20170531 THE LORD IS IN OUR MIDST IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
EITHER:
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First reading
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Zephaniah
3:14-18 ©
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Shout for joy,
daughter of Zion,
Israel, shout aloud!
Rejoice, exult with
all your heart,
daughter of
Jerusalem!
The Lord has repealed
your sentence;
he has driven your
enemies away.
The Lord, the king of
Israel, is in your midst;
you have no more evil
to fear.
When that day comes,
word will come to Jerusalem:
Zion, have no fear,
do not let your hands
fall limp.
The Lord your God is
in your midst,
a victorious warrior.
He will exult with
joy over you,
he will renew you by
his love;
he will dance with
shouts of joy for you
as on a day of
festival.
OR:
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Alternative
First reading
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Romans 12:9-16 ©
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Do not let your love
be a pretence, but sincerely prefer good to evil. Love each other as much as
brothers should, and have a profound respect for each other. Work for the Lord
with untiring effort and with great earnestness of spirit. If you have hope,
this will make you cheerful. Do not give up if trials come; and keep on
praying. If any of the saints are in need you must share with them; and you
should make hospitality your special care.
Bless
those who persecute you: never curse them, bless them. Rejoice with those who
rejoice and be sad with those in sorrow. Treat everyone with equal kindness;
never be condescending but make real friends with the poor.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Isaiah 12 ©
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The rejoicing of
a redeemed people
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Great in your
midst is the Holy One of Israel.
Truly, God is my
salvation,
I trust,
I shall not fear.
For the Lord is my
strength, my song,
he became
my saviour.
With joy you will
draw water
from the
wells of salvation.
Great in your
midst is the Holy One of Israel.
Give thanks to the
Lord, give praise to his name!
Make his
mighty deeds known to the peoples!
Declare
the greatness of his name.
Great in your
midst is the Holy One of Israel.
Sing a psalm to the
Lord
for he
has done glorious deeds;
make them
known to all the earth!
People of Zion, sing
and shout for joy,
for great
in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
Great in your
midst is the Holy One of Israel.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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cf.Lk1:45
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed is the Virgin
Mary, who believed
that the promise made
her by the Lord would be fulfilled.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 1:39-56 ©
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Mary set out and went
as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into
Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s
greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and
blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from
the mother of my Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child
in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise
made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’
And Mary
said:
‘My soul proclaims
the greatness of the Lord
and my spirit exults
in God my saviour;
because he has looked
upon his lowly handmaid.
Yes, from this day
forward all generations will call me blessed,
for the Almighty has
done great things for me.
Holy is his name,
and his mercy reaches
from age to age for those who fear him.
He has shown the
power of his arm,
he has routed the
proud of heart.
He has pulled down
princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly.
The hungry he has
filled with good things, the rich sent empty away.
He has come to the
help of Israel his servant, mindful of his mercy
– according to the
promise he made to our ancestors –
of his mercy to
Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’
Mary stayed with
Elizabeth about three months and then went back home.
THE
LORD IS IN OUR MIDST IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [
ZEPH 3:14-18 or ROM 12:9-16; LUKE 1:39-56 ]
The scripture readings of today’s feast
of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary underscore the presence of God in
our midst. Whenever the Lord is in our midst, there will always be joy
and celebration. In the first reading, the prophet Zephaniah said, “Shout
for joy, daughter of Zion, Israel, shout aloud! Rejoice, exult with all your
heart, daughter of Jerusalem!” In the gospel too, we read how the Lord came
into the lives of Mary, Elizabeth and John the Baptist. Again, the theme
of joy is prevalent. “Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the
child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit … For the
moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy.'”
Indeed, the cause of sorrow is always the
absence of God in our lives. We become discouraged when God is not
present in our midst. Our hearts are made for God. When life is
lived without God, there is a vacuum in our hearts. That is why the
psalmist cried out, “As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for
you, O God.” (Ps 42:1)
Whether we admit it or not, our soul seeks union with God. When a soul
lives in sin, it knows that God is absent. We feel His absence when we
know that we are living immoral lives or lack integrity in our lives.
Knowing that we are not living a blameless life, we condemn ourselves being
hypocritical.
The other cause of sorrow is when we feel
quite alone in our struggles. This was the case of the
Israelites. They felt that they were alone and helpless against their
enemies. But God was with them! They did not have to go through all
this alone. The prophet assured them, “The Lord, the king of Israel, is in your
midst; you have no more evil to fear. The Lord your God is in your midst,
a victorious warrior.” God assured them of His love and presence.
Most of all, the Lord would be their warrior. He would be the One who
would rescue them from their enemies and help them to return from exile.
How, then, can we once again bring back
the presence of God into our lives? We need to welcome the Holy
Spirit. He is the presence of God. The gospel of Luke, which is the
gospel of the Holy Spirit, always associates joy with the coming of the Holy
Spirit. Mary was filled with joy because of the Holy Spirit overshadowing
her and the baby Jesus. She was filled with the Holy Spirit when she sang
the Magnificat. Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out with joy and
so did John the Baptist who leapt for joy. Anyone who is filled with the
presence of the Holy Spirit is filled with joy. This explains why those
who are prayed over for the awakening of the Holy Spirit often are overwhelmed
by the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit. Of course, the Holy
Spirit can come in many other ways as well, as illustrated in the
scriptures. Indeed, it is appropriate for us during this 7th Week of
Easter, as we prepare for the feast of Pentecost, to emphasize the importance
of the Holy Spirit and welcome Him as Mary did at the Upper Room.
One way of experiencing the peace and joy
of the Holy Spirit is in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Celebrating the
sacrament of reconciliation always releases the burden of years of guilt and
pain. Many of us, because of the fear of confession due to our
pride, carry these fears in our hearts, the fear of coming before God because
of our sins; and the fear of man because of shame. In the Magnificat Mary
warns us that God will bring down the mighty from their thrones.
Unfortunately, many are not making use of this most beautiful Sacrament given
by the Church. We take note that the peace of Easter given to the
apostles was followed by the power to forgive sins through the gift of the Holy
Spirit. “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are
forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (Jn 20:22f) Having
our sins forgiven is a necessary prerequisite to receiving the fullness of the
Holy Spirit, as the apostles remind us.
The second way to rediscover the presence
of God is forgiveness of our enemies. Many have no peace in their hearts
because they refuse to let go of those people who have hurt them. They
keep the pain caused by betrayals or harsh words buried deep in their
hearts. They cannot let go of their resentment and anger against those
who have humiliated them. Without letting our enemies go, we remain
prisoners of the past. Hence, we cannot find peace. Indeed, many
are not free and have no deep joy in their hearts simply because they did not
take heed of the words of St Paul, “Bless those who persecute you: never curse them,
bless them.” We must be ready to let go of our hurts and bless our
enemies if we are to overcome the hatred in our hearts. Forgiveness will
liberate us for the gift of the Holy Spirit. The lack of forgiveness
hinders us from receiving the fullness of the Holy Spirit because He is the
Gift of God’s love in person.
Thirdly, the Holy Spirit also comes to us
through acts of kindness and genuine love. St Paul says, “Treat everyone
with equal kindness; never be condescending but make real friends with the
poor.” That was what Mary did after the annunciation. Immediately,
filled with joy, she did not keep the joy within her. Rather, she brought
her joy to Elizabeth who was pregnant in her advanced age. Her
thoughtfulness came from the joy within her. In sharing that joy, her joy
doubled. St Paul urges us also to identify with those who are in need and
give them empathy and support, for by so doing, we share and partake in the joy
of the Holy Spirit. Again, St Paul exhorts us, “if any of the saints are
in need you must share with them; and you should make hospitality your special
care.” Through genuine hospitality and care, we bring the presence of God
to others.
Fourthly, from Mary, we learn the
importance of fraternal support from the community. Encountering the love
of God is always within and through the community. That is why St Paul
urges us to “Love each other as much as brothers should, and have a profound
respect for each other.” Mary could have kept to herself, but upon knowing
that her cousin needed help, she went out of the way to see her and stayed with
her for three months. Mary saw the need of community and that was why she
was with the apostles in the Upper Room, giving them encouragement and strength
when Jesus returned to the Father. Many Catholics miss out on the
presence of God because they do not have fellowship with their fellow
Catholics. They are alone in their faith, without any support. What they
must do is to reach out and find a community to which they can belong, not just
for social fellowship but one that can offer them spiritual support through
prayer and sharing of the Word of God.
Fifthly, from Mary, we learn that the way
to welcome the Holy Spirit is through expectant prayer. That was what
Mary did, together with the apostles. “All these were constantly devoting
themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of
Jesus, as well as his brothers.” (Acts 1:14). In the Magnificat,
she urges us to be receptive and docile to God through a spirit of
poverty. St Paul also urges us to pray often, especially in times of
trial, for this is where we can experience the power of the Holy Spirit helping
us. Mary did not simply pray, but she prayed with faith. This was
what Elizabeth said of her. “Yes, blessed is she who believed that the
promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.” So if we want to
receive the Holy Spirit, we need to pray with faith and with fervor.
Finally, the Holy Spirit is seen in and
through the mighty deeds of God. With Mary and the psalmist, we must sing
the Magnificat often in our lives. In praising and glorifying God, we
remember His presence in our lives. The psalmist urges us to “Make his
mighty deeds known to the peoples! Declare the greatness of his name.” Mary in
the Magnificat spontaneously gave thanks to God. “All generations will call me
blessed, for the Almighty has done great things for me.” In rendering thanks to
God and thanksgiving, we recount His goodness and mercy. By so doing, we
will not forget the presence and love of God in our lives. When our
prayers are only petitions, they become weak as they are based only on hope;
whereas in thanksgiving, our prayers are more certain as our hope is based on
the past actions of God. It is our hope that through our service to
others, we can bring the love of God to them.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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