20180921
BE AN APOSTLE IN THE
MARKET PLACE
21 SEPTEMBER,
2018, Friday, St Matthew, Apostle, Evangelist
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Red.
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First reading
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We are all to come to unity, fully
mature in the knowledge of the Son of God
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I, the prisoner in the Lord, implore you
to lead a life worthy of your vocation. Bear with one another charitably, in
complete selflessness, gentleness and patience. Do all you can to preserve the
unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together. There is one Body,
one Spirit, just as you were all called into one and the same hope when you
were called. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God who is
Father of all, over all, through all and within all.
Each
one of us, however, has been given his own share of grace, given as Christ
allotted it. To some, his gift was that they should be apostles; to some,
prophets; to some, evangelists; to some, pastors and teachers; so that the
saints together make a unity in the work of service, building up the body of
Christ. In this way we are all to come to unity in our faith and in our
knowledge of the Son of God, until we become the perfect Man, fully mature with
the fullness of Christ himself.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Their word goes forth
through all the earth.
The heavens proclaim the glory of God,
and the firmament shows forth
the work of his hands.
Day unto day takes up the story
and night unto night makes
known the message.
Their word goes forth
through all the earth.
No speech, no word, no voice is heard
yet their span extends through
all the earth,
their words to the utmost
bounds of the world.
Their word goes forth
through all the earth.
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Gospel Acclamation
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cf.Te Deum
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Alleluia, alleluia!
We praise you, O God,
we acknowledge you to be the Lord.
The glorious company of the apostles
praise you, O Lord.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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It is not the healthy who need the
doctor, but the sick
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As Jesus was walking on, he saw a man
named Matthew sitting by the customs house, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’
And he got up and followed him.
While
he was at dinner in the house it happened that a number of tax collectors and
sinners came to sit at the table with Jesus and his disciples. When the
Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your master eat with
tax collectors and sinners?’ When he heard this he replied, ‘It is not the
healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. Go and learn the meaning of the
words: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice. And indeed I did not come to call the
virtuous, but sinners.’
BE AN APOSTLE IN THE MARKET PLACE
“I, the prisoner in the Lord, implore
you to lead a life worthy of your vocation.” All of us are
called to a particular vocation in life. Vocation is a call from God to
serve Him and His people. St Paul speaks of the different vocations in
the Church. “Each one of us, however, has been given his own share of
grace, given as Christ allotted it. And to some, his gift was that they should
be apostles; to some, prophets; to some, evangelists; some, pastors and
teachers.” This list is of course not exhaustive.
What is important
however, is to remember that every vocation is important to the Church and is a
unique call from the Lord. Regardless
of what we are called to do, every vocation is for the service of the Church.
Whether we are a homemaker, professional, ordinary worker, helper or even sick
at home or in hospital, our vocation is essential in the building of the
Church. He does not simply call us without equipping us. That is
why when we are chosen for a vocation, the Lord will qualify us and give us the
necessary graces to carry out our vocation in fidelity, devotion and with
fortitude. St Paul says, we are given a special charism “so that
the saints together make a unit in the work of service, building up the body of
Christ.” In truth therefore, every vocation is a gift from the Lord
to His Church, for the building of the People of God and for the growth of each
individual.
This means we can be
sanctified by our vocation.
It would be wrong to think that only those who are called to priestly and
religious life are sanctified in their vocation. Indeed, what sanctifies
us is not what we do but the intention behind what we do and how we carry out
the role that the Lord has entrusted to us. Even when we are sick
or elderly and unable to work, we can be of service to the Church when we offer
our pains, sacrifices and inconveniences for the work of mission and the
conversion of sinners by carrying our sufferings patiently and
cheerfully. In this way, we inspire and give hope to our care givers and
draw out their goodness and generosity to serve the poor and the sick even
more. This is what St Paul wrote, “In this way we are all to come
to unity in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God, until we become
the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself.” We
must use our vocation to sanctify others and in the process we sanctify
ourselves so that all become more like Christ in love and service.
Such was the intention
of our Lord in calling Matthew to be His apostle. Matthew was a tax
collector, born in Capernaum. Tax collectors were the most
hated people in the kingdom because they were perceived as traitors, since they
worked for the Romans. Furthermore, many of them were dishonest and
profited from the taxes they collected. They were seen as unscrupulous
and greedy people. As such, they were the outcasts of society. We
can imagine how Matthew and his fellow tax-collectors must have felt as they
were ostracized by their own people. They had no friends. Sure,
they had plenty of money but their lives were lonely and they lived a life without
dignity and respect.
It was within this
context that Jesus came into the life of St Matthew and commanded him to
“Follow me.”And we read that without
delay, he got up and followed him, leaving behind everything. Jesus
showed Matthew that life is more than just making and hoarding
money. Life is about love, relationships, giving, forgiving and
healing. He called Matthew to have a relationship with Him.
This was concretely expressed by Jesus going to Matthew’s house to have meal
with him. Indeed, the Lord comes to stay with those of us who open the
door and welcome Him. (cf Rev 3:23) This is the purpose of life.
But there is also another reason why St
Matthew was chosen. The Lord wanted him to be an apostle to his
own kind. He was called to be an apostle in the market place.
Indeed, in choosing Matthew, Jesus did not choose him only for himself but for
others. So we read that when other tax collectors heard of it, they too
came to dine with Jesus. “While he was at dinner in the house it happened
that a number of tax collectors and sinners came to sit at the table with Jesus
and his disciples.” St Matthew became an apostle to his fellow
tax-collectors and sinners. Indeed, no one can reach out to another
person better other than one of their own. This means that our vocation is to
reach out to those who share in our profession, besides serving the larger
community. This is what it means to be an apostle in the market
place. All of us, irrespective of our vocation in life, must make Christ
present in whatever we do, so that we can witness Christ to our fellow
colleagues, business partners, confreres, clients and whoever we are serving.
But to be an apostle in
the market place means to help our fellow workers to be rightly motivated in
what they do. In the gospel,
Jesus made it clear that “It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the
sick. Go and learn the meaning of the words: What I want is mercy, not
sacrifice. And indeed I did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners.”
The Lord took the occasion to instruct the other tax collectors that
their profession need not be one of disdain if they were honest in their work
and not involved in cheating or overcharging. Regardless what our vocation
is in life, we can sanctify our work and give glory to God. All we
need to do is to live a virtuous life. So we need not be ashamed of what
we do, and what profession we are in, so long as we live an honest life and for
the good and service of humanity.
As an apostle in the
market place, our task is to help others to discover the true meaning of their
vocation in life.
Our vocation is more than making a living, or worse, making money and living a
life of selfish pleasure. Rather, our vocation is to help others to
discover the joy of loving and giving. We want to teach others that
all vocations can sanctify us and the world. We want to help everyone to
live the fullness of life in Christ, by sharing in His life because He is the
True Man, as St Paul tells us. We are called to reveal to them their ultimate
vocation, which is to share in the life of God and be united in Christ.
This is what St Paul wrote, “There is one Body, one Spirit, just as you were
all called into one and the same hope when you were called. There is one Lord,
one faith, one baptism, and one God who is Father of all, over all, through all
and within all.”
Hence, if we want others to be
inspired by our vocation, St Paul urges us, “Do all you can to preserve the
unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together.” We must be
honest in our vocation and work hard to earn the respect of others. But
we must do our work in such a way that is guided by charity “in complete
selflessness, gentleness and patience.” Let us use the charism and
resources that the Lord has blessed us with to bless others. Only through
such a life, can others be inspired by us and will want to sanctify their lives
by living out their vocation too. Truly, the psalmist invites us to live
our lives in such a way that glorifies God, just like the whole of
creation. “The heavens proclaim the glory of God, and the firmament shows
forth the work of this hands. Day unto day takes up the story and night
unto night makes known the message. No speech, no word, no voice is heard yet
their span extends through all the earth, their words to the utmost bounds of
the world.”
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserve
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