20170522 THE HOLY SPIRIT GIVES US THE POWER TO WITNESS
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
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First reading
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Acts 16:11-15 ©
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Sailing from Troas we
made a straight run for Samothrace; the next day for Neapolis, and from there
for Philippi, a Roman colony and the principal city of that particular district
of Macedonia. After a few days in this city we went along the river outside the
gates as it was the sabbath and this was a customary place for prayer. We sat
down and preached to the women who had come to the meeting. One of these women
was called Lydia, a devout woman from the town of Thyatira who was in the
purple-dye trade. She listened to us, and the Lord opened her heart to accept
what Paul was saying. After she and her household had been baptised she sent us
an invitation: ‘If you really think me a true believer in the Lord,’ she said
‘come and stay with us’; and she would take no refusal.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm 149:1-6,9 ©
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The Lord takes
delight in his people.
or
Alleluia!
Sing a new song to
the Lord,
his
praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel rejoice in
its Maker,
let
Zion’s sons exult in their king.
The Lord takes
delight in his people.
or
Alleluia!
Let them praise his
name with dancing
and make
music with timbrel and harp.
For the Lord takes
delight in his people.
He crowns
the poor with salvation.
The Lord takes
delight in his people.
or
Alleluia!
Let the faithful
rejoice in their glory,
shout for
joy and take their rest.
Let the praise of God
be on their lips:
this
honour is for all his faithful.
The Lord takes
delight in his people.
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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Jn15:26,27
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The Spirit of truth
will be my witness;
and you too will be
my witnesses.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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John 15:26-16:4 ©
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Jesus said to his
disciples:
‘When the Advocate
comes,
whom I shall send to
you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth
who issues from the Father,
he will be my
witness.
And you too will be
witnesses,
because you have been
with me from the outset.
‘I have told you all
this that your faith may not be shaken.
They will expel you
from the synagogues,
and indeed the hour
is coming
when anyone who kills
you
will think he is
doing a holy duty for God.
They will do these
things
because they have
never known
either the Father or
myself.
But I have told you
all this,
so that when the time
for it comes
you
may remember that I told you.’
THE
HOLY SPIRIT GIVES US THE POWER TO WITNESS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [
ACTS
16:11-15; PS 149:1-6,9; JOHN 15:26-16:4 ]
Why did you choose to become a Christian?
Most people choose the Christian Faith or the Catholic Faith because they find
it meaningful. It gives them a purpose for life, hope for the future, direction
in life, support in their trials and the challenges of life. Others like
the solemn worship of the Catholic liturgy, some find the Charismatic form of
praise and worship speaking to their hearts and they find strength, healing and
consolation just by singing these contemporary Christian songs. For
others still, they like the fellowship and support of the Christian
community. If these are the reasons why one becomes a Christian, it is
not wrong but this is not what it means to be a Christian. It is too
inward-looking, self-centered and individualistic. It reduces the
Christian Faith to a utilitarian religion where we go to find help for our needs,
like a dispensing machine.
Christianity is not about self but about
the person, Jesus Christ. Pope Emeritus Benedict puts it succinctly, “We
have come to believe in God’s love: in these words the Christian can express
the fundamental decision of his life. Being Christian is not the result of an
ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person,
which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.” (Deus Caritas
Est, 1) Christianity is about Jesus Christ who is the Saviour of
the World. “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name
under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) Peter
said, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We
have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” (Jn 6:68f) In a
nutshell, St John summarized it in this manner. “God so loved the world
that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should … have eternal
life” (3:16).
The litmus test of a true Christian is
whether he is a fair-weather friend of Jesus, coming to Him only for things,
for satisfaction of their desires and needs, or whether he is a loyal and
faithful friend of Jesus who would stand by Him and His name at all times and
in whatever circumstance he is in. In other words, will we stand up
for Jesus and the gospel? If we are truly disciples of Jesus, we must be
ready to stand up for Him, defend Him and the gospel He taught us. All
true friends will stand by their friends and defend them when they are
attacked, slandered or misunderstood. But how do Catholics stand up for
Jesus, for the teachings of Christ when they are challenged? Most of us
would sit by quietly and let the world tear down the Church and the gospel
truth without coming to the defense of Jesus and the gospel.
That is why Jesus made clear what
discipleship entails. He did not mince His words about the trials ahead
for His disciples. “I have told you all this so that your faith may not
be shaken … so that when the time for it comes you may remember that I
told you.” Jesus knew the sufferings ahead for His disciples after His
death. If it had not been easy for Jesus in His earthly ministry when He
was confronted and opposed by the religious institutions of the day, why should
the disciples be exempted from the same persecution? A Christian is
called to be a witness in the world. Jesus said, “you too will be
witnesses.” A Christian does not live for himself! He lives for
Christ. St Paul wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it
is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life, I now
live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave
himself for me.” (Gal 2:19b-20)
To be a Christian is to live for Jesus and offer one’s whole life in union with
Jesus for the spread of the gospel according to the vocation that the Lord has
given to each one of us. We are called to testify for Jesus and to be His
witnesses in the world. However, this will not be smooth sailing,
although a service to humanity, it will be met by fierce oppositions.
We read that by the time of St John, the
Jews were expelled from the synagogues. By professing their faith in
Christ as the Lord and the Messiah, they were no longer considered as
Jews. They were ostracized from their community. It must have been
a very painful separation for the Christian Jews. For years and for
generations, they gathered in the synagogue to pray and to worship. Life
was always centered on the synagogue where they found strength, encouragement
and fraternal support. There are Catholics who, because of their faith,
are excluded from their own family members or friends or colleagues.
There will be some who simply do not like Christians. Being alone in a
non-Catholic family can be lonely and trying if the other members continually
taunt and ridicule us.
Secondly, Jesus also warned us that “the
hour is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is doing a holy duty for
God.” This is already happening in our world when we have radical Muslims
and fundamentalists from other religions, including the humanists, condemning
those of other faiths. What is frightening is that some of these radicals
are confused and indoctrinated to consider other religions as Evil, and to use
violence to eliminate those opposed to their faith. Today, the world continues
to attack the Catholic Faith for the beliefs that we stand for. They mock
at us and seek to destroy us, believing that they are doing the right
thing. That is why we must not be vindictive and retaliate. The Lord
declares them to be innocent because of their ignorance. “They will do these
things because they have never known either the Father or myself.”
So how can we be strong and courageous in
witnessing to the Lord? We need the power of the Holy Spirit. Only
the Holy Spirit can stir in our hearts and enlighten our minds to understand
the truth of the gospel. This is why Jesus said, “When the Advocate
comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who issues
from the Father, he will be my witness.” Only the Holy Spirit can
help us to understand and grasp deeper the teachings of our Lord and help us to
communicate clearly to the world in such a way that they can understand and
accept the Word of God. This was the case of “Lydia, a devout woman … who
was in the purple-dye trade. She listened to us, and the Lord opened her
heart to accept what Paul was saying.”
Secondly, we need the Holy Spirit to give
us an inner conviction of the gospel. There is no way to speak of the
gospel to anyone unless we are fully convinced of Christ and His
teaching. Many of us have some knowledge about Christ which we have read
and heard about. But we do not have a personal encounter with the Lord
and hence lack inner conviction. Our faith is by hear-say, through the
testimonies of others, or the objective teaching of the Church but it is not
something that they can say, “I know Jesus and I know all that is said about
Him and by Him is true!” If we have not seen Him, how can we
testify to what we have not seen or heard? A witness must have a personal
knowledge of the Lord.
Thirdly, we need the Holy Spirit to help
us walk with Jesus and know Him intimately. The prerequisite of being His
witness is that we must have walked with Him. “And you too will be witnesses,
because you have been with me from the outset.” Surely, we never knew
Jesus of Nazareth because we were not living then. But we can still claim
to be with Him from the outset if we invite the Holy Spirit into our lives,
especially at prayer and worship. The Holy Spirit is the one that leads
us to Jesus and helps us to experience His presence intimately when we read the
Word of God, receive the Eucharist or celebrate the sacraments or when we are
deep in prayer.
Finally, the Holy Spirit gives us a
family so that we can remain strong. This was what happened to Lydia. “After
she and her household had been baptised she sent us an invitation: ‘If you
really think me a true believer in the Lord,’ she said ‘come and stay with us’;
and she would take no refusal.” In Christ, we become one Body. In
the Spirit, we are brought together. The Christian does not stand alone
but He has the Holy Spirit to help him to live the Christian life, and most of
all, a family to lean on and find strength in His trials.
As Christians, we must never journey
alone. If we follow Lydia’s example of inviting fellow Catholics into our
life to share our faith journey together, regardless of the trials in our life
and the rejection and persecution of the world, we will stand strong and firm
in our faith. We need the Christian family to give courage and
strength. A Catholic who does not belong to any Catholic family or does
not have a group of intimate friends to share their faith will not last long in
the faith, especially when tragedies strike. Every Catholic must find a small
group of Catholic friends to share the Word of God and their faith
experiences. So long as we are inserted into the body of Christ, we will
remain firm in our faith because we are rooted in the Lord.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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