20221016 PRAYERFUL DISCERNMENT OF LEADERS
16 October, 2022, Sunday, 29th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Exodus 17:8-13 © |
As long as Moses kept his arm raised, Israel had the advantage
The Amalekites came and attacked Israel at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, ‘Pick out men for yourself, and tomorrow morning march out to engage Amalek. I, meanwhile, will stand on the hilltop, the staff of God in my hand.’ Joshua did as Moses told him and marched out to engage Amalek, while Moses and Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill. As long as Moses kept his arms raised, Israel had the advantage; when he let his arms fall, the advantage went to Amalek. But Moses’ arms grew heavy, so they took a stone and put it under him and on this he sat, Aaron and Hur supporting his arms, one on one side, one on the other; and his arms remained firm till sunset. With the edge of the sword Joshua cut down Amalek and his people.
Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 120(121) © |
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
I lift up my eyes to the mountains;
from where shall come my help?
My help shall come from the Lord
who made heaven and earth.
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
May he never allow you to stumble!
Let him sleep not, your guard.
No, he sleeps not nor slumbers,
Israel’s guard.
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
The Lord is your guard and your shade;
at your right side he stands.
By day the sun shall not smite you
nor the moon in the night.
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
The Lord will guard you from evil,
he will guard your soul.
The Lord will guard your going and coming
both now and for ever.
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Second reading |
2 Timothy 3:14-4:2 © |
The man who is dedicated to God becomes fully equipped and ready for any good work
You must keep to what you have been taught and know to be true; remember who your teachers were, and how, ever since you were a child, you have known the holy scriptures – from these you can learn the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and can profitably be used for teaching, for refuting error, for guiding people’s lives and teaching them to be holy. This is how the man who is dedicated to God becomes fully equipped and ready for any good work.
Before God and before Christ Jesus who is to be judge of the living and the dead, I put this duty to you, in the name of his Appearing and of his kingdom: proclaim the message and, welcome or unwelcome, insist on it. Refute falsehood, correct error, call to obedience – but do all with patience and with the intention of teaching.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ep1:17,18 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our mind,
so that we can see what hope his call holds for us.
Alleluia!
Or: | Heb4:12 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The word of God is something alive and active:
it can judge secret emotions and thoughts.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 18:1-8 © |
The parable of the unjust judge
Jesus told his disciples a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart. ‘There was a judge in a certain town’ he said ‘who had neither fear of God nor respect for man. In the same town there was a widow who kept on coming to him and saying, “I want justice from you against my enemy!” For a long time he refused, but at last he said to himself, “Maybe I have neither fear of God nor respect for man, but since she keeps pestering me I must give this widow her just rights, or she will persist in coming and worry me to death.”’
And the Lord said ‘You notice what the unjust judge has to say? Now will not God see justice done to his chosen who cry to him day and night even when he delays to help them? I promise you, he will see justice done to them, and done speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find any faith on earth?’
PRAYERFUL DISCERNMENT OF LEADERS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [EX 17:8-13; PS 121:1-8; 2 TIM 3:14-4:2; LUKE 18:1-8]
In the first reading, we read how Moses and Joshua as leaders of Israel sought to defend Israel from their enemies against the Amalekites. Moses instructed Joshua to gather the men to engage Amalek. He said, “I, meanwhile, will stand on the hilltop, the staff of God in my hand.” As leaders of our dioceses gathered here for the 50th Anniversary of FABC, in the face of challenges facing Church and society, we too are called to defend the gospel in Asia against the erosion of truth, justice, poverty, discrimination, violence and peace in our countries. The values of society are also changing rapidly because of globalization, mass communication and migration. The traditional culture of society, of marriage, family and even gender is under severe attack. The world is becoming more secular, atheistic, individualistic, materialistic and relativistic.
It is for this reason that we are here to reflect on the achievements and struggles of the last 50 years, and then consider in the light of present realities facing Church and society, how to move forward. Pope Francis in his message asked us to listen to what the Spirit is saying to the Church in Asia. Indeed, charting the direction for the future of the Church in Asia requires not just conversations, presentations, talks and strategizing. All these things are important of course, and part of the synodal process of sharing, journeying, reflection, discussion and strategizing.
Today, the scripture readings provide us the tools and guidelines for listening to the Spirit after hearing the challenges facing the Church. The primary disposition we should have, lest we get carried away as if the gospel and the mission of the Church is decided by theologians and intellectuals or social activists, is to be alert and consider all these in the Spirit of prayerful discernment. We must be careful not to fall into the same snare of the Synodal Process in some dioceses where the discussion was not done in the spirit of prayer but in a parliamentary manner. Pressure groups tried to steer the direction of the Synodal Process and put pressure on the authorities to do their bidding.
Moses, however, shows us that prayer is necessary for victory against the enemies of the gospel. Moses went up to the hilltop so that he could see the battle when it was fought, and be kept appraised of the situation on the ground. Aware of his responsibility as the appointed leader of God for Israel, he took the staff of God in his hand. There we are told that Moses raised his arms in prayer. Whenever, he prayed, “Israel had the advantage; when he let his arms fall, the advantage went to Amalek.” This is a lesson on the power of prayer and intercession. As the scripture often reminds us, “this battle is not yours but God’s.” (2 Chr 20:15; Ex 14:14) St Paul also warns us, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Eph 6:12) The responsorial psalm asks, “From where shall come my help? My help shall come from the Lord who made heaven and earth. The Lord is your guard and your shade; at your right side he stands. The Lord will guard you from evil, he will guard your soul.”
How, then, should we as leaders pray and discern the direction the Lord wants us to take for Asia? The second reading gives us the tools. We must be true to the tradition that we have received from our forefathers. “You must keep to what you have been taught and know to be true; remember who your teachers were.” Any legitimate development in doctrines or in practice must be in continuity with the deposit of faith. Certainly, there can be growth, but always in continuity with the deposit of faith and not something altogether new or even contradictory to the gospel handed down from the apostles. We must be careful that in seeking to make the faith relevant to our people and our times, we do not formulate doctrines or praxis that deviate from the faith of our Fathers. Indeed, as bishops, we need to be watchful and alert.
Secondly, we must verify that all developments are consistent with the holy scriptures. This is what St Paul wrote, “ever since you were a child, you have known the holy scriptures – from these you can learn the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and can profitably be used for teaching, for refuting error, for guiding people’s lives and teaching them to be holy.” As leaders we must verify and refer to the Word of God for direction and inspiration. The Word of God remains the fundamental rule of faith in helping us to understand and discern how we should guide our people in walking the path of truth and justice with compassion and charity.
Thirdly, as bishops we must be courageous to speak our minds. St Paul urged Timothy, a young Bishop, to “proclaim the message and, welcome or unwelcome, insist on it. Refute falsehood, correct error, call to obedience.” There is a time to be silent and there is a time to speak. At times, it is better to keep silent, especially on issues that we are not fully aware, lest by our ignorance we cause more confusion. However, keeping silent when we should speak for the good of our people would be an act of irresponsibility. Of course, it is not easy to speak boldly especially in the face of persecution and unpopularity. Such persecutions come not just from without but also within. Indeed, to gain acceptance, many leaders in the world, especially political and even religious leaders, say things that are acceptable and popular, compromising the truths. Even Catholic political leaders are advocating abortion, an individualistic freedom without responsibility and respect for the rights of others.
But St Paul, added “but do all with patience and with the intention of teaching.” We must exercise prudence and patience. Dialogue takes time. Engagement and dialogue should be done with humility, charity and sincerity, behind closed doors with political or religious authorities so that matters could be discussed openly without the interference of the media and coercion from pressure groups that have their own agenda. Using outward pressure, demonstrations and public media serve no purpose other than inviting division and clashes because of hardened positions.
Fourthly, we must not behave like the unjust judge in the gospel. He acted for the wrong reasons, not because he feared God or had respect for men but because he wanted to get rid of the widow as she was pestering him to death, disturbing his peace and comfort. As leaders, we must not allow our self-interests to prevent us from doing the right thing. We must always put God and our fellowmen before ourselves. It is for the sake of the gospel and for the common good of our people that we as leaders are called to speak and act on their behalf. People address us as “your Eminence” or “your Grace” or “your Lordship” because they believe that we are placed in an eminent position, one filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit, commanding respect from Church and society, to use our influence and position not for our self-benefit but for the service of our people, especially those who are discriminated, deprived, those who are poor, like the widow who asked the judge to render her justice.
Fifthly, we must also solicit the help of others in our prayerful discernment. We do not pray or discern alone. That is why FABC is asking bishops to invite our people to pray for us so that we can be truly guided and inspired by the Holy Spirit. Moses did not pray alone. When he was tired and his hands could no longer be raised in prayer, the people, “took a stone and put it under him and on this he sat, Aaron and Hur supporting his arms, one on one side, one on the other; and his arms remained firm till sunset.” We need the support of others not just to help us to provide inputs but also their prayers. Without prayer we will not be able to listen to the Spirit attentively and might end up listening and acting from our fears, prejudices and resentment. That is why we need also to build a synodal Church where clergy and laity journey together and pray together to find the solutions to the challenges ahead of us.
In the final analysis, as leaders, we must never forget that we are accountable not just to our people but to God. Leaders must give accountability for whatever decisions we make. We are not just masters, but we are servants of the people and servants of God. That was how St Paul impressed Timothy in carrying out his responsibilities as the young bishop. He was timid and diffident. So, Paul said, “Before God and before Christ Jesus who is to be judge of the living and the dead, I put this duty to you, in the name of his Appearing and of his kingdom.” Truly, when we end our term of office, we must be able to keep our conscience clear, knowing that we have done all we could according to our capacity, to be faithful stewards of the Church in our shepherding, prophetic and ministering role. Otherwise, we will not be able to face God even if we are able to face the judgment of men. In all things, let us do it for His greater glory. Amen.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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