20230105 PEACE IS THE FRUIT OF ACTIVE LOVE
05 January, 2023, Thursday
First reading | 1 John 3:11-21 © |
Our love is to be something real and active
This is the message
as you heard it from the beginning:
that we are to love one another;
not to be like Cain, who belonged to the Evil One
and cut his brother’s throat;
cut his brother’s throat simply for this reason,
that his own life was evil and his brother lived a good life.
You must not be surprised, brothers, when the world hates you;
we have passed out of death and into life,
and of this we can be sure
because we love our brothers.
If you refuse to love, you must remain dead;
to hate your brother is to be a murderer,
and murderers, as you know, do not have eternal life in them.
This has taught us love –
that he gave up his life for us;
and we, too, ought to give up our lives for our brothers.
If a man who was rich enough in this world’s goods
saw that one of his brothers was in need,
but closed his heart to him,
how could the love of God be living in him?
My children,
our love is not to be just words or mere talk,
but something real and active;
only by this can we be certain
that we are children of the truth
and be able to quieten our conscience in his presence,
whatever accusations it may raise against us,
because God is greater than our conscience and he knows everything.
My dear people,
if we cannot be condemned by our own conscience,
we need not be afraid in God’s presence.
Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 99(100) © |
Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing for joy.
Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Know that he, the Lord, is God.
He made us, we belong to him,
we are his people, the sheep of his flock.
Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Go within his gates, giving thanks.
Enter his courts with songs of praise.
Give thanks to him and bless his name.
Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Indeed, how good is the Lord,
eternal his merciful love.
He is faithful from age to age.
Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Gospel Acclamation | Heb1:1-2 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
At various times in the past
and in various different ways,
God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets;
but in our own time, the last days,
he has spoken to us through his Son.
Alleluia!
Or: |
Alleluia, alleluia!
A hallowed day has dawned upon us.
Come, you nations, worship the Lord,
for today a great light has shone down upon the earth.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn1:14,12 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.
To all who received him he gave power to become children of God.
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 1:43-51 © |
You will see heaven laid open, and the Son of Man
After Jesus had decided to leave for Galilee, he met Philip and said, ‘Follow me.’ Philip came from the same town, Bethsaida, as Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, the one about whom the prophets wrote: he is Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.’ ‘From Nazareth?’ said Nathanael ‘Can anything good come from that place?’ ‘Come and see’ replied Philip. When Jesus saw Nathanael coming he said of him, ‘There is an Israelite who deserves the name, incapable of deceit.’ ‘How do you know me?’ said Nathanael. ‘Before Philip came to call you,’ said Jesus ‘I saw you under the fig tree.’ Nathanael answered, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel.’ Jesus replied, ‘You believe that just because I said: I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.’ And then he added ‘I tell you most solemnly, you will see heaven laid open and, above the Son of Man, the angels of God ascending and descending.’
PEACE IS THE FRUIT OF ACTIVE LOVE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 JN 3:11-21; PS 100:1-5; JN 1:43-51]
Christmas is a celebration of the coming of the Prince of Peace. With Christ’s coming, He is the One who will bring us the peace that we all hope for, on earth and among men. Indeed, the first words of the angels to the shepherds were, “Glory to God in the highest and peace to all whom He loves.” Has the celebration of Christmas given you the peace that we proclaim in our worship and in our carols and in our festivities? Did you experience this peace of Christ?
Peace does not come from merry-making. In fact, it can cause more harm when merry-making is reduced to revelry and carousing. Over indulging in food and drinks, getting drunk and being involved in sensual activities will not make us much happier. It may give pleasure to our bodies but it will not give us peace. The heart remains empty and the mind is still full of anxieties, worries, anger and revenge.
Yet, Christmas joy need not be not bereft of merry-making. That is why we wish each other a Merry Christmas. It is a time of celebration and of joy because Christ the Prince of Peace is born. The cause of our celebration is not focused on self but on the birth of Christ, and the hope He offers to humanity. So merry-making for us Christians is the outcome of the joy of knowing that God is with us in Christ; unlike that of the world’s, which is the outcome of man’s planning and self-creation. For Christians, our celebration is to welcome Christ into our lives. With Christ, we find peace and joy. With Christ, we know the possibilities are unlimited.
But this deep joy can only come about through the contemplation of Christ’s birth. Indeed, unless we make time to draw out the significance of the birth of Christ, our celebration would be superficial, shallow, and even hollow. Like Mary, we are invited to contemplate on what the incarnation means. Like Nathanael who was sitting under the fig tree contemplating on the coming of the Messiah, we too must retreat in silence to pray and contemplate as we pray before the crib or the Blessed Sacrament.
In the birth of Christ, our contemplation must lead us to a deeper appreciation of God’s infinite and generous love for us. The letter of St John is precisely a prolonged reflection on the incarnation. With respect to God the Father, St John wrote, “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins.” (1 Jn 4:9f) With respect to Christ Himself, St John said, “This has taught us to love – that he gave up his life of us.” So in the incarnation, we see the mutual love of the Father and the Son, both giving up their life for others. The Father gave up His Son for us and the Son gave up His life for us by His works, words, and His paschal mystery.
Within this context, we can better grasp the idea of giving at Christmas. The peace of Christ that is given to us comes through the giving of oneself, like the Father and the Son for humanity. Again, St John wrote, “Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God; for God is love.” (1Jn 4:7f) In today’s first reading, St John reiterated, “that he gave up his life for us: and we, too, ought to give up our lives for our brothers.” So the basis of giving and of finding peace is when we give up ourselves for the service of our brothers and sisters.
However, the peace of Christ is not yet ours simply by talking about love. We need to be active in love. “My children, our love is not to be just words or mere talk, but something real and active; only by this can we be certain that we are children of the truth and be able to quieten our conscience in his presence, whatever accusations it may raise against us, because God is greater than our conscience and he knows everything.” When our life is poured out in love and service, beginning with our family, friends, colleagues, church community, society and country and the rest of humanity, we will find peace in our hearts. As St John says, “My dear people, if we cannot be condemned by our own conscience, we need not be afraid in God’s presence.” When there is love in our hearts for all, we know that God lives in us. “No man has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” (1 Jn 4:12)
In loving we find peace and most of all we find life to the fullest. For those of us who find life meaningless and live without purpose and passion, it is because we live for ourselves. Worse still, we only know how to gratify ourselves, our sensual needs and ego. But for those of us who spend our whole life in giving ourselves to the service of our fellowmen, especially the young, the needy and the abandoned, we find life meaningful because we rediscover our humanity, which is to feel for and with others. When our human milk of kindness is stimulated, then we feel human again. Only a heart that beats for God and for its fellowmen is a heart that is alive, and a heart that is at peace.
Otherwise, if we are full of anger, hatred, and selfishness, we cannot find peace. St John cautions us not to repeat the mistake of Cain “who belong to the Evil One and cut his brother’s throat; cut his brother’s throat simply for this reason, that his own life was evil and his brother lived a good life.” Indeed, “If you refuse to love, you must remain dead; to hate your brother is to be a murderer, and murderers, as you know, do not have eternal life in them.” We must also not be too protective of our happiness and needs. The warning is this, “If a man who was rich enough in this world’s goods saw that one of his brothers was in need, but closed his heart to him, how could the love of God be living in him?”
We must never forget that whatever we have belong to God and to all humanity. We are all God’s children. We belong to Him and nothing belongs to us. This earth and its resources are not given to us alone but it is meant to be shared by all. The greatest injustice in this world is that the few rich ones are monopolizing and keeping the world’s resources for themselves whilst the majority of the peoples in the world are deprived and live without dignity, food, and accommodation. Studies have shown that the richest 2% of adults in the world own more than half of the global wealth. In contrast, the bottom half of the world adult population possess barely 1% of global wealth. No wonder there is no peace in the world because of perceived injustices and inequalities.
Today, we have the example of Jesus who was a man who reached out to others. Jesus was always interested in others. His mission was not about Himself but His Father’s love and the sufferings of His people. He did not rest till His mission was accomplished. In today’s gospel, we see how Jesus engaged and elicited from Nathanael the stirring faith in his heart. He was observant of Nathanael, how he sat under the fig tree and his sincerity in seeking the truth. Jesus was always on the lookout for those who were seeking the face of God. There are many wounded and sceptical people like Nathanael who, because of injustices, are sceptical of God.
Secondly, Jesus was able to draw Nathanael to faith only because He affirmed and showed His appreciation for his sincerity. He remarked when He saw Nathanael coming, “There is an Israelite who deserves the name, incapable of deceit.” The day we recognize each other for who we are, that we are sons and daughters of God in Christ, then we can say that we have seen God. People who are loving to others and at peace with themselves tend to see goodness in others. People who are wounded like Nathanael, are often sceptical and suspicious. Such barriers can only be broken down through genuine love and recognition of each other’s presence and dignity.
Finally, to love actively is to give hope to those who come our way. Christmas is a season of joy because of the hope it gives. Indeed, with faith in Christ, our future is unimaginable. With the love of Christ in our hearts, we can be filled with joy and peace as we share it with others. With Christ, we know that our future is in Him. For all that Jesus was and is, we share in the fullness of life now and hereafter, for we have seen this future in His birth, ministry, passion, death, and resurrection.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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