20211005 TUNNEL VISION
05 October, 2021, Tuesday, 27th Week, Ordinary Time
First reading | Jonah 3:1-10 © |
The Ninevites repent, and God spares them
The word of the Lord was addressed to Jonah: ‘Up!’ he said ‘Go to Nineveh, the great city, and preach to them as I told you to.’ Jonah set out and went to Nineveh in obedience to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was a city great beyond compare: it took three days to cross it. Jonah went on into the city, making a day’s journey. He preached in these words, ‘Only forty days more and Nineveh is going to be destroyed.’ And the people of Nineveh believed in God; they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least. The news reached the king of Nineveh, who rose from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth and sat down in ashes. A proclamation was then promulgated throughout Nineveh, by decree of the king and his ministers, as follows: ‘Men and beasts, herds and flocks, are to taste nothing; they must not eat, they must not drink water. All are to put on sackcloth and call on God with all their might; and let everyone renounce his evil behaviour and the wicked things he has done. Who knows if God will not change his mind and relent, if he will not renounce his burning wrath, so that we do not perish?’ God saw their efforts to renounce their evil behaviour, and God relented: he did not inflict on them the disaster which he had threatened.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 129(130):1-4,7-8 © |
If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt: Lord, who would survive?
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord,
Lord, hear my voice!
O let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleading.
If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt: Lord, who would survive?
If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt,
Lord, who would survive?
But with you is found forgiveness:
for this we revere you.
If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt: Lord, who would survive?
Because with the Lord there is mercy
and fullness of redemption,
Israel indeed he will redeem
from all its iniquity.
If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt: Lord, who would survive?
Gospel Acclamation | Jn15:15 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I call you friends, says the Lord,
because I have made known to you
everything I have learnt from my Father.
Alleluia!
Or: | Lk11:28 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Happy are those
who hear the word of God
and keep it.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 10:38-42 © |
Martha works; Mary listens
Jesus came to a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. She had a sister called Mary, who sat down at the Lord’s feet and listened to him speaking. Now Martha who was distracted with all the serving said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself? Please tell her to help me.’ But the Lord answered: ‘Martha, Martha,’ he said ‘you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary who has chosen the better part; it is not to be taken from her.’
TUNNEL VISION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Jonah 3:1-10; Ps 130:1-4,7-8; Lk 10:38-42 ]
The scripture readings today are addressed to those who have a tunnel vision in ministry, in our relationships and in the way we see life and God. It has particular relevance to those who are active in church ministry. Of course, it can be applied to all situations in life. A tunnel vision means having a very narrow perspective of the situation and life itself. It is having a one-track mind, so focused that we lose perspective of the whole. What is even more destructive is that those who are so focused on their task and vision, seek to impose on others, leaving no room for diversity and alternative perspectives.
This was the case of Jonah in today’s first reading. His perspective of the Ninevites was that they did not deserve mercy from God. They should be punished severely and be destroyed. God should not save them even if they repented, as the Hebrews were the only chosen people of God. This was why he did not want to go to Nineveh to preach repentance the first time the Lord called him. After fleeing from God and escaping a near death, he was given a second chance. This time he went reluctantly, hoping that the call to repentance would not be taken seriously. But he was wrong. And God did not punish them as threatened. Jonah was of course angry and resentful.
Unlike Jonah, the people of Nineveh and even the King did not have tunnel vision. Even though Jonah was not their prophet, when they heard what he said, their hearts quickened, their conscience was struck and they recognized the truth of what he was saying about them. They were not prejudiced against Jonah but took it in the right spirit. “The people of Nineveh believed in God; they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least. The news reached the king of Nineveh, who rose from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth and sat down in the ashes.” All were called to fast and do penance. All were “to put on sackcloth and call on God with all their might; and let everyone renounce his evil behaviour and the wicked things he has done.” Indeed, even though the God of Jonah was not the god they worshipped, they put their faith in Jonah’s God and said, “‘Who knows if God will not change his mind and relent, if he will not renounce his burning wrath, so that we do not perish?’ God saw their efforts to renounce their evil behaviour. And God relented: he did not inflict on them the disaster which he had threatened.” Indeed, the people and their king were receptive and opened to correction and change.
So too was the case of Martha in today’s gospel. She had a narrow view of hospitality. She thought that to make Jesus welcome was to fuss over Him, make Him feel comfortable and provide Him a good meal. So she went about doing all the chores and when she saw Mary sitting at the Lord’s feet and listening to him speaking, she said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself? Please tell her to help me.” Not only was she annoyed that Mary was oblivious to what she was doing, but she became resentful of her. She felt that she was irresponsible by not helping her and instead wasting time with Jesus. In her judgment, Mary was not helpful and selfish. As far as she was concerned, she was the only one who cared for our Lord, and truly made Him at ease and served. So much so, she wanted the Lord to support her position by asking Him to tell Mary to get back and help her with the preparations and serving.
Little was Martha conscious that hospitality to her guests need not always necessarily be to prepare a sumptuous meal for them. At times, what the guest wants might just be to spend some quiet time with the host, to share his joys, anxieties and sorrows. He might just want some intimacy or solitude to refocus on his life and direction. Her kindness might not be what the guest needs. She lacked sensitivity to what was going on in His mind and heart. She came from her own perspective of the need to be appreciated, to be recognized for what she was doing for Him. She needed to feel needed and relevant by doing things. As a consequence, she missed out on not just truly serving the Lord but being attentive to what the Lord wanted to share with her. She was not there to listen to Him.
Isn’t this what is happening in ministry as well? There are some people who are so involved in a particular church ministry that it consumes all their energy and mind. They expect others to be as committed and passionate as them. And if they are not, they get angry with them for failing to see the importance of the ministry or the spirituality they are promoting. This is especially so for those who are involved in humanitarian works of mercy and social work for the poor. Because they are intimately involved in the lives of their beneficiaries, they feel with them in their suffering, struggles, injustices and oppression. When they see that others are not as concerned with the suffering of the marginalized and their needs, they become resentful that others are not as kind and compassionate as them.
Like Martha, they start comparing what they do and what others do not do. They think that everyone must share their concerns and passion for the ministry. The truth is that we are not all called to the same ministry in life because we have different charisms, different calling, often very much dictated by our past experiences. There is no one way of doing things even for the same cause. In life, there are many kinds of services to be rendered and many ways to get it done. If only we are less concerned about what others are not doing and be more concerned about what we must do, then our energy will not be dissipated and directed at people that do not help us to do more. If we feel called to a particular service or brand of spirituality, we should develop it and promote it without imposing our preference on others.
But Jesus refused to take sides. It is not that active ministry is wrong or that our entire life must be spent on contemplation. Fruitfulness in active ministry depends on prayer. Those active in contemplative prayer, even those in monastic life, will manifest their love for God by actively serving the community and those who come to them for help. So there is no dichotomy between contemplation and action, reflection and ministry. These two must go together. The real danger is that more often than not, those who are active in ministry often have no time to pray, to be still and listen to the Word of God or bask themselves in the love and intimacy of God. They have many things to do, many demands to be met, many meetings to attend, planning to do and talks to prepare. So they are living a harried life. Time is always a constraint. And so between prayer and ministry, we often choose ministry over prayer. We say that prayer can wait. But the truth is that we never seem to be able to find time to pray.
Hence, the Lord is wise. He said to Martha in a most loving and tender manner. “‘Martha, Martha,’ he said ‘you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary who has chosen the better part; it is not to be taken from her.'” He was telling her that what she was doing was not wrong. It was good. But Mary had chosen the better part at this point of time. She had her priorities right. She knew the importance of giving space and time to the Lord, listening to Him, hearing Him out, understanding His aspirations, His struggles, His fears and anxieties. She felt the need to learn from Him about His love for His Father, the conviction of His mission and the message He wanted the world to hear. So it is the better part not because prayer is more important than works of charity but it is the foundation. Otherwise, charity would become an ambition and another ideological struggle.
Let us therefore open our minds and hearts to the Lord in quiet contemplation, in prayer and being attentive to His word, basking in His love and intimacy. We must seek Him for direction, and openness to the way He wants to work in and through us. We must be humble to welcome different initiatives to build the one mission of the Church, which is to proclaim the gospel of love, mercy and forgiveness to all. Let us go beyond a tunnel vision to God’s vision.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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