20180120
DRIVEN BY PASSION
20 JANUARY, 2018, Saturday, 2nd Week, Ordinary Time
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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2 Samuel 1:1-4,11-12,17,19,23-27 ©
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David returned from his rout of the Amalekites and spent two days
in Ziklag. On the third day a man came from the camp where Saul had been, his
garments torn and earth on his head. When he came to David, he fell to the
ground and did homage. ‘Where do you come from?’ David asked him. ‘I have
escaped from the Israelite camp’ he said. David said to him, ‘What happened?
Tell me.’ He replied, ‘The people have fled from the battlefield and many of
them have fallen. Saul and his son Jonathan are dead too.’
Then David
took hold of his garments and tore them, and all the men with him did the same.
They mourned and wept and fasted until the evening for Saul and his son
Jonathan, for the people of The Lord and for the House of Israel, because they
had fallen by the sword.
Then David
made this lament over Saul and his son Jonathan.
Alas, the glory of Israel has been slain on your heights!
How did the heroes fall?
Saul and Jonathan, loved and lovely,
neither in life, nor in death, were divided.
Swifter than eagles were they,
stronger were they than lions.
O daughters of Israel, weep for Saul
who clothed you in scarlet and fine linen,
who set brooches of gold
on your garments.
How did the heroes fall
in the thick of the battle?
O Jonathan, in your death I am stricken,
I am desolate for you, Jonathan my brother.
Very dear to me you were,
your love to me more wonderful
than the love of a woman.
How did the heroes fall
and the battle armour fail?
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 79(80):2-3,5-7 ©
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Let your face shine on us, O Lord, and we shall
be saved.
O shepherd of Israel, hear us,
you who lead Joseph’s flock,
shine forth from your cherubim throne
upon Ephraim, Benjamin, Manasseh.
O Lord, rouse up your might,
O Lord, come to our help.
Let your face shine on us, O Lord, and we shall
be saved.
Lord God of hosts, how long
will you frown on your people’s plea?
You have fed them with tears for their bread,
an abundance of tears for their drink.
You have made us the taunt of our neighbours,
our enemies laugh us to scorn.
Let your face shine on us, O Lord, and we shall
be saved.
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Gospel Acclamation
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2Co5:19
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Alleluia, alleluia!
God in Christ was reconciling the world to himself,
and he has entrusted to us the news that they are reconciled.
Alleluia!
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Or
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cf.Ac16:14
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Open our heart, O Lord,
to accept the words of your Son.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Mark 3:20-21 ©
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Jesus went home, and once more such a crowd collected that they
could not even have a meal. When his relatives heard of this, they set out to
take charge of him, convinced he was out of his mind.
DRIVEN BY PASSION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ 2 SM 1:1-4, 11-12, 17, 19, 23-27; PS 80:2-3, 5-7; MK 3:20-21 ]
The two-liner
gospel text is one of the shortest readings for mass. Yet, this terse
mention of Jesus having no time to take a meal because of the crowd and that
the relatives were “convinced he was out of his mind”, shows the passion Jesus
had for His ministry. Indeed, if many of us live mediocre and boring
lives, it is because we lack passion in life and for life. Nothing
seems to excite us. What are we living for? What drives us to do
what we do? In most instances, we are driven by fear, obligation and peer
pressure. We are not driven by passion.
When we are
passionate about something, we can give our whole mind and soul into it. If a student is
interested in a subject, there is no need to pressurize him to study.
Quite often, if a student is not studying, it is not because he or she is lazy.
Rather it is because he or she finds the subject and the lessons boring and
irrelevant in his or her life. For this reason, the task of a teacher is
not so much to teach or pass some information to his or her students but to
excite the students by giving them a foretaste of the beauty of what is taught
so that they would want to learn and discover more for themselves.
This is true
in every area of life, whether it is with regard to faith, religion or work. If many do not have
faith in God, it is because they cannot connect with God and the doctrines of
the Church. They cannot see how their faith can add value to their
lives. It is also the same for those who are working. Those who are
simply working for money and promotion will never be able to excel because they
are motivated wrongly. They are motivated insofar as they are paid
more or promoted. However, such motivations cannot satisfy them for long,
unless they believe in the vision and the mission of the organization.
If our
passion is limited to worldly pursuits, we will never find life truly
meaningful and fulfilling. If our passion is to make money, more wealth, acquire fame
and have power, we will end up chasing after the wind. The moment our
stomach is full; we are satiated and tired of rich foods. The day we have
plenty of money, it becomes just numbers in our account because in truth we
cannot make use of all the money for ourselves, because our needs are
limited. At any rate, we do not need many things to be happy. If it
is ambition that drives us, when we arrive at it, we will find that we need
another goal to keep us going.
So what can
drive us to find true meaning and purpose in life? Jesus was
driven not by earthly pleasures, glory or honour. He was passionate about
establishing His Father’s kingdom. His whole life was about
making the love of the Father known. “I made known to them thy name, and
I will make it known, that the love with which thou hast loved me may be in
them, and I in them.” (Jn 17:26) “They brought to him all who were sick or
possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered together about the
door. And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many
demons” (Mk 2:32-34) And when they wanted Him to stay and build
His own kingdom, He said, “’Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach
there also; for that is why I came out.’ And he went throughout all Galilee,
preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.” (Mk 1:38f)
This passion
to make the love of His Father known and to establish His reign of love and
mercy was also driven by the experience of His Father’s love for Him. It was His own intimacy
with the Father whom He addressed as ‘Abba Father’ that inspired Him to share
His experience of the Father’s love with them. Because of His intimacy
with His Father, Jesus shared the love of His Father for humanity, His
compassion for them, especially those who suffered from sickness, bondage and
oppression. The works of Jesus, His healing miracles, deliverance and
eating and drinking with sinners were meant to demonstrate the power of His
Father’s love.
David in the
first reading was not motivated by greed or power. Although he had
earlier been anointed to be the next king of Israel, he was not eyeing the
office nor was he impatient to be king. (cf 1 Sm 16:1-13)
His only desire was to serve Saul who was the Lord’s Anointed One. He was
motivated to serve God in His servant, Saul. He was content to be the
warrior of Saul, to protect Him and the kingdom. This was in spite of the
fact that Saul tried to kill David many times. Twice, David could have
killed Saul but he refrained from doing so. The first time, he cut off a
piece of Saul’s cloak. (cf 1 Sm 24)
The second time, he took Saul’s spear when he was sleeping. “The Lord
rewards every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness; for the Lord gave
you into my hand today, and I would not put forth my hand against the Lord’s
anointed. Behold, as your life was precious this day in my sight, so may my
life be precious in the sight of the Lord, and may he deliver me out of all
tribulation.” (1 Sm 26:23f)
Indeed, so
passionate was David in serving his master that he was grieved when Saul and
Jonathan died in the battle against their enemies. “David took hold of
his garments and tore them, and all the men did the same. They mourned
and wept and fasted until the evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, for the
people of the Lord and for the House of Israel, because they had fallen by the
sword.” One would have thought that he would rejoice that his assassin
had been paid his just deserts. Instead, David was overcome with grief
and sadness.
His love and
devotion for Saul is beautifully expressed in the dirge that he wrote for them. David was a man with
a magnanimous heart. Instead of recounting all the bad things Saul had
done to him, pursuing him like a dog, forcing him to hide for years in their
enemies’ territories among the Philistines, going hungry and taking refuge in
caves, he cried out to Saul, “Why does my lord pursue after his servant? For
what have I done? What guilt is on my hands?” (1 Sm 26:18)
Notwithstanding the injustice that Saul did to him because of his jealousy,
David did not choose to highlight the evils that he suffered under Saul.
Instead, he chose to see the goodness that Saul did. He laid aside his
hurts and grievances and focused on the positive aspects of Saul’s kingship.
He said, “Alas, the glory of Israel has been slain on your heights!
Swifter than eagles were they, stronger were they than lions.” Such
were the praises that David sang for his enemy and persecutor.
What gave him
that passion to serve King Saul in spite of the latter’s ingratitude? It
was because David feared and trusted in God. In spite of his sufferings, he believed
that God would see him through. He waited for God’s promise to be
fulfilled. He did not take things into his own hands. He
consistently believed that it was a crime to kill, regardless how evil Saul
might have been because he was God’s anointed. Only God could remove the
king. It was not his job to pronounce judgement on Saul’s sins. (Lev 19:18)
Because David trusted in God and submitted his life into His hands, he was
rewarded for his faith in God. Rightly, he was fit to be enthroned king
of Judah and Israel. This was what Saul acknowledged too. “And now,
behold, I know that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel
shall be established in your hand.” (1 Sm 24:20)
His struggles and sufferings under Saul prepared him for heavier
responsibilities in the future.
But his
passion was also supported by the love of Jonathan. It was his friendship with
Jonathan that gave him strength to love Jonathan’s father. “O Jonathan,
in your death I am stricken, I am desolate for you, Jonathan my brother. Very
dear to me you were, your love to more wonderful than the love of a
woman.” Because he loved Jonathan as much as Jonathan loved him, David
could continue to love Saul and not take revenge on him. Quite often, it
is the support of our friends that gives us the impetus to continue to do the
work we are doing in spite of opposition and trials. It is the love of
God and of our friends that can support us in our passion to do what is good
for humanity.
What about
us? What drives us in our work and in what we do? Are we driven by
worldly ambition or worse still, the things of this world? If that is the
motivation for doing what we are doing, we will face disappointment the day when
we arrive. After spending so much time and energy, we will find all these
things and achievements a vanity, as King Solomon discovered. (cf Eccl 2:9-11)
Today, we
need to discover what it takes to be passionate in what we do. We need to be driven
by a higher purpose in life, beyond the things of this world that cannot
satisfy us and cannot last. Jesus warns us, “Do not lay up for yourselves
treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and
steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth
nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your
treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Mt 6:19-21)
Let our hearts seek God and serve Him through the service of our
fellowmen. It is when we give ourselves in helping others, enlightening
them, empowering them, so that in turn they can continue the good we are doing,
that we find passion, meaning and purpose in life.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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