Saturday 30 November 2019

BE JOYFUL EVANGELIZERS

20191130 BE JOYFUL EVANGELIZERS


30 NOVEMBER, 2019, Saturday, St Andrew, Apostle

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Red.

First reading
Romans 10:9-18 ©

Faith comes from what is preached, and what is preached comes from the word of Christ

If your lips confess that Jesus is Lord and if you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved. By believing from the heart you are made righteous; by confessing with your lips you are saved. When scripture says: those who believe in him will have no cause for shame, it makes no distinction between Jew and Greek: all belong to the same Lord who is rich enough, however many ask his help, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
  But they will not ask his help unless they believe in him, and they will not believe in him unless they have heard of him, and they will not hear of him unless they get a preacher, and they will never have a preacher unless one is sent, but as scripture says: The footsteps of those who bring good news are a welcome sound. Not everyone, of course, listens to the Good News. As Isaiah says: Lord, how many believed what we proclaimed? So faith comes from what is preached, and what is preached comes from the word of Christ. Let me put the question: is it possible that they did not hear? Indeed they did; in the words of the psalm, their voice has gone out through all the earth, and their message to the ends of the world.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 18(19):2-5 ©
Their word goes forth through all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
The heavens proclaim the glory of God,
  and the firmament shows forth the work of his hands.
Day unto day takes up the story
  and night unto night makes known the message.
Their word goes forth through all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
No speech, no word, no voice is heard
  yet their span extends through all the earth,
  their words to the utmost bounds of the world.
Their word goes forth through all the earth.
or
Alleluia!

Gospel Acclamation
Mt4:19
Alleluia, alleluia!
Follow me, says the Lord,
and I will make you into fishers of men.
Alleluia!

Gospel
Matthew 4:18-22 ©

'I will make you fishers of men'

As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew; they were making a cast in the lake with their net, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.’ And they left their nets at once and followed him. Going on from there he saw another pair of brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they were in their boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. At once, leaving the boat and their father, they followed him.


BE JOYFUL EVANGELIZERS

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Rom 10:9-18Psalm 19:2-5Mt 4:18-22]
St Paul said, “The footsteps of those who bring good news are a welcome sound.” Indeed, this is what is needed in the Church to bring about a new evangelization.  We need joyful evangelizers.  This is what Pope Francis in his first encyclical asks of the Church. “I wish to encourage the Christian faith­ful to embark upon a new chapter of evangeliza­tion marked by this joy, while pointing out new paths for the Church’s journey in years to come.”  (EV 1)  He further said, “Consequently, an evangelizer must never look like someone who has just come back from a funeral! Let us recov­er and deepen our enthusiasm, that ‘delightful and comforting joy of evangelizing, even when it is in tears that we must sow…’  (EG 10)
Indeed, if the world rejects Christianity and particularly Catholicism, it is because we have presented the message of the gospel wrongly.  For many, it is a set of doctrines, rituals, laws and morals to fulfill.  It is about some abstract truth or doctrines.  It is concerned with living a righteous life in obedience to the laws, being free from all sins so that we might win our salvation.  When the Good News is reduced to mere doctrines, rules and merits, this is indeed bad news.  Precisely, the letter of St Paul was written to debunk the Jewish’ belief that salvation is through obedience to the laws.  But as St Paul expounded in this letter to the Romans, none of us can observe the laws perfectly.
Salvation cannot be earned but is freely given.  This is what the good news is all about.  Justification by faith alone!  It is not through our good works that we are saved.  But faith in Jesus alone.   “Since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, they are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as an expiation by his blood, to be received by faith.”  (Rom 3:23-25)   This is reiterated in his letter to the Ephesians.  “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God – not because of works, lest any man should boast.”  (Eph 2:8f)
But the Good News is more than just a message that declares that we are saved.  The Good News is about a person, Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  St Paul declared that he had been “called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and designated Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.” (Rom 1:1-6)
In this salutation of St Paul to the Romans, he captured succinctly what the gospel is all about.  It is about Jesus, promised by God since the days of old, who had come into this world in the flesh.  By His death and resurrection, He was proclaimed as the Son of God.  In Jesus, therefore we see the mercy and unconditional love of God for us.  His death is God’s way of declaring His total mercy and forgiveness for our sins.  His resurrection is an affirmation that death is not the last word in this life.  We can live with confidence in this life, knowing that we are always forgiven in spite of our weaknesses; and we are assured of life everlasting after our life on earth.  The Good news is therefore about Jesus who is our hope and salvation.  He is our glory and our life.   Jesus is the source of authentic fulfillment in life.  He is the one who can lead us to the fullness of life, through a life of service, and resurrection at the end.
What, then, prevents us from being joyful evangelizers?  Many of us are merely instructed in the doctrines but we lack an encounter with Jesus in a personal way.  It must be noted that in the gospel, when the first disciples were called by the Lord, Peter and Andrew “left their nets at once and followed him.” Similarly, James and John, “at once, leaving the boat and their father, they followed him.”  We must not imagine that they followed Jesus just because He called them.  Nay, in John’s gospel, they already saw how Jesus lived.  They already came to conclude that Jesus was the Messiah.  Nathanael even confessed in Jesus as the Son of God and the King of Israel.  (cf Jn 1:35-51)  So when Jesus called them, He was calling them as their Lord and Saviour.  When we perceive that the Lord is calling us, our response to His call must be immediate and decisive.
Thus, the fundamental task of an evangelizer, before any catechesis can take place, is to announce the Kergyma, which is the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord.  Again, this is what Pope Francis is telling us when he wrote, “the first proclamation must ring out over and over: ‘Jesus Christ loves you; he gave his life to save you; and now he is living at your side every day to enlighten, strengthen and free you.’  This first proclamation is called “first” not because it exists at the beginning and can then be forgotten or replaced by other more important things.  It is first in a qualitative sense because it is the principal proclamation, the one which we must hear again and again in differ­ent ways, the one which we must announce one way or another throughout the process of cat­echesis, at every level and moment.”  (EG 164)  This was what Pope Emeritus Benedict did when he was elected pope, for the first encyclical that he wrote to promote the New Evangelization was entitled, “God is love.”  This is the heart of Christian Faith.
What is equally important is that this Kergyma must be announced and celebrated again and again.  Pope Francis said, “the priest – like every other member of the Church – ought to grow in awareness that he himself is continually in need of being evan­gelized”.   Thus, it is exigent that evangelizers, even as they proclaim the Good News to others, must also be renewed constantly in their personal encounter with the love of God in Jesus.  Pope Francis underscored this point when he said, “We must not think that in catechesis the kerygma gives way to a supposedly more ‘solid’ formation. Nothing is more solid, profound, se­cure, meaningful and wisdom-filled than that initial proclamation.  All Christian formation con­sists of entering more deeply into the kerygma, which is reflected in and constantly illumines, the work of catechesis, thereby enabling us to under­stand more fully the significance of every subject which the latter treats. It is the message capable of responding to the desire for the infinite which abides in every human heart.”
Without this personal encounter with the Lord, evangelizers will lose their joy, their inspiration and their passion for the gospel.  The truth is that as evangelizers we are helping many people to be healed, to be loved, to be enlightened, but who is healing them and empowering them?  In truth, many evangelizers are individualistic workers and alienated from others.  Many of them hardly have time to spend with Jesus, basking in His love and being intimate with Him.  They are busy preparing talks and planning programs.  Consequently, evangelization is seen as a task or a job to be performed, not as part of one’s life and identity.  This is true for “professionals” in the ministry, particularly priests and religious and full-time lay workers when there is a dichotomy between their ministry and their personal life.  Pope Francis made this observation when he wrote, “As a result, one can observe in many agents of evangelization, even though they pray, a heightened individualism, a crisis of identity and a cooling of fervour. These are three evils which fuel one another.”  (EG 78)
This can lead us to a pessimistic outlook of our mission.  The reality is that in the work of evangelization, there will be challenges and trials.  Those without a real relationship with the Lord and depend on their own strength alone will become forlorn, disillusioned and frustrated. They look at the evils in the world, the scandals in the Church, the irresponsibility of religious leaders, the obstacles put by those in authority stifling the growth of the Church, and fall into despair.  Without the eyes of faith, we will give up hope for the Church and the world.   Pope Francis recognized this pessimism that robs the joy of evangelizers when he wrote, “The evils of our world – and those of the Church – must not be excuses for diminishing our commitment and our fervour. Let us look upon them as challenges which can help us to grow. With the eyes of faith, we can see the light which the Holy Spirit always radiates in the midst of darkness, never forgetting that ‘where sin increased, grace has abounded all the more’ (Rom 5:20). Our faith is challenged to discern how wine can come from water and how wheat can grow in the midst of weeds.”  (EG 84)
So let us not be defeated by such temptations, whether the temptations of the world to glory, power and wealth, or the temptation to despair and give up.  Rather, we must place our faith in the Lord who died and rose from the dead, conquering evil and even death.  The Lord will help us to overcome all trials.  With St Paul, we remember the words of the Lord.  “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”  (2 Cor 12:9)  “So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.  Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.”  (2 Cor 12:9f)

Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved


Thursday 28 November 2019

WAKING UP FROM OUR NIGHTMARES

20191129 WAKING UP FROM OUR NIGHTMARES

29 NOVEMBER, 2019, Friday, 34th Week, Ordinary Time

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Green.

First reading
Daniel 7:2-14 ©

'I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man'

I, Daniel, have been seeing visions in the night. I saw that the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea; four great beasts emerged from the sea, each different from the other. The first was like a lion with eagle’s wings; and as I looked its wings were torn off, and it was lifted from the ground and set standing on its feet like a man; and it was given a human heart. The second beast I saw was different, like a bear, raised up on one of its sides, with three ribs in its mouth, between its teeth. “Up!” came the command “Eat quantities of flesh!” After this I looked, and saw another beast, like a leopard, and with four bird’s wings on its flanks; it had four heads, and power was given to it. Next I saw another vision in the visions of the night: I saw a fourth beast, fearful, terrifying, very strong; it had great iron teeth, and it ate, crushed and trampled underfoot what remained. It was different from the previous beasts and had ten horns.
  While I was looking at these horns, I saw another horn sprouting among them, a little one; three of the original horns were pulled out by the roots to make way for it; and in this horn I saw eyes like human eyes, and a mouth that was full of boasts. As I watched:
Thrones were set in place
and one of great age took his seat.
His robe was white as snow,
the hair of his head as pure as wool.
His throne was a blaze of flames,
its wheels were a burning fire.
A stream of fire poured out,
issuing from his presence.
A thousand thousand waited on him,
ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
A court was held
and the books were opened.
The great things the horn was saying were still ringing in my ears, and as I watched, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and committed to the flames. The other beasts were deprived of their power, but received a lease of life for a season and a time.
I gazed into the visions of the night.
And I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven,
one like a son of man.
He came to the one of great age
and was led into his presence.
On him was conferred sovereignty,
glory and kingship,
and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants.
His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty
which shall never pass away,
nor will his empire ever be destroyed.

Responsorial Psalm
Daniel 3:75-81 ©
Mountains and hills! bless the Lord.
  Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Every thing that grows on the earth! bless the Lord.
  Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Springs of water! bless the Lord.
  Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Seas and rivers! bless the Lord.
  Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Sea beasts and everything that lives in water! bless the Lord.
  Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Birds of heaven! all bless the Lord.
  Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Animals wild and tame! all bless the Lord.
  Give glory and eternal praise to him!

Gospel Acclamation
Lk21:28
Alleluia, alleluia!
Stand erect, hold your heads high,
because your liberation is near at hand.
Alleluia!

Gospel
Luke 21:29-33 ©

My words will never pass away

Jesus told his disciples a parable: ‘Think of the fig tree and indeed every tree. As soon as you see them bud, you know that summer is now near. So with you when you see these things happening: know that the kingdom of God is near. I tell you solemnly, before this generation has passed away all will have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.’

WAKING UP FROM OUR NIGHTMARES

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Dan 7:2-14Dan 3:75-81Lk 21:29-33  ]
The vision of Daniel in the first reading seems more like a nightmare than a vision.  Seeing the different animals that are half animal, half bird, with horns and yet like a human being, attacking the world in its ferocity and cruelty.  Indeed, it must have been as Daniel described when he saw the fourth beast, “fearful, terrifying, very strong; it had great iron teeth, and it ate, crushed and trampled underfoot what remained.  It was different from the previous beasts and had ten horns.”  His visions were more than just nightmares but prophecies of world history, the rise and fall of empires and the destruction of Jerusalem, humanity and even the entire creation.
We, too, are living with many nightmares in our daily life.  There is so much division and disorder in the world today.  Peace and progress in the world is so fragile.  Countries are at odds with each other, each accusing the other of the lack of fair-play, distrust and hostile competition in trade, technology and arms.   The world is divided on international issues, be it migration, globalization, free trade, ecology or climate warming.  Among our peoples, we cannot agree on fundamental issues like marriage, family, abortion, euthanasia, transgender, free speech and art.  So there are battles to be fought on all fronts.  The most frightening thing is that because of individualism and relativism, no one can come to any form of agreement.
So we are all very tired, confused, disillusioned and disheartened at the state of the world. We feel like giving up because instead of the world becoming more peaceful, stable and technologically advanced, the development of the human person in terms of its moral, spiritual and affective life is degenerating.  Rather than becoming more humane and more global-minded, seeing ourselves as one big human family, all we care about is our aspirations, our desires, our happiness and our comfort and security.  Others do not factor in our aspiration to happiness but as tools that we can use and discard when we do not need them.  In a world that is so selfish and self-centered, humanity is on the verge of destroying not just itself but the entire creation.
Indeed, this is because we do not see the signs.  We are not attentive to what is happening in the world today and in ourselves.  We are not seeing far because we are too engrossed on the here and now without giving a thought to the long term implications and repercussions of our decisions, policies and the values we are promoting in society.  This is what the Lord has been warning us.  The signs have been given.  Jesus said, “Think of the fig tree and indeed every tree.  As soon as you see them bud, you know that summer is now near.”  We are all good at reading the weather, the political developments of the country, the economic trends and financial investments, but we are not alert to the changing moral trends, the culture and spiritual life of our people.
Alas, it is also equally true for those of us who feel discouraged at the sad and bewildering state of the world.  If we have lost hope and confidence in doing what we can to restore the world from sin to grace, then we also have overlooked the signs of the time.  When the Lord spoke of the fig tree budding, we are reminded of the coming of the Messiah.  The Jews believed that the Messiah would come after the Passover.  This is in spring.  Jesus for us is the budding of the Kingdom of God.  But many of us are still not able to have confidence in Christ’s power over the sinful world on account of His passion, death and resurrection. The Lord said to the scribes and Pharisees who asked him, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.’ But he answered them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  (Mt 12:38f)
In the first reading, in spite of the incalculable devastation that would be brought upon humanity and creation, Daniel’s vision assures us that God is in control.  He saw God on His throne making judgments on the world.  We read that “the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and committed to the flames.  The other beasts were deprived of their power, but received a lease of life for a season and a time.”  And finally, Jesus, the Son of God who is also the Son of Man, assuming sovereignty over all of creation, “coming on the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man. He came to the one of great age and was led into his presence. On him was conferred sovereignty, glory and kingship… which shall never pass away, nor will his empire ever be destroyed.”
In other words, the scripture readings want to assure us that God is in absolute control over creation.  He will ultimately bring all His enemies under His footstool.  It will be Jesus, the Son of Man who will hand over “the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.  The last enemy to be destroyed is death.  For ‘God has put all things in subjection under his feet.’ But when it says, ‘All things are put in subjection’, it is plain that this does not include the one who put all things in subjection under him.  When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to the one who put all things in subjection under him, so that God may be all in all.”  (1 Cor 15:24-28)
In the meantime, we must continue to fight the battle against the Evil One and the spread of Satan’s Kingdom. We must fight against moral relativism, a self-centered form of individualism seen in marriage, the culture of death, consumerism; absolute free speech at the expense of innocent people and distortion of truth; exclusivity and protectionism, and the failure to see that we are all brothers and sisters who have a share in the resources of this planet and that wealth does not belong only to some people or to a special group of people.   The Church seeks to build the kingdom of God based on the gospel of love, mercy and compassion; that we are all children of God, called to share in His life and love, now and hereafter.  Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, the One who teaches us how to live our life in such a way that it is reflective of God’s Spirit living in us.
That is why, amidst the changing world, trends, values, cultures, all that relativism and pragmatism embrace, the Church offers us a gospel that is eternal and everlasting.  In the gospel, Jesus in no uncertain terms said, “I tell you solemnly, before this generation has passed away all will have taken place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”  So we must tell the world that the truth remains the truth.  All can change and pass away but the Word of God, the truth that Christ has revealed to us is eternal.  There is no relativism in the message of our Lord.  St Peter says, “You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.  For ‘All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord endures forever.'”  (1 Pt 1:23-25) That is why when we are faced with so many opinions and positions on what is right or wrong, we do not refer to the world for a final opinion.  We must turn to the gospel because “all scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.”  (2 Tim 3:16)
Most of all, we know that our life is not simply on this earth.  This world is passing.  St John exhorts us, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in those who love the world;  for all that is in the world – the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches – comes not from the Father but from the world. And the world and its desire are passing away, but those who do the will of God live forever.”  (1 Jn 2:15-17)  Indeed, let us not forget that “our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.”  (Phil 3:20)


Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved