20180617 COOPERATING WITH THE GRACE OF GOD
17 JUNE, 2018, Sunday, 11th Week,
Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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Ezekiel 17:22-24 ©
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I will plant a shoot on the high mountain of Israel
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The Lord says this:
‘From the top of the cedar,
from the highest branch I will take a shoot
and plant it myself on a very high mountain.
I will plant it on the high mountain of Israel.
It will sprout branches and bear fruit,
and become a noble cedar.
Every kind of bird will live beneath it,
every winged creature rest in the shade of its branches.
And every tree of the field will learn that I, the Lord, am the
one
who stunts tall trees and makes the low ones grow,
who withers green trees and makes the withered green.
I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do it.’
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 91(92):2-3,13-16 ©
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It is good to give you thanks, O Lord.
It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to make music to your name, O Most High,
to proclaim your love in the morning
and your truth in the watches of the night.
It is good to give you thanks, O Lord.
The just will flourish like the palm tree
and grow like a Lebanon cedar.
It is good to give you thanks, O Lord.
Planted in the house of the Lord
they will flourish in the courts of our God,
still bearing fruit when they are old,
still full of sap, still green,
to proclaim that the Lord is just.
In him, my rock, there is no wrong.
It is good to give you thanks, O Lord.
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Second reading
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2 Corinthians 5:6-10 ©
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We want to be exiled from the body and make our home with the
Lord
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We are always full of confidence when we remember that to live in
the body means to be exiled from the Lord, going as we do by faith and not by
sight – we are full of confidence, I say, and actually want to be exiled
from the body and make our home with the Lord. Whether we are living in the
body or exiled from it, we are intent on pleasing him. For all the truth about
us will be brought out in the law court of Christ, and each of us will get what
he deserves for the things he did in the body, good or bad.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Jn15:15
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I call you friends, says the Lord,
because I have made known to you
everything I have learnt from my Father.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The seed is the word of God, Christ the sower;
whoever finds this seed will remain for ever.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Mark 4:26-34 ©
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The kingdom of God is a mustard seed growing into the biggest
shrub of all
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Jesus said to the crowds: ‘This is what the kingdom of God is
like. A man throws seed on the land. Night and day, while he sleeps, when he is
awake, the seed is sprouting and growing; how, he does not know. Of its own
accord the land produces first the shoot, then the ear, then the full grain in
the ear. And when the crop is ready, he loses no time: he starts to reap
because the harvest has come.’
He also
said, ‘What can we say the kingdom of God is like? What parable can we find for
it? It is like a mustard seed which at the time of its sowing in the soil is
the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet once it is sown it grows into the
biggest shrub of them all and puts out big branches so that the birds of the
air can shelter in its shade.’
Using many parables
like these, he spoke the word to them, so far as they were capable of
understanding it. He would not speak to them except in parables, but he
explained everything to his disciples when they were alone.
CO-OPERATING WITH THE GRACE OF GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ Ez 17:22-24; Ps 92:2-3,13-16; 2 Cor 5:6-10; Mk 4:26-34 ]
“For by grace
you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the
gift of God – not the result of works, so that no one may
boast.” (Eph 2:8f) Indeed, the primacy of grace is the primary theme of
today’s scripture readings. Without His grace, all our works would be in vain.
“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in
vain.” (Ps 127:1) This is what the Lord says, “From the top of
the cedar, from the highest branch I will take a shoot and plant it myself on a
very high mountain. I will plant it on the high mountain of Israel. It will
sprout branches and bear fruit and become a noble cedar.” It is God who
will make Israel grow, just as He made the trees grow. God will appoint a
Messiah to lead Israel back to Him.
Consequently,
we are reminded not to abandon Yahweh and make false compromises with the idols
of the world. This was what Israel did. Instead of seeking the Lord’s
protection, they made alliances with foreign powers and eventually sold out
Israel to them. There is always this temptation not to rely on the grace
of God but on ourselves. As a result, we make a mess of our lives and
bring more problems instead. This was the mistake of the Kings of Israel
for trusting in the might and power of foreign nations to save and protect
them.
Indeed, we
must never forget that if we are Catholic, or if we are blessed, it is because
of the goodness and mercy of God. Without His favour, we would not be where and
what we are today. Like Israel, we were nobody, just slaves and
nomads. But having been chosen in Christ, we are His choicest
vineyard. But it is purely His grace and His love. This is
illustrated in the parables of the seeds. Once the seed is planted, it
grows gradually even though we are asleep. “Night and day, while he
sleeps, when he is awake, the seed is sprouting and growing; how, he does not
know. Of its own accord the land produces first the shoot, then the ear, then
the full grain in the ear.” God continues to look after it.
This is the truth of life. God watches over us whether we are asleep or
awake. “It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating
the bread of anxious toil; for he gives sleep to his beloved.” (Ps 127:2)
His grace is
also unimaginable. The parable of the Mustard seed speaks of the
spectacular growth from a very small seed “into the biggest shrub of them all and
puts out big branches so that the birds of the air can shelter in its
shade.” Indeed, the Church began with only a handful of disciples,
but today Christianity has more than two billion adherents in the world.
One out of every three persons in the world is a Christian. How could
this be possible if not for the grace of God at work in the Church and in the
disciples? God can do great things in us if we allow His grace to
work. We only have to be docile to Him and He can transform us. St
Paul reminded the Christians, “Consider your own call, brothers and
sisters; not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were
powerful, not many were of noble birth. God chose what is weak in the
world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the
world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so
that no one might boast in the presence of God.” (1 Cor 1:26-29)
But we are
not chosen for ourselves. Like Israel, we are called to be the light of
the nations.
“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have
put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.” (Isa 42:1)
The parable of the Mustard seed envisaged the Church to be a refuge and
sanctuary for everyone, especially those who are tired, the sick, the poor and
the marginalized. “Once it is sown it grows into the biggest shrub of
them all and puts out big branches so that the birds of the air can shelter in
its shade.” We are to invite everyone to Jesus who said to us,
“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will
give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle
and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke
is easy, and my burden is light.” (Mt 11:28-30)
As Pope Francis invites us, we are called to reach out to the peripheries, to those
who are suffering and give them hope and mercy.
Of course we
must cooperate with His grace to make this happen. St Paul wrote, “But
by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in
vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them – though it was not I,
but the grace of God that is with me.” (1 Cor 15:10)
Like the farmer, we need to plant the seed. Grace is given to us but
without our cooperation, the grace would have been received in vain. St
Paul urges us, “We urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain.”
(2 Cor 6:1)
For this reason, St Paul says that we must be intent on pleasing Him as a
consequence of His love. “Whether we are living in the body or exiled
from it, we are intent on pleasing him.” We must let our whole life be a
praise to Him.
In the final
analysis, we would have to render an account of how we use His grace in our
lives. St Paul says “For all the truth about us will be brought out in
the law court of Christ, and each of us will get what he deserves for the
things he did in the body, good or bad.” Indeed, salvation is a free gift
from God but we have to be accountable for how we make use of His grace. “For
we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. So then, each of us will be
accountable to God.” (Rom 14:10,12) It behoves us therefore to consider carefully how,
having received the grace of God, we justify this grace by living a good and
fruitful life. St Peter wrote, “Be all the more eager to confirm your
call and election, for if you do this, you will never stumble.” (2 Pt 1:10)
How can we be
fruitful disciples of the Lord and confirm our calling? Firstly, we need
to be rooted in the Lord and grounded in Him. As the psalmist says, “Planted in
the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God, still
bearing fruit when they are old, still full of sap, still green, to proclaim
that the Lord is just. In him, my rock, there is no wrong.” Unless Christ
is the center of our lives and the cornerstone, we cannot bear much fruit. (cf 1 Pt 2:4-6)
In the gospel, Jesus says in no uncertain terms, “Abide in me as I abide in
you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine,
neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the
branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart
from me you can do nothing.” (Jn 15:4f)
Secondly, we
must seek union with Him as the ultimate calling and our hope in life.
Our hope must be with the Lord who is the source and end of life, love and
happiness.
“We are always full of confidence when we remember that to live in the body
means to be exiled from the Lord, going as we do by faith and not by sight – we
are full of confidence, I say, and actually want to be exiled from the body and
make our home with the Lord.” It is this hope to be with Jesus that is
the real motive for what we do and how we act. A life of faithful service
depends on the hope that is promised to us. Without this hope, then we
will be motivated by other worldly goals. Only when we are convinced that
eternal life is to be with Christ, can we then give ourselves fully to the
cause, like St Paul. He wrote, “For to me, living is Christ and dying is
gain. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far
better.” (cf Phil 1:21-24)
Thirdly, we
must be grateful to God for chosing us to be His servants and messengers of the
Good News.With
the psalmist, we pray, “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to make music to
your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning and your truth in
the watches of the night.” Gratitude is what will empower us to do
good and repay God for all that He has done for us. St Paul said, “I am
grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged
me faithful and appointed me to his service, even though
I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I
received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and
the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in
Christ Jesus.” (1 Tim 1:12-14)
Finally, let
us walk by faith, not by sight, as St Paul urges us. This is what both
parables are teaching us. We cannot see that God is working in us at times
but He is at work. We must be patient to allow the grace of God to work
through nature. Small beginnings, but great outcomes at the end.
Growing in faith is not always an instantaneous reality but more often than not
it is a gradual ongoing process until we reach full spiritual maturity.
There are times when we have to wait. So let us have full
confidence in Him as St Paul asks of us. Let us trust Him. But let
us cooperate with His grace by growing and deepening our faith each day.
Through contemplation of His word like the early Christians, we will grow in
understanding and grasp the truth of the message of Jesus for ourselves.
In this way, we will certainly come to a time when we can too harvest the crops
that the Lord has planted in us.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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