20180926
CONTENTMENT IS THE KEY
TO A SELFLESS AND FRUITFUL LIFE
26 SEPTEMBER,
2018, Wednesday, 25th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
Green.
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First reading
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Proverbs 30:5-9 ©
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Give me neither riches nor poverty, only
my share
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Every word of God is unalloyed,
he is the shield of those who
take refuge in him.
To his words make no addition,
lest he reprove you and know
you for a fraud.
Two things I beg of you,
do not grudge me them before I
die:
keep falsehood and lies far from me,
give me neither poverty nor
riches,
grant me only my share of
bread to eat,
for fear that surrounded by plenty, I
should fall away
and say, ‘the Lord – who
is the Lord?’
or else, in destitution, take to stealing
and profane the name of my God.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm
118(119):28,72,89,101,104,163 ©
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Your word is a lamp for
my steps, O Lord.
My soul pines away with grief;
by your word raise me up.
The law from your mouth means more to me
than silver and gold.
Your word is a lamp for
my steps, O Lord.
Your word, O Lord, for ever
stands firm in the heavens:
I turn my feet from evil paths
to obey your word.
Your word is a lamp for
my steps, O Lord.
I gain understanding from your precepts
and so I hate false ways.
Lies I hate and detest
but your law is my love.
Your word is a lamp for
my steps, O Lord.
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Gospel Acclamation
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cf.Col3:16a,17
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Let the message of Christ, in all its
richness,
find a home with you;
through him give thanks to God the Father.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Mk1:15
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The kingdom of God is close at hand:
repent and believe the Good News.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 9:1-6 ©
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'Take nothing for the journey'
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Jesus called the Twelve together and gave
them power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases, and he sent them
out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. He said to them, ‘Take nothing
for the journey: neither staff, nor haversack, nor bread, nor money; and let
none of you take a spare tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there; and when
you leave, let it be from there. As for those who do not welcome you, when you
leave their town shake the dust from your feet as a sign to them.’ So they set
out and went from village to village proclaiming the Good News and healing
everywhere.
CONTENTMENT IS THE KEY TO A SELFLESS AND
FRUITFUL LIFE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [PROVERBS 30:5-9; LUKE 9:1-6 ]
St James asked the cause
of disharmony within and
among us. “Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come
from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? You
want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet
something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts.”
(Jas 4:1f) Indeed, craving for more and more is
the cause of greed and selfishness. Greed often leads to ambition, killing,
cheating and hoarding. We perceive everyone as our competitor or our
enemy. We see people not as persons to love but people whom we can make
use off to further our greed for power, wealth and positions in life.
As a consequence, we do
not live a life of integrity.
We lack interior peace and joy in us because our conscience is not clear and
our heart is not at rest. We live in fear of being discovered for our
crimes and wrongdoings and wealth that came from ill-gotten gains. We are
so absorbed in ourselves that we cannot go beyond ourselves to reach out to
others in love and sincerity. There is no real happiness even if we are
able to be rich and powerful because we live fearful and lonely lives.
That is why the book of
Proverbs says, “Two things I beg of you, do not grudge me them before I die:
keep falsehood and lies far from me, give me neither poverty nor riches, grant me only my share of bread to eat,
for fear that surrounded by plenty, I should fall away and say, ‘The Lord – who
is the Lord?’ or else, in destitution, take to stealing and profane the name of
my God.” Indeed, extreme poverty or riches do not take away our
sufferings, pains and insecurity. In fact, they make us even more
insecure than ever. It is not good to be too poor or to be too rich.
Indeed, poverty makes us
insecure because we are afraid of pain, discomfort, hunger and sickness.
We have a body and it is natural for the body to seek comfort. This can lead to greed, which is satisfied
through dishonest practice in business, corruption and cheating at work.
We read so often in papers that the biggest crooks are some of the richest
people in the world. Some of them are rich because they use their money
and position to bribe others and to get special access to contracts.
Even if we are not
tempted to unscrupulous means to be rich, we can become overly ambitious in our
career and our business. We
spend all our time, energy and resources making more and more money, in growing
our business and excelling in our career. Whilst these might be achieved,
it is often at the expense of personal relationships, especially with our
friends and loved ones. Having no time for them, they become distant from
us. This lead to the lack of communication and empathy for each other.
And in times of failure and disappointment, we can no longer turn to our loved
ones but seek some other outlets, such as having extra-marital relationships,
drinking and immoral entertainment. When money and success become the
most important things in our lives, in other words, become our gods, then we
lose our meaning and purpose in life, which is love and relationship.
In our poverty also, it
does not mean that we love God more. We make use of Him to get what we want. Poor people, because they have no
one to depend on, naturally depend on God. This is a double-edged
sword. If our dependence on God makes us realize our nothingness and that
all things come from Him alone, that is good. It can lead to a life of
gratitude and trust. But more often than not, people turn to God only
because they need things from Him; not because they love God. He is used
as a function to get things done or to satisfy their greed, not because they
desire a relationship with God.
On the other hand, being
too rich is also not a blessing. Those
who are rich often take life for granted. They become arrogant and
unfeeling towards those who are poor. They become self-sufficient,
thinking that money can buy anything they want. They have no relationship
with God because they do not feel that they need Him since they can solve all
problems with money and power. Without God guiding them, they live a
self-centered life of pleasure, extravagance and promiscuity. As a
result, they do not have real friends because those who are with them only
desire their money, not their friendship. Unless they have something to
gain from them, they would not be there. When we use money to build
relationships, the focus is out of perspective. We see the relationship
in terms of material gain.
That is why rich people
are even more insecure than those who are poor. They have much more to lose than
the poor. So they live in fear of being kidnapped, robbed or
killed. They have many enemies waiting to destroy them. They do not
know who they can entrust their money to. They are preoccupied with how
to grow their money. Having lived a lavish and comfortable life, it would
be unbearable for them to lower their lifestyle when their funds run out.
They also fear death because it means that all that they worked for will be
taken away from them. They have much more attachments to this world than
those who are poor. Although they have lots of money, they cannot eat
freely or travel freely for fear of illness or being killed. St James has
this advice, “the rich will disappear like a flower in
the field. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the
field; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. It is the same way with the
rich; in the midst of a busy life, they will wither away.” (cf Jms
1:9-11)
The ideal life is one of
moderation, neither rich or poor. This keeps us dependent on God and not too secure or
attached to anything. This was how Jesus instructed His disciples to
live. He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey: neither staff, nor
haversack, nor bread, nor money, and let none of you take a spare tunic.
Whatever house you enter, stay there; and when you leave, let it be from
there.” In other words, just be contented with what you need in
life. So long as we have the basic needs of life, food, accommodation and
clothing, we should be contented and happy. Jesus told the disciples to
enjoy whatever hospitality is given to them. They should not be
discriminating or envious of what others have or what they could
have. Rather, they should be grateful for what is given and
served. Whatever is over and above our basic needs is considered a luxury
which should be enjoyed without any attachment so that we will always be free.
When we are enslaved to a particular luxury of life, then we have lost our
freedom to be and to go where we want. Isn’t this the case when people
cling to their house, their job or their position in life?
The Lord also warned the
disciples not to have any ambition that is self-serving. He said, “As for those who do not
welcome you, when you leave, shake the dust from your feet as a sign to them.”
If the gospel is truly good news, then it must be given in freedom and
received in freedom. “As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of
heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the
lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without
payment.” (Mt 10:7f) The gospel is
not imposed on others.
Indeed, once we are
freed from our cravings, whether of money, power, position or achievements, we
can then spend the rest of our time in joyful and unconditional service and
love. “Jesus called the
Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all devils and to cure
diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to
heal.” The real joy of life is when we are not overly preoccupied with
our material needs but are able to give ourselves in total freedom to the
service of others without expecting any return or rewards, because the joy in
service itself is already the reward.
But alas we are tempted
by the flesh and the world. We want more and more. That is why, to
safeguard ourselves and to keep our perspective right, we need the Word of God
to guide us. The
book of Proverbs reminds us, “Every word of God is unalloyed, he is the shield
of those who take refuge in him. To his words make no addition, lest he reprove
you and know you for a fraud.” With the psalmist, we pray, “Your word, O
Lord, for ever stands firm in the heavens: I turn my feet from evil paths to
obey your word. I gain understanding from your precepts and so I hate false
ways. Lies I hate and detest but your law is my love.” We need to pray
and be filled with God’s word so that we will not stray from the path of truth,
or love and life.
We pray that we will
have the spirituality of sufficiency of St Paul when he wrote, “I have learned to be
content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I
know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the
secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in
need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Phil 4:11-14) Trusting in His divine
providence, being contented with whatever we have, neither seeking poverty nor
riches, but just be able to serve the Lord in His people freely and joyfully
without conditions is the greatest of all joys in life.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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