20231014 GRATITUDE TO OUR ELDERS
14 October 2023, Saturday, 27th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Joel 4:12-21 © |
The day of the Lord is near; sun and moon grow dark
The Lord says this:
‘Let the nations rouse themselves, let them march
to the Valley of Jehoshaphat,
for I am going to sit in judgement there
on all the nations round.
Put the sickle in:
the harvest is ripe;
come and tread:
the winepress is full,
the vats are overflowing,
so great is their wickedness!’
Host on host
in the Valley of Decision!
For the day of the Lord is near
in the Valley of Decision!
Sun and moon grow dark,
the stars lose their brilliance.
The Lord roars from Zion,
makes his voice heard from Jerusalem;
heaven and earth tremble.
But the Lord will be a shelter for his people,
a stronghold for the sons of Israel.
‘You will learn then that I am the Lord your God,
dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain.
Jerusalem will be a holy place,
no alien will ever pass through it again.’
When that day comes,
the mountains will run with new wine
and the hills flow with milk,
and all the river beds of Judah
will run with water.
A fountain will spring from the house of the Lord
to water the wadi of Acacias.
Egypt will become a desolation,
Edom a desert waste
on account of the violence done to the sons of Judah
whose innocent blood they shed in their country.
But Judah will be inhabited for ever,
Jerusalem from age to age.
‘I will avenge their blood and let none go unpunished’,
and the Lord shall make his home in Zion.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 96(97):1-2,5-6,11-12 © |
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
The Lord is king, let earth rejoice,
let all the coastlands be glad.
Cloud and darkness are his raiment;
his throne, justice and right.
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
The mountains melt like wax
before the Lord of all the earth.
The skies proclaim his justice;
all peoples see his glory.
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
Light shines forth for the just
and joy for the upright of heart.
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord;
give glory to his holy name.
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
Gospel Acclamation | Jn14:23 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
If anyone loves me he will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him.
Alleluia!
Or: | Lk11:28 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Happy are those
who hear the word of God
and keep it.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 11:27-28 © |
'Happy the womb that bore you and the breasts you sucked!'
As Jesus was speaking, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said, ‘Happy the womb that bore you and the breasts you sucked!’ But he replied, ‘Still happier those who hear the word of God and keep it!’
GRATITUDE TO OUR ELDERS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Joel 4:12-21; Ps 97:1-2,5-6,11-12; Lk 11:27-28]
In the gospel, a woman so filled with admiration for our Lord for His eloquence, wisdom and compassion “raised her voice and said, ‘Happy the womb that bore you and the breasts you sucked!'” In other words, she praised Jesus by complimenting Mary. Any mother would have been so proud to have a son like our Lord. All parents want their children to succeed in life and of course to be “somebody” in the world. We want our children to be CEOs, Ministers, and successful entrepreneurs. We are very happy when our children pass their exams and top in school or in whatever they do.
This is because children are the reflection of their parents. Who they are today is very much determined and influenced by the way their parents raised them and the examples they set. This explains why parents feel very happy when their children do well in life, not only because they will have a blessed life but because they bring them glory and honour. Parents are glorified in their children. This was what the Lord said to His heavenly Father at the end of His life. “I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.” (Jn 17:4f)
That is why children must never forget their elders when they are successful in life. The woman not only blessed Mary but also reminded Jesus, “‘Happy … the breasts you sucked!'” In other words, the woman was reminding Jesus that His achievements and what He was came not only from His hard work and intelligence but also through the upbringing and nurturing of His mother. Without the tender, loving care of Mary and her example of love and faith, Jesus would not have been what He was. And that is true for all of us. We are what we are today because of the many people who came into our life. Our parents, siblings, grandparents, relatives, teachers and friends have helped us to come a long way. No one makes it on his or her own. Our character and our attitudes to life were shaped by the support, care and nurturing of the people we met along the way. That is why we must never be too proud to think that we have made it solely on our own. We are dependent on society and those who have moulded us in grace, skills and character.
Of course, in the case of Jesus, some might argue, “but Jesus was perfect because He was divine.” But this is not quite accurate.Indeed, there is no doubt that Jesus was perfect because He was the Son of God and was sinless, but this does not interfere with His human growth. The gospel makes it clear that Jesus’ humanity was true and real, not just a mask or a skin He put over His divinity. Right from the outset, St Luke wrote twice, emphasizing the natural growth of Jesus in character and grace. After Simeon blessed the child, we read, “When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was upon him.” (Lk 2:39f) Then when Jesus was lost in the Temple and then found, we again read, “Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favour.” (Lk 2:51f) In the letter to the Hebrews, the author says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.” (Heb 4:15) Hence, “the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, saying, ‘I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters, in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.'” (Heb 2:11f) So there is no doubt that Jesus was truly a man.
So what was Mary’s contribution to the formation of our Lord? What could she have done to help a man who is perfectly God? She brought out the goodness and wisdom of our Lord into His life. This is true for us too. Our gifts are given to us by God. They are God-given. We do not earn them, whether it is with regard to our intelligence, our talents and our health. They are in-born. This is another reason for us not to be too proud of our achievements in life, as if they are our doing. If God had not given us the grey matter and the talents, we would have been able to achieve much, even if we had worked very hard. In order for grace to work, there must first be nature to work on. Even then, our natural charisms themselves are gifts from God. That is why, in humility, we must refer all blessings to God as Mary did. “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” (Lk 1:46-49)
Having these gifts, we need a midwife to help us to deliver them, to bring out the innate qualities in us into the concrete aspects of daily life. Mary in her role as mother precisely nurtured our Lord by drawing out His virtues and innate goodness. It began with Jesus telling the mother at the Temple, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Lk 2:49) From that moment, we read, “His mother treasured all these things in her heart.” (Lk 2:51) Mary must have been contemplating how to mould her Son so that as a man He would respond effectively to the Will of God in His life and come to encounter His Father’s love most deeply. The most important task of every parent is to help their children to encounter the Father’s love so that they will desire to be always in His house. If we desire to be in God’s House, it is because we have experienced His unconditional love and mercy. Mary and Joseph provided that kind of ambience for Jesus. Even when Mary could not understand Jesus perfectly as to why He remained behind at the Temple, she did not scold Him but instead allowed the remark of Jesus to remain in her.
Perhaps it was this aspect of contemplation that had left a great imprint on Jesus. We can be sure that Mary’s quiet contemplative nature would have influenced Jesus in His ministry. We read that Jesus would always withdraw to a quiet place in the hill or a deserted place to pray to His Father. He would have observed Mary and Joseph who were always deep in contemplation and in prayer. No wonder, the response of Jesus to the woman’s praises were, ‘Still happier those who hear the word of God and keep it!” Mary had taught our Lord to hear the Word of God with great attentiveness. That is why Jesus could pray the psalms in His moments of agony on the cross and cite the scriptures against the temptations of the Evil One.
But more than just hearing the Word of God, Mary put it into practice. This was what made Mary worthy to be called the Mother of God because she not only conceived the Word in her heart before she conceived Him in her womb, but she also conceived the Word of God and give birth to it in her daily life by doing His holy will. This was what the Lord said about Mary. When the Lord was told that “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you”, He said to them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.” (Lk 8:20f) “Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mk 3:35)
Indeed, there were many other things that Mary would have done to influence our Lord’s character, such as in sensitivity and flexibility. We read in the story of Cana how Mary sensed the imminent embarrassment of the Wedding Couple, and without them knowing lest their celebration was spoilt by worry, she quietly asked the Lord to intervene. Our Lord was hesitant initially because it was not the time to reveal His glory. All these would have influenced Jesus in the way He dealt with people. He was sensitive in reaching out to the Widow at Naim unasked, when her son died. He did not allow the Jewish laws to limit His works of charity and healing. He was ready to break the laws for a greater good at stake. Such flexibility and sensitivity in the work of compassion would have been inspired by Mary.
Thus, it is important as parents and guardians and teachers that we be conscious of what we do and say, because our behaviour, conduct and character leave a mark on those under our care. They do not just listen to what we say but they observe what we do. It is our lifestyle, our demeanour, our attitudes towards life and people that impact our children, good or bad. So let our impact be positive, life-giving and faith-inspiring. In this way, we will spare our children and the future from self-destruction as the prophet Joel warned us in the first reading. The Lord said, “‘I will avenge their blood and let none go unpunished,’ and the Lord shall make his home in Zion.” Indeed, the psalmist says, “Light shines forth for the just and joy for the upright of heart. Rejoice, you just, in the Lord; give glory to his holy name.”
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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