20231004 ARE YOU ASHAMED TO BE A CATHOLIC?
04 October 2023, Wednesday, 26th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Nehemiah 2:1-8 © |
'Give me leave to go to the city of my ancestors and rebuild it'
In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, the wine being my concern, I took up the wine and offered it to the king. Now I had never been downcast before. So the king said, ‘Why is your face so sad? You are not sick, surely? This must be a sadness of the heart.’ A great fear came over me and I said to the king, ‘May the king live for ever! How could my face be other than sad when the city where the tombs of my ancestors are lies in ruins, and its gates have been burnt down?’ ‘What’ the king asked ‘is your request?’ I called on the God of heaven and made this reply to the king, ‘If it pleases the king, and if you are satisfied with your servant, give me leave to go to Judah, to the city of my ancestors’ tombs, and rebuild it.’ The king, with the queen sitting there beside him, said, ‘How long will your journey take, and when will you return?’ So I named a date that seemed acceptable to the king and he gave me leave to go. I spoke to the king once more, ‘If it please the king, could letters be given me for the governors of Transeuphrates to allow me to pass through to Judah? And also a letter for Asaph, keeper of the king’s park, to supply me with timber for the gates of the citadel of the Temple, for the city walls and for the house I am to occupy?’ This the king granted me, for the kindly favour of my God was with me.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 136(137):1-6 © |
O let my tongue cleave to my mouth if I remember you not!
By the rivers of Babylon
there we sat and wept,
remembering Zion;
on the poplars that grew there
we hung up our harps.
O let my tongue cleave to my mouth if I remember you not!
For it was there that they asked us,
our captors, for songs,
our oppressors, for joy.
‘Sing to us,’ they said,
‘one of Zion’s songs.’
O let my tongue cleave to my mouth if I remember you not!
O how could we sing
the song of the Lord
on alien soil?
If I forget you, Jerusalem,
let my right hand wither!
O let my tongue cleave to my mouth if I remember you not!
O let my tongue
cleave to my mouth
if I remember you not,
if I prize not Jerusalem
above all my joys!
O let my tongue cleave to my mouth if I remember you not!
Gospel Acclamation | Ps118:105 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your word is a lamp for my steps
and a light for my path.
Alleluia!
Or: | Ph3:8-9 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I have accepted the loss of everything
and I look on everything as so much rubbish
if only I can have Christ
and be given a place in him.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 9:57-62 © |
'I will follow you wherever you go'
As Jesus and his disciples travelled along they met a man on the road who said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus answered, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’
Another to whom he said, ‘Follow me’, replied, ‘Let me go and bury my father first.’ But he answered, ‘Leave the dead to bury their dead; your duty is to go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.’
Another said, ‘I will follow you, sir, but first let me go and say goodbye to my people at home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’
ARE YOU ASHAMED TO BE A CATHOLIC?
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Neh 2:1-8; Ps 137:1-6; Lk 9:57-62]
Not too long ago, we started a “Proud to be Catholic” movement. What do we mean when we say we are “Proud to be Catholic?” Some Catholics naively criticized this tag line as something that is not in line with Christian values. To be proud in this sense is not to be associated with a superiority complex, arrogance or snobbishness of any sort. On the contrary, to be proud is to be grateful that God has been so kind to accept us as His adopted sons and daughters. We are humbled and overjoyed that through no credit of ours, God has chosen us in Christ to be His sons and daughters. It is for this reason that we are proud to be Catholic because of the great honour that we have received through the mercy of God. Our feeling is exactly the same as that of Mary’s when she was chosen to be the mother of the Saviour.
The manifestation of this great joy and honour to be a Catholic is that of evangelization, the announcement of the Good News. We who have received the Good News freely are now called to do the same. As Jesus instructed the disciples, “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without pay, give without pay.” (Mt 10:8) Indeed, Mary, the Star of the New Evangelization, upon receiving the Good News, immediately set out to announce it to her cousin, Elizabeth, and to bring the joy to John the Baptist who was still in his mother’s womb. So how do you know that you are proud to be a Catholic? When you cannot resist talking about Jesus and what He has done for you; and how He is the Way, the Light and the Truth in your life. Without this missionary endeavour and passion to evangelize you cannot be proud to be a Catholic, regardless what you profess.
What about those who are ashamed to be a Catholic? Unfortunately, many Catholics are ashamed to own up to their faith. They hide their faith from others as if they have joined some secret society or belong to a taboo organization. Most of these Catholics are ashamed because they do not know their faith and what they believe in. Others are embarrassed because they do not see the Church growing, or as dynamic and evangelistic as other Christian communions. Then there are others who are ashamed because they do not want to suffer possible disadvantages to their positions in society or at work if others come to know that they are Catholic. They serve their career and money before God. Of course, many are ashamed simply because they live lives that are contrary to the faith and are counter-witnesses in society.
So if you are proud of your faith, we thank God for the gift of gratitude and the joy of being loved by Him. If we are ashamed, then instead of running away from the fact, we must confront it like Nehemiah in today’s first reading. He was saddened to see the state of Jerusalem which was in total ruins. The walls were broken down and the Temple destroyed. The king noticed his sadness and inquired about the cause of his sadness. In truth, Nehemiah was taking a big risk in allowing his sadness to be seen by the king because he could be executed for misconduct and disrespect. He was courageous enough to admit that he was ashamed of the ruins in Jerusalem. He was disheartened that even his own countrymen were not concerned and were indifferent to the state of the Temple and the city.
Once we acknowledge the sadness in our hearts and the lack of peace within, then we must take courage and initiative to look for a way out. Instead of condemning the inactivity or slowness of church leaders in making changes in the church, or the lack of participation of church members in the activities and growth of the church, we should instead be proactive like Nehemiah. He took the occasion to ask the King for leave to go home to rebuild the Temple. He even had the audacity to ask the King for letters to facilitate his journey and to supply the raw materials to rebuild the city. Such was the courage and wisdom of Nehemiah, knowing when to seize the opportunity when it came.
However to rebuild the city, the kingdom of God, Jesus warns us firstly that a price has to be paid. He told the man who wanted to follow Him, “Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Without sacrifice, we cannot go far. Even Jesus had to suffer the inconvenience, the loneliness, poverty and rejection in His ministry. Many people want to be Catholic but they are not ready to make sacrifices to attend RCIA class or faith formation; or come for regular spiritual and faith sharing meetings. They all want to have a share of the resurrection but they want to bypass the cross.
Truly, like Nehemiah, there are many lay workers and volunteers who have made financial sacrifices to work for the Church, full-time or part-time. Many willingly join the church workforce, notwithstanding the limited prospects for promotion. Our salaries and fringe benefits are not comparable to the corporate world. Many of our volunteers even pay for meals and transport from their own pockets. But this is true for priests and religious as well. We are called to make sacrifices by observing the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience for the greater good of the mission. Without imbibing in these counsels, the mission of the Church would be rendered ineffective.
Secondly, we must be singular-minded, especially in the face of opposition and temptations. Again, Jesus told the man who said, “I will follow you, sir, but first let me go and say good-bye to my people at home.” Jesus said to him, “Once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” We must be alert to the distractions in our mission. Very often, we get discouraged because we face opposition to our plans for the church. We get disheartened when our priests or leaders do not support or encourage us in our service when we have put in so much effort. Indeed, too many give up easily when faced with obstacles. They lack singular mindedness.
Not infrequently, we can be tempted by money, power and status. We are serving only because we get publicity, popularity or even offered the pleasures of life. This is particularly true for priests and religious because many generous and compassionate people would gladly shower us with gifts, holidays and good food, if we allow them. Such distractions take us away from the mission. From serving God, we eventually serve ourselves, our convenience and self-interests. For this reason, Jesus reminds us that our eyes must always be focused on our mission. We must ensure that in whatever we do, our lifestyle, our choices in life must help us to accomplish our mission of sharing the good news with all of humanity. We must not allow anything to distract us from fulfilling Christ’s mission.
In the light of these challenges, how do we keep ourselves focused and remain strong in our times? We must pray continuously like Nehemiah and the psalmist. At every step in his endeavour to rebuild the Temple, he would turn to God in prayer. He knew that God was with Him and hence he could continue to work hard at rebuilding the Temple even though many were discouraging him, believing that nothing could be done. Without prayers, nothing can be achieved. Only God can change minds and hearts.
Finally, let us be awake to the urgency of the proclamation of the gospel. This was what Jesus told the man who wanted to bury his father first. It is significant that unlike the other two who wanted to follow Jesus voluntarily, Jesus asked the man to follow Him. But his reply was hesitant. He said, “Let me go and bury my father first.'” But the response of Jesus was swift and decisive, “Leave the dead to bury the dead; your duty is to go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.” Truly, when God calls, we do not tarry. Many good things are never done because great inspirations and ideas from the Lord were never taken up. Nice feelings and beautiful ideas alone without action will not bring about any change. There are some things that cannot wait.
Make our decision for the Lord and the restoration of His Church today! Don’t wait any longer. Come and follow Him. Come and give your life to Jesus. Help Him rebuild His Church. With the psalmist, let us be filled with shame and sorrow that the mission of the Church is met with indifference. Indeed, we must pray, “By the rivers of Babylon there we sat and wept, remembering Zion; on the poplars that grew there we hung up our harps. For it was there that they asked us, our captors, for songs, our oppressors, for joy. ‘Sing to us,’ they said, ‘one of Zion’s songs.’ O how could we sing the song of the Lord on alien soil? If I forget you, Jerusalem, let my right-hand wither! O let my tongue cleave to my mouth if I remember you not, if I prize not Jerusalem above all my joys.” How can we allow the Church to continue in this state of lethargy? If we do not help to rebuild the Church, then the next generation of humanity will suffer as secularization and secularism will destroy all the values of society. So let us act now. Let us stand up for God, stand up for Christ and stand up for the Catholic Church! Let us stand up for our fellow Catholics and say, we are proud to be Catholic!
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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