20190813
ACCEPTING
OUR PORTION FROM THE LORD
13 AUGUST, 2019,
Tuesday, 19th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
Green.
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First reading
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Deuteronomy 31:1-8 ©
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Joshua shall cross the Jordan at your
head
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Moses proceeded to address these words to
the whole of Israel, ‘I am one hundred and twenty years old now, and can no
longer come and go as I will. The Lord has said to me, “You shall not cross
this Jordan.” It is the Lord your God who will cross it at your head to destroy
these nations facing you and dispossess them; and Joshua too shall cross at
your head, as the Lord has said. The Lord will treat them as he treated Sihon
and Og the Amorite kings and their land, destroying them. The Lord will hand
them over to you, and you will deal with them in exact accordance with the
commandments I have enjoined on you. Be strong, stand firm, have no fear of
them, no terror, for the Lord your God is going with you; he will not fail you
or desert you.’
Then
Moses summoned Joshua and in the presence of all Israel said to him, ‘Be
strong, stand firm; you are going with this people into the land the Lord swore
to their fathers he would give them; you are to give it into their possession.
The Lord himself will lead you; he will be with you; he will not fail you or
desert you. Have no fear, do not be disheartened by anything.’
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Responsorial Psalm
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Deuteronomy 32:3-4,7-9 ©
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The Lord’s portion was
his people.
I proclaim the name of the Lord.
Oh, tell the greatness of our
God!
He is the Rock, his work is perfect,
for all his ways are Equity.
The Lord’s portion was
his people.
Think back on the days of old,
think over the years, down the
ages.
Ask of your father, let him teach you;
of your elders, let them
enlighten you.
The Lord’s portion was
his people.
When the Most High gave the nations their
inheritance,
when he divided the sons of
men,
he fixed their bounds
according to the number of the sons of God;
but the Lord’s portion was his people,
Jacob his share of
inheritance.
The Lord’s portion was
his people.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Mt11:25
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed are you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth,
for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom
to mere children.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Mt11:29
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Shoulder my yoke and learn from me,
says the Lord,
for I am gentle and humble in heart.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew
18:1-5,10,12-14 ©
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Anyone who welcomes a little child in my
name welcomes me
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The disciples came to Jesus and said, ‘Who
is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ So he called a little child to him
and set the child in front of them. Then he said, ‘I tell you solemnly, unless
you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of
heaven. And so, the one who makes himself as little as this little child is the
greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
‘Anyone
who welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.
‘See
that you never despise any of these little ones, for I tell you that their
angels in heaven are continually in the presence of my Father in heaven.
‘Tell
me. Suppose a man has a hundred sheep and one of them strays; will he not leave
the ninety-nine on the hillside and go in search of the stray? I tell you
solemnly, if he finds it, it gives him more joy than do the ninety-nine that
did not stray at all. Similarly, it is never the will of your Father in heaven
that one of these little ones should be lost.’
ACCEPTING OUR
PORTION FROM THE LORD
The disciples asked the
Lord, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” This, too, is also our question. We
are insecure people and we tend to measure ourselves in terms of who is
greater, more beautiful, more talented, more powerful and more popular.
The truth is that the modern world, especially our Millennial population, seeks
self-esteem through the social media to find self-confidence. Our young
people are very much affected by what others think and perceive of them.
So today, people seek
positions of influence and leadership, whether in the political, corporate and
even religious world, in order to get attention. People want to be known by others, be
famous and of course, most importantly, be popular. Admittedly, some of
these people can even be doing good for humanity and not just enriching
themselves materially. They can be involved in Church, community and
social service. But we must also ask whether we are doing it and holding
such positions, whether voluntary or paid, to satisfy our need and ego or
whether it is really for the humble service of our people, especially the poor
and the vulnerable. Indeed, like the disciples, many of us seek
leadership and positions of influence for the wrong reasons. This even
happens in priestly and religious life. Some seek ordination so that they
can receive the attention they seek. Some seek offices of leadership for
recognition.
But Jesus made it clear
that greatness is not measured by what we are, what positions we hold in life,
whether we are rich or talented, but who we are. “So he called a little child to him
and set the child in front of them. Then he said, ‘I tell you solemnly,
unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the
kingdom of heaven. And so, the one who makes himself as little as this
little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.'” What is most
important is not whether we are a person of high political, religious or
corporate standing but who we are before God. We are His children above
everything else. Is it greater to be a child of a king, or president, or
to be a child of our Heavenly Father, and the brother and sister of Christ, the
King of kings? In the eyes of God, what counts is that we are all His children,
irrespective of what we are.
Indeed, we have the
great example of Moses in the first reading. He was a great leader chosen by God to lead His
people out of Egypt and to prepare them to enter the Promised Land. He
was a reluctant leader. He did not aspire for leadership but he was
called. In fact, when the Lord chose Him, he felt unworthy to lead the
people. He said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring
the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Ex 3:11) “O my Lord, I have never been
eloquent, neither in the past nor even now that you have spoken to your
servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” (Ex 4:10) He said, “O my Lord, please
send someone else.” (Ex 4:13) God had
His plans for Moses and he simply obeyed because that was the lot chosen for
him.
The humility and
contentment of Moses for whatever the portion the Lord has allotted for him is
best seen in his acceptance of God’s decision that he would not lead the people
across into the Promised Land.
He could only see it from afar. This is true selfless leadership.
It was not about himself but the people under his care. If God thought
otherwise, he was happy to follow God’s decision. He did not feel angry
that he spent forty years forming the people and God did not give him the joy
and reward of seeing the people possessing the land promised to his
forefathers. He was happy that Joshua would be the one who would complete
the mission he had begun. It was not about his success that matters but
God’s!
Joshua, like Moses, too
was forced into leadership. Given
the choice, he would have also declined the office, having seen how Moses had
to deal with a people who was rebellious, demanding, unfaithful, disobedient
and complaining. Over and above managing the people, he would have to
contend with external enemies from the various tribes surrounding them.
To lead them to Canaan where the people were much taller, stronger and better
equipped than them, was to court death and perhaps annihilation. Once
again, just as God assured Moses that He Himself would lead the people to the
Promised Land, God instructed Moses to assure Joshua and the people that they
would possess the Promised Land not by their own strength but by His. “The Lord
will hand them over to you, and you will deal with them in exact accordance
with the commandments I have enjoined on you. Be strong, stand firm, have
no fear of them, no terror, for the Lord your God is going with you; he will
not fail you or desert you.” And to Joshua, Moses encouraged him
likewise, “Be strong, stand firm; you are going with this people into the land
the Lord swore to their fathers he would give them; you are to give it into their
possession. The Lord himself will lead you; he will be with you; he will
not fail you or desert you. Have no fear, do not be disheartened by
anything.”
Therefore, what is
needed is to have a childlike trust in God’s plan for us. Happiness in
life is to accept the lot God has given to us. As St Paul wrote about the gifts of the
Holy Spirit, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and
there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are
varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in
everyone. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to
each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.” (1 Cor 12:4-6, 11) Whatever we have, whatever position
the Lord assigns us, wherever we are in, is planned by the Lord. Our task
is to accept graciously what He has given to us because that is where we fit
into His plan of salvation. If only we will dance with the Lord according
to the portion He has allotted to us, we can find peace, happiness and
integration.
When God assigns, no one
can prevent His plan from unfolding.
That was the case of Israel. This is the faith that the psalmist invites
us to cultivate. “I proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh, tell the greatness
of our God! He is the Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are Equity.
Think back on the days of old, think over the years, down the ages. Ask of your
father, let him teach you; of your elders, let them enlighten you. When
the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided the sons of
men, he fixed their bounds according to the number of the sons of God; but the
Lord’s portion was his people, Jacob his share of inheritance.”
Regardless, our confidence and joy is not which portion of the earth the Lord
gives to us but that we are the Lord’s portion! This is what the psalm
declares.
Hence, if we want to
enter the Kingdom of God and be numbered among the greatest, we will have to
make ourselves childlike and trust in God’s plan for us. It is not for us to choose what we like to
do but what God wants of us. We must seek to do everything
for His greater glory and honour and for humble service, bearing in mind what
the Lord said to His disciples, that “whoever wishes to be great among you must
be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your
slave; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to
give his life a ransom for many.” (Mt 20:25-28)
More than just accepting
our lot in life, we must also be obedient children, and cooperate with Him to
fulfil our role in life.
We must not behave like the Israelites who were constantly disobedient to God’s
commandments and thus were deprived of entering the Promised Land. Only
the new generation of the sons of Israel could enter. We, too, as
children of God, with Jesus as our brother, must walk the way of truth and love
as shown by our Lord. If we are called to be leaders, we must lead the
way and show others how to be a child of God before anything else. In this way,
we will not lose our goal in life, which is to help every person to become a
child of God as well. As the Lord tells us in the parable of the lost
sheep, “it is never the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little
ones should be lost.”
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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