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