20200530 THE INCOMPLETE GOSPEL
30 May, 2020, Saturday, 7th Week of Easter
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: White.
First reading
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Acts 28:16-20,30-31 ©
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In Rome, Paul proclaimed the kingdom of God without hindrance from anyone
On our arrival in Rome Paul was allowed to stay in lodgings of his own with the soldier who guarded him.
After three days he called together the leading Jews. When they had assembled, he said to them, ‘Brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. They examined me and would have set me free, since they found me guilty of nothing involving the death penalty; but the Jews lodged an objection, and I was forced to appeal to Caesar, not that I had any accusation to make against my own nation. That is why I have asked to see you and talk to you, for it is on account of the hope of Israel that I wear this chain.’
Paul spent the whole of the two years in his own rented lodging. He welcomed all who came to visit him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching the truth about the Lord Jesus Christ with complete freedom and without hindrance from anyone.
Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 10(11):4-5,7 ©
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The upright shall see your face, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
The Lord is in his holy temple,
the Lord, whose throne is in heaven.
His eyes look down on the world;
his gaze tests mortal men.
The upright shall see your face, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
The Lord tests the just and the wicked;
the lover of violence he hates.
The Lord is just and loves justice;
the upright shall see his face.
The upright shall see your face, O Lord.
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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cf.Jn16:7,13
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I will send you the Spirit of truth, says the Lord;
he will lead you to the complete truth.
Alleluia!
Gospel
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John 21:20-25 ©
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This disciple is the one who vouches for these things and we know that his testimony is true
Peter turned and saw the disciple Jesus loved following them – the one who had leaned on his breast at the supper and had said to him, ‘Lord, who is it that will betray you?’ Seeing him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘What about him, Lord?’ Jesus answered, ‘If I want him to stay behind till I come, what does it matter to you? You are to follow me.’ The rumour then went out among the brothers that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus had not said to Peter, ‘He will not die’, but, ‘If I want him to stay behind till I come.’
This disciple is the one who vouches for these things and has written them down, and we know that his testimony is true.
There were many other things that Jesus did; if all were written down, the world itself, I suppose, would not hold all the books that would have to be written.
THE INCOMPLETE GOSPEL
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ Acts 28:16-20.30-31; Ps 11:4-5, 7; John 21:20-25]
Today we come to the penultimate day of the Easter Season. Tomorrow is the feast of Pentecost, which concludes the Easter Season. Since the start of the Easter Season the scripture readings have been taken from the Acts of the Apostles and St John’s gospel. It is significant also that at the end of the reading of Acts of the Apostles and John’s gospel, the end does not seem like the end of the work of St Paul or that of St John. The truth is that the gospel can never be completed until the end of time. The gospel continues indefinitely in our days, as it awaits the Day of the Lord.
In fact, the author ended by saying that the gospel that was written is not exhaustive. “This disciple is the one who vouches for these things and has written them down, and we know that his testimony is true. There are many things that Jesus did; if all were written down, the world itself, I suppose, would not hold all the books that would have to be written.” Indeed, there are many things that the Lord said and did but were not recorded. All that was written was for this one purpose, “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.” (Jn 20:30f)
In the case of Paul, Luke wanted to show that the gospel which started in Jerusalem finally ended in Rome. This is the fulfillment of the command of Jesus to preach the gospel to the ends of the world. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8f) What is significant is that even in Rome, the gospel continued to be preached and taught without hindrance. Although Paul was technically a prisoner, he was given much freedom when he was in Rome to continue the work of preaching and teaching. “Paul spent the whole of the two years in his own rented lodging. He welcomed all who came to visit him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching the truth about the Lord Jesus Christ with complete freedom and without hindrance from anyone.” Of course, he was eventually martyred in Rome.
These go to show that the gospel cannot be hindered or be constrained in any way. Right from the start of the preaching of the gospel, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles, the apostles and disciples of Christ were persecuted. They were brought before the Sanhedrin and before rulers. But they remained defiant and refused to be intimidated into silence. Paul, too, faced many challenges in bringing the gospel to the Gentiles because the Jews would instigate the people and made trouble for them. At times, he was flogged and stoned and driven out of the city. The Jews, whether those who refused to accept Christ or those who were converted to Christianity, always gave him problems with regard to the acceptance of the Gentiles into the Faith.
But Paul persevered right to the end. He never gave up the mission that the Lord entrusted to him. He was focused and unwavering in his mission. As he made it clear, “it is on account of the hope of Israel that I wear this chain.” He was never against the Jews even though the Jews were against him. In spite of all the persecutions from his fellow Jews, he had no ill feelings against them. When he was in Rome, he never gave up hope on them. In fact, his policy of preaching the gospel to Jews first remained. He invited all the Jewish leaders to meet him. And he called them, “Brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans.” Paul wanted them to know that Christ was the fulfillment of Judaism.
His conscience was clear. The only reason why he was in chains was simply because he believed in Christ who was crucified and now raised from the dead. The crux of the opposition against Paul was his testimony about Jesus as the Christ. It was on account of his faith in the resurrection of our Lord that he was put on trial. Indeed, even the governors found him to be not guilty. “They examined me and would have set me free, since they found me guilty of nothing involving the death penalty; but the Jews lodged an objection, and I was forced to appeal to Caesar, not that I had any accusation to make against my own nation.” The governor Festus told King Agrippa, “When the accusers stood up, they did not charge him with any of the crimes that I was expecting. Instead, they had certain points of disagreement with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who had died, but whom Paul asserted to be alive.” (Acts 25:18)
So it is with us today. We must continue to proclaim the gospel. Christians are on trial because we claim that our founder, Jesus Christ is risen from the dead and therefore He is Lord and God. If we confess that Jesus is Lord and God, it is simply because the Father raised Him from the dead and thereby endorsed all that Jesus said and did. Throughout the life and ministry of Jesus, He presented Himself to be the Way to the Father, the mediator. He spoke and acted on behalf of His Father. He was one with Him in will and in thought. Jesus, therefore, is called the Son of God, distinct from the Father but shares in His glory in every way. If we confess in Jesus as the Christ, it is because we are convinced by the testimonies of the apostles and the confessions of the early Christians of who Jesus was to them. There is no reason for us to believe that they lied to us as St Paul wrote, “we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition. For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts.” (1 Th 2:2-4)
We must not be afraid of those who seek to chain us up. They might have been able to chain St Paul but they could not chain the gospel. This is what the Lord promises us. In fact, St Paul continued to preach the gospel, appealing to the heart of the listeners so that they could respond in faith in total freedom in Rome. On other occasions, he would teach the converted by helping them to understand their faith in Christ. Preaching is directed at the heart but teaching seeks to enlighten the mind. Regardless, proclaiming the kingdom of God must always include the confession of faith in Jesus as Lord and savior and His saving work in his death and resurrection. This is the gospel in a nutshell. (cf Lk 24:46-47)
So, the Acts of the Apostles must now be completed by the faith of the Church today. We must continue to witness to Christ according to how the Lord has called us. Like Peter and John, both were called to proclaim the gospel but in different ways. One would suffer martyrdom through crucifixion but the other would suffer martyrdom through exile. It does not matter how we suffer or how the Lord wants us to proclaim the Good News. What is important is that we cooperate with His will for us. This was what the Lord said to Peter who was inquisitive about the fate of John. Peter said to Jesus, “What about him, Lord?” Jesus answered, “If I want him to stay behind till I come, what does it matter to you? You are to follow me.” We should be concerned about how we follow the Lord instead of comparing ourselves with others. Indeed, it does not matter so long as our lives glorify the Lord.
What matters in the final analysis, is that we have been faithful to our calling, which is to proclaim Christ in our lives according to our vocation and state of life. Each one is called differently. St Paul and Peter were called to proclaim the gospel to different audiences in different ways. They were never in competition with each other. One was called to be a shepherd, the other a missionary. Both were called to be apostles and ambassadors of Christ. Yet in truth, we are all shepherds and missionaries. We must, therefore, continue to preach the Good News to those who do not know Him and to help those who know Him to grow in the knowledge of the gospel through preaching and teaching.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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