Sunday, 30 September 2018

COMMON VOCATION OF LOVE

201801001 COMMON VOCATION OF LOVE


01 OCTOBER, 2018, Monday, St Therese of the Child Jesus
IS 66:1014
10 “Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, 
all you who love her; 
rejoice with her in joy, 
all you who mourn over her; 
11 that you may suck and be satisfied 
with her consoling breasts; 
that you may drink deeply with delight 
from the abundance of her glory.” 
12 For thus says the Lord: 
“Behold, I will extend prosperity to her like a river, 
and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream; 
and you shall suck, you shall be carried upon her hip, 
and dandled upon her knees. 
13 As one whom his mother comforts, 
so I will comfort you; 
you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. 
14 You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice; 
your bones shall flourish like the grass; 
and it shall be known that the hand of the Lord is with his servants, 
and his indignation is against his enemies.

PS131
 O Lord, my heart is not lifted up, 
my eyes are not raised too high; 
I do not occupy myself with things 
too great and too marvelous for me. 
But I have calmed and quieted my soul, 
like a child quieted at its mother’s breast; 
like a child that is quieted is my soul. 
O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time forth and for evermore.
1 Cor 13-4-13
 Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 
Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect; 10 but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood. 13 So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

MT18:1-5
At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them, and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 
“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me;

COMMON VOCATION OF LOVE

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ IS 66:10-14PS 1311 COR 13:4-13MT 18:1-5  ]
What do we all really seek in life?  Not things, not power, not fame but simply to be loved and to love.   It is love that makes sense of life.  In truth, we do not need very much to be happy.  Indeed, when we have all these things, we will eventually come to realize the vanity of our pursuits because they are nothing in the end.  They cannot bring real happiness, meaning and fulfillment.  That is why, St Paul ended his long exposition on the gifts of the Spirit by saying, “But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.”  (1 Cor 12:31)
What is the highest goal in life we should strive for if not love alone? Indeed, nothing can replace love in life.  What do children seek from their parents?  They do not want things. Parents often substitute their time with their children by compensating them with things.  What they want is a personal relationship with their parents, one that is supportive, caring, understanding, patient, forgiving and encouraging.  This is what gives the child self-confidence, knowing that he or she is loved unconditionally and that there is someone in this world who continues to trust in him or her even when he or she is difficult and naughty at times.  It is the lack of love that makes us suffer from insecurity and low self-esteem.  This pushes us to ambition and trying to win over the love of others and their approval at all costs.
St Theresa discovered this truth for herself.  She wrote, “Since my longing for martyrdom was powerful and unsettling, I turned to the epistles of St. Paul in the hope of finally finding an answer. By chance the 12th and 13th chapters of the 1st epistle to the Corinthians caught my attention, and in the first section I read that not everyone can be an apostle, prophet or teacher, that the Church is composed of a variety of members, and that the eye cannot be the hand. Even with such an answer revealed before me, I was not satisfied and did not find peace. I persevered in the reading and did not let my mind wander until I found this encouraging theme: Set your desires on the greater gifts. And I will show you the way which surpasses all others. For the Apostle insists that the greater gifts are nothing at all without love and that this same love is surely the best path leading directly to God. At length I had found peace of mind.”
Indeed, St Theresa knew that there is only one vocation in this world.  It is the vocation of love.  Regardless of what we do in life or whatever state of life we have chosen, all of us are called to love without exception.  Every vocation, every career, every situation is an invitation to love God and our fellowmen.  It does not matter whether we are priests, religious or single or married.  She said, “When I had looked upon the mystical body of the Church, I recognised myself in none of the members which St. Paul described, and what is more, I desired to distinguish myself more favourably within the whole body. Love appeared to me to be the hinge for my vocation.  I knew that the Church had a heart and that such a heart appeared to be aflame with love.”
Indeed, only in the context of love do the gifts that God has endowed us with become meaningful.  St Paul in placing chapter 13 on the theme of love between chapters 12 and 14 on the gifts of the Spirit wants us to remember that all gifts must be exercised for the service of love.  The gifts themselves cannot make us happy unless they are shared and used meaningfully for the good of others.  In love we found joy and strength. We are not to be puffed up by our talents, wealth and resources.  This will only harm us further.  But we must receive with gratitude and thanksgiving and use them for the love of the mystical body of Christ. “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”  (1 Cor 12:7)
Love is the foundation of the mission of the Church.  St Theresa wrote, “I knew that one love drove the members of the Church to action, that if this love were extinguished, the apostles would have proclaimed the Gospel no longer, the martyrs would have shed their blood no more. I saw and realised that love sets off the bounds of all vocations, that love is everything, that this same love embraces every time and every place. In one word, that love is everlasting.  Then, nearly ecstatic with the supreme joy in my soul, I proclaimed: O Jesus, my love, at last I have found my calling: my call is love.”
Love in all things and in our actions is the key to holiness.  St Theresa makes it clear that it is not when we do heroic deeds that God will be happy with us.  Rather, unless we do everything out of love, all will be done in vain. St Paul says, “If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”  (1 Cor 13:3)  The truth is that we do many things in life out of obligation and duty and responsibility but lack love.  We don’t realize this but that is the way we “love” our loved ones.  We take care of the children, of our spouse and elderly.  We make sure their needs are taken care of but often we do them grudgingly and even at times unwillingly.  We are not loving in our actions but perform like them like a servant, as a duty and a chore.  St Theresa said, “You know well enough that our Lord does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, nor even at their difficulty, but at the love with which we do them.”
What we need to do to transform work and chores into means for holiness is when we put in love in all that we do.  When we are motivated by love and do everything for the love of God and neighbor, this is what holiness is all about.  It is about emptying ourselves for the other person.  It is about tolerating the weakness of another, his or her eccentricities, as St Theresa did for one of her sisters and continued to smile at her and loved her even though she made herself a nuisance.  When we do little things out of love and for love, we grow in holiness.  We can become a saint just by doing ordinary things in an extraordinary way when we make every action a deed of love that comes from the heart.  Indeed, in a world so permeated with individualism and materialism, and arrogance that comes from intellectual knowledge, St Theresa shows that the way to live our lives meaningfully is to walk the humble path of love and that gives meaning to all that we do.
But we all know how difficult it is to love.  The greatest way to love is not to reach out to the whole world (this is not excluded), but to love people in your backyard.  St Theresa herself had a strong sense of what it meant to love Christ, if not to love the Church, the community that we are in.  Community living is the place where we are purified in our love for God and neighbour.   She lived with the same women in the monastery for nine years.  Some of them lacked social graces and good judgement.  Some were uneducated, uncouth and insensitive to others.  Instead of running away from the problems and challenges, she committed herself to loving them and being a good Samaritan to heal them by a good deed, an encouraging word or a smile.  Holiness and love is an invitation to self-emptying and giving ourselves to others.  Instead of being focused on ourselves and our needs, we are called to focus on the needs and sufferings of others.  She lived an ordinary life of grace, dealing with the daily crosses of life, practising sacrificial love to unkind people.
That is why, we must first sit at the feet of Jesus and our Mother Church to draw strength to love.  St Theresa teaches us that the path to holiness is through ‘The Little Way’, which is one of child-like love and trust in God.  She offered all her small acts of unconditional love for Christ which she called her “Little Way.”  She sought to remain a child of God, to live in love and work through love.  In spite of her littleness, poverty and helplessness, she surrendered all her inadequacies to the Lord. She said to the Lord, “Jesus, I ask You for nothing but peace and love, infinite love without any limits, other than Yourself, love which is no longer I, but you.”
The real knowledge of God is not intellectual knowledge of Him but to know Him as love.  St Paul wrote, “Love does not come to an end. When I was a child, I used to talk like a child, and think like a child, and argue like a child, but now I am a man, all childish ways are put behind me.”   When we know God is love, and that He loves us, we will be able to find the strength and that capacity to love as He has loved us.
This is what the first reading is inviting us to do.  Like St Theresa, we must come to the fount of love and mercy in Christ.  “Rejoice Jerusalem! That you may be suckled, filled, from her consoling breast.  At her breast will her nurslings be carried and fondled in her lap.  Like a son comforted by his mother will I comfort you.”  Just as a mother would embrace all her children regardless whether they are intelligent, with low IQ, weak or strong, so too God embraces us all and would not refuse us any help, especially to those who are weak and vulnerable.  This is what the Lord said to us. “And so, the one who makes himself as little as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Anyone who welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.”
Yes, in humility we must turn to the Lord, knowing how weak and ignorant we are with regard to what love entails and what depth is His love for us.  The Lord reminds us that the way to the kingdom is much easier that we thought.  He said, “I tell you solemnly, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”   With the psalmist, we say, “O my Lord, within my heart pride will have no home. Every talent that I have comes from you alone.  Lord, my eyes do not look high nor my thoughts take wings for I can find treasures in ordinary things.”

Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved


UNIVERSALITY AND INCLUSIVITY OF THE SPIRIT

20180930 UNIVERSALITY AND INCLUSIVITY OF THE SPIRIT


30 SEPTEMBER, 2018, Sunday, 26th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Green.

First reading
Numbers 11:25-29 ©

If only the whole people of the Lord were prophets!
The Lord came down in the Cloud. He spoke with Moses, but took some of the spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. When the spirit came on them they prophesied, but not again.
  Two men had stayed back in the camp; one was called Eldad and the other Medad. The spirit came down on them; though they had not gone to the Tent, their names were enrolled among the rest. These began to prophesy in the camp. The young man ran to tell this to Moses, ‘Look,’ he said ‘Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.’ Then said Joshua the son of Nun, who had served Moses from his youth, ‘My Lord Moses, stop them!’ Moses answered him, ‘Are you jealous on my account? If only the whole people of the Lord were prophets, and the Lord gave his Spirit to them all!’

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 18(19):8,10,12-14 ©
The precepts of the Lord gladden the heart.
The law of the Lord is perfect,
  it revives the soul.
The rule of the Lord is to be trusted,
  it gives wisdom to the simple.
The precepts of the Lord gladden the heart.
The fear of the Lord is holy,
  abiding for ever.
The decrees of the Lord are truth
  and all of them just.
The precepts of the Lord gladden the heart.
So in them your servant finds instruction;
  great reward is in their keeping.
But who can detect all his errors?
  From hidden faults acquit me.
The precepts of the Lord gladden the heart.
From presumption restrain your servant
  and let it not rule me.
Then shall I be blameless,
  clean from grave sin.
The precepts of the Lord gladden the heart.

Second reading
James 5:1-6 ©

The Lord hears the cries of those you have cheated
An answer for the rich. Start crying, weep for the miseries that are coming to you. Your wealth is all rotting, your clothes are all eaten up by moths. All your gold and your silver are corroding away, and the same corrosion will be your own sentence, and eat into your body. It was a burning fire that you stored up as your treasure for the last days. Labourers mowed your fields, and you cheated them – listen to the wages that you kept back, calling out; realise that the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. On earth you have had a life of comfort and luxury; in the time of slaughter you went on eating to your heart’s content. It was you who condemned the innocent and killed them; they offered you no resistance.

Gospel Acclamation
Jn17:17
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your word is truth, O Lord:
consecrate us in the truth.
Alleluia!

Gospel
Mark 9:38-43,45,47-48 ©

Do not stop anyone from working a miracle in my name
John said to Jesus, ‘Master, we saw a man who is not one of us casting out devils in your name; and because he was not one of us we tried to stop him.’ But Jesus said, ‘You must not stop him: no one who works a miracle in my name is likely to speak evil of me. Anyone who is not against us is for us.
  ‘If anyone gives you a cup of water to drink just because you belong to Christ, then I tell you solemnly, he will most certainly not lose his reward.
  ‘But anyone who is an obstacle to bring down one of these little ones who have faith, would be better thrown into the sea with a great millstone round his neck. And if your hand should cause you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life crippled, than to have two hands and go to hell, into the fire that cannot be put out. And if your foot should cause you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life lame, than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye should cause you to sin, tear it out; it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell where their worm does not die nor their fire go out.’


UNIVERSALITY AND INCLUSIVITY OF THE SPIRIT

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [  NUM 11:25-29PS 19:81012-14JAS 5:1-6MK 9:38-48 ]
In both scripture readings, we have the theme of inclusivity and recognition of the universality of the working of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives. The world is becoming a global village. Through migration, interaction and exchange of cultures, appreciation of other religious practices and doctrines, collaboration in the work of social justice and assistance of the poor, we are realizing more and more the mission of the Church, which is to be a sacrament of unity, peace and love for the world.
But this work of fostering unity through inclusivity and a real recognition of the universality of the work of the Holy Spirit is constantly being threatened by narrow-minded people who cannot accommodate the diversity of cultural and religious values of peoples in the world.  There is this tendency towards superiority in our attitude towards others, whether in faith or in culture.  We want to impose our values on others.  We think that our culture is the best and others must follow what we do, just like some nations that want to impose their understanding of democracy, freedom and human rights on others.   We want to restrict the gifts of the Holy Spirit to ourselves.  We think that only Christians can do good works, perform miracles and possess the truth.   Others, if they do good, are working by the power of Evil Spirits and whatever good they do are questionable.
However, the first reading and the gospel in no uncertain terms speak of the inclusive attitude of Moses and our Lord.  When Moses was told that two men among the seventy elders who stayed back in the camp prophesied and received the Spirit as did those who were in the Tent, he was not disappointed.  When Joshua wanted him to stop them from exercising the gift of prophecy, Moses saw the bigger picture and said, “Are you jealous on my account? If only the whole people of the Lord were prophets, and the Lord gave his Spirit to them all!”  Moses never claimed to be the owner of the gift of the Spirit.  He was not the controller of God’s gifts. He respected the sovereignty of God and His choice.  He was a recipient like the rest.  He did not merit the gift that God gave him.  So who was he to hinder the Lord from giving His Spirit to whom He chooses?
In the gospel, Jesus had a similar experience as well when some people who were not part of His group of disciples were exorcising using His name.    John said, “‘Master, we saw a man who is not one of us casting out devils in your name; and because he was not one of us we tried to stop him’. But Jesus said, ‘You must not stop him: no one who works a miracle in my name is likely to speak evil of me. Anyone who is not against us is for us.'”   The response of Jesus was open-minded and accommodating.  The Lord was not jealous of others who had gifts that He had.  He was not territorial or parochial-minded.  He did not seek to restrict others from doing good even if they came from other groups.
This was because He was clear of His mission, which was to extend the kingdom of God’s justice and mercy through preaching, healing and exorcism.  So if others are doing good and more so when they are exercising these gifts in His name, all the more, we should be happy that through their services, more people can come to encounter God. So long as people are touched by the Lord and encounter His mercy and love, regardless whether it is through us or not, is immaterial.  We should rejoice with those who rejoice; and thank and praise God for them, for the gifts that the one Sovereign Lord has given to them as well. There is no need to be jealous or envious of them or feel insecure because our position is threatened or our popularity and influence is compromised.  By doing good as we do, they are helping to realize God’s vision for humanity, which is to be one family of God.
Indeed, we must not only permit others to do their works of mercy and spread the Good News of their religions, we must encourage them as well.  Jesus made it clear, “If anyone gives you a cup of water to drink just because you belong to Christ, then I tell you solemnly, he will most certainly not lose his reward.”  In the eyes of our Lord, all of us share the same Father and He is identified in every human person.  Indeed, “He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.”  (Mt 5:45) In the parable of the Last Judgement, the Lord said, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”  (Mt 25:45) And if the world fails to realize this, it is because, as John wrote, “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”  (1 Jn 3:1)  St Paul reiterates this when he taught, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.”  (1 Cor 12:4-6)
And with regard to the teachings of other religions, Vatican II says, “Likewise, other religions found everywhere try to counter the restlessness of the human heart, each in its own manner, by proposing ‘ways’, comprising teachings, rules of life, and sacred rites. The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men. Indeed, she proclaims, and ever must proclaim Christ ‘the way, the truth, and the life’ (John 14:6), in whom men may find the fullness of religious life, in whom God has reconciled all things to Himself.”  (Nostra Aetate, 2)
What we should be on guard only are those who are selfish and exclusive.  This is what St James said of the rich.  “Now an answer for the rich. Start crying, weep for the miseries that are coming to you. Your wealth is all rotting, your clothes are all eaten up by moths. All your gold and your silver are corroding away, and the same corrosion will be your own sentence, and eat into your body. It was a burning fire that you stored up as your treasure for the last days.”   If we use our wealth, gifts and position for ourselves, we are going against the gospel of Christ.  What we have are given to us on trust so that we can use them for others and for the good of the community.  Indeed, as St James says, we cannot take anything with us when we die.
But worse still is that riches can lead us to act wrongly against our fellowmen.  Because of greed and selfishness, we cheat and destroy others in the process.  We have many sad cases of political, corporate and even religious leaders cheating people of their money and resources, and using them to fund their luxurious lifestyle.  They are not concerned with the people but with their own.  Against this is the warning of St James to those who ill-treat their workers.  “Labourers mowed your fields, and you cheated them – listen to the wages that you kept back, calling out; realise that the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. On earth you have had a life of comfort and luxury; in the time of slaughter you went on eating to your heart’s content. It was you who condemned the innocent and killed them; they offered you no resistance.”  Eventually, those who do not care for others will hurt themselves by their narrow, inward-looking behavior.
That is why the Lord urges us not to allow such selfish and protectionist attitudes to destroy us and the community.  He exhorts us that if our foot, hand or eye causes us to sin, then it is “better for you to enter into life crippled, than to have two hands and go to hell, into the fire that cannot be put out.”  The foot stands for the outreach that we must strive at, the hand stands for the assistance we must give to our neighbour, regardless of race, language or religion, and the eye symbolizes the way we look at them, whether as our brothers and sisters in the Lord or as our enemies or people whom we can take advantage of.  We must think of the larger interest and the good of the community instead of our narrow concerns.
Indeed, the Lord warns us that “anyone who is an obstacle to bring down one of these little ones who have faith, would be better thrown into the sea with a great millstone round his neck.”  Let us not be the obstacles of faith and love to those under our charge.  Those of us who are leaders must also foster unity and inclusivity.  We cannot just be taking care of our groups and our interests only.  Rather, we should encourage those under our charge to reach out to other groups, even those of other faiths, encourage them to work together for better mutual understanding so that together we can build a people of love and unity, valuing our diversity and enriching each other by our beliefs and culture, so that we grow into the fullness of truth and love.  
Let us walk in the precepts of the Lord as the psalmist invites us.  We must encourage everyone to walk in the ways of the Lord, which is wisdom and truth.  “The law of the Lord is perfect, it revives the soul. The rule of the Lord is to be trusted, it gives wisdom to the simple. The fear of the Lord is holy, abiding for ever. The decrees of the Lord are truth and all of them just. So in them your servant finds instruction; great reward is in their keeping. But who can detect all his errors? From hidden faults acquit me.”  Most of all, we must pray that “from presumption restrain your servant and let it not rule me. Then shall I be blameless, clean from grave sin.”  Let us learn humility when we approach others who are different from us.  We must not be presumptuous but ready to learn and listen to each other.   This is the key to unity in diversity, truth in love.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved