20190729
LIVING
THE FULLNESS OF LIFE
29 JULY, 2019,
Monday, St Martha
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First reading
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1 John 4:7-16 ©
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Let us love one another, since love
comes from God
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My dear people,
let us love one another
since love comes from God
and everyone who loves is begotten by God
and knows God.
Anyone who fails to love can never have
known God,
because God is love.
God’s love for us was revealed
when God sent into the world his only Son
so that we could have life through him;
this is the love I mean:
not our love for God,
but God’s love for us when he sent his Son
to be the sacrifice that takes our sins
away.
My dear people,
since God has loved us so much,
we too should love one another.
No one has ever seen God;
but as long as we love one another
God will live in us
and his love will be complete in us.
We can know that we are living in him
and he is living in us
because he lets us share his Spirit.
We ourselves saw and we testify
that the Father sent his Son
as saviour of the world.
If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the
Son of God,
God lives in him, and he in God.
We ourselves have known and put our faith
in
God’s love towards ourselves.
God is love
and anyone who lives in love lives in God,
and God lives in him.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 33(34):2-11 ©
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I will bless the Lord at
all times.
or
Taste and see that the
Lord is good.
I will bless the Lord at all times,
his praise always on my lips;
in the Lord my soul shall make its boast.
The humble shall hear and be
glad.
I will bless the Lord at
all times.
or
Taste and see that the
Lord is good.
Glorify the Lord with me.
Together let us praise his
name.
I sought the Lord and he answered me;
from all my terrors he set me
free.
I will bless the Lord at
all times.
or
Taste and see that the
Lord is good.
Look towards him and be radiant;
let your faces not be abashed.
This poor man called, the Lord heard him
and rescued him from all his
distress.
I will bless the Lord at
all times.
or
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.
I will bless the Lord at
all times.
or
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.
I will bless the Lord at
all times.
or
Taste and see that the
Lord is good.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Jn8:12
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the light of the world, says the
Lord;
anyone who follows me will have the light
of life.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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John 11:19-27 ©
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I am the resurrection and the life
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Many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to
sympathise with them over their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus had come
she went to meet him. Mary remained sitting in the house. Martha said to Jesus,
‘If you had been here, my brother would not have died, but I know that, even
now, whatever you ask of God, he will grant you.’ ‘Your brother’ said Jesus to
her ‘will rise again.’ Martha said, ‘I know he will rise again at the
resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus said:
‘I am the resurrection and the life.
If anyone believes in me, even though he
dies he will live,
and whoever lives and believes in me will
never die.
Do you believe this?’
‘Yes, Lord,’ she said ‘I believe that you
are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who was to come into this world.’
LIVING THE
FULLNESS OF LIFE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ 1 JOHN 4:7-16; JOHN 11:19-27 OR Lk 10:38-42 ]
What does it mean to
live the fullness of life? In
the world today, everyone is seeking for the fullness of life, especially the
younger generation. That is why they are desperate to try everything under the
sun. They want to see as much of the world as possible, taste everything
they can eat and drink, indulge in all kinds of pleasures, entertain themselves
with anything that keeps them excited, whether it is sex, sensual movies,
pornography, and for the more aesthetic ones, arts and music.
But is this the fullness
of life? When we live in this manner, we are only satisfying our bodily
hunger. We
have forgotten our spiritual needs. Of course, some of us do not believe
that we have a soul. The fact that we have a mind that can think and make
choices, and a heart that needs to feel love and be loved, shows that we are
more than mere material creatures, and that things and pleasures alone cannot
satisfy our affective and spiritual needs.
That is why man is
created to love. Without love, he is nothing. This is what St Paul is reminding us, that even
if we are successful and have power to do many things, without love, we remain
unfulfilled. “If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do
not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have
prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have
all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may
boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” (1 Cor 13:1-3) This is what St John wrote
in the first reading as well when he reminded us to love one another.
Indeed, Jesus comes
precisely to give us life to the fullest. “I came that they may have life, and have it
abundantly.” (Jn 10:10) He came to
give us life here on earth and hereafter. That was why when Lazarus died
and Martha said to the Lord, “‘If you had been here, my brother would not have
died, but I know that, even now, whatever you ask of God, he will grant you.’
‘Your brother’ said Jesus to her ‘will rise again.’ Martha said, ‘I know he
will rise again at the resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus said: ‘I am the
resurrection and the life. If anyone believes in me, even though he dies he
will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”
Indeed, Jesus wants us
to live our lives in such a way that even when we die, we will live; and at the
same time to live in such a way that we will never die. How is this
possible? To live in such a way that we never die simply means that we
live life to the fullest wherever we are. When we live a life of love, life is
always meaningful and full of joy. Our material and physical needs, although
important, are not ends in themselves but means to celebrate love and life with
others. Our work, our services, our friendship and all that we do each
day, make us alive because we feel that we are making a difference in the lives
of others. In the process of reaching out, contributing to the life and
growth of others, we make new friends, learn new things about life through
sharing ourselves with others, and expose ourselves to the world of
others. There is so much we can learn from them. In giving
ourselves to them, we actually become more alive, more broad-minded,
accommodative, and able to empathize with others, sharing in their joys and pains.
By identifying with the rest of humanity, we become more humane, humble,
grateful and appreciative of what we have. That is why those of us who love
never die because love sustains us. “Love is strong as death, passion
fierce as the grave.” (Songs 8:6)
The danger is that some
of us love this life on earth so much that we cannot let go; so much so that when the time comes for us
to give up our offices and positions in life, or when we fall sick partly
because of aging and eventually have to leave this world and our loved ones,
many cannot do so graciously. We become so attached to this world,
failing to realize that we do not live here forever and that this is not our
home. “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)
Indeed, St Paul tells us
that the final and greatest enemy of man is death. “The last enemy to be
destroyed is death.”
(1 Cor 15:26) This is why the world wants
to avoid the topic of death, because it believes that we have only one life to
live; that there is no life beyond this world. We fear missing out when we
leave this world. All that we have built and established will be taken
away. We cannot take our wealth with us. Our works most probably
will be undone by the next generation. Hence, St Paul wrote, “The
sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.” (1 Cor 15:56) “The wages of sin is death,
but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 6:23)
Hence, to overcome the
fear of death which prevents us from living a selfless life, we must come to
Jesus who is “the resurrection and the life.” Only Jesus can give us the
fullness of life on earth and life beyond this earth. He is the One who empowers us to live
fully on this earth because He gives us the capacity to love in the way He has
loved us. St John makes it clear, “God’s love for us was revealed when
God sent into the world his only Son so that we could have life through him:
this is the love I mean: not our love for God, but God’s love for us when he sent
his Son to be the sacrifice that takes our sins away.” The capacity to
love must come from our own experience of God’s unconditional love for
us. Otherwise, our love will be inward-looking, conditional and
self-centered.
The desire to love
others selflessly and without reservations or conditions comes from His Spirit
that we imbibe and the Spirit that lives in us. “My dear people, since God has loved
us so much, we too should love one another. God will live in us and his love
will be complete in us. We can know that we are living in him and he is living
in us because he lets us share his Spirit. We ourselves saw and we testify that
the Father send his Son as saviour of the world.” When the Spirit
of Christ fills our hearts, we will have the capacity and courage to reach out
and move out. A clear sign that we are loved by God is when we love
others. Thus, John wrote, “My dear people, let us love one another since
love comes from God and everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.
Anyone who fails to love can never have known God, because God is love.”
Today, as we celebrate
the Feast of St Martha, we are inspired by her love for the Lord and her faith
in Him. She was always
attentiv his death. She was a lady who was always actively serving
and taking care of others. She was able to do that simply because she
confessed in Jesus as Her Lord and Saviour. She said, “Yes, Lord, I
believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who has come into this
world.” St John says, “If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of
God, God lives in him, and he in God. We ourselves have known and put our faith
in God’s love towards ourselves. God is love and anyone who lives in love lives
in God, and God lives in him.” To proclaim that Jesus is the
Son of God, is to say that His death is the “death of God” for us in order to
show us His love; and at the same time, it is only by overcoming the fear of
eternal death by His resurrection that Jesus enables us to live fully in this
life without fear of death. And as we enjoy this world, we do not cling
to it because we know that we are pilgrims along the way. Our real joy
and freedom is in heaven. In this way, we live a life that never
dies on this earth and even when we die, we live forever.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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