20240103 PRIVILEGES, RESONSIBILITIES AND UNIMAGINABLE POSSIBILITIES
03 January 2024, Wednesday
First reading | 1 John 2:29-3:6 © |
Everyone must try to be as pure as Christ
You know that God is righteous –
then you must recognise that everyone whose life is righteous
has been begotten by him.
Think of the love that the Father has lavished on us,
by letting us be called God’s children;
and that is what we are.
Because the world refused to acknowledge him,
therefore it does not acknowledge us.
My dear people, we are already the children of God
but what we are to be in the future has not yet been revealed;
all we know is, that when it is revealed
we shall be like him
because we shall see him as he really is.
Surely everyone who entertains this hope
must purify himself, must try to be as pure as Christ.
Anyone who sins at all
breaks the law,
because to sin is to break the law.
Now you know that he appeared in order to abolish sin,
and that in him there is no sin;
anyone who lives in God does not sin,
and anyone who sins
has never seen him or known him.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 97(98):1,3-6 © |
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Sing a new song to the Lord
for he has worked wonders.
His right hand and his holy arm
have brought salvation.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
Shout to the Lord, all the earth,
ring out your joy.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Sing psalms to the Lord with the harp
with the sound of music.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
acclaim the King, the Lord.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Gospel Acclamation |
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!
Or: | 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!
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.’
PRIVILEGES, RESONSIBILITIES AND UNIMAGINABLE POSSIBILITIES
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 JN 2:29-3:6; PS 98:1,3-6; JOHN 1:29-34]
John the Baptist was specially chosen by God to be the forerunner of His Son. Whilst in the womb of his mother, Elizabeth, he was already sanctified by the Lord, filled with the Holy Spirit, leaping for joy. John the Baptist was always aware of this great privilege. But he was also conscious that such privileges he received were never for himself but for the greater glory of God. This explains why his entire life was lived in gratitude by offering himself as the voice crying out in the wilderness to prepare the way for the Lord. He knew that he was only the bridegroom’s friend. He was contented to hear Him. His joy was to see our Lord increase whilst he decreased. John the Baptist did not ask for more.
He showed his humility by confessing that his knowledge of the Messiah was from God’s revelation, and not by his efforts. He admitted that he did not know Him, but enlightened by God, he said, “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 shall not know him myself, and yet it was to reveal him to Israel that I came baptizing with water.” Again, he rendered testimony to Him, “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 baptize 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 baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ Yes, I have seen and I am the witness that he is the Chosen One of God.”
John the Baptist was not just humble but gracious. So when the time came, he was quick to point out Jesus to His disciples. “Look, there is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.” Then we read further on, “The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, ‘Look, here is the Lamb of God!’ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.” (Jn 1:36f) True to his words, he was not afraid that his disciples would leave him for our Lord. He was happy to bring them to the bridegroom. He found peace when his job was done. He did not keep Jesus away from them for fear of losing his place and popularity among the people of God.
Consequently, today, we need to consider how we live out our sonship in Christ. In Him, we become children of God. This is what St John wrote, “to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.” (Jn 1:12f) This is a great privilege. To be called children of God through the anointing of the Holy Spirit is truly grace. None of us is worthy to be God’s children. But as St John wrote, “Think of the love that the Father has lavished on us, by letting us be called God’s children; and that is what we are.” Many of us fail to see this as a great privilege. We do not cherish the fact that we are not just creatures of God like the rest of creation but we are His children.
Perhaps, the reason is that deep in our hearts, we do not know Him. As St John remarked, “Because the world refused to acknowledge him, therefore it does not acknowledge us.” If we do not acknowledge God as Father, the corollary is that we cannot see ourselves as His children. Indeed, because the world refuses to acknowledge God, they cannot see that we are all brothers and sisters. The world discriminates people according to race, language, religion and nationality. Some people are given greater respect, recognition and treatment than others. This explains why human rights are only applied to some people but not for all. Those who champion human rights are blind to the injustices they commit against those whom they do not judge to be in the same class as others. We cannot speak of human rights unless we recognize that our lives are different from animals and that we have dignity by the fact that we are human beings, created by God and recognized as His children.
However, for those of us who recognize ourselves as children of God, we will live a righteous life. “You know that God is righteous – then you must recognize that everyone whose life is righteous has been begotten by him.” As children of God, we are called to reflect the life of God in us. By our conduct and life, we indirectly give glory and honour to our parents and ultimately to God who created us. Jesus in the gospel exhorts us to live this way when He said, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” (Mt 5:16) Isn’t this what seek when we pray the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father in heaven, holy be your name”? We pray that our lives might sanctify the name of God. We who claim to be God’s children must therefore live the way our Father lives.
Jesus, for us, is that exemplar of what it means to be a son of God. This is why we are called to be sons in the Son. We are adopted sons and daughters in Christ, unlike Jesus who has always been the Son of the Eternal Father, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. By His incarnation, He lived as the son of Mary. Through the Holy Spirit given to us by Jesus at our baptism, we are made sons and daughters of God. Through His humanity, He pointed to us His Father as John the Baptist did for Jesus. He said to Philip, “To see me is to see the Father.” (Jn 14:9) “Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves.” (Jn 14:10f)
This is a great privilege indeed. To be known as God’s children. But this privilege comes with responsibility. St John wrote, “Anyone who sins at all breaks the law, because to sin is to break the law. Now you know that he appeared in order to abolish sin, and that in him there is no sin, and anyone who sins has never seen him or known him.” We can claim that we know Jesus if we seek to be as pure as Him. “Surely everyone who entertains this hope must purify himself, must try to be as pure as Christ.” As children of God, we seek to be identified as His children. No children would want to shame their parents. Every child wants to bring honour to his or her parents. Every child wants his or her parents to be proud of them.
But being a child of God is not just a matter of privilege and responsibilities but unimaginable possibilities. “My dear people, we are already the children of God but what we are to be in the future has not yet been revealed; all we know is, that when it is revealed we shall be like him because we shall see him as he really is.” In truth, we do not know fully the future that is in store for us. The possibilities ahead of us is more than we can imagine. Our future is with God and this future is beyond our imagination. We all know that life will be complete when we are in God. We describe this life as heavenly, when we live in communion with all our brothers and sisters in unity and love, and in union with the Blessed Trinity.
Unlike those who do not believe in God, their only hope is in this world. But such people, St Paul says, are hopeless. What is life if our life ends in this world? What is the meaning and purpose of life, all our struggles, our sacrifices for the future of humanity, our achievements and successes? When we die, all these would mean nothing to us. Oh, we do not have to wait until death. Those of us who are elderly, retired, sickly, immobile have already lost the meaning and will to live. What is life when one is abandoned, even when we are rich, to live alone? What is life when we cannot go out, eat as we want, enjoy the gifts of creation? What is life when we feel pain here and there, unable to walk, to eat, to sleep, to read, or even to see? What is life when everything we have done seems futile at the end of the day?
However, because we know we are children of God, like the psalmist, we say with joy, “Sing a new song to the Lord for he has worked wonders. His right hand and his holy arm have brought salvation. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Shout to the Lord, all the earth, ring out your joy. Sing psalms to the Lord with the harp with the sound of music. With trumpets and the sound of the horn acclaim the King, the Lord.” God is our ultimate goal in life. We shall be like Him and share in His life and love.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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