20180425
CHARITY IN FAITH
25 APRIL, 2018, Wednesday, St Mark, Evangelist
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Red.
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First reading
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1 Peter 5:5-14 ©
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My son, Mark, sends you greetings
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All wrap yourselves in humility to be servants of each other,
because God refuses the proud and will always favour the humble. Bow down,
then, before the power of God now, and he will raise you up on the appointed
day; unload all your worries on to him, since he is looking after you. Be calm
but vigilant, because your enemy the devil is prowling round like a roaring
lion, looking for someone to eat. Stand up to him, strong in faith and in the
knowledge that your brothers all over the world are suffering the same things.
You will have to suffer only for a little while: the God of all grace who
called you to eternal glory in Christ will see that all is well again: he will
confirm, strengthen and support you. His power lasts for ever and ever. Amen.
I write these
few words to you through Silvanus, who is a brother I know I can trust, to
encourage you never to let go this true grace of God to which I bear witness.
Your sister
in Babylon, who is with you among the chosen, sends you greetings; so does my
son, Mark.
Greet one
another with a kiss of love.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 88(89):2-3,6-7,16-17 ©
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I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord;
through all ages my mouth will proclaim your truth.
Of this I am sure, that your love lasts for ever,
that your truth is firmly established as the heavens.
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
The heavens proclaim your wonders, O Lord;
the assembly of your holy ones proclaims your truth.
For who in the skies can compare with the Lord
or who is like the Lord among the sons of God?
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
Happy the people who acclaim such a king,
who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face,
who find their joy every day in your name,
who make your justice the source of their bliss.
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
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Gospel Acclamation
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1Co1:23-24
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Alleluia, alleluia!
We are preaching a crucified Christ,
who is the power and the wisdom of God.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Mark 16:15-20 ©
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Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News
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Jesus showed himself to the Eleven and said to them:
‘Go out to
the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation. He who believes and is
baptised will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned. These are
the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name they will cast out
devils; they will have the gift of tongues; they will pick up snakes in their
hands, and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison; they will lay their
hands on the sick, who will recover.’
And so the
Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven: there at the
right hand of God he took his place, while they, going out, preached
everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs
that accompanied it.
CHARITY IN FAITH
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ 1 PETER 5:5-14; MARK 16:15-20 ]
“Go out to
the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation.” The command
to spread the Good news is the obligation for all Christians. If we do
not evangelize, it means that we have not been faithful to the command of the
Lord. Evangelization is not an option but a duty, an obligation, or rather,
a privilege arising from the Good News that we have received freely from the
Lord. Because we have received the Good News freely, we must now give
away freely.
What is this
Good News if not the love and mercy of God as manifested in the Paschal Mystery, the
passion, death and resurrection of our Lord? Through His life, Jesus, who
was a man for others, demonstrated the mercy and compassion of God. He accepted
sinners by eating and drinking with them. He helped the sick, healed them
and spoke up for the marginalized. He died for sinners and showed what it
means to love and forgive our enemies. Most of all, He was raised from
the dead by the Father, showing that He is truly His Son and the Messiah.
With His resurrection and ascension, He has also sent us the same Spirit He
received, thereby making us the adopted sons and daughters of God.
Indeed, how great is the mercy of God and His generosity in making us His
children and giving us His Spirit at our baptism.
Since we have
received the Good news free, we now must extend this to others. Freely
received, freely given! All can spread the Good News regardless of age and
resources. We read, “And so the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them,
was taken up to heaven: there at the right hand of God he took his place, while
they, going out, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming
the word by the signs that accompanied it.” It is the Lord who
works in and through us. The work of spreading the gospel is not our
efforts alone. Rather, it is the work of the Holy Spirit working through
love in our hearts. He will supply us the grace and the means to do His
work. What is important is that we are docile and available, not blocking
His grace and His love.
How to spread
the Good news? The Good News is more than words. It is about a person,
Jesus the Christ. Jesus makes the Good News concrete by His words
and actions. For this reason, to spread the gospel, we need the signs
that those who do not have faith in Jesus can recognize. The evangelist
said, “These are the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name
they will cast out devils; they will have the gift of tongues; they will pick
up snakes in their hands, and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison; they
will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover.”
These signs
would of course include the works of charity and compassion. The proclamation of
the gospel need not be always direct or spectacular and miraculous. Often
it comes in the most ordinary way when we show acts of love and kindness,
especially by helping the poor, attending to those who are sick, praying and
interceding for those in need and listening to those who are very much wounded.
But beyond
works of compassion, the greatest gift we can give is the gift of faith. Proclaiming the Good News
that falls short of giving the faith is to shortchange our recipients.
This is because we fight shy of sharing the source of all our gifts. The
fear of being accused of proselytizing or offending them often prevents us from
sharing the faith explicitly. Of course, more often than not, it is
because it is not our Catholic culture to openly share their our faith with
others without invitation. We are over sensitive of the privacy of others
and afraid to encroach into their private space.
Yet, are we
not lacking charity by not sharing Christ with them? We give all kinds of
gifts to people but why is it wrong to let them know where we find the gifts
and who is the one empowering us? Jesus said, “He who believes and is
baptised is saved; he who does not believe will be condemned.”
Why is the
gift of Faith the greatest of all gifts? This is because with the
gift of faith, they have everything. Faith in Jesus is what saves
us ultimately, not just the soul but the way to live life to the fullest
because Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Happiness in life is
more than what we own or possess but who we are. It is how we live our lives,
our attitude towards suffering, material possessions, and people. It is
concerned with living a meaningful and purposeful life of love and
service. Whether we are rich or poor, there is no excuse for not being
messengers of love to others.
They will
never live in anxiety but trust in the Lord. As St Peter wrote, “Bow down, then,
before the power of God now, and he will raise you up on the appointed day;
unload all your worries on to him, since he is looking after you.” With
Christ on our side, we can cope with suffering because we find inspiration from
Him. St Peter told the Christians, “Stand up to him, strong in
faith and in the knowledge that your brothers all over the world are suffering
the same things. You will have to suffer only for a little while: The God of
all grace who called you to eternal glory in Christ will see that all is well
again: he will confirm, strengthen and support you. His power lasts for ever
and ever. Amen.” We no longer suffer in vain but for the love of
God and the good others. Suffering is no longer mere suffering but
redemptive suffering.
They will be
taught how to live a life of contentment. The truth is that no one can satisfy our
greed but only our need. How poor you are is dependent on how much you
need. If you need more to be happy, then you are poorer to that
extent. Those of us who need little live very contented lives because we
do not hanker for more. We are happy with little or with more because our
happiness is not dependent on what we have but being grateful for whatever we
have. As the psalmist says, “Happy the people who acclaim such a king, who
walk, O Lord, in the light of your face, who find their joy every day in your
name, who make your justice the source of their bliss.”
Indeed, they
will become people of praise and thanksgiving. “I will sing for ever
of your love, O Lord; through all ages my mouth will proclaim your truth. Of
this I am sure, that your love lasts for ever; that your truth is firmly
established as the heavens. The heavens proclaim your wonders, O Lord; the
assembly of your holy ones proclaims your truth. For who in the skies can
compare with the Lord or who is like the Lord among the sons of God?” People
who are grateful will also become generous in giving to others what they have
received. Grateful people are always happy people.
Most of all,
in Christ, they recover their dignity as the Children of God. We give and serve others
because we are all brothers and sisters. Every human person is recognized
and given due respect for their dignity. That explains why in serving
them, we do not simply dish out material things when helping the poor and the
needy but we must help those who are disadvantaged to be
self-sufficient. Our task is to help them to become independent so
in turn they become servants and instruments to others.
So as St Peter
urges us, “Be calm but vigilant, because your enemy the devil is
prowling round like a roaring lion, looking for someone to eat.” We need
to be vigilant in giving or receiving and not allow let pride or selfishness to
destroy us. We must ensure that whether as helpers or as recipients of
help, together we must grow in love and service, in generosity. We know
that our works of charity have served its purpose when all of us, regardless of
whether we are givers or receivers, come to know and love Christ, discover our
love in Him; and in turn through the works of charity become more like Christ
in extending the blessings we have to others. God blesses us never for
ourselves but in order that we may bless others with what we have received.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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