20190709 SINGULAR-MINDEDNESS
IN MISSION
09 JULY, 2019,
Tuesday, 14th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
Green.
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First reading
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Genesis 32:23-33 ©
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Jacob wrestles with God
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Jacob rose, and taking his two wives and
his two slave-girls and his eleven children he crossed the ford of the Jabbok.
He took them and sent them across the stream and sent all his possessions over
too. And Jacob was left alone.
And
there was one that wrestled with him until daybreak who, seeing that he could
not master him, struck him in the socket of his hip, and Jacob’s hip was
dislocated as he wrestled with him. He said, ‘Let me go, for day is breaking.’
But Jacob answered, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’ He then asked,
‘What is your name?’ ‘Jacob’, he replied. He said, ‘Your name shall no longer
be Jacob, but Israel, because you have been strong against God, you shall
prevail against men.’ Jacob then made this request, ‘I beg you, tell me your
name’, but he replied, ‘Why do you ask my name?’ And he blessed him there.
Jacob
named the place Peniel, ‘Because I have seen God face to face,’ he said ‘and I
have survived.’ The sun rose as he left Peniel, limping because of his hip.
That is the reason why to this day the Israelites do not eat the sciatic nerve
which is in the socket of the hip; because he had struck Jacob in the socket of
the hip on the sciatic nerve.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 16(17):1-3,6-8 ©
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Lord, in my justice I
shall see your face.
Lord, hear a cause that is just,
pay heed to my cry.
Turn your ear to my prayer:
no deceit is on my lips.
Lord, in my justice I
shall see your face.
From you may my judgement come forth.
Your eyes discern the truth.
You search my heart, you visit me by
night.
You test me and you find in me
no wrong.
Lord, in my justice I
shall see your face.
I am here and I call, you will hear me, O
God.
Turn your ear to me; hear my
words.
Display your great love, you whose right
hand saves
your friends from those who
rebel against them.
Lord, in my justice I
shall see your face.
Guard me as the apple of your eye.
Hide me in the shadow of your
wings.
In my justice I shall see your face
and be filled, when I awake,
with the sight of your glory.
Lord, in my justice I
shall see your face.
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Gospel Acclamation
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cf.Ep1:17,18
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Alleluia, alleluia!
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our mind,
so that we can see what hope his call
holds for us.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Jn10:14
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my own sheep and my own know me.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 9:32-37 ©
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The harvest is rich but the labourers
are few
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A man was brought to Jesus, a dumb
demoniac. And when the devil was cast out, the dumb man spoke and the people
were amazed. ‘Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel’ they said. But
the Pharisees said, ‘It is through the prince of devils that he casts out
devils.’
Jesus
made a tour through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and
sickness.
And
when he saw the crowds he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and
dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The
harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to
send labourers to his harvest.’
SINGULAR-MINDEDNESS
IN MISSION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Gn 32:23-33; Ps 17:1-3,6-8; Mt 9:32-38 ]
In the gospel, we read
about Jesus doing good works and how He was grossly opposed, misunderstood and
slandered. He
was on the mission of mercy, reconciling sinners with God, healing them of
their illnesses and delivering them from the Evil One. But after casting
the devil from a dumb demoniac, the man was able to speak again, and the people
were amazed, saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel”.
Only the Pharisees thought otherwise. They accused Him of collaborating
with the Evil One, claiming that “It is through the prince of devils that he
casts out devils.”
We who serve the Lord
often feel that way too. We render our services to the Church and to the
poor. We use our time
and resources for the good of the community. We sacrifice our sleep and
our enjoyment for the glory of God. But often, we are
misunderstood. We are criticized and judged wrongly. We are opposed
even by our own brothers and sisters. We get all kinds of snide remarks
that question our motives. We feel unappreciated and discouraged.
In moments like these, we feel like quitting and giving up all our association
with the Church, the organizations and the people who opposed us. Many of
us feel like withdrawing to our own comfort zone and our shell, living for
ourselves instead of for others.
But was that the way
Jesus acted when He was rejected by the Jewish leaders and falsely
accused? Instead of focusing on His enemies and detractors, the Lord kept
His focus on His mission and the people He was called to serve. “Jesus made a tour through all the
towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of
the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness. And when he saw the
crowds he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like
sheep without a shepherd.” He focused on the people’s needs and their
hunger for God and for His love and mercy. Jesus did not focus on His
pain and fall into self-pity and depression.
We, too, when we are
opposed and feel discouraged by the nasty things people say about us,
especially on social media, we should stop reading such negative comments on
our Facebook and Instagram, etc. Often, such negativity comes from people who are
jealous and envious. Some are hurting and lash out at us because their
conscience is pricked or because their vested interests are challenged. Rather,
we should focus on the good works we are doing, and the many lives we have
touched and healed, given hope and meaning. We should direct our
attention to the sufferings of others and those who are ready to accept the
good news we are offering to them. Those who do not want or are not
interested, we should respect them and just pray for their openness to God’s
grace. It would be against our well-being to get angry with them or worse
still, become vindictive and seek revenge against them. We just have to
leave them alone, as Jesus did with the Pharisees. Instead, He continued with
His mission of mercy among those who were desperate to find healing and grace.
Secondly, we must
remember that we are called and chosen to do His work. Jesus knew who He was
and He knew what He was called to do. Affirming our call is important so that we
do not give up so easily. When it is something we choose to do, we can
give up because it is our choice. It is just like a hobby or some
preference for food or music. We can change our taste for clothes,
personal interests, etc. But if it is a call from God, there is no
question of giving up. St Paul said, “If I proclaim the gospel, this
gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me
if I do not proclaim the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have
a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. What
then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel
free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel.” (1 Cor 9:16-18)
Indeed, this was the
case of Jacob. He too was wrestling with himself and therefore with God,
his identity and mission. Over
the years, he had learnt humility and greater self-awareness. He was
remorseful for cheating his father, Isaac, and his brother, Esau, of his
birthright. So he needed God’s grace and blessing to give him the courage
to meet his brother and seek forgiveness and reconciliation. Hence,
before he crossed the ford, he sent his family across the stream first, whilst
he remained back in prayer. It was an intense prayer, like that of Jesus
in the Garden of Gethsemane before He faced His enemies. The reward of
that night spent in prayer earned him the consolation and affirmation of God of
his mission. The angel said to him, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob,
but Israel; because you have been strong against God, you shall prevail against
men.” To be given a new name means that he is given a new mission, which
was to continue the plan of God for Israel and for humanity. Only with
that strength, did he find the courage to meet Esau and seek forgiveness.
(cf Gn 33:1-15)
Thirdly, we must invite
others to share in our mission.
We can be sure that when Jesus saw the crowd who were hungry for God and for
His mercy, He must have wondered how He could reach out to every one of
them. He said to His disciples, “The harvest is rich but the labourers
are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his
harvest.” Indeed, He knew that He could not personally attend to all, far
and near who sought God.
We do not carry on the
mission of Christ alone.
It is not enough to offer our services to the Church or to the poor.
Alone, we cannot do much and alone we will feel discouraged when we are
overwhelmed by the demands made on us or the challenges we face in
service. Whilst it is important that we volunteer ourselves, a good
volunteer or ministry member must also rope in others to work and collaborate
with him or her for the greater good of the Church. There are some church
ministry members who want to work alone. They want to do everything
themselves without soliciting the help of others. We must be careful that
our motives are not impure. We must guard against wanting all the
attention and glory for ourselves, seeking recognition, honour and praise when
we do our work well.
That is why we need to
purify our motives in serving God. If we want to be effective in our
ministry, we must serve without self-interests. Jacob had to wrestle with God over
his imperfections and wrong motives of wanting to be the leader of
Israel. He had cheated Esau and his father. But over forty years
away from home, learning how to grow in grace by working for Laban, even being
cheated and manipulated by him, he got married to two of his daughters,
contending with the competition of his wives for his attention and with eleven
children, he too had matured. We, too, must always ask ourselves
sincerely and honestly, whether we are serving God and His people, or
ourselves. We must not fall into the same deception of the Pharisees who
were more concerned about their position in society rather than the needs of
the people and their sufferings.
So how can we best attract people to
labour in the vineyard of the Lord? We must make them fall in love with
Jesus first. That is why the Lord asked us to pray. Only
in prayer can we meet God face to face as Jacob did. “Jacob named the
place Peneil, ‘Because I have seen God face to face,’ he said’ and I have
survived.'” Unless we meet God, we will not be able to find the strength
to reach out to others. Priestly and religious vocations, and lay workers
and volunteers come from a praying, worshipping and faith-filled
community. Without a personal encounter with His love and mercy, there
can be no mission.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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