20171014
LIVING A BLESSED LIFE
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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Joel 4:12-21 ©
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The Lord says this:
‘Let the nations rouse themselves, let them march
to the Valley of Jehoshaphat,
for I am going to sit in judgement there
on all the nations round.
Put the sickle in:
the harvest is ripe;
come and tread:
the winepress is full,
the vats are overflowing,
so great is their wickedness!’
Host on host
in the Valley of Decision!
For the day of the Lord is near
in the Valley of Decision!
Sun and moon grow dark,
the stars lose their brilliance.
The Lord roars from Zion,
makes his voice heard from Jerusalem;
heaven and earth tremble.
But the Lord will be a shelter for his people,
a stronghold for the sons of Israel.
‘You will learn then that I am the Lord your God,
dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain.
Jerusalem will be a holy place,
no alien will ever pass through it again.’
When that day comes,
the mountains will run with new wine
and the hills flow with milk,
and all the river beds of Judah
will run with water.
A fountain will spring from the house of the Lord
to water the wadi of Acacias.
Egypt will become a desolation,
Edom a desert waste
on account of the violence done to the sons of Judah
whose innocent blood they shed in their country.
But Judah will be inhabited for ever,
Jerusalem from age to age.
‘I will avenge their blood and let none go unpunished’,
and the Lord shall make his home in Zion.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 96(97):1-2,5-6,11-12 ©
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Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
The Lord is king, let earth rejoice,
let all the coastlands be glad.
Cloud and darkness are his raiment;
his throne, justice and right.
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
The mountains melt like wax
before the Lord of all the earth.
The skies proclaim his justice;
all peoples see his glory.
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
Light shines forth for the just
and joy for the upright of heart.
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord;
give glory to his holy name.
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Jn14:23
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Alleluia, alleluia!
If anyone loves me he will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Lk11:28
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Happy are those
who hear the word of God
and keep it.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 11:27-28 ©
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As Jesus was speaking, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and
said, ‘Happy the womb that bore you and the breasts you sucked!’ But he
replied, ‘Still happier those who hear the word of God and keep it!’
LIVING A BLESSED LIFE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ Joel 4:12-21; Ps 96:1-2, 5-6, 11-12; Lk 11:27-28 ]
The scripture
readings present to us what a blessed life is all about. So what is a blessed
life? A blessed life is not measured by how long we live. Having a
long life need not necessarily be a blessed life. Jesus died at the age
of 33! Many saints died early as well. We just celebrated the 100
Anniversary of the Apparition at Fatima. Francisco and Jacinta died
at a very young age! So blessedness is not synonymous with the length of
one’s life. Neither is blessedness to be seen in terms of worldly
success, glory, fame, power and money. Those who are successful in the
eyes of the world live a miserable life, fearing the loss of popularity, power
and their wealth. They have many enemies and
competitors. They live in fear and anxiety all the time.
Neither is a blessed life to be measured in terms of living a luxurious life of
comfort, food and the best things of this world. There is nothing
more pitiable than to be like a parrot in a golden cage! Just
things and enjoyment alone, whilst satisfying our bodily needs, cannot give us
life, love and joy. In fact, there is a certain saturation point in
pleasures. Once it is reached, it is a diminishing return, just like
eating and drinking. At any rate, if we want to keep ourselves alive and
healthy, we should be watching our diet!
Indeed, this
is what Jesus opposes in today’s gospel. “When a woman in the crowd raised her
voice and said, ‘Happy the womb that bore you and the breasts you
sucked!’” Jesus replied, “Still happier those who hear the word of God
and keep it!” In saying this, Jesus was going against the prevailing
trends of that time. Happiness is not based principally on our ancestry
or our descendants.
For the
Jewish men, it was their ancestors that gave them the authority. They would trace their
line to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They thought that simply by being the
descendants of Abraham and the Chosen People of God, they were guaranteed
divine blessing and protection, regardless how they lived their
lives. Their dignity was based on the fact that they were
Jews! It was not based on what they did, but what their ancestors
did. They could only appeal to their past inheritance. So, a
blessed life is not dependent on our race, possessions, what we are, and the
jobs we hold.
For the
women, they found their dignity in their children. We know that in those
days, women who were barren were seen to be cursed by God! It was a shame
that they carried in themselves, to be infertile, not having a family.
And if their children did well in life, they felt fulfilled and honoured.
Their joy and honor did not come from themselves but from the success of their
children. This happens even today for many mothers because they give their
whole life to ensure that their children will be well looked after, fed, cared
for and schooled. The proudest moment of a mother is to see their
children graduate, promoted, do well in their career, married and have a great
loving family.
A blessed
life is dependent on how we live our lives to the fullest. It is being
who we are. And who are we? We are called to be the glory of God,
the dwelling place of God! A blessed life is when we become the house of God.
This is what the prophet Joel said, “You will learn then that I am the Lord
your God, dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain. Judah will be inhabited forever,
Jerusalem from age to age.” This was why Mary is called blessed; not
simply because she was the biological mother of the savior but because God
dwelled in her. When the angel appeared to Mary, his first words were,
“Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” (Lk 1:28)
And when Mary met Elizabeth, “the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was
filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you
among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!’” (Lk 1:41-42)
It was God’s indwelling grace through the Holy Spirit that made her a dwelling
place for the Incarnated Son of God!
We too can
live a glorious and blessed life if we allow God to rule our hearts and our
minds.
This is what the psalmist asks of us when he says, “The Lord is king, let earth
rejoice, let all the coastlands be glad. Cloud and darkness are his raiment;
his throne, justice and right. The mountains melt like wax before the Lord of
all the earth. The skies proclaim his justice; all peoples see his
glory.” Indeed, our goal in life is to become the glory of God. But
St Paul said, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Rom 3:23)
Salvation is when God is all in all. “When all things are subjected to
him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things
under him, that God may be everything to every one.” (1 Cor 15:28)
St John’s vision of eternal blessedness is of God dwelling in men.
“Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they
shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away
every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be
mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed
away.” (Rev 21:3f)
How is this
possible? Jesus gave us the criteria. “Still happier those who hear the
word of God and keep it!” Hearing and being obedient to the Word of God is the key to a
blessed life. This was the life of Mary, always attentive to the
Word of God, pondering them and putting it into practice. In another
text, the Lord praised His mother when He said, “My mother and my brethren are
those who hear the word of God and do it.” (Lk 8:21)
When the shepherds visited our Lord, the evangelist noted, “Mary kept all these
things, pondering them in her heart. “ (Lk 2:19)
Again these words are repeated when they found Jesus in the Temple. (Lk 2:51)
And of course, her obedience to the Lord was expressed from the annunciation,
to Calvary and till the end of her life. “Behold, I am the handmaid of
the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (Lk 1:38)
And at Cana in Galilee, she urged us to do likewise, “Do whatever he tells
you.” (Jn 2:5)
Concretely,
it means that we are called to live out our vocation according to God’s choice
for us in this life. Fidelity to our vocation is what brings us true blessedness
and happiness. There is no need to envy others’ position, status, wealth
or success. Happiness is not dependent on what we are and what we do but
how we live our lives to the fullest in accordance with our talents, charisms
and the situation we are in. Mary was blessed simply by being a mother of
Jesus. We can be blessed simply by being homemakers.
Regardless what our profession is in life, it is who we are, how we live our
lives, how we give ourselves to others in love and service that gives us
happiness. When we live our lives responsibly by giving ourselves to the
service of humanity in charity and compassion, giving ourselves to Church and
society, this is where we find ourselves. Finally, we are called to live
an integrated life based on the gospel values of integrity, honesty, humility
and generosity. Only a life that is lived in obedience to the
gospel as taught by our Lord, manifested in a life of humble service for
others, can give us a blessed life. If we want to live, we must die
for others.
Indeed, there
will be a call to accountability in the way we live our lives. The Prophet Joel warns
us that there would be destruction for those who fail to live their lives
rightly, but there would be blessings for those who live their lives
well. The Lord says this: “I am going to sit in judgement there on
all the nations round. Put the sickle in: the harvest is ripe; come and
tread: the winepress is full, the vats are overflowing, so great is their
wickedness! But the Lord will be a shelter for his people, a stronghold for the
sons of Israel.” So we need to bear this in mind. We have to
face judgment at the end of our life. Judgment comes from the world, our
loved ones and from God.
How we want
to end our life is how we live it. How do we want to make a difference in the
lives of others? When we leave this world, will people rejoice that we
have lived a purposeful and meaningful life; grateful to us for making a real
difference in their lives? Otherwise, we cannot say that we have
lived fully and made full use of what the Lord has given to us. A blessed
life must begin here and now and not just at the end of life. The best
legacy we can leave behind for our children is our values and the gospel life
that we impart to them. Only when they share in the gospel way of living
can they also find true meaning in life. But if they live only for
themselves, then they will destroy their happiness. It also means that we
have failed to impart to our children what is truly essential for happiness,
love of God, love of self and love of others.
If we have
not started to live as fully as we should, it is still not too late. We can decide now
that we will make a difference in the lives of our fellowmen. We
will follow Jesus. “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 5:15) The Lord said, “Host on host in the Valley
of Decision!” So decide now how you would like to live for the rest of
your life so that you will not leave this world in regret but happily, because
you have done your part and are ready to go and be with the Lord forever in
heaven. “When the day comes, the mountains will run with new wine and the
hills flow with milk, and all the river beds of Judah will run with
water.” There will be eternal joy and happiness.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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