20210618 FOOLS FOR CHRIST
18 June, 2021, Friday, 11th Week, Ordinary Time
First reading |
2 Corinthians 11:18,21-30 © |
If I am to boast, let me boast of my own feebleness
So many others have been boasting of their worldly achievements, that I will boast myself. But if anyone wants some brazen speaking – I am still talking as a fool – then I can be as brazen as any of them, and about the same things. Hebrews, are they? So am I. Israelites? So am I. Descendants of Abraham? So am I. The servants of Christ? I must be mad to say this, but so am I, and more than they: more, because I have worked harder, I have been sent to prison more often, and whipped many times more, often almost to death. Five times I had the thirty-nine lashes from the Jews; three times I have been beaten with sticks; once I was stoned; three times I have been shipwrecked and once adrift in the open sea for a night and a day. Constantly travelling, I have been in danger from rivers and in danger from brigands, in danger from my own people and in danger from pagans; in danger in the towns, in danger in the open country, danger at sea and danger from so-called brothers. I have worked and laboured, often without sleep; I have been hungry and thirsty and often starving; I have been in the cold without clothes. And, to leave out much more, there is my daily preoccupation: my anxiety for all the churches. When any man has had scruples, I have had scruples with him; when any man is made to fall, I am tortured.
If I am to boast, then let me boast of my own feebleness.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 33(34):2-7 © |
The Lord rescues the just in all their distress.
I will bless the Lord at all times,
his praise always on my lips;
in the Lord my soul shall make its boast.
The humble shall hear and be glad.
The Lord rescues the just in all their distress.
Glorify the Lord with me.
Together let us praise his name.
I sought the Lord and he answered me;
from all my terrors he set me free.
The Lord rescues the just in all their distress.
Look towards him and be radiant;
let your faces not be abashed.
This poor man called, the Lord heard him
and rescued him from all his distress.
The Lord rescues the just in all their distress.
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: | Mt5:3 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
How happy are the poor in spirit:
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Matthew 6:19-23 © |
Store up treasure for yourselves in heaven
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not store up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moths and woodworms destroy them and thieves can break in and steal. But store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where neither moth nor woodworms destroy them and thieves cannot break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
‘The lamp of the body is the eye. It follows that if your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light. But if your eye is diseased, your whole body will be all darkness. If then, the light inside you is darkness, what darkness that will be!’
FOOLS FOR CHRIST
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ 2 COR 11:18, 21-30; MT 6:19-23 ]
Who are the fools of this world? The world considers those who are believers in God fools because they are missing out the fun and joys of life. The wisdom of the world seeks what is tangible, material, and what satisfies the human ego, like some of the so-called “arch-apostles”, as St Paul labeled them sarcastically, who liked to boast of their intelligence, their eloquence and their status in Jewish society. They claimed to be Hebrews because they could still speak the language, unlike those who belonged to the diaspora. They claimed to be the true Israelites and descendants of Abraham. In other words, they were authentic Jews and members of the Chosen Race.
This is how the world measures a person today; by his status, connections, wealth, his eloquence, dressing, academic performance, his achievements and the accolades he has won. When we invite a speaker, we like to list down all his past achievements so that they sound credible and worth listening to. People we consider intellectual, famous and successful. Indeed, many of us envy such people, whether they are politicians, corporate leaders or celebrities. We look upon them as the models of success and happiness in the world. Yet, few know how empty their lives are. Many of them do not have real friends, as most are simply fair-weather friends. They have no real relationships, even with their loved ones because they are always working, thinking of their career, doing business, attending meetings, going overseas for conferences, etc. They are always anxious about how they perform, and when others would overtake them in popularity and position. So they have no peace because they have so many competitors.
But this is what Jesus is warning us in the gospel. He said, “Do not store up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moths and woodworms destroy them. But store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where neither moth nor woodworms destroy them.” If our treasures are just earthly goals, we will never find real happiness and peace in life. For those who think that their worth is dependent on how they dress, what cars they drive, what house they live in and what titles they hold in organizations, then the Lord says, the moths and woodworms would destroy them. Such material things cannot last for long. Either we tire of them or they will be outdated and we will have to keep on buying new things. At any rate, the satisfaction that worldly things can provide is never lasting. Our interest will peak and then we will look for something else. Who is ever happy with his house, his car, his watch or his I-phone? When we get what we want, we start looking for something else.
Furthermore, whatever we have will also be taken from us. This is what Jesus meant when He said, “Do not store up treasures for yourselves on earth, where thieves can break in and steal.” The thieves are not just those who rob and steal from us, they refer to our enemies and competitors. There will be others who are envious of us and are waiting to bring us down so that they can take our position, our office, our wealth. Even our loved ones are eyeing our wealth and property. At any rate, at death, we cannot take a single cent beyond this grave. So, all that we have worked for, all the glories that we have attained will be forgotten eventually; all the wealth we have earned will be distributed away and spent by others who did nothing to deserve them. These are the real thieves because they will squander our hard-earned money and wealth away. We came into this world naked, as Job said, and we will leave this world naked. (Job 1:21) We will be stripped of everything and return back to dust. (Gn 3:19)
This is why the Psalmist says, “Fools say in their hearts, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on humankind to see if there are any who are wise, who seek after God.” (Ps 14:1f) The psalmist also learnt that externally the worldly rich and powerful may look happy but they are walking the slippery road to perdition. “I was envious of the arrogant; I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For they have no pain; their bodies are sound and sleek. They are not in trouble as others are; they are not plagued like other people. Therefore, pride is their necklace; violence covers them like a garment.” (Ps 73:3-6) However, he came to realize that “Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin. How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors! They are like a dream when one awakes; on awaking you despise their phantoms.” (Ps 73:18-20)
Hence, we must take the admonition of our Lord seriously when He said, “where your treasure is, there will your heart also.” In modern parlance, we say, we put our money where our mouth is. In other words, we must not only be talking but also acting out what we say. So too, if our treasure is of this earth, our heart will only be focused on such things. We must therefore ask ourselves, what are the treasures we are seeking in life? Do we really believe that the treasures of this world can satisfy us and make us happy? And even if we have some satisfaction, have we thought of what will happen after death? Otherwise, all our efforts and sacrifices would be done in vain. We should not be working so hard, accumulating so much money we know we cannot spend in our lifetime!
This is why we need to pray for wisdom and enlightenment. The Lord said to His disciples, “The lamp of the body is the eye. It follows that if your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light. But if your eye is diseased, your whole body will be all darkness. If then, the light inside you is darkness, what darkness that will be!” This is very true. How we see will affect the way we relate with the world and the people around us. We need to put on a pair of enlightened eyes. We need to see life in perspective. This would require us to see life from the perspective of eternity.
What are the eternal values that we seek in our life? What is it that will continue even after our death? Vatican II has this to say about the values of this world. “Enduring with charity and its fruits, all that creation which God made on man’s account will be unchained from the bondage of vanity. For after we have obeyed the Lord, and in His Spirit nurtured on earth the values of human dignity, brotherhood and freedom, and indeed all the good fruits of our nature and enterprise, we will find them again, but freed of stain, burnished and transfigured, when Christ hands over to the Father: “a kingdom eternal and universal, a kingdom of truth and life, of holiness and grace, of justice, love and peace.” (GS 39)
We are called to imitate St Paul who understood that what ultimately would last would be the sacrifices of love and service to God and to our fellowmen. These are the things we should be proud of and things we should be grateful for. He said, “I have worked harder, I have been sent to prison more often, and whipped so many times more, often almost to death. Five times I had thirty-nine lashes from the Jews; three times I have been beaten with sticks; once I was stoned; three times I have been shipwrecked and once adrift in the open sea for a night and a day. Constantly travelling, I have been in danger from rivers and in danger from brigands, in danger from my own people and in danger from pagans; in danger in the towns, in danger in the open country, danger at sea and danger from so-called brothers. I have worked and laboured, often without sleep; I have been hungry and thirsty and often starving; I have been in the cold without clothes. And, to leave out much more, there is my daily preoccupation: my anxiety for all the churches. When any man has had scruples, I have had scruples with him; when any man is made to fall, I am tortured.” Indeed, this is the litmus test of a wise man who places his life entirely in the hands of God for His service and for His people. His sacrificial love gives him great satisfaction.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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