20210119 PERSEVERE IN HOPE THROUGH FAITH AND LOVE
19 January, 2021, Tuesday, 2nd Week in Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Green.
First reading | Hebrews 6:10-20 © |
In this hope we have an anchor for our soul
God would not be so unjust as to forget all you have done, the love that you have for his name or the services you have done, and are still doing, for the saints. Our one desire is that every one of you should go on showing the same earnestness to the end, to the perfect fulfilment of our hopes, never growing careless, but imitating those who have the faith and the perseverance to inherit the promises.
When God made the promise to Abraham, he swore by his own self, since it was impossible for him to swear by anyone greater: I will shower blessings on you and give you many descendants. Because of that, Abraham persevered and saw the promise fulfilled. Men, of course, swear an oath by something greater than themselves, and between men, confirmation by an oath puts an end to all dispute. In the same way, when God wanted to make the heirs to the promise thoroughly realise that his purpose was unalterable, he conveyed this by an oath; so that there would be two unalterable things in which it was impossible for God to be lying, and so that we, now we have found safety, should have a strong encouragement to take a firm grip on the hope that is held out to us. Here we have an anchor for our soul, as sure as it is firm, and reaching right through beyond the veil where Jesus has entered before us and on our behalf, to become a high priest of the order of Melchizedek, and for ever.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 110(111):1-2,4-5,9,10 © |
The Lord keeps his covenant ever in mind.
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.
The Lord keeps his covenant ever in mind.
He makes us remember his wonders.
The Lord is compassion and love.
He gives food to those who fear him;
keeps his covenant ever in mind.
The Lord keeps his covenant ever in mind.
He has sent deliverance to his people
and established his covenant for ever.
Holy his name, to be feared.
His praise shall last for ever!
The Lord keeps his covenant ever in mind.
Gospel Acclamation | Ps118:18 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Open my eyes, O Lord, that I may consider
the wonders of your law.
Alleluia!
Or: | cf.Ep1:17,18 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our mind,
so that we can see what hope his call holds for us.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 2:23-28 © |
The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath
One sabbath day, Jesus happened to be taking a walk through the cornfields, and his disciples began to pick ears of corn as they went along. And the Pharisees said to him, ‘Look, why are they doing something on the sabbath day that is forbidden?’ And he replied, ‘Did you never read what David did in his time of need when he and his followers were hungry – how he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the loaves of offering which only the priests are allowed to eat, and how he also gave some to the men with him?’
And he said to them, ‘The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath; the Son of Man is master even of the sabbath.’
PERSEVERE IN HOPE THROUGH FAITH AND LOVE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [HEB 6:10-20; PS 111:1-2,4-5,9,10, MK 2:23-28]
Hope is what motivates us in life. We all live in hope of greater things to come. Otherwise, there is no reason to continue struggling in this life, sacrificing the present enjoyment for the future, or worse still, sacrificing ourselves for the future generation. But what is the anchor of our hope? Wealth, we know, cannot bring real happiness. Power and position cannot last. Even relationships are fragile. This is why our ultimate hope must be in God. Only God can satisfy us. Only God is eternal. However, to arrive at this ultimate hope, we have to go through a process, like Abraham.
Indeed, it is this hope that sustained Abraham and the People of God. Of course, this hope to be with God was gradually clarified in the course of salvation history. Initially, Abraham was simply promised an unknown land. “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” (Gn 12:1f) Then came the promise of many descendants. “No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.” (Gn 17:5f) However, as if it was not enough for God to make a promise to Abraham, the letter of Hebrews says, “he swore by his own self, since it was impossible for him to swear by anyone greater: I will shower blessings on you and give you many descendants. Because of that, Abraham persevered and saw the promise fulfilled.” (cf Gn 22:16-18) This promise is now doubly binding because God’s word should be more than sufficient since God is truth, but to reiterate His fidelity, He swore an oath.
This hope eventually was fulfilled in Christ. The descendants of Abraham who would be blessed would be the new People of God. The true Israel and the seed of Abraham would be the multitude of nations, going beyond Israel. But only Christ could fulfill this role since He was the descendant of David and the Eternal High Priest of the New Covenant. In psalm 110, God renewed His oath to David. To the son of David, the psalmist said that Lord had sworn and would not change his mind, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” (Ps 110:4) It is in this context that the letter to the Hebrews introduced the theme of Jesus as the High Priest of the New Covenant. He is the One who makes it possible for us to gain access to God. “Here we have an anchor for our soul, as sure as it is firm, and reaching right through beyond the veil where Jesus has entered before us and on our behalf, to become a high priest of the order of Melchizedek, and for ever.”
How, then, can we persevere in this hope like Abraham? He believed without seeing. Abraham exercised great patience in waiting for the promise to be fulfilled, and even that was only partially fulfilled during his life time. He had to wait for another 25 years before Isaac was born. But he never wavered in his hope. He believed because God said so. He trusted in His word even though he did not know how it was possible because he was already 75 years old and Sarah was barren and had passed her child-bearing age. However, eventually, it would be through Jacob, the father of the twelve tribes of Israel that they entered the Promised Land. Nevertheless, Jesus would be the ultimate fulfillment for He said to the Jews, “Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad.” (Jn 8:56) So faith is what continues to sustain our hope. Those without faith in God cannot persevere in hope for eternity. At most, if there is any hope, it is for this world only. That is why St Paul said for Christians even, “If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.” (1 Cor 15:19f)
But faith is more than just belief. It is expressed in love and charity. It is charity that sustains our hope. The author of Hebrews, after sternly warning his readers of disobedience that could leave them out of the Promised Land of rest, sought to give encouragement to the Christians. He said, “God would not be so unjust as to forget all you have done, the love that you have for his name or the services you have done, and are still doing, for the saints.” They should continue to support each other in good works and in charity because those who experienced love and support in their lives will have their hope in God enkindled. As St James wrote, “faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.” Good works is more than just an expression of our faith in God, but it also sustains the faith of our recipients. This is always the case for the Church in her missionary activities. The proclamation of the gospel is more than just doctrines alone but must be expressed in works of mercy and charity.
This is what Jesus sought to underscore in today’s gospel. When the Pharisees found fault with Him for allowing His disciples to pick the ears of corn on the Sabbath, the Lord cited the example of David who, during “his time of need when he and his followers were hungry – how he went in the house of God when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the loaves of offering which only the priests are allowed to eat, and how he also gave some to the men with him?” (cf 1 Sm 21:1-6) Whilst it was a law that the holy Bread of the Presence could only be eaten by the priests alone (Lev 24:9), yet in time of need, David took the bread to eat. By citing this example, Jesus demonstrated that human need takes precedence over human and even divine law. Jesus concluded, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath; so the Son of Man is master even of the Sabbath.”
Laws are enacted for the common good of man. They are not meant to enslave us or make our life miserable. Rather, they are for our good. They must not be applied blindly and slavishly. We cannot place rituals and even worship of God when there is someone crying out for need. Religion should not take us away from the suffering of our fellowmen, or keep us apart from them. They should bring us closer to them and lead us to help them regardless of race, language or religion. In fact, even sacred things are not just reserved for God only, but they must serve our need to grow in charity and love. We must enter to worship and depart to serve. The measure of true Christian faith is when we abound in generosity and charity to the poor. Everything we do must serve the Kingdom of God.
This is why in Jesus’ view, even the Sabbath Law is subordinated to the coming of the kingdom of God, unlike the Pharisees who thought that only when we fulfill the laws perfectly, could the Kingdom of God come. Jesus was saying that as the Son of Man who is the Master of the Sabbath, it is the rule of the Kingdom that must determine all our laws. The Kingdom is a kingdom of love. It is love that determines all that we do. As the Son of Man, an allusion to the vision of the prophet Daniel of the heavenly Son of Man (cf Dn 7:14f) who have been given authority to rule over all nations, so too, the Sabbath Law, even though held sacred by the Jews, is subjected to change when charity demands it or when the rule of the Kingdom requires it. So, keeping the Sabbath Law is important for us to keep life in perspective, giving us proper rest and also to focus on the essentials of life, namely, relationship with God and with our loved ones. But when there is a greater need, we might have to break the Sabbath for a greater good.
So, with faith and love, we must now journey towards the end without looking back. “God would not be so unjust as to forget all you have done, the love that you have for his name or the services you have done, and are still doing, for the saints. Our one desire is that every one of you should go on showing the same earnestness to the end, to the perfect fulfilment of our hopes, never growing careless, but imitating those who have the faith and the perseverance to inherit the promises.” Even when we feel tired, and faith is dimmed, worship is meaningless, prayer is dull and weak because of trials in life, we must continue to persevere with diligence and patience. Then after some time, the light will come back again.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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