20200922 MARY THE PARADIGM OF A TRUE DISCIPLE OF CHRIST
22 September, 2020, Tuesday, 25th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Green.
First reading |
Proverbs 21:1-6,10-13 © |
On wickedness and virtue
Like flowing water is the heart of the king in the hand of the Lord,
who turns it where he pleases.
A man’s conduct may strike him as upright,
the Lord, however, weighs the heart.
To act virtuously and with justice
is more pleasing to the Lord than sacrifice.
Haughty eye, proud heart,
lamp of the wicked, nothing but sin.
The hardworking man is thoughtful, and all is gain;
too much haste, and all that comes of it is want.
To make a fortune with the help of a lying tongue,
such the idle fantasy of those who look for death.
The wicked man’s soul is intent on evil,
he looks on his neighbour with dislike.
When a mocker is punished, the ignorant man grows wiser,
when a wise man is instructed he acquires more knowledge.
The Just One watches the house of the wicked:
he hurls the wicked to destruction.
He who shuts his ear to the poor man’s cry
shall himself plead and not be heard.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 118(119):1,27,30,34-35,44 © |
Guide me, Lord, in the path of your commands.
They are happy whose life is blameless,
who follow God’s law!
Make me grasp the way of your precepts
and I will muse on your wonders.
Guide me, Lord, in the path of your commands.
I have chosen the way of truth
with your decrees before me.
Train me to observe your law,
to keep it with my heart.
Guide me, Lord, in the path of your commands.
Guide me in the path of your commands;
for there is my delight.
I shall always keep your law
for ever and ever.
Guide me, Lord, in the path of your commands.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ps129:5 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
My soul is waiting for the Lord,
I count on his word.
Alleluia!
Or: | Lk11:28 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Happy are those
who hear the word of God
and keep it.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 8:19-21 © |
'My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God'
The mother and the brothers of Jesus came looking for him, but they could not get to him because of the crowd. He was told, ‘Your mother and brothers are standing outside and want to see you.’ But he said in answer, ‘My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice.’
MARY THE PARADIGM OF A TRUE DISCIPLE OF CHRIST
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [PROVERBS 21:1-6,10-13; LUKE 8:19-21 ]
It is important to situate the context of today’s gospel in St Luke’s presentation of the Parable of the Sower. This similar recount of the true kindred of Jesus in Mark’s gospel was placed at the end of Chapter 3, just before the Parables in Chapter 3. It was meant to be an introduction to what true discipleship demands. St Mark captured discipleship in these words, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mk 3:35f) However, many think that Mark was slighting Mary because she was counted as among those standing outside the circle of disciples who were around Jesus. (cf Mk 3:31-34)
St Luke, however, placed this episode just after the discourse on the Parables of the Sower and the Lamp under a Jar. In his perspective, Mary was a true disciple of the Lord, like the seed in the Parable of the Sower that fell on fertile ground and produced fruits in plenty. In St Luke’s reckoning, Mary is the paradigm of one who not just does the will of God but she hears “the word of God and put it into practice.” Indeed, this is the consistent image Luke presented of Mary right from the onset at the Annunciation and until Pentecost.
Mary is portrayed as one who hears and believes in the Word of God. At the Annunciation, Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” (Lk 1:38) Indeed, her capacity to hear the Word of God came from her docility and humility. She regarded herself as a servant of the Lord. However, more than just hearing, she believed. Despite the miraculous nature of her conception of our Lord, she chose to believe in the angel’s message, in contrast to Zechariah when a similar message was given to him. Rightly, Elizabeth, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, said of her, “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” (Lk 1:45) Mary put her faith in the Word of God.
She is always presented as someone in deep contemplation of the Word. When the shepherds announced to her what they heard and saw, “Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.” (Lk 2:19) Then, when Jesus was lost and found in the Temple, and Jesus said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Lk 2:49), “His mother treasured all these things in her heart.” (Lk 2:51) The highest honor that Jesus gave to Mary was when a woman exclaimed to the Lord, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!” (Lk 11:27) And the Lord rejoined by remarking, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!” (Lk 11:27f)
Thirdly, Mary is also a doer of the Word. She does not just listen and contemplate the Word of God but she does it. This was what she told the servants at the Wedding in Cana. “Do whatever he tells you.” (Jn 2:5) St James could have had in mind Mary when he wrote to the Christians to be doers of the Word and not just hearers of it. “Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror and … immediately forget what they were like.” (Jms 1:22-24) The Lord consistently affirmed Mary as the one who hears the Word and acts on it. In Mary’s case, upon receiving the Word that Elizabeth was pregnant in her old age, she immediately set off to visit her and stayed with her for three months to assist her. She did not hesitate or wait to be asked. Mary’s heart was one of charity. In contrast to what the book of Proverbs warns us, “He who shuts his ear to the poor man’s cry shall himself plead and not be heard.” Mary was available to those in need, whether it was Elizabeth or the Wedding Couple at Cana. She was alert and responsive.
Accordingly, we can appreciate why St Augustine said of Mary, that she conceived Jesus in her heart before she conceived Him in the flesh. Her real relationship with the Lord was more than just a biological relationship. Her spiritual relationship with God preceded her biological motherhood of Jesus. This is why Jesus gave more emphasis to our spiritual relationship with Him than a physical relationship. In truth, we all know that we are often closer to our friends than our biological brothers and sisters and even our parents. We share our lives more with our friends and confidante than our loved ones. Blood relationships speak of our obligation to be responsible for their well-being. But there might not be real love. Some children care for their parents because the law demands it. However, they fulfill the laws without love and warmth. They just provide the material and financial needs but hardly spend time with their loved ones. Sometimes, parents treat their children in the same way. They act more as financial providers, security officers to ensure that they do not do mischief, and discipline masters, but they have no personal relationship with their children.
The gospel made it clear that Jesus does not want us to have a nominal relationship with Him. Unfortunately, this is what many of us do. Our relationship with the Lord is based on fulfilling obligations, attending mass, doing good works, and saying some prayers. Religion becomes an extraneous part of our life. It is compartmentalized. It is about religious practices and following some norms. Therefore, many find Faith burdensome and boring. A nominal relationship with the Lord will result in a superficial faith leading to mechanical and perfunctory performance of duties. Indeed, being a Christian is more than just blind obedience to some doctrines and precepts.
What the Lord is asking of us is intimacy with Him. Unless we fall in love with the Lord, His words will remain something alien to us. Only lovers pay attention to every word that comes from their beloved. When the words are spoken, they understand deeply because they know the heart of their beloved. When we have the same mind and same heart, there is no misunderstanding. If the Word of God is incomprehensible to us it is because we are outside the circle of God’s family. Hence, as St Luke mentions earlier, they do not understand “the secrets of the kingdom of God” for “looking they may not perceive, and listening they may not understand.” (Lk 8:10) Falling in love with Jesus is the prerequisite to enabling us to hear the Word of God and then do it.
Truly, being a Christian is to be rooted in a relationship with the Lord. Pope Benedict wrote succinctly, “Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.” (Deus Caritas est, 1) It is about building a relationship of mutual knowledge, mutual will, trust, loyalty, and support. It is about being a member of the family of God. This is why we must be careful of people who claim that they are spiritual but not religious. In other words, they do pray and believe in God but they do not belong to any church or community. Our faith is not an individualistic relationship with the Sacred. Rather, it is to belong to the family of faith. For the Christian, baptism is the entry into the community of believers, the family of God. We are called to belong to one another in Christ who is the Head of the Church.
What binds us together as the family of God is our common love for the Lord. St Paul, writing to the Philippians, said, “If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 2:1,2,5) To the Ephesians, he wrote, “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.” (Eph 4:2-6) So let us cherish our membership in the family of God, growing in intimacy with Him.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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