20190531
BE
BEARERS OF CHRIST’S JOY AND LOVE
31 MAY, 2019,
Friday, Visitation of the B.V.M.
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
White.
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First reading
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Zephaniah 3:14-18 ©
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The Lord, the king of Israel, is in your
midst
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Shout for joy, daughter of Zion,
Israel, shout aloud!
Rejoice, exult with all your heart,
daughter of Jerusalem!
The Lord has repealed your sentence;
he has driven your enemies away.
The Lord, the king of Israel, is in your
midst;
you have no more evil to fear.
When that day comes, word will come to
Jerusalem:
Zion, have no fear,
do not let your hands fall limp.
The Lord your God is in your midst,
a victorious warrior.
He will exult with joy over you,
he will renew you by his love;
he will dance with shouts of joy for you
as on a day of festival.
Or Romans 12 : 9-16
9 Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10 love
one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Never
flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice
in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute
to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute
you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with
those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony
with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly;s never
be conceited.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Isaiah 12 ©
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The rejoicing of a redeemed people
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Great in your midst is
the Holy One of Israel.
Truly, God is my salvation,
I trust, I shall not fear.
For the Lord is my strength, my song,
he became my saviour.
With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.
Great in your midst is
the Holy One of Israel.
Give thanks to the Lord, give praise to
his name!
Make his mighty deeds known to
the peoples!
Declare the greatness of his
name.
Great in your midst is
the Holy One of Israel.
Sing a psalm to the Lord
for he has done glorious
deeds;
make them known to all the
earth!
People of Zion, sing and shout for joy,
for great in your midst is the
Holy One of Israel.
Great in your midst is
the Holy One of Israel.
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Gospel
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Luke 1:39-56 ©
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The Almighty has done great things for
me
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Mary set out and went as quickly as she
could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house
and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the
child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave
a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the
fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my
Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for
joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord
would be fulfilled.’
And
Mary said:
‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the
Lord
and my spirit exults in God my saviour;
because he has looked upon his lowly
handmaid.
Yes, from this day forward all generations
will call me blessed,
for the Almighty has done great things for
me.
Holy is his name,
and his mercy reaches from age to age for
those who fear him.
He has shown the power of his arm,
he has routed the proud of heart.
He has pulled down princes from their
thrones and exalted the lowly.
The hungry he has filled with good things,
the rich sent empty away.
He has come to the help of Israel his
servant, mindful of his mercy
– according to the promise he made to our
ancestors –
of his mercy to Abraham and to his
descendants for ever.’
Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three
months and then went back home.
BE BEARERS OF
CHRIST’S JOY AND LOVE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ZEPH 3:14-18 OR ROM 12:9-16; LUKE 1:39-56 ]
In the first reading
from Zephaniah, the prophet brought hope to the people who were in exile. They abandoned God because of their
sins and they were punished by the Lord. They lost their temple and their
homeland. They felt that God was no longer with them. Without God
their future was unpredictable.
Today, there are many
people who are forlorn and without hope. They are rejected by their loved ones and
are without family and friends. Some are abandoned because of old age or
because their children have grown up and moved away to start their own life.
There are those who are sickly and unable to contribute much to society
and their family anymore. They feel that they are a burden to others.
Some are depressed and wounded because of failure in their marriage or
relationships. They find no joy and happiness in life, no meaning and
purpose.
But the scripture
readings tell us that if the Lord is present in our lives, we are always filled
with joy. This was what the
Prophet said to Israel, “The Lord, the king of Israel, is in your midst; you
have no more evil to fear. When that day comes, word will come to Jerusalem:
Zion, have no fear, do not let your hands fall limp. The Lord your God is in
your midst, a victorious warrior.” Not only has the Lord forgiven them their
sins and driven their enemies away but He will renew His love for them. “He
will exult with joy over you, he will renew you by his love; he will dance with
shouts of joy for you as on a day of festival.” Indeed, when God is
present, we have no fears or worries. We can surrender our lives to Him
because He will fight the battle for us. The prophet told the people that
their sentence has been repealed. “He has driven your enemies away.”
In the gospel, again we
see how God’s presence filled Mary, Elizabeth and John the Baptist with joy. After being overshadowed by the
Holy Spirit when she conceived Jesus, “Mary set out and went as quickly as she
could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house
and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the
child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave
a loud cry and said, “Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the
fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my
Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt
for joy.” Jesus’ presence in the womb of Mary brought joy to Elizabeth
and to John the Baptist. Jesus’ presence sanctified not just Mary but
Elizabeth and John the Baptist as well. That is why the Church celebrates
only the birthday of John the Baptist and not other saints, other than
Mary. Jesus’ presence fills us with the joy of the Holy Spirit and with
the Holy Spirit, we are sanctified and made holy. Whenever the Spirit is
present, there is joy and peace. (cf Gal 5:22)
Today, when we celebrate
the Visitation of Mary, we are also celebrating the visitation of our Lord.
Mary is called Theotokos
in the Council of Ephesus because she is the bearer of God. Hence, she is
also called the Mother of God. Mary’s whole life was one of being a
mediator. That is why she is called the Mediatrix by the Church. Of
course, we know that Jesus is the only mediator between God and man because He
is the Way, the Truth and the Life. (cf 1 Tim 2:5; Jn 14:6f) Christ is the only One who knows God
and having been in the bosom of God, only He can reveal to us who the Father
is. (cf Jn 1:18) But
between Jesus and us, Mary is our mediatrix, just as we are all mediators to
Jesus if we bring someone to Jesus, the way Mary interceded for the wedding
couple who had no wine during their wedding. (cf Jn 2: 1-11) So, too, we read how John
the Baptist pointed his disciples to Jesus as the Lamb of God, the Messiah (cf Jn 2:36), and then Andrew introduced Peter to
Jesus. (cf Jn 2:40-42)
Regardless whether we
are priests or religious, we are called to bring Jesus to others. This is because by virtue of our
baptism, we have put on Christ. As members of the Body of Christ, we are
to make Jesus present in our lives especially through the works of love and
mercy. The Church is indeed called to be the sacrament, the sign of Christ to
the world. By attending to the needs of people, visiting the sick at home
or in hospitals, spending time with those who are lonely and abandoned,
counselling the broken-hearted, attending wakes to comfort the mourners and
feeding and caring for the poor. Through such good works, we make Jesus’
presence felt. This was what Mary did when she heard that Elizabeth, her
cousin, was pregnant in her old age. Her immediate reaction was one of
concern and hence the spontaneous offer of help.
St Paul in his letter to
the Romans gives us the marks of the true Christian. He said, “Do not let your love be a
pretence, but sincerely prefer good to evil. Love each other as much as
brothers should, and have a profound respect for each other. Work for the Lord
with untiring effort and with great earnestness of Spirit. If you have hope,
this will make you cheerful. Do not give up if trials come; and keep on
praying. If any of the saints are in need you must share with them; and you
should make hospitality your special care. Bless those who persecute you: never
curse them, bless them. Rejoice with those who rejoice and be sad with those in
sorrow. Treat everyone with equal kindness; never be condescending but make
real friends with the poor.” (Rom 12:19-16)
Most of all, we are
called to bring Jesus to them by proclaiming His love and mercy. This was what Mary did in response
to the joy of Elizabeth. “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and
my spirit exults in God my saviour; because he has looked upon his lowly
handmaid. Yes, from this day on all generations will call me blessed, for the
Almighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name, and his mercy reaches
from age to age for those who fear him.” We must find occasions to praise
God as Mary did. She used that occasion to give praise and glory to God
and at the same time to give hope to those who felt that God has abandoned
them. This is what the responsorial psalm asks of us as well. “Give
thanks to the Lord, give praise to his name! Make his mighty deeds known to the
peoples! Declare the greatness of his name. Sing a psalm to the Lord for he has
done glorious deeds; make them known to all the earth!”
She affirmed the
faithfulness of God when
she said, “He has shown the power of his arm, he has routed the proud of heart.
He has pulled down princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly. The hungry
he has filled with good things, the rich sent empty away. He has come to the
help of Israel his servant, mindful of his mercy – according to the promise he
made to our ancestors – of his mercy to, Abraham and to his descendants
forever.” Like Mary, we need to assure people who have lost hope in God
or in their fellowmen that God is a faithful God and He continues to love us
through His chosen people. We are of course that chosen instrument of His
love and compassion.
In the final analysis,
we must be like Mary bearing the presence of Christ in our words, deeds,
service and way of life. We
must be conscious that we are the ambassadors of Christ. As St Paul
reminds us, “We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may
be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended
ourselves in every way.” (cf 2 Cor 6:3-10) But we can do this
only if we are like Mary, Elizabeth and John the Baptist, so filled with His
Holy Spirit and with faith in His promises. Instead, how often have we, because
of our harsh words, insensitive remarks, lack of generosity and justice in our
lives, scandalized others and made non-Christians think ill of the Christian
Faith? Whatever we do, let us not become counter-witnesses of Christ.
We bring the Lord into
our lives through devout prayer.
Without a relationship with the Lord, we cannot be His instruments of
love. We must first make Him the center of our lives. He must be in
our midst in whatever we do. We cannot become God’s servant and
ambassador unless we follow Jesus our master to make time for intimacy and
prayer with our Heavenly Father. Only when we are basked in His love,
have listened to His message, contemplated on His life, especially by reading
the Word of God or praying the Rosary, can we also imitate Him in love and
service and be empowered with the same Spirit that anointed our Lord for the
ministry.
Finally, on the Feast of
the Visitation of Our Blessed Mother Mary, we are reminded that we should
encourage each other in our faith, as in the case of Mary and Elizabeth. Mary went to support Elizabeth in her
pregnancy and at the same time brought the joy of Jesus to her and John the
Baptist. In turn, Elizabeth confirmed Mary in her faith in the
Lord. We cannot walk alone in our faith. We need the support of
fellow Catholics. By sharing our aspirations, struggles and
joys in our apostolate with each other, we will surely be enriched and
empowered to continue to be faithful disciples of Christ. Only when we
are strong in our faith, can we bring that faith to others and proclaim His
love and mercy for us.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
