.” (Jn 4:34)
“For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the
will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent
me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at
the last day.” (Jn 6:38f)
St Paul vouched the truth of Jesus as
being sent by the Father when he clarified why the Lord Jesus is the
Messiah. When invited to address the assembly at the Synagogue, St Paul
took pains to illustrate through the scriptures that Jesus was the man
prophesied and foretold by the prophets that He would be the one to establish
the Kingdom of God. Jesus was the one anointed to be that descendant of
King David. “I have selected David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who
will carry out my whole purpose.” This promise was realized when God
“raised up for Israel one of David’s descendants, Jesus, as Saviour, whose
coming was heralded by John when he proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the
whole people of Israel. Before John ended his career he said, ‘I am not the one
you imagine me to be; that one is coming after me and I am not fit to undo his
sandal.’”
To be sent means that we are to submit to
a higher authority. Obedience is the corollary of being sent.
“After he had washed the feet of his disciples, Jesus said to them: ‘I tell you
most solemnly, no servant is greater than his master, no messenger is greater
than the man who sent him.” Jesus, in no uncertain terms, made it clear
that He was sent. Because He was sent, He was obedient unto death. “Son
though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made
perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey
him.” (Heb 5:8f)
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient
to death – even death on a cross!” (Phil 2:8) When we
listen to no one, take instructions from no one but self, then we are the
originator of the mission, not the Lord, nor those whom He has appointed as His
successor and all legitimate authorities. In an age of subjectivism, we
are no longer doing the mission of Christ but in truth, we are just doing our
own thing, what we like to do!
We are called to trust in our superior
simply because they are the anointed ones. The psalmist says, “I have
found David my servant and with my holy oil anointed him. My hand shall
always be with him and my arm shall make him strong. My truth and my love shall
be with him; by my name his might shall be exalted. He will say to me:
‘You are my father, my God, the rock who saves me.” This does not mean
blind obedience but it does mean that after dialogue and discernment with those
in charge, we must be ready to submit to obedience simply because we are sent.
That is why Jesus warned us not to rebel
against those who sent us. “Now that you know this, happiness will be
yours if you behave accordingly. I am not speaking about all of you: I know the
ones I have chosen; but what scripture says must be fulfilled: Someone who
shares my table rebels against me.” Unfortunately, Judas rebelled against
the Lord. The apostles were sent by the Lord. They were to take
instructions from Him. But Judas wanted things his own way and chose to
sell the Lord for his own purpose. Rebellion is always a sign of pride
and self-will. The person of pride will destroy himself, become ambitious
or do things that will ruin his own life because he is not doing the will of
God. This was what happened to Judas.
In the case of St Paul, he was fully
aware that he was sent. Earlier on, he was told that he was called when
he met the Lord at Damascus. “Go! This man is my chosen instrument
to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people
of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my
name.” (Acts 9:15f)
Then he was sent by the Christian community in Antioch. “While they were
worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me
Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ So after
they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them
off.” (Acts 13:2f)
Perhaps, John Mark who left them half way in the journey was not sent and hence
unable to complete the journey.
Indeed, being sent by the Lord is an
important authentication of our mission. This has always been the nature
of mission. The Lord said to His apostles at Pentecost, “Peace be with
you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” (Jn 20:21) The way in which
this happens is always through the community of which the bishop is the head. A
priest is sent by the bishop and does not act on his own accord and personal
capacity. The mandate is given by the bishop, not by himself. What
is said of the priest and the religious, is also true of those collaborating
with the parish priests. The leader of the community needs to endorse the
appointment of someone for the mission. Let it be clear therefore that
everyone of us is sent. Jesus was sent by the Father. Jesus sent
out His apostles. The Pope is elected by the Lord through the
Cardinals. The bishop is appointed by the Pope. The priest is
appointed by the bishop. The lay leaders are appointed by the parish
priest to be his collaborators. Only through obedience and respect for
the appointed leaders, can we be sure that we are doing God’s will and His
mission, not our own. If we do that, we will be fruitful in our mission.
Written by The Most
Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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