20211009 TRUE BLESSEDNESS
09 October, 2021, Saturday, 27th Week, Ordinary Time
First reading | Joel 4:12-21 © |
The day of the Lord is near; sun and moon grow dark
The Lord says this:
‘Let the nations rouse themselves, let them march
to the Valley of Jehoshaphat,
for I am going to sit in judgement there
on all the nations round.
Put the sickle in:
the harvest is ripe;
come and tread:
the winepress is full,
the vats are overflowing,
so great is their wickedness!’
Host on host
in the Valley of Decision!
For the day of the Lord is near
in the Valley of Decision!
Sun and moon grow dark,
the stars lose their brilliance.
The Lord roars from Zion,
makes his voice heard from Jerusalem;
heaven and earth tremble.
But the Lord will be a shelter for his people,
a stronghold for the sons of Israel.
‘You will learn then that I am the Lord your God,
dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain.
Jerusalem will be a holy place,
no alien will ever pass through it again.’
When that day comes,
the mountains will run with new wine
and the hills flow with milk,
and all the river beds of Judah
will run with water.
A fountain will spring from the house of the Lord
to water the wadi of Acacias.
Egypt will become a desolation,
Edom a desert waste
on account of the violence done to the sons of Judah
whose innocent blood they shed in their country.
But Judah will be inhabited for ever,
Jerusalem from age to age.
‘I will avenge their blood and let none go unpunished’,
and the Lord shall make his home in Zion.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 96(97):1-2,5-6,11-12 © |
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
The Lord is king, let earth rejoice,
let all the coastlands be glad.
Cloud and darkness are his raiment;
his throne, justice and right.
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
The mountains melt like wax
before the Lord of all the earth.
The skies proclaim his justice;
all peoples see his glory.
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
Light shines forth for the just
and joy for the upright of heart.
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord;
give glory to his holy name.
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
Gospel Acclamation | Jn14:23 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
If anyone loves me he will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him.
Alleluia!
Or: | Lk11:28 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Happy are those
who hear the word of God
and keep it.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 11:27-28 © |
'Happy the womb that bore you and the breasts you sucked!'
As Jesus was speaking, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said, ‘Happy the womb that bore you and the breasts you sucked!’ But he replied, ‘Still happier those who hear the word of God and keep it!’
TRUE BLESSEDNESS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [JOEl 4:12-21; Ps 97:1-2,5-6,11-12; Lk 11:27-28]
What is true blessedness? When people say that they have a blessed life, what do they mean? It means that their life was lived without much suffering and difficulties. Things have been smooth for them. They were brought up by good and loving parents. They did well in their studies and career. They live a comfortable life, take regular holidays and dine well. There is unity and peace in the family. Their children and grandchildren are all doing well, are happily married or even in priestly and religious vocations. They and their loved ones enjoy reasonably good health. So compared to many other people, they consider themselves blessed.
These are certainly blessings from God and which we must not take for granted. It is certainly right to praise and thank God for these blessings. As the woman in today’s gospel who, in an emotional outpouring in admiration for Mary and Jesus, said, “Happy the womb that bore you and the breasts you sucked!”, we too want to thank God when our loved ones are doing well in their studies and career. We are certainly proud of them and we feel happy for them. But we also feel happy for ourselves because we played an important role in their success and we feel great to be associated with them, especially if they are holding prominent positions in society. Mary herself felt grateful too when Elizabeth praised her, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?” (Lk 1:42f) In an outburst of thanksgiving, she said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” (Lk 1:46-49) She praised God for the blessings of divine motherhood.
But this kind of definition is too narrow and sometimes can even be inward- looking. It is about oneself, one’s blessings and one’s comforts in life. Rather, in the definition of Jesus, blessedness is not so much just being blessed with the goodness of God, it is when we are blessed with a heart of God. In the beatitude, the Lord gave a blueprint of what true blessedness is, and what are woes. “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.” (Lk 6:20-22,24-26)
So when we examine the blessedness of Mary, it is as the Lord said when correcting the woman who was full of admiration at His mother, “Still happier those who hear the word of God and keep it!” Jesus was not discounting that it is certainly a great blessing for Mary to give birth to Him, but Jesus wanted us all to rise beyond such transient blessings that can sometimes even lead to pride and egotism. Rather, as the Lord underscored, His mother was great simply because she heard the Word of God and kept it. She is placed in contrast to the religious leaders who were too proud and stubborn to recognize that Jesus is the power of God at work. Instead they slandered Him by suggesting that He cast out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons. This gave rise to the tension when Jesus defended His authority and made it clear that there is no question of neutrality. “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” (Lk 11:23) Mary is presented by Luke as a direct response to what it means to take the side of Jesus, to walk with Him and act in union with Him. She listened and carried out the Word of God.
Truly, this is the blessedness of Mary, the foundation for all other blessings to flow. In the gospel, Mary never displayed her blessedness in terms of her maternal authority over the Lord. She never used her position to gain authority or recognition by others. Nowhere in the gospel did we see Mary coming to the forefront in the ministry of Jesus. She was always in the background. And even when she wanted to see the Lord, she did not impose her authority over Him. Instead, she sent some people to inquire of Him. (Mk 3:31) She did not listen to the rumours that He was mad. She did not interrupt His preaching and insist that He went home with her. She was very discreet and unassuming. She had no need to use her position to command respect and honour from anyone. She was happy to be unknown and quietly supporting her Son.
And her secret was precisely that she “hears” the Word of God. She is hardly heard speaking in the gospel. Only four times did we hear Mary speaking briefly; at the Annunciation, on her visit to Elizabeth, when Jesus was lost in the Temple and at the Wedding in Cana, and all these before and at the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry. After the Wedding in Cana, the rest of the gospel did not record her speaking because, as John the Baptist would say, “He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. For this reason, my joy has been fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.” (Jn 3:29f) Mary was happy because her task was like John the Baptist’s, to point others to her Son, as she told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” (Jn 2:5) From then on, Mary no longer had to speak because Jesus was the Word of God. He would be the One who would reveal the glory of God to them. (Jn 2:11)
Indeed, she did not simply hear the Word of God but acted on it herself and advised others to do the same. She accepted God’s will for her to be the mother of the Saviour. She accepted the trials of divine motherhood. She accepted the confusion and the anxiety of explaining to her relatives and authorities how she was pregnant with the child Jesus. She tolerated the inconvenience of her only Son being born in a stable. She was courageous to flee with Joseph to Egypt when Herod wanted to kill her son. She was able to let go of her Son when it was time for Him to go out for mission. By then, apparently, she was already a widow. She did not live in self-pity and insisted that Jesus remained behind to look after her. She never doubted her Son even though others rejected Him. Most of all, she stood at the foot of the cross when her Son received the worst form of humiliation and shame by being nailed to the cross. In good times, Jesus had many people following and supporting Him. In bad times, only His mother was faithful to Him right to the end of His life, never ever abandoning Him.
When we look at the life of Mary, would we consider that she lived a blessed life? Certainly, she could not boast that she was well looked after by her children. She could not say that she and Joseph lived to a ripe old age, supporting and accompanying each other. She did not live a comfortable life. She could not claim that her Son was very successful in His earthly ministry. She could not rejoice at the Son’s innocent death on the cross. She grieved at His death. She had none of the blessings we normally associate a blessed life to be. On the contrary, it looks more like curses and woes.
Yet, the truth is that Mary is the most blessed amongst all women simply because she carried Jesus not just in her womb but in her heart. She had the heart of our Lord in doing God’s will, listening to His Word and carrying them out in her life. She had a heart of thanksgiving, gratitude and compassion. She lived a life of detachment and humility, just contented to be the handmaid of the Lord. She did not fight with her enemies. She forgave them like Jesus and prayed for them. She was not bitter with the apostles for abandoning her Son in His moment of need. On the contrary, she rallied them together after the ascension of Jesus, praying with them for the coming of the Holy Spirit. She was truly blessed because she had Jesus’ heart and word in her. We too are blessed if only we are like Mary, always attentive to the Word of God and acting on it, in humility and obedience.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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