20170616
EARTHENWARE VESSELS HOLDING THE TREASURE OF
GOD
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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2 Corinthians 4:7-15 ©
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We are only the earthenware jars that hold this treasure, to make
it clear that such an overwhelming power comes from God and not from us. We are
in difficulties on all sides, but never cornered; we see no answer to our
problems, but never despair; we have been persecuted, but never deserted;
knocked down, but never killed; always, wherever we may be, we carry with us in
our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus, too, may always be seen
in our body. Indeed, while we are still alive, we are consigned to our death
every day, for the sake of Jesus, so that in our mortal flesh the life of
Jesus, too, may be openly shown. So death is at work in us, but life in you.
But as we
have the same spirit of faith that is mentioned in scripture – I
believed, and therefore I spoke – we too believe and therefore we too
speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus to life will raise us with
Jesus in our turn, and put us by his side and you with us. You see, all this is
for your benefit, so that the more grace is multiplied among people, the more
thanksgiving there will be, to the glory of God.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 115(116):10-11,15-18 ©
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A thanksgiving sacrifice I make to you, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
I trusted, even when I said:
‘I am sorely afflicted,’
and when I said in my alarm:
‘No man can be trusted.’
A thanksgiving sacrifice I make to you, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
O precious in the eyes of the Lord
is the death of his faithful.
Your servant, Lord, your servant am I;
you have loosened my bonds.
A thanksgiving sacrifice I make to you, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
A thanksgiving sacrifice I make;
I will call on the Lord’s name.
My vows to the Lord I will fulfil
before all his people.
A thanksgiving sacrifice I make to you, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
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Gospel Acclamation
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Jn10:27
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,
says the Lord,
I know them and they follow me.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Ph2:15-16
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Alleluia, alleluia!
You will shine in the world like bright stars
because you are offering it the word of life.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 5:27-32 ©
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Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You have learnt how it was said: You
must not commit adultery. But I say this to you: if a man looks at a
woman lustfully, he has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If
your right eye should cause you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; for it
will do you less harm to lose one part of you than to have your whole body
thrown into hell. And if your right hand should cause you to sin, cut it off
and throw it away; for it will do you less harm to lose one part of you than to
have your whole body go to hell.
‘It has also
been said: Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a writ of
dismissal. But I say this to you: everyone who divorces his wife,
except for the case of fornication, makes her an adulteress; and anyone who
marries a divorced woman commits adultery.’
EARTHENWARE VESSELS HOLDING THE TREASURE OF GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ 2 Cor 4:7-15; Ps 116:10-11,15-18; Mt 5:27-32]
Man is a
complex being. He is a paradox to himself. As a creature he
is weak. He experiences his finiteness and limitations. He is very
fragile physically, psychologically and emotionally. Just a sickness or
some pain can upset his whole life. He could die anytime. Psychologically
and emotionally, he is susceptible to what people think and say of him.
His self-confidence is much influenced by how others perceive him. He is
worried about his future. He is afraid of pain, suffering and
death. As a result, he competes and defends his own interests. Man
is self-preservative. Each one of us has a built-in defense
mechanism. We know we are sinners. We are selfish, proud and
greedy.
Yet man’s
potential is unimaginable. Although finite, he has possibilities beyond human
imagination. This is because he is not only made of matter but he has a
spirit. He is able to think, to imagine and to change the
environment. He is aware that he is called to co-create with God and be
stewards of this earth. He is created in God’s image and likeness.
Most of all, in spite of his desire to protect himself, he is capable of love
and is able to go beyond himself. This explains why we are earthen
vessels holding the treasure of God. We are merely human beings but we
are called to share in the life and the power of God without becoming gods
ourselves.
The question
is, how do we use our potentials and make sense of our weaknesses? For
those of us who are intelligent and talented, there is a danger of falling into
pride. We tend to rely on ourselves and give ourselves credit for what we
do. We think highly of our achievements. We begin to glorify ourselves.
The sin of pride is the cause of the downfall of many. And when we fail,
we fall into despair.
On the other
hand, those who are weak can fall into low-self esteem. They feel that they are not
good enough. They become negative of themselves and of others. They
feel easily rejected and unloved. They become a source of trouble to
others. When we are negative towards ourselves, we cannot think of
others. A person who is insecure and suffers from low self-esteem is more
concerned about what others think of him and his performance than how
effectively he is reaching out to those whom he is serving. Only
those who are secure can focus fully on those whom they are called to minister.
How can we
best harness the strength that comes from our weaknesses and avoid the pitfalls
of pride? We
need to allow God to work in and through us. God allows us to
experience our finiteness so that we will never think too highly of
ourselves. Such inadequacies should not discourage us. Rather, they
keep us humble in service. Indeed, our sinfulness and weaknesses teach us
compassion. Through our struggles we learn to help others, especially
when we have overcome them ourselves. St Paul in 2 Cor 1:3-7 says
that it is through the mercy and consolation which we have received from Jesus
that we are called to give mercy to others. This is what we mean
when we say Jesus carries our sins in His body.
We too must
carry the death of Jesus in us. In other words, we must continue to die to
ourselves. We must accept our human weaknesses and
limitations. We must surrender ourselves entirely to the power of God at work
in us as Jesus did on the cross when He surrendered His mission to the
Father. Only when we die to ourselves and allow God to work in us, will
God then take over. To carry the death of Jesus in us is to rely
only on His grace alone. After we have done all that can, we must
surrender ourselves to His grace and power. We must rest on the primacy
of grace. Indeed, like St Paul, we can also say, “we are in difficulties
on all sides, but never cornered; we see no answer to our problems, but never
despair; we have been persecuted, but never deserted; knocked down, but never
killed.”
The greatness
of God is seen when people see how God works in us, not how well or how capable
we are. When they know that we could not have accomplished what we did by our own
strength and yet have done it, they will give glory to God, just as Mary
said in the Magnificat, “For He has done great things for me. Holy is His
name.” We have nothing to boast of ourselves except the power of
God. Again this is what St Paul said, “You see, all this is for your
benefit, so that the more grace is multiplied among people, the more
thanksgiving there will be to the glory of God.”
In this way,
our life can be a thanksgiving. Unless we have experienced the liberating power of God’s love,
we cannot offer ourselves as a thanksgiving sacrifice. “I trusted, even
when I said: ‘I am sorely afflicted,’ and when I said in my alarm: ‘No man can
be trusted.’ O precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his
faithful. Your servant, Lord, your servant am I; you have loosened my
bonds.”
How can our
life be a thanksgiving? We must now glorify Him with our lives. This was what Jesus
prayed in His priestly prayer when He asked the Father to glorify Him.
Jesus spent His whole life glorifying the Father by doing His will, manifesting
His love, mercy and compassion by His words and works and, most of all, by His
passion, death and resurrection. We too must glorify Him in all that we
say and do. Jesus said, “In the same way, let your light shine before
others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in
heaven.” (Mt 5:16).
Hence, we
must constantly seek to purify our love for God and for our fellowmen. In the gospel, Jesus
speaks of this purity of love. “You have learnt how it was said: You must
not commit adultery. But I say this to you: if a man looks at a woman
lustfully, he has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
In other words, it is not enough not to commit adultery. Even the wrong
intention itself is already a sin because sin is already conceived in our
hearts and waiting to give birth to action. So we need to purify our love
for God and for the service of our brothers and sisters. It is the
purity of motive that will empower us in love.
Secondly, we
must avoid harming ourselves. “If your right eye should cause you to sin, tear it out and
throw it away; for it will do you less harm to lose one part of you than to
have your whole body thrown into hell. And if your right hand should
cause you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; for it will do you less harm to
lose one part of you than to have your whole body go to hell.” Consider
what is preventing us from allowing God to shine through our lives.
We must avoid the occasion of sin so that we will not be tempted into sin. To
avoid the occasion of sin, we must think through the implications of our sins
and the consequences. In the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius, one of
the exercises is contemplation of hell. What is the purpose of this
exercise? It is to consider the consequences of our sins for ourselves
and for others. Knowing the consequences, it prevents us from falling
into sin.
Thirdly, we
must not cause others to sin because we will hurt ourselves as well. Jesus said,
“Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a writ of dismissal. But I
say this to you: everyone who divorces his wife, except for the case of
fornication, makes her an adulteress; and anyone who marries a divorced women
commits adultery.” The best way to protect ourselves is to protect
others. When we hurt others, they will hurt us. When we make
them angry they will be vindictive. In their desire to seek revenge, they
will hurt us. Causing others to sin because of our weaknesses and our
selfishness will not only hurt our loved ones but ourselves as well.
Hence, the
key to loving others is that we must love ourselves. To love ourselves
properly we must take care of ourselves. We need to be faithful to our
prayers and our intimacy with the Lord. Basking ourselves in the Lord’s
love is what will give us strength and consolation. Unless, we spend
quiet time with the Lord, contemplating on His love and on our lives, we will
not be able to discern the will of God in all that we do. When we do not
make time for ourselves, we will eventually suffer burnt-out. We must
also ensure that we have sufficient rest, recreation and exercise. We
need to have a proper schedule for the day. We need to plan our days well
so that we will not waste time unnecessarily. If we do not plan our
time-table for the day, others will plan it for us. If we have no
program, then others will dictate our program. Those who cannot say “no”
are those without a program because they are waiting for their empty slots to
be taken up.
All these are
possible if only we have a real encounter with the Risen Lord. St Paul wrote, “But as
we have the same spirit of faith that is mentioned in scripture – I believed,
and therefore I spoke – we too believe and therefore we too speak, knowing that
he who raised the Lord Jesus to life will raise us with Jesus in our turn, and
put us by his side and you with us.” Our faith in God’s power is founded on the
resurrection. With the resurrection, nothing is impossible. (2 Cor 1:8-10)
It was St Paul’s faith in the power of the resurrection that freed him from the
fear of death and failures.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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