20191006
CHANGE
REQUIRES PATIENCE AND FAITH IN GOD
06 OCTOBER,
2019, Sunday, 27th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
Green.
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First reading
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Habakkuk 1:2-3,2:2-4 ©
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How long, O Lord, am I to cry for help
while you will not listen;
to cry ‘Oppression!’ in your ear
and you will not save?
Why do you set injustice before me,
why do you look on where there is tyranny?
Outrage and violence, this is all I see,
all is contention, and discord flourishes.
Then the Lord answered and said,
‘Write the vision down,
inscribe it on tablets
to be easily read,
since this vision is for its own time
only:
eager for its own fulfilment, it does not
deceive;
if it comes slowly, wait,
for come it will, without fail.
See how he flags, he whose soul is not at
rights,
but the upright man will live by his
faithfulness.’
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 94(95):1-2,6-9 ©
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O that today you would
listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’
Come, ring out our joy to the Lord;
hail the rock who saves us.
Let us come before him, giving thanks,
with songs let us hail the
Lord.
O that today you would
listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’
Come in; let us bow and bend low;
let us kneel before the God
who made us:
for he is our God and we
the people who belong to his
pasture,
the flock that is led by his
hand.
O that today you would
listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’
O that today you would listen to his
voice!
‘Harden not your hearts as at
Meribah,
as on that day at Massah in
the desert
when your fathers put me to the test;
when they tried me, though
they saw my work.’
O that today you would
listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’
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Second reading
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2 Timothy 1:6-8,13-14 ©
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I am reminding you to fan into a flame the
gift that God gave you when I laid my hands on you. God’s gift was not a spirit
of timidity, but the Spirit of power, and love, and self-control. So you are
never to be ashamed of witnessing to the Lord, or ashamed of me for being his
prisoner; but with me, bear the hardships for the sake of the Good News,
relying on the power of God.
Keep
as your pattern the sound teaching you have heard from me, in the faith and
love that are in Christ Jesus. You have been trusted to look after something
precious; guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
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Gospel Acclamation
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1S3:9,Jn6:68
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Speak, Lord, your servant is listening:
you have the message of eternal life.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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1P1:25
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The word of the Lord remains for ever.
What is this word?
It is the Good News that has been brought
to you.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 17:5-10 ©
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The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase
our faith.’ The Lord replied, ‘Were your faith the size of a mustard seed you
could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it
would obey you.
‘Which
of you, with a servant ploughing or minding sheep, would say to him when he
returned from the fields, “Come and have your meal immediately”? Would he not
be more likely to say, “Get my supper laid; make yourself tidy and wait on me
while I eat and drink. You can eat and drink yourself afterwards”? Must he be
grateful to the servant for doing what he was told? So with you: when you have
done all you have been told to do, say, “We are merely servants: we have done
no more than our duty.”’
CHANGE REQUIRES
PATIENCE AND FAITH IN GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4; Ps 95; 2 Tim 1:6-8.13-14; Lk 17:5-10]
The lamentation of the
Prophet Habakkuk took place just before the fall of Jerusalem to the
Babylonians in 586 BC.
He saw the dire state the nation was in. The country was divided and
corrupt. “Why do you set injustice before me, why do you look on where there is
tyranny? Outrage and violence, this is all I see, all is contention, and
discord flourishes.” An imminent disaster was awaiting Israel and there
was nothing he could do about it. He was helpless whilst the people
continued to be divided among themselves, and the leaders lived a corrupt
life. He could only cry out to God saying, “How long, Lord, am I to cry
for help while you will not listen; to cry Oppression! in your ear and you will
not save?” Indeed, when there is injustice, oppression, cheating and
killing, we cry to God for justice and deliverance. The truth is that all
wrong doings not only hurt the innocent, the weak and the vulnerable but the
offenders themselves.
Today, we want to
reiterate the gravity of crimes committed against humanity as individuals and
collectively as a society.
We must seek to eradicate evil, greed, envy, violence and injustices from our
society. Sins against our fellowmen are sins against God Himself because
He is the Father of us all. But yet, we all know it is not easy for those
who are morally and spiritually weak to refrain from falling into sin and
crime. We read in the papers every day about sex molesters and
rapists. They all know that such actions will destroy the dignity of
those who are molested and yet they cannot resist.
And this is true also
for those who are morally and emotionally weak. The temptation to return
to their old way of life is very strong,especially for those who lack support from their loved
ones, family members and the community. Unfortunately, it is a vicious
cycle because those who commit crimes often come from very broken and
dysfunctional families. Upon release, they face the same stresses of life
again, such as the pressures of work, family, finances and health. They
are not fully healed of their brokenness and their habits. Naturally, the
temptations once again take hold of them and they fall into the traps of sin
and crime. Indeed, one out of every four former prison inmates re-offends
again after their release.
For those of us who are
looking after them, it can be very trying preventing them from falling back
into their old way of life. We, too, perhaps share the same sentiments as the
Prophet. We feel we have given our best in helping
them. But we are disillusioned with their lukewarm response. This
discouragement is not just applicable to former prison inmates but even our
loved ones and children. They do not seem to appreciate the sacrifices we
have made for their comfort and education.
If we feel like giving
up hope, this is where the Lord is inviting us to be patient with the way God
unfolds His plan for us.
He said to Habakkuk, “Write the vision down, inscribe it on tablets to be
easily read, since this vision is for its own time only: eager for its own
fulfilment, it does not deceive; if it comes slowly, wait, for come it will,
without fail. See how he flags, he whose soul is not at rights, but the
upright man will live by his faithfulness.” The Lord was assuring
Habakkuk that God’s vision would take time to be fulfilled. His divine
plan is inexorable in spite of the sins of humanity. Man can delay the
fulfillment of God’s plan but man cannot stop it. Only those, as the Lord
said, whose soul is not at right with God, who insist on going their way and
pursuing their plans would be disheartened and eventually give up. But
those who are upright, trusting and rely on God’s power and grace will not be
disappointed. The responsorial psalm urges us, “O that today you would
listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts as at Meribah, as on that day at
Massah in the desert when your fathers put me to the test; when they tried me,
though they saw my work.”
How, then, can we be
patient and persevering in times of trial and disappointment? How can we
remain firm and singular-minded even when we face failure and rejection?
We need to have faith. This was what the Lord said to the apostles who were
discouraged after hearing the demands of our Lord on discipleship. Hence,
“the apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith.’ The Lord replied, ‘Were
your faith the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be
uprooted and planted in the sea”, and it would obey you.'” Indeed, one
who has faith would be able to do wonders in life. A person with faith
does not give up easily in the face of challenges and difficulties. With
faith in God, we know that there is nothing we cannot do. The mulberry
tree, it is said, probably is a sycamore tree, which has deep roots. And
when the Lord said, even such trees could be uprooted, what more the sinful
situation of the Church and the community.
So what must we do to
strengthen our faith? Faith can only thrive in a community. This is
where many people do not realize the importance of belonging to a faith
community, whether we are ex-offenders or not. We cannot grow in faith without the
support of the community. This explains why ex-offenders and the young in
particular, need a community to keep them strong and focused in life. For
ex-offenders, belonging to a community plays a very significant role in helping
them to break the cycle of re-offending. Community based programs provide
emotional and spiritual support and provide them a better chance of staying
away from crime. It is said that birds of a feather fly
together. So at the end of the day, the friends we have will help us to
become better or bitter. If we are surrounded by positive and loving
people, we tend to pick up their culture and attitudes as well. Vice versa, if
we mix with the wrong company, we will acquire the negative attitudes towards
life.
Firstly, the community
gives us encouragement in times of discouragement. When the young Bishop Timothy was
struggling, it was St Paul who encouraged him to remain faithful to the graces
he received at his ordination. “I am reminding you to fan
into a flame the gift that God gave you when I laid my hands on you. God’s gift
was not a spirit of timidity, but the Spirit of power, and love, and
self-control.” We too are called to make use of the graces given to us
through the sacraments we have received, namely, baptism, the Eucharist and
confirmation; and according to our state of life, matrimony or Holy
Orders. Through the support of our brothers and sisters, we can stay firm
in our vocation in life.
Secondly, the community
gives us the strength to remember that we are called to be witnesses to the
Lord. St
Paul wrote, “So you are never to be ashamed of witnessing to the Lord, or ashamed
of me for being his prisoner; but with me, bear the hardships for the sake of
the Good News, relying on the power of God.” We must be courageous in
bearing the hardships that come with service for the greater good of our people
and for the greater glory of God. We must be singular-minded in our
commitment to the Lord. Instead of lamenting that our hard work has not
been recognized, we must already be grateful that God counts us worthy to take
us as a labourer in His vineyard. God will see to it that whatever we put
in will not be in vain. We might not always see the results
immediately. We might not have received the honour and affirmation we are
seeking. But that is not important because we are all God’s servants
working for a common purpose. (cf 1 Cor 3:5-9)
Thirdly, we must not
forget that we have been entrusted by God to look after those He has given to
us, especially their faith.
St Paul says, “You have been trusted to look after something precious.”
Indeed, nothing is more precious than the gift of faith that we are called to
impart to those under our charge. Parents today are concerned only about
the standard of living of their family and their children, but they are not
concerned whether their lives have any standard at all! We must not just
offer a material life but the fullness of life, a life that is lived with
meaning, purpose, in love and service. For this work, we must be faithful
and responsible until the end, whether as parents, children, workers or
voluntary helpers. We too are also responsible to the bigger family of
God. We have a duty to look after the weak and the vulnerable of society.
Finally, St Paul reminds
us to show good examples to those under our charge. He wrote, “Keep as your pattern the sound
teaching you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus
… guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.” We must be
exemplars of faith to others as St Paul was to us. Indeed, relying on
God’s power and His grace with the help of the Holy Spirit given to us through
the sacraments and the community, we can remain firm and focused in staying
true to our faith in good and bad times, in challenging and unsettling situations
because our faith is founded in Christ and His promise to be with the Church
until the end of time. (cf Mt 28:20)
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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