20180203 A DISCERNING HEART
03 FEBRUARY, 2018, Saturday, 4th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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1 Kings 3:4-13 ©
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King Solomon went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, since that was the
greatest of the high places – Solomon offered a thousand holocausts on
that altar. At Gibeon the Lord appeared in a dream to Solomon during the night.
God said, ‘Ask what you would like me to give you.’ Solomon replied, ‘You
showed great kindness to your servant David, my father, when he lived his life
before you in faithfulness and justice and integrity of heart; you have
continued this great kindness to him by allowing a son of his to sit on his
throne today. Now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in succession
to David my father. But I am a very young man, unskilled in leadership. Your
servant finds himself in the midst of this people of yours that you have
chosen, a people so many its number cannot be counted or reckoned. Give your
servant a heart to understand how to discern between good and evil, for who
could govern this people of yours that is so great?’ It pleased the Lord that
Solomon should have asked for this. ‘Since you have asked for this’ the Lord
said ‘and not asked for long life for yourself or riches or the lives of your
enemies, but have asked for a discerning judgement for yourself, here and now I
do what you ask. I give you a heart wise and shrewd as none before you has had
and none will have after you. What you have not asked I shall give you too:
such riches and glory as no other king ever had.’
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 118(119):9-14 ©
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Lord, teach me your statutes.
How shall the young remain sinless?
By obeying your word.
I have sought you with all my heart;
let me not stray from your commands.
Lord, teach me your statutes.
I treasure your promise in my heart
lest I sin against you.
Blessed are you, O Lord;
teach me your statutes.
Lord, teach me your statutes.
With my tongue I have recounted
the decrees of your lips.
I rejoiced to do your will
as though all riches were mine.
Lord, teach me your statutes.
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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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Gospel
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Mark 6:30-34 ©
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The apostles rejoined Jesus and told him all they had done and
taught. Then he said to them, ‘You must come away to some lonely place all by
yourselves and rest for a while’; for there were so many coming and going that
the apostles had no time even to eat. So they went off in a boat to a lonely
place where they could be by themselves. But people saw them going, and many
could guess where; and from every town they all hurried to the place on foot
and reached it before them. So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and
he took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he
set himself to teach them at some length.
A DISCERNING HEART
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1KGS 3:4-13; MK 6:30-34 ]
Many things
in life are not always neatly distinguished but are often ambiguous. Discerning what is
good and bad perhaps is not always that difficult, but unfortunately, there is
always a mixture of good and bad in our choices. This poses a dilemma
when we have to make a decision. As parents, teachers and leaders, we are
often faced with the need to make difficult choices as both have their own
merits. Should one help in a situation at the expense of another good
outcome? Should we punish someone who has faulted, or let the person go
and risk having him do further injustices to others? Indeed, seeking to
draw the line between what is good and not so good is always quite a daunting
and distressing decision.
A case in
point is the incident involving Jesus and His disciples who were tired after
coming back from a long mission. We read that “The apostles rejoined Jesus and told him all
they had done and taught. Then He said to them. ‘You must come away to
some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while’; for there were so
many coming and going that the apostles had no time even to eat.” Jesus
felt with them, being human himself, and immediately instructed His wearied
disciples to take a break for two reasons.
Firstly, such
a break is necessary to evaluate and reflect on all that they had done and
taught. Of course, this is to be done within the context of
prayer and discernment. In this way, one would not lose one’s sense of
direction and focus in the apostolate. Without reviewing our work and
ministry, we might cause more harm than good, for we can get carried away by
ambition or we might be working in an ineffective manner. So it is
necessary to take a pause in our ministry to reconsider what we do and how we
can do better.
Secondly, it
is necessary that the apostles take a physical rest so that they can be
mentally and psychologically fit for future missions. Indeed, we are
not robots. We must allow ourselves legitimate rest and recreation to
recharge. A bow that is drawn and stretched for too long will lose
its elasticity. So, too, the human body needs sufficient rest for the
mind and the body to restore itself. Otherwise, our health would be
impacted in the long run and we will not be able to serve the Lord for
long. So Jesus’ advice is sound and good. He is a good master who
is in touch with our humanity and certainly not a slave driver or an achiever
who is ambitious and only concerned with targets to be met, as in the corporate
world.
However, there
seems to be an inconsistency here, or at least a compromise. After
speaking to them and upon their arrival at the supposedly quiet place to rest,
they found a crowd waiting for them. We are told that Jesus, upon
disembarking, pitied them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd.
At this pitiable sight, He began to teach them at great length, not just for a
little while, even though He and His disciples needed the much-deserved rest.
The question
therefore is, was Jesus adopting double standards? In order to
understand the action of Jesus, we must distinguish between workaholism and
compassion; and our insistence on having our legitimate time for rest and the
call to a greater self-sacrifice. This is an important question because
it affects all of us in the ministry every time a request is made on us.
When do we say ‘no’ and when do we say ‘yes’ without affecting our spiritual
life especially, or feeling guilty otherwise. The fact is that in the
face of demands, either we give in at the expense of our bodily and spiritual
health, or we can become rather selfish and think only of our own interests
first. Of course there are some among us who would stick to the rules and
are inflexible in making exceptions because it inconveniences us. At the
other extreme, there are those of us who are overworked, stressed out and high
strung, easily agitated and suffer burn out, because we cannot say ‘no’.
When we consider
this matter at a deeper level, we will recognise that actually, there
are certain common characteristics between workaholism and the insistence on
not compromising our rest time. Both are equally self-serving,
although both spring from different reasons. One is a workaholic because
of fear and insecurity; and the need to be popular, to maintain one’s
reputation. The other is not concerned about his reputation but only
about his own needs, to the extent of being oblivious to the needs of others.
He executes his duties out of obligation and responsibility, rather than out of
love and compassion. In the final analysis, both are protectionist and
security-seeking.
On another
level, we also find a common element between compassion and sacrificing
one’s legitimate rest for the service of others. Here the link
is found in empathy and love, or in a word, compassion. The motive for
response is simply the urgency of the demand. It is done purely out of
compassion, in solidarity with one’s suffering brothers and sisters; not for
one’s gain or even one’s security. But at the same time, it does not mean
a neglect of one’s spiritual and physical health. As compassion is not
rooted in ambition but in love, the helper is not trying to achieve anything
but simply reaching out to assist someone in need. As one is not seeking
glory and honour, the stress to perform well is not present. When we do
things out of pure love and compassion, in as much as energy is drained from
us, we also feel very much empowered and energized. When it is an
ambition or when we do things for selfish reasons, then the work or ministry we
do weakens us. Indeed, we are told that no matter how busy Jesus was, He
always got up early to pray. His prayer was the source of His compassion
and love for others. He reached out only because of compassion, not
ambition. “He took pity on them because they were like sheep without a
shepherd, and he set himself to teach them at some length.”
Hence, it is
important that we search the depths of our hearts as to the motive for
our service. Does it spring from our own hidden needs, namely, our unconscious
fears, especially of insecurity and the need to be accepted by others, or is it
from the love of God in our hearts propelling us to love beyond
ourselves? This question is crucial in helping us ensure that meeting the
demands of others or not responding to them truly comes from the love of God in
our hearts and not simply a masquerade of our own needs, insecurities or
laziness.
Hence, it is
important that we imitate the wisdom of King Solomon who asked for a
discerning heart. He said, “Give your servant a heart to
understand how to discern between good and evil, for who could govern this
people of yours that is so great?” He was truly a good king for he did
not ask anything for himself but he asked for the good of his people.
Indeed, we read that “it pleased the Lord that Solomon should have asked for
this. ‘Since you have asked for this’ the Lord said ‘and not asked for long
life for yourself or riches or the lives of your enemies, but have asked for a
discerning judgement for yourself, here and now I do what you ask. I give you a
heart wise and shrewd as none before you as had and none will have after
you. What you have not asked I shall give you too: such riches and
glory as no other king ever had.” Indeed, what we need is to have a discerning
heart, a heart that knows ourselves, our motives in what we do. A
discerning heart must begin from an awareness of oneself. We must become
more acute in understanding the motivation for our actions, especially good
works. Indeed, we must always check ourselves, whether we are being responsible
or workaholic? We need great courage and honesty to search ourselves
deeply for the motives for what we do, painful though it might be.
If we want to be
true in what we do, we must turn to the Lord as the Psalmist invites us. Compassion,
in the final analysis, comes from intimacy with the Lord and through prayer.
Indeed, Solomon asked for the gift of a discerning heart at the Temple after
offering worship to God. When we do all things out of compassion because
of God’s love in our hearts, there will never be a danger of doing the wrong
things or finding ourselves exhausted in ministry. Our faith in God will
permit us to do what we can and leave the rest to Him, like Jesus, after having
done what He could possibly do, He was quite contented to commend everything
into the hands of God. For this reason we must turn to the Holy Spirit to
enlighten us and give us the wisdom to distinguish between what is right and
wrong; and what is the prudent and wise thing to do. Unless we are
sincere in wanting the Holy Spirit to guide us, we will not be able to listen
and perceive what the Lord wants of us, as our restless and impure minds,
buffeted by the storms of life, will be controlled by our selfish desires.
But when at prayer and our souls are at peace, then the Holy Spirit will become
for us the lamp of knowledge that enlightens our minds and fill our hearts with
His love.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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