20220527 CHRISTIAN JOY IS STRENGTHENED BY HOPE
27 May, 2022, Friday, 6th Week of Easter
First reading | Acts 18:9-18 © |
'I have many people on my side in this city'
At Corinth one night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid to speak out, nor allow yourself to be silenced: I am with you. I have so many people on my side in this city that no one will even attempt to hurt you.’ So Paul stayed there preaching the word of God among them for eighteen months.
But, while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a concerted attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal. ‘We accuse this man’ they said ‘of persuading people to worship God in a way that breaks the Law.’ Before Paul could open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, ‘Listen, you Jews. If this were a misdemeanour or a crime, I would not hesitate to attend to you; but if it is only quibbles about words and names, and about your own Law, then you must deal with it yourselves – I have no intention of making legal decisions about things like that.’ Then he sent them out of the court, and at once they all turned on Sosthenes, the synagogue president, and beat him in front of the court house. Gallio refused to take any notice at all.
After staying on for some time, Paul took leave of the brothers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had his hair cut off, because of a vow he had made.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 46(47):2-7 © |
God is king of all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
All peoples, clap your hands,
cry to God with shouts of joy!
For the Lord, the Most High, we must fear,
great king over all the earth.
God is king of all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
He subdues peoples under us
and nations under our feet.
Our inheritance, our glory, is from him,
given to Jacob out of love.
God is king of all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
God goes up with shouts of joy;
the Lord goes up with trumpet blast.
Sing praise for God, sing praise,
sing praise to our king, sing praise.
God is king of all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | Jn14:26 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The Holy Spirit will teach you everything
and remind you of all I have said to you.
Alleluia!
Or: | cf.Lk24:46,26 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
It was ordained that the Christ should suffer
and rise from the dead,
and so enter into his glory.
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 16:20-23 © |
Your hearts will be full of joy that no-one will take from you
Jesus said to his disciples:
‘I tell you most solemnly,
you will be weeping and wailing
while the world will rejoice;
you will be sorrowful,
but your sorrow will turn to joy.
A woman in childbirth suffers,
because her time has come;
but when she has given birth to the child she forgets the suffering
in her joy that a man has been born into the world.
So it is with you: you are sad now,
but I shall see you again, and your hearts will be full of joy,
and that joy no one shall take from you.
When that day comes,
you will not ask me any questions.’
CHRISTIAN JOY IS STRENGTHENED BY HOPE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ACTS 18:9-18; PS 47:2-7; JN 16:20-23]
At the conclusion of the gospel of Luke which we read on Ascension Thursday, St Luke wrote, “Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God.” (Lk 24:50-53) This gives us the key to the theme of Christian joy.
What is Christian joy? Many of us confuse Christian joy with joy in the world. The joy of the world comes from pleasure and fun. It is a fleeting joy often destroyed easily by pain, suffering, setbacks, disappointments and fear. Such joy is not lasting. If joy is dependent on a situation without pain and suffering, this joy is inward-looking and self-centred. It does not reach out beyond oneself. Hence, this kind of joy cannot last because it is dependent solely on external factors and freedom from pain. This is not the joy that Christ brings to this world.
Christian joy is never without suffering. In fact, a joy without suffering is often a love for oneself and that joy cannot last and cannot grow. St Paul himself described the trials of the apostolate. “Five times I have received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked; for a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from bandits, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers and sisters; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, hungry and thirsty, often without food, cold and naked. And, besides other things, I am under daily pressure because of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I am not indignant?” (2 Cor 11:24-29)
So where does Christian joy come from? Christian joy on this earth is a joy very much connected with hope. Jesus said to His disciples, “I tell you most solemnly, you will be weeping and wailing while the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful but your sorrow will turn to joy.” It is in view of the hope before us that we Christians remain joyful even in times of trials and sufferings. Indeed, it is this eternal hope that gives the Christians joy on earth whilst going through the sufferings of life as they die to their selfishness, grow in love for others, in humility and self-sacrifice, and often unjustly treated or even persecuted for their faith. Like the apostles who were imprisoned, interrogated and flogged by the Sanhedrin, we read that “they rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer dishonour for the sake of the name.” (Acts 5:41)
How did Jesus keep the disciples in joy in spite of the fact that He was leaving them? Jesus gave them the analogy of a woman giving birth to prepare them for His passion, death and resurrection. This is a beautiful and most appropriate way to help the apostles go through the passion with Him. In other words, our suffering will be intense but will be brief. This is true even for those of us who have to suffer a long time in prison, detention or in sickness, poverty and hunger. Whilst we are going through the suffering, it seems a long time. It is unbearable. But when the suffering ends, when the child is born, so great is the joy of the mother that the suffering is quickly forgotten. So too for the disciples, the passion and death of Christ would be even more intense and unbearable compared to a mother in labour, but after His death, like the woman who gives birth to a child, Jesus gave birth to new life. For the sake of this joy ahead of us, we are willing to suffer.
For the disciples of our Lord, the joy would be out of this world because they would have a new relationship with their Lord. Jesus assured them, “So it is with you: you are sad now, but I shall see you again, and your hearts will be full of joy, and that joy no one shall take from you.” The joy of a restored relationship gave them hope that Jesus would come again in a new way. Indeed, Jesus underscored that He would see them again, not so much that they would see Him. This is to emphasize the change in relationship, that whilst the risen Lord is identified with Jesus, He would be transfigured. How they would see the Risen Lord later would be too much for the Lord to explain to the disciples then. However, as He said, “When that day comes, you will not ask me any questions.” When they “see” Him, they will be filled with joy. All the questions would be answered by His resurrection and His suffering and death would make sense to them. So too, when we see our sufferings in the light of His passion, death and resurrection, we will also come to grasp the mystery of God’s love.
Indeed, it is the certain hope of a Christian who understands that his final destiny is to share in the transfigured life of Christ in heaven and be in relationship with Him that continues to sustain him in his trials and tribulations. When we know that our loved one who has left us is not gone forever, we are filled with joy just hoping that we will see our loved one return one day. This is why Christian funerals are always a mixture of joy in sadness. Sad because our loved ones have left us, joy because we know we will meet again in the next life. It is the hope of being with God forever that keeps the Christian focused in his mission and journey on earth. True joy is found only in heaven, as the book of Revelation suggests, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” (Rev 21:3f)
St Peter writing to the early Christians under persecution also spoke of keeping the hope before them. “By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith – being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire. Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Pt 1:3-9)
Secondly, because this relationship is so secure, the joy is permanent. Even in the midst of their suffering, they knew that Jesus was waiting for them and He was with them. (Jn 15:18–16:4). The world and their enemies would try to take this joy from the disciples, but they would not be able to do so. Knowing that Jesus was in their midst even if they could see Him, gave them courage and strength. That was what the Lord said to St Paul in his missionary journey in today’s first reading. “At Corinth one night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid to speak out, nor allow yourself to be silenced: I am with you. I have so many people on my side in this city that no one will even attempt to hurt you.'” Indeed, the Lord showed Himself to be on the side of Paul and saved him from his enemies in Corinth through Gallio who refused to hear the charges against Paul made by the Jews because it did not deal with any crime. As far as he was concerned, the Christian Faith was legal and Paul had a right to preach it. He made it clear that the State should not interfere in religion or be dealing with religious questions as this was outside the purview and expertise of the State.
So the Christian lives in joy because of the hope in the future. But this hope can only flourish in joy. A hope without joy is at best a wishful hope that is uncertain of the future. The fullness of joy of the future gives us the motivation and hope to struggle on in our faith. Christian joy is rooted in a certain hope of the future. Therefore, joy and hope go together and support each other. Let joy permeate the entire Church and in our mission. Without joy, we cannot proclaim the gospel as Pope Francis reminds us in his encyclical.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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