20180826
FINDING COURAGE IN
CHOOSING TO SERVE THE LORD
26 AUGUST, 2018,
Sunday, 21st Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
Green.
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First reading
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Joshua 24:1-2,15-18 ©
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We will serve the Lord, for he is our
God
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Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel
together at Shechem; then he called the elders, leaders, judges and scribes of
Israel, and they presented themselves before God. Then Joshua said to all the
people, ‘If you will not serve the Lord, choose today whom you wish to serve,
whether the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River, or the gods of
the Amorites in whose land you are now living. As for me and my House, we will
serve the Lord.’
The
people answered, ‘We have no intention of deserting the Lord and serving other
gods! Was it not the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors out of the
land of Egypt, the house of slavery, who worked those great wonders before our
eyes and preserved us all along the way we travelled and among all the peoples
through whom we journeyed? What is more, the Lord drove all those peoples out
before us, as well as the Amorites who used to live in this country. We too
will serve the Lord, for he is our God.’
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 33(34):2-3,16-23 ©
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Taste and see that the
Lord is good.
I will bless the Lord at all times,
his praise always on my lips;
in the Lord my soul shall make its boast.
The humble shall hear and be
glad.
Taste and see that the
Lord is good.
The Lord turns his face against the wicked
to destroy their remembrance
from the earth.
The Lord turns his eyes to the just
and his ears to their appeal.
Taste and see that the
Lord is good.
They call and the Lord hears
and rescues them in all their
distress.
The Lord is close to the broken-hearted;
those whose spirit is crushed
he will save.
Taste and see that the
Lord is good.
Many are the trials of the just man
but from them all the Lord
will rescue him.
He will keep guard over all his bones,
not one of his bones shall be
broken.
Taste and see that the
Lord is good.
Evil brings death to the wicked;
those who hate the good are
doomed.
The Lord ransoms the souls of his
servants.
Those who hide in him shall
not be condemned.
Taste and see that the
Lord is good.
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Second reading
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Ephesians 5:21-32 ©
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Christ loves the Church, because it is his body
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Give way to one another in obedience to
Christ. Wives should regard their husbands as they regard the Lord, since as
Christ is head of the Church and saves the whole body, so is a husband the head
of his wife; and as the Church submits to Christ, so should wives to their
husbands, in everything. Husbands should love their wives just as Christ loved
the Church and sacrificed himself for her to make her holy. He made her clean
by washing her in water with a form of words, so that when he took her to
himself she would be glorious, with no speck or wrinkle or anything like that,
but holy and faultless. In the same way, husbands must love their wives as they
love their own bodies; for a man to love his wife is for him to love himself. A
man never hates his own body, but he feeds it and looks after it; and that is
the way Christ treats the Church, because it is his body – and we are its
living parts. For this reason, a man must leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one body. This
mystery has many implications; but I am saying it applies to Christ and the
Church.
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Gospel Acclamation
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cf.Jn6:63,68
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are
life;
you have the message of eternal life.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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John 6:60-69 ©
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Who shall we go to? You are the Holy One
of God
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After hearing his doctrine many of the
followers of Jesus said, ‘This is intolerable language. How could anyone accept
it?’ Jesus was aware that his followers were complaining about it and said,
‘Does this upset you? What if you should see the Son of Man ascend to where he
was before?
‘It is the spirit that gives life,
the flesh has nothing to offer.
The words I have spoken to you are spirit
and they are life.
‘But there are some of you who do not
believe.’ For Jesus knew from the outset those who did not believe, and who it
was that would betray him. He went on, ‘This is why I told you that no one
could come to me unless the Father allows him.’ After this, many of his
disciples left him and stopped going with him.
Then
Jesus said to the Twelve, ‘What about you, do you want to go away too?’ Simon
Peter answered, ‘Lord, who shall we go to? You have the message of eternal
life, and we believe; we know that you are the Holy One of God.’
FINDING COURAGE IN CHOOSING TO SERVE THE
LORD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ JOS 24:1-2, 15-18; PS 34:2-3, 16-23; EPH 5:21-32; JN 6:60-69 ]
One of the greatest
challenges in our times is the threat to the institution of marriage and the
family. How do we
preserve the sacredness of marriage and the family when the current trends in
the world make the unity of marriage and family life rather daunting? In
a world of individualism, the needs and happiness of the individual takes
precedence over others. The spirit of self-sacrifice is no longer
attractive to the modern generation. Such an attitude is reinforced by
the loss of the future for eternity. Today, people without faith in God
live only for this world and this life, for to them there is no future, no life
after death. So no one is willing to sacrifice his present happiness for
the sake of a future that is uncertain. We want to grab all we can before
we take our permanent exit from this world. Hence, we can understand why
the Church’s teachings on contraception, indissolubility of marriage, unity of
marriage and marriage as between a man and woman do not hold water for the
pragmatic person.
The irony of it all is
that whilst most Catholics externally profess these beliefs, many do not
believe in them personally nor practise them in their own lives. We wonder how many of us really believe
and observe the moral teachings of the Church. Although all are baptized
in Christ, not all are followers of Christ. Although all might claim to
be Catholic, many do not subscribe to Catholic beliefs. Many of us are
nominal Catholics. We subscribe to our own values which are often
contrary to that of the Catholic Faith. Indeed, we are selective
Catholics. We choose what we want to believe and what we like.
Those teachings that do not agree with us, we discard or just ignore.
Indeed, many of us subscribe to divorce, abortion, contraception, euthanasia,
same sex union, etc.
Many of us serve two or
more gods in our life.
Many even fall into syncretism, that is, a mixture of other religions, values
and practices. Those values that we agree with, we practice. Those
that we disagree with, we just dismiss as irrelevant or inconsequential.
St Augustine warns us against taking such an attitude of selective acceptance
of the teachings of Christ. He wrote, “If you believe what you like in
the gospels, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the gospel you believe,
but yourself.” Of such disciples, the evangelist remarked, “Jesus knew
from the outset those who did not believe, and who it was that would betray
him.” Indeed, insiders who are traitors are worse than those
without. They are the counter witnesses of Christ.
Today, the scripture
readings confront us all to make a radical decision for our Lord. This was what Joshua told his
people. “If you will not serve the Lord, choose today whom you wish to
serve, whether the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River, or the
gods of the Amorites in whose land you are now living. As for me and my House,
we will serve the Lord.” In a similar vein, the Lord posed the same challenge
to the Twelve, “What about you, do you want to go away too?” Indeed, we
are confronted with a choice, whether to accept God as our Lord, Christ as our
Saviour, or the false gods of money, power and the worship of self.
One thing is certain;
there is no question of compromise.
This was always the temptation of the Israelites. Although they
belonged to the God of the Covenant and accepted Him as their Lord and God,
they also worshipped the pagan gods. They wanted the best of both
worlds. Do we choose a religion based on the material benefits of power,
money, riches, or because we want live in truth and love? In fact many
claim to love Christ only because they want to be rich and seek only the riches
of this world. They do not love Christ but only what He can give them,
like the way the Jews sought for Jesus after they saw Him multiply the loaves
and wanted to make Him king by force even.
What does it mean when
we say with Joshua, “As for me and my House, we will serve the Lord.” To serve the Lord means that we will put
Him first in everything. We will act only in accordance to His
will. To serve the Lord means to submit in obedience of faith. Indeed, St
Paul urges us to render obedience to Christ, and it is within this context that
he gave the analogy of the relationship between husband and wife. What is
said about marriage must be extended to our submission in obedience to the
Church and those appointed by the Lord because they represent and act in the
name of Christ.
As disciples of Christ,
we must obey all teachings, especially those that are difficult for us to
accept. If the teachings
of Christ are so logical, then faith is not needed. Indeed, the teachings
of Christ are in contradiction to the values of the world. The beatitudes
are the reversal of the attitudes of the world. The message of
forgiveness versus revenge, grace over merit, the importance of one lost sheep
over many that are saved; the question of indissolubility of marriage,
rejection of same sex union, poverty over riches contradict the values of the
world. In today’s gospel, the idea of taking blood was already abominable
to the Jews, not to speak of eating flesh. Understandably, we read, “after
hearing his doctrine many of the followers of Jesus said, ‘This is intolerable
language. How could anyone accept it?’ Jesus was aware that his followers were
complaining about it and said, ‘Does this upset you? What if you should see the
Son of Man ascend to where he was before.”
Disobedience is always
the consequence of the lack of love for those in charge of us. If Jesus could submit in obedience
to the Father, it was because He experienced His unconditional love. He
willingly died for His Father because He loved His Father and He knew that His
Father loved Him more than Himself. Even in the passion, the Father and
the Son were one in the sacrifice of love when they suffered the distance
between them. Consequently, no husband can demand obedience from his wife
or children unless he is acting purely from his love for them, without vested
interests. This is true for all those in authority. Unless those in
authority show that their love is free from self-interests, our subordinates will
not listen to us nor respect us. On the contrary, they will also fight
for their own interests and teach others to do the same.
To accept the teachings
of Christ, faith is required. This faith is faith in Christ as the Son of
the Living God. Without
faith, we cannot obey and serve the Lord. Faith goes beyond reason.
If faith is reduced to reason, then faith is not required. Hence, Jesus
told the people, “It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh has nothing to
offer. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” St Peter
on behalf of the Twelve likewise responded in faith to the challenge of Jesus,
“What about you, do you want to go away too?” Simon Peter answered, “Lord, who
shall we go to? You have the message of eternal life, and we believe; we know
that you are the Holy One of God.”
Faith is not just an
assent but a personal relationship with Him. If Joshua could command the Israelites to
choose the God of Israel, it was because He had demonstrated His love for them
again and again, by leading them out of Egypt through the desert into the
Promised Land. We cannot obey unless we are first drawn to His
love. This is what the Lord says, “This is why I told you that no one
could come to me unless the Father allows him.” We must, as the
psalmist says, have tasted the sweetness and love of the Lord.
Consequently if we want
to find faith in Christ, we need to be in union with Him and His Church, which
is His body. The Body of Christ
which we receive in communion is not just Christ Himself but also a reference
to the Church as the Body of Christ. We need to be a member of the
community of faith. It means relationship with fellow Catholics and not
living as if we are alone in our faith. Unless we stand together, we will
fall in the face of difficulties. Without being involved in the
lives of our Catholics, joining in fellowship, one cannot be said that he or
she is a member of the Body of Christ just by receiving communion alone.
Receiving the Body of Christ is to make us one with Christ so that we can be
one with the Church.
Finally, this faith is
strengthened through a prayerful reading of the Word of God. When the Word is read in faith, it
brings about transformation of life. Indeed, only a prayerful reading of
scriptures, that is, reading with faith, can bring about our
transformation. We must confess our faith in Christ because He has
the message of eternal life. If Jesus is the Son of God and His
message is eternal life, then we must turn to the scriptures daily to search
for the truth and be led into the fullness of life by following His
teaching. Through contemplation of the Word of God, we find wisdom,
inspiration and encouragement for us to remain true to our spouse, children and
to the Church, the family of God.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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