20211018 FAITHFUL HELPERS OR TRAITORS
18 October, 2021, Monday, St Luke, Evangelist
First reading |
2 Timothy 4:10-17 © |
Only Luke is with me
Demas has deserted me for love of this life and gone to Thessalonika, Crescens has gone to Galatia and Titus to Dalmatia; only Luke is with me. Get Mark to come and bring him with you; I find him a useful helper in my work. I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus in Troas, and the scrolls, especially the parchment ones. Alexander the coppersmith has done me a lot of harm; the Lord will repay him for what he has done. Be on your guard against him yourself, because he has been bitterly contesting everything that we say.
The first time I had to present my defence, there was not a single witness to support me. Every one of them deserted me – may they not be held accountable for it. But the Lord stood by me and gave me power, so that through me the whole message might be proclaimed for all the pagans to hear; and so I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 144(145):10-13a,17-18 © |
Your friends, O Lord, make known the glorious splendour of your reign.
All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord,
and your friends shall repeat their blessing.
They shall speak of the glory of your reign
and declare your might, O God.
Your friends, O Lord, make known the glorious splendour of your reign.
They make known to men your mighty deeds
and the glorious splendour of your reign.
Yours is an everlasting kingdom;
your rule lasts from age to age.
Your friends, O Lord, make known the glorious splendour of your reign.
The Lord is just in all his ways
and loving in all his deeds.
He is close to all who call him,
who call on him from their hearts.
Your friends, O Lord, make known the glorious splendour of your reign.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Jn15:16 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I chose you from the world
to go out and bear fruit,
fruit that will last,
says the Lord.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 10:1-9 © |
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.”’
FAITHFUL HELPERS OR TRAITORS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 Timothy 4:10-17; Luke 10:1-9]
In the gospel, “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.” The appointment of the seventy or seventy-two is over and above the appointment of the Twelve apostles earlier on as recounted by Luke. (Lk 9:1-6) The appointment of the seventy-two follows the model of Moses when the Lord asked him to appoint seventy elders to assist him in ruling the people. (Num 11:16-30) It was also the structure of the Sanhedrin when seventy were appointed to be in the council to govern and regulate the religious activities of the people. It therefore underscores the need for the apostles or the leaders of the community to have other helpers to assist them in their mission and ministry. They cannot work alone. Leaders will always need able and faithful helpers to assist them as they labour in the vineyard of the Lord.
Indeed, leaders cannot do without helpers to assist or collaborate with them. As the Lord said, “The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest.” In the case of Luke the evangelist, he put emphasis on the mission of the Church to the Gentiles. The essential message was to “cure those in it who are sick, and say, ‘The kingdom of God is very near to you.'” The proclamation of the kingdom is urgent. “Start off now” was the instruction of our Lord. The missionary must travel light and not be burdened by the material things of this world. They should just be contented with what was served. They must keep their eyes on the larger mission of the Church and not be so focused on the non-essentials. Hence, they were told to “salute no one on the road”, in other words, not to get involved in gossip and small talk or petty issues.
However, the Lord warned the disciples, “remember, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.” Indeed, the proclamation of the gospel will cause us to suffer from within and without. There will be people who oppose us. There will be people who will betray us from within. We will have enemies from without who will try to bring us down and discredit us. We must not expect to be loved, welcomed and honoured by the world. The Lord already warned us, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Mt 5:11f) This was indeed the trials of Paul as recounted in today’s first reading. St Paul, like our Lord, had to go through tremendous sufferings in the ministry.
Just as the apostles abandoned our Lord, Paul was abandoned by Demas. Like Judas who betrayed our Lord, Demas deserted Paul “for love of this life.” Indeed, this is our challenge as well today. When we appoint assistants to help us in our ministry or job, some of them start well. They are intelligent and resourceful. That was the case of Demas. He had great potential. Paul referred to him as his “fellow worker” along with Mark and Luke. But along the way, people like Demas are tempted by power, pleasure and money. No longer do they work for the good of the community and the glory of God but themselves. This is true in every aspect of life, be it in the secular world, in charitable organizations and even in religious work. Temptation is always before us. Even Jesus right at the start of His ministry was tempted by Satan with power, glory and wealth.
Secondly, as leaders, we can be very lonely because at the end of the day, the leader often has to stand up for himself. Few are ready to stand by the leader and get their heads chopped with him or her. Just as the apostles abandoned our Lord when He was arrested and put on trial, it was also the case of Paul. He said, “The first time I had to present my defences, there was not a single witness to support me. Every one of them deserted me – may they not be held accountable for it.” Out of fear for their lives and their loved ones, very few would risk their lives and security to stand by their leader, especially when they know that it would be a losing battle and the whole world is against him. Leaders are often left alone to defend their position, their decisions and actions. People support leaders who are popular and powerful, not when their position is not secured.
Thirdly, perhaps, the most heart-breaking pain of a leader is when the very people we work for, or even those we appointed to assist us, speak evil of us. We can imagine the pain of Jesus knowing that one of the Twelve, Judas, had betrayed Him. St Paul too faced this same pain. He said, “Alexander the coppersmith has done me a lot of harm; the Lord will repay him for what he has done. Be on your guard against him yourself; because he has been bitterly contesting everything that we say.” Those who are jealous of us, who want things their way and cannot have them, will turn against us and work covertly against us. They will speak evil of us and slander us. We face such people all the time when those whom we trust most betray us by speaking ill about us to others, poisoning their minds and causing us irreparable harm as they give rise to misunderstandings, mistrust, suspicions, prejudices and division.
Yet, as Paul said, “the Lord stood by me and gave me power, so that through me the whole message might be proclaimed for all the pagans to hear.” Indeed, when we think we are alone, we are not. Firstly, the Lord is with us, assisting us in ways we cannot imagine. Secondly, God knows that we need helpmates, people to assist us and give us encouragement. We can never work alone. In the case of Paul, God had given him many good friends in his ministry. He was comforted and encouraged by Titus when he was tired physically and afflicted in many ways in Macedonia. (2 Cor 7:5-7)
Paul also had a good disciple whom he mentored to take over from him, namely, Timothy. He was a faithful servant and reliable helper to Paul. He was the person that Paul relied on the most. He said to him, “Do your best to come to me soon.” (2 Tim 4:9) Paul was like a father to Timothy. He wanted to see Timothy before his execution. Indeed, it is so heartening for us to know that even though we might be fully committed to the Lord and ready to die for Him, we need good friends to support us in our loneliness and struggles. Paul knew how to reach out to Timothy. He was never too proud to admit that he needed Timothy and some of his closest friends to give him that support. And he was very appreciative of them.
Last but not least, there was Luke, whose feast we celebrate today. Poignantly he wrote in prison, “only Luke is with me.” Luke was there for Paul in his missionary trips and most of all, he was there as a servant accompanying him in prison. He might not be an eloquent preacher but he was a great physician. He would have looked after Paul’s health as we know that all his life, he was suffering “a thorn in his flesh.” Luke might not have been a great evangelist but he was a great helper and he was happy to play a subdued role in the missionary work of Paul, without gaining credit or prominence. Luke was loyal and kind to Paul. Dedicated to Paul and loyal to him unto death. That was the kind of person Luke was, as Paul’s helper.
For those of us who have betrayed our leaders and people who have placed their trust in us, we must repent and turn back. This was the case of Mark. He redeemed himself by earning the trust of Paul again. When he was young, he deserted Paul in their first missionary journey. (Acts 13:13; 15:37-40) As a consequence, Paul refused to take him along, resulting in a split between Barnabas and him. But at the end of Paul’s life, Mark had repaired his relationship with Paul. Hence, Paul wrote, “Get Mark to come and bring him with you; I find him a useful helper in my work.” It is wonderful to know that it is never too late to repent. May we learn from the examples of Luke, Timothy and Mark to be faithful helpers!
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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