20181117 SUPPORTING THE MISSIONARY ACTIVITIES OF
THE CHURCH
17 NOVEMBER,
2018, Saturday, 32nd Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
White.
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First reading
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3 John 1:5-8 ©
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It is our duty to welcome missionaries
and contribute our share to their work
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My friend, you have done faithful work in
looking after these brothers, even though they were complete strangers to you.
They are a proof to the whole Church of your charity and it would be a very
good thing if you could help them on their journey in a way that God would
approve. It was entirely for the sake of the name that they set out, without
depending on the pagans for anything; it is our duty to welcome men of this
sort and contribute our share to their work for the truth.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 111(112):1-6 ©
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Happy the man who takes
delight in the commands of the Lord.
Happy the man who fears the Lord,
who takes delight in all his
commands.
His sons will be powerful on earth;
the children of the upright
are blessed.
Happy the man who takes
delight in the commands of the Lord.
Riches and wealth are in his house;
his justice stands firm for
ever.
He is a light in the darkness for the
upright:
he is generous, merciful and
just.
Happy the man who takes
delight in the commands of the Lord.
The good man takes pity and lends,
he conducts his affairs with
honour.
The just man will never waver:
he will be remembered for
ever.
Happy the man who takes
delight in the commands of the Lord.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Jm1:21
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Accept and submit to the word
which has been planted in you
and can save your souls.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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cf.2Th2:14
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Through the Good News God called us
to share the glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 18:1-8 ©
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The parable of the unjust judge
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Jesus told his disciples a parable about
the need to pray continually and never lose heart. ‘There was a judge in a
certain town’ he said ‘who had neither fear of God nor respect for man. In the
same town there was a widow who kept on coming to him and saying, “I want
justice from you against my enemy!” For a long time he refused, but at last he
said to himself, “Maybe I have neither fear of God nor respect for man, but
since she keeps pestering me I must give this widow her just rights, or she
will persist in coming and worry me to death.”’
And
the Lord said ‘You notice what the unjust judge has to say? Now will not God
see justice done to his chosen who cry to him day and night even when he delays
to help them? I promise you, he will see justice done to them, and done
speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find any faith on earth?’
SUPPORTING THE MISSIONARY ACTIVITIES OF
THE CHURCH
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ 3 JOHN 5-8; LUKE 18:1-8]
How do we know that we
are a mature Church? The
Church must be vibrant, alive, full of activities and evangelistic in reaching
out to lapsed and nominal Catholics and non-Catholics. But
even if our churches appear to be alive because of activities, yet this is not
the real sign because we can be vibrant but inward- looking. Some
parishes organize many activities for their parishioners, which is a good
thing, but there is always the danger of parochial-mindedness. When we
are only concerned about our parish and not the archdiocese or the country, or
even the universal church spread throughout the world, we cannot truly call
ourselves Catholic. This is because to be Catholic means to belong to the
universal Church of Christ.
Indeed, the most telling
sign that a church is truly vibrant and alive is not in the number of
activities they organize for their parishioners but whether the people have
grown in faith. But
how do we measure the depth of the faith of our people if not in the fruits of
priestly and religious vocations on one hand, and support for the missionary
activities of the universal Church on the other. Indeed, the increase in
priestly and religious vocations and the support of the missionary activities
of the Church show that the faith of the people is deep and strong.
Only because the faith of the people is deep, will some members of the
community be inspired to give up their lives for the service of the Church and
the spread of the mission. Only because their love for Christ is
passionate, will they also be like St Paul, enthusiastic in proclaiming Christ
and the gospel to the whole world. If priestly and religious vocations
are lacking and if missionary zeal to spread the gospel is weak, then clearly,
it manifests the lack of a real, personal, loving relationship with the
Lord. If we are not careful, all the activities we organize in our
parishes will turn out to be merely social activities that do not spring from
faith.
Of course, not all are
called to be priests or religious or even missionaries. But this does not
mean that the laity is exempted from the work of mission. Even if we cannot give up our life
for the mission of the Church, we are called to support the missionary
activities of the Church in our own ways according to the resources we
have. This is what we read in the first reading when St John commended
Gaius for his hospitality to the itinerant preachers of their days. “My
friend, you have done faithful work in looking after these brothers, even
though they were complete strangers to you. They are a proof to the whole
Church of your charity and it would be a very good thing if you could help them
on their journey in a way that God would approve.” Supporting our
missionaries, whether using our time or resources, is the means by which we can
assist the spread of the gospel. As the local church, the basic sign of
our contribution to the missionary activities of the universal Church is
expressed on Mission Sunday and Peter’s Pence Sunday when all the Sunday
Collections at all the masses are given to the Pontifical Missionary Society
and to the Holy Father respectively.
But it is more than just
giving our collections to the mission. Rather, we must see ourselves as
partners in the missionary activity of the Church. Giving to missionaries and their activities
is not paying them or even doing them a favour, as if they owe us
gratitude. In truth, we are all working for the same mission and
the same Lord. As Catholics, Jesus commands us all to “make disciples of
all nations.” (Mt 28:19) Supporting
missionary activities in kind or financially is but our partnership with those
who are actively and directly involved in the mission of spreading the Good
News. They are helping us to fulfill our obligation as much we are
helping them to do their work.
Indeed, our non-Catholic
Christian communities are more evangelical and missionary-minded than our
Catholics. Most Protestants
have no reservation in donating their money for the spread of the gospel and
the work of missionaries. Many give beyond the 10% tithe for the church
and her evangelistic activities. They are always seeking opportunities to
spread the gospel and to sponsor those who wish to be trained as missionaries
to go abroad to proclaim the gospel of Christ. Christian Protestants
spare no effort in wanting to make Christ known and loved by everyone, far and
near. And this is because they have encountered Jesus as their Lord and
Saviour, been healed and touched by Him and, like St Paul, seek to announce Him
to all those who yet have come to know Him.
For ourselves, we have
backtracked from where we started.
The Catholic Church right from the start saw herself as a missionary
Church. The spread of the gospel to the East, the African continent and
America was due to the missionary zeal of the Christians in Europe.
Faith in Europe was so alive. There were many religious orders and
many churches were built, so much so Europe’s culture is synonymous with
Christianity. Alas, over the years, when the Church became too
established, it became a maintenance Church. The zeal for the gospel, the
love for Christ, the encounter with God was diluted. The clergy was not
well formed and many were corrupt and living scandalous lives. This is
the current state of Europe. The churches are dying and many of them have
been closed, sold or demolished. The flame of faith is extinguishing,
overtaken by secularism.
Indeed, our Catholic
churches tend to function as a maintenance Church. If we do not change and revive our
faith, we will surely follow the way of Europe. The writing is on the
wall. We have seen what is happening in Europe, so we have no excuse for
being ignorant. Christian churches are building new churches with a view
to expansion. Catholic churches are contented to build out of need.
We are quite contented looking after our own flock well. We are
complacent with regard to bringing people to know Christ. As a Church of
383,000 Catholics, our conversion rate of 1000 adult baptisms a year, by Asian
and African standards is considered poor. It is a sign of a weak faith, a
lack of enthusiasm, a faith that is not truly alive and active.
That is why Catholics
must step up in their support for evangelistic and missionary activities for
the spread of the gospel. We
need to help form our priests, religious and lay missionaries as well. It
is not enough to give our token donation for the maintenance of the Church on
Sundays but we need to set aside money for the work of evangelization and
mission if we do not want the Church to become apathetic. Missionary
works of course also include works of charity as well, although in this
respect, we are doing quite well through the work of Caritas and Charis and
their affiliated organizations.
Regardless whether it is
direct or indirect proclamation of the gospel, no Catholic is exempted from
this obligation to assist.
The responsorial psalm says, “He is a light in the darkness for the upright: he
is generous, merciful and just. The good man takes pity and lends, he
conducts his affairs with honour.” Of course, we must be watchful that
the funds donated are properly used according to the intention of the
donors. We must be alert to those who ask for funds to finance
their own lavish lifestyle and their greed. There are many of these
so-called missionaries that give a bad name to the Church. St Paul warns
us, “But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many
senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and
destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in
their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced
themselves with many pains.” (1 Tim 6:9f) We need accountability at
all times.
Finally, it is not
enough just to support missionaries but most of all, we need to pray like the
woman in the gospel. We
need to pray with faith, and fervently, because this is what the Lord asks of
us. “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the
Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Mt 9:37f) When we pray with faith, our
faith will grow as well. In this way, the community’s faith grows with us
so that more would respond to the Lord’s concerns. “When he saw the
crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless,
like sheep without a shepherd.” (Mt 9:36) What is your response to this
cry for shepherds and missionaries?
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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