20220625 A DISCIPLE’S HEART
25 June, 2022, Saturday, Immaculate Heart of Mary
First reading | Isaiah 61:9-11 © |
I exult for joy in the Lord
Their race will be famous throughout the nations,
their descendants throughout the peoples.
All who see them will admit
that they are a race whom the Lord has blessed.
‘I exult for joy in the Lord,
my soul rejoices in my God,
for he has clothed me in the garments of salvation,
he has wrapped me in the cloak of integrity,
like a bridegroom wearing his wreath,
like a bride adorned in her jewels.
‘For as the earth makes fresh things grow,
as a garden makes seeds spring up,
so will the Lord make both integrity and praise
spring up in the sight of the nations.’
Responsorial Psalm |
1 Samuel 2:1,4-8 © |
My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.
My heart exults in the Lord.
I find my strength in my God;
my mouth laughs at my enemies
as I rejoice in your saving help.
My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.
The bows of the mighty are broken,
but the weak are clothed with strength.
Those with plenty must labour for bread,
but the hungry need work no more.
The childless wife has children now
but the fruitful wife bears no more.
My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.
It is the Lord who gives life and death,
he brings men to the grave and back;
it is the Lord who gives poverty and riches.
He brings men low and raises them on high.
My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.
He lifts up the lowly from the dust,
from the dungheap he raises the poor
to set him in the company of princes
to give him a glorious throne.
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
on them he has set the world.
My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Lk2:19 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed is the Virgin Mary,
who treasured the word of God
and pondered it in her heart.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 2:41-51 © |
Mary stored up all these things in her heart
Every year the parents of Jesus used to go to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up for the feast as usual. When they were on their way home after the feast, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents knowing it. They assumed he was with the caravan, and it was only after a day’s journey that they went to look for him among their relations and acquaintances. When they failed to find him they went back to Jerusalem looking for him everywhere.
Three days later, they found him in the Temple, sitting among the doctors, listening to them, and asking them questions; and all those who heard him were astounded at his intelligence and his replies. They were overcome when they saw him, and his mother said to him, ‘My child, why have you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been, looking for you.’
‘Why were you looking for me?’ he replied. ‘Did you not know that I must be busy with my Father’s affairs?’ But they did not understand what he meant.
He then went down with them and came to Nazareth and lived under their authority. His mother stored up all these things in her heart.
A DISCIPLE’S HEART
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Is 61:9-11; 1 Sm 2:1,4-8, Luke 2:41-51]
Being a Catholic is more than getting baptized and observing the basic practices of the Church, like fulfilling our Sunday obligation, giving to the Sunday collection and some money to the poor. We are called to be ongoing disciples of our Lord, deepening our faith and love for Him.
On this feast day of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I would like to speak on the disciple’s heart. The heart refers to the condition of the human person, both physical and interior, emotional and spiritual. It also tells us what drives the person in life, his goal and passion. As the Lord says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Mt 6:21) Indeed, the goal of discipleship is to have a heart of Jesus. We are called to be like Him in mind and in heart. St Paul, writing to the Philippians said, “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross.” (Phil 2:5-8)
The call to holiness is the goal of discipleship. This is what St Paul wrote, “Before the world was made, he chose us, chose us in Christ, to be holy and spotless, and to live through love in his presence, determining that we should become his adopted sons, through Jesus Christ for his own kind purposes, to make us praise the glory of his grace, his free gift to us in the Beloved.” We, no less than Mary, are chosen to be holy and spotless in Christ. This is our common calling. God has chosen us from all eternity in Christ to share in His holiness. This is God’s desire for us all, that His glory be seen in us. To be holy is but to be another Christ, to bear the radiant image and likeness of God which has been darkened by sin.
Holiness “is to be wrapped in the cloak of integrity.” Holiness is to be wholesome. It does not mean that we are weird or disconnected with life. Rather, holiness is to become who we are, namely, sons and daughters of God in Christ Jesus. It means that we are consistent with who we are, acting from our being as God’s children. A person of holiness lives a consistent life which is what integrity is all about. The lack of integrity means that our mind and heart are not connected. They are in disorder. We know what is right and yet unable to do it. This is what sin is, the failure to be true to our calling as God’s sons and daughters. Hence, there is no happiness or peace in our hearts because we are interiorly divided.
A holy person is marked by joy and peace even in the midst of suffering and persecution. When we attain holiness, we find true happiness in life. Like Israel, we will exult for joy in the Lord. Prophet Isaiah said, “my soul rejoices in my God, for he has clothed me in the garments of salvation, he has wrapped me in the cloak of integrity, like a bridegroom wearing his wreath, like a bride adorned in her jewels.” We radiate the joy of the Lord, dressed like the Bridegroom or bride and filled with love. Holiness is the basis for a missionary discipleship. This is what St John Paul II wrote, “First of all, I have no hesitation in saying that all pastoral initiatives must be set in relation to holiness.” (Novo Millennio Ineunte, 30) Holiness is truly a call to fullness in Christian life which is a life of charity.
Pope Francis in his first encyclical, wrote, “The Joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew.” (Gaudium Evangelii, 1) “Consequently, an evangelizer must never look like someone who has just come back from a funeral! Let us recover and deepen our enthusiasm, that “delightful and comforting joy of evangelizing, even when it is in tears that we must sow… And may the world of our time, which is searching, sometimes with anguish, sometimes with hope, receive the good news not from evangelizers who are dejected, discouraged, impatient or anxious, but from ministers of the Gospel whose lives glow with fervour, who have first received the joy of Christ”. (Ibid, 10)
Indeed, when a person is filled with the joy of the gospel, he or she would be able to announce to the world how good and great God is, just as Mary and Hannah did. The responsorial psalm taken from the Book of Samuel, which was then taken up by Mary, says, “My heart exults in the Lord, I find my strength in my God; my mouth laughs at my enemies as I rejoice in your saving help. The bows of the mighty are broken, but the weak are clothed with strength. Those with plenty must labour for bread, but the hungry need work no more. The childless wife has children now but the fruitful wife bears no more. It is the Lord who gives life and death, he brings men to the grave and back; it is the Lord who gives poverty and riches. He brings men low and raises them on high. He lifts up the lowly from the dust, from the dungheap he raises the poor to set them in the company of princes, to give them a glorious throne.” Hannah, the mother of Samuel, and Mary could sing of God’s greatness for them because they encountered the liberating power of God in their lives.
How, then, can we grow in holiness, cultivating a heart of charity and integrity, and pastoral and missionary zeal if not to follow Jesus as Mary did? We read in today’s gospel, how Jesus Himself was very focused on His true identity and mission. Jesus knew who He was and what He should be doing. So He “remained in the Temple, sitting among the doctors, listening to them, and asking them questions; and all those who heard him were astounded at his intelligence and his replies.” Indeed, Jesus who was conscious of God as His heavenly Father, knew that His house was at the Temple. This was where He truly belonged. And at the same time, being the Son of the Father, he had to be busy with His Father’s affairs. Jesus was committed to His divine sonship. He lived out His divine sonship in obedience to His Father. Whatever the Father willed, He willed. Jesus lived entirely from His Father and for His Father. This is what it means to be the Son of the Father.
Consequently, if we want to follow Jesus in being true to our adopted sonship, then we too must cultivate a deep intimacy with our Lord. Before we can exercise pastoral care and be involved in missionary activities, we must be rooted and grounded in the Lord’s love for us. Like Jesus, we need to spend time praying to His Father. This was why St John Paul II reminds us, that the necessary step to take in the path of holiness is to learn the art of prayer, meditative, affective, contemplative and mystical prayer. He wrote, “our Christian communities must become genuine ‘schools’ of prayer, where the meeting with Christ is expressed not just in imploring help but also in thanksgiving, praise, adoration, contemplation, listening and ardent devotion, until the heart truly ‘falls in love’. Intense prayer, yes, but it does not distract us from our commitment to history: by opening our heart to the love of God it also opens it to the love of our brothers and sisters and makes us capable of shaping history according to God’s plan.” (NMI, 33)
Indeed, we must take a page from Mary’s contemplative lifestyle as well. Her heart and mind were always contemplating on the scriptures and how God was working in her life. Even though she could not understand fully what the Lord was telling her, she “stored up all these things in her heart.” Mary’s heart was totally devoted to the Lord simply because she was one with God and her Son. Our Lord praised His mother when He remarked, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.” (Lk 8:21) Therefore, as we celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, let us pray that like her, our heart will beat with love for the Lord. Let us keep our eyes, focused on the Lord as we grow in discipleship, in holiness so that we can be truly His presence and messengers of love in the world.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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