20190226
REMAINING
STEADFAST IN MINISTRY
26 FEBRUARY,
2019, Tuesday, 7th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
Green.
|
First reading
|
|
Ecclesiasticus 2:1-11 ©
|
|
The chosen are tested like gold in the
fire
|
My son, if you aspire to serve the Lord,
prepare yourself for an
ordeal.
Be sincere of heart, be steadfast,
and do not be alarmed when
disaster comes.
Cling to him and do not leave him,
so that you may be honoured at
the end of your days.
Whatever happens to you, accept it,
and in the uncertainties of
your humble state, be patient,
since gold is tested in the fire,
and chosen men in the furnace
of humiliation.
Trust him and he will uphold you,
follow a straight path and
hope in him.
You who fear the Lord, wait for his mercy;
do not turn aside in case you
fall.
You who fear the Lord, trust him,
and you will not be baulked of
your reward.
You who fear the Lord hope for good
things,
for everlasting happiness and
mercy.
Look at the generations of old and see:
who ever trusted in the Lord
and was put to shame?
Or who ever feared him steadfastly and was
left forsaken?
Or who ever called out to him,
and was ignored?
For the Lord is compassionate and
merciful,
he forgives sins, and saves in
days of distress.
|
Responsorial Psalm
|
|
Psalm
36(37):3-4,18-19,27-28,39-40 ©
|
Commit your life to the
Lord, trust him and he will act.
If you trust in the Lord and do good,
then you will live in the land
and be secure.
If you find your delight in the Lord,
he will grant your heart’s
desire.
Commit your life to the
Lord, trust him and he will act.
He protects the lives of the upright,
their heritage will last for
ever.
They shall not be put to shame in evil
days,
in time of famine their food
shall not fail.
Commit your life to the
Lord, trust him and he will act.
Then turn away from evil and do good
and you shall have a home for
ever;
for the Lord loves justice
and will never forsake his
friends.
Commit your life to the
Lord, trust him and he will act.
The salvation of the just comes from the
Lord,
their stronghold in time of
distress.
The Lord helps them and delivers them
and saves them: for their
refuge is in him.
Commit your life to the
Lord, trust him and he will act.
|
Gospel Acclamation
|
Jn14:23
|
Alleluia, alleluia!
If anyone loves me he will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him.
Alleluia!
|
Or:
|
Ga6:14
|
Alleluia, alleluia!
The only thing I can boast about is the
cross of our Lord,
through whom the world is crucified to me,
and I to the world.
Alleluia!
|
Gospel
|
Mark 9:30-37 ©
|
|
Anyone who welcomes one of these little
children in my name welcomes me
|
Jesus and his disciples made their way
through Galilee; and he did not want anyone to know, because he was instructing
his disciples; he was telling them, ‘The Son of Man will be delivered into the
hands of men; they will put him to death; and three days after he has been put
to death he will rise again.’ But they did not understand what he said and were
afraid to ask him.
They
came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you
arguing about on the road?’ They said nothing because they had been arguing
which of them was the greatest. So he sat down, called the Twelve to him and
said, ‘If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and
servant of all.’ He then took a little child, set him in front of them, put his
arms round him, and said to them, ‘Anyone who welcomes one of these little
children in my name, welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not me
but the one who sent me.’
REMAINING
STEADFAST IN MINISTRY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ Sir 2:1-11; Ps 37:3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40; Mk 9:30-37]
Either out of conviction
or inspiration from the Lord, many of us aspire to serve in ministry or even in
Christian leadership. In
itself, it is a noble thought. Indeed, many Catholics have, out of
goodwill and generosity on their part, offered themselves for the service of
the Church and the Christian community or even in NGOs serving the larger
community. However, many in the process of serving become disillusioned,
angry and disappointed because we feel that our service is not appreciated, our
ideas not recognized or accepted or because we feel that we could do more if
not for the obstacles placed in our way. As a consequence, we give up on
the ministry as soon as we get into it.
This is why the book of
Proverbs warns us. “My son, if you aspire to serve the Lord, prepare
yourself for an ordeal.”
Indeed, to serve the Lord and His people is not as simple or as easy as one
might think. There are lots of frustrations, challenges and difficulties
getting things done, getting people to agree and support us, and finding
responsible, creative and talented people to help. Very often, we find
ourselves constrained in so many ways, by time, resources, manpower and
opposition. So all the goodwill and joy in the ministry are taken away
and we are left simply with the duty and the responsibility to complete what we
have started. In the face of all these struggles, the only thought we
have is to resign, after all, it is a voluntary service and even if we are
paid, it is below market value.
Yet, the truth is that
many of us are not aware of the underlying motives for our service. The reality is that in service, many
of us do not have pure and selfless motives in the first place, even though we
might think we have. Many of us fall into spiritual worldliness.
This is to say, we transfer what the world values and desires into the
spiritual world. But the things that we value are not much different from
the world, such as power, glory, recognition and popularity, and sometimes even
material benefits. Like the apostles, we are serving the Lord with either
hidden or unconscious selfish motives. The apostles in the gospel were
arguing among themselves as to which of them was the greatest. They were
serving the Lord for the wrong reasons. But it was difficult for them to
admit that they all had selfish and worldly motives even when serving the Lord.
That is why the Lord
made it clear that servanthood requires much self-emptying on our part. “So he sat down, called the Twelve
to him and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all
and servant of all.” We need to be pure in our service. If we are
motivated by self-interests, whether tangible or intangible rewards such as
honour, glory and recognition, we will be driven by ambition like the disciples.
Hence, we must constantly examine ourselves to ensure that we do not fall into
spiritual worldliness. Otherwise, why is it that many Catholics resign
from ministry and organizations simply because their views are not heard all
the time? Often there are many ego battles fought at meetings and events.
Secondly, service is
challenging even when we serve with genuine motives. We will be misunderstood and slandered.
There will be people who will oppose us because of jealousy or because we are a
threat to their status quo. Some do not wish to change and want to remain
where they are. Some feel their vested interests are being
challenged. Those who are threatened will be swift to put us down and
tear us apart. Indeed, when we speak out for truth and justice, it can
cost us our lives. People will hate us and seek to destroy us. So
the price of service to the truth is a heavy price that we have to pay.
This explains why most people are silent in the face of the truth because they
are afraid to get hurt. Indeed, the majority of people who know the truth
will tend to keep silent and just stay on the sidelines. It is safer.
That is why the Lord
wants us to be prepared for the ordeal ahead of those who want to serve Him. He told His disciples, “‘The
Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men; they will put him to death;
and three days after he has been put to death he will rise again.’ But they did
not understand what He said and were afraid to ask Him.” The truth is
that most of us do not take the words of Jesus seriously or simply do not want
to know. Jesus made it clear after Peter’s declaration that “If any want
to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and
follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and
those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will
save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit
their life?” (Mk 8:34-36)
So how can we suffer the
ordeal of ministry? Firstly, we must remember who we are serving. “He then took a little child, set him in
front of them, put his arms round him, and said to them, ‘Anyone who welcomes
one of these little children in my name, welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes
me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.'” The moment we forget who we
are serving, then all the worldly motives will take over. St Paul reminds
us, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the
Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Whatever your task,
put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters.” (Col 3:17, 23)
Secondly, we must commit
our life to the Lord.
The book of Proverbs advises us, “Be sincere of heart, be steadfast, and do not
be alarmed when disaster comes.” The responsorial psalm says, “If you
trust in the Lord and do good, then you will live in the land and be secure. If
you find your delight in the Lord, he will grant your heart’s desire. Commit
your life to the Lord, trust him and he will act.” Indeed, we must “cling
to him and do not leave him, so that you may be honoured at the end of your
days.” Unless we surrender ourselves into His hands and commend our work
to Him, in vain will we build the house if the Lord does not labour. (cf Ps 127:1f)
Thirdly, we must take
our trials and sufferings in the apostolate or ministry as means of
purification for ourselves and for the Church. This is what the book of Proverbs says,
“Whatever happens to you, accept it, and in the uncertainties of your humble
state, be patient, since gold is tested in the fire, and chosen men in the
furnace of humiliation.” Indeed, we must be patient and allow the fire of
suffering to purify us and make us stronger. Through the trials, we
will become stronger and wiser. We must not be afraid of suffering for
the Lord for that is the cross that we are called to carry with
Jesus. We are called to drink the cup He drank.
Fourthly, we must learn
to trust in His divine wisdom and providence. God knows what He is doing and He
will bring about His divine plan for us. Nothing can destroy His plan for
divinity. “Trust him and he will uphold you, follow a straight path and hope in
him. You who fear the Lord, wait for his mercy; do not turn aside in case
you fall. You who fear the Lord, trust him, you who will not be baulked
of your reward.” He will come to our help when the time is right. So on
our part, we simply have to do our best and leave the results to the
Lord. We must take heart in His promise that He will protect the
just. “He protects the lives of the upright, their heritage will last for
ever. They shall not be put to shame in evil days, in time of famine their food
shall not fail.”
Finally, we must
continue to hope even when we see the situation as hopeless as in the case of
the death of Jesus on the cross.
We never know how the tide can change just as it did for the early Church when
she was under the persecution of the Romans or when she was undergoing the
purging of the Reformation. But with trust and confidence, we must
continue to hope. “You who fear the Lord hope for good things, for
everlasting happiness and mercy.” With the psalmist, we
confess our hope in His promise of deliverance. “The salvation of the
just comes from the Lord, their stronghold in time of distress. The Lord helps
them and delivers them and saves them: for their refuge is in him.”
Indeed, we can trust in
His fidelity to us. “Then
turn away from evil and do good and you shall have a home for ever; for the
Lord loves justice and will never forsake his friends” so says the
psalmist. The book of proverbs assures us of God’s fidelity to His
people. “Look at the generations of old and see: who ever trusted in the
Lord and was put to shame? Or who ever feared him steadfastly was left
forsaken? Or who ever called out to him, and was ignored? For the
Lord is compassionate and merciful, he forgives sins, and saves in days of
distress.” Looking at the history of the Church, we know that indeed, the
Church might have suffered storms, yet the Church remains forever because it is
founded on Christ, the rock of our salvation. To Peter, the Lord made
this promise, “You are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church,
and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.” (Mt 16:18)
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment