20170619
TALL ORDER
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
|
First reading
|
|
2 Corinthians 6:1-10 ©
|
As his fellow workers, we beg you once again not to neglect the
grace of God that you have received. For he says: At the favourable
time, I have listened to you; on the day of salvation I came to your help. Well,
now is the favourable time; this is the day of salvation.
We do
nothing that people might object to, so as not to bring discredit on our
function as God’s servants. Instead, we prove we are servants of God by great
fortitude in times of suffering: in times of hardship and distress; when we are
flogged, or sent to prison, or mobbed; labouring, sleepless, starving. We prove
we are God’s servants by our purity, knowledge, patience and kindness; by a
spirit of holiness, by a love free from affectation; by the word of truth and
by the power of God; by being armed with the weapons of righteousness in the
right hand and in the left, prepared for honour or disgrace, for blame or
praise; taken for impostors while we are genuine; obscure yet famous; said to
be dying and here are we alive; rumoured to be executed before we are
sentenced; thought most miserable and yet we are always rejoicing; taken for
paupers though we make others rich, for people having nothing though we have
everything.
|
Responsorial Psalm
|
|
Psalm 97(98):1-4 ©
|
The Lord has made known his salvation.
Sing a new song to the Lord
for he has worked wonders.
His right hand and his holy arm
have brought salvation.
The Lord has made known his salvation.
The Lord has made known his salvation;
has shown his justice to the nations.
He has remembered his truth and love
for the house of Israel.
The Lord has made known his salvation.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
Shout to the Lord, all the earth,
ring out your joy.
The Lord has made known his salvation.
|
Gospel Acclamation
|
Jn14:23
|
Alleluia, alleluia!
If anyone loves me he will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him.
Alleluia!
|
Or
|
Ps118:105
|
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your word is a lamp for my steps
and a light for my path.
Alleluia!
|
Gospel
|
Matthew 5:38-42 ©
|
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You have learnt how it was said: Eye
for eye and tooth for tooth. But I say this to you: offer the wicked
man no resistance. On the contrary, if anyone hits you on the right cheek,
offer him the other as well; if a man takes you to law and would have your
tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone orders you to go one
mile, go two miles with him. Give to anyone who asks, and if anyone wants to
borrow, do not turn away.’
TALL ORDER
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ 2 Cor 6:1-10; Ps 98:1-4; Mt 5:38-42 ]
St Paul in
the first reading reminds us that we are all God’s fellow workers in His
vineyard, regardless what vocation we have in life. By virtue of our baptism,
which is our common vocation and calling, all of us have received the grace of
God. Yet, there is a real danger as St Paul urges us, “not to neglect the
grace of God that you have received.” Unfortunately, many of us take the
graces and blessings of God for granted. We forget that whatever the Lord
has blessed us with; they are for the service of His kingdom and His
people. Regardless whether we are teachers, doctors, priests,
entrepreneurs or government servants, we are called to use our talents and
resources to build up the people of God.
The reality
is that many of us are counter-witnesses to our faith. If many have left the
Church or do not join the Church, it is because we are not only not witnessing
to Christ but worse of all, we are a scandal to non-believers and fellow
Catholics. That is why St Paul reminds us that we should “do nothing that
people might object to, so as not to bring discredit on our function as God’s
servants.” Indeed, many Catholics have left the Church because of the
scandalous and contradictory lifestyle and unbecoming conduct of priests and
religious. Lay leaders, ministry members and Church members are not
exonerated. Many are shocked and disgusted with how some active Church
members behave towards their fellow Catholics; they are rude, arrogant, insensitive
and always seeking glory and recognition, thinking about themselves more than
others.
It is one
thing to call ourselves the servants of God and another thing to be one. Many of us do not reflect
the compassionate love and mercy of Christ. Many of us
call our spouse, our better half, but it is just empty words because if we
really see them as our better half, we will always defer to our spouse. So too,
many call themselves parents but they are more like disciplinary masters or
financial controllers as they are totally disconnected with the lives of their
children. Some call themselves doctors but they do not put the saving of
life above all other considerations. Teachers are supposed to teach what
is right, true and good but they impart the wrong messages to those under their
care.
The scripture
readings today provide us the high expectations required of God’s
servants. There are so many, as enumerated by St Paul. So I would just
single out a few for our consideration in today’s reflection. Among
these attributes, the first is that we must have a heart of compassion. Jesus
taught us, “If anyone orders you to go one mile, go two miles with him.
Give to anyone who asks, and if anyone wants to borrow, do not turn
away.” St Paul wrote, “We prove we are God’s servants by our purity,
knowledge, patience and kindness.” Compassion for our brothers and
sisters means that we need to be identified with them in their aspirations,
struggles, joys and sorrows. It is from a spirit of compassion that our hearts
are open to others.
Secondly,
there must be generosity of heart. This is the basic requirement for anyone who wants to serve
God, whether as priests, religious or in Church ministry or NGO helping the
poor and the marginalized. This generosity to serve, to give and to help is a
pre-requisite. If someone is not capable of generosity, he cannot be a
servant of God. No matter how talented he might be, or passionate about
what he or she is doing, without generosity of heart, he would end up serving
himself, not the people. It is about himself, not others.
Thirdly, a
servant of God must have a spirit of equanimity and detachment. In other words, he sees
everything from the perspective of love. Things and possessions are only
means by which we can help others. They are not the ends
themselves. Whatever we have, we should not be not attached to
them. However, it does not mean that we be irresponsible with the gifts
God has given to us. We are merely stewards of God’s grace and
blessings. If we can use them for the good and service of others, then we
are ready to part with our resources. This is what St Paul meant when he
wrote, “prepared for honour or disgrace, for blame or praise; taken for
impostors while we are genuine; obscure yet famous; said to be dying and here
are we alive; rumoured to be executed before we are sentenced.” A servant
of God is truly free only when he has a disinterested spirit with respect to
things, resources, glory and honor. A person who is free from attachment to
things is always joyful. This is why St Paul could say that we are
“thought most miserable and yet we are always rejoicing; taken for paupers
though we make others rich, for people having nothing though we have
everything.”
Fourthly, a
servant of God must exercise “a love free from affection.” In other
words, our love is unconditional. Romance and love for friends
and our loved ones, whilst good, is mutual. It is not the highest form of
love because we receive as much as we give. It is still a pagan love because
we love those who love us. But if we are servants of God, we are called
to serve all peoples, regardless who they are. Like public and government
servants, they are called to serve all regardless of race, language and
religion. To love without affection means to love without attachment and
expectation of reward. This is the highest form of love because it is
“agape”, the love of God, given to all. How many times have we been shown
love and helped by strangers whom we would never be able to reciprocate or
thank? Such unconditional love makes the gift even more precious because
we know that it was given to us without any strings attached. It is pure
love.
Fifthly, a
servant of God must live “by the word of truth and by the power of God; by
being armed with the weapons of righteousness.” He must be a man of
integrity, live a just life and be fair to his fellowmen. He stands up
for the truth and he is not afraid to do the right thing, not the popular
thing. A leader who lacks impartiality, honesty and justice cannot be
credible. A true leader embraces all and does not practice favoritism
and, least of all, do things to favor his own kind or for his personal
interests and gain.
To do all
these, we need the one virtue that will make us outstanding servants of God,
namely, fortitude. All the virtues mentioned are good but often we do not
persevere, especially when we are persecuted, misunderstood, criticized or
wrongly accused. We give up serving and doing good simply because some
people criticized our work. We hear only negative voices that dampen our
spirit and our resolve to get things done. St Paul showed his valor when
he said, “We prove we are servants of God by great fortitude in times of
suffering: in times of hardship and distress; when we are flogged, or
sent to prison, or mobbed; labouring, sleepless, starving.” Leaders
must be willing to suffer for what is right and good even when grossly
misunderstood. If we are clear about our service and are free from
personal gain or interests, we need not react to the negative criticisms and
slanders of others. Most likely, the reason is because what we are doing
affects their personal interests. That is why we must always serve with
“purity, knowledge, patience and kindness.” When we have nothing to
profit from our service, there is nothing for us to defend. This explains
why Jesus could ask of us, “offer the wicked man no resistance. On the
contrary, if anyone hits you on the right cheek, offer him the other as well;
if a man takes you to law and would have your tunic, let him have your cloak as
well.” One who is pure in service does not react to opposition but simply
keeps his focus on his mission and vision. He keeps his head above those
who oppose him simply because he has nothing to lose.
Indeed, at
the end of the day, as servants of God, we must not think that it is in our
power to live this kind of life or to do the things we want to do. Servants must allow
their master to bring about what they have been told to do. It will be
the power of the master that makes things happen. We are only servants
and his instruments. So like St Paul, we do not rely on ourselves to be
worthy servants of God, but we rely on His grace which is promised to us.
“For he says: At the favourable time, I have listened to you; on the day
of salvation I came to your help. Well, now is the favourable time; this
is the day of salvation.” Again St Paul reminds us to live “by the word
of truth and by the power of God.” The psalmist declares; “Sing a new
song to the Lord for he has worked wonders. His right hand and his holy arm
have brought salvation. The Lord has made known his salvation; has shown his
justice to the nations. He has remembered his truth and love for the house of
Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.” It
is the work of God, not the work of man! As St Paul says, “If I must
boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.’ (2 Cor 11:30)
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment