20201110 MENTORING CHRISTIAN LIFE AND SERVANTHOOD
10 November, 2020, Tuesday, 32nd Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: White.
These are the readings for the feria
First reading |
Titus 2:1-8,11-14 © |
You must preach the behaviour which goes with healthy doctrine
It is for you to preach the behaviour which goes with healthy doctrine. The older men should be reserved, dignified, moderate, sound in faith and love and constancy. Similarly, the older women should behave as though they were religious, with no scandal-mongering and no habitual wine-drinking – they are to be the teachers of the right behaviour and show the younger women how they should love their husbands and love their children, how they are to be sensible and chaste, and how to work in their homes, and be gentle, and do as their husbands tell them, so that the message of God is never disgraced. In the same way, you have got to persuade the younger men to be moderate and in everything you do make yourself an example to them of working for good: when you are teaching, be an example to them in your sincerity and earnestness and in keeping all that you say so wholesome that nobody can make objections to it; and then any opponent will be at a loss, with no accusation to make against us. You see, God’s grace has been revealed, and it has made salvation possible for the whole human race and taught us that what we have to do is to give up everything that does not lead to God, and all our worldly ambitions; we must be self-restrained and live good and religious lives here in this present world, while we are waiting in hope for the blessing which will come with the Appearing of the glory of our great God and saviour Christ Jesus. He sacrificed himself for us in order to set us free from all wickedness and to purify a people so that it could be his very ownand would have no ambition except to do good.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 36(37):3-4,18,23,27,29 © |
The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
If you trust in the Lord and do good,
then you will live in the land and be secure.
If you find your delight in the Lord,
he will grant your heart’s desire.
The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
He protects the lives of the upright,
their heritage will last for ever.
The Lord guides the steps of a man
and makes safe the path of one he loves.
The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Then turn away from evil and do good
and you shall have a home for ever;
The just shall inherit the land;
there they shall live for ever.
The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Gospel Acclamation | Mt4:4 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Man does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn14:23 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
If anyone loves me he will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 17:7-10 © |
You are merely servants
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Which of you, with a servant ploughing or minding sheep, would say to him when he returned from the fields, “Come and have your meal immediately”? Would he not be more likely to say, “Get my supper laid; make yourself tidy and wait on me while I eat and drink. You can eat and drink yourself afterwards”? Must he be grateful to the servant for doing what he was told? So with you: when you have done all you have been told to do, say, “We are merely servants: we have done no more than our duty.”’
MENTORING CHRISTIAN LIFE AND SERVANTHOOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ TITUS 2:1-8,11-14; LUKE 17:7-10]
In the first reading, St Paul reminds us that all of us are called to mentor each other in Christian life. Holiness is more than just for the sake of oneself and one’s salvation but for the sake of others, that they too might be edified by us and live a life of good Christian character and service. In mentoring, we are called principally to live by our example what it means to be a servant of Christ, both by our Christian character and the way we serve. It is not enough to teach the right doctrine but it must be accompanied by righteous living. Every one of us, according to our state of life, age, rank and position, is called to be an inspiration to each other. Hence, St Paul gave instructions on how older men should behave in a dignified manner, “moderate, sound in faith and love and constancy.” For older women, St Paul urged them to “be the teachers of the right behaviour and show the younger women how they should love their husbands and love their children, how they are to be sensible and chaste so that the message of God is never disgraced.” St Paul too have exhortations for the younger men as well.
Indeed, the real weakness in family life today is that we forget that our bad examples will cause others to fall and lower their moral standards and Christian conduct. If children are not responsible in their lives, perhaps it is because they look at their parents, the way they do their work, not taking pride in what they do, and are uninspired. If parents are mentors of the work they do, their profession, whether as doctors, lawyers, teachers or bankers, their children will follow suit. If children today are indifferent to the sacrament of matrimony, it is because they see in their very eyes, the bad example of their parents who are always fighting, squabbling and hostile towards each other. This is no way to encourage our children to get married if we do not show them the joy and unity of married life. This is true also for the elder siblings. When the elder siblings do not take their faith seriously, go to church, serve in ministries, the younger siblings will tend to follow suit. But if their elder brothers or sisters are involved in church ministries and also show themselves to be loving brothers and sisters to their younger siblings, we can be sure that they too will follow the footsteps of their elder siblings.
But being mentors at home and with our friends by our way of life and our conduct is not all there is to mentorship. Equally important is to be mentors of what it means to be a servant of God. This is what the gospel is teaching us today. Servanthood extends to every area of life as well, whether it is in our work or profession or ministry. If we are workers in the office, we must inspire our staff and our colleagues to commit themselves to doing their best as workers, not just of the organization they are serving but of the Lord. As St Paul reminds us, “Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters, since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ.” (Col 3:23f)
If we are Church workers, whether voluntary or paid staff, we must edify our colleagues that we are building the Kingdom of God and that we are co-responsible for the spread of the gospel. We are all working in the vineyard of the same Lord. There must not be less commitment just because we are volunteers. When we commit ourselves to serve in the ministry, we must do our utmost best. Just as we do not expect our priests and religious to do less simply because they are not paid, so too, as volunteers in the church, our service must be full of dedication and zeal, more so because we are directly involved in the building of His kingdom. Because we are serving God as our master, our service must always be one of passion, devotion and excellence.
So whether we are catechists, choir members, members in the hospitality ministry or youth ministry, we need to be responsible to the tasks given to us. As St Paul reminds us in his letter to the Ephesians. “We must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.” (Eph 4:15f) Each one of us must play our part, inspire each other to serve with passion and humility. All of us have a part to play. We are members of an orchestra. “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues.” (1 Cor 12:27f)
If we find that there is a lack of membership or renewal of leaders, sometimes it is due to the fact that we do not have good leaders who are mentors to inspire others to take up the responsibilities. I am sure if we are good leaders, there will be others who will be happy to take over when we are unable to serve any longer or when we see the need for renewal in leadership. So when an organization is lacking members and leaders, then we must do some soul searching to see whether it could be due to our lack of inspiring leadership, leading to a vacuum in membership and leadership. Good leaders tend to attract those who are inspired to join them in their mission, just as Christ inspired the apostles to the mission of proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom.
The gospel invites us to give our best in serving God and our neighbours selflessly. We must not expect gratitude or recognition from anyone. This is because no matter what we do for God or for others, we cannot ever repay them. We are what we are today only because the Lord has blessed us with the resources, talents and opportunities. We are what we are today, only because the Lord has sent certain people into our lives to guide us, inspire us and mentor us. So we have nothing much to boast about. As Jesus in the gospel reminds us, “Must he be grateful to the servant for doing what he was told? So with you: when you have done all you have been told to do, say, ‘We are merely servants: we have done no more than our duty.'” There is no question of rights and claims to what we have done. Indeed, church volunteers should never seek for such recognition because they should feel privileged to be called to the service of the King. What greater honour than to be called to serve the King, just as one would feel honoured if the Head of State were to call us to serve with him or her.
Indeed, we can serve freely and generously only when the love of God is in our hearts. Unless we are conscious of His love and kindness to us, we will not be able to give ourselves selflessly to the service of others. To offer ourselves freely presupposes that we have been loved freely. This is why in the first reading, St Paul did not just tell us to live a good Christian life and be good mentors to other. He gave us the shining example of what it means to live a life of humble service and dedication. Jesus is for us the grace of God revealed and thus, “made salvation possible for the whole human race.” He “taught us to give up everything that does not lead to God, and all our worldly ambitions. He sacrificed himself for us in order to set us free from all wickedness and to purify a people so that it could be his very own and would have no ambition except to do good.”
But more than just a mentor, He empowered us by giving us His Holy Spirit. Placed under the Lordship of Christ, we will be able to direct our lives accordingly, and render our service wholeheartedly for His Majesty’s service. Inspired by our Lord and St Paul himself, “we must be self restrained and live good and religious lives here in this present world, while we are waiting in hope for the blessing which will come with the Appearing of the glory of our great God and saviour Christ Jesus.” Indeed, our reward is the honour of serving Him now on earth and sharing in His glory at the end of our sojourn on earth. When we are waiting for the King to return, we will ensure that the house is in order and we ready to welcome Him.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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