20180529
CHRISTIAN LIFE IS ROOTED IN HOPE: A
PROMISE AND YET REALIZED
29 MAY, 2018, Tuesday, 8th Week,
Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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1 Peter 1:10-16 ©
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Put your trust in the grace that is coming to you
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It was this salvation that the prophets were looking and searching
so hard for; their prophecies were about the grace which was to come to you.
The Spirit of Christ which was in them foretold the sufferings of Christ and
the glories that would come after them, and they tried to find out at what time
and in what circumstances all this was to be expected. It was revealed to them
that the news they brought of all the things which have now been announced to
you, by those who preached to you the Good News through the Holy Spirit sent
from heaven, was for you and not for themselves. Even the angels long to catch
a glimpse of these things.
Free your
minds, then, of encumbrances; control them, and put your trust in nothing but
the grace that will be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. Do not behave
in the way that you liked to before you learnt the truth; make a habit of
obedience: be holy in all you do, since it is the Holy One who has called you,
and scripture says: Be holy, for I am holy.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 97(98):1-4 ©
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The Lord has made known his salvation.
Sing a new song to the Lord
for he has worked wonders.
His right hand and his holy arm
have brought salvation.
The Lord has made known his salvation.
The Lord has made known his salvation;
has shown his justice to the nations.
He has remembered his truth and love
for the house of Israel.
The Lord has made known his salvation.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
Shout to the Lord, all the earth,
ring out your joy.
The Lord has made known his salvation.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Ph2:15-16
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Alleluia, alleluia!
You will shine in the world like bright stars
because you are offering it the word of life.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Mt11:25
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed are you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth,
for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom
to mere children.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Mark 10:28-31 ©
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Whoever has left everything for the sake of the gospel will be
repaid
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At that time Peter began to tell Jesus, ‘What about us? We have
left everything and followed you.’ Jesus said, ‘I tell you solemnly, there is
no one who has left house, brothers, sisters, father, children or land for my
sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not be repaid a hundred times
over, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and land – not without
persecutions – now in this present time and, in the world to come, eternal
life.
‘Many who
are first will be last, and the last first.’
CHRISTIAN LIFE IS ROOTED IN HOPE: A PROMISE AND YET
REALIZED
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ 1 Pt 1:10-16; Ps 98:1-4; Mk 10:28-31 ]
The first
reading from St Peter speaks of the persecution of the Christians under the
Roman Emperor and from Judaism. This was already anticipated by our Lord when He
warned His disciples of the persecutions ahead of them. As
Christians, we can expect persecution, because our values are different from
that of the world’s. As the Lord said, “Many who are first will be last,
and the last first.” The gospel values are a reversal of the values of
the world. The world seeks honour, glory, power and wealth. We seek
humble service and simplicity in life.
How do we
accept the sufferings of a Christian? We seem to be at a disadvantage in
the world. This is what many Christians shared with me. This
is true for me even as a bishop. We cannot retaliate. We cannot
shout back when people are unreasonable to us. At times, we cannot defend
ourselves even when we are wrongly accused. When we are slandered, we
reply with charity. We suffer in silence and are often misunderstood.
We must be ready to forgive. It is tough because to respond as the world
would to its enemies would mean that we are no better than them.
St Peter
reminds us of our call to be holy and to be different, and to love like Christ,
forgiving our enemies. “Do not behave in the way that you liked to before you learnt the
truth; make a habit of obedience: be holy in all you do, since it is the Holy
One who has called you, and scripture says: Be holy, for I am
holy.” The holiness of God is expressed in mercy, forgiveness and charity.
Because God is always merciful and forgiving, we too must act like Him if we
call ourselves His children.
Not only must we
be merciful to those who have hurt us, we must be generous in giving ourselves
in humble service to the poor. Earlier on, Jesus challenged His disciples
to leave everything and give to the poor and to follow Him to Jerusalem.
He told the rich man, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the
money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” (Mk 10:21)
He warned His disciples, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of
God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for
someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” And the disciples “were
greatly astounded and said to one another, ‘Then who can be saved?’ Jesus
looked at them and said, ‘For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for
God all things are possible.’” (Mk 10:26f)
Indeed, Christian life is demanding and truly radical. It is not for the
faint-hearted and the weak.
What, then,
is the basis for us to live the life of Christ? It is based on Christian
hope. What is this Hope that can sustain us? It is a hope that is
promised. Christian Hope means that it is not yet realized but it does
not mean that it is an unsubstantiated hope. Otherwise, we will be
proclaiming a pie in the sky. But it is difficult to tell someone to hope
for something that he does not see. It is not viable to tell
the modern man to go through the valley of tears so that he will have eternal
life in the future. Only suicide terrorists will do it out of
desperation and disillusionment in this life. The modern man
is only interested in immediate gratification. So to ask them to postpone
their fulfilment for an uncertain future is not tenable. The
modern man is quite unlike the man from the previous generation who always saves
for the future and for their children. They will keep things and
hoard them for their children. The modern man wants it now,
to enjoy now. They don’t know what poverty is. Everything must be
in their hands in an instant. He cannot wait. With digital media,
mass communication and technology, we are used to getting what we want almost
instantly. This expectation of immediate gratification is transferred even to
the religious world.
Even the
disciples demanded it. Peter asked Jesus, “ What about us? We have left everything
and followed you.” The response of our Lord is clear when He said, “I
tell you solemnly, there is no one who has left house, brothers, sisters,
father, children or land for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will
not be repaid a hundred times over, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers,
children and land – not without persecutions – now in this present time and, in
the world to come, eternal life.” God does not expect us to hope for
something that is not yet experienced as a foretaste.
Christian
hope is not based on an illusory promise of a utopia. The truth lies in
between. It is rooted in the present, in partial fulfilment. The
promise of Jesus to the disciples about repayment now in this present life is a
partial realization. Following Him in those days might mean being
rejected by their loved ones, especially those who subscribed to strict
Judaism. But in the process of losing their loved ones, as many converts
now have also experienced being ostracised by family members for accepting
Christ, they in turn find a new family of God, the larger family of Christ that
welcomes them. Perhaps being a Christian does not make us materially
rich, but we will be rich in love and fellowship. At the end of the day,
wealth and power are meant to bring us friends and love through service and
sharing. If our material wealth brings division because of greed and
quarrels in our family, then it defeats the purpose.
This was how
St Peter encouraged the Christians in terms of seeing the full revelation of
Christ.
He reminded them of their great privilege compared to the Old Testament
prophets. He wrote, “It was this salvation that the prophets were looking
and searching so hard for; their prophecies were about the grace which was to
come to you.” They did not have the opportunity to see Christ but in
faith they believed that the Christ would come. Christ fulfilled the
prophecies. “The Spirit of Christ which was in them foretold the sufferings
of Christ and the glories that would come after them, and they tried to find
out at what time and in what circumstances all this was to be expected.”
For the Christians, they had the benefit of witnessing the life, passion, death
and resurrection of our Lord. “It was revealed to them that the news they
brought of all the things which have now been announced to you, by those who
preached to you the Good News through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, was for
you and not for themselves. Even the angels long to catch a glimpse of
these things.”
So too for
the Israelites during the time of Moses. The responsorial psalm expressed
their experience of the salvific grace of God. “Sing a new
song to the Lord for he has worked wonders. His right hand and his holy arm have
brought salvation. The Lord has made known his salvation; has shown his justice
to the nations. He has remembered his truth and love for the house of
Israel.” The Israelites witnessed the power of God at work when He
delivered them out of Egypt. They saw God’s mercy and might.
So Christian
hope is based on a proleptic experience of the salvation given to us in Christ. It is a future that
is already realized in Christ’s passion and resurrection. The motivation
for Christian holiness is driven by the imminent return of Christ. We
must be mentally alert, disciplined and focused as we prepare ourselves to meet
the Lord. This is what St Peter exhorts us, “Free your minds, then,
of encumbrances; control them, and put your trust in nothing but the grace that
will be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” Our understanding
of heaven and the future life is an extrapolation of what is already achieved
in Christ. Based on this partial fulfilment, we strive to prepare for the
fullest revelation of God’s grace. Yet there is a warning that if we want
to enjoy the fullness of life, it will not be without persecution. It is
a necessary stage of self-emptying, purification in love and faith. So we
need to continue to strive in holiness, in mercy and in charity. We must
imitate the Lord who is the standard of Christian morality. We must not
go back to the old way of life. “Do not behave in the way that you liked
to before you learnt the truth; make a habit of obedience: be holy in all you
do.” By committing our lives to Christ, we are set apart to be
holy. Our focus, our priorities and values must reflect God’s ways in all
that we do and say.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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