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A PASCHAL FAITH ENABLES US TO CATCH A GLIMPSE
OF THE RESURRECTION
25 FEBRUARY, 2018, Sunday, 2nd Week, Lent
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Violet.
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First reading
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Genesis 22:1-2,9-13,15-18 ©
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The sacrifice of Abraham, our father in faith
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God put Abraham to the test. ‘Abraham, Abraham’ he called. ‘Here I
am’ he replied. ‘Take your son,’ God said ‘your only child Isaac, whom you
love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him as a burnt
offering, on a mountain I will point out to you.’
When they
arrived at the place God had pointed out to him, Abraham built an altar there,
and arranged the wood. Then he bound his son Isaac and put him on the altar on
top of the wood. Abraham stretched out his hand and seized the knife to kill his
son.
But the
angel of the Lord called to him from heaven. ‘Abraham, Abraham’ he said. ‘I am
here’ he replied. ‘Do not raise your hand against the boy’ the angel said. ‘Do
not harm him, for now I know you fear God. You have not refused me your son, your
only son.’ Then looking up, Abraham saw a ram caught by its horns in a bush.
Abraham took the ram and offered it as a burnt-offering in place of his son.
The angel of
the Lord called Abraham a second time from heaven. ‘I swear by my own
self – it is the Lord who speaks – because you have done this,
because you have not refused me your son, your only son, I will shower
blessings on you, I will make your descendants as many as the stars of heaven
and the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants shall gain possession
of the gates of their enemies. All the nations of the earth shall bless
themselves by your descendants, as a reward for your obedience.’
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 115(116):10,15-19
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Second reading
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Romans 8:31-34 ©
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God did not spare his own Son
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With God on our side who can be against us? Since God did not
spare his own Son, but gave him up to benefit us all, we may be certain, after
such a gift, that he will not refuse anything he can give. Could anyone accuse
those that God has chosen? When God acquits, could anyone condemn? Could Christ
Jesus? No! He not only died for us – he rose from the dead, and there at
God’s right hand he stands and pleads for us.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Mt17:5
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Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
From the bright cloud the Father’s voice was heard:
‘This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.’
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
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Gospel
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Mark 9:2-10 ©
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This is my Son, the Beloved
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Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them up a
high mountain where they could be alone by themselves. There in their presence
he was transfigured: his clothes became dazzlingly white, whiter than any
earthly bleacher could make them. Elijah appeared to them with Moses; and they
were talking with Jesus. Then Peter spoke to Jesus: ‘Rabbi,’ he said ‘it is
wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three tents, one for you, one for
Moses and one for Elijah.’ He did not know what to say; they were so
frightened. And a cloud came, covering them in shadow; and there came a voice
from the cloud, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.’ Then suddenly,
when they looked round, they saw no one with them any more but only Jesus.
As they came
down from the mountain he warned them to tell no one what they had seen, until
after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. They observed the warning
faithfully, though among themselves they discussed what ‘rising from the dead’
could mean.
A PASCHAL FAITH ENABLES US TO CATCH A GLIMPSE OF THE
RESURRECTION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [GN 22:1-2, 9-13, 15-18; ROM 8:31-34; MK 9:2-10 ]
This life is
a mystery.
Life is full of ambiguities and paradoxes. On one hand, we are blessed
with many gifts, successes and happiness. On the other hand, we know we
have so many problems yet unresolved. We live in sin and yet we know that
we are not that bad to be classified as a condemned sinner. Yes, we are not
perfect. In our frustration and anxiety to put things straight, we become
impatient and dissatisfied. How are we to learn to accept such
bi-polarities in life without feeling discouraged or complacent? Indeed,
we are invited today to walk by faith, not by sight; to see life dimly as
though through a glass.
How are we to
live our life in the face of so many dilemmas? The answer that pervades all the
readings is faith. We are called to share the faith of Abraham, the faith
of Paul and that of Jesus. But what kind of faith is a saving
faith? It is the faith of the paschal mystery. It is the faith that
through sufferings, we come to the resurrection. Only a paschal
faith can help us to walk through the paradoxes of life. This faith
proclaims that as we walk through the journey of life, we will catch a glimpse
of the resurrection. Indeed, if the disciples were told not to tell
anyone what they saw until after the resurrection, it was simply because the
power of the resurrection cannot be known or experienced without the prior need
of carrying our cross and embracing the sufferings of life.
A paschal
faith therefore requires
us to take the path of suffering. The gospel of Mark is against an
epiphany Christology. In other words, St Mark is weary of Christians who
focus too much on the glory and miracles of Jesus. Noticeably, St Mark,
unlike Luke and Matthew, did not mention the transformed face of Jesus at the
Transfiguration, but only emphasized the whiteness of Jesus’ garments. So
in Mark’s understanding, the divine manifestation of Jesus can only be found at
the end of that journey. This explains why the disciples were bewildered
when Jesus predicted His death and why they were instructed to keep silent
about the incident until after the resurrection.
To disclose the
Transfiguration before the death and resurrection of Jesus would be a wrong
expression of Christology, involving glory without the cross. The blatant
truth is simply this: No cross, no crown! The full and
final disclosure of the glory of Jesus could come only after His death and
resurrection. Hence, there is a kind of spirituality that we must avoid,
a spirituality that only speaks of miracles, healings and blessings. It
is a spirituality that promotes an easy life, a life of comfort without suffering.
This is false spirituality. For the passion and death of Jesus reminds us that
no one can escape the path of suffering and death if he or she truly wants to
find the fullness of life.
How then can
we cultivate this paschal faith so that we can go through life bearing our
cross and sufferings cheerfully and with certain hope that we will be victorious in the final
outcome?
Firstly, the
faith that is required from us is a discerning faith. Abraham thought
in his naivety that God wanted the life of His son. However, God is not a
sadistic God. Of course, the intuitive faith of Abraham, even if he had
perceived wrongly, was still exercised in good faith. God does not judge
our actions but our intentions. Of course, faith today requires us to
discern properly the Lord’s call. Indeed, the story of Abraham
sacrificing his son was an implicit disapproval of a primitive practice of
human sacrifice.
Secondly, a
paschal faith must be a trusting and obedient faith. This is the faith of
Abraham. One would think that Abraham’s faith was great already, because
he was willing to leave his homeland for a far distant country. But to
sacrifice Isaac, his only son whom he loved so dearly, which ironically was
also the reward for his faith and obedience, is certainly the extreme test of
faith. Hence, Abraham is praised not so much because he was willing to
sacrifice his only son but because of his total trust and obedience in
God. Abraham trusted God totally, regardless whether he understood His
plan for him or not.
It is this
trust that gave Abraham the courage to submit in obedience to His word. Without trust, there
can be no real obedience. That is why obedience is not simply a blind
obedience or irrational decision, but an obedience of the heart because one
believes from the depth of one’s being. Disobedience is always due to the
lack of trust. So it is Abraham’s deep intuitive trust in God’s
providence and love that rendered him to submit in obedience to His divine
plan.
Thirdly, the
paschal faith entails a Christocentric faith. This is the faith of St Paul. In
the face of persecutions and trials, St Paul was certain of the hope that lay
before him. He did not succumb to the sufferings in his ministry.
For he knew that in spite of his sinfulness and weaknesses, he has been
reconciled to God in Christ, liberated from sin and death, empowered by the
Spirit and is destined for glory. The basis for this assurance of
salvation and victory in Christ is founded on the gift from God of His only
Son. Stating his case, he said, “with God on our side who can be against
us? Since God did not spare his own Son, but gave him up to benefit us all, we
may be certain, after such a gift, that he will not refuse anything he can
give.”
Indeed, so great
is the love of God in Christ that He sacrificed His son to save us. It clearly
means that God cannot be outdone in love and generosity. When
we think that we have given a lot to God or have suffered so much in this
world, then stop again to think that God has suffered even much more than any
of us. When we realize this, resting on the love of God in Christ,
we can be sure of a triumphant end to our sufferings in this life.
To arrive at
a paschal faith, which is a discerning, trusting, obedient and Christocentric
faith, we need to follow Jesus in acquiring an affective and contemplative
faith.
If Jesus could follow through His mission, it was because of His absolute trust
in His Father, which came from His intimacy with Him. It is the
experience of the Father’s unconditional love that empowered Jesus to go
through the passion and death.
That is why
the Father invites us to listen to His beloved Son. Listening is the
first step in creating trust and obedience. We need to listen anew to
what God is saying about the gift of Jesus, His only Son to
us. But we cannot listen unless we go to the mountain where, in
our aloneness, God is present. To listen is a necessary stage to prayer
and contemplation. Only in prayer, can we be enlightened and bask in the
presence of God and His love, like Jesus.
When we
listen and contemplate, we will be empowered. Empowerment comes from a deep encounter
with God, an encounter that assures us personally that God loves us and is with
us. Only such an encounter can enable us to give ourselves to God and His
will in total trust and confidence because we have a glimpse of the resurrection,
so to speak, because we have experienced the overwhelming love of Jesus in our
hearts and the enlightenment He has given to us to in our lives.
It is through
prayer and contemplation that, like the disciples, we will behold the glory of God,
not in its glory now, but the glory of God in the face of the crucified Christ.
Only because we have faced the cross with Jesus, can we proclaim to the world
that the earthly life of Jesus in the world is the epiphany of the glory of
God. This we do by courageously enduring the struggles in our own lives
without losing faith in sufferings. When others see us as people of
faith, not because we are successful but because we remain faithful and
confident in sufferings, they will see the glory of God in our goodness,
weaknesses and sinfulness. For in us, they can see God’s strength in our
weakness; and that when sin increases, grace abounds all the more. Yes,
God manifests Himself in human weakness and imperfection. By perceiving His
glory in this state, we are encouraged to live our lives with great fidelity,
strength and hope.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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