20210111 JESUS IS THE GOOD NEWS OF GOD IN PERSON
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Green.
First reading | Hebrews 1:1-6 © |
God has spoken to us through his Son
At various times in the past and in various different ways, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; but in our own time, the last days, he has spoken to us through his Son, the Son that he has appointed to inherit everything and through whom he made everything there is. He is the radiant light of God’s glory and the perfect copy of his nature, sustaining the universe by his powerful command; and now that he has destroyed the defilement of sin, he has gone to take his place in heaven at the right hand of divine Majesty. So he is now as far above the angels as the title which he has inherited is higher than their own name.
God has never said to any angel: You are my Son, today I have become your father;or: I will be a father to him and he a son to me. Again, when he brings the First-Born into the world, he says: Let all the angels of God worship him.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 96(97):1-2,6-7,9 © |
All you angels, worship the Lord.
The Lord is king, let earth rejoice,
the many coastlands be glad.
His throne is justice and right.
All you angels, worship the Lord.
The skies proclaim his justice;
all peoples see his glory.
All you spirits, worship him.
All you angels, worship the Lord.
For you indeed are the Lord
most high above all the earth,
exalted far above all spirits.
All you angels, worship the Lord.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ac16:14 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Open our heart, O Lord,
to accept the words of your Son.
Alleluia!
Or: | Mk1:15 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The kingdom of God is close at hand:
repent and believe the Good News.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 1:14-20 © |
I will make you into fishers of men
After John had been arrested, Jesus went into Galilee. There he proclaimed the Good News from God. ‘The time has come’ he said ‘and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.’
As he was walking along by the Sea of Galilee he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net in the lake – for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you into fishers of men.’ And at once they left their nets and followed him.
Going on a little further, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they too were in their boat, mending their nets. He called them at once and, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the men he employed, they went after him.
11 January, 2021, Monday, Ordinary Time
JESUS IS THE GOOD NEWS OF GOD IN PERSON
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [HEB 1:1-6; PSALM 97:1-2,6-7,9; MK 1:14-20 ]
“After John had been arrested, Jesus went into Galilee. There he proclaimed the Good News from God. ‘The time has come’ he said ‘and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.'”
What is the Good News? The Good News is that God is now in charge of our lives. He reigns in our hearts. Only when God reigns, can there be joy, peace and unity. In the world, all political and religious leaders have failed to unite the people. This is because human leaders are limited by their power and strength and wisdom. Only God can ensure peace in this world. So proclaimed the psalmist, “The Lord is king, let earth rejoice, the many coastlands be glad. His throne is justice and right. The skies proclaim his justice; all peoples see his glory. All you spirits, worship him.”
How does God reign? By infusing His wisdom, love and values. This is what we read about the Messiah from the prophet Isaiah. “A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.” (Isa 11:1f) Jesus spelt out the kingdom values in His Beatitude teaching. (cf Mt 5:1-11) Indeed, unless we live out the life of the Kingdom as the Lord gave us in His teaching on the Mount, we cannot speak about the establishment of the kingdom of God.
In the most visible way, the reign of God is found in Jesus Himself who is the personal presence of God. The author of the letter to the Hebrews wrote, “He is the radiant light of God’s glory and the perfect copy of his nature, sustaining the universe by his powerful command; and now that he has destroyed the defilement of sin, he has gone to take his place in heaven at the right hand of divine Majesty. So he is now as far above the angels as the title he has inherited is higher than their own name.” Christ was the glory of God right from eternity because He shares in the being of God. But as man, Christ showed forth God’s glory by overcoming the reign of sin and then was raised above the heavens to share in the divine majesty.
Consequently, the Good News is a person, not just an event or some values. “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) Jesus is the one God speaks through and in Him. “At various times in the past and in various different ways, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; but in our own time, the last days, he has spoken to us through his Son, the Son that he has appointed to inherit everything and through whom he made everything there is.” Christ is the Word of God in person. He speaks God’s Word. “The Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” (Jn 1:14)
Jesus as the Word of God is attested in many different ways in the gospel. This was what St Peter said, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” (Jn 6:68f) Jesus told St Thomas, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” (Jn 14:5-7) To Philip, He said, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works.” (Jn 14:9f)
Because He is the Word of God, He is the answer to everything in life. “The truth is that only in the mystery of the incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light. For Adam, the first man, was a figure of Him Who was to come, namely Christ the Lord. Christ, the final Adam, by the revelation of the mystery of the Father and His love, fully reveals man to man himself and makes his supreme calling clear. It is not surprising, then, that in Him all the aforementioned truths find their root and attain their crown.” (Gaudium et spes, 22) Christ is the answer to man’s questions about identity, life, and suffering. “Such is the mystery of man, and it is a great one, as seen by believers in the light of Christian revelation. Through Christ and in Christ, the riddles of sorrow and death grow meaningful. Apart from His Gospel, they overwhelm us. Christ has risen, destroying death by His death; He has lavished life upon us so that, as sons in the Son, we can cry out in the Spirit; Abba, Father.” (Ibid)
Hence, there is no need to turn to other answers and be confused in our faith. There is a grave temptation to turn to other sources to find life as many Catholics do today. They turn to other religions, especially New Age Spirituality to make sense of life and for assistance in their life. Many Catholics are compromising their faith by illegitimately incorporating certain practices of other religious traditions in their personal prayer life. In seeking for peace, they turn to transcendental meditation in its various forms to find calmness in their minds. Some seek to embrace doctrines from other religions to form another syncretic religion.
The challenge of today’s gospel is clear. If Jesus is the radiance of God’s presence, we are to submit to His authority. This was the way of the disciples. We read that when Jesus called Simon and his brother Andrew, “‘Follow me and I will make you into fishers of men.’ And at once they left their nets and followed him.” Similarly, “Going on a little further, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they too were in their boat, mending their nets. He called them at once and, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the men he employed, they went after him.” Why did the disciples drop their nets immediately and followed Jesus? Their reaction was not normal. If someone were to ask us to give up our job or leave our family for something else, we would take time to discern further. But in the case of the disciples in the gospel, the One who called them was not just any ordinary master. He was the Son of God. If God calls, then we cannot delay or bargain. We simply obey as the servant to his master, the subject to the king. This explains why a divine call evokes immediate obedience and action. There should not be any delay or compromise.
This truth is also illustrated in another incident when three would-be disciples came to the Lord. The first one thought that he could follow Jesus without being called. He said, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” The second person sought to be with his loved ones and settle his legal responsibility before the Lord. “He said, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ But Jesus said to him, Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.'” (Lk 9:59f) And the last placed conditions to follow the Lord, he said, ”I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.'” (Lk 9:61f)
Indeed, with respect to God’s call and authority, we must submit ourselves to Him, intellect and will, whether we understand or not, agree or disagree. Jesus is the Son of God. Like the angels, we must bow down in worship. “All you angels, worship the Lord. The Lord is king, let earth rejoice, the many coastlands be glad. His throne is justice and right. The skies proclaim his justice; all peoples see his glory. All you spirits, worship him. For you indeed are the Lord most high above all the earth, exalted far above all spirits.” If we believe in the scriptures even when we don’t understand or agree, it is because Christ is the Word of God. We do not allow the rationalistic thinking of the world and worldly opinions to tell us how we should live our lives. We should live our lives according to the Word of God and all those doctrines expounded in the Church as well.
Only then are we ready to do the work of evangelization. As evangelizers, we are not here to proclaim ourselves. We are sent, like Jesus who was sent by the Father. We are called to announce the Good News as we have received, not according to what we think. This is why those who cannot submit to the Word of God and to the legitimate authority over them, cannot continue the work of the gospel. Indeed, “We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers.”
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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