20190126
FORMATION AND MISSION AS THE MOTIVATION AND REASON
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
EITHER:
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First reading
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2 Timothy
1:1-8 ©
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Fan into a flame the gift God gave you
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From Paul, appointed by God
to be an apostle of Christ Jesus in his design to promise life in Christ Jesus;
to Timothy, dear child of mine, wishing you grace, mercy and peace from God the
Father and from Christ Jesus our Lord.
Night
and day I thank God, keeping my conscience clear and remembering my duty to him
as my ancestors did, and always I remember you in my prayers; I remember your
tears and long to see you again to complete my happiness. Then I am reminded of
the sincere faith which you have; it came first to live in your grandmother
Lois, and your mother Eunice, and I have no doubt that it is the same faith in
you as well.
That
is why I am reminding you now to fan into a flame the gift that God gave you
when I laid my hands on you. God’s gift was not a spirit of timidity, but the
Spirit of power, and love, and self-control. So you are never to be ashamed of
witnessing to the Lord, or ashamed of me for being his prisoner; but with me,
bear the hardships for the sake of the Good News, relying on the power of God
who has saved us and called us to be holy.
OR:
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Alternative First reading
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Titus 1:1-5 ©
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To Titus, true child of mine
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From Paul, servant of God,
an apostle of Jesus Christ to bring those whom God has chosen to faith and to
the knowledge of the truth that leads to true religion; and to give them the
hope of the eternal life that was promised so long ago by God. He does not lie
and so, at the appointed time, he revealed his decision, and, by the command of
God our saviour, I have been commissioned to proclaim it. To Titus, true child
of mine in the faith that we share, wishing you grace and peace from God the
Father and from Christ Jesus our saviour.
The
reason I left you behind in Crete was for you to get everything organised there
and appoint elders in every town, in the way that I told you.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm
95(96):1-3,7-8,10 ©
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Proclaim the
wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.
O sing a new
song to the Lord,
sing
to the Lord all the earth.
O
sing to the Lord, bless his name.
Proclaim the
wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.
Proclaim his
help day by day,
tell
among the nations his glory
and
his wonders among all the peoples.
Proclaim the
wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.
Give the Lord,
you families of peoples,
give
the Lord glory and power;
give
the Lord the glory of his name.
Proclaim the
wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.
Proclaim to the
nations: ‘God is king.’
The
world he made firm in its place;
he
will judge the peoples in fairness.
Proclaim the
wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.
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Gospel Acclamation
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2Co5:19
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Alleluia,
alleluia!
God in Christ
was reconciling the world to himself,
and he has
entrusted to us the news that they are reconciled.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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cf.Ac16:14
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Alleluia,
alleluia!
Open our heart,
O Lord,
to accept the
words of your Son.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Mark
3:20-21 ©
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Jesus' relatives were
convinced he was out of his mind
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Jesus went home,
and once more such a crowd collected that they could not even have a meal. When
his relatives heard of this, they set out to take charge of him, convinced he
was out of his mind.
26 JANUARY, 2019, Saturday, Ss Timothy & Titus, Bishops
FORMATION
AND MISSION AS THE MOTIVATION AND REASON
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ 2 TIM 1:1-8 OR TIT 1:1-5; LK 10:1-9 ]
Every day we
read news of the problems facing humanity and the untold suffering in the
world. We read of the injustices in society and the wars that are
being fought. There are so many who are suffering either from injustices,
the rages of war or poverty. We are very much aware of the culture of
death and materialism being promoted in the world. Humanity is facing a
crisis with regard to its future, identity and unity. When cultural and
moral relativism becomes our dictators, then the future is bleak because
technology and progress without ethical foundation will eventually destroy
us. Within this context, how do we want to react? This is
where as Christians; we must offer a message of hope to the world.
For us, of
course, Christ is our hope. He is Truth and Love in person. Indeed, there
can be no peace unless there is justice and love which is founded on truth. Relativism
and secularism have caused the world to fall into despair. They do not
know the truth. Worst of all, they say that truth cannot be found and we
are resigned to ignorance. Indeed half-truths are worse than lies.
The Lord knows that and warms us, “remember, I am sending you out like lambs
among wolves.” There is no peace from within as their hearts are
restless. They live in fear of tomorrow, especially of death, the
greatest enemy of mankind. The consequences are selfishness and
competition. On the social level, individual needs breed disagreement and
division.
Like the
seventy-two disciples, the Lord is sending us out to the world to be
messengers of peace and reconcilers. Jesus told the disciples, “Whatever
house you go into, let your first words be, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if a man
of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come
back to you.” Indeed, the world is seeking peace. As Catholics, we
are called to bring the lasting peace that only Christ can give to us by
proclaiming the truth and living a life of compassion and love. We are
appointed, like the 72 disciples, to prepare the way for the Lord to come into
their lives. We are to be “sent…out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the
towns and places he himself was to visit.” St Paul considered himself as
“an apostle of Christ Jesus in his design to promise life in Christ Jesus; to
Timothy, dear child of mine, wishing you grace, mercy and peace from God the
Father and from Christ Jesus our Lord.” Grace and peace come from
Christ. That is why the great message of peace is Christ
Himself. This is our mission.
Indeed, the
harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few. This is what the Lord said,
“The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest
to send labourers to his harvest.” Our mission is not just to proclaim the Good
News to Catholics but to the whole of society. We need more people to
join us in this mission.
This mission
is urgent. That is why Jesus told the disciples, “Start off now. Carry no
purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road.” Indeed, the
disciples were told to travel lightly so that they can travel fast. We
cannot wait any longer. We can see how the faith is dying in
Europe. In place of faith, secularism and relativism are dominating the
life of society. If you love humanity and our people, undertake this
mission with devotion and urgency.
How can we
undertake this mission of proclaiming the Good News?
We need to be
sure of our own faith. The study of theology is to help us understand our
own faith so that we can transmit to others. The end of the study of
theology is to understand our Faith and be convicted so that we will be
empowered to explain our Faith to others with utter passion and
conviction. Without understanding our own faith, we cannot give a reason
to others for our hope in Christ. Faith must be credible even if it
is not reasoned. Faith and reason always go together. So
theology, which is a systematic study of our faith, is done in such a way that
we can provide credibility in our beliefs in Christ.
But certainty of
faith in Christ does not come through study. Rather, it comes through our
personal encounter with the Lord in worship, both as individuals and as a
community. That is why the crown of theology is liturgy.
It is the worship of God. The study of theology is not an end in
itself. Theology is not mere intellectual knowledge but a living
relationship with the Lord. We know Him to love Him and to serve
Him. We want all to come and worship the Lord, to experience His
love. “Give the Lord, you families of peoples, give the Lord glory and
power; give the Lord the glory of his name. Proclaim to the nations: ‘God
is king.’ The world he made firm in its place; he will judge the peoples
in fairness. Proclaim the wonders of the Lord among all the
peoples.” This was what happened to St Thomas Aquinas. When he
encountered the Lord in the Eucharist, he said all that he wrote were mere
straws. Liturgy is where we encounter God in person; not just in talking about
God. We talk to Him in worship and in prayer.
The outcome
of worship is charity. In the final analysis, the Good News is proclaimed not
simply by intellectual arguments but by the transforming power of love.
This is why Jesus told the disciples, “Stay in the same house, taking what food
and drink they have to offer, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not move
from house to house. Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome,
eat what is set before you.” We must manifest the power and mercy
of the Lord through our lives and work. “Cure those in it who are
sick, and say, ‘The kingdom of God is very near to you'”. The psalmist
says, “O sing a new song to the Lord, sing to the Lord all the earth. O
sing to the Lord, bless his name. Proclaim his help day by day, tell among the
nations his glory and his wonders among all the peoples.” Yes,
through our love and transformed life, we bring others to Jesus.
What, then,
is the secret in preparing ourselves for the mission?
Firstly, we
must be grateful for the faith that we have received from our
forefathers. When we are grateful, we return out thanks by transmitting the
same Good News we have received. It is our duty to pass on what we have
received. Just as we have received the faith from others like Timothy, we
should give what we have received. Freely received, freely given!
St Paul wrote, “I am reminded of the sincere faith which you have; it came
first to live in your grandmother Lois, and your mother Eunice, and I have no
doubt that it is the same faith in you as well.”
Secondly, we
need to have faith-anointed, loving, understanding and patient teachers to
guide us. We note the encouraging letter that St Paul sent to Timothy.
It was a personal letter filled with love, tenderness, encouragement and
hope. He wrote, “Night and day I thank God, keeping my conscience
clear and remembering my duty to him as my ancestors did, and always I remember
you in my prayers; I remember your tears and long to see you again to complete
my happiness.” When we have good teachers who encourage us along the way,
never giving up hope in us, we will be able to find greater self-confidence.
Affirmation and encouragement go a long way to keep us interested in what we
are studying or doing.
Thirdly, we
must pray and rely on the grace of God and not on our own strength and
intellectual capacity. Jesus did not ask us to promote vocations but to pray for the Lord
of the harvest to send labourers. St Paul did the same in his mission by
praying and depending on the Lord, not on His own strength for the mission. “That
is why I am reminding you now to fan into a flame the gift that God gave you
when I laid my hands on you. God’s gift was not a spirit of timidity, but the
Spirit of power, and love, and self-control. So you are never to be ashamed of
witnessing to the Lord, or ashamed of me for being his prisoner; but with me,
bear the hardships for the sake of the Good News, relying on the power of God
who has saved us and called us to be holy.” Prayers help us to
connect with the Lord and our faith will not remain cerebral but a living
encounter. Most of all, prayers means that we are humble to rely on His
power and not our own.
So, too, if
we wish to be a good theologian and a great apostle for the Lord, we must
pray as much as we study and minister to our people. Indeed, the process is to
know Jesus, to love Him and to serve Him. Our study must not be on
the cerebral level but be integrated with our prayer life. A deeper
experience of the Lord in prayer will help us to understand the faith of the
Church easier and more profoundly. A deeper understanding of the
faith will lead us to pray more fervently and devoutly in faith and
trust. The Lord will bless us with truths that we can grasp in a deeper
manner. With a deepening relationship with the Lord, with a change of
heart and mind, we will manifest this life of faith in love and service and
mission.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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