20210517 REALITY CHECK
17 May, 2021, Monday, 7th Week of Easter
First reading | Acts 19:1-8 © |
The moment Paul laid hands on them the Holy Spirit came down on them
While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul made his way overland as far as Ephesus, where he found a number of disciples. When he asked, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?’ they answered, ‘No, we were never even told there was such a thing as a Holy Spirit.’ ‘Then how were you baptised?’ he asked. ‘With John’s baptism’ they replied. ‘John’s baptism’ said Paul ‘was a baptism of repentance; but he insisted that the people should believe in the one who was to come after him – in other words, Jesus.’ When they heard this, they were baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus, and the moment Paul had laid hands on them the Holy Spirit came down on them, and they began to speak with tongues and to prophesy. There were about twelve of these men.
He began by going to the synagogue, where he spoke out boldly and argued persuasively about the kingdom of God. He did this for three months.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 67(68):2-7 © |
Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.
or
Alleluia!
Let God arise, let his foes be scattered.
Let those who hate him flee before him.
As smoke is blown away so will they be blown away;
like wax that melts before the fire,
so the wicked shall perish at the presence of God.
Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.
or
Alleluia!
But the just shall rejoice at the presence of God,
they shall exult and dance for joy.
O sing to the Lord, make music to his name;
rejoice in the Lord, exult at his presence.
Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.
or
Alleluia!
Father of the orphan, defender of the widow,
such is God in his holy place.
God gives the lonely a home to live in;
he leads the prisoners forth into freedom.
Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | 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!
Or: | Col3:1 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ,
you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is,
sitting at God’s right hand.
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 16:29-33 © |
Be brave, for I have conquered the world
His disciples said to Jesus, ‘Now you are speaking plainly and not using metaphors! Now we see that you know everything, and do not have to wait for questions to be put into words; because of this we believe that you came from God.’ Jesus answered them:
‘Do you believe at last?
Listen; the time will come – in fact it has come already –
when you will be scattered,
each going his own way and leaving me alone.
And yet I am not alone,
because the Father is with me.
I have told you all this
so that you may find peace in me.
In the world you will have trouble,
but be brave: I have conquered the world.’
REALITY CHECK
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ACTS 19:1-8; PS 68:2-7; JOHN 16:29-33 ]
Reality check. This is the challenge of our Lord to His disciples and to us all. After Jesus said to them earlier on, “I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and am going to the Father.” (Jn 16:28) His disciples said to Jesus, “Now you are speaking plainly and not using metaphors! Now we see that you know everything, and do not have to wait for questions to be put into words; because of this we believe that you came from God.” Jesus answered them, “Do you believe at last?”
Indeed, the disciples were presumptuous that they knew Jesus finally because Jesus said He came from the Father and was returning to the Father. So they felt more secure that Jesus would be with the Father interceding for them. But the truth is that they did not fully understand the nature of Jesus’ mission and His true identity. This is not to deny the fact that they knew something about Jesus but they still did not understand Him completely. This was the case of Peter even when He confessed that Jesus was “the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” For immediately after Jesus’ prophecy of His passion, Peter took him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” (Mt 16:16, 22) So too when the apostles James and John sought to sit on the right and left side of Jesus when He came into His glory, the Lord said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” (Mt 20:22f) Although all professed that they would die for Jesus, all of them betrayed Him. (cf Mt 26:31-35)
Indeed, Jesus knew that they would not be able to carry the cross just yet. Jesus knew them more than they knew themselves. Hence Jesus forewarned them before it happened. “Listen; the time will come – in fact it has come already – when you will be scattered, each going his own way and leaving me alone.” Indeed, they would also desert our Lord when the time of reckoning came. They were overly confident of themselves and not fully aware of the promise they made to our Lord.
Isn’t it true for many of us especially with regard to our faith? We too need to have a reality check on how deep and strong our faith is. Most of us presume our faith is strong enough to overcome all trials and obstacles in life. Even if our faith is not strong enough, we think our faith will never be shaken and we will never give up on God. When we were baptized, we were convinced that we would give our life to Jesus and claim Him as our Lord and Savior. We felt ready, even if we were to be marginalized because of our faith in Christ. We were ready to sacrifice our security, position and security for Christ. So too when a person offers himself for the priesthood or religious life. He is ever ready to give up everything to follow Jesus and serve Him without counting the costs, just like the apostles. But little do we realize that when the time comes for us to make that sacrifice, especially when the burden is overwhelming, when we are persecuted, opposed, betrayed not just from without but from within, taken for granted or unappreciated, then Jesus’ remark is also directed at us.
The truth is that for most of us our faith has not yet matured. Most of us are like what St Peter said to the Christians, “Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation – if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Pt 2:2-5) We are still very much ignorant of our Lord, like the disciples at Ephesus whom St Paul visited. St Paul found something was missing in the disciples. Perhaps, they did not express joy, zeal or the fruits of the Holy Spirit. After inquiry, he realized that they only received John’s baptism. They were not yet baptized in the Holy Spirit. It was of course possible that they were not really Christians yet but the disciples of John the Baptist. They would have been instructed by their master about the coming of the Messiah and the giving of the Holy Spirit.
But because they did not know Jesus or the life of Jesus, His passion, death and resurrection, they did not know that the Holy Spirit as promised had already been given at Pentecost by the Father who sent the Spirit in the name of His Son. After being instructed on how Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophets and the Law, “they were baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus, and the moment Paul had laid hands on them the Holy Spirit came down on them, and they began to speak in tongues and to prophesy.” So too, like the apostles and the disciples at Ephesus, our faith in Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection and the role of the Holy Spirit in our Christian life is weak and deficient. And even if we have some knowledge, it is mostly on the cerebral level and not on the experiential level. In other words, we have not been touched by the Holy Spirit deeply in our hearts even though we were baptized and given the Holy Spirit.
Indeed, witnessing for Jesus and living the fullness of the Christian Life presupposes that we are connected with the Holy Spirit. This is the only way we can remain with the vine and remain in Jesus and in His love. However, the giving of the Holy Spirit presumes that we believe in Christ as the Son of God, which is vindicated by His resurrection. So until the apostles had gone through the experience of seeing their master crucified and put to death, then raised again to New Life, they could not confess their faith in Jesus truly as the Son of God, the Lord and Savior of the world, from their hearts. It was only after encountering the Risen Lord that they could declare with St Thomas, “My Lord and my God!” (Jn 20:28) And with the confession of faith in Jesus, they were given the Holy Spirit to proclaim the forgiveness of sins through the sacrament of baptism.
This explains why Jesus was candid with them and blunt in telling them that they would desert Him. This was an act of mercy and compassion of our Lord so that they would not feel discouraged when it happened. That Jesus knew their lack of capacity to undertake what they felt they could do was because of Jesus’ awareness that without the Holy Spirit, they will not be able to have the wisdom, the eloquence, the fortitude and courage to witness to Him. Thus, before He returned to His Father, He told them to wait for the Holy Spirit promised by the Father. (Acts 1:4f) He already anticipated them when He told them much earlier on when He prophesied, “When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” (Mt 10:19f) But when they received the Holy Spirit, as St Paul reminded Timothy, “I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.” (2 Tim 1:6f)
Truly, the secret is the Holy Spirit because when the Holy Spirit comes, He will give us the gift of fortitude so that we can proclaim the gospel with boldness and without fear. Knowing that God is with us, just as Jesus knew the Father was with Him in His passion, will give us the courage to go through our trials, just as Jesus was able to go to His passion. He said, “And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you all this so that you may find peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but be brave: I have conquered the world.” His spirit will give us His peace.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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