20181108
APOSTOLIC ZEAL COMES
FROM A SUFFICIENCY FOUNDED ON A DEEP EXPERIENCE OF GOD’S LOVE
08 NOVEMBER,
2018, Thursday, 31st Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
Green.
|
First reading
|
|
Philippians 3:3-8 ©
|
|
I was faultless according to the Law;
but without knowing Christ I was nothing
|
We are the real people of the
circumcision, we who worship in accordance with the Spirit of God; we have our
own glory from Christ Jesus without having to rely on a physical operation. If
it came to relying on physical evidence, I should be fully qualified myself.
Take any man who thinks he can rely on what is physical: I am even better
qualified. I was born of the race of Israel and of the tribe of Benjamin, a
Hebrew born of Hebrew parents, and I was circumcised when I was eight days old.
As for the Law, I was a Pharisee; as for working for religion, I was a
persecutor of the Church; as far as the Law can make you perfect, I was
faultless. But because of Christ, I have come to consider all these advantages
that I had as disadvantages. Not only that, but I believe nothing can happen
that will outweigh the supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
|
Responsorial Psalm
|
|
Psalm 104(105):2-7 ©
|
Let the hearts that seek
the Lord rejoice.
or
Alleluia!
O sing to the Lord, sing his praise;
tell all his wonderful works!
Be proud of his holy name,
let the hearts that seek the
Lord rejoice.
Let the hearts that seek
the Lord rejoice.
or
Alleluia!
Consider the Lord and his strength;
constantly seek his face.
Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, the judgements
he spoke.
Let the hearts that seek
the Lord rejoice.
or
Alleluia!
O children of Abraham, his servant,
O sons of the Jacob he chose.
He, the Lord, is our God:
his judgements prevail in all
the earth.
Let the hearts that seek
the Lord rejoice.
or
Alleluia!
|
Gospel Acclamation
|
cf.Ps129:5
|
Alleluia, alleluia!
My soul is waiting for the Lord,
I count on his word.
Alleluia!
|
Or:
|
Mt11:28
|
Alleluia, alleluia!
Come to me, all you who labour and are
overburdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
Alleluia!
|
Gospel
|
Luke 15:1-10 ©
|
|
There will be rejoicing in heaven over
one repentant sinner
|
The tax collectors and the sinners were
all seeking the company of Jesus to hear what he had to say, and the Pharisees
and the scribes complained. ‘This man’ they said ‘welcomes sinners and eats
with them.’ So he spoke this parable to them:
‘What
man among you with a hundred sheep, losing one, would not leave the ninety-nine
in the wilderness and go after the missing one till he found it? And when he
found it, would he not joyfully take it on his shoulders and then, when he got
home, call together his friends and neighbours? “Rejoice with me,” he would say
“I have found my sheep that was lost.” In the same way, I tell you, there will
be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine
virtuous men who have no need of repentance.
‘Or
again, what woman with ten drachmas would not, if she lost one, light a lamp
and sweep out the house and search thoroughly till she found it? And then, when
she had found it, call together her friends and neighbours? “Rejoice with me,”
she would say “I have found the drachma I lost.” In the same way, I tell you,
there is rejoicing among the angels of God over one repentant sinner.’
APOSTOLIC ZEAL COMES FROM A SUFFICIENCY
FOUNDED ON A DEEP EXPERIENCE OF GOD’S LOVE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ PHIL 3:3-8; LK 15:1-10]
Unlike Protestants, Catholics
generally are not used to going on mission, especially in the work of direct
evangelization. We do not mind going on mission trips, or rather
mercy trips, to help the poor and the underprivileged in poor countries, but we
usually fight shy of direct proclamation of the Good News for fear of rejection
and even ridicule. Protestants, on the other hand, are ready to brace
rejection and brazenly go out to share the Good News with strangers. At
the bottom of this fear to reach out is our lack of control, because of
uncertainties. We lack the faith to trust in the power of God.
We seek security in ourselves.
I know of a young man who goes on mission
trips, helping the underprivileged children in poor countries using his own
resources. He considers his work for the poor as his apostolic mission in
life. I asked him whether he had ever considered a priestly
vocation. He replied that he finds the priesthood lacking
challenges. In his view, such a life is too sedentary and
comfortable. Everything is provided for, whether food, accommodation or medical
attention. It looks like a life of security. Whereas for this
young man, he told me that his life is full of dangers. Sometimes, there
are no proper facilities in those remote places where he worked, not even
electricity. He lives in faith, trusting in God to supply his needs.
Indeed, most of us seldom have the
experience of living in uncertainty, unlike the poor man
in the street who has to worry about his accommodation, his next meal or his
medical needs. As a result of our sufficiency, we never really have to
live in faith in such a way that we need to rely on Him alone. Even when
sick, we turn to medical science for cure. Only when we have exhausted
all means, then we turn to God out of desperation, not out of faith. If
the world has lost faith in God and become secular, it is because the world
thinks that all the problems can be solved through science and technology.
Indeed, there is a real danger
of complacency when we do not experience our insufficiency. This
was the situation of the Israelites and the Jews. Just because they were
the chosen people, they began to believe that salvation was something owed to
them and assured simply because of their race. So much so, they thought
salvation was meant for them alone. Furthermore, they thought that just
by following the laws of the Covenant, they would have earned merit before
God. They failed to realize that they were initially nobody. They
were slaves and God chose them. When they relied on their race or their
own strength, they became a frozen people. Salvation by grace became
salvation by merit.
St Paul himself was aware of this danger when he recognized
that such privileges could become a liability in our
lives. Indeed, he said, “If it came to relying on physical evidence, I
should be fully qualified myself. Take any man who thinks he can rely in
what is physical: I am even better qualified.” Truly, Paul was a
Jew by birth. He was trained in scriptures and the tradition of his
ancestors and was a rabbi. He was also a Roman citizen. Most of
all, he said, “as for working for religion, I was a persecutor of the Church;
as far as the Law can make you perfect, I was faultless.” When he
relied on his credentials and physical merits, he became self-righteous, proud
and judgmental like the Pharisees and scribes who complained when Jesus ate and
drink with the tax collectors and the sinners, who “were all seeking the
company of Jesus to hear what he had to say.”
We, too, even whilst
professing our faith in Christ, are in danger
of self-sufficiency because in reality, we rely on the knowledge we
have gained through study or the meticulous ways we prepare for our
projects. We find our security from our talents and strength. There
is a temptation to rely more on ourselves rather than on God. Catholics
tend to be activists and functional in Church movements. We
organize many activities in our parishes and we spend much time in planning and
executing our projects. The reality is that we do not spend time praying
for the success of our projects and even if we do, do we pray fervently and
with faith or just in a perfunctorily manner? Because we never
experience our nothingness, we never really turn to God in prayer and pray with
faith. Only those who have experienced so much insecurity in life tend to
pray with fervor and faith because they have come to realize that only God can
be their sufficiency. False security makes us proud, complacent and even
lazy.
Thus, it is important that we must
know where the power of apostolic zeal is to be found. It is found in
knowing Jesus. St Paul understood this need of finding total reliance on
the Lord when he said, “But because of Christ, I have come to consider all the
advantages that I had as disadvantages. Not only that, but I believe
nothing can happen that will outweigh the supreme advantage of knowing Christ
Jesus my Lord.” What is this knowledge that Paul speaks about? It
is the knowledge of the death and resurrection of the Lord. In his death,
Paul encountered the depths of God’s unconditional love and mercy in
Christ. In his resurrection, Paul encountered the fidelity of the Father
and the living personal presence of Christ in his life. It was this
realization of his nothingness before God’s mercy and the new life empowered by
the Risen Lord that gave him the strength of apostolic zeal.
When St Paul came to
realize that conversion is not simply rhetoric and skills or qualifications but
the power of God that comes from the Risen Christ, he considered all his human
qualifications as insignificant.
He recognized himself to be that lost sheep in today’s parable that
was rescued by Christ. We are that lost sheep considered insignificant by
others who are rich and strong, like the 99 sheep. That God would even go
out of His way to rescue us shows how important we are to Him, even if we were
only one among the 100 sheep. Thus, St Paul exclaimed, “we are the real
people of the circumcision, we who worship in accordance with the Spirit of
God; we have our own glory from Christ Jesus without having to rely on a
physical operation.” In Christ, his heart was circumcised from pride and
ambition. Instead, he relied on the Lord for everything. The joy of
experiencing His love and mercy empowered him to share that unimaginable joy
with others.
Yes, unless we experience God’s
mercy we cannot know the power of His love and therefore unable to
share the thirst of God for salvation of humankind. It is this experience
that leads us to deep gratitude and appreciation. Otherwise, not only will we
not bother about the lost sheep, since we have so many, but will be complacent
even with only the few sheep that we have left under our care. Indeed, as
is evidenced in many so-called Christian countries, we are not even interested
in the ninety-nine that are lost!
We must avoid coming to
this pathetic stage in our apostolic mission and zeal. We must be more evangelical minded,
identifying with the mission of the Church in reaching out to as many as
possible; and never parochial-minded, protecting our little kingdom. Yes,
if we know the heart of Jesus, then we too will never be contented, never rest,
always working, staying connected with our people, improving ourselves and
seeking new ways to proclaim Christ and to find the lost sheep.
Like the woman, we too would want to light up the lives of our people and
search every place for the lost coin, and like the Good Shepherd for the lost
sheep, for indeed, “there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant
sinner than over ninety-nine virtuous men who have no need of
repentance.” The joy of bringing someone to Christ is unimaginable, both
for us and for God. But we must never rely on our own strength. Let
us take heed of the advice of the psalmist, “Consider the Lord and his
strength; constantly seek his face. Remember the wonders he has done, his
miracles, the judgements he spoke. Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.”
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment