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JOY IN MINISTRY
03 NOVEMBER,
2018, Saturday, 30th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
Green.
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First reading
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Philippians 1:18-26 ©
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Life to me is Christ; but death would
bring me more
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Christ is proclaimed; and that makes me
happy; and I shall continue being happy, because I know this will help to save
me, thanks to your prayers and to the help which will be given to me by the
Spirit of Jesus. My one hope and trust is that I shall never have to admit
defeat, but that now as always I shall have the courage for Christ to be
glorified in my body, whether by my life or by my death. Life to me, of course,
is Christ, but then death would bring me something more; but then again, if
living in this body means doing work which is having good results – I do
not know what I should choose. I am caught in this dilemma: I want to be gone
and be with Christ, which would be very much the better, but for me to stay
alive in this body is a more urgent need for your sake. This weighs with me so
much that I feel sure I shall survive and stay with you all, and help you to
progress in the faith and even increase your joy in it; and so you will have
another reason to give praise to Christ Jesus on my account when I am with you
again.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 41(42):2-3,5 ©
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My soul is thirsting for
God, the God of my life.
Like the deer that yearns
for running streams,
so my soul is yearning
for you, my God.
My soul is thirsting for
God, the God of my life.
My soul is thirsting for God,
the God of my life;
when can I enter and see
the face of God?
My soul is thirsting for
God, the God of my life.
I would lead the rejoicing crowd
into the house of God,
amid cries of gladness and thanksgiving.
My soul is thirsting for
God, the God of my life.
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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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Mt11:29
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Shoulder my yoke and learn from me,
says the Lord,
for I am gentle and humble in heart.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 14:1,7-11 ©
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Everyone who exalts himself shall be
humbled
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Now on a sabbath day Jesus had gone for a
meal to the house of one of the leading Pharisees; and they watched him
closely. He then told the guests a parable, because he had noticed how they
picked the places of honour. He said this, ‘When someone invites you to a
wedding feast, do not take your seat in the place of honour. A more
distinguished person than you may have been invited, and the person who invited
you both may come and say, “Give up your place to this man.” And then, to your
embarrassment, you would have to go and take the lowest place. No; when you are
a guest, make your way to the lowest place and sit there, so that, when your
host comes, he may say, “My friend, move up higher.” In that way, everyone with
you at the table will see you honoured. For everyone who exalts himself will be
humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted.’
JOY IN MINISTRY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ PHIL 1:18-26; PS 42:2-3, 5; LK 14:1, 7-11 ]
Many of us want to serve
Christ and His people, but for various reasons. Some do so because they experienced His
love for them. This is particularly so after a Christ-encounter. Having
fallen in love with Christ and tasted the joy of loving Him, we want to share
our joy with others so that they too could enter into the same fellowship we
have with our Father. (cf 1 Jn 1:1-3) Others serve in the ministry
because they are convinced of their obligation as Christians to proclaim the
Good News. Like St Paul, they say, “If I proclaim the gospel, this gives
me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I
do not proclaim the gospel!” (1 Cor 9:16) Yet others do so because of
their love for the people. St Paul wrote to the Philippians, “I am hard
pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is
far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you.”
But many lose steam and
enthusiasm along the way because they serve with spiritual worldliness. Frustrated and disillusioned with
the way things are happening, they give up simply because things are not
evolving the way they think it should. They cannot get along with their
leaders and fellow members. Some, although claiming to work for
Christ, are not finding fulfillment because they did not get to do the job they
like, or the ministry they want to serve in. Then there are others whose
ego is bruised because their plans are not adopted by the community. For
some, they are scandalized by the sins of the community. They cannot
tolerate weaknesses in the Christian community. They are judgmental and
feel that others are hypocritical in their service to the community. So,
they despise such leaders and members in their hearts. Finally, some
leave the ministry because they do not feel appreciated or recognized, or
simply because they are not in control. They want position, recognition, power
and influence.
But when we look at
Paul’s ministry, he never gave up even though he faced obstacles throughout his
apostolate. He faced
opposition from within and without. From within, he was often
misunderstood and opposed. Some members slandered him and accused him of
not being faithful to the gospel. There were false teachers and false
teachings that he had to contend with. From outside, the Jews and the
Romans found him to be a potential trouble maker. Indeed, the letter
addressed to the Philippians was written whilst he was in prison awaiting his
trial. Yet he wrote a letter of joy and encouragement, filled with
gratitude and hope. He was never discouraged or bitter with God,
life or others. He took everything, sufferings and success, in
stride. He was never complaining but always contented wherever he
was. In fact, later 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.” (Phil 4:11f)
What was his
secret? He was singular minded. He was focused in his mission. His sole desire and mission was to
proclaim the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and to make Him known to all.
He wrote, “Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given
to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of
Christ, and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden
for ages in God who created all things; so that through the church the
wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and
authorities in the heavenly places.” (Eph 3:8-10) Indeed, the whole life of St
Paul after his conversion was to make known to all, Christ who is the mystery
of God and the Saviour of all. He lived for the gospel and he died for
the gospel. This was the singular mindedness of St Paul. It was
this mission that kept him going each day to live for the Lord.
So passionate was his
desire for the gospel to be spread that it was immaterial who spread the
gospel, but simply that the gospel was proclaimed to all. When the Corinthians were fighting over
their leaders, he wrote to them, “What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants
through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each. I
planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the
one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the
growth. The one who plants and the one who waters have a common
purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labor of
each. For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s
field, God’s building.” (1 Cor 3:5-9) And even when those who
served the Lord with impure or not so noble motives, St Paul said, “What does
it matter? Just this, that Christ is proclaimed in every way, whether out of
false motives or true; and in that I rejoice.” St Paul could even accept
those who served with the wrong reasons, unlike us who are judgmental and
critical of people’s motives in service.
No one and no
circumstance could prevent St Paul from proclaiming the gospel. He was a man who never gave up in
the face of trials and opposition to the gospel. He would find new
resources and other means to proclaim the gospel in and out of season. As
he advised Timothy, “Proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is
favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost
patience in teaching.” (2 Tim 4:2) So even when he was in
prison, he did not lament his fate but used the opportunity and time to spread
the gospel to the Romans. And even when he finally faced the prospect of
death, he was ready to die for Christ. He said, “It is my eager
expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in any way, but that by my
speaking with all boldness, Christ will be exalted now as always in my body,
whether by life or by death.” e He
How could he be so
focused in his mission if not for his passion for Christ? His passion for
the gospel was the consequence of his passion for the Lord. For St Paul, he lived only for Christ and
His people. Life or death did not matter so long as he was with
Christ. He said, “For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. If I am
to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me; and I do not know
which I prefer. I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and
be with Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more
necessary for you.” So the only hope and desire for St Paul was to be
with Christ in everything, doing His holy will, sharing the gospel and being
united with Him in love and joy.
Secondly, he could continue
to remain focused in his ministry because he saw everything from a divine
perspective, through the eyes of our Lord, in faith and in trust. He trusted in God’s plan and the
work of the Spirit in him and in all the situations. He knew that God’s
Spirit would work in and through him regardless of the situation because as he
said, “we know that all things work together for good for those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose.” (Rom 8:28) He was always positive in
outlook because of his faith in Christ.
That is what the Lord
Jesus is asking of us in today’s gospel. We must be humble and be
disposed to His grace. Our
focus should not be on honor, glory and status like the rest of the
world. That is why we should not be choosing our seats in life.
This was what the Lord told His disciples. “You will indeed drink my cup,
but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it
is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” (Mt 20:23) It is not passion that divides
us but ambition. St James warned us that such ambition destroy the
community and make us our passion for the mission. “But if you have
bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false
to the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly,
unspiritual, devilish. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there
will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind.” (Jms 3:14-16)
With St Paul, we must only have passion for Christ and the gospel. As to
success and honor, we should not even be thinking of them. Let the Lord
assign us the place where He deems fit. We do not choose our place in
life because we are ignorant and blinded by our pride. We will only find
ourselves a misfit and suffer humiliation like the guests in the gospel.
Rather, let us follow
Jesus in choosing what is truly good and noble. In St Luke’s understanding, there
is this eschatological reverse in Jesus’ message. “For everyone who exalts
himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be
exalted.” What man thinks is of value, in God’s kingdom, such things have
no value. What is of true value? St James says, “The wisdom from
above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy
and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest
of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.” Let us
remember the advice of St Teresa of Calcutta, the Lord wants us to be faithful,
not successful.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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