MISSION IS FOR EVERYONE

20211001 MISSION IS FOR EVERYONE

 

 

01 October, 2021, Friday, St Therese of the Child Jesus

First reading

Isaiah 66:10-14 ©

Towards Jerusalem I send flowing peace, like a river

Rejoice, Jerusalem,

be glad for her, all you who love her!

Rejoice, rejoice for her,

all you who mourned her!

That you may be suckled, filled,

from her consoling breast,

that you may savour with delight

her glorious breasts.

For thus says the Lord:

Now towards her I send flowing

peace, like a river,

and like a stream in spate

the glory of the nations.

At her breast will her nurslings be carried

and fondled in her lap.

Like a son comforted by his mother

will I comfort you.

And by Jerusalem you will be comforted.

At the sight your heart will rejoice,

and your bones flourish like the grass.

To his servants the Lord will reveal his hand.

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Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 130(131) ©

Keep my soul in peace before you, O Lord.

O Lord, my heart is not proud

  nor haughty my eyes.

I have not gone after things too great

  nor marvels beyond me.

Keep my soul in peace before you, O Lord.

Truly I have set my soul

  in silence and peace.

A weaned child on its mother’s breast,

  even so is my soul.

Keep my soul in peace before you, O Lord.

O Israel, hope in the Lord

  both now and forever.

Keep my soul in peace before you, O Lord.

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Gospel Acclamation

Mt11:25

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessed are you, Father, 

Lord of heaven and earth,

for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom

to mere children.

Alleluia!

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Gospel

Matthew 18:1-5 ©

Unless you become like little children you will not enter the kingdom of heaven

The disciples came to Jesus and said, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ So he called a little child to him and set the child in front of them. Then he said, ‘I tell you solemnly, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. And so, the one who makes himself as little as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

  ‘Anyone who welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.’

 

MISSION IS FOR EVERYONE

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SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Is 66:10-14; Ps 131; 1 Cor 13:4-13; Mt 18:1-5 ]

Today, we celebrate the memorial of St Therese of the Child Jesus, the Little Flower as she called herself.  However, in mission countries like ours under the Congregation of the Evangelization of Peoples, we celebrate it as a feast, for she is the patroness of missionaries. It is ironical that although she had never stepped out of her monastery, she has been named by the Church as the patroness of missionaries. This honour given to her is an acknowledgement of the Church fulfilling the deep desire of St Therese of always wanting to be a missionary like St Francis Xavier and others.  Yet on the other hand, the Church wants to present her to all of us that we can be missionaries for Christ even if we have never left our home, monastery, parish or country.  She is therefore an example to most of us who did not receive a calling to be a missionary abroad.  As we celebrate Catholic 200SG, we are called to reflect on how she fulfilled the missionary aspiration in her heart without ever having left the walls of her monastery.

In the first place, we must recognize, as she shared with us, that not all of us have the same charisms and calling in life.  In her autobiography, she wrote, “Since my longing for martyrdom was powerful and unsettling, I turned to the epistles of St. Paul in the hope of finally finding an answer. By chance the 12th and 13th chapters of the 1st epistle to the Corinthians caught my attention, and in the first section I read that not everyone can be an apostle, prophet or teacher, that the Church is composed of a variety of members, and that the eye cannot be the hand.”  As St Paul wrote earlier in 1 Cor 12, that the Church, like the human body, has many members.  We all need each other, just like the different parts of the human body.   God arranged the members in the body, each one of them as He chose.  “If all were a single member, where would the body be?  As it is, there are many members, yet one body.  (1 Cor 12:19f)

But she wrote, “Even with such an answer revealed before me, I was not satisfied and did not find peace.”  Indeed, whilst we might all know that we are not called to be the Prime Minister, the President, a minister, a CEO, a bishop, a priest or a religious, it does not mean that we are happy and contented where we are placed in life, and the role that God has assigned us.  Most of us feel rather insecure in life.  We want attention, we seek glory, power and wealth.  We want to be somebody in life, recognized and appreciated by the world as powerful, famous, successful and wealthy.  This is why most of us are never happy with ourselves.  We want to compare ourselves with others who are better than us.  We fall into the sin of envy and sometimes even depression when we see ourselves so useless and ordinary compared to those whom the world admires.

This is why we need the grace of the humility of St Therese to be able to see the divine plan of God for each one of us.  In one of her contemplations she came to realize that each has a place in God’s plan and if we fulfil our roles as perfectly as possible, we will bring great joy to ourselves and to the whole world.  She wrote, “Jesus set before me the book of nature. I understand how all the flowers God has created are beautiful, how the splendour of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not take away the perfume of the violet or the delightful simplicity of the daisy. I understand that if all flowers wanted to be roses, nature would lose her springtime beauty, and the fields would no longer be decked out with little wild flowers.  So, it is in the world of souls, Jesus’ garden. He has created smaller ones and those must be content to be daisies or violets destined to give joy to God’s glances when He looks down at His feet. Perfection consists in doing His will, in being what He wills us to be.”  Indeed, happiness and joy in life is simply to accept the role that God has assigned us to be.  Fulfilling that role like a musician in an orchestra, we will bring God’s music of love to all of humanity.

This is what the gospel is inviting us to be, childlike, so that we can enter the Kingdom of God.  When “the disciples came to Jesus and said, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ So he called a little child to him and set the child in front of them. Then he said, ‘I tell you solemnly, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. And so, the one who makes himself as little as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.'”  Indeed, it is childlikeness, trust and simplicity that will make us joyful and be at peace with ourselves, not always comparing ourselves with others.

The truth is that a child is always loved by the mother regardless how he or she behaves.  This is how Isaiah describes the love of God for us, like a mother’s instinctual love, a womb-love for her child.  “That you may be suckled, filled, from her consoling breast, that you may savour with delight her glorious breast. For thus says the Lord: Now towards her I send flowing peace, like a river, and like a stream in spate the glory of the nations. At her breast will her nurslings be carried and fondled in her lap. Like a son comforted by his mother will I comfort you.”  Indeed, when we are able to accept ourselves, we will no longer be ambitious or compete with people.  We can accept others in their smallness, weakness, and dullness as well.  Compassion for self is the first step in compassion for others.

Humility must however be accompanied by love.  Again, St Therese shared with us, “I persevered in the reading and did not let my mind wander until I found this encouraging theme: Set your desires on the greater gifts. And I will show you the way which surpasses all others. For the Apostle insists that the greater gifts are nothing at all without love and that this same love is surely the best path leading directly to God. At length I had found peace of mind.”  It was when she came to 1 Cor 13 that she found the answer to her joy and happiness in life.  St Paul wrote, “If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”  (1 Cor 13:1-3) Love, therefore, is the highest of all gifts, in fact the only gift that is common to us all.  Without love, whatever we do would be without values, even if we are missionaries of the gospel and give ourselves wholeheartedly to our work and our mission.  We all have different vocations but the same vocation of love.

This was what St Therese came to realize about the Church and her mission in life. She wrote, “When I had looked upon the mystical body of the Church, I recognised myself in none of the members which St. Paul described, and what is more, I desired to distinguish myself more favourably within the whole body. Love appeared to me to be the hinge for my vocation. Indeed I knew that the Church had a body composed of various members, but in this body the necessary and more noble member was not lacking; I knew that the Church had a heart and that such a heart appeared to be aflame with love.”  To be Church is to be a Sacrament of love and unity in the world.  This is how we evangelize in the final analysis.  As Pope Emeritus Benedict always reminded us, that the best way to evangelize is not through proselytization but attraction and witness.  We must draw people to ourselves by our love for them, and our love for each other, like the early Church when those outside remarked, “See how they love one another!”

We too must now ask ourselves, where is the Lord calling us to love?  It does not matter where we are sent to love, or whom we are called to love.  What is critical is that we must do everything out of love.  As St Therese made it clear, “I knew that one love drove the members of the Church to action, that if this love were extinguished, the apostles would have proclaimed the Gospel no longer, the martyrs would have shed their blood no more. I saw and realised that love sets off the bounds of all vocations, that love is everything, that this same love embraces every time and every place. In one word, that love is everlasting.”  When we choose to love and serve with love and humility, we will encounter a deep interior joy knowing that we have done what we could and should do, according to the charisms and talents the Lord has given to us.  With St Therese, we say, “In the heart of the Church, I will be love.”

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Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved. 

 

CONCEPT OF MISSION AND MINISTRY

20200930 CONCEPT OF MISSION AND MINISTRY

 

 

30 September, 2021, Thursday, 26th Week, Ordinary Time

First reading

Nehemiah 8:1-12 ©

All the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law

When the seventh month came, all the people gathered as one man on the square before the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses which the Lord had prescribed for Israel. Accordingly Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, consisting of men, women, and children old enough to understand. This was the first day of the seventh month. On the square before the Water Gate, in the presence of the men and women, and children old enough to understand, he read from the book from early morning till noon; all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.

  Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden dais erected for the purpose. In full view of all the people – since he stood higher than all the people – Ezra opened the book; and when he opened it all the people stood up. Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people raised their hands and answered, ‘Amen! Amen!’ Then they bowed down and, face to the ground, prostrated themselves before the Lord. And Ezra read from the Law of God, translating and giving the sense, so that the people understood what was read.

  Then Nehemiah – His Excellency – and Ezra, priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people, said to all the people, ‘This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not be mournful, do not weep.’ For the people were all in tears as they listened to the words of the Law.

  He then said, ‘Go, eat the fat, drink the sweet wine, and send a portion to the man who has nothing prepared ready. For this day is sacred to our Lord. Do not be sad: the joy of the Lord is your stronghold.’ And the Levites calmed all the people, saying, ‘Be at ease; this is a sacred day. Do not be sad.’ And all the people went off to eat and drink and give shares away and begin to enjoy themselves since they had understood the meaning of what had been proclaimed to them.

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Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 18(19):8-11 ©

The precepts of the Lord gladden the heart.

The law of the Lord is perfect,

  it revives the soul.

The rule of the Lord is to be trusted,

  it gives wisdom to the simple.

The precepts of the Lord gladden the heart.

The precepts of the Lord are right,

  they gladden the heart.

The command of the Lord is clear,

  it gives light to the eyes.

The precepts of the Lord gladden the heart.

The fear of the Lord is holy,

  abiding for ever.

The decrees of the Lord are truth

  and all of them just.

The precepts of the Lord gladden the heart.

They are more to be desired than gold,

  than the purest of gold

and sweeter are they than honey,

  than honey from the comb.

The precepts of the Lord gladden the heart.

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Gospel Acclamation

Mt4:4

Alleluia, alleluia!

Man does not live on bread alone,

but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Alleluia!

Or:

Mk1:15

Alleluia, alleluia!

The kingdom of God is close at hand:

repent and believe the Good News.

Alleluia!

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Gospel

Luke 10:1-12 ©

Your peace will rest on that man

The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself was to visit. He said to them, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest. Start off now, but remember, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road. Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, “Peace to this house!” And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you. Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house. Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is set before you. Cure those in it who are sick, and say, “The kingdom of God is very near to you.” But whenever you enter a town and they do not make you welcome, go out into its streets and say, “We wipe off the very dust of your town that clings to our feet, and leave it with you. Yet be sure of this: the kingdom of God is very near.” I tell you, on that day it will not go as hard with Sodom as with that town.’

 

 

CONCEPT OF MISSION AND MINISTRY

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SCRIPTURE READINGS: [NEHEMIAH 8:1-12; PSALM 19:8-11; LK 10:1-12 ]

The scripture readings today provide us with fundamental guidelines on what mission and ministry entail.  In the first place, mission and ministry are not limited to the Twelve apostles or to those who are in the Ordained ministry.  Very often, because the Catholic Church tends to focus too narrowly on the dispensation of the sacraments, we tend to be very focused on the clergy and the liturgy.  Whilst certainly, the Eucharist is the summit of Catholic worship, ministry and mission go beyond merely the celebration of the sacraments.  Indeed, even before the sacraments can be celebrated, we need to convoke the assembly as what Ezra did with his people.  This is where proclamation and mission precede worship and ministry.  In this context, we can appreciate why Jesus sent out a larger group to proclaim the gospel, seventy-two disciples.

The mission of the Church is the responsibility and task of all disciples.  At the end of the gospel, Jesus instructed His disciples, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.”  (Mt 28:19f) As Jesus told His disciples, “The harvest is rich but the labourers are few.”  All of us are called to represent Jesus and make Him known and loved.  This was why beyond the Twelve, “the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself was to visit.”  Like John the Baptist, we are called to be messengers of the Good News, to prepare the hearts of people to receive Christ.  Each of us has been blessed with different gifts to proclaim the gospel.  (Rom 12:3-8; 1 Cor 12; Eph 4:1-16)

The basic mission of the Church is the proclamation of the Good News, instruction and healing.  Proclamation consists of the announcement of the Good News, of peace and healing.  The Lord said, “whatever house you go into, let your first words be, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you.  Cure those in it who are sick, and say, ‘The kingdom of God is very near to you.'”  In other words, the Gospel is truly the Good News about God’s love and His desire to bring us comfort, healing, liberation, forgiveness, reconciliation and joy.  For us, as Christians, the Good News message is captured in the announcement of the Kergyma, the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord.  In Jesus, we find our salvation through the forgiveness and reconciliation brought about by His death on the cross and His resurrection.

But proclamation must be accompanied by works of mercy and healing, and prayers.  Unlike the Twelve who were given an explicit directive to proclaim the kingdom of God (Lk 9:2), the Seventy-two were asked to offer peace and healing.  Proclamation without tangible signs of the Good News remains merely words without action.  Clearly, in the beginning of the Church, such tangible signs were important accompaniment to their preaching.  The longer ending of Mark’s gospel speaks of these signs.  “These signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues, they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”  (Mk 16:17f) These were the signs performed by the apostles and St Paul in the primitive Church when they proclaimed the gospel.  Quite often, a healing or a miracle was done, and then followed by directing them to the Lord who is the healer.  So too today, we cannot proclaim the gospel merely by indoctrinating people but they need to experience the concrete signs of unconditional love, compassion, forgiveness and healing in our Catholic community.  Truly, many who have left our Church did so because of the scandals and lack of charity displayed by our clergy, religious and Church leaders and ministry members.  Few left because of disagreement in doctrines.

Proclamation and Healing therefore sums up the basic proclamation of the gospel.  The mission is completed but ministry has begun.  This is the real work of the Church.  It is great to have itinerant preachers to renew the faith of our Catholics or to go out to the field to proclaim Christ to those who do not yet know them.  We have great preachers at some of our big rallies we hold and hearts and minds have been opened as a result of such dynamic preaching and enthusiastic worship rallies.  We can also hold Christ-Encounter retreats, Conversion Retreats, etc, but after the first enthusiasm, the most difficult process is the follow up.  This is where most of us fail, not because we do not want to follow up with them, but because we only relied on the preachers or the Twelve, so to speak.

The reality is that we do not have passionate and well-formed disciples to mentor new disciples for Christ.  Most of the time after a retreat, a seminar or even RCIA course, we tend to leave these newly born babies in the faith to swim by themselves as we are busy conducting a new retreat or another batch of RCIA participants.  In no time, these newly-baptized or born-again Catholics will lose their initial fervour, slacken and go back to their old way of life.  Newly baptized or returning Catholics need the Seventy-Two to mentor them and initiate them to a community that could support them in their ongoing spiritual growth.  All the highs of a religious experience will not last for very long.  

This is where we are called to learn from Ezra and Nehemiah.  “Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, consisting of men, women, and children old enough to understand.  On the square before the Water Gate, he read from the book from early morning till noon; all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.  Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people raised their hands and answered, ‘Amen! Amen!’; then they bowed down and, face to the ground, prostrated themselves before the Lord.”  This is proclamation and worship.  This is what we do at every Eucharistic celebration or any Christian service.  The proclamation of the Word of God is always followed by worship.   After hearing the Word of God, we conclude by praising God and worshipping Him. 

However, what is proclaimed to all is not always understood by the assembly, especially when the assembly comprises of people with different capacity of comprehension, different age and background.  This was why the Levites and Ezra followed up the proclamation by teaching.  “The Levites explained the Law to the people while the people remained standing.  And Ezra read from the Law of God, translating and giving the sense, so that the people understood what was read.”  This is a necessary process of helping individuals to make sense of the Word of God, to apply to their lives and be touched by the Word of God deeply in their hearts.  For this reason, we need to form more of our Catholics to be part of the Seventy-Two to continue the work that the clergy and religious had begun.

The measure of our success is indicated in the consequent conversion of our members, seen in their healing and liberation, and most of all, the desire to reach out and share their new-found joy.  Ezra and Nehemiah told the people, “This day is sacred to the Lord your God.  Do not be mournful, do not weep.’ For the people were all in tears as they listened to the words of the Law.  He then said, ‘Go, eat the fat, drink the sweet wine, and send a portion to the man who has nothing prepared ready.  For this day is sacred to our Lord.  Do not be sad.’ And all the people went off to eat and drink and give shares away begin to enjoy themselves since they had understood the meaning of what had been proclaimed to them.”  The people were brought to tears, their hearts were cut to the quick, they felt forgiven of their sins after being exposed by the Word of God, and they found hope in God’s mercy.

As a consequence, they resolved to share the joy of peace, freedom and liberation with others.  Mission and ministry are always the manifestation of those touched by the Lord.  This is the clearest sign that we have received the Good News ourselves.  When we have nothing to proclaim, when we have no desire to share with others, it simply means we have no good news, no joy, nothing good to proclaim to others.

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Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved. 

SPIRITUAL WARFARE

20210929 SPIRITUAL WARFARE

 

 

29 September, 2021, Wednesday, Sts Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels

First reading

Daniel 7:9-10,13-14 ©

His robe was white as snow

As I watched:

Thrones were set in place

and one of great age took his seat.

His robe was white as snow,

the hair of his head as pure as wool.

His throne was a blaze of flames,

its wheels were a burning fire.

A stream of fire poured out,

issuing from his presence.

A thousand thousand waited on him,

ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.

A court was held

and the books were opened.

I gazed into the visions of the night.

And I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven,

one like a son of man.

He came to the one of great age

and was led into his presence.

On him was conferred sovereignty,

glory and kingship,

and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants.

His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty

which shall never pass away,

nor will his empire ever be destroyed.

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Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 137(138):1-5 ©

In the presence of the angels I will bless you, O Lord.

I thank you, Lord, with all my heart:

  you have heard the words of my mouth.

In the presence of the angels I will bless you.

  I will adore before your holy temple.

In the presence of the angels I will bless you, O Lord.

I thank you for your faithfulness and love,

  which excel all we ever knew of you.

On the day I called, you answered;

  you increased the strength of my soul.

In the presence of the angels I will bless you, O Lord.

All earth’s kings shall thank you

  when they hear the words of your mouth.

They shall sing of the Lord’s ways:

  ‘How great is the glory of the Lord!’

In the presence of the angels I will bless you, O Lord.

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Gospel Acclamation

Ps102:21

Alleluia, alleluia!

Give thanks to the Lord, all his hosts,

his servants who do his will.

Alleluia!

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Gospel

John 1:47-51 ©

You will see heaven laid open, and the Son of Man

When Jesus saw Nathanael coming he said of him, ‘There is an Israelite who deserves the name, incapable of deceit.’ ‘How do you know me?’ said Nathanael. ‘Before Philip came to call you,’ said Jesus ‘I saw you under the fig tree.’ Nathanael answered, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel.’ Jesus replied, ‘You believe that just because I said: I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.’ And then he added ‘I tell you most solemnly, you will see heaven laid open and, above the Son of Man, the angels of God ascending and descending.’

 

 

SPIRITUAL WARFARE

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SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ DAN 7:9-10,13-14 (OR REV 12:7-12A); JN 1:47-51]

Whilst there are lights brought about by scientific and technological advances, social communication, globalization and migration, we see the dark trends in the world. Society is changing rapidly.  Family life and marriage are under threat as humanity no longer understands how marriage and family life is the bedrock of society.  In a world of amorality, universal age-old values are no longer seen as positive values to uphold.  What is promoted today is fulfilment of self, sensually, physically, materially.  Nothing is wrong.  Everything is permissible unless the law of the land prohibits.  But we can try to change the law of the land through demonstration, political and social manipulation, social media.  Today, the world is focused on a narrow understanding of individualism.  It is about me, my pleasures, my needs and my happiness, without due regard for the communitarian needs.

Indeed, the worship of self, which is the real idolatry in the world today, is the combination of the work of the Devil, the world and our human flesh.  The world has been deceived by the promptings of the Evil One into believing that power, success, pleasure, glory and self-indulgence is the way to happiness.  Humanity is also easily tempted by the world because of the weakness of the human flesh which seeks comfort and physical satisfaction. We are afraid of pain and inconvenience.  This is why we give in so easily to the sensual and material temptations.

This battle between good and evil, truth and falsehood is real, as the Bible says.  “Now war broke out in heaven, when Michael with his angels attacked the dragon. The dragon fought back with his angels, but they were defeated and driven out of heaven. The great dragon, the primeval serpent, known as the devil of Satan, who had deceived all the world, was hurled down to the earth and his angels were hurled down with him.”  It is a primaeval battle that began in heaven and continues on earth.  The angels were created to be good and holy to serve God and be His messengers.  They are pure spirits and act as God’s intermediary to the world.  They are called to serve God and assist humanity, to guide and guard them.

But tradition tells us that they were proud and wanted to be on their own without God.  They were bewitched by their supernatural powers and sought to deny the sovereignty of God.  (2 Enoch 29:4,5) In the prophet Isaiah, the reason for the fall of the angels was hinted at, with reference to one of the gods of Babylon, the god of the morning star who rebelled against god and was cast down from heaven. “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit on the mount of assembly on the heights of Zaphon; I will ascend to the tops of the clouds, I will make myself like the Most High.”  (Is14:12-14) Indeed, pride was the greatest sin of Satan and his fallen angels.  Once cast out of heaven, his dwelling place became the air in which he roamed the earth and hence St Paul described them as “the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient.”  (Eph 2:2)

This explains why the sin of pride prevails in the world.  It is the most insidious of all sins.  It causes man to think highly of himself, to believe that he is the answer to all the problems in the world.  He seeks to find his own happiness.  In his mind, there is no God except himself. Because he listens to no one, he decides what is good for himself.  Not only does he deceive and mislead himself but all those under his charge because he has been blinded by pride and by the promptings of the Evil One.  In his egotism, he seeks to be the most powerful, the richest, the most famous, thinking he will find happiness and security.  Little does he know that whatever he achieves will be lost in the event of illness, accident and death.  In the face of illness and death, he shows himself to be totally powerless.  He has been deceived by the Evil One, for that is the work of the Devil, to deceive us because he is the Father of lies.

But the greatest lie of the Evil One is to make us believe that he does not exist so that he could tempt us unseen, undisturbed and unopposed.  The devil has hoodwinked the world into believing that devils and angels are mythological figures.  They are not real, not tangible, not empirical and so they do not exist accept in our minds.  This is why today angels and devils are relegated to the realm of superstitions and fantasy.  Halloween, originally a Christian festival to prepare Catholics to celebrate All Saints and All Souls Day, is now celebrated by the world to mock the Catholic belief in spirits.  So on this day, people would dress up as all kinds of weird characters, as ghosts and the Devil, and frighten each other by playing tricks just to underscore that such beliefs are kids’ play.  In this way, the devil and his angels can work in us, confuse and unsettle us covertly, without our awareness.

And of course, if the devil does not exist, the angels also do not exist since the devil and his minions are supposedly fallen angels.  And if the angels do not exist, then God also cannot exist as He is pure Spirit.   And if there are no spirits, then we are constituted purely of matter.  We have no soul, no spirit.  When we die, we disappear from the world.  There is no judgment, no life after death, no retribution.  So, we can live our life as we like.  Make the best of it.  Enjoy as much as we can. Live for oneself, since we only live once.

Today, as we celebrate the Feast of the Archangels, we must join them in the battle against sin, evil and annihilation of humanity and the world.  St Michael is our protector, St Gabriel, the messenger of Good News and St Raphael, the healer of souls and body.  We must implore their assistance in our battle against the evil spiritual forces at work in the world today.  St Paul makes it clear that “our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”  (Eph 6:12) This is why we must “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power.  Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”  (Eph 6:10f)

Today’s feast tells us we do not fight alone. We fight with all the archangels and the angels in our battle against sin, evil and darkness.  With Christ’s death and resurrection, He has opened the gates of heaven, where we see “the angels of God ascending and descending.”   We can be certain of ultimate victory over the evil one because He has forgiven our sins and no longer condemns us, unlike the Evil One.  “Victory and power and empire for ever have been won by our God, and all authority for his Christ, now that the persecutor, who accused our brothers day and night before our God, has been brought down.”

But this battle will cost our lives because we might have to face martyrdom in speaking the truth.  Like the early Christians, “they have triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the witness of their martyrdom, because even in the face of death they would not cling to life. Let the heavens rejoice and all who live there.”  Like Nathaniel, we must seek the Lord in sincerity under the fig tree of prayer, meditation and contemplation.  Nathaniel, unlike the devil, was a man without deceit.  We who live by the truth and in the values of the gospel will shine like stars and angels to those around us.  Through our testimony to Christ, we will be angels to the world and especially to our fellow Christians in our battle against the darkness and deceptions of the world and the Evil One.

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Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved. 

 

RESOLUTE IN MISSION

20210928 RESOLUTE IN MISSION

 

 

28 September, 2021, Tuesday, 26th Week, Ordinary Time

First reading

Zechariah 8:20-23 ©

Many peoples and great nations will come to seek the Lord of Hosts

The Lord of Hosts says this: 

  ‘There will be other peoples yet, and citizens of great cities. And the inhabitants of one city will go to the next and say, “Come, let us go and entreat the favour of the Lord, and seek the Lord of Hosts; I am going myself.” And many peoples and great nations will come to seek the Lord of Hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favour of the Lord.’

  The Lord of Hosts says this: 

  ‘In those days, ten men of nations of every language will take a Jew by the sleeve and say, “We want to go with you, since we have learnt that God is with you.”’

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Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 86(87) ©

God is with us.

On the holy mountain is his city

  cherished by the Lord.

The Lord prefers the gates of Zion

  to all Jacob’s dwellings.

Of you are told glorious things,

  O city of God!

God is with us.

‘Babylon and Egypt I will count

  among those who know me;

Philistia, Tyre, Ethiopia,

  these will be her children

and Zion shall be called “Mother”

  for all shall be her children.’

God is with us.

It is he, the Lord Most High,

  who gives each his place.

In his register of peoples he writes:

  ‘These are her children,’

and while they dance they will sing:

  ‘In you all find their home.’

God is with us.

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Gospel Acclamation

Ps118:36,29

Alleluia, alleluia!

Bend my heart to your will, O Lord,

and teach me your law.

Alleluia!

Or:

Mk10:45

Alleluia, alleluia!

The Son of Man came to serve

and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Alleluia!

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Gospel

Luke 9:51-56 ©

Jesus sets out for Jerusalem

As the time drew near for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely took the road for Jerusalem and sent messengers ahead of him. These set out, and they went into a Samaritan village to make preparations for him, but the people would not receive him because he was making for Jerusalem. Seeing this, the disciples James and John said, ‘Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to burn them up?’ But he turned and rebuked them, and they went off to another village.

 

RESOLUTE IN MISSION

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SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Zech 8:20-23; Ps 87; Lk 9:51-56 ]

Being resolute in one’s mission is the hallmark of any good leader.  In the gospel, we read, “As the time drew near for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely took the road for Jerusalem and sent messengers ahead of him.”  Jesus was set on taking the road to Jerusalem, the place of His suffering, death and glory.  He did not hesitate any longer but once He knew that He was destined to establish the Kingdom of God in Jerusalem, He was resolute in taking His proclamation of the Kingdom to the heart of Jerusalem.

But Jesus took some time to process the will of God for Him before He made this decision to proceed with determination to Jerusalem.  He had a clear vision of establishing the Kingdom of God.  He also had a clear vision of what it would take to proclaim the reality of this kingdom when He inaugurated His mission with the citation from Isaiah.  “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”  (Lk 4:18f)

However, in spite of His clarity on what He was called to do, the other aspects of dealing with opposition and challenges required strategizing.  Although Jesus came to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom, it was bad news for those in power, political or religious.  It was a challenge to their status quo, their position in society and their power and control over the people.  He could have thought initially that such good news of liberation would be welcomed by all.  He started by teaching in the synagogue but the Pharisees and the Scribes were incensed by His new way of teaching and most of all for breaking the traditions and the laws. He was slowly side-lined and soon unwelcomed to preach in the synagogue.  As a consequence, He had to move to the mountains, the plains, at the seashore, along the roads and in the homes of the people, to continue to instruct the people in the way of the Kingdom.

Having taught the people about the Kingdom of God, Jesus must have felt that at the rate He was going, just teaching and healing the people, God’s kingdom would never be established.   The turning point came when Jesus asked Peter and the Twelve, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “The Messiah of God.”  (Lk 9:20) From that moment, it dawned on our Lord that it was time to change strategy and move His battle to the heart of the nation.  He told the apostles, “The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”  (Lk 9:22) Just as God His Father revealed to Peter His true identity as the Son of the Living God, the Christ of God, so too, the Father revealed to Jesus that it would be through His passion, death and resurrection that the Kingdom could be established.  This was further reinforced and confirmed a week later at the Transfiguration when He was transfigured in the presence of Moses and Elijah, representing the law and the prophets with Jesus as the fulfilment.  Given this clear sign from the Heavenly Father, Jesus was determined to take the route to Jerusalem where the heart of the battle must be fought and decided.

Having this clarity that He would have to face persecution, suffering and death, Jesus, who was so focused on His mission, did not shirk from His goal.  He knew that the path to glory would have to be via the way of the cross.   There was no short cut.  Hence, the rejection of the people of Samaria was an anticipation of the final rejection of the religious leaders and the people when He arrived at Jerusalem.  As a leader, we are bound to face rejection, criticism and opposition for whatever we do, even if we do them well and for a good intention.  But there will always be some who will oppose us for selfish and egoistic reasons.

It is significant that the Lord did not retaliate as James and John did.  They said to Jesus, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to burn them up?”  This calling down of fire from heaven by Elijah, in retaliation to the men sent by King Ahaziah (2 Kgs:1), was clearly on their mind.  However, this was not the way of Jesus.  Instead of rebuking them, He “turned and rebuked them, and they went off to another village.”  For the Lord, retaliation does not serve the gospel.  He had already taught them earlier.  “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.  If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.”  (Lk 6:28-31)

Jesus urges tolerance.  But tolerance against our opponents is more than just a patient tolerance without retaliation. It calls for a sincere understanding of their hostility.  Jesus understood the anger of the Samaritans against the Jews who considered them as half-breed Jews and therefore did not deserve salvation as they inter-married with the Assyrians and those that were resettled in Samaria after their conquest.  Since they were despised, they set up their own Temple in Mount Gerazim to worship God.  So their hostility stemmed from the fact that their own people did not accept them and considered them as second class. Indeed, the disciples had much to learn from the Lord in dealing with real enemies and those that were reacting from their wounds and hurts.

The approach of Jesus to such wounded people, unlike to the religious leaders who were simply stubborn, proud and self-righteous, was one of welcome, patience and sensitivity.  This was the way He dealt with the Samaritan woman.  He initiated the conversation with her, removing the cultural barriers so that the woman would not feel inferior.  He was respectful of her and He sought to help her yearn for the living water.  He assured the woman when it came to doctrinal issues that “the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (Jn 4:21-24) 

Jesus’ vision for the gospel to reach to all nations beyond the Jews remained at the back of His mind.  He had to first form His disciples for the mission to the Gentiles.  Jesus had in mind what the prophet Zechariah prophesied, that a day would come when all nations would go up to Jerusalem to worship God. He said, “There will be other peoples yet, and citizens of great cities.  And the inhabitants of one city will go to the next and say ‘Come, let us go and entreat the favour of the Lord, and seek the Lord of hosts; I am going myself.’ And many peoples and great nations will come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favour of the Lord.”

As leaders, we too must keep focused on what we are called to do.   We must remain resolute in our mission even when we face resistance and opposition.  We might have to change our strategy, like our Lord in carrying out our mission.  We need not be fixated on our plans but the vision remains always the same.  Like Jesus, we must not retaliate and expend our energy on futile anger and plotting against our enemies.   Rather, we must use our strength and energy to focus on those who are receptive to the gospel.   This was what the Lord told the disciples whom He sent out as His messengers, “‘Wherever they do not welcome you, as you are leaving that town shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.’  They departed and went through the villages, bringing the good news and curing diseases everywhere.”  (Lk 9:5f) Indeed, being focused on our mission, doing good, strengthening and healing those who wish to be healed will give us more joy in our mission.

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Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.