20200512 THE PEACE THE WORLD CANNOT GIVE
12 May, 2020, Tuesday, 5th Week of Easter
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: White.
First reading
|
Acts 14:19-28 ©
|
They gave an account of how God had opened the door of faith to the pagans
Some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium, and turned the people against the apostles. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the town, thinking he was dead. The disciples came crowding round him but, as they did so, he stood up and went back to the town. The next day he and Barnabas went off to Derbe.
Having preached the Good News in that town and made a considerable number of disciples, they went back through Lystra and Iconium to Antioch. They put fresh heart into the disciples, encouraging them to persevere in the faith. ‘We all have to experience many hardships’ they said ‘before we enter the kingdom of God.’ In each of these churches they appointed elders, and with prayer and fasting they commended them to the Lord in whom they had come to believe.
They passed through Pisidia and reached Pamphylia. Then after proclaiming the word at Perga they went down to Attalia and from there sailed for Antioch, where they had originally been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.
On their arrival they assembled the church and gave an account of all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith to the pagans. They stayed there with the disciples for some time.
Responsorial Psalm
|
Psalm 144(145):10-13a,21 ©
|
Your friends, O Lord, shall make known the glorious splendour of your reign.
or
Alleluia!
All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord,
and your friends shall repeat their blessing.
They shall speak of the glory of your reign
and declare your might, O God,
to make known to men your mighty deeds
and the glorious splendour of your reign.
Your friends, O Lord, shall make known the glorious splendour of your reign.
or
Alleluia!
Yours is an everlasting kingdom;
your rule lasts from age to age.
Your friends, O Lord, shall make known the glorious splendour of your reign.
or
Alleluia!
Let me speak the praise of the Lord,
let all mankind bless his holy name
for ever, for ages unending.
Your friends, O Lord, shall make known the glorious splendour of your reign.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation
|
cf.Lk24:46,26
|
Alleluia, alleluia!
It was ordained that the Christ should suffer
and rise from the dead,
and so enter into his glory.
Alleluia!
Gospel
|
John 14:27-31 ©
|
A peace the world cannot give is my gift to you
Jesus said to his disciples:
‘Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you,
a peace the world cannot give,
this is my gift to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.
You heard me say: I am going away, and shall return.
If you loved me you would have been glad to know that I am going to the Father,
for the Father is greater than I.
I have told you this now before it happens,
so that when it does happen you may believe.
I shall not talk with you any longer,
because the prince of this world is on his way.
He has no power over me,
but the world must be brought to know
that I love the Father
and that I am doing exactly what the Father told me.’
THE PEACE THE WORLD CANNOT GIVE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ ACTS 14:19-28; PS 145:10-13,21; JOHN 14:27-31 ]
Everyone seeks peace. Without peace, there can be no joy in our hearts. Few of us have been able to find peace in our lives. Why is that so? This is because we do not understand the nature of true peace and the way to find it. For worldly people, peace means being free of tension and trouble. It means living life quietly; without disturbing anyone, not bothering about what is happening in the world, just being contented with oneself, like the rich man in the story of Lazarus. God is not offering us this kind of superficial peace. This peace is a self-centered peace. Externally, there seems to be peace but there is deep loneliness within. These people have no real friends. Internally, their hearts are unsettled and their conscience is disturbed. Such worldly peace only brings us pain and misery.
Indeed, worldly peace is without life. For something to be alive, there needs to be some tension. We must not think that tension is bad for our souls. On the contrary, unless there is tension in life, one cannot grow or, less still, be alive. If we do not make efforts to use our minds to think, we become demented. If we do not exercise our bodies, we will become weak and fall sick. If we do not suffer, we will not go further. It is like the Covid-19 pandemic. Without it, we would be living life like a robot. We are used to routine that we do not think out-of-the-box. However, with the Covid-19, we learn to treasure the Eucharist and the sacraments, our friends, our colleagues at work, and find new ways to communicate and to work together and to evangelize. This is why the Lord said to His disciples, “Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you, a peace the world cannot give, this is my gift to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.”
What is this peace of Christ that He wants to give to us? This peace comes from doing the Father’s will. Jesus said, “I have told you this now before it happens, so that when it does happen you may believe. I shall not talk with you any longer, because the prince of this world is on his way.” Jesus’ peace comes from suffering for the love of others. Worldly peace is without suffering for others. God’s peace is one that comes with suffering. However, it is a suffering that comes from doing the Father’s will not from doing evil works. This explains why Jesus was at peace. He knew the prince of darkness was coming to attack Him at His passion. Nevertheless, Jesus was confident and at peace. Jesus said, “He has no power over me, but the world must be brought to know that I love the Father and that I am doing exactly what the Father told me.” Loving the Father totally by doing His will is what gave Jesus true peace, a peace that endures everything for the good of all.
St Paul experienced this same peace in his ministry. He was a man who was always faithful and passionate in whatever he did. Even before his conversion, he was a zealous Jew. “If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.” (Phil 3:4-6) After his conversion, this same dedication and fidelity to God’s will continued throughout his life and ministry.
This perseverance in doing God’s will is seen in how he, after being stoned at Lystra and was thought to be dead, “stood up and went back to the town.” As if nothing had happened! The next day he and Barnabas went off to Derbe. Paul was determined to proclaim the Good News to as many people as possible, notwithstanding the risks of the journey and his enemies. At the end of the first missionary trip, which took him two-and-a-half years covering over 600 miles, he retraced his steps back to Lystra and Iconium and back to Antioch. Instead of waiting to receive consolation from his people, he encouraged them instead. He offered his own example for them to emulate. “They put fresh heart into the disciples, encouraging them to persevere in the faith. ‘We all have to experience many hardships’ they said ‘before we enter the kingdom of God.'”
Such was the passion, perseverance and singular-mindedness of Paul towards the apostolic mission entrusted to him. Towards the end of his life, he recounted, “You yourselves know how I lived among you the entire time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears, enduring the trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews. I did not shrink from doing anything helpful, proclaiming the message to you and teaching you publicly and from house to house, as I testified to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus. And now, as a captive to the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and persecutions are waiting for me. But I do not count my life of any value to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God’s grace.” (Acts 20:17-24)
What gave Jesus and Paul such confidence and fortitude in doing God’s will? They had confidence in God! Peace comes from God’s vindication when we do His will. This was what the Lord said, “You heard me say: I am going away, and shall return. If you loved me you would have been glad to know that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.” Indeed, the Prince of darkness has no power over Him. He willingly surrendered His life to the Father’s plan in the paschal mystery. “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me; but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us be on our way.” (Jn 14:30f) So, too, for St Paul. He said with conviction. “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. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (2 Tim 4:6-8)
We, too, must encourage each other in this journey of faith the way Paul and Barnabas encouraged the Christian communities which they founded. We must never travel alone. We must once again learn from Paul. He did not simply establish Christian communities and then leave them on their own to thrive. On the contrary, Paul always kept in contact with them, communicating with them through letters, encouraging them to remain firm in the faith. Sometimes he would reprimand them as he did the Corinthians when they divided the community. He reminded the Galatians from being misled by some Jewish Christians who sought to impose the Jewish laws and customs on the Gentile Christians.
Thus, it is important that if we are to remain strong in our faith, especially during times of persecution and trials, we need to grow in discipleship. It is not enough to be baptized and then live our lives individually as if we can make the journey on our own. We need the Christian community to support us in our spiritual journey. We need also to be connected with the Church and with the leaders of the Church. No Christian can evangelize alone. That was why, after Paul appointed leaders, he continued to keep in touch with them. “In each of these churches they appointed elders, and with prayer and fasting they commended them to the Lord in whom they had come to believe.” He always made sure that he reported to Jerusalem where the apostles were. Paul himself was connected with the headquarters as well. “On their arrival they assembled the church and gave an account of all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith to the pagans. They stayed there with the disciples for some time.” We need to testify to God’s work in us.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment