201900909
CALLED
TO BE AN APOSTLE OF MERCY
09 SEPTEMBER,
2019, Monday, 23rd Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
Green.
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First reading
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Colossians 1:24-2:3 ©
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It makes me happy to suffer for you, as I
am suffering now, and in my own body to do what I can to make up all that has
still to be undergone by Christ for the sake of his body, the Church. I became
the servant of the Church when God made me responsible for delivering God’s
message to you, the message which was a mystery hidden for generations and
centuries and has now been revealed to his saints. It was God’s purpose to
reveal it to them and to show all the rich glory of this mystery to pagans. The
mystery is Christ among you, your hope of glory: this is the Christ we
proclaim, this is the wisdom in which we thoroughly train everyone and instruct
everyone, to make them all perfect in Christ. It is for this I struggle wearily
on, helped only by his power driving me irresistibly.
Yes,
I want you to know that I do have to struggle hard for you, and for those in
Laodicea, and for so many others who have never seen me face to face. It is all
to bind you together in love and to stir your minds, so that your understanding
may come to full development, until you really know God’s secret in which all
the jewels of wisdom and knowledge are hidden.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 61(62):6-7,9 ©
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In God is my safety and
glory.
In God alone be at rest, my soul;
for my hope comes from him.
He alone is my rock, my stronghold,
my fortress: I stand firm.
In God is my safety and
glory.
Take refuge in God, all you people.
Trust him at all times.
Pour out your hearts before him
for God is our refuge.
In God is my safety and
glory.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Ps118:105
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Your word is a lamp for my steps
and a light for my path.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Jn10:27
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The sheep that belong to me listen to my
voice,
says the Lord,
I know them and they follow me.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 6:6-11 ©
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On the sabbath Jesus went into the
synagogue and began to teach, and a man was there whose right hand was
withered. The scribes and the Pharisees were watching him to see if he would
cure a man on the sabbath, hoping to find something to use against him. But he
knew their thoughts; and he said to the man with the withered hand, ‘Stand up!
Come out into the middle.’ And he came out and stood there. Then Jesus said to
them, ‘I put it to you: is it against the law on the sabbath to do good, or to
do evil; to save life, or to destroy it?’ Then he looked round at them all and
said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He did so, and his hand was better.
But they were furious, and began to discuss the best way of dealing with Jesus.
CALLED TO BE AN
APOSTLE OF MERCY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ Col 1:24 – 2:3; Ps 62:6-7,9; Lk 6:6-11 ]
What the world needs
most today is mercy. People are so quick to condemn and to judge fellow
sinners as if they themselves have no sin of their own. Just go to the social media and we
will read all the nasty words, condemnation and judgement directed at those who
have made mistakes or committed offences in life. There is no compassion,
no encouragement, no consolation and no mercy for those who fail out of human
weakness and the conditioning of the world. We have forgotten the basic
principle of our Lord when He told the people who wanted the adulterous woman
to be condemned, “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw
a stone at her.” (Jn 8:7)
Those who speak so
mercilessly of others and acted without mercy and forgiveness have judged
themselves and have condemned themselves as well. The Lord warned us about judging,
“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you
make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you
get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not
notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbour, ‘Let me
take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? You
hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see
clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.” (Mt 7:1-5)
This was the case of the
self-righteous Jewish leaders. They were ivory-tower academics and
arm-chair leaders instructing people what to do and were ever ready to find
fault with those who fail to observe the laws. They put the observance of the laws,
particularly the Sabbath Law, above everything else and applied the Sabbath Law
without consideration of the circumstances and the situation. Their only
concern was that the Law was observed, regardless of the well-being of the
individuals. They were not bothered about the suffering of the man with
the withered hand. They had no heart for the people and no mercy for them
in their suffering. Such legalistic application of the Sabbath Law
brings death, not life. In fact, they were the ones who were
breaking the Sabbath Law for they were plotting how to do Jesus in and kill Him.
Jesus came precisely to
reveal to us the mercy of God. He
came as the Mercy of God in person by His life, passion, death and resurrection
on the cross. He is the Suffering Servant as mentioned in the book of the
Prophet Isaiah. (cf Isa 52, 53) He took upon our infirmities and carried
our wounds for us. “Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our
diseases.” (Isa 53:4)
All the miracles of healing and exorcisms were performed out of mercy. So
great was His mercy that Jesus would heal the man with the withered hand even
on the Sabbath. Jesus made it clear that He had come to save life and do
good, not destroy life or do evil. He had come to give life and life
abundantly. (cf Jn 10:10)
Jesus also came to offer
us forgiveness and reconciliation. He ate and drank with sinners and
tax-collectors.
“He was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him
was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and
the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isa 53:5f) Indeed, as Jesus said,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who
believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (Jn 3:16) St Paul wrote, “God proves his
love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:8) Immediately, after His
resurrection, He offered peace and forgiveness to His apostles who betrayed and
abandoned Him at His passion. His forgiveness is unconditional and total.
In truth, the Sabbath
Law which was given by God was also an act of mercy for humanity. God provided this law so that
man would not overwork himself to death and forget the greater purpose of life
which is to enjoy God’s creation, share in His life and love, and the love of
our brothers and sisters. Work is only a means to the end, which is for
the development of creation so that all can enjoy the fruits of man’s
labour. At the same time, it is the means by which the potential of the person
is developed in the process. The Sabbath is meant to be a day of rest so
that man can recuperate, be healthy and see life in a larger context other than
work and making money. True happiness is about spending time in
relationship with God, with our family, loved ones and friends.
Clearly, the purpose of
the Sabbath Law is for promoting life and love. This explains why on the Sabbath, we
are permitted to spend time worshipping God, serving in church ministries, do
works of charity for the poor and the suffering. Those involved in
essential public services are also exempted from the Sabbath rest even though
they should try to make time for the worship of God. In this way, they
will never forget that God is our creator and divine providence. Without
His grace, we will not be able to achieve much in life. Observance of the
Sabbath is not meant to take away our happiness and freedom but rather to keep
our focus on God and so live a life without due anxiety and worry about our
future. Only God can give us peace of mind, and loving and caring
relationships give us meaning.
This accounts for why
Jesus healed on the Sabbath.
Jesus sought to do good whilst the self-righteous leaders were intent on doing
evil. Jesus was bent on saving lives, whereas they were bent on
killing. The point of today’s gospel is that God was with Jesus in doing
good even on the Sabbath. That God worked the miracle of healing in Jesus
on the Sabbath meant that it is permissible for us to do good on the Sabbath.
Otherwise, if it were wrong, then the healing miracle would not have
happened. This proved Jesus right in breaking the Sabbath Law for a
greater good, which is a work of mercy.
Today, like St Paul we
are called to be apostles of mercy. St Paul was conscious of his calling
as an apostle, a servant of the Church in mediating God’s mercy to the
people. He
said, “I became the servant of the Church when God made me responsible for
delivering God’s message to you, the message which was a mystery hidden for
generations and centuries and has now been revealed to his saints. It was
God’s purpose to reveal it to them and to show all the rich glory of this
mystery to pagans.” We, too, must follow Paul in revealing the
divine plan of salvation for humanity in and through Christ. By knowing
the Lord, humanity will find hope, meaning and purpose in life even in the
midst of suffering, pain, illnesses and injustices.
To be able to be an
apostle of mercy, we must contemplate on Christ’s suffering so that we can
share in His suffering.
St Paul wrote, “It makes me happy to suffer for you, as I am suffering now, and
in my own body to do what I can to make up all that has still to be undergone
by Christ for the sake of his body, the Church.” St Paul wrote,
“When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with
our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs
of God and joint heirs with Christ – if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we
may also be glorified with him.” (Rom 8:16f) To share in Christ’s
suffering is to share in His desire to save humanity, to find all the lost
sheep and to bring other sheep into the fold of Christ’s kingdom.
To be able to
effectively share in Christ’s suffering, we must at the same time, suffer with
our brothers and sisters. This
is what it means to share in the sufferings of the body of Christ. We
need to feel the sufferings, the anxieties, the pains, the struggles and the
aspirations of our fellowmen so that we can show them the way, give them
consolation, strengthen them in their weakness, encourage them in their
despondency and offer them hope when they fall into despair. In this way,
we become God’s apostles of mercy and love.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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