20210207 BE LIFE GIVING BY BEING A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS
07 February, 2021, Sunday, 5th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Green.
First reading | Job 7:1-4,6-7 © |
My life is but a breath
Job began to speak:
Is not man’s life on earth nothing more than pressed service,
his time no better than hired drudgery?
Like the slave, sighing for the shade,
or the workman with no thought but his wages,
months of delusion I have assigned to me,
nothing for my own but nights of grief.
Lying in bed I wonder, ‘When will it be day?’
Risen I think, ‘How slowly evening comes!’
Restlessly I fret till twilight falls.
Swifter than a weaver’s shuttle my days have passed,
and vanished, leaving no hope behind.
Remember that my life is but a breath,
and that my eyes will never again see joy.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 146(147):1-6 © |
Praise the Lord who heals the broken-hearted.
or
Alleluia!
Praise the Lord for he is good;
sing to our God for he is loving:
to him our praise is due.
Praise the Lord who heals the broken-hearted.
or
Alleluia!
The Lord builds up Jerusalem
and brings back Israel’s exiles,
he heals the broken-hearted,
he binds up all their wounds.
He fixes the number of the stars;
he calls each one by its name.
Praise the Lord who heals the broken-hearted.
or
Alleluia!
Our Lord is great and almighty;
his wisdom can never be measured.
The Lord raises the lowly;
he humbles the wicked to the dust.
Praise the Lord who heals the broken-hearted.
or
Alleluia!
Second reading |
1 Corinthians 9:16-19,22-23 © |
I should be punished if I did not preach the Gospel
I do not boast of preaching the gospel, since it is a duty which has been laid on me; I should be punished if I did not preach it! If I had chosen this work myself, I might have been paid for it, but as I have not, it is a responsibility which has been put into my hands. Do you know what my reward is? It is this: in my preaching, to be able to offer the Good News free, and not insist on the rights which the gospel gives me.
So though I am not a slave of any man I have made myself the slave of everyone so as to win as many as I could. For the weak I made myself weak: I made myself all things to all men in order to save some at any cost; and I still do this, for the sake of the gospel, to have a share in its blessings.
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!
Or: | Mt8:17 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
He took our sicknesses away,
and carried our diseases for us.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 1:29-39 © |
He cast out devils and cured many who were suffering from disease
On leaving the synagogue, Jesus went with James and John straight to the house of Simon and Andrew. Now Simon’s mother-in-law had gone to bed with fever, and they told him about her straightaway. He went to her, took her by the hand and helped her up. And the fever left her and she began to wait on them.
That evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were sick and those who were possessed by devils. The whole town came crowding round the door, and he cured many who were suffering from diseases of one kind or another; he also cast out many devils, but he would not allow them to speak, because they knew who he was.
In the morning, long before dawn, he got up and left the house, and went off to a lonely place and prayed there. Simon and his companions set out in search of him, and when they found him they said, ‘Everybody is looking for you.’ He answered, ‘Let us go elsewhere, to the neighbouring country towns, so that I can preach there too, because that is why I came.’ And he went all through Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out devils.
BE LIFE GIVING BY BEING A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [JOB 7:1-4,6-7; PS 147:1-6; 1 COR 9:16-19.22-23; MK 1:29-39]
The cries of Job are the cries of every human person. We experience sufferings, whether from injustices, the drudgery of life, pressure of work, or illness and a deteriorating health. Like Job, we cannot but also complain when in pain. “Is not man’s life on earth nothing more than pressed service, his time no better than hired drudgery? Like the slave, sighing for the shade, or the workman with no thought but his wages, months of delusion I have assigned to me, nothing for my own but nights of grief.” Indeed, we cannot wait to die because our life is so miserable, so much suffering, no meaning and purpose. Where is God in all these?
The gospel is the answer to the universal cry of every human person. God comes to restore us to wholeness. He comes to be with us in our struggles and pain. Jesus proclaimed the Good News of hope in both words and deeds. He taught the people in the synagogue, in houses, along the streets, on the seashore, wherever, He could find people. There was no delimiting His preaching of the gospel. Jesus was not restricted to a temple or a synagogue. He brought the gospel to where men were and where their needs were.
He was a man for all seasons. Our Lord made Himself available not just to the crowds but also to His disciples. Earlier on, when He was teaching at the synagogue on the Sabbath, He cast out an unclean spirit who was hiding in the man. Immediately, upon “leaving the synagogue, Jesus went with James and John straight to the house of Simon and Andrew” and healed Simon’s mother-in-law who had gone to bed with fever.” He would attend to their family needs. Of course, He was also available to the crowds. “That evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were sick and those who were possessed by devils. The whole town came crowding round the door, and he cured many who were suffering from diseases of one kind or another; he also cast out many devils, but he would not allow them to speak, because they knew who he was.”
What was also significant is that the time for healing and restoration is here and now. When it comes to doing good, restoring life and health, Jesus did not delay. Regardless whether it was the Sabbath or not, Jesus would heal whenever the situation required it, just as He exorcised the man with the unclean spirit at the synagogue and Peter’s mother-in-law at his house, or for those who felt diffident in breaking the Sabbath Law and came after sunset, Jesus was there for all of them.
In Jesus’ ministry, both the spiritual and social gospel were one gospel. He came to restore the person to wholeness, which meant his soul and body. He came to redeem the whole man. The Christian message is an integral message, that is, for the good of a man’s body as well as his soul. In truth, the distinction between the spiritual and social gospel is artificial. Man is both body and soul. Both are intrinsically related and dependent on each other for proper functioning. The gospel cannot be proclaimed without restoring the body and health of the person. This explains why Catholic missions to poorer countries are always accompanied by the establishment of schools, providing free education, building homes and hospitals, and caring for the poor. We cannot take the social dimension of the gospel out of our mission as if humanitarian aid is separate from the Christian message.
But there is the other extreme danger today of Catholic charities trying to compete with NGO’s and other charities in reaching out to the poor. Instead of retaining their distinction as charity deeply rooted and connected with the gospel message, we provide the humanitarian aid without the gospel message. By so doing, we have short-changed them. We have given them the gifts but we have not told them who the Giver is! When the body is attended to but the soul is left dry and neglected, the body will ultimately suffer because there will be a lack of control, discipline and orientation. A person who takes care of the body, which many of us do today, spending hours doing physical exercises, going for cosmetic treatment and health checks, but neglects the soul, the mind becomes full of evil, hatred, anger and envy, and the heart is selfish and inward-looking. Such a person might look physically strong but he will eventually break down because a broken and wounded spirit will result in illness.
In the final analysis, we must never forget that all the miracles, exorcisms and healings are simply signs of the coming of the Kingdomwhere evil is destroyed, Satan is defeated, creation is restored to order, and a broken humanity is healed; and we are all reconciled within, with God and with each other. In this way, as a family of God, there will be none who would be poor or uncared for. If we do not emphasize the close relationship between the gospel message, the works of charity and mercy that we do, we will encourage our people to behave like those who came to Jesus in the gospel. They were searching for Jesus not because they loved Him, or wanted to grow closer to Him. Not at all! They wanted to make use of Him. And this would also be the outcome if we dissociate the gospel proclamation from the works of charity because when God is out of the picture, those who come for our services and aid will simply treat us as another secular organization dispensing aid. In truth, we know that they are seeking the fullness of life and not merely to satisfy their material needs.
It is for the sake of the gospel that we are called to act accordingly so that the gospel can be proclaimed to everyone. Many Catholics do not realize that it is a duty for them to evangelize and to spread the gospel by virtue of their baptism. Like St Paul and our Lord, we too must be a man for all seasons, accommodating ourselves to the culture and situations we are in. St Paul said, “So though I am not a slave of any man I have made myself the slave of everyone so as to win as many as I could. For the weak I made myself weak. I made myself all things to all men in order to save some at any cost; and I still do this, for the sake of the gospel, to have a share in its blessings.” Indeed, our task is to proclaim the gospel in words and deeds. It does not need to be a miracle in today’s terms, but a deed of power that brings a smile, joy and healing to those whom we reach out to.
Indeed, there must be no self-interest, like St Paul, when we proclaim the gospel. St Paul in imitation of our Lord gave up all his rights as an apostle so that the gospel he preached would not be hindered by detractors. St Paul did not ask for payment or financial remuneration even though the Lord said that the labourer is worthy of his hire. (cf 1Tim 5:18) He did not want to be accused of enriching himself financially by making use of his office of apostle and preacher. Jesus too, when He did all the miracles for the sake of the Kingdom. He was not looking for publicity and popularity. When the unclean spirit exposed His identity as “the Holy One of God”, Jesus ordered him to be “Be silent.” (Mk 1:24f) By attending to Peter’s mother-in-law, Jesus showed Himself to be genuinely caring for people, regardless whether there was a crowd to watch Him or not. When everyone was looking for Him, He said, “Let us go elsewhere, to the neighbouring country towns, so that I can preach there too, because that is why I came.” Jesus was focused on His mission and not distracted.
We can do this only by tapping on God’s power as Jesus did. “In the morning, long before dawn, he got up and left the house, and went off to a lonely place and prayed there.” What did he pray? He spoke to His Father in the most intimate way, as a child to His Father. So too, we must pray this way and when we are in trouble as the Hymn says, “When you are in trouble, take it to the Lord in prayer.” Talk to the Lord in the most intimate terms, as you would speak to your friends or loved ones. Share with Him as you would with a friend, all your joys, sorrows, difficulties, fears, anxieties and challenges in life. In prayer too, we keep on purifying our motives of serving Him and His people, that we do everything out of love and not merely as a duty. In selfless service to God and our fellowmen, our lives will be rich in love and meaning.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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