20200509 DEALING WITH REJECTION OF THE GOSPEL
09 May, 2020, Saturday, 4th Week of Easter
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: White.
First reading
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Acts 13:44-52 ©
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Since you have rejected the word of God, we must turn to the pagans
The next sabbath almost the whole town assembled to hear the word of God. When they saw the crowds, the Jews, prompted by jealousy, used blasphemies and contradicted everything Paul said. Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly. ‘We had to proclaim the word of God to you first, but since you have rejected it, since you do not think yourselves worthy of eternal life, we must turn to the pagans. For this is what the Lord commanded us to do when he said:
I have made you a light for the nations,
so that my salvation may reach the ends of the earth.’
It made the pagans very happy to hear this and they thanked the Lord for his message; all who were destined for eternal life became believers. Thus the word of the Lord spread through the whole countryside.
But the Jews worked upon some of the devout women of the upper classes and the leading men of the city and persuaded them to turn against Paul and Barnabas and expel them from their territory. So they shook the dust from their feet in defiance and went off to Iconium; but the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.
Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 97(98):1-4 ©
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All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
or
Alleluia!
Sing a new song to the Lord
for he has worked wonders.
His right hand and his holy arm
have brought salvation.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
or
Alleluia!
The Lord has made known his salvation;
has shown his justice to the nations.
He has remembered his truth and love
for the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
or
Alleluia!
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
Shout to the Lord, all the earth,
ring out your joy.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation
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Rm6:9
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Christ, having been raised from the dead, will never die again.
Death has no power over him any more.
Alleluia!
Or:
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Jn8:31-32
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Alleluia, alleluia!
If you make my word your home
you will indeed be my disciples,
and you will learn the truth, says the Lord.
Alleluia!
Gospel
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John 14:7-14 ©
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To have seen me is to have seen the father
Jesus said to his disciples:
‘If you know me, you know my Father too.
From this moment you know him and have seen him.’
Philip said, ‘Lord, let us see the Father and then we shall be satisfied.’
‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip,’ said Jesus to him, ‘and you still do not know me?
‘To have seen me is to have seen the Father,
so how can you say, “Let us see the Father”?
Do you not believe
that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
The words I say to you I do not speak as from myself:
it is the Father, living in me, who is doing this work.
You must believe me when I say
that I am in the Father and the Father is in me;
believe it on the evidence of this work, if for no other reason.
I tell you most solemnly,
whoever believes in me
will perform the same works as I do myself,
he will perform even greater works,
because I am going to the Father.
Whatever you ask for in my name I will do,
so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If you ask for anything in my name,
I will do it.’
DEALING WITH REJECTION OF THE GOSPEL
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Acts 13:44-52; Ps 98:1-4; John 14:7-14 ]
In the first reading, we read of the opposition of the Jews against Paul and Barnabas. This was not because what Paul and Barnabas said was false or illogical but simply because they were jealous that Paul and Barnabas appeared to be more popular with the crowd. So they reacted by using blasphemies and sought to contradict whatever Paul said. This, too, is the case in the world today. When the gospel message is preached, those who are not happy with it because it makes them look evil or wrong react by finding arguments against what the Church proclaims as truth.
What the world wants is for the Church to subscribe to what they do and to normalize everything they advocate as acceptable and good. Indeed, the world opposes the Church for promoting the culture of life versus the culture of death, seen in abortion, destruction of embryos, euthanasia, violence, wars and killing. They are not happy that we promote authentic love in lasting relationships in marriage and a love that is more than mere sensual and physical. The world advocates divorce, same-sex union, promiscuity, sex orgies, pornography, and sensual activities. They want us to declare that lust is love.
As if this is not enough, they seek to lobby the world to prevent the gospel from being spread, just as what the Jews did with Paul and Barnabas. They “worked upon some of the devout women of the upper classes and the leading men of the city and persuaded them to turn against Paul and Barnabas and expel them from their territory.” Isn’t this the same tactic the world is using – leveraging worldly people who have money, power and influence, employ technology, mass media, digital and social media, entertainment and celebrities to promote their worldly messages? They engineer to put worldly people in government positions so that policies made would be in their favor. They seek out those with influence, power and position to market, promote and normalize what is considered unacceptable in the Christian world. In other words, they want to rewrite the social norms of the day to suit “modern times”. They want to recondition society to accept worldly values so that they can live freely without being constrained in any way. They attack the Church whenever we teach morality because they see us as an obstacle, a wet-blanket and a challenger to their goal of transforming the world to become amoral.
What was the response of Paul and Barnabas in the face of such rejection and opposition? They told the Jews, “We had to proclaim the word of God to you first, but since you have rejected it, since you do not think yourselves worthy of eternal life, we must turn to the pagans.” They were not disheartened. They did not force the message on them. On the contrary, they felt sorry for them for rejecting their message. The ones who will lose out would not be the apostles but the Jews themselves. In rejecting the Good News, they forfeit eternal life. That, too, should be our attitude to those who reject the gospel. We are here to offer the Good News of salvation, true freedom, authentic and everlasting love. But if the world thinks otherwise and believes that freedom is to do whatever they like, and to pursue lust instead of authentic love, then so be it. When society becomes more and more selfish, inward-looking, all for oneself, one’s pleasures and needs, and not about others and sacrificing for the greater good of humanity because we are all one family, then it would have to face the consequences of a decadent morality. Humanity will one day destroy itself because of extreme individualism.
So instead of fighting with the world, perhaps, we should light the candle where those who live in darkness are seeking to see the light of truth and love. Instead of being defensive and attacking the values of the world, we should seek to project and propagate the truth and goodness of the gospel. This was what the apostles said, “For this is what the Lord commanded us to do when he said: I have made you a light for the nations, so that my salvation may reach the ends of the earth.” There are so many other people in the world that are seeking truth, love and life. Instead of wasting our energy battling those who prefer to live in darkness, we should bring light to those who are looking for it. No matter how evil the world is, there will always be a remnant who seeks the truth, like those who lived during the period of the Babylonian exile. There is always the anawim, the poor of God.
We must continue to do so without fear or discouragement. With the psalmist, we “sing a new song to the Lord for he has worked wonders. His right hand and his holy arm have brought salvation. He has remembered his truth and love.” When the Lord closes a door, He opens another. So sometimes, obstacles are stepping stones for further growth. Persecution in the early Church led to a strengthening of the faith of the disciples and the spread of the gospel. Persecution of the Church in Jerusalem led to the opportunity of proclaiming the gospel beyond Jerusalem and to the Gentiles.
This explains the joy of the apostles even when they were expelled. The apostles “shook the dust from their feet in defiance and went off to Iconium; but the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.” They were not angry with them. They came to offer the people the Good News. In fact, they left happily and absolved themselves of their responsibility to bring the Good News to them. They did not have to take things into their own hands but left it to the Holy Spirit. So too, we must not be reactive to those who reject the gospel. Our task is to offer the world the Good News, but if they reject it, they would be the ones who would forfeit themselves from receiving life to the fullest. We should not impose the Good News on others. It is offered as a gift. We should be happy to suffer humiliation and opposition to the gospel. It is God who is in charge of the world, not us.
But how can we do this unless we are in union with the Lord? This is the key in the work of evangelization. If Jesus was fruitful in His ministry, it was because He never worked alone. He was always one with the Father. He told Philip, “Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own.” Jesus was so identified with the Father in mind and heart, in truth and in love. Jesus did not only represent the Father but He presented the Father to us. The Father worked through Jesus. “The father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves.” He told Philip, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” Jesus could present the Father to us only because He and the Father are one. They are distinct yet they are united in every way. Whatever He did was what the Father was doing. Jesus spoke and acted in union with the Father and not just in His name.
If we want to be effective witnesses of our Lord, we, too, must also be united in Jesus. This is what He said to us, “Amen, amen I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father.” We must also share the same mind and heart of our Lord if we want to achieve anything for Him. Of course, unlike Jesus, we do not present Him as He did for the Father, that is to say, we are not identified with the Father. Nevertheless, we are called to represent Him by doing what He did and by transmitting the message we have received. Hence, the importance of praying to Him and asking everything in His name and with the goal of glorifying Him. Jesus said, “Whatever you ask for in my name I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask for anything in my name, I will do it.” Our motives must be clear that it is for God’s glory and not our own. If it is for the glory of Jesus, then the Lord will always answer our prayers because the Father and Jesus are one. Through Jesus, we too become one with the Father as well. Let us be of one mind and heart with the Lord.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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