20180601
MISSING THE MARK
01 JUNE,
2018, Friday, 8th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Red.
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First reading
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1 Peter 4:7-13 ©
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Each of you has received a special
grace
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Everything will soon come to an end,
so, to pray better, keep a calm and sober mind. Above all, never let your love
for each other grow insincere, since love covers over many a sin. Welcome each
other into your houses without grumbling. Each one of you has received a
special grace, so, like good stewards responsible for all these different
graces of God, put yourselves at the service of others. If you are a speaker,
speak in words which seem to come from God; if you are a helper, help as though
every action was done at God’s orders; so that in everything God may receive
the glory, through Jesus Christ, since to him alone belong all glory and power
for ever and ever. Amen.
My dear people, you must not think it unaccountable that you
should be tested by fire. There is nothing extraordinary in what has happened
to you. If you can have some share in the sufferings of Christ, be glad,
because you will enjoy a much greater gladness when his glory is revealed.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 95(96):10-13 ©
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The Lord comes to
rule the earth.
Proclaim to the nations: ‘God is king.’
The world he made firm in
its place;
he will judge the peoples
in fairness.
The Lord comes to
rule the earth.
Let the heavens rejoice and earth be
glad,
let the sea and all within
it thunder praise,
let the land and all it bears rejoice,
all the trees of the wood
shout for joy
at the presence of the Lord for he
comes,
he comes to rule the earth.
The Lord comes to
rule the earth.
With justice he will rule the world,
he will judge the peoples
with his truth.
The Lord comes to
rule the earth.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Mt5:16
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Your light must shine in the sight of
men,
so that, seeing your good works,
they may give the praise to your Father
in heaven.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Mark 11:11-26 ©
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The fig tree; the cleansing of the
Temple
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After he had been acclaimed by the
crowds, Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the Temple. He looked all round
him, but as it was now late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.
Next day as they were leaving Bethany, he felt hungry.
Seeing a fig tree in leaf some distance away, he went to see if he could find
any fruit on it, but when he came up to it he found nothing but leaves; for it
was not the season for figs. And he addressed the fig tree. ‘May no one ever
eat fruit from you again’ he said. And his disciples heard him say this.
So they reached Jerusalem and he went into the Temple and
began driving out those who were selling and buying there; he upset the tables
of the money changers and the chairs of those who were selling pigeons. Nor
would he allow anyone to carry anything through the Temple. And he taught them
and said, ‘Does not scripture say: My house will be called a house of prayer
for all the peoples? But you have turned it into a robbers’ den.’ This came to
the ears of the chief priests and the scribes, and they tried to find some way
of doing away with him; they were afraid of him because the people were carried
away by his teaching. And when evening came he went out of the city.
Next morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree
withered to the roots. Peter remembered. ‘Look, Rabbi,’ he said to Jesus, ‘the
fig tree you cursed has withered away.’ Jesus answered, ‘Have faith in God. I
tell you solemnly, if anyone says to this mountain, “Get up and throw yourself
into the sea,” with no hesitation in his heart but believing that what he says
will happen, it will be done for him. I tell you therefore: everything you ask
and pray for, believe that you have it already, and it will be yours. And when
you stand in prayer, forgive whatever you have against anybody, so that your
Father in heaven may forgive your failings too. But if you do not forgive, your
Father in heaven will not forgive your failings either.’
MISSING THE MARK
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: [ 1 Peter 4:7-13; PS 96:10-13; MK 11:11-26 ]
What is sin? In Greek, the biblical word for
sin is “harmatia”, which means to miss the mark, to go astray or to be
lost. So sin is simply the failure to become what we are called to be.
Sin is more than simply an act or even a thought. It includes not just
the sin of commission but also the sin of omission. The failure to become
the glory of God is sin. St Paul said, “all have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God.”(Rom 3:23) Sin is therefore more than just failing to be
a devoted parent, a holy priest or a teacher or good student. It is the
failure to be what we are, sons and daughters of God.
This was the case of Israel. She failed to live up to the
promises of God given to her. She was chosen by God among all
peoples to be His Chosen People so that they can be a light to all the
nations. God spoke through the prophet, “It is too light a thing that you
should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore
the preserved of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my
salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” (Isa 49:6)
Instead of being the Chosen People of God, they were unfaithful to the
covenant. Instead of worshipping the Lord, they worshipped power, money
and practiced social injustice.
The cleansing of the Temple is but a symbolic illustration of the sins
of Israel. The Temple of Jerusalem was supposed to be a
place of worship, the glory of Jerusalem pointing to the heavenly
Jerusalem. Instead of helping people to worship God, it was used by the
priests and officials to enrich themselves at the expense of the poor
people. They charged exorbitant fees when they had to change foreign
currency to the Temple currency. They would find fault with those who
bought the animals for offering and worship outside the Temple, since all
animals must be without blemish. But they would sell them at a price much
higher than those from the market. Such corrupt and unjust practices
deprived the poor from offering sacrifices and worship to God.
Indeed, the sin of Israel was the sin of the political and religious
leaders. How true it is in life that the higher you
rise in the social, economic, political and religious ladder, the more corrupt
we get! Many who are in power use their office and position to enrich
themselves instead of offering themselves for the service of the people.
It is not uncommon for those who are rich and powerful to bribe the junior
officials to do their bidding and carry out their evil and corrupt deeds.
Otherwise, they would threaten to hurt their loved ones or to remove them from
their jobs. It is always the ordinary people who strive so hard to
earn an honest living that are discredited, made use of, abused and then
dumped. Whilst the innocent and good people suffer, the evil ones
seem to get richer and more powerful. This has been and still is the sad
reality of life caused by incompetent and self-seeking leaders.
The parable of the Fig Tree in today’s gospel is Jesus’ attempt to
highlight the tragic state of the People of God.
It is not meant to be understood literally but allegorically. The people
of Israel were given the Promise but they failed to bring it to fruition and
realization. Promise without fulfillment is not the work of God but the
failure of man! God has always intended Israel to be great and to
be a leader for all to come to God by living a covenanted life of love, unity,
charity and a life of virtue and integrity. Israel was supposed to be a model
nation for how one could live a life of communion with God and with each other
so that she could prosper, not just economically and politically but most of
all, religiously. But like the Fig Tree, there were only leaves but no fruits.
The consequence for failing to bear fruit is that eventually, like Israel, we
will wither and die, if not we will be chopped down. (cf Lk 13:9; Mt 7:19)
This is the warning of Jesus for those who are not responsible with the gifts
given to them. They will eventually destroy themselves.
Truly, many people with good prospects in life end up as failures.
Some even commit suicide because they do not know how to manage their
lives properly with the gifts given to
them. Instead of using their talents for good, either they are
irresponsible and squander their talents, wealth and time away or they use what
they have for evil, dishonest and selfish pleasures or gains. This
is the greatest tragedy that can happen to anyone. If we are poor or do
not have such privileges, no one can blame us. We can live with a clear
conscience and with dignity that we have done all that we could within our
limitations. But those who have been blessed with much but given little
back to society not only do society a disfavor but most of all, themselves and
their loved ones.
For this reason, St Peter urges us to use our gifts in such a
way “that in everything God may receive the glory, through Jesus Christ,
since to him alone belong all glory and power for ever and ever.”
Indeed, whatever gifts we have come from God and must be used for
His greater glory. The Benedictines’ Motto is “in omnibus glorificetur
Deus”, that is, “in all things may God be glorified!” We too must use all
that we have for the glory of God. Jesus said, “Let your light so shine
before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who
is in heaven.” (Mt 5:16)
Consequently, St Peter reminds us of our grave responsibility to make
good and proper use of our gifts. He wrote, “Each one of you
has received a special grace, so, like good stewards responsible for all these
different graces of God, put yourselves at the service of others. If you
are a speaker, speak in words which seem to come from God; if you are a helper,
help as though every action was done at God’s orders.” In all that we do,
we must remember that we are acting on behalf of God. We are called to
serve God in His people. As His agent and messenger, we are to mediate
His love, compassion, and bring His word to others. In the final
analysis, it is God whom we are serving; not even His people. St Paul
also wrote, “Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not
men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your
reward; you are serving the Lord Christ.” (Col 3:23f)
All gifts must be employed for the service of love.
St Peter exhorts us, “Above all, never let your love for each other be
insincere, since love covers over many a sin. Welcome each other into
your houses without grumbling.” When we do everything in love and
for love, we will avoid sinning like the Israelites and the Jews. When we
use all we have for the good of others, there will be no danger of being
tempted to corruption, injustice and greed for money or power. Love
also covers a multitude of sins because we will overlook the sins and imperfections
of others. By so doing, we will exercise compassion, sensitivity and
forgiveness towards those who fail us. That is why Jesus speaks of the
importance of forgiveness in relation to prayer. “And when you stand in
prayer, forgive whatever you have against anybody, so that your Father in
heaven may forgive your failings too. But if you do not forgive, your
Father in heaven will not forgive your failings.” When we do not forgive,
then we will not be able to love our brothers and sisters sincerely.
But prayer is not only linked to forgiveness and charity, it is
connected to faith in God’s power. Jesus
asks us to pray so that we can be docile and receptive to the power of God and
His grace for us. We must pray in faith as Jesus said, “have faith in
God. I tell you solemnly, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Get up and throw
yourself into the sea,’ with no hesitation in his heart but believing that what
he says will happen, it will be done for him. I tell you therefore:
everything you ask and pray for, believe that you have it already, and it will
be yours.” Prayer is to believe that the promise He has made us would be
fulfilled. This was how Abraham prayed. “By faith Abraham obeyed
when he was called to go out to a place which he was to receive as an
inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was to go.” (Heb 11:8)
Hence, the author said, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the
conviction of things not seen.” (Heb 11:1)
In faith, let us live out the promise given to us!
Finally, there is a warning. If we do not use the gifts of God
well, there is an inevitable judgment and condemnation. It
will not be so much God who will condemn us but we will condemn ourselves for
failing to be what the Lord meant us to be. St Peter said, “Everything
will soon come to an end, so, to pray better, keep a calm and sober
mind.” We will be ready to face our end and the judgment of history if we
have lived an honest and responsible life. But if we pass the test, then
St Peter says, “If you can have some share in the sufferings of Christ, be
glad, because you will enjoy a much greater gladness when his glory is
revealed.” Let us then be purified by the fire of love so that this
Temple of ours, the body of the Lord will be holy and glorify God.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh,
Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
