20200128
WELCOMING
THE LORD WITH JOY
28 January,
2020, Tuesday, 3rd Week of Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
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First reading
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2
Samuel 6:12-15,17-19 ©
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David dances before the ark
of the Lord
David went and
brought the ark of God up from Obed-edom’s house to the Citadel of David with
great rejoicing. When the bearers of the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he
sacrificed an ox and a fat sheep. And David danced whirling round before the
Lord with all his might, wearing a linen loincloth round him. Thus David and
all the House of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with acclaim and the
sound of the horn. They brought the ark of the Lord in and put it in position
inside the tent that David had pitched for it; and David offered holocausts
before the Lord, and communion sacrifices. And when David had finished offering
holocausts and communion sacrifices, he blessed the people in the name of the
Lord of Hosts. He then distributed among all the people, among the whole
multitude of Israelites, men and women, a roll of bread to each, a portion of
dates, and a raisin cake. Then they all went away, each to his own house.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm
23(24):7-10 ©
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Who
is the king of glory? He, the Lord, he is the king of glory.
O
gates, lift high your heads;
grow
higher, ancient doors.
Let
him enter, the king of glory!
Who
is the king of glory? He, the Lord, he is the king of glory.
Who
is the king of glory?
The
Lord, the mighty, the valiant,
the
Lord, the valiant in war.
Who
is the king of glory? He, the Lord, he is the king of glory.
O
gates, lift high your heads;
grow
higher, ancient doors.
Let
him enter, the king of glory!
Who
is the king of glory? He, the Lord, he is the king of glory.
Who
is he, the king of glory?
He,
the Lord of armies,
he
is the king of glory.
Who
is the king of glory? He, the Lord, he is the king of glory.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Ps118:135
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Alleluia,
alleluia!
Let
your face shine on your servant,
and
teach me your decrees.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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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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Gospel
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Mark
3:31-35 ©
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Who are my mother and my
brothers? Those that do the will of God
The mother and
brothers of Jesus arrived and, standing outside, sent in a message asking for
him. A crowd was sitting round him at the time the message was passed to him,
‘Your mother and brothers and sisters are outside asking for you.’ He replied,
‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ And looking round at those sitting in a
circle about him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who does
the will of God, that person is my brother and sister and mother.’
WELCOMING THE
LORD WITH JOY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ 2 SM 6:12-15. 17-19; MK 3:31-35]
The first reading
recounts how David received the Ark of the Covenant with great joy. “David went and brought up the ark
of God up from Obed-edom’s house to the Citadel of David with great
rejoicing. When the bearers of the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he
sacrificed an ox and a fat sheep.” One can imagine the joy he exuberated
profusely for the Ark of the Covenant had returned to Jerusalem. However,
we cannot imagine a King dancing and “whirling round before the Lord with all
his might, wearing a linen loincloth round him.” In his great joy, David
knew no shame or decorum. It was a spontaneous expression of uncontrolled
joy and celebration.
Indeed, how many of us
welcome the Lord with such great exuberance and joy. Today, we have more than the Ark of the
Covenant, which represented the presence of God seated on the throne, and His
Law which was kept in the Ark. Jesus, for us, is the New Covenant, the New
Law, the Word of God and most of all, His personal presence, body, soul,
spirit, humanity and divinity in the most Holy Eucharist. How many of us
render such expressions of joy and exuberance when we come before the Lord in
the Eucharist, whether at Mass or reserved in the Tabernacle or even exposed in
the Adoration Room. For most of us, our expression of love, adoration and
joy is often muted. For many, even if they were to kneel before the
presence of the Blessed Sacrament, it is out of routine or cultural pressure,
not because they see before them, the real presence of our Lord.
But there are certain
sections of the Church, like those in the Charismatic Renewal and in the New
Ecclesial Movements, who are more expressive in the worship of our Lord in the
Eucharist, or even without.
Like David, they sing with joy and enthusiasm. Their music at times is
loud, although not always. But their music and songs express their deep
emotions and feelings for God, His majesty, kindness, mercy, power and
love. Such people in the renewal would clap and raise their hands, bow
low, sing for joy and even dance with joy as they praise God. Their
praise and worship of God comes from the depth of their hearts and not just an
imitation of others because they are in the same gathering.
However, such
spontaneous expression of love, joy and praise is often looked at with sarcasm,
ridicule and even considered despicable. Those who are in the so-called
traditional form of worship, where worship is controlled, their expression of
faith is limited to kneeling and bowing and occasionally prostrating. This
group feels uncomfortable with free expressions of praise and
thanksgiving. What is even sadder still is that like Michal, the wife of
David, they despise those who worship otherwise. She reprimanded David
saying, “How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today
before the eyes of his servants’ maids, as any vulgar fellow might shamelessly
uncover himself!” But David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord,
who chose me in place of your father and all his household, to appoint me as
prince over Israel, the people of the Lord, that I have danced before
the Lord. I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I
will be abased in my own eyes; but by the maids of whom you have spoken, by
them I shall be held in honor.” (2 Sm 6:20-22) And the punishment for
such arrogance on her part was that she was childless. Instead of
receiving the blessing from David, she rejected God’s blessing. (2 Sm 6:23)
Whilst this is not the
only way to praise and worship God, the most important lesson we can learn from
David is whether our hearts are truly filled with joy, thanksgiving and praise
when we come before Him. How
we express our sentiments is another matter. It is not critical. We
express our love for someone or our joy in different ways, which also could be
cultural and from our upbringing. What is important is that our hearts
are filled with joy.
Our Catholic Liturgy,
and this includes the celebration of the Mass, the Liturgy of the Hours and the
Sacraments, is rich with theological meaning but because it is meant for universal use,
regardless of race or culture, it has its limitations. And so the
celebration with all its rituals and rules, whilst protecting the theological
meaning of the liturgical celebration, can also curb the desire of some groups
and worshippers to express themselves more animatedly. This explains why
some Catholics and Christians prefer the evangelical Christian or Pentecostal
Christian form of worship in praise and song, which is a more personal form of
praise. However, unlike the Catholic liturgy, it sometimes lacks solemnity and
dignity.
In other words, there
are strengths and weaknesses in both forms of worship. Instead of criticizing the
different ways of worship, what is most important in worship is that it must
help the worshipper to express his or her faith authentically, not just
personally but also collectively as Church, in spirit and in truth. As the Lord
said to the Samaritan woman, “You worship what you do not know; we worship what
we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is
now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth,
for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and
those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (Jn 4:22-24)
To worship in Spirit and
in truth also means that we must have the necessary disposition in worship. If we find ourselves re unable to
praise God with all our heart, mind, body and spirit, it is because we have not
yet encountered His love and mercy deeply. This is often the case of
nominal Catholics and Christians. Many have not come to appreciate God’s
mercy, power and might. If David could sing with all this might, love God
with all his heart and soul, it was because throughout his life, he had in his
sinfulness encountered God’s mercy and love for him, in choosing him as king of
Israel in spite of his unworthiness, and most of all fought the battles for
him. The responsorial psalm expresses David’s deep gratitude and praise
to God. “Who is the king of glory? He, the Lord, he is the king of
glory. The Lord, the mighty, the valiant, the Lord, the valiant in war.”
In the final analysis,
whether we have the right form of worship is secondary. What is even more
important is whether we worship the Lord in truth, that is to say, we carry out
His holy will.
In the gospel, the Lord said, “‘Who are my mother and brothers?’ And
looking round at those sitting in a circle about him, he said, ‘Here are my
mother and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of God, that person is
my brother and sister and mother.” Worshipping the Lord is more than just using
mere words alone. It means seeking to do His holy will, being aligned with Him
in spirit and in truth. We must take His Word seriously, and do as the
Lord tells us. So when someone lives out what he or she worships in his
or her life, living a life of charity, compassion in truth and love, then we
know that whatever form of worship he renders is always to the living God.
Welcoming the Lord with
joy entails welcoming the Lord who comes in His Word. Jesus said, “They who have my
commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be
loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.” (Jn 14:21) In another text, the Lord
praised Mary when a woman cried out with joy, “Blessed is the womb that bore
you and the breasts that nursed you!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those
who hear the word of God and obey it!” (Lk 11:27f) This is also why any
authentic worship is not just about music and song but it must always include a
reading and hearing of the Word of God. Without hearing His Word,
we would not have welcomed the Lord as He wants of us. Remember what He
said to Martha, “Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away
from her.” (Lk 10:42)
Finally, welcoming the
Lord means that we see all fellow Christians as brothers and sisters in the
Lord, in the one family of God.
To welcome the Lord is to welcome our brothers and sisters because whoever does
His will, is His brother, sister, mother. Hence, true worship of God
takes place in the Christian community when we all recognize the Lord in each
other, care and support one another in faith and in life. This is what
worship is ultimately all about; in recognizing God as our heavenly Father, we
live like brothers and sisters. So by worshipping together and listening
to the Word of God, we come to be more united in Christ and with our fellow
Christians. Communion with God leads to our communion with one another.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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