20190622
WHERE
DOES YOUR SECURITY LIE?
22 JUNE, 2019,
Saturday, 11th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
Green.
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First reading
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2 Corinthians 12:1-10 ©
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'My power is at its best in weakness'
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Must I go on boasting, though there is
nothing to be gained by it? But I will move on to the visions and revelations I
have had from the Lord. I know a man in Christ who, fourteen years ago, was
caught up – whether still in the body or out of the body, I do not know;
God knows – right into the third heaven. I do know, however, that this
same person – whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know; God
knows – was caught up into paradise and heard things which must not and
cannot be put into human language. I will boast about a man like that, but not
about anything of my own except my weaknesses. If I should decide to boast, I
should not be made to look foolish, because I should only be speaking the
truth; but I am not going to, in case anyone should begin to think I am better
than he can actually see and hear me to be.
In
view of the extraordinary nature of these revelations, to stop me from getting
too proud I was given a thorn in the flesh, an angel of Satan to beat me and
stop me from getting too proud! About this thing, I have pleaded with the Lord
three times for it to leave me, but he has said, ‘My grace is enough for you:
my power is at its best in weakness.’ So I shall be very happy to make my
weaknesses my special boast so that the power of Christ may stay over me, and
that is why I am quite content with my weaknesses, and with insults, hardships,
persecutions, and the agonies I go through for Christ’s sake. For it is when I
am weak that I am strong.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 33(34):8-13 ©
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Taste and see that the
Lord is good.
The angel of the Lord is encamped
around those who revere him,
to rescue them.
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
He is happy who seeks refuge
in him.
Taste and see that the
Lord is good.
Revere the Lord, you his saints.
They lack nothing, those who
revere him.
Strong lions suffer want and go hungry
but those who seek the Lord
lack no blessing.
Taste and see that the
Lord is good.
Come, children, and hear me
that I may teach you the fear
of the Lord.
Who is he who longs for life
and many days, to enjoy his
prosperity?
Taste and see that the
Lord is good.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Mt4:4
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Man does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes from the
mouth of God.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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2Co8:9
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Jesus Christ was rich,
but he became poor for your sake,
to make you rich out of his poverty.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 6:24-34 ©
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Do not worry about tomorrow: your holy
Father knows your needs
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Jesus said to his disciples: ‘No one can
be the slave of two masters: he will either hate the first and love the second,
or treat the first with respect and the second with scorn. You cannot be the
slave both of God and of money.
‘That
is why I am telling you not to worry about your life and what you are to eat,
nor about your body and how you are to clothe it. Surely life means more than
food, and the body more than clothing! Look at the birds in the sky. They do
not sow or reap or gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are
you not worth much more than they are? Can any of you, for all his worrying,
add one single cubit to his span of life? And why worry about clothing? Think
of the flowers growing in the fields; they never have to work or spin; yet I
assure you that not even Solomon in all his regalia was robed like one of
these. Now if that is how God clothes the grass in the field which is there
today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, will he not much more look after
you, you men of little faith? So do not worry; do not say, “What are we to eat?
What are we to drink? How are we to be clothed?” It is the pagans who set their
hearts on all these things. Your heavenly Father knows you need them all. Set
your hearts on his kingdom first, and on his righteousness, and all these other
things will be given you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow: tomorrow will
take care of itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.’
WHERE DOES YOUR
SECURITY LIE?
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ 2 Cor 12:1-10; Ps 34:8-13; Mt 6:24-34 ]
Man is the most insecure
being in this world.
Although he is powerful, having control over the whole creation, yet he is weak
and fragile. He worries about his security, his basic needs, food,
clothing, lodging, comforts, job, his future and most of all, he is worried
about death. He lives under the threat of death and extinction.
This is particularly so for the modern man who does not believe in God or the
immortality of the soul. For those who reduce themselves to matter like
the rest of creation, believing that death is the end of everything, they live
always in fear that death would come. That is why he seeks to prolong his
life so that he can live for as long as possible.
So, it is understandable
that because man fears suffering, pain, hunger and death, he seeks to protect
himself from all forms of suffering. He clings to wealth, believing that with
money, he will have all the good things of life. He will never go hungry
or be deprived of his needs and the comforts of life. He clings to power,
believing that with power, no one can overcome him and threaten his existence
and security. He clings to fame and popularity, thinking that with fame
and popularity, he would be loved and wanted by the world.
But he lives in
illusion. He is deluded by the Evil One and the world. The truth is that nothing in this world
can give us security. Our wealth can be stolen or be deemed useless when
they cannot buy what we want or procure for us what we need. Can wealth
buy genuine friends or even health when we are struck with a terminal
illness? With wealth, there is no peace because we need to protect it
always, worrying about how to grow that wealth. Power is even less secure
because everyone wants to be more powerful than the other. Isn’t it true
that all countries seek better armament so that they can defend themselves from
their enemies? But power attracts competition and creates enemies.
Although secure, we have lost the joy of freedom. Those who thrive on
fame and popularity are the poorest and most insecure people in this world
because they have sold their soul to the public, always trying to live up to
their expectations, putting on a mask as if they are the best and most perfect,
seeking to please everyone, living in fear that they might lose favour with
their fans. Indeed, celebrities are the loneliest people in this world
because their greatest fear is public opinion.
So the bottom line is,
where do we place our security in life? The Lord is very clear on this
matter. Jesus said to His disciples, “No one can be the slave to two
masters: he will either hate
the first and love the second, or treat the first with respect and the second
with scorn. You cannot be the slave both of God and money.” Either
we serve God or money. Of course, money does not simply refer to material
wealth alone. It refers to all that we have, our talents, our positions
in life, our friends and loved ones. In other words, money refers to the
world. So if our security is in acquiring money, wealth, power and
influence because we believe they give us security, then we become slaves to
them. Our entire focus in life would be to accumulate more wealth, power
and rise in status in society.
Indeed, the Lord said,
“Surely life means more than food, and the body more than
clothing!” The
truth is that money cannot give us real security. Powerful people
and nations will rise and fall. Popularity will fade with time and we
will soon be forgotten. Most of all, regardless of our wealth and power,
we will one day have to let go of all these because death will come. No
one can escape illness, old age, suffering and death. If we rely on these
things, when the time comes, we will regret because all these will be taken
away from us. They cannot be our security for life and for death.
We must wake up from our delusions. We must seek for things that are
eternal and truly life-giving. Only in God alone!
That is the reason why
God did not take away the thorn in St Paul’s flesh to stop him from getting too
proud. When we think we
are secure, this is when the Lord permits us to suffer hunger, sickness, pain
and rejection so that we will never think too highly of ourselves and believe
that we hold the keys to life. This was St Paul’s reflection as
well. “About this thing, I have pleaded with the Lord three times for it
to leave me, but he has said, ‘My grace is enough for you: my power is at
its best in weakness.’ So I shall be very happy to make my weakness my
special boast so that the power of Christ may stay over me, and that is why I
am quite content with my weaknesses, and with insults, hardships, persecutions,
and the agonies I go through for Christ’s sake. For it is when I am weak
that I am strong.” God allows us to suffer and feel our weaknesses so
that we know that we are not gods but human beings. This is a good lesson
to all those who are highly successful in the world and proud of their
intellect and achievements. When misfortunes happen, then they realize
that they are not in control after all. Even all the money and influence
they have in the world cannot save them.
Indeed, the gospel is
asking us to trust in God alone. This
was what the Lord said to us. “Look at the birds in the sky. They
do not sow or reap or gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not worth much more than they are? Can any of you, for all his
worrying, add one single cubit to his span of life? And why worry about
clothing? Think of the flowers growing in the fields; they never have to
work or spin; yet I assure you that not even Solomon in all his regalia was
robed like one of these. Now if that is how God clothes the grass in the
field which is there today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, will he not
much more look after you, you men of little faith? So do not worry, do
not say, ‘What are we to eat? What are we to drink? How are we to
be clothed?’ It is the pagans who set their hearts on all these
things.” We can only depend on God, as the psalmist says, “Revere the
Lord, you his saints. They lack nothing, those who revere him. Strong
lions suffer want and go hungry but those who seek the Lord lack no blessing.”
“Credere Deo” which is
the second stage of faith invites us to trust God by believing in all that He
said. The
first level of faith “credere Deum”, believing that God exists cannot save
us. This second level requires a personal conviction. Yet, many of
us trust God but not completely. That is why even a religious experience
or a mystical experience of God is not sufficient to move us out of our
insecurity. St Paul in the first reading described his mystical
vision. He said, “I will move on to the visions and revelations I have
had from the Lord. I know a man in Christ who, fourteen years ago, was
caught up – whether still in the body or out of the body, I do not know; God
knows – right into the third heaven. I do know, however, that this same
person – whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know; God knows was
caught up into paradise and heard things which must not and cannot be put into
human language.” This is like those of us who have had a religious
experience and yet after some time, give up on our faith when we meet new
crises.
But what counts truly as
Christian faith is “Credere in Deum” that is “I believe in God.” This means that God is the ultimate
reality in our lives. This is what the Lord is asking of us. “Set
your hearts on his kingdom first, and on his righteousness, and all these other
things will be given you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow:
tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough trouble if its
own.” To set our hearts on the Kingdom is to set our hearts on God
alone. He must be the goal and our everything. That is why the
first and greatest commandment the Lord said is this, “You shall love the Lord your
God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and
with all your strength.” (Mk 12:30) If God is our everything, then
in whatever we do, Christ is for us the Way to Truth and Life. (cf Jn 14:6) All our actions and endeavours are
directed to the Lord because in Him we find our soul at rest, as St Augustine
tells us. Outside of God, we will never live in security. With God
as the ultimate goal and focus in our lives, we will see everything in this
world in perspective. We are no longer afraid of suffering and even death
because we are in God.
To seek first the
Kingdom of God, therefore, means that we are called in this life to grow in
Christian character, to become more like Christ using whatever resources we
have. St Paul wrote, “I
want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his
sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the
resurrection from the dead.” (Phil 3:10) When we acquire the virtues
of Christ according to the vocation the Lord has given to us, we will find
happiness. In the final analysis, our life is to be lived in such a way
that is poured in love and service for God and our fellowmen. St Paul
says, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are
expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of
our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the
power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself.” (Phil 3:20f) Following St Paul, we must
press on to make Christ our own because Christ has made us His own.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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