20190116
IDENTIFICATION
WITH GOD AND OUR FELLOWMEN AS THE BASIS FOR SERVICE IN MINISTRY
16 JANUARY,
2019, Wednesday, 1st Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
Green.
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First reading
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Hebrews 2:14-18 ©
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He took to himself descent from Abraham
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Since all the children share the same
blood and flesh, Christ too shared equally in it, so that by his death he could
take away all the power of the devil, who had power over death, and set free
all those who had been held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death.
For it was not the angels that he took to himself; he took to himself descent
from Abraham. It was essential that he should in this way become completely
like his brothers so that he could be a compassionate and trustworthy high
priest of God’s religion, able to atone for human sins. That is, because he has
himself been through temptation he is able to help others who are tempted.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 104(105):1-4,6-9 ©
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The Lord remembers his
covenant for ever.
or
Alleluia!
Give thanks to the Lord, tell his name,
make known his deeds among the
peoples.
O sing to him, sing his praise;
tell all his wonderful works!
The Lord remembers his
covenant for ever.
or
Alleluia!
Be proud of his holy name,
let the hearts that seek the
Lord rejoice.
Consider the Lord and his strength;
constantly seek his face.
The Lord remembers his
covenant for ever.
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.
The Lord remembers his
covenant for ever.
or
Alleluia!
He remembers his covenant for ever,
his promise for a thousand
generations,
the covenant he made with Abraham,
the oath he swore to Isaac.
The Lord remembers his
covenant for ever.
or
Alleluia!
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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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Jn10:27
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The sheep that belong to me listen to my
voice,
says the Lord,
I know them and they follow me.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Mark 1:29-39 ©
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He cast out devils and cured many who
were suffering from disease
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On leaving the synagogue, Jesus went with
James and John straight to the house of Simon and Andrew. Now Simon’s
mother-in-law had gone to bed with fever, and they told him about her
straightaway. He went to her, took her by the hand and helped her up. And the
fever left her and she began to wait on them.
That
evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were sick and those who were
possessed by devils. The whole town came crowding round the door, and he cured
many who were suffering from diseases of one kind or another; he also cast out
many devils, but he would not allow them to speak, because they knew who he
was.
In
the morning, long before dawn, he got up and left the house, and went off to a
lonely place and prayed there. Simon and his companions set out in search of
him, and when they found him they said, ‘Everybody is looking for you.’ He
answered, ‘Let us go elsewhere, to the neighbouring country towns, so that I
can preach there too, because that is why I came.’ And he went all through Galilee,
preaching in their synagogues and casting out devils.
IDENTIFICATION
WITH GOD AND OUR FELLOWMEN AS THE BASIS FOR SERVICE IN MINISTRY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ HEB 2:14-18; MK 1:29-39 ]
Those of us who have found
Christ or have a Christ-experience are usually on cloud nine. We are so much in love with Christ
and become very enthusiastic in our faith, whether in spiritual life or in
ministry. With so much fire in us, we give ourselves generously, not to
only one or two ministries but often involving ourselves in many ministries,
since we seem to be in demand by many people. Yet, not infrequently, we
find ourselves losing steam within a short while. Many of us suffer from
burn-out. Others become disillusioned and scandalized when they realize that
they are working with imperfect priests and fellow lay Catholics. Others
become too tired because of over commitment, leading to an unbalanced lifestyle
that affects not only their prayer life but also their relationships at home
and at work. We become jaded, skeptical, doing the minimum and in a
perfunctory manner too. What pitfalls must we avoid in order not
to lose our commitment and zeal for the ministry?
Firstly, we must always stay
in touch with our fellowmen, especially the people we serve. We
must know them well enough so that we can feel for and with them. Indeed,
today’s first reading makes it clear that “it was not the angels that he
(Jesus) took to himself; he took to himself descent from Abraham.” The
reason is clear. If Jesus became man, it was so that He could share equally our
blood and flesh and understand what it means to be human. As man, Jesus
too suffered the same trials and faced the same challenges we go through each
day. He too had to live in fear under the threat of death. He too
was tempted each day. Hence, Jesus understands too well what it means to
be human. Hebrews tells us “it was essential that he should in this
way become completely like his brothers so that he could be a compassionate and
trustworthy high priest of God’s religion, able to atone for human sins.
That is, because he has himself been through temptation he is able to help
others who are tempted.”
Being in touch with our
fellowmen arouses
compassion in our hearts. Understandably, the gospel relates the
hectic activity in the life of Jesus. He was busy reaching out to those
who needed help. He healed the sick and “cured many who were suffering
from diseases of one kind or another.” Besides healing the afflicted, “he
also cast out many devils.” Hence, the twofold purpose of ministry,
namely, healing and liberation. He understood the basic needs of the
people. Before He could even proclaim about God and teach them about His love,
He knew it was necessary to first demonstrate the power and love of God by
reaching out to them.
Indeed, the people initially came to Jesus
not because they recognized Him as the Son of God but simply because they
wanted to be healed of their infirmities and be rid of their bondage to sin, fear
and the Evil One. Thus, it should not be surprising that “the whole town
came crowding round the door” seeking for Jesus’ help. This should be an
important reminder to those of us in ministry. We must be sensitive
to the needs of our people and respond to their immediate needs
before even speaking to them about God. We cannot proclaim God’s love
and mercy in the abstract. His love and mercy must be demonstrated
concretely in their lives. Let us proclaim in actions before we proclaim
in words.
However, we must also be watchful.
In our desire to fulfill the needs of our people, we can lose focus. Compassion
can lead to possession by those whom we minister to. As we reach
out to those who need our help, we can expect that many would be grateful to us
and would want to own us for themselves. If we are not careful, we can
allow ourselves to be possessed by those who love us and thereby hinder our
ministry to others who are still waiting for the Good News to be proclaimed to
them. This was what happened to Jesus. The people, we are told,
were looking for Jesus.
Of course, the reverse could also be
possible. When we become so popular, we can be tempted to build
our own kingdom. We must be conscious that we are not leading people
to ourselves but to Jesus. Indeed, Jesus was tempted by His popularity since
the disciples told Him, “Everybody is looking for you.” But Jesus would not
even think about staying in His comfort zone. All He wanted to do
was to proclaim the Good News to all and for the sake of the people of
God. We must learn to be like Jesus, to do our job and then disappear
from the scene. To seek recognition and appreciation can lead us to
egotism and self-worship.
So in order to stay focused, we must learn
from Jesus. If Jesus had a heart for man, it was because His
heart was first and foremost with the Father. Jesus was not only
identified with us, more importantly, He identified Himself with the
Father. The strength and secret of Jesus’ ministry lay in His communion
with the Father. St Mark tells us “in the morning, long before dawn, he
got up and left the house, he went off to a lonely place and prayed
there.” Hence instead of simply being complacent and creating a niche for
Himself in the village, Jesus told Simon and His companions “‘Let us go
elsewhere, to the neighbouring country towns, so that I can preach there too,
because that is why I came.’ And he went all through Galilee, preaching
in their synagogues and casting out devils.”
Yes, Jesus remained focused in His
ministry. He did not suffer from any burn-out or fall into
complacency, or conversely become ambitious and self-seeking. His only
concern was His Father’s desire to reach out to all. Jesus the Good
Shepherd after the heart of His Father could feel with so many people who were
waiting for the Good News. Let us too, in our ministry, keep our focus by
remaining connected with the sufferings of our people and at the same time,
grow in compassion and wisdom through our union with God in prayer.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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