20200508 FINDING REST IN THE LORD
08 May, 2020, Friday, 4th Week of Easter
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: White.
First reading
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Acts 13:26-33 ©
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God has fulfilled his promise by raising Jesus from the dead
Paul stood up in the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia, held up a hand for silence and began to speak:
‘My brothers, sons of Abraham’s race, and all you who fear God, this message of salvation is meant for you. What the people of Jerusalem and their rulers did, though they did not realise it, was in fact to fulfil the prophecies read on every sabbath. Though they found nothing to justify his death, they condemned him and asked Pilate to have him executed. When they had carried out everything that scripture foretells about him they took him down from the tree and buried him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had accompanied him from Galilee to Jerusalem: and it is these same companions of his who are now his witnesses before our people.
‘We have come here to tell you the Good News. It was to our ancestors that God made the promise but it is to us, their children, that he has fulfilled it, by raising Jesus from the dead. As scripture says in the second psalm: You are my son: today I have become your father.’
Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 2:6-11 ©
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You are my Son. It is I who have begotten you this day.
or
Alleluia!
‘It is I who have set up my king
on Zion, my holy mountain.’
I will announce the decree of the Lord:
The Lord said to me: ‘You are my Son.
It is I who have begotten you this day.
You are my Son. It is I who have begotten you this day.
or
Alleluia!
‘Ask and I shall bequeath you the nations,
put the ends of the earth in your possession.
With a rod of iron you will break them,
shatter them like a potter’s jar.’
You are my Son. It is I who have begotten you this day.
or
Alleluia!
Now, O kings, understand,
take warning, rulers of the earth;
serve the Lord with awe
and trembling, pay him your homage.
You are my Son. It is I who have begotten you this day.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation
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Col3:1
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ,
you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is,
sitting at God’s right hand.
Alleluia!
Or:
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Jn14:6
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord;
No one can come to the Father except through me.
Alleluia!
Gospel
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John 14:1-6 ©
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I am the Way, the Truth and the Life
Jesus said to his disciples:
‘Do not let your hearts be troubled.
Trust in God still, and trust in me.
There are many rooms in my Father’s house;
if there were not, I should have told you.
I am going now to prepare a place for you,
and after I have gone and prepared you a place,
I shall return to take you with me;
so that where I am
you may be too.
You know the way to the place where I am going.’
Thomas said, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’ Jesus said:
‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.
No one can come to the Father except through me.’
FINDING REST IN THE LORD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ ACTS 13:26-33; PS 2:6-11; JOHN 14:1-6 ]
Like the Israelites in the Old Testament, we are looking for the Promised Land of rest. Like them, we are wandering in the desert. We are tired, hungry, thirsty, seeking peace and rest from the weariness of life’s struggles, anxieties and challenges. Sometimes we wish we can return to our heavenly home because this life is so challenging and a constant struggle. We know we cannot have any rest til we rest in the Lord. So we are waiting to enter the Promised Land. The great news is that Jesus has come to lead us to the Promised Land. This was what Paul said. “My brothers, sons of Abraham’s race, and all you who fear God, this message of salvation is meant for you.”
In the gospel, Jesus told the disciples who were sad and distressed that He was bringing them to the real Promised Land where there is true rest from the confusion and misery of this world. He said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God still, and trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father’s house; if there were not, I should have told you. I am going now to prepare a place for you, and after I have gone and prepared you a place, I shall return to take you with me; so that where I am you may be too. You know the way to the place where I am going.”
What is this place of rest? What does Jesus mean when He said that there are many rooms in His Father’s house and He is going to prepare a place for us and return to take us with Him? The Father’s house is where our home is, in the bosom of our Father. Indeed, to feel at home is to feel comfortable, restful, free from all the hurly-burly of life, and being in the company of our loved ones, sharing in each other’s presence and company. Heaven is not a place per se but to rest in the heart of God, sharing in His life and love. In this sense, heaven is already a foretaste for those of us who are united with Jesus in love and in faith and with our brothers and sisters. Heaven is therefore when all our hearts are one with God.
To be at rest also means that we have arrived at the Ultimate Truth and Fullness of Life. Our minds cannot rest until we arrive at the truth. Our hearts cannot be at peace until we find the fullness of life. Indeed, if we are restless, it is because we are always searching for the truth. The world offers us half-truths, incomplete truth, fake news and illusory pursuits. We are not happy because we feel cheated when we arrive to find that nothing in this world can satisfy us. Only God who is Truth and Life can satisfy the restless heart. To be at rest, we need to rest in God, as St Augustine reminds us. We cannot rest till we know the truth about life, our origin, our destiny and the purpose of our sojourn on earth, the meaning of suffering.
To find true rest in the Lord means that we cannot rely on ourselves. Our true security and hope must be focused on the Lord rather than on ourselves. So long as we seek peace from the things of this earth, like wealth, good health and possessions, even friends, we will be sadly disappointed. All these are passing and we cannot hold on to them. We cannot trust our feelings either because feelings change. The disciples were sad because they were trapped in their feelings at the thought of Jesus’ departure. Rather, our peace must come from our trust in God. Only God is constant in love and in mercy, as revealed by our Lord. Only when our confidence is in God, can we then find trust, peace and joy in life; not in the changing circumstances of our lives or in our feelings. By living from God’s love rather than our own changing feelings and the situations of the world, we will find lasting peace. This trust in God is given to Jesus because He shows us the Father. It is through faith in Jesus that we can overcome the world. Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection is our victory over the world. (cf Jn 16:33; 12:31, 1 Jn 5:4) It is not enough to have confidence in Jesus; what is asked from us is faith in Him as the Way, the Truth and the Life.
So faith requires us to confess that Jesus is the Way! Jesus said: ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through me.'” St Paul wrote, “There is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself a ransom for all.’ (1 Tim 2:5f) Only Jesus who comes from God can show us the way to His Father. Jesus is the way for us because we can see God, feel Him and touch Him through the humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ. (cf 1 Jn 1:1f) Jesus is the revelation of God in person, in His word and in His love.
But how can we be so sure that He is the Way? St Paul spoke to the Jews and those who were non-Jews who had accepted the Jewish faith. He helped his listeners to realize that Jesus was the One, the descendant of King David that the scriptures had prophesied. Yet, the rulers, both religious and political, were ignorant of the identity of Jesus. “Though they found nothing to justify his death, they condemned him and asked Pilate to have him executed.” God’s plan cannot be derailed by the wickedness and foolishness of men. “God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had accompanied him from Galilee to Jerusalem.”
In a nutshell, Jesus as the Way to the Father, the Truth and Life is established by the Paschal Mystery. It was in His passion, death and resurrection that Jesus clearly established Himself to be the Savior of the world. And the apostles were witnesses of His resurrection just as they were witnesses to His cruel crucifixion on the cross. Hence, without a doubt, they saw the raising of Jesus from the dead as the fulfillment of the prophecies of old. “We have come here to tell you the Good News. It was to our ancestors that God made the promise but it is to us, their children, that he has fulfilled it, by raising Jesus from the dead. The responsorial psalm aptly captures Jesus as the Son of David and the Messianic King of Israel. “It is I who have set up my king on Zion, my holy mountain.”
The Good News is that this promise of entering into His rest still holds good for us all. (cf Heb 4:1-3) Only those who are obedient to His Word, receive Jesus into their lives and keep His commandments can find rest in Him. This is what the psalmist also said, “Now, O kings, understand, take warning, rulers of the earth; serve the Lord with awe and trembling, pay him your homage.” We too must, therefore, submit to His rule. If we welcome the Word of God, then as St John wrote, “On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 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. Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.” (cf Jn 14:20-23)
Indeed, for Christians, we have no excuse because we know the way. We know that Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecies of the scriptures. St Paul says, He is “the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” (1 Cor 1:30) So what we must do is to respond in faith by following Him not just as the Way but all the way. We are called to imitate Him not just in life but also in death. Only by walking the way of Jesus, can we arrive at Truth and Life. Indeed, let us take consolation in the advice of St Augustine who wrote, “It is better to limp along the way than to walk briskly off the way.” For one who limps along the way, even though he makes just a little progress, is approaching his destination; but if the person travels apart from the way, the faster he goes, the further he is away from his destination.”
So with St Paul’s encouragement, we must strive ahead. “This one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 3:13f) Again with St Paul, may we at the end of our journey also say, “As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Tim 4:6f)
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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