20190519 MISSION OF
BUILDING A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH
19 MAY, 2019,
Sunday, 5th Week of Easter
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
White.
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First reading
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Acts 14:21-27 ©
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They gave an account to the church of
all that God had done with them
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Paul and Barnabas went back through Lystra
and Iconium to Antioch. They put fresh heart into the disciples, encouraging
them to persevere in the faith. ‘We all have to experience many hardships’ they
said ‘before we enter the kingdom of God.’ In each of these churches they
appointed elders, and with prayer and fasting they commended them to the Lord
in whom they had come to believe.
They
passed through Pisidia and reached Pamphylia. Then after proclaiming the word
at Perga they went down to Attalia and from there sailed for Antioch, where
they had originally been commended to the grace of God for the work they had
now completed.
On
their arrival they assembled the church and gave an account of all that God had
done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith to the pagans.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 144(145):8-13a ©
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I will bless your name
for ever, O God my King.
or
Alleluia!
The Lord is kind and full of compassion,
slow to anger, abounding in
love.
How good is the Lord to all,
compassionate to all his
creatures.
I will bless your name
for ever, O God my King.
or
Alleluia!
All your creatures shall thank you, O
Lord,
and your friends shall repeat
their blessing.
They shall speak of the glory of your
reign
and declare your might, O God,
to make known to men your mighty deeds
and the glorious splendour of
your reign.
I will bless your name
for ever, O God my King.
or
Alleluia!
Yours is an everlasting kingdom;
your rule lasts from age to
age.
I will bless your name
for ever, O God my King.
or
Alleluia!
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Second reading
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Apocalypse 21:1-5 ©
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A vision of the heavenly Jerusalem, the
bride of the Lamb
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I, John, saw a new heaven and a new earth;
the first heaven and the first earth had disappeared now, and there was no
longer any sea. I saw the holy city, and the new Jerusalem, coming down from
God out of heaven, as beautiful as a bride all dressed for her husband. Then I
heard a loud voice call from the throne, ‘You see this city? Here God lives
among men. He will make his home among them; they shall be his people, and he
will be their God; his name is God-with-them. He will wipe away all tears from
their eyes; there will be no more death, and no more mourning or sadness. The
world of the past has gone.’
Then
the One sitting on the throne spoke: ‘Now I am making the whole of creation
new.’
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Gospel Acclamation
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Jn13:34
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I give you a new commandment:
love one another just as I have loved you,
says the Lord.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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John 13:31-33,34-35 ©
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In the Son of Man, God has been
glorified
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When Judas had gone Jesus said:
‘Now has the Son of Man been glorified,
and in him God has been glorified.
If God has been glorified in him,
God will in turn glorify him in himself,
and will glorify him very soon.
‘My little children,
I shall not be with you much longer.
I give you a new commandment:
love one another;
just as I have loved you,
you also must love one another.
By this love you have for one another,
everyone will know that you are my
disciples.’
MISSION OF
BUILDING A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ Acts 14:21-27; Ps 145:8-13; REV 21:1-5; Jn 13:31- 35 ]
What is the world like today? Are you happy with what is happening
in the world and the how the future of this world and humanity will become, not
just for yourself but your children’s children? Watching the happenings and
living in this world today cause us much excitement and yet bewilderment.
There are lights and shadows. On one hand, we see the great strides in
technological progress in all areas of our life. Our lives have changed
tremendously because of modern technology in biological and medical sciences,
mass communication, robots and automated machines.
On the other hand, the culture is changing
radically. The traditional
values of humanity which underscore fidelity, loyalty, charity, compassion,
justice, truth and stability are being ditched in the name of relativism,
individualism and freedom. Marriage and family are being redefined, so
too, one’s gender. Over and above these challenges, there is a change of
attitude towards the sacredness of human life. Whilst on one hand, people
are advocating abolishment of the death penalty and conceiving babies through
in-vitro fertilization; on the other hand, we are killing thousands of babies
every day. Now they are advocating euthanasia for the elderly, the sick
and those who are economically and socially unproductive. Indeed, there
are so many inconsistencies and contradictions in the world today.
What, then, is your hope for the world
tomorrow? What is your dream?
We need to be clear of what we want the world to be. A man without a
dream has no future. Without a clear vision, he has no direction in life,
no purpose. He just drifts on in life, pushed around like a rolling stone
that gathers no moss. This is what relativism is all about – acting
according to one’s whims and fancies. There is no foundation. We
are driven by the world, by activities, by events and programs and by
popularity. We are not clear of why we exist or how we want to
exist. We do not know our purpose in life.
Some appear to have dreams. The
problem is that most of us have small dreams only. We think of getting rich, owning a
luxury car, a big bungalow, living lavishly and a jet-setting lifestyle.
But such dreams are inward-looking, myopic, selfish and self-centered. By
seeking to protect what we have, we will lose them because the world at large,
if not properly directed, will take away our peace, unity and progress.
So we need to think BIG. This is
what the scripture readings are asking us to do. In the second reading, St John gives
us the vision of God for humanity. “I, John, saw a new heaven and a new
earth.” There was no sea because the latter was a symbol of death,
suffering and misery. The sea was where all dangers and sea
monsters lived. With the sea gone, St John wrote, “He will wipe away all
tears from their eyes; there will be no more death, and no more mourning or
sadness.” God is transforming the world and humanity. The New Jerusalem
will be dressed as a bride. As the bride of God, she will be pure, holy
and devoted to Him alone. She will represent the New Humanity that
has been redeemed by God.
Most of all, heaven is described as a
place where God lives in man.
“Here God lives among men. He will make his home among them; they shall be his
people, and he will be their God; his name is God-with-them.” It is not
so much a place but the presence of God. We are the dwelling place of
God. This is what the Lord promised us. “Those who love me
will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and
make our home with them.” (Jn 14:23)
How, then, can we realize this vision that
God has for humanity and creation? We must be glorified in Christ, just
as God glorified Himself in Jesus. “Now has the Son of Man been glorified,
and in him God has been glorified.” The glorification of Jesus is His
passion, death and resurrection. In giving His life for the salvation of
the world, Christ showed Himself to be the love, mercy and compassion of
God. In dying for us, He revealed the depth of God’s love for us and His
forgiveness. So by His death, Jesus glorified the Father. In turn,
the Father confirmed Christ’s love for Him by glorifying Him in the
resurrection. By raising Jesus from the dead, the Father set His divine seal
on the works of Jesus and His claims that He was one with Him in mind and
heart.
Just as Jesus was united with the Father
in filial love, so too the Lord addressed His disciples in such affectionate
terms as well when
He called them, “My little children, I shall not be with you much
longer.” Jesus was inviting them to the same intimacy of mind and heart
He had with His Father. Just as Jesus shared in His Father’s vision
for humanity, we too must share in Christ’s vision for humanity which is to build
the Kingdom of God. This means to allow God to reign in our hearts and
live in us. This was what the early Church and early apostles did.
They went about proclaiming the Kingdom of God. We too must do the same.
But what is the best way to proclaim the
Kingdom of God if not through love in the way Jesus loved us? Jesus told His disciples, “I give you a
new commandment: love one another; just as I have loved you, you also must love
one another. By this love you have for one another, everyone will know that you
are my disciples.” Our mission to bring others to Him entails that we
first love each other in Him. Without unity among ourselves, we cannot
convince others that Christ is in us or that He lives in our midst. In
the early Church, many were converted because they saw the love and unity among
the Christians.
This was how the early Church spread the
Good News. Their genuine love for one another was expressed through the
fraternal concern they had for each other and this love went beyond their
Christian communities towards other Christian communities as well. They were not parochial-minded. The
Christians saw themselves as brothers and sisters in Christ regardless which
community they came from. We are told how “Paul and Barnabas went back
through Lystra and Iconium to Antioch. They put fresh heart into the disciples,
encouraging them to persevere in the faith. We all have to experience many
hardships they said before we enter the kingdom of God.” Strengthening
and encouraging each other in the mission was how they cared for each other and
supported each other. For the Christians, there was only one mission which was
to bring Christ to as many people as possible, regardless of their
origin. The Church can only be successful when we work together as one Church
for the common mission of bringing Christ to all peoples beyond our parish
boundaries and parish community.
Secondly, we are told that in their
mission, they remained connected with those who sent them. Paul and Barnabas were sent by the
Church at Antioch and so after completing their work, they returned to render
an account of what they did. The apostles knew that they were sent and so
those who sent them deserved to know what had been done. In this way, the
newfound churches were always connected with the church that found them.
Accountability is needed today in mission. We are all accountable to one
another. Just as the Father sent the Son and the Son sent the apostles,
we who have been sent by the bishop are accountable to the bishop for the work
we do in our diocese too. In this way, unity in mission is always
maintained.
Thirdly, we need to pray for leaders who
have the passion to bring Christ to all. Wherever Paul and Barnabas went, “in each of
these churches they appointed elders, and with prayer and fasting they
commended them to the Lord in whom they had come to believe.” There is a
dire need for us to appoint leaders in every community too, whether they are
clerical or lay. But before we can do so, we need to pray and fast like the
early apostles so that those whom we choose to be leaders of our community are
faithful, passionate and model disciples of our Lord. Unless we have
anointed leaders who are selfless, convicted and passionate, the mission of the
Church would be impacted. “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are
few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his
harvest.” (Mt 9:37f)
Finally, let us follow the apostles. After
doing all we can, we must entrust everything to the Lord. We must never think that it is our
work but rather the work of God in us. In all they did, they commended
everything to the Lord. We too must believe in the primacy of
grace. It is not only to work for the establishment of God’s Kingdom, we
must pray for its coming. Only with His grace alone, can we accomplish
what He has commanded us to do. When the Lord commended His apparent
failed mission to the Holy Spirit, the same Holy Spirit at Pentecost sent by
the Lord to the Church empowered her to complete the mission of Christ.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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