20170608 LOVE IS THE WAY TO FIND LIFE
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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Tobit
6:10-11,7:1,9-14,8:4-9 ©
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Raphael and Tobit
entered Media and had nearly reached Ecbetana when Raphael said to the boy,
‘Brother Tobias.’ ‘Yes?’ he answered. The angel went on, ‘Tonight we shall be
staying with Raguel, who is a kinsman of yours. He has a daughter called Sarah,
but apart from Sarah he has no other son or daughter.’
As they
entered Ecbatana, Tobias said, ‘Brother Azarias, take me at once to our brother
Raguel’s.’ And he showed him the way to the house of Raguel, whom they found
sitting beside his courtyard door. They greeted him first, and he replied,
‘Welcome and greetings, brothers.’ And he took them into his house. He said to
his wife Edna, ‘How like my brother Tobit this young man is!’ Raguel killed a
sheep from the flock, and they gave them a warm-hearted welcome.
They
washed and bathed and sat down to table. Then Tobias said to Raphael, ‘Brother
Azarias, will you ask Raguel to give me my sister Sarah?’ Raguel overheard the
words, and said to the young man, ‘Eat and drink, and make the most of your evening;
no one else has the right to take my daughter Sarah – no one but you, my
brother. In any case I, for my own part, am not at liberty to give her to
anyone else, since you are her next of kin. However, my boy, I must be frank
with you: I have tried to find a husband for her seven times among our kinsmen,
and all of them have died the first evening, on going to her room. But for the
present, my boy, eat and drink; the Lord will grant you his grace and peace.’
Tobias spoke out, ‘I will not hear of eating and drinking till you have come to
a decision about me.’ Raguel answered, ‘Very well. Since, as prescribed by the
Book of Moses, she is given to you, heaven itself decrees she shall be yours. I
therefore entrust your sister to you. From now you are her brother and she is
your sister. She is given to you from today for ever. The Lord of heaven favour
you tonight, my child, and grant you his grace and peace.’ Raguel called for
his daughter Sarah, took her by the hand and gave her to Tobias with these
words, ‘I entrust her to you; the law and the ruling recorded in the Book of
Moses assign her to you as your wife. Take her; take her home to your father’s
house with a good conscience. The God of heaven grant you a good journey in
peace.’ Then he turned to her mother and asked her to fetch him writing paper.
He drew up the marriage contract, how he gave his daughter as bride to Tobias
according to the ordinance in the Law of Moses.
After
this they began to eat and drink. The parents, meanwhile, had gone out and shut
the door behind them. Tobias rose from the bed, and said to Sarah, ‘Get up, my
sister! You and I must pray and petition our Lord to win his grace and his
protection.’ She stood up, and they began praying for protection, and this was
how he began:
‘You are blessed, O
God of our fathers;
blessed, too, is your
name
for ever and ever.
Let the heavens bless
you
and all things you
have made
for evermore.
It was you who
created Adam,
you who created Eve
his wife
to be his help and
support;
and from these two
the human race was born.
It was you who said,
“It is not good that
the man should be alone;
let us make him a
helpmate like himself.”
And so I do not take
my sister
for any lustful
motive;
I do it in singleness
of heart.
Be kind enough to
have pity on her and on me
and bring us to old
age together.’
And together they
said, ‘Amen, Amen’, and lay down for the night.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm
127(128):1-5 ©
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O blessed are
those who fear the Lord.
O blessed are those
who fear the Lord
and walk
in his ways!
By the labour of your
hands you shall eat.
You will
be happy and prosper.
O blessed are
those who fear the Lord.
Your wife will be
like a fruitful vine
in the
heart of your house;
your children like
shoots of the olive,
around
your table.
O blessed are
those who fear the Lord.
Indeed thus shall be
blessed
the man
who fears the Lord.
May the Lord bless
you from Zion
all the
days of your life!
O blessed are
those who fear the Lord.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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cf.Jn6:63,68
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Your words are
spirit, Lord, and they are life;
you have the message
of eternal life.
Alleluia!
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Or
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cf.2Tim1:10
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Our Saviour Jesus
Christ abolished death
and he has proclaimed
life through the Good News.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Mark 12:28-34 ©
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One of the scribes
came up to Jesus and put a question to him, ‘Which is the first of all the
commandments?’ Jesus replied, ‘This is the first: Listen, Israel, the Lord our
God is the one Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. The second
is this: You must love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment
greater than these.’ The scribe said to him, ‘Well spoken, Master; what you
have said is true: that he is one and there is no other. To love him with all
your heart, with all your understanding and strength, and to love your
neighbour as yourself, this is far more important than any holocaust or
sacrifice.’ Jesus, seeing how wisely he had spoken, said, ‘You are not far from
the kingdom of God.’ And after that no one dared to question him any more.
LOVE IS
THE WAY TO FIND LIFE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [
TB 6:10-11;
7:1. 9-14; 8:4-9; PS 127:1-5; MK 12:28-34 ]
The gospel today gives us in a nutshell
what finding God is all about. Jesus, citing from the books of
Deuteronomy and Leviticus, told the scribe, “This is the first: Listen, Israel,
the Lord our God is the one Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all
your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your
strength. The second is this, you must love your neighbour as
yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” Truly, by bringing
these two commandments from Deuteronomy 6:5
and Leviticus 19:18,
Jesus gave us the heart of all the commandments. Even the scribe
perceived the wisdom of Jesus and readily agreed with Him, ‘Well spoken,
Master; what you have said is true: that he is one and there is no other.
To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and strength, and
to love your neighbour as yourself, this is far more important than any
holocaust or sacrifice.” Anyone who can live out these twin
commandments will find life. “Jesus seeing how wisely he had spoken,
said, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’”
This explains why these two commandments
are recited daily by every Jew. They take seriously the command of Moses
when he said, “Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at
home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind
them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and
write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Dt 6:7-9) The Shema
is the central prayer of the Jews. They are to be recited at least twice
a day, morning and evening. But this prayer should be the prayer for all
as well, regardless which religion we belong to, for the love of God and love
of man, including love of self must go together. St John wrote, “Those
who say, ‘I love God,’ and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for
those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God
whom they have not seen.” (1 Jn 4:20)
Within this context, we should look at
pain, suffering and apparent disadvantages in life. We can lament like
Sarah who was inflicted by the demon who killed all her seven husbands, one
after another, even before they could consummate the marriage. She was
distressed and wanted to hang herself, for she was humiliated and
misunderstood. We too are like her. We complain about our
limitations. We feel that we are not handsome or pretty enough. We
are less intelligent than others. For those of us who suffer from
physical disabilities or the lack of skills and talents, we feel that God is
not fair to us.
Yet, in truth, this is all within God’s
plan. What we have and what He has blessed us with is within the mystery
of God’s plan. Instead of grudging God and accusing Him of partiality and
lacking in love for us, we must, like Sarah and Tobias, confess to the mercy
and wisdom of God. Tobias taught Sarah that in all situations, we must
bless God. “Tobias said to Sarah, ‘Get up, my sister! you must pray and
petition our Lord to win His grace and His protection. ‘She stood up, and they
began praying for protection, and this was how he began: ‘You are blessed, O
God of our fathers; blessed, too, is your name for ever and ever. Let the
heavens bless you and all things you have made for evermore.’” In
whatever situation we are in, we too must bless God for He is the One who knows
what is best for us. This is what the psalmist says, “O blessed are those
who fear the Lord and walk in his ways! By the labour of your hands you
shall eat. You will be happy and prosper.” Job also said a similar thing,
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there;
the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the
name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21)
He did not blame God for his woes.
Secondly, we must realize that God gives
us talents and resources so that we can be of help to each other. Tobias
prayed, “It was you who created Adam, you who created Eve his wife to be his
help and support; and from these two the human race was born. It was you who
said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; let us make him a helpmate
like himself.’” What is true about man and woman, it is true in all
circumstances. No man is an island. We are called to help each
other. Just as the angel Raphael came to heal Tobit of his blindness and
Sarah of the oppression of the Demon, so too we are called to help each other
in small and big things. The angel Raphael also revealed to Tobit why the
Lord came to heal him and help Sarah. It was because he passed the test
of charity. “And that time when you did not hesitate to get up and leave
your dinner to go and bury the dead, I was sent to you to test you. And at
the same time God sent me to heal you and Sarah your daughter-in-law.” (Tobit 12:13f)
Indeed, we are called to be happy
regardless of our circumstances and state of life. Happiness is not a
matter of how much we have, how healthy we are or even who we are.
Happiness is a matter of the heart and mind. When we are loved and when
we love, we feel happy, fulfilled and become truly human. Success and achievements
can make us feel great but not necessarily happy. It is only when we are
capable of love and being loved that we are healed and become holistic.
Indeed, people can be rich and healthy but yet are full of misery, anger,
discontentment and bitterness. They have everything except peace, love and
joy. That is why when we care for others and when we allow others
to care for us, our joys and happiness are doubled. Those who share their
talents find meaning and purpose in life. Those who are lacking, feel
loved when they receive. By receiving everything with love and gratitude, they
impart a joy to the givers; something that they cannot buy or find with money
and worldly success. So whether we are rich or poor, physically mobile or
limited, intelligent or average, we all need each other to be happy. We
complement each other. No one is greater or lesser because without the
other, we cannot find fulfillment and completeness. Hence, God is fair
because He makes it possible for all to be happy and fulfilled, provided we use
what He has blessed us with to bless each other. We are called to help
each other to find God through our love and compassion for each other.
A case in point is the Asia Pacific
Summer Camp for Disabled Youth, which is taking place in Singapore today.
This is an occasion for all to celebrate and enjoy love. It is hoped that
through the comradery displayed at this event, there will be a greater
experience of God’s love through human care and concern. With the
tender loving and attentive care of the organizers and helpers, we hope that
they will come to believe in the reality of love; and that God’s love exist in
our brothers and sisters in spite of our sinfulness and limitations.
Through infectious laughter, fun, love, sharing and inclusivity of all, we
become one family of God and humanity. This is what this camp hopes to
achieve so that all feel that they are special and loved by God.
Hence, in our service to them, our love
must be sincere. It cannot be condescending. We should be reaching
out to them, not out of guilt or from a sense of superiority but out of
gratitude to God who has blessed us with resources and time to bless
others. In the process, we too encounter God and His love. That was
how Tobias prayed, “And so I do not take my sister for any lustful motive; I do
it in singleness of heart.” When we love and care for them sincerely
because they are God’s children and we are their brothers and sisters, then
miracles will happen. They will leave this camp transformed, more
confident and better able to handle challenges in their life and develop a
stronger will to live. The caregivers and organizers will also feel the love
and joy of God in caring for them. Even those who are helping out in this
camp will carry away with them the joy of encountering the lovely youths who,
in spite of their constraints, can still be happy, lovable and determined to
make the best of their abilities. In this way, we can truly say we have
found God because we love God, our neighbors and ourselves.
Written by The Most
Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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