20180426
DISTINCTION BETWEEN MISSION/MINISTRY AND
PRIVATE MINISTRY
26 APRIL, 2018, Thursday, 4th Week of Easter
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
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First reading
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Acts 13:13-25 ©
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God has raised up one of David's descendants, Jesus, as Saviour
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Paul and his friends went by sea from Paphos to Perga in Pamphylia
where John left them to go back to Jerusalem. The others carried on from Perga
till they reached Antioch in Pisidia. Here they went to synagogue on the
sabbath and took their seats. After the lessons from the Law and the Prophets
had been read, the presidents of the synagogue sent them a message: ‘Brothers,
if you would like to address some words of encouragement to the congregation,
please do so.’ Paul stood up, held up a hand for silence and began to speak:
‘Men of
Israel, and fearers of God, listen! The God of our nation Israel chose our
ancestors, and made our people great when they were living as foreigners in
Egypt; then by divine power he led them out, and for about forty years took care
of them in the wilderness. When he had destroyed seven nations in Canaan, he
put them in possession of their land for about four hundred and fifty years.
After this he gave them judges, down to the prophet Samuel. Then they demanded
a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin.
After forty years, he deposed him and made David their king, of whom he
approved in these words, “I have selected David son of Jesse, a man after my
own heart, who will carry out my whole purpose.” To keep his promise, God has
raised up for Israel one of David’s descendants, Jesus, as Saviour, whose
coming was heralded by John when he proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the
whole people of Israel. Before John ended his career he said, “I am not the one
you imagine me to be; that one is coming after me and I am not fit to undo his
sandal.”’
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 88(89):2-3,21,22,25,27 ©
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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!
I have found David my servant
and with my holy oil anointed him.
My hand shall always be with him
and my arm shall make him strong.
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
My truth and my love shall be with him;
by my name his might shall be exalted.
He will say to me: ‘You are my father,
my God, the rock who saves me.’
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
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Gospel Acclamation
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cf.Rv1:5
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Alleluia, alleluia!
You, O Christ, are the faithful witness,
the First-born from the dead,
you have loved us and have washed away our sins with your blood.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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John 13:16-20 ©
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Whoever welcomes the one I send welcomes me
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After he had washed the feet of his disciples, Jesus said to them:
‘I tell you most solemnly,
no servant is greater than his master,
no messenger is greater than the man who sent him.
‘Now that you know this, happiness will be yours if you behave
accordingly. I am not speaking about all of you: I know the ones I have chosen;
but what scripture says must be fulfilled: Someone who shares my table
rebels against me.
‘I tell you this now, before it happens,
so that when it does happen
you may believe that I am He.
I tell you most solemnly,
whoever welcomes the one I send welcomes me,
and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.’
DISTINCTION BETWEEN MISSION/MINISTRY AND PRIVATE MINISTRY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ ACTS 13:13-25; PS 89:2-3,21,22,25,27; JOHN 13:16-20 ]
Jesus said,
“I tell you most solemnly, whoever welcomes the one I send welcomes me, and
whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.” Jesus was conscious
that He was sent by the Father. He did not come on His own accord but as
the Son, He was sent by the Father to do His will. “My food is to do the
will of him who sent me and to complete his work.” (Jn 4:34)
He knew He was sent by the Father. He did not send Himself. For
this reason, whatever He said or He did, it was done in the name of the Father.
In the first
reading, St Paul systematically explained why Jesus is the Lord and Messiah as
sent by the Father. When invited to address the assembly at the Synagogue, St Paul
took pains to illustrate through the scriptures that Jesus was the man
prophesied and foretold by the prophets that He would be the one to establish
the Kingdom of God. Jesus was the one anointed to be that descendant of
King David. “I have selected David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who
will carry out my whole purpose.” This promise was realized when God
“raised up for Israel one of David’s descendants, Jesus, as Saviour, whose
coming was heralded by John when he proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the
whole people of Israel.’”
To be sent is
to be appointed and to represent the One who sends us. Regardless whether we
are missionaries or ordained ministers, the point is that the origin of mission
is that we are called and sent. This is true for all
ambassadors. They can only speak on behalf of the country. They do not
speak in their own name. The opinions they express are not their own but
what the country wants them to say. Jesus too taught in the name of His
Father. To listen to Him is to listen to the Father. One who is
sent does not speak in his own personal capacity. We must make a
distinction between our personal opinions when we speak as individuals and when
we function as servants of the Church, otherwise we will confuse people.
When we are speaking in our own personal capacity, people need not agree with
us. But when we speak in the name of the Church, we must be clear that we
are expressing the mind and heart of the Church. We are after all, servants of
the Church, not the master!
This also
explains why the Church officially does not call church organizations
“ministries”. The Church makes a distinction between mission or ministry and lay
apostolate and private ministry. The word “ministry” refers to ordained
ministry because a minister represents Christ and His Church. When we are
sent by the Church, it is called a mission. When we are appointed to act
on behalf of the Church, it is called a ministry. Both mission and
ministry are official delegations of the Church. To be a minister is to
act on behalf of the Church. He acts in the name of Christ. In
fact, a priest acts in persona Christi capitis. He is a servant of the
Church. As ministers and missionaries acting in the name of Christ,
it means that we do not undertake what we like to do but what the Church wants
us to do. In other words, we must be sent.
In the case
of St Paul, he was fully aware that he was sent. Earlier on, he was
called by the Lord in Damascus. “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to
proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of
Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
(Acts 9:15f)
Then he was sent by the Christian community in Antioch. “While they were
worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me
Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ So after
they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them
off.” (Acts 13:2f)
We do not
send or appoint ourselves! This is the mistake of many involved in mission and
ministry. They choose what they like to do and what they enjoy
doing. Those tasks that they do not like, they won’t do. They think
mission is a hobby, a part-time distraction, a leisure activity. It
is not a matter of what we like to do but of being called and sent for the work
of God. When we pick and choose what we like to be involved in, we are
serving ourselves, not God or the Church. It is fulfilling our personal
interests and desires; not a question of responding to the call of God.
That is why although many of us claim to be working for God and are involved in
the mission of the Church, we are in truth practicing private ministry.
We are doing our own thing. There is no commitment. When things get tough,
we leave. It becomes a private ministry.
This was the
case of John Mark, the deserter. We read that “Paul and his friends went by sea from Paphos
to Perga in Pamphylia where John left them to go back to Jerusalem.” For
whatever reasons, he did not see through the mission that he was appointed to
do. Scholars suggest that perhaps he was afraid of the challenges of the
precarious journey, or he could be missing his mother, or unhappy that his
cousin, Barnabas, handed the leadership to Paul. Regardless, John Mark
acted on his own impulse. It was not from the Lord. Unfortunately,
this is the way most of us in ministry conduct ourselves. If things go
our way, we will serve. If things do not, we abandon ship.
But because
we are influenced by the Protestant Churches, we tend to loosely use the word
“ministry”, meaning service to church organizations. Mission or Ministry
is different from private ministry or joining a church organization. Mission is a very serious
calling. In private ministry or in a lay organization, we choose which
one we want to serve in. Ministry in this sense is service, rather than
being a “minister”. Consequently, those who join church organizations
mostly join because they feel attracted to a particular organization. It
is not so much that they feel called to join an organization but more out of a
personal interest. They come and go as they like. Today, we join an
organization freely, but if we are not happy, we can simply resign. We do
not even have to give reasons and they cannot stop us from leaving as
well. Not so for those in the ministry. A priest cannot just resign
from his ministry. He has to apply for dispensation simply because he is
an official minister appointed by the Church. It is not a matter for him
to decide what he wants to do. He has to consult and discern with the
Church with regard to his ministry.
Of course,
having established that ministry is different from joining a lay apostolate or
a church organization; it would be good that we also be guided by the basic principles
of those chosen for the ordained ministry as well. We too need to also ask the
question, what the Church is asking of us and what the Church needs. If
we serve just to fulfill our personal desires, even though it is still an act
of service, we cannot really claim that we are serving God. We are still
serving our own interests and sometimes seeking personal fulfillment rather
than seeking to do the will of God. True mission must come from prayer
and discernment, seeking His will as to what He is asking of us for His
church. It cannot simply be because of personal interests.
For this
reason also, if we are serious in fulfilling the will of God and to find
confirmation that He is sending us, whether as ordained ministers or simply to
serve the Church in the various lay organizations, it is done normally through
the head of the community. In the local church, it is the bishop who calls. In the
parish, it is the priest. Only by cooperating with the head of the
community, can we be certain of God’s will. We listen to our superior or
the head of the community only because he is the anointed one of God. The
psalmist says, “I have found David my servant and with my holy oil anointed
him. My hand shall always be with him and my arm shall make him strong.”
Through dialogue and discernment with those in charge, we must be ready to
submit to obedience once a decision is reached. If we cooperate with God’s
grace, we will find happiness. This is what the Lord said, “Now that you
know this, happiness will be yours if you behave accordingly.”
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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