20180517
UNITE FOR TRUTH AND LOVE
17 MAY, 2018, Thursday, 7th Week of
Easter
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
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First reading
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Acts 22:30,23:6-11 ©
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'You have borne witness in Jerusalem: now you must do the same
in Rome'
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Since the tribune wanted to know what precise charge the Jews were
bringing, he freed Paul and gave orders for a meeting of the chief priests and
the entire Sanhedrin; then he brought Paul down and stood him in front of them.
Now Paul was well aware that one section was made up of Sadducees and the other
of Pharisees, so he called out in the Sanhedrin, ‘Brothers, I am a Pharisee and
the son of Pharisees. It is for our hope in the resurrection of the dead that I
am on trial.’ As soon as he said this a dispute broke out between the Pharisees
and Sadducees, and the assembly was split between the two parties. For the
Sadducees say there is neither resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, while the
Pharisees accept all three. The shouting grew louder, and some of the scribes
from the Pharisees’ party stood up and protested strongly, ‘We find nothing
wrong with this man. Suppose a spirit has spoken to him, or an angel?’ Feeling
was running high, and the tribune, afraid that they would tear Paul to pieces,
ordered his troops to go down and haul him out and bring him into the fortress.
Next night,
the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘Courage! You have borne witness for me in
Jerusalem, now you must do the same in Rome.’
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 15(16):1-2,5,7-11 ©
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Preserve me, Lord, I take refuge in you.
or
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Preserve me, God, I take refuge in you.
I say to the Lord: ‘You are my God.
O Lord, it is you who are my portion and cup;
it is you yourself who are my prize.’
Preserve me, Lord, I take refuge in you.
or
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel,
who even at night directs my heart.
I keep the Lord ever in my sight:
since he is at my right hand, I shall stand firm.
Preserve me, Lord, I take refuge in you.
or
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
And so my heart rejoices, my soul is glad;
even my body shall rest in safety.
For you will not leave my soul among the dead,
nor let your beloved know decay.
Preserve me, Lord, I take refuge in you.
or
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
You will show me the path of life,
the fullness of joy in your presence,
at your right hand happiness for ever.
Preserve me, Lord, I take refuge in you.
or
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
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Gospel Acclamation
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cf.Jn16:7,13
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I will send you the Spirit of truth, says the Lord;
he will lead you to the complete truth.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Jn17:21
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Alleluia, alleluia!
With them in you and you in me,
may they be so completely one
that the world will realise that it was you who sent me,
says the Lord.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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John 17:20-26 ©
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Father, may they be completely one
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Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said:
‘Holy Father,
I pray not only for these,
but for those also
who through their words will believe in me.
May they all be one.
Father, may they be one in us,
as you are in me and I am in you,
so that the world may believe it was you who sent me.
I have given them the glory you gave to me,
that they may be one as we are one.
With me in them and you in me,
may they be so completely one
that the world will realise that it was you who sent me
and that I have loved them as much as you loved me.
Father, I want those you have given me
to be with me where I am,
so that they may always see the glory you have given me
because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Father, Righteous One,
the world has not known you,
but I have known you,
and these have known that you have sent me.
I have made your name known to them
and will continue to make it known,
so that the love with which you loved me may be in them,
and so that I may be in them.’
UNITE FOR TRUTH AND LOVE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Acts 22:30; 23:6-11; John 17:20-26 ]
In the first
reading, we read how Paul used a tactical move to further his mission
in proclaiming the Good News. He seized the opportunity when he was
brought to trial before the Sanhedrin. He himself was a Pharisee and so
he knew that the Sanhedrin, which comprised both the Pharisees and the
Sadducees from the Priestly Class, were not in agreement with regard to certain
aspects of their doctrines. Thus he began with his statement on the doctrine
of the resurrection. “He called out in the Sanhedrin, ‘Brothers, I am a
Pharisees and the son of Pharisees. It is for our hope in the
resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.’ As soon as he said this a dispute
broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was split
between the two parties.” It was significant that Paul identified himself
as a Pharisee and a believer of the doctrine of the resurrection.
As a
consequence, right from the outset, the council was divided. “As soon as he said
this a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly
was split between the two parties. For the Sadducees say there is neither
resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, while the Pharisees accept all three. The
shouting grew louder, and some of the scribes from the Pharisees’ party stood
up and protested strongly, ‘We find nothing wrong with this man. Suppose a
spirit has spoken to him, or an angel?’”
Indeed, in
the gospel, Jesus had reminded us of the importance of unity in mission. “Every kingdom divided
against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will
stand.” (Mt 12:25) Consequently, “how can one enter a strong
man’s house and plunder his property, without first tying up the strong man?
Then indeed the house can be plundered.” (Mt 12:29)
Jesus is that strong man who can help us to overcome our enemies. For
this reason, in the gospel, Jesus prayed for unity among His disciples just
before He died. “Holy Father, I pray not only for these, but for those
also who through their words will believe in me. May they all be one. Father,
may they be one in us, as you are in me and I am in you, so that the world may
believe it was you who sent me.”
Unity is
necessary in mission, especially in times of opposition and difficulties. Many of us are weak
in our faith, and in the face of personal trials and opposition in our ministry
and work we give up easily due to discouragement and suffering. However,
if we have fellow brothers and sisters supporting us, we will be willing to
face the challenges ahead of us. What we need is encouragement and support from
each other. It is sad to see that in our churches, organizations and
ministries, priests, religious and laity are fighting with each other and among
themselves, discrediting each other. Worse still, at times washing dirty
linen in public. By exposing the weakness of the Church to enemies from
without, we only make the Church more vulnerable to those who wish to destroy
the Church.
However,
unity in mission is not just for solidarity, but it is a sign that we are
children of God and members of the One Family of God, even without our
proclaiming it. Jesus said, “I have given them the glory you gave to me,
that they may be one as we are one.” By our oneness, we share in the
oneness of the Father and the Son. Our unity is not just a sociological
unity but a unity based on our insertion into the life of the Holy Trinity. The
glory of God that has been revealed to us in Christ is that the Father and the
Son are one in everything and in being in the Holy Spirit. Christ has
come to share His glory with us, which is to be loved in the same way the
Father has loved Him. He said, “I have given them the glory you gave to
me, that they may be one as we are one. With me in them and you in me, may they
be so completely one that the world will realise that it was you who sent me
and that I have loved them as much as you loved me.”
How then can
we ensure that this unity is kept and strengthened among ourselves? The reality is that
our churches, both within and without, are so divided. This thought alone
should sadden us because we can imagine how sad our Lord is when He sees His
church so divided. Although all Catholics and Protestants Christians
proclaim the gospel of love and unity, yet we are much divided in doctrines and
worse still, sometimes we behave polemically towards each other.
To preserve
unity, we must first maintain unity with the Lord. Union with Christ is
the foundation of unity among all peoples. When we have a common love
for the Lord and are united in Him, we will, for His sake, endeavor to love
each other as much as He loves us. We will not do anything to hurt our
Lord. So growing in unity with Christ, heart, mind and body is the
first step towards unity among ourselves. Only when we share the same
mind and heart of Christ, can we move closer to agreement in doctrines and
practices. It is therefore important that Christians base their unity not
just in the scriptures but also in deep intimacy with the Lord.
Secondly,
unity is strengthened when we work for the common good and greater good of the
Church. One of the main reasons for disunity is because everyone wants to
be the head of every organization. They want to assume the responsibility
of those who are in charge. And so they demand that everyone must
listen to them. When we are opinionated we cause division wherever we
are. No matter how great or wise our opinion is, we must be humble enough
to submit our opinions to the larger group of people or whoever is in charge
because they have been tasked to assume the responsibility of the
organization. When we all want to insist on our ways of doing
things, we create division.
Ironically,
even our enemies would set aside their differences in theological divide when
it comes to practical consideration of their power and privileges. For we read that
after the Sanhedrin meeting was broken up, “In the morning the Jews joined in a
conspiracy and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink until they
had killed Paul. There were more than forty who joined in this
conspiracy. They went to the chief priests and elders and said, ‘We have
strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food until we have killed
Paul.’” (Acts 23:12-14) What about us? Should we not, for
the sake of the greater good of the Church, sacrifice our personal interests
and opinions? Do we want to continue to divide the Church and at the end
of the day, lose our credibility?
Thirdly,
unity is possible only in fervent and sincere prayers. When we pray,
we express our desire and work towards that goal with the grace of God.
Even Jesus Himself prayed for unity because He knew very well that unity is not
simply the result of dialogue and consultation and argument. Rather, it
is the outcome of the wisdom and love of the Holy Spirit at work in the hearts
and minds of everyone. Jesus promised us, “If two of you agree on earth
about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where
two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” (Mt 18:19f)
Only when we are in union with Christ and with each other, will our prayers be
answered.
So let us follow
Paul in making Christ known to the world. He lived in intimacy with the
Lord and with His fellow Christians. It was this communion with the Lord and
with His people that gave Him the strength of ministry. He used every
occasion to proclaim the Lord even in persecution. Instead of feeling
discouraged and resentful of Christ because of his persecution, he used such
opposition as opportunities to proclaim the gospel. He was receptive to
the Holy Spirit who invited him to use this opportunity of persecution to
proclaim Christ in Rome. “Next night, the Lord appeared to him and said,
‘Courage! You have borne witness for me in Jerusalem, now you must do the same
in Rome.’” Let the prayer of Jesus be earnestly ours as well, “I have
made your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the
love with which you loved me may be in them, and so that I may be in them.”
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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