20221022 SANCTIFICATION IS THE GOAL OF LIFE ON EARTH
22 October, 2022, Saturday, 29th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Ephesians 4:7-16 © |
By grace, we shall not be children any longer
Each one of us has been given his own share of grace, given as Christ allotted it. It was said that he would:
When he ascended to the height, he captured prisoners,
he gave gifts to men.
When it says, ‘he ascended’, what can it mean if not that he descended right down to the lower regions of the earth? The one who rose higher than all the heavens to fill all things is none other than the one who descended. And to some, his gift was that they should be apostles; to some, prophets; to some, evangelists; to some, pastors and teachers; so that the saints together make a unity in the work of service, building up the body of Christ. In this way we are all to come to unity in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God, until we become the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself.
Then we shall not be children any longer, or tossed one way and another and carried along by every wind of doctrine, at the mercy of all the tricks men play and their cleverness in practising deceit. If we live by the truth and in love, we shall grow in all ways into Christ, who is the head by whom the whole body is fitted and joined together, every joint adding its own strength, for each separate part to work according to its function. So the body grows until it has built itself up, in love.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 121(122):1-5 © |
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
I rejoiced when I heard them say:
‘Let us go to God’s house.’
And now our feet are standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
Jerusalem is built as a city
strongly compact.
It is there that the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord.
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
For Israel’s law it is,
there to praise the Lord’s name.
There were set the thrones of judgement
of the house of David.
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
Gospel Acclamation | Ps144:13 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The Lord is faithful in all his words
and loving in all his deeds.
Alleluia!
Or: | Ezk33:11 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I take pleasure, not in the death of a wicked man,
says the Lord,
but in the turning back of a wicked man
who changes his ways to win life.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 13:1-9 © |
'Leave the fig tree one more year'
Some people arrived and told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with that of their sacrifices. At this he said to them, ‘Do you suppose these Galileans who suffered like that were greater sinners than any other Galileans? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen on whom the tower at Siloam fell and killed them? Do you suppose that they were more guilty than all the other people living in Jerusalem? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did.’
He told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it but found none. He said to the man who looked after the vineyard, “Look here, for three years now I have been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and finding none. Cut it down: why should it be taking up the ground?” “Sir,” the man replied “leave it one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year; if not, then you can cut it down.”’
SANCTIFICATION IS THE GOAL OF LIFE ON EARTH
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [EPHESIANS 4:7-16; LUKE 13:1-9]
What is the purpose of life? What is the goal of life? St Paul gives us the goal of life, which is this, “to come to unity in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God, until we become the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself.” Our calling in life is to become Christ. This whole life is a journey to reform our minds and hearts to be like Him instead of allowing our sinful nature to overcome us. This is what St John Paul II wrote, “In fact, to place pastoral planning under the heading of holiness is a choice filled with consequences. It implies the conviction that, since Baptism is a true entry into the holiness of God through incorporation into Christ and the indwelling of his Spirit, it would be a contradiction to settle for a life of mediocrity, marked by a minimalist ethic and a shallow religiosity. To ask catechumens: ‘Do you wish to receive Baptism?’ means at the same time to ask them: ‘Do you wish to become holy?’ It means to set before them the radical nature of the Sermon on the Mount: ‘Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48).’ (Novo Millennio Ineunte, 31) We are to become Christ so that we attain holiness and integrity of life. To be fully mature with the fullness of Christ Himself is to be glorified in Him, and to become like Him.
How can we grow in holiness and so one day also be able to sing with the psalmist, “I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’ And now our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem is built as a city strongly compact. It is there that the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord. For Israel’s law it is, there to praise the Lord’s name. There were set the thrones of judgement of the house of David.”? Holiness is to be in heaven, to live in the House of God. It means allowing God to rule our lives, our minds and hearts. However, as St John Paul II reminds us, “this ideal of perfection must not be misunderstood as if it involved some kind of extraordinary existence, possible only for a few ‘uncommon heroes’ of holiness. The ways of holiness are many, according to the vocation of each individual.” (Ibid)
Firstly, we are called to repent of our ignorant way of living. This is what Jesus is exhorting us in the gospel. “Unless you repent you will perish as they did.” Turning from our old way of life is the first step. Otherwise, we destroy ourselves by our foolish way of life. That is why sin is deceitful. It looks tempting and attractive, like the forbidden fruit that Adam and Eve ate. But once we take the bait, it comes back to bite us and destroy our peace, our love and our joy. Indeed, many of us, instead of listening to the gospel listen more to the world. This is what St Paul urges us, “Then we shall not be children any longer, or tossed one way and another and carried along by every wind of doctrine, at the mercy of all the tricks men play and their cleverness in practising deceit.”
Secondly, we are to employ the gifts the Lord has given to each one of us to develop ourselves. St Paul wrote, “Each one of us has been given his own share of grace, given as Christ allotted it. It was said that he would: When he ascended to the height, he captured prisoners, he gave gifts to men. And to some, his gift was that they should be apostles; to some, prophets; and to some, evangelists; to some, pastors and teachers.” Regardless of what we do, the gifts given to us are meant for us to realize our full potential so that we grow in character and maturity. We are all gifted in some ways. To find happiness is to discover our vocation in life. If we apply ourselves to what the Lord has given to us, instead of being envious of others’ gifts, we will be much happier, more integrated and fulfilled in life. We must not desire what we cannot have or don’t have because it leads to envy. Rather, what we need have already been given to us. What is left for us to do is to make good use of what is given, nurture our talents, grow our knowledge and develop our potential to the fullest. When we maximise our strength and talents, we become better and better. We become more secure of ourselves, gaining greater self-confidence, and better appreciated by others because of our uniqueness.
Thirdly, these gifts are meant for the service of others. They are not given to us for ourselves alone but for humble service. St Paul wrote, “so that the saints together make a unity in the work of service, building up the body of Christ.” Holiness and maturity in Christ is to become like Him, a man for others and at the service of the community. Christ used all His gifts for the service of His fellowmen. He never used His powers for His self-interests. That was what the devil sought to tempt Jesus at the beginning of His ministry. He wanted Jesus to abuse God’s gifts to Him, which were meant for the service of humanity, for His own pleasure and ego. That was why the devil tempted Jesus to change stones to bread to satisfy His hunger, to jump from the top of the pinnacle of the Temple to sensationalize the spectators into easy submission and to worship Satan so that He could get all the glory, riches and powers of the world. (cf Mt 4:1-11)
Fourthly, each individual has a role to build up the body of Christ by living a life of truth and love. St Paul says, “If we live by the truth and in love, we shall grow in all ways into Christ, who is the head by whom the whole body is fitted and joined together, every joint adding to its own strength, for each separate part to work according to its function. So the body grows until it has built itself up, in love.” True holiness is seen in our unity with the Church, the Body of Christ. Separated from Christ and His Church, we will be lost. This is what is happening to many of our Catholics. They have hardly any Catholic friends. They go to mass as an obligation and not to worship with the heart. They are loners and their friends are those without faith in God. We can imagine how weak their faith must be, and how confused they must be when it comes to the Church’s teachings. To grow in holiness, we must be in communion with Christ and His Church. This is what it means to receive Holy Communion.
Consequently, we must take these necessary steps to grow in holiness and authenticity each day. Of course we will fail, but God is patient with us, as the parable in the gospel suggests. “Look here, for three years now I have been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and finding none. Cut it down: why should it be taking up the ground?” God will forgive us. He knows we need time to grow and be purified. Holiness is not something we attain overnight. We need to cooperate with the grace of God. We will fall but that is not the point. We must never forget that it is Christ that justifies us, not the laws. “For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith.” (Rom 3:23-25)
This is what the law of gradualness is all about. Christ has come gradually to reveal to us the truth about love and life in the history of salvation. But now having found the truth, we must strive towards living the truth. God is patient with us. He gives us the time to repent and come to awakening. The man replied “Leave it one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year; if not, then you can cut it down.”‘ Indeed, God accepts our weakness so long as we strive towards living and being purified each day to attain our freedom as God’s children in Christ by living His sonship. However, the law of gradualness is not to be mistaken as the gradualness of the law, that is to say that we can continue to live in sin not knowing what the truth holds for us because truth is always changing.
Christ is appealing for us and to us as well. He is merciful but still we cannot defer judgment indefinitely. There is a definite time. Like the man in charge of the vineyard said, “Sir, leave it one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year; if not, then you can cut it down.” By failing to respond to His love and patience, we will bear the consequences and have our own tower, that is, our mistakes and foolishness to cause us to perish. So whilst we have the time, we must repent. In this way, we hope that one day all of us will arrive in God’s house where we can rejoice and celebrate our love and unity together as one family of God, founded in love and truth. Indeed, the House of God is where wisdom, which is truth and love, is found.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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