20170505 SUSTAINING OUR FAITH AFTER BAPTISM
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
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First reading
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Acts 9:1-20 ©
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Saul was still
breathing threats to slaughter the Lord’s disciples. He had gone to the high
priest and asked for letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, that
would authorise him to arrest and take to Jerusalem any followers of the Way,
men or women, that he could find.
Suddenly,
while he was travelling to Damascus and just before he reached the city, there
came a light from heaven all round him. He fell to the ground, and then he
heard a voice saying, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ ‘Who are you,
Lord?’ he asked, and the voice answered, ‘I am Jesus, and you are persecuting
me. Get up now and go into the city, and you will be told what you have to do.’
The men travelling with Saul stood there speechless, for though they heard the
voice they could see no one. Saul got up from the ground, but even with his
eyes wide open he could see nothing at all, and they had to lead him into
Damascus by the hand. For three days he was without his sight, and took neither
food nor drink.
A
disciple called Ananias who lived in Damascus had a vision in which he heard
the Lord say to him, ‘Ananias!’ When he replied, ‘Here I am, Lord’, the Lord
said, ‘You must go to Straight Street and ask the house of Judas for someone
called Saul, who comes from Tarsus. At this moment he is praying, having had a
vision of a man called Ananias coming in and laying hands on him to give him
back his sight.’
When he
heard that, Ananias said, ‘Lord, several people have told me about this man and
all the harm he has been doing to your saints in Jerusalem. He has only come
here because he holds a warrant from the chief priests to arrest everybody who
invokes your name.’ The Lord replied, ‘You must go all the same, because this
man is my chosen instrument to bring my name before pagans and pagan kings and
before the people of Israel; I myself will show him how much he himself must
suffer for my name.’ Then Ananias went. He entered the house, and at once laid
his hands on Saul and said, ‘Brother Saul, I have been sent by the Lord Jesus
who appeared to you on your way here so that you may recover your sight and be
filled with the Holy Spirit.’ Immediately it was as though scales fell away
from Saul’s eyes and he could see again. So he was baptised there and then, and
after taking some food he regained his strength.
He began
preaching in the synagogues, ‘Jesus is the Son of God.’
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm 116(117) ©
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Go out to the
whole world; proclaim the Good News.
or
Alleluia!
O praise the Lord,
all you nations,
acclaim
him all you peoples!
Go out to the
whole world; proclaim the Good News.
or
Alleluia!
Strong is his love
for us;
he is
faithful for ever.
Go out to the
whole world; proclaim the Good News.
or
Alleluia!
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Gospel
Acclamation
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cf.Lk24:46,26
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Alleluia, alleluia!
It was ordained that
the Christ should suffer
and rise from the
dead,
and so enter into his
glory.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Jn6:56
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Alleluia, alleluia!
He who eats my flesh
and drinks my blood
lives in me, and I
live in him,
says the Lord.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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John 6:52-59 ©
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The Jews started
arguing with one another: ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ they
said. Jesus replied:
‘I tell you most
solemnly,
if you do not eat the
flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,
you will not have
life in you.
Anyone who does eat
my flesh and drink my blood
has eternal life,
and I shall raise him
up on the last day.
For my flesh is real
food
and my blood is real
drink.
He who eats my flesh
and drinks my blood
lives in me
and I live in him.
As I, who am sent by
the living Father,
myself draw life from
the Father,
so whoever eats me
will draw life from me.
This is the bread
come down from heaven;
not like the bread
our ancestors ate:
they are dead,
but anyone who eats
this bread will live for ever.’
He taught this
doctrine at Capernaum, in the synagogue.
SUSTAINING
OUR FAITH AFTER BAPTISM
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [
ACTS 9:1–20;
PS 116:1-2; JOHN 6:52-59 ]
We are coming to the end of the third
week of Easter. The Easter joy is celebrated in the Church for 50
days. Those of us who were just baptized and those just renewed in the
faith continue to draw out the joy of encountering the Risen Lord and being
filled with His Holy Spirit. Like Saul, we were blind and ignorant.
We wanted things our own way. We were filled with pride and full of
arrogance. Instead of leading ourselves, we, like Saul, allowed ourselves
to be led, for when he “got up from the ground, but even with his eyes wide
open he could see nothing at all, and they had to lead him into Damascus by the
hand. For three days he was without his sight, and took neither food nor
drink.” But now we see, thanks to the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Indeed, like Saul, when we were baptized, we were “filled with the Holy Spirit’
and like Saul, scales fell away from our eyes and we could see again.
However, we must not fall into
complacency as a result of this euphoria. This will not last long.
After the 50 days of joy, we will go back to our ordinary life, which is one of
struggles and trials. Because to be baptized into Christ also means to
enter into His death. This was what the Lord said to Ananias, “I
myself will show him how much he himself must suffer for my name”. Being
a Christian implies carrying the cross with Jesus. We will be open to ridicule,
misunderstanding, slander and even persecution, as in the case of St Paul and
the early Christians. So even in our joy, we must brace ourselves for the
challenges ahead as we seek to live out the gospel way of life. If our
Lord suffered and died, we will not be exempted from the path of suffering as
well.
How can our newly baptized Catholics and
those of us who have just been renewed in the faith continue to grow in our
relationship with the Lord? The first thing we must do is to witness to
Christ. This was what St Paul did. Immediately, upon recovery, “he
began preaching in the synagogues, ‘Jesus is the Son of God’.” He did not
wait till he studied the scriptures or learned more from the apostles.
Indeed, there are some people who suggest that we cannot proclaim the gospel
till we are properly formed. In truth, when will we ever be fully
formed? As bishop, I am still being formed each day in holiness, in
spiritual life, in theology and in pastoral skills. No one can say that
he is now ready to proclaim the gospel. Of course, there are different
levels of proclamation. Only an authorized theologian can teach sound
doctrines of the Church. Only an ordained minister can act as a pastor of
his flock. But we do not need to be a theologian or an ordained minister
to witness to Christ. All we need to do is to follow in the example of St
Paul; he shared what Christ had done for him, how he was a great
sinner and persecutor of the Church but chosen by Christ to be His instrument.
(cf Gal 1:11-15)
“…he who had set me apart before I was born, and had called me through his
grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him
among the Gentiles.” (Gal 1:15f)
The truth is that it is only when we
start witnessing for Christ and evangelizing Him that we ourselves can grow in
faith. The more we speak about Jesus, the more we clarify for ourselves
who Jesus is to us. The more we are challenged by others when we proclaim
Him, the more we seriously reflect on our knowledge of Jesus. The reason
why Catholics do not grow in faith is because they are complacent in their
faith, afraid of being challenged by others and hide in the closet. We
grow best when we share our faith. The best way to learn is to testify
and to teach. Even if we feel inadequate to expound on doctrines, we can
share our relationship with the Lord, our spiritual life, our prayers and how
the Lord impacts our lives each day at work, in our homes and community.
Truly, we are not chosen for ourselves
only but for the world. This is what the Lord said, “this man is my
chosen instrument to bring my name before pagans and pagan kings and before the
people of Israel.” The responsorial psalm reminds us to proclaim how
wonderful this God of ours is. “Go out to the whole world; proclaim the
Good News. O praise the Lord, all you nations, acclaim him all you
peoples! Strong is his love for us; he is faithful for ever.”
So we must not delay any longer but find occasions to give testimony to Christ
without imposing our beliefs on others. Being polemical in our
evangelization work is not the best approach in proclaiming the Good
News. It leads to arguments and useless debate. But the best is to
share His love for us and what the Lord has done for us and how our lives have
changed after encountering Him. No theological formation is required for
this task. Every baptized Catholic must immediately set out to share
Christ with others.
This does not mean that theological and
scriptural studies are not needed. This is of course beneficial and would
be required for some groups of people who need to make sense of our
beliefs. This is where the study of philosophy, scripture and theology is
a necessity for priests and teachers of the faith. Indeed, where
possible, Catholics should attend courses and talks to deepen their
faith. Most of all, we need to deepen our own spiritual life through
prayer and contemplation. This was what St Paul did after his
conversion. He wrote, “I did not confer with flesh and blood, nor did I
go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into
Arabia; and again I returned to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to
Jerusalem to visit Cephas, and remained with him fifteen days.” (Gal 1:17f) Let us
hear the call of St Peter, “Like newborn babes, long for the pure
spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation; for you have tasted the
kindness of the Lord. Come to him, to that living stone, rejected by men
but in God’s sight chosen and precious; and like living stones be yourselves
built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual
sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Pt 2:2-5)
To come to Jesus is to come to the heart
of what will sustain us in our spiritual life. This is what the Lord
shared with us. “As I, who am sent by the living Father, myself draw life
from the Father, so whoever eats me will draw life from me.” We must draw
life from our Lord constantly if we are to be transformed in love to be like
Christ. How can we draw life from Jesus if not through the Word of God
and the Eucharist, which are the pillars and foundation of Christian
life? In the gospel, Jesus made it clear that He is the bread of life.
“This is the bread come down from heaven; not like the bread our ancestors ate:
they are dead, but anyone who eats this bread will live for ever.” To eat
the bread of life is to partake in the life of Jesus, sharing His mind and His
heart, His truth and His love.
Eating the bread of life would entail
cultivating a deep love for the Word of God. Jesus as the manna from
heaven, comes to give us God’s word. Hence, St Peter shows us the way to be
purified in truth and love. He wrote, “Having purified your souls by your
obedience to the truth for a sincere love of the brethren, love one another
earnestly from the heart. You have been born anew, not of perishable seed but
of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God. (1 Pt 1:22f) By
meditating and contemplating on the Word of God daily, we become more attuned
to the mind and heart of Christ.
Secondly, we are transformed into Christ,
especially when we receive Him in the Eucharist, in Holy Communion. Again
the Lord warns us, “I tell you most solemnly, if you do not eat the flesh of
the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life in you. Anyone who
does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and I shall raise him up
on the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.”
Celebrating the Eucharist and receiving Him in communion is the way in which
His Spirit is given to us as we contemplate on His passion, death and
resurrection. The Eucharist sums up the whole life of Jesus which is
offered as a gift to His Father for us all, in humble service, in forgiveness,
and in love and unity. The Eucharist makes it possible for all to
be in communion with Him.
This communion with the Lord in the
Eucharist does not stop here but it reinforces our insertion into the Body of
Christ, His Church. Receiving the Eucharist is not merely receiving
Christ but also His body, the members of His Church. No Catholic must
live an individualistic faith. We cannot say we love Jesus if we do not
love His body. The entire Christ is both head and body. Even St
Paul recognized that he needed the community. And so, he made it a point
to connect with St Peter. In the first place, it was the brotherly love
of Ananias who called him, “brother” that he felt loved and accepted. In
spite of his reservations, Ananias obeyed the Lord and accepted him as his
brother and healed him. St Paul himself learned this truth the hard way
because the Lord also said a similar thing to him. The Lord asked, “Saul,
Saul, why are you persecuting me?” “‘Who are you, Lord?’ he asked, and
the voice answered, ‘I am Jesus, and you are persecuting me.” To hurt our
brothers and sisters is to hurt Jesus! He did tell us as well.
“Whatsoever you do to the least of My brothers, that you do unto Me’” (Mt 25:40) That is
why, we must welcome each other in the Church. “Let brotherly love
continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some
have entertained angels unawares.” (Heb 13:1f)
Truly, united with
the Lord and with the body of Christ, nurtured by the Word of God and receiving
Him sacramentally in the Eucharist, we can be sure that our faith will remain
firm and strong as we continue to strengthen our commitment by testifying to
His love and mercy for us. This is the secret of growing in faith.
Neglecting our prayers, the Word of God, the Eucharist and the community, we
are doomed to fall away after some time, especially when our faith is challenged
and we feel all alone facing the oppositions of the world.
Written by The Most
Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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