20190112 THE JOY OF
RECONCILING MAN WITH GOD
12 JANUARY,
2019, Saturday after the Epiphany
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
White.
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First reading
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1 John 5:14-21 ©
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If we ask for anything, he will hear us
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We are quite confident that if we ask the
Son of God for anything,
and it is in accordance with his will,
he will hear us;
and, knowing that whatever we may ask, he
hears us,
we know that we have already been granted
what we asked of him.
If anybody sees his brother commit a sin
that is not a deadly sin,
he has only to pray, and God will give
life to the sinner
– not those who commit a deadly sin;
for there is a sin that is death,
and I will not say that you must pray
about that.
Every kind of wrong-doing is sin,
but not all sin is deadly.
We know that anyone who has been begotten
by God
does not sin,
because the begotten Son of God protects
him,
and the Evil One does not touch him.
We know that we belong to God,
but the whole world lies in the power of
the Evil One.
We know, too, that the Son of God has
come,
and has given us the power
to know the true God.
We are in the true God,
as we are in his Son, Jesus Christ.
This is the true God,
this is eternal life.
Children, be on your guard against false
gods.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 149:1-6,9 ©
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The Lord takes delight
in his people.
or
Alleluia!
Sing a new song to the Lord,
his praise in the assembly of
the faithful.
Let Israel rejoice in its Maker,
let Zion’s sons exult in their
king.
The Lord takes delight
in his people.
or
Alleluia!
Let them praise his name with dancing
and make music with timbrel
and harp.
For the Lord takes delight in his people.
He crowns the poor with
salvation.
The Lord takes delight
in his people.
or
Alleluia!
Let the faithful rejoice in their glory,
shout for joy and take their
rest.
Let the praise of God be on their lips:
this honour is for all his
faithful.
The Lord takes delight
in his people.
or
Alleluia!
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Gospel Acclamation
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Lk7:16
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Alleluia, alleluia!
A great prophet has appeared among us;
God has visited his people.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Mt4:16
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The people that lived in darkness
has seen a great light;
on those who dwell in the land and shadow
of death
a light has dawned.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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cf.Mt4:23
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Jesus proclaimed the Good News of the
kingdom
and cured all kinds of diseases among the
people.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Lk4:17
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The Lord has sent me to bring the good
news to the poor,
to proclaim liberty to captives.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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cf.1Tim3:16
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Glory to you, O Christ,
proclaimed to the pagans;
glory to you, O Christ,
believed in by the world.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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John 3:22-30 ©
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'He must grow greater and I must grow
smaller: my joy is complete'
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Jesus went with his disciples into the
Judaean countryside and stayed with them there and baptised. At the same time
John was baptising at Aenon near Salim, where there was plenty of water, and
people were going there to be baptised. This was before John had been put in
prison.
Now
some of John’s disciples had opened a discussion with a Jew about purification,
so they went to John and said, ‘Rabbi, the man who was with you on the far side
of the Jordan, the man to whom you bore witness, is baptising now; and everyone
is going to him.’
John
replied:
‘A man can lay claim
only to what is given him from heaven.
‘You yourselves can bear me out: I said: I
myself am not the Christ; I am the one who has been sent in front of him.
‘The bride is only for the bridegroom;
and yet the bridegroom’s friend,
who stands there and listens,
is glad when he hears the bridegroom’s
voice.
This same joy I feel, and now it is
complete.
He must grow greater, I must grow
smaller.’
THE JOY OF
RECONCILING MAN WITH GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ 1 JOHN 5:14-21; PSALM 149:1-6, 9; JOHN 3:22-30 ]
Christmas celebrates the
gift of God to us in the person of Jesus. In assuming our humanity, Jesus reveals to us
our identity as children of God. Indeed, God became man so that man could
become god. However, many of us fail to recognize our dignity as children
of God and as a consequence do not live as one. This is because of
sin. Indeed, our sins prevent us from being conscious of our identity as
sons and daughters of God.
St John in the first
reading warns us of the danger of sin. “Every kind of wrong-doing is sin, but not
all sin is deadly.” The truth is that a man begins by committing small
sins. If such things spring from his wounded nature and the manifestation
of his human weakness, it is a venial sin. Such sins are normally
committed because of temptations and the weakness of the will to resist
sin. Such sins can be forgiven through prayers and the reception of
the sacraments. This is why, St John says, “If anybody sees his brother
commit a sin that is not a deadly sin, he has only to pray, and God will give
life to the sinner – not those who commit a deadly sin; for there is a sin that
is death, and I will not say that you must pray about that.”
However, the sins that
really destroy us are those deliberate sins which we purposefully seek to
commit, knowing full well that it is a sin. When such sins are planned and a person chooses
to go against God’s will and hurt his neighbours, it is a serious sin leading
to death. Hence, we call them mortal sins. St Paul says, “For the
wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal
life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 6:23) The truth is that one begins
with a small sin and then we become more daring and commit bigger sins because
our hearts and minds are clouded by our sins and selfishness. After some
time, what is sinful and serious is no longer felt in our conscience. We become
dead to sin and as the consequence of sin, we hurt ourselves more and more by
hurting others.
Once we commit a serious
sin, unless we repent and turn to God in contrition, it will lead to a
repetition of our sins.
This is what the Lord warns us. That is why a sin of lust will lead to
another and more serious sin of lust. Jesus taught, “You have heard that it was
said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell
you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery
with her in his heart.” (Mt 5:27f) An act of anger will lead to
revenge and eventually killing. “You have heard that it was said to the
people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be
subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a
brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says
to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And
anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.” (Mt 5:21f)
Prayers will help a
person to grow in holiness and be attuned to the will of God. “We are quite confident that if we ask the
Son of God for anything, and it is in accordance with his will, he will hear
us; and, knowing that whatever we may ask, he hears us, we know that we have
been granted what we ask of him.” St John is saying that Christ
will hear our prayers if we pray in accordance with His will. Indeed, all
prayers are directed towards finding and doing the will of God. Many of
us think that prayer is to change the mind of God. Rather, prayer is to
align ourselves with His holy will, which is always best for us. That is
why, if our prayers are to be answered, we need to be obedient to His
will. Indeed, we must ask whatever the Lord wants of us. Jesus
said, “I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be
glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will
do it.” (Jn 14:13f) To ask in the
name of Jesus is to ask everything for His sake and for the glory of His
name. Therefore, there is nothing more effective in growing in holiness than
through prayers and intimacy with the Lord.
Prayers will help us to
know Jesus. Knowledge of Jesus is the key to overcoming our sins because using our will is not
sufficient because the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. St Paul
struggled with sin himself. “Although I want to do good, evil is right
there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but
I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and
making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a
wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to
death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our
Lord!” (Rom 7:21-25)
Indeed, through our own strength alone, we cannot be delivered from sin except
in the power of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faith in Jesus’ love and mercy helps us
to conquer sin, not out of fear of punishment but out of love for the Lord.
This is what St John
meant when he wrote that if we are baptized, we will not sin. “We know that anyone who has been
begotten by God does not sin, because the begotten Son of God protects him, and
the Evil One does not touch him.” It does not mean that Christians can no
longer sin. What St John meant is that we do not sin deliberately because
of God’s spirit in us. But we will still sin out of weakness.
However, we do not fall into despair but continue to trust in the mercy of God,
knowing that He has won victory over sin. “We know that we belong to God,
but the whole world lies in the power of the Evil One. We know, too, that the
Son of God has come, and has given us the power to know the true God. We are in
the true God, as we are in his Son, Jesus Christ.” This is what
baptism is all about. We have Jesus in the gospel baptizing in the river
Jordan. To be baptized is to ask for forgiveness of our sins and most of
all, to be filled with the Spirit of Jesus so that we can share in His sonship.
Today, like John the
Baptist, we are called to direct sinners to the Lord. Today, it is very difficult to
convince people of the truth because of relativism. We are bombarded with
all kinds of philosophy and reasoning. There is so much information and
so many viewpoints on any issue that many of us are more confused than ever
after reading all the different views. We no longer know what is right or
wrong anymore. When reasoning and all arguments fail, the sure way to get
people to accept Jesus is to lead them to Him. If they know Jesus and if
they fall in love with Him, then they will be able to see everything from the
perspective of our Lord in the scriptures. So instead of seeking to
reason out with those who are disagreeable, although, it still might be
necessary at times to defend our faith, yet, the better approach is through the
testimony of our lives and our faith. Only through a life of holiness and faith
in our Lord, can we convince others to come to Him so that He can be the Lord
of their lives.
For this reason, we must
pray for sinners even as we seek to reach out to them in compassion and
love. Our Lady, in all her apparitions, constantly urged us to repent and
pray for sinners.
If words cannot change them, then prayers will change their hearts through
God’s grace. It is not enough just to pray for physical health and
material needs. If the body is important, how much more important is the
soul because that soul is destined for eternal life. We need to pray for
the salvation of souls so that united with the Lord, they are saved for
eternity, not just for this world. If God answers prayers for material
and physical needs, more so, He will hear our prayers for the conversion of
sinners.
Indeed, like John the
Baptist, great is our joy when we bring a sinner to Jesus to be reconciled with
God. “The bride is
only for the bridegroom; and yet the bridegroom’s friend, who stands there and
listens, is glad when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. This same joy I feel,
and now it is complete.” In bringing sinners back to God, we also save
our own souls. St James wrote, “My brothers and sisters, if one of you should
wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember
this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them
from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” (Jms 5:19f) Indeed,
like John the Baptist, we must be conscious of our role as mediator to
Jesus. Once that is done, we should move aside and not be an obstacle for
others to come to know the Lord. With John the Baptist, we say, “I myself
am not the Christ; I am the one who has been sent in front of him. He must grow
greater, I must grow smaller.”
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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