20201116 RECOVERING LOST ZEAL
16 November, 2020, Monday, 33rd Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Green.
First reading |
Apocalypse 1:1-4,2:1-5 © |
Think what you were before you fell, and repent
This is the revelation given by God to Jesus Christ so that he could tell his servants about the things which are now to take place very soon; he sent his angel to make it known to his servant John, and John has written down everything he saw and swears it is the word of God guaranteed by Jesus Christ. Happy the man who reads this prophecy, and happy those who listen to him, if they treasure all that it says, because the Time is close.
From John, to the seven churches of Asia: grace and peace to you from him who is, who was, and who is to come, from the seven spirits in his presence before his throne.
I heard the Lord saying to me: ‘Write to the angel of the church in Ephesus and say, “Here is the message of the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and who lives surrounded by the seven golden lamp-stands: I know all about you: how hard you work and how much you put up with. I know you cannot stand wicked men, and how you tested the impostors who called themselves apostles and proved they were liars. Know, too, that you have patience, and have suffered for my name without growing tired. Nevertheless, I have this complaint to make; you have less love now than you used to. Think where you were before you fell; repent, and do as you used to at first.”’
Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 1:1-4,6 © |
Those who prove victorious I will feed from the tree of life.
Happy indeed is the man
who follows not the counsel of the wicked;
nor lingers in the way of sinners
nor sits in the company of scorners,
but whose delight is the law of the Lord
and who ponders his law day and night.
Those who prove victorious I will feed from the tree of life.
He is like a tree that is planted
beside the flowing waters,
that yields its fruit in due season
and whose leaves shall never fade;
and all that he does shall prosper.
Those who prove victorious I will feed from the tree of life.
Not so are the wicked, not so!
For they like winnowed chaff
shall be driven away by the wind:
for the Lord guards the way of the just
but the way of the wicked leads to doom.
Those who prove victorious I will feed from the tree of life.
Gospel Acclamation | Jn8:12 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
anyone who follows me will have the light of life.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 18:35-43 © |
'Son of David, have pity on me'
As Jesus drew near to Jericho there was a blind man sitting at the side of the road begging. When he heard the crowd going past he asked what it was all about, and they told him that Jesus the Nazarene was passing by. So he called out, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.’ The people in front scolded him and told him to keep quiet, but he shouted all the louder, ‘Son of David, have pity on me.’ Jesus stopped and ordered them to bring the man to him, and when he came up, asked him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ ‘Sir,’ he replied ‘let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Receive your sight. Your faith has saved you.’ And instantly his sight returned and he followed him praising God, and all the people who saw it gave praise to God for what had happened.
RECOVERING LOST ZEAL
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [REV 1:1-4; 2:1-5; LUKE 18:35-43 ]
Many of us have lost our enthusiasm, not just for serving the Church but also for our faith as well. We were filled with zeal when we found Jesus. We got excited that we could contribute to the growth of our parish community and be collaborators in the work of evangelization. We felt honoured to be given positions of trust and authority in the Church, whether as priest or lay leader. But over time, we lost our enthusiasm and zeal. This was the case of the Church at Ephesus. The Lord lamented, “Nevertheless, I have this complaint to make; you have less love now than you used to.” What could be the causes?
Firstly, we could be overworked and burnt-out. The Lord acknowledged how hardworking the Christians at Ephesus were. “I know all about you: how hard you work and how much you put up with.” Indeed, those of us who work in the Church or are involved as volunteers know the demands of the ministry. There are so many challenges facing us, so many demands from our people, so many things needed but so lacking in manpower. Most of us are assuming a few portfolios because few good people are willing to give themselves to the service of the Church.
Secondly, we could be tired because we have to deal with so much opposition, from within and without, conflicts and disagreements. We find ourselves spending much time defending our position rather than aligning everyone on board to move in the same direction. Again, this was what was said of the Christians, “I know you cannot stand wicked men, and how you tested the impostors who called themselves apostles and proved they were liars.” Instead of using our energy to do good, we exhaust ourselves in arguing and bickering, so much so we no longer have any energy to do the work.
Thirdly, we could have become disillusioned and jaded. When things do not change in spite of so much deliberation, talk and discussions, we feel we are wasting our time. We give up because, overwhelmed by the institution, with so many obstacles all round, we feel we could devote our time to more worthy causes that give results. So after a few attempts, we tend to leave things as they are, knowing that we are powerless to change the situation. We resign ourselves to the reality. Either we just tolerate or we leave. When there are no fruits to be seen in our contributions, why do we want to waste time and energy on it?
Fourthly, zeal could be lost because of complacency. Sometimes, the Church is doing well. Our organization or parish seems to be making progress. We have set up the structures and they are working. Instead of strengthening and building up what we have achieved, we sit back and rest on our laurels. The moment when we feel we have achieved much and begin to be contented, this is where complacency and self-sufficiency sets in. This is so true in those Catholic churches that have masses that are filled to capacity on Sundays. They do not feel the need to reach out and bring more people to Jesus simply because their capacity is already full. This also explains why some parishes are not bothered that their parishioners are leaving the church after confirmation and RCIA. They have enough parishioners to serve and they have sufficient funds to maintain the parish.
Finally, we could have lost our zeal simply because of our fellow Christians. They are the ones who discouraged us from doing more or serving more. They are like those people who told the blind man to keep quiet and not disturb the Lord by shouting so loudly. Indeed, often our fellow Catholics pour cold water over our initiatives and kill our enthusiasm.
How, then, can we recover our lost zeal? The Lord said, “Think where you were before you fell.” We must go back to where we started and how we started. Remembering our first love, the time when we fell in love with God, our Blessed Mother, the Word of God and the Eucharist, this would revive our faith. This is why we celebrate anniversaries, to rekindle our original hopes and dreams. The truth is that when routine sets in and problems arise, we forget our initial dreams and hopes. We must relive our dreams again and God’s love for us that planted this dream and vision in our hearts. Indeed, we must remember how we felt when we started in our ministry, or when we were given the position or office to lead the Church of Christ. How happy and excited we were!
Like the blind man at Jericho, we must cry out, “let me see again.” We need to dream anew in order to recover our dream. What must we see for this to happen? We must see the Lord! We must keep our eyes focused on the Lord again. It is ironical that the people who were walking with the Lord could not recognize Jesus as the Lord, the Son of David. They only saw Him as Jesus the Nazarene. It took a blind man to recognize that Jesus the Nazarene was none other than “Jesus, Son of David”, a Messianic title because He is the successor of King David. We too must see Jesus as more than just a historical figure or a symbolic figure. Rather, we must confess that Jesus is truly the Messiah, our savior who will win victory for us. Indeed, the Book of Revelation was written to the persecuted Christians to remind them that in spite of their persecutions, Jesus will win victory over their enemies.
Then we must repent and do. This was the revelation that John received. “Repent, and do as you used to at first.” We must seek repentance from our complacency, disillusionment, jadedness and discouragement. There is also a warning from the Lord that if we do not renew our love and zeal for Him by repenting of our complacency and disillusionment, we will destroy ourselves. “If you will not repent, I shall come to you and take your lamp-stand from its place.” We will be left without the light of the Lord to guide us. By focusing our eyes on Jesus, we will find faith like the blind man to see clearly that God is with us and He will restore our lives just as He restored the eyesight of the blind man. Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight. Your faith has saved you.” And we read, “Instantly his sight returned and he followed him praising God, and all the people who saw it gave praise to God for what had happened.” Not only was he healed of his blindness, but we are told he followed Jesus and praised God.
His life now became a life of praise and thanksgiving. And he followed after Jesus, keeping his eyes on Him. We too must do the same. Praising God for what He has done for us will help us to remember His love for us and recover our love for Him. Truly, even whilst we face lots of challenges, we must be like the people, always giving praise to God for what He has done for us. Let us not just focus on our failures and our inadequacies. We must give praise to God for the little things we have done and have brought fruits for our people. Just focusing on our weaknesses and problems only weakens us. We need to focus on our strength and the blessings He has given to us. As the psalmist says, “He is like a tree that is planted beside the flowing waters, that yields its fruit in due season and whose leaves shall never fade; and all that he does shall prosper.”
We must persevere in this journey and not allow wet blankets to discourage us. Even when the people told the blind man to keep quiet, he refused to accept their discouraging words. Instead, he shouted all the louder, “Son of David, have pity on me”. So if we hear negative remarks, and wet blankets around us, we must continue to hold our hopes high. We must be like the deaf frog who managed to jump out of the well simply because he did not hear his fellow frogs telling him that he would not be able to do it. Like the early Christians, we must be patient as the Lord said, “Know, too, that you have patience, and have suffered for my name without growing tired.” Patience and perseverance will see us through. So let us walk in faith, not by sight like the blind man, for He is our savior and Lord!
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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