20190526
BE
THE RADIANCE OF GOD’S GLORY
26 MAY, 2019,
Sunday, 6th Week of Easter
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
White.
If the Ascension of the
Lord is going to be celebrated next Sunday, the alternative Second Reading and
Gospel shown here (which would otherwise have been read on that Sunday) may be
used today.
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First reading
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Acts 15:1-2,22-29 ©
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It has been decided by the Spirit and by
ourselves not to burden you with any burden beyond these essentials
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Some men came down from Judaea and taught
the brothers, ‘Unless you have yourselves circumcised in the tradition of Moses
you cannot be saved.’ This led to disagreement, and after Paul and Barnabas had
had a long argument with these men it was arranged that Paul and Barnabas and
others of the church should go up to Jerusalem and discuss the problem with the
apostles and elders.
Then
the apostles and elders decided to choose delegates to send to Antioch with
Paul and Barnabas; the whole church concurred with this. They chose Judas known
as Barsabbas and Silas, both leading men in the brotherhood, and gave them this
letter to take with them:
‘The
apostles and elders, your brothers, send greetings to the brothers of pagan
birth in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia. We hear that some of our members have
disturbed you with their demands and have unsettled your minds. They acted
without any authority from us; and so we have decided unanimously to elect
delegates and to send them to you with Barnabas and Paul, men we highly respect
who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Accordingly we are sending you Judas and Silas, who will confirm by word of
mouth what we have written in this letter. It has been decided by the Holy
Spirit and by ourselves not to saddle you with any burden beyond these
essentials: you are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols; from blood, from
the meat of strangled animals and from fornication. Avoid these, and you will
do what is right. Farewell.’
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 66(67):2-3,5-6,8 ©
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Let the peoples praise
you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.
or
Alleluia!
O God, be gracious and bless us
and let your face shed its
light upon us.
So will your ways be known upon earth
and all nations learn your
saving help.
Let the peoples praise
you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.
or
Alleluia!
Let the nations be glad and exult
for you rule the world with
justice.
With fairness you rule the peoples,
you guide the nations on
earth.
Let the peoples praise
you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.
or
Alleluia!
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise
you.
May God still give us his blessing
till the ends of the earth
revere him.
Let the peoples praise
you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.
or
Alleluia!
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Second reading
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Apocalypse 21:10-14,22-23 ©
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He showed me the holy city coming down out of heaven
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In the spirit, the angel took me to the
top of an enormous high mountain and showed me Jerusalem, the holy city, coming
down from God out of heaven. It had all the radiant glory of God and glittered
like some precious jewel of crystal-clear diamond. The walls of it were of a
great height, and had twelve gates; at each of the twelve gates there was an
angel, and over the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of
Israel; on the east there were three gates, on the north three gates, on the
south three gates, and on the west three gates. The city walls stood on twelve
foundation stones, each one of which bore the name of one of the twelve
apostles of the Lamb.
I
saw that there was no temple in the city since the Lord God Almighty and the
Lamb were themselves the temple, and the city did not need the sun or the moon
for light, since it was lit by the radiant glory of God and the Lamb was a
lighted torch for it.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Jn14:23
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Jesus said: ‘If anyone loves me he will
keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him.’
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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John 14:23-29 ©
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A peace the world cannot give is my gift to you
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Jesus said to his disciples:
‘If anyone loves me he will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him and make our home
with him.
Those who do not love me do not keep my
words.
And my word is not my own:
it is the word of the one who sent me.
I have said these things to you while
still with you;
but the Advocate, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in my name,
will teach you everything
and remind you of all I have said to you.
Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I
give you,
a peace the world cannot give,
this is my gift to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or
afraid.
You heard me say: I am going away, and
shall return.
If you loved me you would have been glad
to know that I am going to the Father,
for the Father is greater than I.
I have told you this now before it
happens,
so that when it does happen you may
believe.’
BE THE RADIANCE
OF GOD’S GLORY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Acts 15:1-2.22-29; Ps 67; Rev 21:10-14.22-23; John 14:23-29]
In the second reading,
we read of John’s vision of the New Jerusalem radiant in the light of God’s
glory. “In the spirit,
the angel took me to the top of an enormous high mountain and showed me
Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God out of heaven. It had all the
radiant glory of God and glittered like some precious jewel of crystal-clear
diamond. I saw that there was no temple in the city since the Lord God Almighty
and the Lamb were themselves the temple, and the city did not need the sun or
the moon for light, since it was lit by the radiant glory of God and the Lamb
was a lighted torch for it.” Indeed, so bright was the light of God’s
glory and that of Christ that the city was no longer in darkness and there was
no other need of another Temple or other light. In other words, the
New Jerusalem was so suffused and permeated the glory of God’s presence
dwelling in it.
The Church as the New
Jerusalem is called to be that city as well. In the gospel, Jesus said, “You are the light
of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. In the same way, let
your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give
glory to your Father in heaven.” (Mt 5:14, 16) This is the fulfilment of the
prophecy of Ezekiel of a renewed Temple when he wrote, “the name of the city
from that time on shall be, The Lord is There.” (Ez 48:35b) The Church is called to be
the sign of God’s presence in the world. The seven sacraments of the
Church are celebrated so that His presence can take effect in our lives,
helping us to live out our vocation as Christians and so be the light of Christ
in the world.
But how is it that we
are not the glory of God in the world? It is because we have not yet
become the sanctuary of God.
That is why we are sad and unsettled. There is no peace in our hearts.
Without peace there can be no joy. Many of us are like the apostles.
Their hearts were troubled and they were afraid because they heard the Lord
saying, “I am going away.” When the Lord is absent in our lives
because of sin, we feel unsettled and divided within and without. If
there is so much division in the world, in our families and community it is
because God is not in us and we act from our wounded humanity, our fears and
selfishness rather than love and compassion. We are afraid of the future,
our studies, our jobs, our relationships and our health. We are not too
sure whether we can meet the challenges ahead of us.
That is why the Lord has
come to give us peace and joy. The peace that He gives us is not the
peace of the world.
“Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you, a peace the world cannot give,
this is my gift to you.” The peace of the world is external peace.
It is fragile and dependent on external circumstances of which we will never
have control. The peace of the world is one that is without struggle,
without pain and without activity. But this is not the peace that Christ
brings. He wants to give us a peace that the world cannot give.
This peace comes from our deep security that is found in Him. When
we know that Jesus is with us, we can overcome all things and we will not be
afraid of challenges and trials in life.
Indeed, the early Church
had to deal with inner division in Christian living and in doctrines. At first, the widows of the Gentile
community were neglected. Then in today’s first reading, some Jewish
converts to Christianity wanted to impose their traditional practices and
customs on the Gentile converts. There was intense dispute. This
matter was brought to Jerusalem, the mother Church, to handle. Through
prayer and dialogue, they came to settle on what the true doctrine of salvation
was – faith in Christ – and how as Christians they should accommodate each
other and be sensitive to each other’s customs. Indeed, the Lord
was with them in their struggles. Peace was not an external matter but
being in Christ.
When we are assured of
Christ’s presence, we can overcome all things in life. We might face tremendous challenges, but
when we have a friend or a confidante, their support will give us strength and
perseverance. What more if that friend is Christ! That is why St
Paul could say, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Phil 4:13) And he wrote to the Romans,
“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved
us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor
height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate
us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 8:37-39) When we know that God is
with us and His love is for us, we can scale every mountain because of the
strength that comes from His love and assurance that we will triumph.
And this is the faith of
the Church all these years even in times of uncertainty. With the scandals rocking the
Church, we will remain firm and strong because Jesus told Peter, “And I tell
you, 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) Again, the Lord after
commissioning the Church promised us, “Remember, I am with you always, to the
end of the age.” (Mt 28:20) This is
why we must remain firm and never lose confidence in the Church. In spite
of its sinfulness, because of the weaknesses of the members, His grace will
triumph in the end. So we should not be afraid, timid or anxious since
this is the Church of Christ, the Church of God, and not a mere human
institution. This explains why we can still be at peace when we see so
much inner division and hostility from without.
How is this peace given
to us? How can we share in Christ’s peace so that we can be like Him,
remaining calm and confident amidst the storms? Christ’s peace is given
to us with the coming of the Holy Spirit. In the gospel, Jesus told the disciples,
“You heard me say: I am going away, and shall return. If you loved me you would
have been glad to know that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater
than I. I have told you this now before it happens, so that when it does happen
you may believe.” Jesus’ return to the Father at the Ascension was to
bring us the Holy Spirit whom the Father promised to send in His name. By
His death and resurrection, Jesus assumed His divinity and together with the
Father sends us the Holy Spirit to dwell in us. His presence in us gives
us the security and love and peace we need.
It is in the indwelling
of the Holy Spirit that the Father and Son make their home in us. In the gospel Jesus says, “If
anyone loves me he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall
come to him and make our home with him. Those who do not love me do not keep my
words. And my word is not my own: it is the word of the one who sent me.”
In the first place, God dwells in us through His love because the Holy Spirit
is the love of God poured into our hearts. (cf Rom 5:5) It is only when we encounter
God’s personal love in the Holy Spirit in a real and intimate manner, that can
we say with confidence that God is with us. We are called to welcome the
Holy Spirit so that He can fill us with His love, peace and joy.
Secondly, the Holy
Spirit makes it possible for the Word of God to live in us by leading us to a
deeper knowledge of our Lord and understanding of His Word. “I have said these things to you
while still with you; but the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will
send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to
you.” The Holy Spirit is given not to lead us to Him but to lead us to
Christ. Without a consciousness of the Holy Spirit in us, Christ remains
a historical person, a man who lived in the past. Only those who have
encountered the Spirit of Jesus know that He is alive and that He continues to
work in and through us. It is the Holy Spirit that enables us to
understand the Word of God, make it our own and in faith believe in the Word
thereby bearing fruits in our lives.
It is only when we live
out the Word of God that God lives in us in a real way. When we think and feel with the Lord, we
enter into His life and love. Only when we put on Christ, can we then
truly be the radiance of God’s glory amongst men. The Holy Spirit dwells
in us, not just in love, peace and joy, but gives us a deeper conviction of the
Word of God and the grace to live out the Word of God in our lives. Those
who fall in love with Jesus and are filled with the Holy Spirit when they read
the Word of God, know it is God’s words and not just human words. (cf 1 Th 2:13) This explains why many
Catholics who have no consciousness of the Holy Spirit in their hearts are not
convicted and enlightened when they read the Word of God; nothing that they
read strikes their hearts or catches their eyes.
So let us not give up
but continue to work for the building of His Kingdom on earth. We must continue to shine forth the
light of God in us. But to do this, we must always be in the light by
remaining one with Jesus and the Father in the Holy Spirit, in prayer,
listening and meditating on the Word of God, finding strength in Him and being
consoled by His love. In this way, together with the psalmist, we can
praise God saying, “O God, be gracious and bless us and let your face shed its
light upon us. So will your ways be known upon earth and all nations learn your
saving help. Let the nations be glad and exult for you rule the world with
justice. With fairness you rule the peoples, you guide the nations on
earth. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.
May God still give us his blessing till the ends of the earth revere him.”
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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