20181119
PURIFYING OUR MOTIVES
IN OUR SERVICE
19 NOVEMBER,
2018, Monday, 33rd Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
Green.
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First reading
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Apocalypse 1:1-4,2:1-5 ©
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Think what you were before you fell, and
repent
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This is the revelation given by God to
Jesus Christ so that he could tell his servants about the things which are now
to take place very soon; he sent his angel to make it known to his servant
John, and John has written down everything he saw and swears it is the word of
God guaranteed by Jesus Christ. Happy the man who reads this prophecy, and
happy those who listen to him, if they treasure all that it says, because the
Time is close.
From
John, to the seven churches of Asia: grace and peace to you from him who is,
who was, and who is to come, from the seven spirits in his presence before his
throne.
I
heard the Lord saying to me: ‘Write to the angel of the church in Ephesus and
say, “Here is the message of the one who holds the seven stars in his right
hand and who lives surrounded by the seven golden lamp-stands: I know all about
you: how hard you work and how much you put up with. I know you cannot stand
wicked men, and how you tested the impostors who called themselves apostles and
proved they were liars. Know, too, that you have patience, and have suffered
for my name without growing tired. Nevertheless, I have this complaint to make;
you have less love now than you used to. Think where you were before you fell;
repent, and do as you used to at first.”’
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 1:1-4,6 ©
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Those who prove
victorious I will feed from the tree of life.
Happy indeed is the man
who follows not the counsel of
the wicked;
nor lingers in the way of sinners
nor sits in the company of
scorners,
but whose delight is the law of the Lord
and who ponders his law day
and night.
Those who prove
victorious I will feed from the tree of life.
He is like a tree that is planted
beside the flowing waters,
that yields its fruit in due season
and whose leaves shall never
fade;
and all that he does shall
prosper.
Those who prove
victorious I will feed from the tree of life.
Not so are the wicked, not so!
For they like winnowed chaff
shall be driven away by the
wind:
for the Lord guards the way of the just
but the way of the wicked
leads to doom.
Those who prove
victorious I will feed from the tree of life.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Jn8:12
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the light of the world, says the
Lord;
anyone who follows me will have the light
of life.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 18:35-43 ©
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'Son of David, have pity on me'
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As Jesus drew near to Jericho there was a
blind man sitting at the side of the road begging. When he heard the crowd
going past he asked what it was all about, and they told him that Jesus the
Nazarene was passing by. So he called out, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have pity on
me.’ The people in front scolded him and told him to keep quiet, but he shouted
all the louder, ‘Son of David, have pity on me.’ Jesus stopped and ordered them
to bring the man to him, and when he came up, asked him, ‘What do you want me to
do for you?’ ‘Sir,’ he replied ‘let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Receive
your sight. Your faith has saved you.’ And instantly his sight returned and he
followed him praising God, and all the people who saw it gave praise to God for
what had happened.
PURIFYING OUR MOTIVES IN OUR SERVICE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ REV 1:1-4; 2:1-5; LUKE 18:35-43 ]
In the gospel, we read
how the blind man, Bartimaeus, was healed of his blindness. It must have
been an amazing miracle for him. To be blind in those days would have meant that he
could not work and make a living. This explains why he was a beggar
“sitting at the side of the road begging.” That was all a blind man could
do. Each day, he depended on the generosity of people to keep him alive.
And so, when he heard that Jesus was passing through, that was his moment of
hope. He cried out as loudly and persistently as never before, “Jesus,
Son of David, have pity on me.”
In spite of the
discouragement of the people, he persevered in faith and in hope. “The people in front scolded him
and told him to keep quiet, but he shouted all the louder, ‘Son of David, have
pity on me’.” His persevering faith was rewarded by the Lord’s response.
“Jesus stopped and ordered them to bring the man to him, and when he came up,
asked him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ ‘Sir,’ he replied ‘let me see
again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Receive your sight. Your faith has saved you.’ And
instantly his sight returned.” That was his conversion experience.
He felt the love and mercy of God in and through Jesus. It was as if he was
given a new life.
As a consequence, we
read “he followed him praising God, and all the people who saw it gave praise
to God for what had happened.” Anyone
who has been loved by God and experienced His mercy in a radical manner would
want to give their lives in service to God. In fact, to give up our lives
for the service of God and His Church presupposes that we have encountered His
profound love. This is the prerequisite for devotion to the Lord and His
people. Otherwise, we think that God is our debtor. Isn’t this the
case of many of us who serve in the Church or give to the Church and the
poor? Because many of us did not come from a situation of desperation in
our lives but grew up with the faith, we often take our faith for granted.
We treat our religion as a matter of routine. We are conditioned to serve
and help the Church. So we are doing work for the Church, but from the
perspective of pride and ambition. We think that we are doing so much for
the Church, sacrificing so much of our time and money, and therefore the Church
and of course God, should thank us for our generosity.
We think that God is
indebted to us for our kindness. With
this kind of attitude, we become proud and arrogant. We make demands
because we serve from wrong motives. Some serve out of love for God and
for the poor, but they see themselves as the source of the blessings for
others, not God. They labour under the illusion that what they have come
from their hard work and ingenuity. That is why they expect people to be
grateful to them. This would not be the case if, like Blind Bartimaeus,
they recognized that without God’s graciousness, they would not be able even to
live their lives, much less have the capacity to serve others.
This explains why the
Lord complained about the Christians in the early Church. He said, “I know all about you: how
hard you work and how much you put up with. I know you cannot stand wicked men,
and how you tested the impostors who called themselves apostles and proved they
were liars. Know, too, that you have patience, and have suffered for my name
without growing tired.” Indeed, many of us could fall into the same
attitude as well. Many are very hardworking and committed in the
Church. They work hard and give themselves fully to the tasks given to
them. They sacrifice all their time and even resources to get the work
done. Many seek to fight for the truth, for social justice and the
faith. Indeed, many have suffered for the sake of the gospel
patiently. All these things they do are good in themselves. No one
can discount the goodness of their works.
However, the Lord
lamented, “Nevertheless, I have this complaint to make; you have less love now
than you used to.”
The problem with such goodwill people is that they do all these things not out
of love for the Lord. If it were not out of pure love for the Lord, then
what could be motivating them? There are many reasons why people are
involved in Church activities and voluntary work. Some are just bored and
want to make themselves useful. Others are looking for self-worth and so
by giving themselves in service and especially in leadership positions, they
gain self-confidence through recognition from others. This helps to boost
their ego and lack of self-esteem. That is why there are some who are
very ambitious and would use every available means to ensure success in what
they do, even at times breaking all rules of charity. Others are obsessed
with ideology and want to prove others wrong. So taken up are they by
their passion for some cause, whether it is for the poor or some policies, that
they even use violence to get what they want. And if they don’t, they become
angry with God, resentful of Him for not helping them win their cause.
This is why the Lord
warns us, “Think where you were before you fell; repent, and do as you used to
at first, or else, if you will not repent, I shall come to you and take your
lamp-stand from its place.” Many goodwill Catholics started well, getting involved
in church and social activities. But just work and activities alone
cannot sustain them. Unless we are motivated by love of Christ, we can
become ambitious and disillusioned when things do not work out our way.
From being passionate about the Church, they become bitter and leave the faith
completely. They do not realize that the Church is a community of sinners
and imperfect people. We are to serve God out of love for His
people. Our goal is not to expect appreciation and recognition from
them. But whatever we do, we do it because we love the Lord. In the
final analysis, God does not judge what we do but why we do what we do; not our
achievements but whether we do everything out of love for Him and His people.
Hence we must, in our
works of mercy and service, constantly go back to the call when we first
encountered His amazing love. If we do not have this experience yet, then we need to
contemplate on His love. But in truth, no one can give Himself
wholeheartedly unless he or she is overwhelmed by God’s love.
Otherwise, we will lack passion in our ministry, and if we appear to be
hardworking and passionate, it is more for our self, our glory and our need to
be recognized and loved. If we have been given this encounter, then let
us relive it again and again so that we will never forget that without Him, we
will not be where we are today, and all that we do cannot outdo His generosity
and mercy for us.
This was the reason and
origin for St Paul’s missionary works. “I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has
strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service,
even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence.
But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace
of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ
Jesus. The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the foremost. But for
that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ
might display the utmost patience, making me an example to those who would come
to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal,
invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever.” (1 Tim 1:12-17)
Indeed, we must be like
the psalmist, striving for victory till the end by staying close to His love and
His word. “Happy
indeed is the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked; nor lingers in the
way of sinners nor sits in the company of scorners, but whose delight is the
law of the Lord and who ponders his law day and night. He is like a tree
that is planted beside the flowing waters, that yields its fruit in due season
and whose leaves shall never fade; and all that he does shall prosper.
Not so are the wicked, not so! For they like winnowed chaff shall be driven
away by the wind. For the Lord guards the way of the just but the way of the
wicked leads to doom.”
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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