20200524 THE INTENT AND CONTENT OF COMMUNICATION
24 May, 2020, Sunday, 7th Week of Easter (World Communications Sunday)
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: White.
In some dioceses the Ascension of the Lord is celebrated today. If this applies to you, please reconfigure Universalis to use the appropriate local calendar.
First reading
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Acts 1:12-14 ©
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The apostles all joined in continuous prayer
After Jesus was taken up into heaven the apostles went back from the Mount of Olives, as it is called, to Jerusalem, a short distance away, no more than a sabbath walk; and when they reached the city they went to the upper room where they were staying; there were Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Jude son of James. All these joined in continuous prayer, together with several women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 26(27):1,4,7-8 ©
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I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
or
Alleluia!
The Lord is my light and my help;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
before whom shall I shrink?
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
or
Alleluia!
There is one thing I ask of the Lord,
for this I long,
to live in the house of the Lord,
all the days of my life,
to savour the sweetness of the Lord,
to behold his temple.
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
or
Alleluia!
O Lord, hear my voice when I call;
have mercy and answer.
Of you my heart has spoken:
‘Seek his face.’
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
or
Alleluia!
Second reading
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1 Peter 4:13-16 ©
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It is a blessing for you when they insult you for bearing the name of Christ
If you can have some share in the sufferings of Christ, be glad, because you will enjoy a much greater gladness when his glory is revealed. It is a blessing for you when they insult you for bearing the name of Christ, because it means that you have the Spirit of glory, the Spirit of God resting on you. None of you should ever deserve to suffer for being a murderer, a thief, a criminal or an informer; but if anyone of you should suffer for being a Christian, then he is not to be ashamed of it; he should thank God that he has been called one.
Gospel Acclamation
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cf.Jn14:18
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I will not leave you orphans, says the Lord;
I will come back to you,
and your hearts will be full of joy.
Alleluia!
Gospel
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John 17:1-11 ©
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Father, it is time for you to glorify me
Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said:
‘Father, the hour has come:
glorify your Son
so that your Son may glorify you;
and, through the power over all mankind that you have given him,
let him give eternal life to all those you have entrusted to him.
And eternal life is this:
to know you,
the only true God,
and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
I have glorified you on earth
and finished the work that you gave me to do.
Now, Father, it is time for you to glorify me
with that glory I had with you
before ever the world was.
I have made your name known
to the men you took from the world to give me.
They were yours and you gave them to me,
and they have kept your word.
Now at last they know
that all you have given me comes indeed from you;
for I have given them the teaching you gave to me,
and they have truly accepted this, that I came from you,
and have believed that it was you who sent me.
I pray for them;
I am not praying for the world
but for those you have given me,
because they belong to you:
all I have is yours
and all you have is mine,
and in them I am glorified.
I am not in the world any longer,
but they are in the world,
and I am coming to you.’
THE INTENT AND CONTENT OF COMMUNICATION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Acts 1:12-14; Ps 27:1, 4, 7-8; 1 Pt 4:13-16; Jn 17:1-11 ]
Today, we celebrate the 7th Sunday of Easter, which is also dedicated to World Communications. Very often, on this Sunday we would speak about the different means of communication today, which range from digital media, social media, telecommunications, internet and the many tools available for communication. With the lockdown and social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic, there is a forced change of communication through the use of modern technology, such as You-tube, Zoom, Google Meet, Facebook and other social media to transmit information and communicate with others for work, evangelization or personal matters.
Whilst the means and tools of communication are certainly important, they are merely tools. It is how they are employed, for good or for evil that truly matters. So it is the people that make use of these modern tools for communication that will determine whether mass communications technology will lead to the progress or the destruction of humanity. Indeed, selfish and worldly people will use these tools not for the good of humanity but for their selfish interests and ambitions. Hence, we must be discerning in the use of these channels of communication and how they are being abused by others. Even more important is the content that we are communicating.
What do we read in the news? Much information transmitted is fake news and distorted news. Often, they are meant to mislead, create mistrust and make people lose confidence in leaders and in their organizations. Some are hate news designed to stir people’s emotions towards violence, hatred, resentment and rebellion. When such news goes viral, it can lead to disharmony, killing and disorder. Finally, most of the news we receive are bad news. It is about the crimes that people committed, the failures and scandals of others, the economy, wars, nations accusing each other of the lack of fair play, cover up and injustices, juicy stories of celebrities and world leaders, including religious leaders. There is certainly more bad news and gossip news in much of our media than news that can educate, inform and inspire to help build a better society and humanity.
Today, the scripture readings use one word to capture what all news in the final analysis must do. News must give glory to God! Why must God be glorified? Is He insecure, egoistic or self-centered? Certainly, glorifying God is not for God’s sake but for ours! To glorify God is the only way we can share in His glory. This is because we come from God. If we come from Him then we must live in such a way that reflects the glory of God. St Irenaeus said, “The glory of God is found in man fully alive.” (cf Rom 3:23) So to glorify the Father simply means that our entire being, our thoughts, words and actions, manifest the life, love and goodness of God in and through us. When we consciously do everything for His greater glory, we will do everything in love, in compassion and humility.
Indeed, Jesus who is the Word of God in person spent His whole life and mission glorifying His Father. Jesus prayed to His Father saying, “I have glorified you on earth and finished the work that you gave me to do. I have made your name known to the men you took from the world to give me.” In all that Jesus said and did, indeed, His entire life was to give glory to God His Father. Jesus did not preach about Himself but His Father and the Kingdom of God.
When we glorify God, He will glorify us in return. Jesus said “Father, the hour has come: glorify your Son so that your Son may glorify you.” The truth is, unless Jesus is glorified by the Father raising Him from the dead, He would not be able to claim that what He taught about the Father is true. Only because the Father raised Jesus from the dead, was everything that Jesus said and did, including His claim of divinity and sonship vindicated. So glorifying the Son is tantamount to glorifying Himself as well, since the Father is glorified in the Son and vice versa. In other words, like Jesus, all of us share in the glory of God whenever we glorify Him.
In contrast, the world does not glorify God. It seeks to glorify humanity and itself. Indeed, the world has replaced God with man. It thinks that it has the power to do everything and that it does not need God because they are gods. There is so much pride, arrogance and presumptuous self-confidence in man. This Covid-19 shows us that no one is immune to disease and death! In our foolishness, we glorify power, technology, and fame. We think that power and fame will give us happiness. On the contrary, power and fame make one forever insecure. In its blindness, the world glorifies pleasure and sex, believing that it can make us happy, forgetting that happiness lies in the human heart, in love and meaning; not in passing pleasures and lust.
How, then, did Jesus glorify His Father? Firstly, by proclaiming the truth. Jesus came to reveal to us who we are, that we are children of God and God is our loving and merciful Father. He came to teach us to walk in truth. He exposed the hypocrisy of the Jewish leaders in their relationship with God. He came to set us free from our sins, the injustices in our lives. This is what communication of the Good News entails as well. It is always about truth. We want to reveal to humanity the truth about ourselves, our identity as children of God, and how our lives are called to reflect the Father. At times, this call to serve truth and justice requires us to expose the falsehoods promoted by the world. But it is truth that sets us free.
Secondly, Jesus glorified the Father by proclaiming love. By His life, His good works, healing miracles, exorcisms, pardoning and reconciling sinners, Jesus taught us the love and unconditional mercy of God. His heart of compassion for the poor, the weak, the sick and the sinner teaches us what love entails. It means being one with them in their journey of life. Jesus was always living among His people, identifying with them in their sufferings, loneliness, hunger and pain. That is why He taught us that love requires us to be servants to each other and most of all, to sacrifice our lives for the service and good of our fellowmen. This love is demonstrated by the sacrifice of His life on the cross for the salvation of all.
Thirdly, Jesus glorified the Father by being a life-giver. He revealed to us our destiny, which is to be with God. We are not merely animals that live on the material level; eat, work and enjoy, and then disappear from the face of this earth. Rather, we have a soul and our lives will continue after death. Life is more than pleasure, work, and ambition. Life is about relationship and love that lasts beyond this life. Our home is in Heaven where His Father is. He taught us that to live, we must be life-giving in words and deeds. Only by living a godly life, do we not have to fear death because we have overcome death by living fully. We are called to share eternal life with God now, in this life and hereafter, fully.
So today, on World Communications Sunday, we must ask ourselves whether we communicate Good News to the world in whatever we do or say. Do we edify others and inspire them and give them hope and encouragement by what we do? Do we provide information that is verified to be true so that we can educate people and form them in truth and love? Do we help people to live their lives meaningfully in service of God and their fellowmen? Do we help our people to be tolerant, forgiving and sensitive to the feelings and dignity of their fellowmen? Do we bring people to know God through Jesus so that they can share in the life of God and not just live on the human level? Do we lead people to pray, just as Mary led the apostles to pray whilst waiting for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit?
For sure, when we speak the truth and proclaim the true meaning of love, we will be opposed by the world because we are a hindrance to their selfish ambitions. But we must be glad, as St Peter exhorts us, because we are sharing in the sufferings of Christ and we “will enjoy a much greater gladness when his glory is revealed.” Indeed, to suffer for the truth and for love is to share in the same glory of our Lord Jesus Christ who died a shameful, cruel and innocent death on the cross.
So let our lives be the Medium of communication at the end of the day, not just by what we say and do, but how we live. All other channels and platforms are means. They can help but without the content, the message and the person, communication is a failure. Jesus indeed is the Good News in person. His message is identified with Himself and that is why He is the Word of God, the Father’s Communicator in person. Jesus revealed His Father and Himself to us. By so doing, He revealed ourselves to ourselves. This is what true communication does.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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