20171025
LETTING CHRIST BE THE MASTER OF OUR LIVES
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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Romans 6:12-18 ©
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You must not let sin reign in your mortal bodies or command your
obedience to bodily passions, you must not let any part of your body turn into
an unholy weapon fighting on the side of sin; you should, instead, offer
yourselves to God, and consider yourselves dead men brought back to life; you
should make every part of your body into a weapon fighting on the side of God;
and then sin will no longer dominate your life, since you are living by grace
and not by law.
Does the
fact that we are living by grace and not by law mean that we are free to sin?
Of course not. You know that if you agree to serve and obey a master you become
his slaves. You cannot be slaves of sin that leads to death and at the same
time slaves of obedience that leads to righteousness. You were once slaves of
sin, but thank God you submitted without reservation to the creed you were
taught. You may have been freed from the slavery of sin, but only to become
‘slaves’ of righteousness.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 123(124) ©
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Our help is in the name of the Lord.
‘If the Lord had not been on our side,’
this is Israel’s song.
‘If the Lord had not been on our side
when men rose up against us,
then would they have swallowed us alive
when their anger was kindled.
Our help is in the name of the Lord.
‘Then would the waters have engulfed us,
the torrent gone over us;
over our head would have swept
the raging waters.’
Blessed be the Lord who did not give us
a prey to their teeth!
Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Our life, like a bird, has escaped
from the snare of the fowler.
Indeed the snare has been broken
and we have escaped.
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
Our help is in the name of the Lord.
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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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Mt24:42,44
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Stay awake and stand ready,
because you do not know the hour
when the Son of Man is coming.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 12:39-48 ©
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Jesus said to his disciples:
‘You may be
quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what hour the burglar
would come, he would not have let anyone break through the wall of his house.
You too must stand ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do
not expect.’
Peter said,
‘Lord, do you mean this parable for us, or for everyone?’ The Lord replied,
‘What sort of steward, then, is faithful and wise enough for the master to
place him over his household to give them their allowance of food at the proper
time? Happy that servant if his master’s arrival finds him at this employment.
I tell you truly, he will place him over everything he owns. But as for the
servant who says to himself, “My master is taking his time coming,” and sets
about beating the menservants and the maids, and eating and drinking and
getting drunk, his master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour
he does not know. The master will cut him off and send him to the same fate as
the unfaithful.
The servant
who knows what his master wants, but has not even started to carry out those
wishes, will receive very many strokes of the lash. The one who did not know,
but deserves to be beaten for what he has done, will receive fewer strokes.
When a man has had a great deal given him, a great deal will be demanded of
him; when a man has had a great deal given him on trust, even more will be
expected of him.’
LETTING CHRIST BE THE MASTER OF OUR LIVES
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ Rom 6:12-18; Ps 124:1-8; Lk 12:39-48 ]
Who is our
master? The truth is that none of us are our own master. We
are all servants of a higher authority. Whoever controls us, we are at
their service. Are we ruled by sin? Many in the
world claim to be free to do whatever they want. What they call
freedom is slavery to their passions, desires and to sin. When we are
under addiction and have no power to determine for ourselves what is good, we
are under the domain of sin. The fact that we have no power to choose to
do good but instead succumb to evil means that sin rules our lives. That
is why St Paul urges us, “You must not let sin reign in your mortal bodies or
command your obedience to bodily passions, you must not let any part of your
body turn into an unholy weapon fighting on the side of sin.” Instead of
using our body for good, we use it for sin. We are like that
irresponsible servant in today’s gospel who said to himself, “’My master is
taking his time coming’, and sets about beating the menservants and the maids
and eating and drinking and getting drunk.”
Some of us
are ruled not by sin directly but by the law. They are no better than
those who are ruled by sin. These people apparently live by the law.
They observe the laws and are proud that they are faithful to the law.
They become proud and self-righteous and despise those who break the law.
They are alienated from others and live in a world of their own. Their
superiority complex cuts them off from the rest of humanity. They are
truly the new Pharisees of the day, since the word “Pharisee” means to be
“different from the rest.”
But whether
we are ruled by sin or by the law, we cannot find true happiness in life. When we live under the
bondage of sin, we cannot find true joy or freedom. Both bring death.
“Now the works of the flesh are plain: immorality, impurity,
licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger,
selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the
like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall
not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Gal 5:19-21)
But if we are ruled by the law, we also find that there is a deep hostility
against God and we find life miserable and burdensome. “For all who rely
on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed be everyone
who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, and do them.’”
(Gal 3:10)
The question
is, are we servants of sin, of the law or of Christ? St Paul asked, “Does the
fact that we are living by grace and not by law mean that we are free to sin?
Of course not. You know that if you agree to serve and obey a
master you become his slaves. You were once slaves of sin, but thank God
you submitted without reservation to the creed you were taught. You may have
been freed from the slavery of sin, but only to become ‘slaves’ of
righteousness.”
If we are
servants of Christ, then we should live by the grace of Christ. We must therefore live in
such a way that we serve Christ as our master. Christ must be the motivating
reason for our living. As St Paul says, “For I through the law died to
the law, that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; it
is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in
the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for
me. I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification were through
the law, then Christ died to no purpose.” (Gal 2:19-21)
Again, he wrote to the Corinthians, “For the love of Christ
controls us, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all
have died. And he died for all, that those who live might live no longer for
themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.” (2 Cor 5:14f)
The grace of Christ comes from His passion, death and resurrection. By
contemplating on His paschal mystery, we come to appreciate and accept for
ourselves the grace that Christ has won for us.
To live by
grace is to allow the power of God to be at work in us. With the
psalmist, we call on the name of the Lord. “Our help is in the name of the Lord.
‘If the Lord had not been on our side,’ this is Israel’s song. ‘If the Lord
had not been on our side when men rose up against us, then would they have swallowed
us alive when their anger was kindled. Our life, like a bird, has escaped from
the snare of the fowler. Indeed the snare has been broken and we have
escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and
earth.” Indeed, our faith is not in ourselves but in the power of
God. It is God who helps us to overcome our sins, just as He helped the
Israelites to overcome Pharaoh and their enemies. This is what it means
to live by grace.
To live by
grace is also to use our body for the glory of God, for the advancement of His
kingdom and for His people. St Paul urges us, “offer yourselves to God, and consider
yourselves dead men brought back to life; you should make every part of your
body into a weapon fighting on the side of God, and then sin will no longer
dominate your life, since you are living by grace and not by law.”
Indeed, the best way to overcome sin is not to fight against sin directly but
to do good. St Paul wrote, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil
with good.” (Rom 12:21) Hence, he exhorts us, “Let love be genuine;
hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with
brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Never flag in zeal, be
aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in your hope, be patient in
tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints,
practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not
curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with
the lowly; never be conceited. Repay no one evil for evil, but take
thought for what is noble in the sight of all.” (Rom 12:9-17)
This is a more positive way of fighting against sin, by going good. There
is no need to condemn the darkness of the world but light a candle.
Living the
grace of the Holy Spirit means that we are gainfully employed in whatever we
are called to do. Again St Paul reminds us, “Whatever your task, work
heartily, as serving the Lord and not men, knowing that from the Lord you
will receive the inheritance as your reward; you are serving the Lord
Christ.” (Col 3:23f) Living the life of grace is simply to be
attentive and be responsible to the tasks allotted to us according to our
vocation and profession. This is what the Lord said to Peter when he
asked, “’Lord, do you mean this parable for us, or for everyone?’ The
Lord replied, ‘What sort of steward, then, is faithful and wise enough for the
master to place him over his household to give them their allowance of food at the
proper time? Happy that servant if his master’s arrival finds him at this
employment. I tell you truly, he will place him over everything he
owns.” There is no need to do extraordinary things to grow in grace
but simply to do our best in the work we have been given.
Living under
the Lordship of Christ by grace means that those in leadership or those who are
gifted must be more responsible for the gifts they have received.
They are called to give more to God and society. Jesus warns us, “The
servant who knows what he wants, but has not even started to carry out those
wishes, will receive very many strokes of the lash. The one who did not
know, but deserves to be beaten for what he has done, will receive fewer
strokes. When a man has had a great deal given him, a great deal will be
demanded of him; when a man had had a great deal given him on trust, even more
will be expected of him.” If we have been blessed, we are called to
bless others with what the Lord has given to us. But if we are blessed
with lesser gifts, we are not expected to give what we have not got.
Those who are in positions of trust, especially leaders in the Church, in the
corporate world, parents and superiors have a greater accountability to God for
the gifts that we have received from Him. If we abuse the gifts that we
have received and use them just for ourselves like the irresponsible servant,
then Jesus warns us, “his master will come on a day he does not expect and at
an hour he does not know. The master will cut him off and send him to the
same fate as the unfaithful.”
So let us be
watchful of the way we live out the life of grace given to us in Christ. Let us put up a fight
against sin and not allow ourselves to be ruled by Satan. Jesus said to
His disciples: “You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder
had known at what hour the burglar would come, he would not have let anyone
break through the wall of his house. You too must stand ready, because
the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” The Lord is
coming to us not just at the end of time or of our lives here on earth, but He
comes to us every day and every moment, inviting us to love, to give and to
share. He comes to us through the goodness and kindness of others.
At the same time, we must also be watchful that we do not serve the Evil One as
St Peter exhorts us, “Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls
around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your
faith, knowing that the same experience of suffering is required of your
brotherhood throughout the world.” (1 Pt 5:8f)
Finally, let the words from Hebrew encourage us, “Consider him who endured from
sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or
fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the
point of shedding your blood.” (Heb 12:3f)
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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