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DEVELOPING THE FULL POTENTIAL OF EACH PERSON
12 MAY, 2018, Saturday, 6th Week of Easter
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
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First reading
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Acts 18:23-28 ©
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Apollos demonstrated from the scriptures that Jesus was the
Christ
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Paul came down to Antioch, where he spent a short time before
continuing his journey through the Galatian country and then through Phrygia,
encouraging all the followers.
An
Alexandrian Jew named Apollos now arrived in Ephesus. He was an eloquent man,
with a sound knowledge of the scriptures, and yet, though he had been given
instruction in the Way of the Lord and preached with great spiritual
earnestness and was accurate in all the details he taught about Jesus, he had
only experienced the baptism of John. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him speak
boldly in the synagogue, they took an interest in him and gave him further
instruction about the Way.
When Apollos
thought of crossing over to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote
asking the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived there he was able by God’s
grace to help the believers considerably by the energetic way he refuted the
Jews in public and demonstrated from the scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 46(47):2-3,8-10 ©
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God is king of all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
All peoples, clap your hands,
cry to God with shouts of joy!
For the Lord, the Most High, we must fear,
great king over all the earth.
God is king of all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
God is king of all the earth,
sing praise with all your skill.
God is king over the nations;
God reigns on his holy throne.
God is king of all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
The princes of the people are assembled
with the people of Abraham’s God.
The rulers of the earth belong to God,
to God who reigns over all.
God is king of all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
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Gospel Acclamation
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Jn14:16
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I shall ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate
to be with you for ever.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Jn16:28
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I came from the Father
and have come into the world,
and now I leave the world
to go to the Father.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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John 16:23-28 ©
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The Father loves you for loving me and believing that I came
from God
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Jesus said to his disciples:
‘I tell you most solemnly,
anything you ask for from the Father he will grant in my name.
Until now you have not asked for anything in my name.
Ask and you will receive, and so your joy will be complete.
I have been telling you all this in metaphors,
the hour is coming when I shall no longer speak to you in
metaphors;
but tell you about the Father in plain words.
When that day comes you will ask in my name;
and I do not say that I shall pray to the Father for you,
because the Father himself loves you for loving me
and believing that I came from God.
I came from the Father and have come into the world
and now I leave the world to go to the Father.’
DEVELOPING THE FULL POTENTIAL OF EACH PERSON
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ ACTS 18:23-28; PSALM 47; JOHN 16:23-28]
We often come
across people who, after having been touched by the Lord, become very
passionate in their faith and want to do something for Him. In
their ignorance, they can become over-enthusiastic and lack sensitivity towards
others. Quite often, they are not conscious of their motives for
service either. In extreme cases, some become fanatical and may be
misguided in their faith. The normal reaction to such people would be to
pour cold water to kill their enthusiasm. Of course, negative reaction such as
this could at times be fuelled by underlying fear or jealousy of these
people. The other common reaction is for authorities to just ignore them,
and hope that the fervor will die a natural death, especially when such people
refuse to accept supervision and guidance.
In the first
reading, we see a similar scenario, but which elicited a very different
reaction. We read that Apollos was “an eloquent man, with a sound
knowledge of the scriptures and yet, though he had been given instruction in
the Way of the Lord and preached with great earnestness and was accurate in all
the details he taught about Jesus, he had only experienced the baptism of
John.” Indeed, Apollos seems to be a very talented, knowledgeable and sincere
man. He knew both the scriptures and the faith very well. He had
both knowledge and passion in his faith and in Jesus.
Fortunately, we
have Priscilla and Aquila who saw his potential. Instead of
reacting with suspicion and fear, “they took an interest in him and gave him
further instruction about the Way.” They saw in him a rough diamond that
needed to be polished. Instead of writing him off as inexperienced and lacking
in truth, they were ready to guide him. They knew that Apollos would be a
greater preacher of the gospel once he was instructed in the fullness of the
gospel. This calls for patient mentoring. Nature must be perfected
by grace. That both of them were willing to take him under their
tutelage, speaks much for them. They were not intimidated by the erudite
knowledge of Apollos. He was a brilliant and eloquent man. They
were ready to dialogue with him. They did not feel threatened that Apollos
might outshine them as preachers and teachers. Their only concern was
that Apollos be effective in his ministry. Priscilla and Aquila were
selfless in the proclamation of the gospel, not thinking of their interests,
popularity or status.
What can we
learn from them? Firstly, as leaders we must be ready to find potential leaders to
replace us. Good leaders are always on the lookout for potential leaders
to take over their work. Like Priscilla and Aquila, we must learn to spot
those with talent to succeed us. To hang on to power and position is to
do disservice to the Church. Leaders cannot think of themselves and
continue to enjoy their service and position without preparing others to
replace them. The failure to look for new leaders will lead to the demise
of whatever projects and initiatives we have started. This is one of the
biggest mistakes of leaders, scrambling for replacement only when the situation
demands it.
Secondly, we
must mentor them once we find them to have potential for leadership.
We must invest time to train them. This is the most difficult part. Being
exemplary and mentoring potential leaders take time. We need patience and
not expect them to be like us in every way. We need to accept compromises
in the high standards we have set for ourselves. Otherwise, we will
discourage the potential leaders, for they will feel inadequate and inferior.
Skills need to be cultivated through time and experience. Training
leaders therefore calls for tremendous sacrifices. We must be willing to
let go and be willing to let them take over the limelight. At the same time, we
must be encouraging, affirming, supportive and tolerant when they make
mistakes. Only in this way will potential leaders find strength to
persevere.
Thirdly, we
must be tactful. “When Priscilla and Aquila heard him speak boldly in
the synagogue, they took an interest in him and gave him further instruction
about the Way.” They did not embarrass Apollos in front of everyone. They
took him aside and spoke to him personally. When we need to correct or
help someone, it is important that we do not make the person lose face before
others. Tact and diplomacy will make people whom we need to correct more
receptive to what we want to say. Although truth must always be said, it
must always be spoken in charity.
Of course, such
positive attitudes towards those who are talented call for a response as well.
‘Newbies’ must be willing to learn. The problem is that some think they
know everything. They do not take the trouble to understand the
procedures, background and history before rushing to implement changes;
ignoring the lessons of the past. Docility is therefore essential for any
formation. Without docility no learning is possible; regardless how
willing experienced leaders are to impart wisdom and knowledge to them.
Docility presumes humility.
Again, Apollos
had the right spirit of learning. Although he knew much about the
Hebrew scriptures and all that John the Baptist taught, he was willing to
relearn everything. Considering that he was so steeped in the knowledge
of the Hebrew scriptures, it would have been truly a great humility on the part
of Apollos to let go of his previous learning and accept with openness what
Priscilla and Aquila had to say about Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Apollos was willing to bracket his own convictions and knowledge in order to be
fully receptive to what the couple wanted to share with him. Most
likely, Apollos knew that there was something more than what he already knew so
well.
Of course, the
community also has a great part to play in the building up of future leaders.
The community must be supportive and welcoming. We note that the
Christians were very supportive too of Apollos’ initiative when he “thought of
crossing over to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote asking the
disciples to welcome him.” The problem sometimes is that communities are so
used to their leaders and familiar faces that they are often not ready to
accept new blood into leadership. They start comparing the new ones with
the old and established leaders who are more experienced. As a
consequence, potential leaders get discouraged because of the unfair and
sometimes harsh criticisms and rejection they receive. How often have we
had new leaders who, after being initiated into the group, give up because the
community made them feel rejected and unwelcomed?
Of course, at
the end of the day, realizing one’s potential requires more than the mere use
of human ingenuity, etc. We need the grace of God. We
read that when Apollos “arrived there he was able by God’s grace to help the
believers considerably by the energetic way he refuted the Jews in public and
demonstrated from the scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.” Without the
grace of the Holy Spirit, we can never excel in what we do. This explains
why the disciples instructed Apollos on the baptism of the Holy Spirit, since
he only received the water of repentance of John the Baptist.
For this reason, we
must pray and ask for the grace of the Holy Spirit. “Amen, amen, I say
to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you. Until now you
have not asked anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy
may be complete.” Only through Jesus, can we receive the help of the Holy
Spirit. Indeed, the grace of the Holy Spirit is given to us
through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus told the disciples, “For the
Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have come to believe
that I came from God.” By believing in Him, we will be blessed with
all the graces needed to live our lives as intended by God and to accomplish
our mission.
In the final
analysis, effective preaching must come from a mind that can understand
the depths of God and the mystery of His inner life; and a heart that is in
touch with God and man; and finally a faith that is grounded in our confession
of Jesus as Lord and Savior. So without a consciousness of the Holy Spirit
and a clear experience of the power of the Lord in and through them, we will
never be able to change the world. It is not enough to teach but rather,
as the Bishop would instruct the candidate asking for admission to the Order of
Diaconate, saying, “Believe what you read. Teach what you believe.
Practise what you teach.” Faith in Jesus of the head and heart is what makes
faith. When we trust in the power of God on account of our faith in
Jesus, then our joy will be complete. When we ask in faith, and when the
petition is answered, our joy is complete, for then we know that Jesus is true
and is real.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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