20180925
GETTING NEAR TO THE
LORD
25 SEPTEMBER,
2018, Tuesday, 25th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
Green.
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First reading
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Proverbs 21:1-6,10-13 ©
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On wickedness and virtue
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Like flowing water is the heart of the
king in the hand of the Lord,
who turns it where he pleases.
A man’s conduct may strike him as upright,
the Lord, however, weighs the
heart.
To act virtuously and with justice
is more pleasing to the Lord
than sacrifice.
Haughty eye, proud heart,
lamp of the wicked, nothing
but sin.
The hardworking man is thoughtful, and all
is gain;
too much haste, and all that
comes of it is want.
To make a fortune with the help of a lying
tongue,
such the idle fantasy of those
who look for death.
The wicked man’s soul is intent on evil,
he looks on his neighbour with
dislike.
When a mocker is punished, the ignorant
man grows wiser,
when a wise man is instructed
he acquires more knowledge.
The Just One watches the house of the
wicked:
he hurls the wicked to
destruction.
He who shuts his ear to the poor man’s cry
shall himself plead and not be
heard.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm
118(119):1,27,30,34-35,44 ©
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Guide me, Lord, in the
path of your commands.
They are happy whose life is blameless,
who follow God’s law!
Make me grasp the way of your precepts
and I will muse on your
wonders.
Guide me, Lord, in the
path of your commands.
I have chosen the way of truth
with your decrees before me.
Train me to observe your law,
to keep it with my heart.
Guide me, Lord, in the
path of your commands.
Guide me in the path of your commands;
for there is my delight.
I shall always keep your law
for ever and ever.
Guide me, Lord, in the
path of your commands.
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Gospel Acclamation
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cf.Ps129:5
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Alleluia, alleluia!
My soul is waiting for the Lord,
I count on his word.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Lk11:28
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Happy are those
who hear the word of God
and keep it.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 8:19-21 ©
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'My mother and my brothers are those who
hear the word of God'
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The mother and the brothers of Jesus came
looking for him, but they could not get to him because of the crowd. He was
told, ‘Your mother and brothers are standing outside and want to see you.’ But
he said in answer, ‘My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of
God and put it into practice.’
GETTING NEAR TO THE LORD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ PROVERBS 21:1-6,10-13; LUKE 8:19-21 ]
In many ways, like the
mother and brothers of Jesus, we want to get near to the Lord. Why is it that many of us cannot
get near to Him? We feel that God is too far away and we cannot feel Him.
We think there are too many obstacles that prevent us from coming near to
Him. What could be the reasons why we cannot come near to the Lord?
Firstly, we cannot come
near to Jesus because of the crowd. Who is the crowd in our lives? Very often, we are conditioned by
society. In today’s secular society, it is becoming increasingly
difficult to get near to Jesus. All signs and images of Christ are taken
out from public view. Some of us are sheepish and even apologetic
that we are Catholic! The Church is being attacked, discredited and
ridiculed. The mistakes and scandals of the Church are much publicised in
once so-called Christian countries. The Catholic Church, more than any
other religion, is always the target of a hostile secular press. “If they
have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign
those of his household!” (Mt 10:25) In the name of
neutrality for all religions, governments have unwittingly shown support to
humanism by adopting secularism, which in itself is a disguised form of
humanism and atheism.
So the crowd refers to
the conditioning of our society and also our upbringing as well. Today, many parents are lacking in
faith. They are not living a life of faith in God. They do not know
their faith. How can they impart faith to their children? As Jesus
says in the gospel, “A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the
master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the
slave like the master. (Mt 10:24) Indeed, one of
the reasons why people are lobbying for same-sex union is because our
heterosexual marriages are not working well. Many of our parents are
divorced and as a result many are skeptical about their own
relationships. Many remain single, or just cohabitate. Others seek
same-sex relationships. Alas, today, relationships are fragile and many
of us are not capable of faithful love anymore. Without loving and
faith-filled parents, we cannot expect our children to have faith. If our
children lose their faith when they grow up, parents have much to be blamed for
not setting the example of faith to them. When we do not live out our
faith, our children will see the dichotomy between faith and life, and then
relegate faith to mere superstition as they cannot see the real effects in
their lives.
Secondly, we cannot get
near Him simply because we do not know Him. Indeed, the reason why Mary and the
brothers of Jesus came to look for Jesus was because they thought He was out of
His mind. St Mark recorded, “then he went home; and the crowd came
together again, so that they could not even eat. When his family heard it,
they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, ‘He has gone out of his
mind.’ And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, ‘He has
Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.'” (Mk 3:20-22) Indeed, when we do not know Jesus,
like His family and the enemies of Jesus, we imagine all sorts of things about
Him.
Many of us have wrong or
inadequate notions of Jesus.
Some of us think that Jesus is waiting to punish us when in truth Jesus is our
mercy and our advocate. We do not know the scriptures enough, so we do
not know the heart of Jesus. St John wrote, “My little children, I am
writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we
have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the
atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of
the whole world.” (1 Jn 2:1f) The letter to the Hebrews assures
us, “he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since
he always lives to make intercession for them.” (Heb 7:25)
Thirdly, we cannot get
near to Jesus as the gospel says, because we are standing outside. To be outside means that we are on the
fringe as observers. Precisely, there are many people who cannot
encounter the Lord because they are standing outside the Church whenever they
attend mass. Some might be within the Church but their hearts and
minds are outside, in the restaurants or at work or somewhere else.
Their hearts are far from Him. They are observing the rituals and the
service that is going on, but their hearts and minds are not in them.
They stand and sit with a critical mind, judging everything that is going on,
just like the scribes and Pharisees watching Jesus performing His healing
activities.
When we are detached
observers we can never enter into a relationship. This is true when we meet someone
whom we are introduced to in some social engagement. Most of the time, it
is just a superficial relationship, nothing personal, in fact, often very
impersonal. We find such engagements tiring because we have to “behave”
ourselves and the relationship is formal and distant. In order to
find relationships enriching, we need to get “inside” of each other. That
is why through personal sharing of life, interests, aspirations, joys and
sorrows, success and failure we begin to feel with and for each
other. Empathy that comes through the sharing of the heart rather
than the mind strengthens the relationship more than any intellectual sharing
of thoughts and ideas.
Fourthly, we cannot get
near to Jesus because we are not those who hear the Word of God. Jesus said, “My mother and my brothers are
those who hear the word of God and put it into practice.” God is far from
us because we do not make time to read, pray and listen to the Word of
God. Mary is truly the mother of Jesus because she was always pondering
and reflecting on the Word of God. We hardly hear Mary speak in the New
Testament, but we are told that she would be attentive to the Word of
God. We read that after what the shepherds shared with them about the
birth of Jesus “Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her
heart.” (Lk 2:19) When Jesus was
found in the Temple, again we read, “Then he went down with them and came to
Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in
her heart.” (Lk 2:51) In today’s
gospel, this is also said of her. If we want to get near to Jesus, there
is no better way than to read the Word of God.
But it is more than just
reading His word. It is keeping His word that matters in the end. Reading and keeping the Word brings
Jesus into our hearts. St James warns us. “But be doers of the word, and
not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word
and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for
they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were
like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and
persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act – they will be
blessed in their doing.” (Jas 1:22-25) Indeed, this is the
promise of Jesus to His disciples, when He said, “They who have my commandments
and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my
Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.” (Jn 14:21) Again, He reiterated, “Those who
love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to
them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my
words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent
me.” (Jn 14:23f)
This is what the first
reading from the Book of Proverbs is asking of us all. It invites us to walk in the laws
of the Lord. “Like flowing water is the heart of the king in the hand of
the Lord, who turns it where he pleases. A man’s conduct may strike him as
upright, the Lord, however, weighs the heart. To act virtuously and
with justice is more pleasing to the Lord than sacrifice. Haughty eye,
proud heart, lamp of the wicked, nothing but sin. The hardworking man is
thoughtful, and all is gain; too much haste, and all that comes of it is
want.” The prayer of the psalmist should be ours as well.
“Guide me, Lord, in the path of your commands. They are happy whose life is
blameless, who follow God’s law! Make me grasp the way of your precepts and I
will muse on your wonders. Guide me in the path of your commands; for there is
my delight. I shall always keep your law for ever and ever.”
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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