20210128 STIRRING UP OUR FAITH
28 January, 2021, Thursday, 3rd Week, Ordinary Time
First reading |
Hebrews 10:19-25 © |
Let us keep firm in the hope we profess
Through the blood of Jesus we have the right to enter the sanctuary, by a new way which he has opened for us, a living opening through the curtain, that is to say, his body. And we have the supreme high priest over all the house of God. So as we go in, let us be sincere in heart and filled with faith, our minds sprinkled and free from any trace of bad conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us keep firm in the hope we profess, because the one who made the promise is faithful. Let us be concerned for each other, to stir a response in love and good works. Do not stay away from the meetings of the community, as some do, but encourage each other to go; the more so as you see the Day drawing near.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 23(24):1-6 © |
Such are the men who seek your face, O Lord.
The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness,
the world and all its peoples.
It is he who set it on the seas;
on the waters he made it firm.
Such are the men who seek your face, O Lord.
Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?
Who shall stand in his holy place?
The man with clean hands and pure heart,
who desires not worthless things.
Such are the men who seek your face, O Lord.
He shall receive blessings from the Lord
and reward from the God who saves him.
Such are the men who seek him,
seek the face of the God of Jacob.
Such are the men who seek your face, O Lord.
Gospel Acclamation | Ph2:15-16 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
You will shine in the world like bright stars
because you are offering it the word of life.
Alleluia!
Or: | Ps118:105 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your word is a lamp for my steps
and a light for my path.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 4:21-25 © |
A lamp is to be put on a lampstand. The amount you measure out is the amount you will be given
Jesus said to the crowd, ‘Would you bring in a lamp to put it under a tub or under the bed? Surely you will put it on the lamp-stand? For there is nothing hidden but it must be disclosed, nothing kept secret except to be brought to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to this.’
He also said to them, ‘Take notice of what you are hearing. The amount you measure out is the amount you will be given – and more besides; for the man who has will be given more; from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away.’
STIRRING UP OUR FAITH
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Heb 10:19-25; Psalm 24:1-6; Mark 4:21-25 ]
One of the threefold aspects of our vision is to build a vibrant church so that we can be evangelizing and missionary. Vibrancy would mean that our Catholics are fervent in their faith and alive “in love and good works.” Without a spirit-filled community, this goal cannot be realized. The question as the first reading asks of us is, how to stir a response from our Catholics. The truth is that most of our Catholics are nominal Catholics who only attend Sunday Mass. Many attend Mass only occasionally and are more like baptized pagans. The reality is that because the Church is tolerant and patient with members who are lethargic and indifferent, such members can also influence the rest of the community adversely. Indeed, statistics have shown that in many mixed marriages, when the faith of the Catholic party is weak, and/or the other non-Catholic party is stronger in his/her own faith, there is a greater likelihood that the entire family would drop out of the Catholic faith eventually.
Complacency is what the gospel is warning us. In the first parable, Jesus said to His disciples, “Would you bring in a lamp to put it under a tub or under the bed? Surely you will put it on the lamp-stand? For there is nothing hidden but it must be disclosed, nothing kept secret except to be brought to light.” Many Catholics do just that. They have received the gift of faith, the light of Christ. Instead of shinning out for the world to see whom and what they believe, some Catholics are secret disciples. They are ashamed of their faith for fear of being ridiculed. They hide their faith from their friends, colleagues and business clients. No one knows who they stand for or what faith they believe in. Those of us who are secretive about our faith will eventually lose it. Indeed, this is what secularism seeks to do, to keep faith out of public space so that eventually we forget about our faith and keep God away from our daily life.
Secondly, the gospel warns us of the danger of indifference. Twice, after or before each of the parable today, the Lord urged us to pay attention to the Word of God. He said, “If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to this.” These two parables must be seen in the context of the first parable of the Sower and the Seed. There are two things that will cause us to lose faith.
Firstly, by not listening to what is spoken to us. Like the seed that fell on the pathway and the rocky ground, we could deprive ourselves of the Word of God. Some of us are just not able to listen to God anymore. We come to Church on Sunday but we do not participate in the Church service actively or hear the Word of God that is proclaimed. If we come without due preparation or docility to learn from the Word of God, we will not gain much. When people complain that the Church is boring, they forget that they are part of the worshipping community. Everyone has a part to make the worship an anointed experience and the community a loving fellowship of Christians.
Secondly, we lose faith by not giving due attention to what has been heard. The Lord said, “Take notice of what you are hearing.” Many of us, like the seed that fell among thorns, are so distracted by the world and preoccupied with our problems and anxieties that we cannot hear the Word of God. When we sing, we are not interiorizing the words of the hymn. Our lips are moving but our heart and mind are far away. We are saying prayers or singing or even reading the Word of God, but it is done in a perfunctory manner, having no effects on us. We are not moved or touched because we have not given our heart and mind to what we are doing. We are tempted to just go through the rituals, superstitiously treating them as if they are magic; saying the formula prayers, reciting them like parrots. When we do not love the Lord with our heart, soul and strength, we will receive little.
As a consequence, whatever little faith we have is taken away from us. The Lord said, “The amount you measure out is the amount you will be given – and more besides; for the man who has will be given more; from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” When we have not grown in our faith or deepened our personal relationship with the Lord, we have nothing much to share. When there is nothing to share with others, our faith becomes weaker because it means that God has nothing to do with our life. But if we have something to share, the principle of life is that the more we share, the more we grow in knowledge, understanding, clarity and conviction.
So what must we do to stir up our faith once again? The author of the letter to the Hebrews at the conclusion of his thesis on the Priesthood of Jesus Christ reminds us that Jesus revealed to us the face of God through His body. It was His body that “opened for us, a living opening through the curtain.” Indeed, His body concealed the divinity of God and also revealed it. This was why the Lord said to Philip, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. (cf Jn 14:9f) Most of all by His death on the cross, “through the blood of Jesus we have the right to enter the sanctuary”, He revealed to us the mercy and forgiveness of our sins. The unconditional mercy and forgiveness of God is made possible through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross so that justice is served and our sins are forgiven. Contemplation of His passion, death and resurrection will underscore that Jesus is truly the supreme High Priest of our faith, and the sacrificial victim for our salvation. As High Priest, Jesus is our bridge to the Heavenly Father.
Secondly, we must renew our baptismal commitments, not just verbally, but relive our promises to the Lord when we were baptized. The author invites us to the house of God, just as on the day we were baptized. “So as we go in, let us be sincere in heart and filled with faith, our minds sprinkled and free from any trace of bad conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” Just as the Old Testament priests had to wash themselves clean before offering the sacrifice and the sprinkling of blood on the altar to purify it, we are washed clean by the waters of rebirth by immersion or sprinkling. Renewing our baptismal vows would necessarily mean to return to that time when we fell in love with the Lord, just as we renew our marriage vows. Over the years, just like marriage, our spiritual life can become soiled and lack luster because of complacency. We have taken our faith for granted. Going for the sacrament of reconciliation and confessing our sins sincerely would be the first step to regain our peace of mind that comes from a bad conscience.
Thirdly, we must strengthen the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity. The author says, “Let us keep firm in the hope we profess, because the one who made the promise is faithful. Let us be concerned for each other, to stir a response in love and good works.” Indeed, these three virtues ground our relationship with God and our faith. Our faith in Christ must be founded on the hope that is promised to us. What is this hope if not to be in union with God at the end of this life? The author wrote, “the more so as you see the Day drawing near.” It is because of this certain hope of sharing in Christ’s resurrection and glory, that we remain firm in our faith in Him and in the gospel. This faith is then expressed in love and in charity. It is a love for God because of His goodness to us and our love for our brothers and sisters, because we are all called to the same hope and destiny.
Finally, because of this common faith, hope and love, then all the more, if we want to be firm in our faith and hope, we must begin by loving our own Christian family while not excluding those outside the Christian community. The reason why Catholics drop out of the Church is simply because often they do not belong to a faith community even though they might be attending church as a lone visitor. But we are not alone. We must come together to worship, share the Word of God and our faith with each other. This is what the author exhorts us, “Do not stay away from the meetings of the community, as some do, but encourage each other to go.” Unless, we come together regularly to meet, to pray, share the Word of God together and be friends with one another, we will lose our faith during trials and persecutions.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved. The contents of this page may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission from the Archbishop’s Office. This includes extracts, quotations, and summaries.
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