20200930 LET GOD BE GOD IN OUR LIVES
30 September, 2020, Wednesday, 26th Week, Ordinary Time
First reading |
Job 9:1-13,14-16 © |
How can man be in the right against God?
Job spoke to his friends:
Indeed, I know it is as you say:
how can man be in the right against God?
If any were so rash as to challenge him for reasons,
one in a thousand would be more than they could answer.
His heart is wise, and his strength is great:
who then can successfully defy him?
He moves the mountains, though they do not know it;
he throws them down when he is angry.
He shakes the earth, and moves it from its place,
making all its pillars tremble.
The sun, at his command, forbears to rise,
and on the stars he sets a seal.
He and no other stretched out the skies,
and trampled the Sea’s tall waves.
The Bear, Orion too, are of his making,
the Pleiades and the Mansions of the South.
His works are great, beyond all reckoning,
his marvels, past all counting.
Were he to pass me, I should not see him,
nor detect his stealthy movement.
Were he to snatch a prize, who could prevent him,
or dare to say, ‘What are you doing?’
How dare I plead my cause, then,
or choose arguments against him?
Suppose I am in the right, what use is my defence?
For he whom I must sue is judge as well.
If he deigned to answer my citation,
could I be sure that he would listen to my voice?
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 87(88):10-15 © |
Let my prayer come into your presence, O Lord.
I call to you, Lord, all the day long;
to you I stretch out my hands.
Will you work your wonders for the dead?
Will the shades stand and praise you?
Let my prayer come into your presence, O Lord.
Will your love be told in the grave
or your faithfulness among the dead?
Will your wonders be known in the dark
or your justice in the land of oblivion?
Let my prayer come into your presence, O Lord.
As for me, Lord, I call to you for help:
in the morning my prayer comes before you.
Lord, why do you reject me?
Why do you hide your face?
Let my prayer come into your presence, O Lord.
Gospel Acclamation | Ps118:105 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your word is a lamp for my steps
and a light for my path.
Alleluia!
Or: | Ph3:8-9 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I have accepted the loss of everything
and I look on everything as so much rubbish
if only I can have Christ
and be given a place in him.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 9:57-62 © |
'I will follow you wherever you go'
As Jesus and his disciples travelled along they met a man on the road who said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus answered, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’
Another to whom he said, ‘Follow me’, replied, ‘Let me go and bury my father first.’ But he answered, ‘Leave the dead to bury their dead; your duty is to go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.’
Another said, ‘I will follow you, sir, but first let me go and say goodbye to my people at home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’
LET GOD BE GOD IN OUR LIVES
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Job 9:1-13,14-16; Luke 9:57-62]
We can surely empathize with Job although we might not be able to claim that we are always just to our fellowmen and faithful to God as he was. Still, we feel unjustified many times in our lives, that God is being unfair to us. We work so hard for our family, our loved ones, and our bosses and the community, but often we feel that we are taken for a ride. They make use of us and are not grateful for what we do. Some even take advantage of us and dump us when we are no longer useful. We wonder why life is so unfair to us. It seems that evil men triumph and have the best of this world; social status, fame, luxury, fine lifestyle, and riches. However, we who are diligent and honest are at a disadvantage. We never have time to enjoy ourselves because it is all work and service to those whom we are responsible for in life. We feel tired and burnt out. What is dangerous is when we start to engage in self-pity; we put ourselves at risk of becoming self-righteous. Instead of asking what we can learn from our suffering and struggles, we ask why these people have a better life than us. We become resentful of the world and of God.
This was the situation of Job. He felt he had done nothing wrong. He was innocent. In his mind, his suffering was not just. He had lived his life justly before God and man. He had nothing to repent of because he had not done anything wrong, even if he not perfect. Yet God inflicted Him with sufferings that reduced him to a worm, his body was full of disgusting sores, he was scorned and despised by man. He could not understand what was happening to him. He wanted an answer from God, just as we demand an answer when we suffer unjustly and innocently. Nevertheless, Job was still respectful even when he articulated his pains before God. He was conscious of the power of God and His sovereignty over all creation because He is the creator of the entire universe. God, who created us as persons, therefore, should be capable of dialogue as well. God, however, did not seem to be engaging him. He was silent. Job concluded that God was incomprehensible and we would never be able to argue with Him anyway. “How dare I plead my cause, then, or choose arguments against him? Suppose I am in the right, what use is my defence? For he whom I must sue is judge as well. If he deigned to answer my citation, could I be sure that he would listen to my voice?”
Truly, this is also the message of our Lord in today’s gospel. We must allow God to be God in our lives. We have no right to question Him. He must be the sovereign Lord of our lives, in all that we do and all that we have. Our lives belong to Him. He has total command over us. This is what the psalmists say, “He is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.” (Ps 95:7) “Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” (Ps 100:3) Indeed, for in all that we do He is our Lord, our God, and His kingdom must be first in our lives. Jesus told His disciples to “strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Mt 6:33) Indeed, our love for God, our loyalty to Him and His kingdom must take priority and precedence in everything that we do. God must be first, and the center of our lives. This is how His disciples must behave, as the gospel indicates today.
In the first incident, we have a man who said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus answered, “Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” The first condition of discipleship is our readiness to make sacrifices for the kingdom. If we are not ready to commit ourselves and share in the suffering, inconvenience, rejection and privation of riches, wealth and pleasures, we are not ready to be His disciples. The test of a true disciple is the ability to make sacrifices.
For the greater good of the kingdom, a true disciple is willing to forgo his rest, his time, his pleasures, his holidays and his enjoyments. Indeed, even in daily life, a man who loves his wife and children would sacrifice everything he has to look after them, to care for them, and to provide for their needs and comforts. Someone who is committed to an organization would give himself entirely to it even at the expense of his personal comfort and rest. Discipleship, therefore, is not for the faint-hearted. If we are looking for pleasure, power, money, and fame, then we do not understand what Christian discipleship is all about.
In the second incident, Jesus told a man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Let me go and bury my father first.” The response of our Lord was firm and decisive. “Leave the dead to bury the dead; your duty is to go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.” This seems to be a very harsh demand of our Lord for anyone to be His disciples. He was going against the culture of His time when filial piety, taking care of one’s elderly was not just one of the 10 Commandments but a very serious obligation. Again, in this instance, Jesus put God and His kingdom above the demands even of our family. God cannot be second place. However, this does not mean that Jesus is asking us to neglect our commitments to our family, our job, and only do God’s work. On the contrary, unless we give our commitment to God and His kingdom first, we cannot serve our family and our organization with total devotion and in a manner that helps them to find true happiness, meaning, and purpose in life. Only when we give ourselves totally to God and the values of His kingdom, can we see everything in perspective.
At the same time, making God and the Kingdom the centre of our lives cannot wait. It is something so important and urgent. To delay is to lose the opportunity. The man was not saying that his father had died. Many receive the inspiration to respond to God’s call, or to render his services to the Church or community, but do not act on it when the fire is hot. Eventually, when the flame dies down, he forgets about it. Therefore, for Jesus, there cannot be any delay in responding to the Kingdom. We must strike when the iron is hot. This is why those of us who are recruiting would-be disciples must immediately enroll them when they are keen and excited. By the time we wait and wait, Satan would have carried the seed sown away. So, we must be decisive in seizing the opportunity of service.
In the third incident, another potential disciple said to the Lord, “I will follow you, sir, but first let me go and say goodbye to my people at home.” Jesus said to him, “Once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” Anyone who wants to be a disciple of our Lord must always be looking forward and not backward to the past. Many of us cannot make progress in our spiritual life because we are always tempted to resurrect the old Adam in us. In times of trial and difficulties, we begin to wonder whether we have made the right decision. We long for the good old days. We begin to imagine what our life would be like if we had chosen otherwise. Such thoughts come from the Evil One. Jesus wants us to be focused on our mission and His Father. Unless we put our heart and soul and mind to what we are doing, and not turn back, we cannot be fruitful in what we do. Indeed, attachment to our loved ones, to our independence and freedom, good life, luxuries, wealth, and position in society, will make us lose focus.
If we think that the demands of discipleship are too much for us, let us remember that Jesus was not just a teacher who taught. He is a model for us all. In those days, a teacher was more than one who taught in a classroom. A disciple stayed with the teacher and observed how he lived his life. All that Jesus taught and asks of us, He Himself had done. We read earlier on “when the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.” (Lk 9:51) He was resolute in His mission and focused even though he knew the trials ahead of Him, His passion and death. He had left everything, even His widowed mother, to serve His Father in proclaiming the gospel. He gave everything and lived a life of simplicity with His disciples. We too must follow Him in giving our all to the Kingdom of God.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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