20180801
THE PEARL OF LIFE
1 AUGUST,
2018, Wednesday, 17th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: White.
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First reading
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Jeremiah
15:10,16-21 ©
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They will not overcome you, because I
am with you
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‘Woe is me, my mother, for you have
borne me
to be a man of strife and of dissension
for all the land.
I neither lend nor borrow,
yet all of them curse me.
‘When your words came, I devoured them:
your word was my delight
and the joy of my heart;
for I was called by your name,
the Lord, God of Hosts.
I never took pleasure in sitting in
scoffers’ company;
with your hand on me I held myself
aloof,
since you had filled me with
indignation.
Why is my suffering continual,
my wound incurable, refusing to be
healed?
Do you mean to be for me a deceptive
stream
with inconstant waters?’
To which the Lord replied,
‘If you come back,
I will take you back into my service;
and if you utter noble, not despicable,
thoughts,
you shall be as my own mouth.
They will come back to you,
but you must not go back to them.
I will make you
a bronze wall fortified against this
people.
They will fight against you
but they will not overcome you,
because I am with you
to save you and to deliver you
– it is the Lord who speaks.
I mean to deliver you from the hands of
the wicked
and redeem you from the clutches of the
violent.’
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm
58(59):2-5,10-11,17-18 ©
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O God, you have been
a refuge in the day of my distress.
Rescue me, God, from my foes;
protect me from those who
attack me.
O rescue me from those who do evil
and save me from
blood-thirsty men.
O God, you have been
a refuge in the day of my distress.
See, they lie in wait for my life;
powerful men band together
against me.
For no offence, no sin of mine, Lord,
for no guilt of mine they
rush to take their stand.
O God, you have been
a refuge in the day of my distress.
O my Strength, it is you to whom I
turn,
for you, O God, are my
stronghold,
the God who shows me love.
O God, you have been
a refuge in the day of my distress.
As for me, I will sing of your strength
and each morning acclaim
your love
for you have been my stronghold,
a refuge in the day of my
distress.
O God, you have been
a refuge in the day of my distress.
O my Strength, it is you to whom I
turn,
for you, O God, are my
stronghold,
the God who shows me love.
O God, you have been
a refuge in the day of my distress.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Ps118:105
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Your word is a lamp for my steps
and a light for my path.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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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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Gospel
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Matthew 13:44-46 ©
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He sells everything he owns and buys
the field
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Jesus said to the crowds: ‘The kingdom
of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which someone has found; he hides
it again, goes off happy, sells everything he owns and buys the field.
‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for
fine pearls; when he finds one of great value he goes and sells everything he
owns and buys it.’
THE PEARL OF LIFE
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: [ JER 15:10, 16-21; MT 13:44-46 ]
What is the value of a pearl? Why
do people seek after pearls, diamonds and all kinds of exquisite stones?
Why do such pearls and stones fetch so much money? Women, particularly,
love pearls and diamonds. In truth it is nothing but a stone. You
cannot eat it! But it brings an aesthetic joy that cannot be measured in
material not even in financial terms. Or else why would people
spend thousands of dollars or even millions to acquire such pearls and
stones? So the pearl stands for exceptional beauty that gives joy to the
eyes and raises the mind to the higher things of life, the wonders of
creation. It gives much pleasure just to hold it or to wear it.
Within this context, we can better appreciate the parables of today’s
gospel. Both parables speak of the treasure that one finds, either
deliberately or by chance. In the case of the first parable, the
man found it by chance whereas in the second instance, the man was seeking
it. In whichever case, the lesson remains that if one finds such
a treasure, one will give up everything he or she has and buys it. When
something is a treasure to you, you would do all you can to acquire it, regardless
of the cost, be it material or otherwise. As Jesus says in the
gospel, “where your treasure is, there your heart also.” (Mt 6:21).
So what is your pearl in life? What is your treasure? Is
your treasure the Kingdom of God? Again, what is the kingdom of God if
not to bask ourselves in His love and in His word. This
was the experience of Jeremiah in the first reading. “When your words
came, I devoured them: your word was my delight and the joy of my heart; for I
was called by your name.” He was seduced by the Word of God.
Listening to the Word of God, he was filled with joy, an attraction that was
irresistible. This is true for all of us who have fallen in love with God
and His word. The more we read the bible, the more we are glued to the
Word because His word gives us life, inspiration, encouragement, direction, joy
and hope. Indeed, those who discover the love of God or the power of His
word will never be the same again.
But the Kingdom of God is not mere enjoyment, unlike one who finds a
pearl of great value and beauty. The kingdom of God consists also
in doing His holy will once we have listened to His word. Like
the merchant in the parable or the man who found the treasure and sold
everything to buy it, Jeremiah too gave his life to God by becoming His
prophet. In and out of season, he proclaimed the Word of God to His
people out of love for them because he could see disaster ahead of them if they
did not repent of their sins. We too must seek to do His holy will in
life if we want to find peace. Doing God’s will is the only way to find
true peace of mind and heart. There is no greater freedom in life than to
know that we are doing His will.
How can we find this treasure? There are two ways. The first
is by chance and the other way is to search for it. In the first parable,
the man found the treasure by chance. How true for some of
us who found God by chance or rather, by grace. God came into our life
unexpectedly. Something happened in our life. It could be a retreat
we did not plan to attend; a church we did not expect to enter, or a miracle in
our lives. But when we did, at that moment, we knew that God is real and
He is beyond words and description. At some moment in our life too, we
came to realize that this is our vocation, our calling in life. We are
led into doing something passionately for God and for our fellowmen, within or
without the church. This is truly grace. Because we did not
expect, the transformation is miraculous.
In the second instance, like the merchant, we actively search for God
and for His holy will. For most of us, this would be the way
to discovering God and finding our vocation in life. This calls for
deliberate study, discernment, prayer and consultation. So one cannot
simply just say that God has not spoken to them. At times, God wants us
to cooperate with His grace by making use of our natural resources. Quite
often, we find God in the process of doing our work. When we give
ourselves completely to what we are called to do, and in the process of doing
it, God will show us what else He wants us to do. Like the merchant, we
must give ourselves wholeheartedly to what we are doing now, our
responsibility, and when the time is opportune, the Lord will show us the next
step that we should take.
However, finding God and our vocation or His holy will is not the end.
Like Jeremiah, we need the strength and grace to complete His will. More
often than not, there will be trials ahead of us. We will face opposition
even when doing good, like Jeremiah. Even when we try to live a peaceful
life, others will find trouble for us because our life is a reproach to
them. More so when we have to do the right thing and expose the hypocrisy
of our members and leaders. We will find that we have more enemies simply
because we want to do the will of God and proclaim His word of truth and love
to the world. In such moments, we will be like Jeremiah who, under
persecution, became angry and disillusioned. In pain, he cried out, “Woe
is me, my mother, for you have borne me to be a man of strife and of dissension
for all the land. I neither lend nor borrow, yet all of them curse me and
avenge me on my persecutors. Your anger is very slow: do not let me be
snatched away. Realise that I suffer insult for your sake.” He was also
disappointed with the Lord and said to Him, “Lord, God of hosts. I never took
pleasure in sitting in scoffers’ company; with your hand on me I held myself
aloof, since you had filled me with indignation. Why is my suffering
continual, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Do you mean to be for me
a deceptive stream with inconstant waters?” Indeed, sometimes doing the
right thing, the just thing and being misunderstood, ridiculed, ostracized,
opposed and slandered is so hurtful. So much so like Jeremiah, we feel
like giving up and throwing in the towel.
Where then do we find strength to carry on in such a situation? The
Lord told Jeremiah to humble himself and refrain from harsh words that do not
come from Him. “If you come back, I will take you back into my service;
and if you utter noble, not despicable, thoughts, you shall be as my own mouth.
They will come back to you, but you must not go back to them. I will make you a
bronze wall fortified against this people. They will fight against you to save
you and to deliver you. It is the Lord who speaks.” Instead we must come back
to the Lord again and again for inspiration and encouragement. Indeed, we
must return to our first love, our first encounter with the Lord or come back
to the Word of God daily and the Eucharist so that we can find the food and bread
of life to carry on, fulfilling our responsibilities, doing His holy will and
giving ourselves fully to our vocation. If we persevere each day of our
life, we might suffer now and then, but we will find the pearl of peace, joy
and love with us always.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh,
Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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