20170819
RENEWING OUR COMMITMENT TO THE LORD AND HIS
PEOPLE
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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Joshua 24:14-29 ©
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Joshua said to all the people, ‘Fear the Lord and serve him
perfectly and sincerely; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond
the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if you will not serve the Lord,
choose today whom you wish to serve, whether the gods that your ancestors
served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are now
living. As for me and my House, we will serve the Lord.’
The people
answered, ‘We have no intention of deserting the Lord and serving other gods!
Was it not the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors out of the land of
Egypt, the house of slavery, who worked those great wonders before our eyes and
preserved us all along the way we travelled and among all the peoples through
whom we journeyed? What is more, the Lord drove all those peoples out before
us, as well as the Amorites who used to live in this country. We too will serve
the Lord, for he is our God.’
Then Joshua
said to the people, ‘You cannot serve the Lord, because he is a holy God, he is
a jealous God who will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. If you
desert the Lord to follow alien gods he in turn will afflict and destroy you
after the goodness he has shown you.’ The people answered Joshua, ‘No; it is
the Lord we wish to serve.’ Then Joshua said to the people, ‘You are witnesses
against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.’ They answered,
‘We are witnesses.’ ‘Then cast away the alien gods among you and give your
hearts to the Lord the God of Israel!’ The people answered Joshua, ‘It is the
Lord our God we choose to serve; it is his voice that we will obey.’
That day,
Joshua made a covenant for the people; he laid down a statute and ordinance for
them at Shechem. Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. Then
he took a great stone and set it up there, under the oak in the sanctuary of
the Lord, and Joshua said to all the people, ‘See! This stone shall be a
witness against us because it has heard all the words that the Lord has spoken
to us: it shall be a witness against you in case you deny your God.’ Then
Joshua sent the people away, and each returned to his own inheritance.
After these
things Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died; he was a hundred and
ten years old.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 15(16):1-2,5,7-8,11 ©
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You are my inheritance, O Lord.
Preserve me, God, I take refuge in you.
I say to the Lord: ‘You are my God.’
O Lord, it is you who are my portion and cup;
it is you yourself who are my prize.
You are my inheritance, O Lord.
I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel,
who even at night directs my heart.
I keep the Lord ever in my sight:
since he is at my right hand, I shall stand firm.
You are my inheritance, O Lord.
You will show me the path of life,
the fullness of joy in your presence,
at your right hand happiness for ever.
You are my inheritance, O Lord.
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Gospel Acclamation
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cf.Col3:16a,17
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Let the message of Christ, in all its richness,
find a home with you;
through him give thanks to God the Father.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Mt11:25
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed are you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth,
for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom
to mere children.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 19:13-15 ©
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People brought little children to Jesus, for him to lay his hands
on them and say a prayer. The disciples turned them away, but Jesus said, ‘Let
the little children alone, and do not stop them coming to me; for it is to such
as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.’ Then he laid his hands on them
and went on his way.
RENEWING OUR COMMITMENT TO THE LORD AND HIS PEOPLE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ Jos 24:14-29; Ps 16:1-2,5,7-8,11; Mt 19:13-15 ]
Today, it is
difficult to find people who are committed to their vocation in life or the
work they do. This is particularly true of relationships. Marriage is no
longer a lifelong commitment. People marry with great skepticism that the
marriage would last. What is true of marriage is also true of
vocation. The number of priests and religious leaving the ministry is
increasing each day. Some leave just a couple of years after their
ordination. Even those who stay are doing so for security reasons as they
have lost their zeal in serving the Lord and His people. This is even
truer of jobs. Very seldom do we have a worker who is loyal to the
company for life. The moment they find a better job, they leave.
Joshua who
led the people into the Promised Land was fully aware of the temptations ahead
of them. Upon
settling down in the land of Canaan, they would become rich and influenced by
the Canaanite culture and religion. In the desert, they had nothing and
no one to rely on except God alone. But once they have settled down in
the Promised Land, they would be able to plant their own crops and be
self-sufficient. For this reason, Joshua felt the need to have the people
reaffirm their commitment to the Lord. They were asked to renew their
decision to follow the Lord with all their heart.
Today, we too
are called to renew our commitment to the Lord. This commitment could
be our priestly or marriage promises or religious vows. This is
particularly relevant especially when we celebrate our anniversary. It is
an occasion to renew our promises and vows to the vocation that we have
chosen. What does it take to renew our commitment to the Lord and
His people?
Firstly, we
need to put away our false gods. If the Lord is our God, then we must destroy in us what
makes us worship the alien gods in our lives. It means that we put away
every form of idolatry, such as pride, insecurity, greed, jealousy, and the
vain pursuits of the world. Instead of listening to the world, we
listen only to the Lord. “Joshua said to all the people: ‘Fear the Lord
and serve him perfectly and sincerely; put away the gods that your ancestors
served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if you will not
serve the Lord, choose today whom you wish to serve, whether the gods that your
ancestors served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land
you are now living.” Indeed, we need to examine how much we have
strayed from the living God. The truth is that many of us say “yes” to
God, but along the way, like the Israelites, we turn away from the living God
because we are attracted by the illusions of the world, power, glory and
materialism.
Secondly, we
need to encounter the Lord’s mercy and power. We cannot commit ourselves
to the Lord unless we know that He is indeed the Lord. The decision to
commit themsleves to the God of Israel was not just based on blind faith.
On the contrary, they had seen the powers and mercy of God. “The people
answered, ‘We have no intention of deserting the Lord and serving other gods!
Was it not the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors out of the land of
Egypt, the house of slavery, who worked those great wonders before our eyes and
preserved us all along the way we travelled and among all the peoples through
whom we journeyed? What is more, the Lord drove all those people out before us,
as well as the Amorites who used to live in this country. We too will serve the
Lord, for he is our God.’” The strength of our commitment to serve the
Lord is affected by how we see the Lord at work in our lives, in our vocation,
in our marriage and in our commitment. When we see that what we are doing
with the help of His grace is bringing fruits to those for whom we are
laboring, that gives us the impetus to do even more and to trust Him more.
Thirdly, we
need exemplary models like Joshua. If there is a lack of commitment in vocation and
relationships, it is because we have poor mentors. Many of us join
the priestly and religious vocation because we have observed the good mentors
before us who gave up their lives to serve God and His people. It is the same
for marriages as well. But today, we lack mentors who live up to their
commitment with fidelity, joy and passion. Joshua, the leader of Israel,
led not by using power over the people but by his own example. With
conviction, he unwaveringly declared, “As for me and my House, we serve the
Lord.” Regardless of what the others might choose, Joshua was
definite about his choice, which was to serve the Lord. This decision he
made was not just a verbal decision but one that he lived out for the rest of
his life.
Fourthly, we
must consider the implications of our choice. Joshua reminded the people
of their decision. He said, “You cannot serve the Lord, because he is a
holy God, he is a jealous God who will not forgive your transgressions or your
sins. If you desert the Lord to follow alien gods he in turn will afflict and
destroy you after the goodness he has shown you.” It is not enough
simply to say “yes” without thinking of the implications. Getting married
is easy, staying married is difficult. Indeed, there are serious implications
when those who take promises and vows do not live up to them. This is
true of priests, religious and married people, or those appointed for
leadership. What we do does not only affect us but the community whom we
are called to serve. So the failure to live up to our commitment will not
only hurt us but hurt everyone as well.
In the light
of these challenges, how then can we live up to our promises and commitments
knowing how difficult it is? We must give our whole heart to the
Lord. “Joshua
said to the people, ‘You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen
the Lord, to serve him.’ They answered, ‘We are witnesses.’ ‘Then cast away the
alien gods among you and give your hearts to the Lord the God of Israel!’ The
people answered Joshua, ‘It is the Lord our God we choose to serve; it is his
voice that we obey.’” To give our whole heart to the Lord means that we
will obey His will in all that we do. It means that we will do everything
for the love of Him and the glory of His name. Is the Lord the center of
our lives? Do we pledge total allegiance to Him above all things and
persons? The strength of our commitment and surrender will determine how
much we will be faithful to Him.
Like the
psalmist, we must be able to declare that the Lord is our portion. “You are my
inheritance, O Lord. Preserve me, God, I take refuge in you. I say to the Lord:
‘You are my God.’ O Lord, it is you who are my portion and cup; it is you
yourself who are my prize. I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel, who even
at night directs my heart. I keep the Lord ever in my sight: since he is
at my right hand, I shall stand firm. You will show me the path of life, the
fullness of joy in your presence, at your right hand happiness for ever.”
Unless God is our inheritance and not the world, we cannot give ourselves
utterly to our commitment.
In the final
analysis, we must surrender in faith like a child to enter the Kingdom of God. When the disciples
wanted to turn away the little ones from coming to Him for a blessing, Jesus
said, “Let the little children alone, and do not stop them coming to me; for it
is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” With a childlike
faith, we are called to surrender our lives to the Lord and to our heavenly Father.
Only those who have experienced the Fatherly love of God can surrender in trust
to Him. Children trust in their parents and elders because they feel
loved and protected. Otherwise, they become suspicious of people,
especially those in authority, if they have been abused or taken advantage of.
For this reason, we are called to have a special care for the young
because how they are formed, guided and mentored in love will affect their
ability to make their own commitments to God and their vocation in future.
If they have proper fatherly love and care, they would be able to be more
stable in relationships and commitments. Fatherly love on earth will help
them to encounter the heavenly Father’s love for them in Christ Jesus.
Finally, let
us remember our commitment to the Lord through the external sign, such as a
wedding ring or a religious ring. We need these external signs and ceremonies to keep our
faith and promises alive. Renewal of our commitment through the
celebration of anniversaries are great moments to review and thank God for His
commitment to us. That was why, Joshua renewed the covenant by setting up
a stone or an altar. “He took a great stone and set it up there, under the oak
in the sanctuary of the Lord, and Joshua said to all the people, ‘See! This
stone shall be a witness against us because it has heard all the words that the
Lord has spoken to us: it shall be a witness against you in case you deny your
God.’”
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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