20210515 IGNITING THE FAITH OF A NOMINAL AND CULTURAL CATHOLIC
15 May, 2021, Saturday, 6th Week of Easter
First reading | Acts 18:23-28 © |
Apollos demonstrated from the scriptures that Jesus was the Christ
Paul came down to Antioch, where he spent a short time before continuing his journey through the Galatian country and then through Phrygia, encouraging all the followers.
An Alexandrian Jew named Apollos now arrived in Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, with a sound knowledge of the scriptures, and yet, though he had been given instruction in the Way of the Lord and preached with great spiritual earnestness and was accurate in all the details he taught about Jesus, he had only experienced the baptism of John. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him speak boldly in the synagogue, they took an interest in him and gave him further instruction about the Way.
When Apollos thought of crossing over to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote asking the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived there he was able by God’s grace to help the believers considerably by the energetic way he refuted the Jews in public and demonstrated from the scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 46(47):2-3,8-10 © |
God is king of all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
All peoples, clap your hands,
cry to God with shouts of joy!
For the Lord, the Most High, we must fear,
great king over all the earth.
God is king of all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
God is king of all the earth,
sing praise with all your skill.
God is king over the nations;
God reigns on his holy throne.
God is king of all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
The princes of the people are assembled
with the people of Abraham’s God.
The rulers of the earth belong to God,
to God who reigns over all.
God is king of all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | Jn14:16 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I shall ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate
to be with you for ever.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn16:28 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I came from the Father
and have come into the world,
and now I leave the world
to go to the Father.
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 16:23-28 © |
The Father loves you for loving me and believing that I came from God
Jesus said to his disciples:
‘I tell you most solemnly,
anything you ask for from the Father he will grant in my name.
Until now you have not asked for anything in my name.
Ask and you will receive, and so your joy will be complete.
I have been telling you all this in metaphors,
the hour is coming when I shall no longer speak to you in metaphors;
but tell you about the Father in plain words.
When that day comes you will ask in my name;
and I do not say that I shall pray to the Father for you,
because the Father himself loves you for loving me
and believing that I came from God.
I came from the Father and have come into the world
and now I leave the world to go to the Father.’
IGNITING THE FAITH OF A NOMINAL AND CULTURAL CATHOLIC
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ACTS 18:23-28; PS 47:2-3,8-10; JOHN 16:23-28]
The reality of the Church is that we have many nominal and cultural believers. Of course, this is true in all religions. Passionate, evangelizing and fervent Catholics are few. Most are quite contented to attend church services regularly every Sunday, give some offerings to the church and the poor, spend a few minutes to say the regular prayers, and observe some of the Church’s discipline regarding fasting and confession. But that is basically what they would only do. Don’t expect them to share their faith with others or live like a Christian in the world because being one of them in the world is the in-thing today, even though the Lord prayed to His Heavenly Father, “I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.” (Jn 17:15f)
Then we have those who seem to be passionate about their Faith. They are active in Church ministry and in Catholic Education. They attend courses, seminars and conferences to understand their faith more. They are even involved in the catechetical and liturgical ministry. Many of them are Church leaders, sacrificing their time for the service of the Church and the community and for the glory of God. They can expound their faith relatively well. They can even give good talks. Yet, something seems to be lacking in them. They have the knowledge and the skills but they lack the fire and the inner spirit of the gospel. They are not ignited in their faith but teaching, speaking and serving from their human ingenuity and intellectual conviction. They do not possess the passion that comes from within their hearts. This is why this same group of people can change their faith very easily, from one church to another, or to another religion even.
They are like Apollos in the first reading. He was an Alexandrian Jew, a scholarly man, “with a sound knowledge of the scriptures” and “given instruction in the Way of the Lord.” He was also eloquent, passionate and “preached with great earnestness and was accurate in all the details he taught about Jesus” but “he had only experienced the baptism of John.” Indeed, like him, many of our goodwill active Catholics might know some things about the faith but they do not know Jesus well enough, not just intellectually but personally. Like Apollos, they do not have a full understanding of who Jesus is, the significance of His life, passion, death and resurrection, and most of all, they have not received the Spirit of the Risen Lord. Hence, like Apollos, their knowledge is purely an intellectual knowledge at most, and hence lacking the capacity to preach with conviction and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Indeed, when we have not encountered the Holy Spirit personally, our witnessing tends to be on the level of intellectual conviction which can change quite easily in the face of harsh realities, trials and challenges in life. Quite often, we find such people so active in church one day, but within a few months they have changed their religion or given up the faith or active involvement in the church. Why is that so? Simply because the realities of life apparently do not always agree with abstract theories and doctrines. Unless, we have personally been touched by the Lord deeply and experienced Him, no amount of knowledge of our Lord can sustain us in times of great difficulties. This explains why even priests and theologians have left the Church and many are teaching their personal prejudices contrary to what the Church and the scriptures teach.
The way to ignite our faith and make it truly come alive is to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. But baptism in the Holy Spirit is more than just being prayed over or be baptized. It presupposes that we understand more profoundly the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord. This was what Apollos was lacking. He did not have the benefit of the full understanding of the Paschal Mystery of our Lord. It was therefore necessary for Priscilla and Aquila to then give him “further instruction about the Way”. We presume that he was thus baptized in the Holy Spirit. We too must imitate the example of Apollos. Although he was an erudite man, and well versed in the scriptures, he did not feel that he was too great to learn from anyone. He was docile and humble to learn from Priscilla and Aquila about Jesus and the Way.
It is rare to find someone who is already a great theologian and an eloquent teacher and preacher who is willing to learn from someone else, especially those who may be less intellectually gifted but who are steeped in prayer and in intimacy with the Lord. Many Catholics disdain those in the Charismatic renewal who have received the gifts of tongues, prophecy and miracles through the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Pride is often the greatest obstacle in receiving the Holy Spirit. To receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit requires humility on our part to recognize that intellectual knowledge of the faith is deficient without a personal experience of His presence in us in the Holy Spirit.
Indeed, after he received the Holy Spirit and a fuller appreciation of the person and work of Christ, “when Apollos thought of crossing over to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote asking the disciples to welcome him.” Now, the brothers were confident that Apollos would do even better than before. They asked the Christians to welcome him as a full-fledged brother in the Lord and most of all to help them in their faith in the face of opposition. So, “when he arrived there he was able by God’s grace to help the believers considerably by the energetic way he refuted the Jews in public and demonstrated from the scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.” Like Apollos, we must be willing and receptive to listen to the gospel anew from those who have encountered the power of the Holy Spirit, His enlightenment and healing grace. Only then will we be truly ignited and shine with life, love and joy as we continue to proclaim the gospel to all, in a radical manner, through the transformation of life and conviction of the gospel.
With the Holy Spirit in us, our relationship with the Father and our Lord Jesus will take on a new dimension. We will share the same relationship Jesus had with His Father. “On that day you will ask in my name, and I do not tell you that I will ask the Father for you. For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have come to believe that I came from God.” To ask in the name of Jesus is to pray with the same mind and same will that Jesus had with the Father. Jesus does not need to bring our prayer to Him because as He said, the Father knows what we want and what we want is in union with Him since we pray in Jesus’ name. Jesus will pray in us and with us to the Father. As St Paul wrote, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. (Rom 8:26) In and through Jesus, with the Holy Spirit in us, we experience our true sonship in Christ.
As we await the Feast of Pentecost, let us spend time with the disciples at the Upper Room, praying and waiting for the descent of the Holy Spirit anew. We can be sure this gift is ours if we pray in union with Jesus. The Lord said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you. Until now you have not asked anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.” Our joy is complete when the Lord dwells within us in the Holy Spirit and brings us to the Father, for that is what the Lord promised us at His ascension; “I came from the Father and have come into the world. Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.” He will come again in the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Let us pray earnestly and listen to the scriptures anew so as to receive Him.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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