20201030 THE JOY OF A CHRISTIAN
30 October, 2020, Friday, 30th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Green.
First reading |
Philippians 1:1-11 © |
Greeting and thanksgiving
From Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus, together with their presiding elders and deacons. We wish you the grace and peace of God our Father and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I thank my God whenever I think of you; and every time I pray for all of you, I pray with joy, remembering how you have helped to spread the Good News from the day you first heard it right up to the present. I am quite certain that the One who began this good work in you will see that it is finished when the Day of Christ Jesus comes. It is only natural that I should feel like this towards you all, since you have shared the privileges which have been mine: both my chains and my work defending and establishing the gospel. You have a permanent place in my heart, and God knows how much I miss you all, loving you as Christ Jesus loves you. My prayer is that your love for each other may increase more and more and never stop improving your knowledge and deepening your perception so that you can always recognise what is best. This will help you to become pure and blameless, and prepare you for the Day of Christ, when you will reach the perfect goodness which Jesus Christ produces in us for the glory and praise of God.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 110(111):1-6 © |
Great are the works of the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
I will thank the Lord with all my heart
in the meeting of the just and their assembly.
Great are the works of the Lord,
to be pondered by all who love them.
Great are the works of the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
Majestic and glorious his work,
his justice stands firm for ever.
He makes us remember his wonders.
The Lord is compassion and love.
Great are the works of the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
He gives food to those who fear him;
keeps his covenant ever in mind.
He has shown his might to his people
by giving them the lands of the nations.
Great are the works of the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | cf.1Th2:13 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Accept God’s message for what it really is:
God’s message, and not some human thinking.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn10:27 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,
says the Lord,
I know them and they follow me.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 14:1-6 © |
'Is it against the law to cure a man on the sabbath?'
Now on a sabbath day Jesus had gone for a meal to the house of one of the leading Pharisees; and they watched him closely. There in front of him was a man with dropsy, and Jesus addressed the lawyers and Pharisees. ‘Is it against the law’ he asked ‘to cure a man on the sabbath, or not?’ But they remained silent, so he took the man and cured him and sent him away. Then he said to them, ‘Which of you here, if his son falls into a well, or his ox, will not pull him out on a sabbath day without hesitation?’ And to this they could find no answer.
THE JOY OF A CHRISTIAN
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [PHILIPPIANS 1:1-11; LUKE 14:1-6 ]
Christianity is about the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ. If the gospel is truly Good News, then every Christian must always be joyful regardless of the situation he or she is in, whether in good or bad times, success or failure, in health or sickness, poverty or plenty as St Paul himself wrote, “I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need.” (Phil 4:11f)
In contrast, the Jewish religious leaders during the time of Jesus were people who exhibited anything but joy. The Mosaic Laws were meticulously carried out without joy. It was a burden to everyone. They tried to observe them as much as they could; and sometimes find loopholes to avoid breaking the laws. The laws were not kept out of love for God or for their fellowmen but simply to avoid condemnation by God. The only perverted joy they got out of observing the laws was to get the attention and praises of people so that they were thought to be holy and pious. They became self-righteous. As the Lord remarked, “they do not practice what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by others.” (Mt 23:3-5)
In today’s gospel, when Jesus was invited for a meal “at the house of one of the leading Pharisees; and they watched him closely.” They were out to find fault and to trap Him so that they could find reasons for Him to be arrested. They were malicious, conniving and insincere. When Jesus saw a man with dropsy, His immediate response was to heal him. So He asked the religious leaders, “Is it against the law to cure a man on the Sabbath, or not?” They all knew the answer because as the Lord pointed out, “Which of you here, if his son falls into a well, or his ox, will not pull him out on a Sabbath day without hesitation?” And of course, the man who was suffering from dropsy was certainly worth much more than an animal. Instead of rejoicing, they were angry with Jesus for relieving someone of his pain and healing him.
The letter to the Philippians presents to us what a Christian, especially a pastor, church leader and those in church ministries, must possess, namely, the spirit of joy. Without joy, we cannot proclaim the gospel. This is why Pope Francis in his first encyclical, named it as the Gospel of Joy. He introduced his encyclical by saying, “The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew. In this Exhortation I wish to encourage the Christian faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelization marked by this joy.” (Evangelii Gaudium, 1) He warns us, “Consequently, an evangelizer must never look like someone who has just come back from a funeral! Let us recover and deepen our enthusiasm, that “delightful and comforting joy of evangelizing, even when it is in tears that we must sow… And may the world of our time, which is searching, sometimes with anguish, sometimes with hope, be enabled to receive the good news not from evangelizers who are dejected, discouraged, impatient or anxious, but from ministers of the Gospel whose lives glow with fervour, who have first received the joy of Christ”. (Ibid, 10)
What, then, is the foundation of Christian joy? It comes from the joy of sharing the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, it is a great joy and privilege for us to be recipients of this joy and sharing it with others. Joy is always contagious. When we are joyful, we bring joy to others. Only those who have found joy in Christ are able to share this joy with others, spontaneously and enthusiastically without any motives except to invite others into our joy in the Lord. Indeed, more than ever, people in the world need to hear the joy of the gospel, especially in a world where life has become meaningless, reduced to the pursuit of pleasures and adventures, accumulation of wealth and power, but with great emptiness in our hearts because God is not felt and our love is inward-looking and insecure. When we live self-centered lives, there can be no joy or peace or fulfillment.
But greater is the joy of sharing the gospel when the proclamation of the gospel is done in collaboration with our fellow Christians. This was why Jesus, when sending out the disciples for the mission, sent them out two by two. He “sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go.” (Lk 10:1) We never evangelize alone but always with our brothers and sisters. Indeed, the great joy of pastors and church leaders is when we have support in our mission and ministry. We all need support and encouragement. This was how St Paul felt. “I pray with joy, remembering how you have helped spread the Good News from the day you first heard it right up to the present.” Indeed, when we travel together, we find strength and courage, especially in times of trials and challenges. Knowing that we are not alone gives us joy and hope.
Yet, an even greater joy is to know that we are in solidarity in suffering for the sake of the gospel. Again, Paul wrote, “It is only natural that I should feel like this towards you all, since you have shared the privileges which have been mine: both my chains and my work defending and establishing the gospel.” Paul was writing from prison but he was certainly not depressed or discouraged. Regardless of the situation, Paul was always positive, for nothing could chain up the spread of the gospel, even when he was chained by the Romans. This joy came primarily from the Lord Himself as he wrote later on, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Phil 4:13) And he added, “In any case, it was kind of you to share my distress.” (Phil 4:14) Indeed, knowing that we do not suffer alone but with our brothers and sisters, give us courage and perseverance.
But what touches the hearts of everyone, is not just collaboration and support in our ministry but the love of our brothers and sisters. St Paul felt the affection of the Christians in Philippi. This was the only community that he accepted gifts from because he felt he knew them enough to accept their help, including financial assistance, without giving cause to misunderstanding that he was making use of them. Knowing how much they loved him, certainly evoked in him a similar response of affection. This was why he wrote in an affectionate and personal manner to them unlike in the other letters. “You have a permanent place in my heart, and God knows how much I miss you all, loving you as Christ Jesus loves you.”
Finally, the greatest joy of a Christian is to find ourselves together becoming “pure and blameless” reaching “the perfect goodness which Christ Jesus produces in us for the glory and praise of God.” There is no other joy than to reflect the glory and praise of God because it means that we have purified ourselves to become like Him. (1 Jn 3:2f) For this reason, like St Paul, whilst we give thanks for all His blessings, we too must pray that “our love for each other may increase more and more” and that “(we) never stop improving (our) knowledge and deepening (our) perception so that (we) can always recognise what is best.” With a discerning heart and growing love, indeed, as St Paul said, “I am quite certain that the One who began this good work in you will see that it is finished when the Day of Christ Jesus comes.” Truly, a Christian remains joyful in hope because we know our destiny.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved. T
No comments:
Post a Comment