20230115 I WILL MAKE YOU THE LIGHT OF THE NATIONS
15 January 2023 Sunday, Week 2 in Ordinary Time
First reading | Isaiah 49:3,5-6 © |
I will make you the light of the nations so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth
The Lord said to me, ‘You are my servant, Israel,
in whom I shall be glorified’;
I was honoured in the eyes of the Lord,
my God was my strength.
And now the Lord has spoken,
he who formed me in the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him,
to gather Israel to him:
‘It is not enough for you to be my servant,
to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back the survivors of Israel;
I will make you the light of the nations
so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 39(40):2,4,7-10 © |
Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.
I waited, I waited for the Lord
and he stooped down to me;
he heard my cry.
He put a new song into my mouth,
praise of our God.
Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.
You do not ask for sacrifice and offerings,
but an open ear.
You do not ask for holocaust and victim.
Instead, here am I.
Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.
In the scroll of the book it stands written
that I should do your will.
My God, I delight in your law
in the depth of my heart.
Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.
Your justice I have proclaimed
in the great assembly.
My lips I have not sealed;
you know it, O Lord.
Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.
Second reading |
1 Corinthians 1:1-3 © |
May God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ send you grace and peace
I, Paul, appointed by God to be an apostle, together with brother Sosthenes, send greetings to the church of God in Corinth, to the holy people of Jesus Christ, who are called to take their place among all the saints everywhere who pray to our Lord Jesus Christ; for he is their Lord no less than ours. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ send you grace and peace.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Lk19:38,2:14 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessings on the King who comes,
in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven
and glory in the highest heavens!
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn1:14,12 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The Word was made flesh and lived among us:
to all who did accept him
he gave power to become children of God.
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 1:29-34 © |
'Look: there is the Lamb of God'
Seeing Jesus coming towards him, John said, ‘Look, there is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. This is the one I spoke of when I said: A man is coming after me who ranks before me because he existed before me. I did not know him myself, and yet it was to reveal him to Israel that I came baptising with water.’ John also declared, ‘I saw the Spirit coming down on him from heaven like a dove and resting on him. I did not know him myself, but he who sent me to baptise with water had said to me, “The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and rest is the one who is going to baptise with the Holy Spirit.” Yes, I have seen and I am the witness that he is the Chosen One of God.’
I WILL MAKE YOU THE LIGHT OF THE NATIONS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Isaiah 49:3.5-6; Ps 40:2,4,7-10; 1 Corinthians 1:1-3; John 1:29-34]
Last Monday, we celebrated the Baptism of our Lord. Christian baptism is rooted in Christ’s own baptism. By entering the waters, the Lord sanctified the waters that we are baptized with. By immersing with Him through our death to self, we rise with Him to a new life. We become children of God, anointed by the Holy Spirit, just as He was anointed at His baptism. John the Baptist in today’s gospel declared, “‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and rest is the one who is going to baptise with the Holy Spirit.’ Yes, I have seen and I am the witness that he is the Chosen One of God.” Christian baptism configures us to Christ and that is why we are called Christians, the anointed children of God. Sharing in Christ’s sonship, we too are called to be a light to the nations. By virtue of our baptism, we are called to bring others to know Christ. We are called to be the salt of the earth and a light to the world. Having discovered Christ as our Saviour and the Good News, we would want to share Christ with the world. This is the obligation that arises from within us
Baptism is for the forgiveness of sins. As John the Baptist says, “Look, there is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.” Jesus, for us, is the One who can reconcile us with the Father and give us back our sonship. But Jesus did not come to take away our sins only, but that of the entire world. Jesus did not come to save some individuals but the entire humanity. Indeed, He has come to take away the sins of the world. The prophecy of Isaiah is applied to Him, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I shall be glorified; I was honoured in the eyes of the Lord, my God was my strength. It is not enough for you to be my servant, to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back the survivors of Israel: I will make you the light of the nations so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
Sharing in Christ’s sonship, we too are called to be a light to the nations. By virtue of our baptism, we are called to bring others to know Christ. We are called to be the salt of the earth and a light to the world. Having discovered Christ as our Saviour and the Good News, we would want to share Christ with the world. This is the obligation that arises from within us rather than an obligation that compels us from outside to witness to Christ. As St Paul wrote, “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Cor 5:14-17) Unless we are struck by the gospel we have received and fallen in love with Christ as St Paul did, there can be no question of mission. This is what distinguishes those who were merely baptized without a real and personal encounter with Jesus and those who were baptized in the Spirit.
Indeed, we are reminded to take our place with the saints of God. “I, Paul, appointed by God to be an apostle, together with brother Sosthenes, send greetings to the church of God in Corinth, to the holy people of Jesus Christ, who are called to take their place among all the saints everywhere who pray to our Lord Jesus Christ; for he is their Lord no less than ours.” In the church, each one is given his or her place to serve the community and be sent out like Paul to be an apostle of Christ. It is important to remember that the church is not a place where we simply come to worship and pray or to receive the sacraments so that we can be saved. The church primarily is a community in which we are called to find our place, where we interact with the members, live as a community of love, and together help each other to encounter Jesus and grow in our faith. A Christian is never alone, and he or she is called to communion of life and love. Christian Faith is never individualistic but invites us to reach out to our brothers and sisters. As St Paul wrote, “Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Eph 4:11-13)
Truly, our response must always be, “Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.” What God wills for us is that we do His will. As the psalmist says, “You do not ask for sacrifice and offerings, but an open ear. You do not ask for holocaust and victim. Instead, here am I. In the scroll of the book it stands written that I should do your will. My God, I delight in your law in the depth of my heart.” Each one of us must therefore consider our vocation in life as to how He would like us to be His witness in the community and society. Living out our vocation, our calling to witness His love and mercy wherever we are is our responsibility as baptized Christians. We all have different calling, but all are called to be a witness to the Lord.
Regardless of whether we are ordained ministers or simply sharing in the royal priesthood of Christ, we are called to live our life in such a way that we glorify God in what we do or say. Taking our place with the saints of God, let us bring His salvation to the ends of the earth. This is not simply a function or a task we are called to do. Rather, we must do it not just for the sake of the salvation of others but our own. It is in the process of living up to our vocation and calling that we sanctify ourselves. When we carry out our office or responsibility with dedication and love, we glorify God in our lives. Being sanctified by our work is itself a form of prayer. We must not simply serve, thinking we are helping others. Rather, they are helping us to grow in holiness, in selflessness and in service. St Peter reiterates this fact when he wrote, “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble.” (2 Pt 1:10)
We must discipline ourselves and grow spiritually in the process of serving others. Otherwise, as St Paul warns us, we might disqualify ourselves. He wrote, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” (1 Cor 9:24-27) We must not become ambitious even in spreading the gospel. Rather, the gospel is about transforming lives and changing hearts. We must keep ourselves spiritually fit and in close union with the Lord before we can do His work.
In this way, we truly become saints of God when we arrive at the end of our life. When we look back, by saving and witnessing to others, we evangelize ourselves. We keep our faith alive when we share it by our good works and our words. A saint is one in whom God is glorified. Let us pray that we will continue to be the light of Christ to the nations. Like John the Baptist, let us announce that Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He is indeed the Chosen One of God who will give us a share of His Spirit.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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