20210525 BEING PIOUS VIRTUOUSLY
25 May, 2021, Tuesday, 8th Week, Ordinary Time
First reading |
Ecclesiasticus 35:2-15 © |
Give to the Most High as he has given to you
A man multiplies offerings by keeping the Law;
he offers communion sacrifices by following the commandments.
By showing gratitude he makes an offering of fine flour,
by giving alms he offers a sacrifice of praise.
Withdraw from wickedness and the Lord will be pleased,
withdraw from injustice and you make atonement.
Do not appear empty-handed in the Lord’s presence;
for all these things are due under the commandment.
A virtuous man’s offering graces the altar,
and its savour rises before the Most High.
A virtuous man’s sacrifice is acceptable,
its memorial will not be forgotten.
Honour the Lord with generosity,
do not stint the first-fruits you bring.
Add a smiling face to all your gifts,
and be cheerful as you dedicate your tithes.
Give to the Most High as he has given to you,
generously as your means can afford;
for the Lord is a good rewarder,
he will reward you seven times over.
Offer him no bribe, he will not accept it,
do not put your faith in an unvirtuous sacrifice;
since the Lord is a judge
who is no respecter of personages.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 49(50):5-8,14,23 © |
I will show God’s salvation to the upright.
‘Summon before me my people
who made covenant with me by sacrifice.’
The heavens proclaim his justice,
for he, God, is the judge.
I will show God’s salvation to the upright.
‘Listen, my people, I will speak;
Israel, I will testify against you,
for I am God, your God.
I accuse you, lay the charge before you.
I find no fault with your sacrifices,
your offerings are always before me.
I will show God’s salvation to the upright.
Pay your sacrifice of thanksgiving to God
and render him your votive offerings.
A sacrifice of thanksgiving honours me
and I will show God’s salvation to the upright.’
I will show God’s salvation to the upright.
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: | Mt11:25 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed are you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth,
for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom
to mere children.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 10:28-31 © |
Whoever has left everything for the sake of the gospel will be repaid
At that time Peter began to tell Jesus, ‘What about us? We have left everything and followed you.’ Jesus said, ‘I tell you solemnly, there is no one who has left house, brothers, sisters, father, children or land for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not be repaid a hundred times over, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and land – not without persecutions – now in this present time and, in the world to come, eternal life.
‘Many who are first will be last, and the last first.’
BEING PIOUS VIRTUOUSLY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [SIRACH 35:2-15; Ps 50:5-8,14,23; Mark 10:28-31]
What does it mean to be pious? In the Old Testament, piety was expressed in obedience to the rituals commanded by the Law. “A man multiplies offerings by keeping the Law; he offers communion sacrifices by following the commandments.” Whilst this is true, yet, the Old Testament prophets often slammed the people for compartmentalizing the true meaning of offering sacrifices to the Lord. As far as they were concerned, offering sacrifices and worship to God without at the same time, practicing social justice renders the sacrifices meaningless and abominable to the Lord. “Your new moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates; they have become a burden to me, I am weary of bearing them. When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.” (Isa 1:14f)
Instead the Lord asked, “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” (Isa 1:16f) The author Sirach offers the same message. “By showing gratitude he makes an offering of fine flour, by giving alms he offers a sacrifice of praise. Withdraw from wickedness and the Lord will be pleased, withdraw from injustice and you make atonement. Do not appear empty-handed in the Lord’s presence; for all these things are due under the commandment.”
Indeed, the best form of worship is to live a virtuous life. This is what St Paul wrote to the Romans, “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” (Rom 12:1) This is what Sirach underscores as well. “A virtuous man’s offering graces the altar, and its savour rises before the Most High. A virtuous man’s sacrifice is acceptable, its memorial will not be forgotten.” Again, we are reminded, “Offer him no bribe, he will not accept it, do not put your faith in an unvirtuous sacrifice; since the Lord is a judge who is no respecter of personages.” Truly, it is not the gifts that we offer to Him that will please Him because He does not need any of our sacrificial offerings. But He is pleased when we give alms, help the poor.
Most of all, He is pleased when we are generous with our gifts to all, always giving with a cheerful heart. Sirach says, “Honour the Lord with generosity, do not stint the first fruits you bring. Add a smiling face to all your gifts, and be cheerful as you dedicate your tithes. Give to the Most High as he has given to you, generously as your means can afford; for the Lord is a good rewarder, he will reward you seven times over.” St Paul also exhorted the Corinthians to do the same when he wrote, “The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.” (2 Cor 9:6-8)
In contrast, we have the case of the Rich Man in yesterday’s gospel (not read because we celebrated the Memorial of our Lady, Mother of the Church). He was not able to let go of his riches. Today’s gospel is the concluding part on the theme of being childlike, trusting in God and the tendency for us to hoard our wealth because of insecurity, pride and vanity. Earlier on, Jesus blessed the little children and remarked, “Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” (Mk 10:15) Then it was followed by the story of the Rich Man who sought for eternal life which he could not find in spite of the fact that he had kept all the commandments of the Law. Then the Lord revealed to him what was lacking. “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions. (Mk 10:21f)
And it was within this context that the Lord remarked, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” (Mk 10:23,25) Truly, for those who are rich, their attachment to their wealth and security means that they are seeking to serve both God and the world. But the things of this world are alien to the next world and we cannot bring anything from this world to the next. In trying to serve God and mammon, we end up worshipping mammon. In trying to put one leg in each boat, we lose foundation, and we will sink. This is the harsh reality of Jesus’ remark for those who wish to enter the Kingdom of God.
It requires trust in God to find absolute freedom in this world and from this world. This is why when the disciples who “were greatly astounded and said to one another, ‘Then who can be saved?’ Jesus said, ‘For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.'” (Mk 10:26f) Indeed, not by our own strength but by the grace of God alone. Only those who are childlike can enter into the kingdom of God. Children are carefree even when they are poor because they believe that somehow their parents will provide for their needs. They surrender their lives to their parents. We too are called to do the same, to surrender our lives to the Lord so that He can give us true freedom and meaning in life, when we learn to love generously like Him, even to the extent of giving up our lives for others.
That is if we are truly seeking fullness of life. Eternal life is not given to those who still want to belong to the world, seek power, glory and wealth. The tendency for those who are rich is that they tend to cling to all these for their security. This is why it is very difficult for the rich to surrender their life to God because their security is found in concrete things. But they often forget that life is more than just food and drink as St Paul says. “For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The one who thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and has human approval. Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.” (Rom 14:17f)
Eternal life is when we live a life in communion with God and with our fellowmen. The deeper the relationship we have with God and our brothers and sisters, the happier we become. When we start living for others and in turn when others start living for us, we find great joy and happiness. Our security is found only in mutual love and relationship. This is what the Lord promised the apostles when they asked, “What about us? We have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “I tell you solemnly, there is no one who has left house, brothers, sisters, father, children or land for my sake and the sake of the gospel who will not be repaid a hundred times over, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and land.”
The joy of being a Christian is that we belong to the family of God. This is the greatest reward, of being in love with one another. The promise made to the apostles was realized in the early Church. “All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:44-47)
And what is great about this joy is that it is not the joy of the world. This would will not come “without persecutions – now in this present time and, in the world to come, eternal life” as warned by our Lord. It does not depend on the acceptance of the world. Even in persecution, they could rejoice. That was how they reacted when they were persecuted by their enemies. “As they left the council, they rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.” (Acts 5:41)
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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