20181003
THE COSTS AND DEMANDS
OF LIVING OUT OUR VOCATION
03 OCTOBER,
2018, Wednesday, 26th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
Green.
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First reading
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Job 9:1-13,14-16 ©
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How can man be in the right against God?
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Job spoke to his friends:
Indeed, I know it is as you say:
how can man be in the right
against God?
If any were so rash as to challenge him
for reasons,
one in a thousand would be
more than they could answer.
His heart is wise, and his strength is
great:
who then can successfully defy
him?
He moves the mountains, though they do not
know it;
he throws them down when he is
angry.
He shakes the earth, and moves it from its
place,
making all its pillars
tremble.
The sun, at his command, forbears to rise,
and on the stars he sets a
seal.
He and no other stretched out the skies,
and trampled the Sea’s tall
waves.
The Bear, Orion too, are of his making,
the Pleiades and the Mansions
of the South.
His works are great, beyond all reckoning,
his marvels, past all
counting.
Were he to pass me, I should not see him,
nor detect his stealthy
movement.
Were he to snatch a prize, who could
prevent him,
or dare to say, ‘What are you
doing?’
How dare I plead my cause, then,
or choose arguments against
him?
Suppose I am in the right, what use is my
defence?
For he whom I must sue is
judge as well.
If he deigned to answer my citation,
could I be sure that he would
listen to my voice?
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 87(88):10-15 ©
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Let my prayer come into
your presence, O Lord.
I call to you, Lord, all the day long;
to you I stretch out my hands.
Will you work your wonders for the dead?
Will the shades stand and
praise you?
Let my prayer come into
your presence, O Lord.
Will your love be told in the grave
or your faithfulness among the
dead?
Will your wonders be known in the dark
or your justice in the land of
oblivion?
Let my prayer come into
your presence, O Lord.
As for me, Lord, I call to you for help:
in the morning my prayer comes
before you.
Lord, why do you reject me?
Why do you hide your face?
Let my prayer come into
your presence, O Lord.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Ps118:105
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Your word is a lamp for my steps
and a light for my path.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Ph3:8-9
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I have accepted the loss of everything
and I look on everything as so much
rubbish
if only I can have Christ
and be given a place in him.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 9:57-62 ©
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'I will follow you wherever you go'
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As Jesus and his disciples travelled along
they met a man on the road who said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you
go.’ Jesus answered, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but
the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’
Another
to whom he said, ‘Follow me’, replied, ‘Let me go and bury my father first.’
But he answered, ‘Leave the dead to bury their dead; your duty is to go and
spread the news of the kingdom of God.’
Another
said, ‘I will follow you, sir, but first let me go and say goodbye to my people
at home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who
looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’
THE COSTS AND DEMANDS OF LIVING OUT OUR
VOCATION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ JOB 9:1-12; 14-16; LK 9:57-62 ]
Like the three men who asked to be
accepted as Jesus’ disciples in today’s gospel, we too were equally excited
when we were called to live a new life in Christ. This call to live a
life in Christ does not take place in a vacuum but concretely in our daily
life, especially in the vocation that God has chosen for us, or in a less
perfect way, a vocation we have chosen for ourselves. This
vocation to love, which is common to all vocations and states of life, often
begins with joy, excitement, enthusiasm, high expectations and filled with
hopes. Then we were so grateful, excited and happy that we were so
privileged to be blessed with such a challenging and meaningful career or life
partner. We said to ourselves, “This is it! This is what I always want to
do! Or, this is the person I want to spend the rest of my life with.” We
thought then that this would be the realization of our dream and indeed the
best thing that could have happened to us.
Yet in most cases, such hopes are
dashed when reality sets in. Indeed, if we look back to that time
when we had just embarked on a new career, a new assignment or a new state of
life, we cannot but look with regret at how our joy and passion have since
waned. How is it that we no longer cherish our spouse when once
upon a time we could not bear parting from each other even for a day?
When we came together, we had so much to share. We thought of each other
all day. But now, we hardly talk. We have nothing in common.
We prefer to be with our friends, and even when together, there are no feelings
of joy, no romance, no real love. Deep down in our hearts we are too
fearful even to admit that the flame of love has died. This is of course
true in our career as well. Instead of being grateful, we complain and
drag our feet to work. Perhaps for many of us the honeymoon period is
long over.
The truth is that
reality is so different.
It is said that we only value that which we do not have. But the moment
we acquire it, our interest wanes, and we start looking for new conquests.
Unfortunately this is especially true of relationships. A man seeks
desperately to marry a woman but once the woman belongs to him, he quickly gets
bored with her. Man is always restless and searching for new things to quench
his thirst and to fill up his loneliness and void in life. In our great
disappointment with our life and situation, we cannot but ask the question,
“why, why?” We blame people, our spouse and even God.
But what right do we
have to complain?
Do we have a right to question God just as Job questioned Him? The truth
is that when we question God, then God will challenge us, not in the questions
we have but even the right to question Him. This precisely was the
situation with Job in the first reading. In all fairness for those of us
who have chosen a particular state of life, we have no real basis to be angry
with God or to make demands on Him. This is because no one forced us to
be baptized or to get married or be a priest. No one, and certainly
not Jesus, promised us that we will have an easy or a luxurious life. On
the contrary, we all know very well that we are called to live a life of
sacrifice because love entails sacrifices and self-emptying. We are called to
give ourselves totally to the service of the Kingdom without regard for our own
comfort and selves, but all for the greater glory of God and for the good of
our fellowmen.
Such requirements and
obligations are made clear in the gospel as well. Jesus precisely forewarned those who
wanted to become His disciples. To the man who was too keen to follow
Him, Jesus warned him “Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests,
but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To the one who was still
attached to his loved ones, Jesus said, “Once the hand is laid on the plough,
no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” Consequently, we
cannot pretend to be ignorant of the demands, not only of discipleship but
apostleship as well. As ambassadors of Christ’s love, we are called to do
more and give up even more. Certainly we are expected to live a more
arduous and self-sacrificing life than people in the world.
We have to face the
challenges of living out our Christian life in faith with our loved ones, the community
we are in or with the people that we work with and work for, who often not only
take us for granted but take advantage of us. So we have to get used to
the prospect of more difficulties and sufferings when we give ourselves to our
vocation. There will be times when we would be misunderstood for our good
intentions; there will be times when slanderous rumours circulate about
us. We will have to experience injustices and scandals in our very home,
community and office; from our closest ones, spouse and friends. Some
will not only be ungrateful but even betray us.
When that happens, we
will ask “Why? Why? How can this be?” But the truth of life is that evil
continues to exist and threaten us. As a result, we will feel like giving
up because our vision of what being a Christian and a disciple is all about
will be challenged. When we cannot accept the sinful situation of the
community we belong to, then we would face the same situation as Job. For
like him, in the face of injustice, misunderstanding and innocent suffering, we
will wonder whether God is real. We will be so scandalized in the face
of contradictions that we will feel like giving up.
In such a situation, we should not
be surprised. Why should we? Isn’t the call of married
vocation or priestly life or service in governmental, voluntary and Church
organizations to die to self for the sake of those whom we love, and even for
those who do not appreciate us? Yes, today, we must learn from
Job to cling on to God and trust that He is in charge and in control of our
lives and history. We are called to surrender our lives to Him even
when we do not understand the workings of history. This is what Christian
discipleship is all about – a call to surrender totally; to rely on God alone
and to give ourselves generously and unconditionally in love to our people.
How, then, do we keep
our mind focused in
case we lose our sense of direction, since Jesus warned us, “The man who puts
his hand on the plough and look back is not fit for the kingdom of God.”?
Firstly, we must not forget the reasons for our desire to get married or join
an organization or a ministry. We need to recall our original and
lofty ideals and vision of our aspirations even if such enthusiasm
requires purification. But it would be disastrous if we become complacent
and lose our dream and vision.
Secondly, we must not forget the
urgency of the mission. For to the man who wanted to delay joining
Jesus in His mission because he wished to bury his father first, Jesus said,
“Leave the dead to bury their dead; your duty is to go and spread the news of
the kingdom of God.” In other words, we must not allow pessimistic and
wet-blankets around us to dampen our calling and vision. Realizing the
urgency and the immensity of work to be done for the building of the Kingdom,
we cannot afford to wallow in self-pity at our misfortunes. We must go
forward, think positively and continue to do good, working tirelessly even when
we face difficulties and sufferings in our vocation and ministry. This is
what our vocation is all about. It is a call to total self-emptying which
inevitably involves sacrifices and sufferings.
So, in the face of challenges and
difficulties, let us not complain because we have given up that right, since
the vocation we have chosen is a free response on our part. To be
a true disciple of Jesus Christ in the final analysis is to carry the cross
after Jesus for the sake of love. It is to share Christ’s sacrifice on the
cross which we celebrate everyday ritually in the Eucharist. Lest we
complain, let us consider the cost of discipleship and apostleship before we
undertake any ministry or responsibility. Many of us are so quick to say
“yes”, but in the face of hard work, we give up. Let us count the cost of
discipleship and the price of love and service so that we will not regret in
future. Enthusiasm alone is not sufficient to carry us through but
selfless love. Most of all, complete faith and confidence in God and basking in
His love will see us through. Without the assurance of His continued
love, we will lack the courage to carry on. When the love of God is in
us, nothing is impossible. Only then, can we be that man “who puts
his hand on the plough” and not look back and thus be said to be “fit for the
kingdom of God”!
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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