20180616
COMMITMENT
16 JUNE, 2018, Saturday, 10th Week,
Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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1 Kings 19:19-21 ©
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Elisha leaves the plough to follow Elijah
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Leaving Mount Horeb, Elijah came on Elisha son of Shaphat as he
was ploughing behind twelve yoke of oxen, he himself being with the twelfth.
Elijah passed near to him and threw his cloak over him. Elisha left his oxen
and ran after Elijah. ‘Let me kiss my father and mother, then I will follow
you’ he said. Elijah answered, ‘Go, go back; for have I done anything to you?’
Elisha turned away, took the pair of oxen and slaughtered them. He used the
plough for cooking the oxen, then gave to his men, who ate. He then rose, and
followed Elijah and became his servant.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 15(16):1-2,5,7-10 ©
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You are my inheritance, O Lord.
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.
You are my inheritance, O Lord.
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.
You are my inheritance, O Lord.
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.
You are my inheritance, O Lord.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Ps118:18
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Open my eyes, O Lord, that I may consider
the wonders of your law.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Ps118:36,29
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Bend my heart to your will, O Lord,
and teach me your law.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 5:33-37 ©
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Do not swear: say 'Yes' if you mean Yes, 'No' if you mean No
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Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You have learnt how it was said to
our ancestors: You must not
break your oath, but must fulfil your oaths to the Lord. But I say this to you: do not swear at
all, either by heaven, since that is God’s throne; or by the earth, since that
is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, since that is the city of the great king. Do
not swear by your own head either, since you cannot turn a single hair white or
black. All you need say is “Yes” if you mean yes, “No” if you mean no; anything
more than this comes from the evil one.’
COMMITMENT
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ 1
KG 19:19-21; MT 5:33-37 ]
It is easy to
make promises but can we keep our commitments? This is the question that
is posed to us in the gospel. Yesterday, the gospel spoke about adultery.
Today, we are asked to search our hearts with respect to our commitments.
Indeed, many people make empty promises even in marriage. How many
marriages are lasting? Today, infidelity is so common and marriage vows
are taken too lightly. Regardless whether these vows are taken
before God, many do not observe the vows. That is why Jesus said, “do not
swear at all, either by heaven, since that is Gods throne; or by the earth, since
that is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, since that is the city of the great
king. Do not swear by your own head either, since you cannot turn a
single hair white or black. All you need say is “Yes” if you mean yes,
“No” if you mean no; anything more than this comes from the evil one.’”
How is it
that very few are able to keep their commitments and promises
today?
Firstly, in a
secular climate, where faith in God is diminished; many no longer fear God or
consider their vows sacred. Promises and oath-taking make sense only when
they are made before God and not just our fellowmen. When promises are
made just to each other, we can break them. But even then, when they are
made before God, the lack of consciousness of the sacredness of our vows will
cause us to break our vows. In the past, men had greater reverence
for God. In today’s world, the sense of the sacred, the fear of the Lord
is no longer felt.
Secondly, we
are living in a very individualistic world. We want to be satisfied
immediately. We live in a world where we make ourselves the center of
everything. Everything must revolve around us. We want to have
things our way. We want to enjoy and be satisfied with the pleasures of
life. Modern men and women are educated and they have great
independence. They rely on their own logic and justify their needs.
So keeping fidelity today is a great challenge when liberated men and women
seeking love and understanding would not tolerate their partner cheating on
them. Since there is financial independence, divorce is the easy way out
of the relationship.
Thirdly, even
commitment in priestly and religious life is a great challenge. Many
priests and religious have given up on their vocation. They ask themselves,
“What is the use of making sacrifices especially when one is not
appreciated.” They too are attracted by the pleasures of the
world. Priests and religious, being human, also have their own affective,
physical and material needs. And because of the demands of the
apostolate, many priests and Church leaders, lay or clerical, have no
time to pray, to be soaked in the love of God. As a result, ministry
becomes a means to find love and acceptance, not a channel to share the love of
God in them. When we need lots of appreciation and recognition from
others, it shows clearly that the motivation of ministry is not the love of God
in us but a means to fulfill our need to be loved by our people. When we
make use of people to satisfy our emptiness then we end up frustrated and
unfulfilled. So the lack of interior life is the cause of ineffective
ministry and commitment to the people of God, and the religious vows of
poverty, chastity and obedience are compromised.
Fourthly, commitments
are difficult because we lack role models. The irony is that many of
the role models given to us in the world, whether world leaders, corporate or
political, and the movie stars, are divorced and have been unfaithful to
relationships and their spouse. The media today presents such
infidelities as something acceptable and not just condoned. They consider
such matters in relationship as private and nothing to do with society.
So our young people today have few models to give them the strength to remain
faithful in relationships when they see so much cheating all the time.
This is made worse when such people often come from broken families and single
parentage. Not only are they without role models of fidelity in
relationship but they are not capable of commitment themselves. At any
rate, today, loyalty is no more a virtue as in the past. The world
rewards you for the profits that you bring into the company; not your loyalty
to the company. The world is not concerned with upholding values but what
brings in money. The bottom line is profits, not morality and justice.
Today, we are
called to learn from the example of Jesus and Elijah. Commitment
calls for total surrender. Unless we surrender ourselves
totally, we cannot speak of commitment. Jesus was totally committed to
His Father and for this reason, He lived a life of integrity. He was true
to Himself and as the gospel tells us, He has no fear of man. He
was true to His Father and therefore true to Himself.
In the same way
too, we read how Elisha responded to the call of Elijah to be a prophet.
“Elijah came on Elisha son of Shaphat as he was ploughing behind twelve yoke of
oxen, he himself being with the twelfth. Elijah passed near to him and threw
his cloak over him.” This was a sign of election. Initially, Elisha
was hesitant about this choice. He was not ready to give up his family
and his trade. He told Elijah, “’Let me kiss my father and mother, then I
will follow you’ he said. Elijah answered, ‘Go, go back; for have I done
anything to you?’” The answer is clear: if Elisha is not ready, then he
might just as well forget about the call. The commitment that Elijah
wanted was a decisive commitment. With that we read that “Elisha turned
away, took the pair of oxen and slaughtered them. He used the plough for
cooking the oxen, then gave to his men, who ate. He then rose, and followed
Elijah and became his servant.” To kill the oxen and to use the
plough for cooking is a sign of total surrender, commitment and a break from
the old way of life. There is no question of turning back or falling back
on something that one has.
This is the kind
of commitment that the Lord asks of us. It must be decisive, total and
immediate. This is why religious are expected to take the vows
of obedience, poverty and chastity when they commit themselves to the
Lord. Unfortunately, many do not even live these vows in fact, or even in
spirit. Many of us no longer take these vows seriously as in the
olden days. Consequently, today, we are called to search our hearts.
In the final
analysis, commitment is only possible when we can say with the
psalmist, “You are my inheritance, O Lord. 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.” Only when God is
our true inheritance and when we recognize Him as the ultimate security in our
lives, we cannot give that commitment to the Lord and to our fellowmen.
Only those who know that the Lord is the one who can give them life, will turn
to Him for direction and for consolation, like the psalmist who prayed, “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.” Without a commitment to the Lord, our commitment to our fellowmen
is weak. Let us once more turn to the Lord for strength in our
commitment, for the Lord Himself is faithful to His covenant and His love for
us. God is the faithful One even when we are unfaithful. Indeed,
His fidelity was shown to our Lord Jesus Christ at His death, as the psalmist
says, “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.” So let us trust in the Lord who is faithful to His anointed
ones and those whom He loves.
Written by The Most Rev
William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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