20240104 WHAT DO YOU WANT?
04 January 2024, Thursday
First reading | 1 John 3:7-10 © |
No-one sins who has been begotten by God
My children, do not let anyone lead you astray:
to live a holy life
is to be holy just as he is holy;
to lead a sinful life is to belong to the devil,
since the devil was a sinner from the beginning.
It was to undo all that the devil has done
that the Son of God appeared.
No one who has been begotten by God sins;
because God’s seed remains inside him,
he cannot sin when he has been begotten by God.
In this way we distinguish the children of God
from the children of the devil:
anybody not living a holy life
and not loving his brother
is no child of God’s.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 97(98):1,7-9 © |
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.
Let the sea and all within it, thunder;
the world, and all its peoples.
Let the rivers clap their hands
and the hills ring out their joy
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
at the presence of the Lord: for he comes,
he comes to rule the earth.
He will rule the world with justice
and the peoples with fairness.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Gospel Acclamation | 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!
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!
Gospel | John 1:35-42 © |
'We have found the Messiah'
As John stood with two of his disciples, Jesus passed, and John stared hard at him and said, ‘Look, there is the lamb of God.’ Hearing this, the two disciples followed Jesus. Jesus turned round, saw them following and said, ‘What do you want?’ They answered, ‘Rabbi,’ – which means Teacher – ‘where do you live?’ ‘Come and see’ he replied; so they went and saw where he lived, and stayed with him the rest of that day. It was about the tenth hour.
One of these two who became followers of Jesus after hearing what John had said was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. Early next morning, Andrew met his brother and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ – which means the Christ – and he took Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked hard at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John; you are to be called Cephas’ – meaning Rock.
WHAT DO YOU WANT?
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 John 3:7-10; Ps 98:1,7-9; John 1:35-42]
When John the Baptist pointed out to his disciples, “Look, there is the lamb of God”, two of them upon hearing this, followed Jesus. “Jesus turned round, saw them following and said, “What do you want?” Jesus went straight to the point. He did not want them to waste their time following Him. This is the same question we need to ask ourselves for following Jesus. “What do you want?”
The truth is that people follow Jesus for different motives, even in His days. Some chose to follow Jesus simply to get temporal favours, particularly miracles of healing and exorcism. Some followed Jesus because of His popularity, and it was safe to be among the crowd even though they did not know much about Jesus. Some thought Jesus would be a revolutionary and a potential messiah to deliver them from the occupation of the Roman Emperor and restore the glory of the Kingdom of David. In our days too, Jesus has many followers, but mostly in name. Some are simply happy to be numbered as Catholics. Others because of the benefits they get from being a member of the church, such as getting priority in registering their children in a Catholic School. Others seek His blessings for success, good health and even prosperity. Jesus seems to be the panacea for every ill in life.
So we must also ask ourselves, what do we seek by following Jesus? What do we hope to gain by following Him? Whilst it is not wrong to follow Jesus so that we will be among the blessed, even for temporal favours like seeking His help to heal us of our sicknesses, obsession and struggle against evil, if our attitude towards Jesus is merely utilitarian, then our relationship with Him is an I-It relationship. The apostles who followed Him initially also had ulterior or low motives like most of us. They wanted power, position and glory. If we seek Jesus simply for the things of this world, then we do not really love Him or care for Him but ourselves. We are His followers only so long as Jesus is of use to us.
But Jesus is not interested in having followers but in making us His disciples. Indeed, in His time, there were many followers but there were few disciples. The call to discipleship entails sacrifices and total commitment. Like the call of the apostles, we are called to drop everything to follow Him. He said it in no uncertain terms, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?” (Mt 16:24-26) A blessed life is to live the beatitudes and the sermon on the Mount. (cf Mt 5-7)
In other words, as St John tells us, we are called to holiness of life. “My children, do not let anyone lead you astray: to live a holy life is to be holy just as God is holy; to lead a sinful life is to belong to the devil, since the devil was a sinner from the beginning.” St John Paul II in his apostolic exhortation at the beginning of the third millennium says that holiness is the goal of every Christian. To seek baptism is to seek holiness; to belong to Jesus not just in name but in fact. To belong to Jesus is to allow Jesus to take control of our life and to walk the path He has shown us. It implies living a life of truth and love, for only such a life distinguishes us as children of God. St John said, “anybody not living a holy life and not loving his brother is no child of God’s.” Holiness of life is a holistic life, not being a mystic.
What makes us truly happy is when we are holy, that is, when we are one with God, living a life of honesty, integrity, generosity, inclusivity, kindness, compassion and service. Happiness in life has to do with right, meaningful and loving relationship with God and with our brothers and sisters. Wealth, power, status and good health are means to an end, not the end itself. Just having plenty of money, fame, power, position and health will not make us happy. If it were so, then those who are rich and successful will be happy but some of them are among the most unfulfilled people in the world. Their lives are in a mess and they have many enemies. Greed and fame overcome them. They go through many failed relationships because like Jesus, people are their friends for their own selfish motives. Nothing in this world can fulfil them because we get tired with the things of this world easily, even nice food and luxuries. What makes us happy is having beautiful, loving and sincere friendships with people. What makes us happy is when we know we can make a difference in the lives of others, giving them hope and putting a smile on their faces.
For this reason, the disciples of John asked Jesus, “where do you live?” in response to His question, “What do you want?” The disciples were seeking the fullness of life. They were not simply interested to see His miracles or even to hear what He had to teach. They wanted to be with Him. They wanted intimacy with Him. They were interested in the person of Jesus. We are transformed and moved not just by what a person says or does, but by the very life of that person. So spending time with Jesus, living with Him, knowing Him as a person and not just externally by what He says and does, is the basis of a relationship with Him. The Lord understood the desire of the disciples and so He invited them to “Come and see.”
Being with the Lord is the ultimate joy of being a disciple. We find happiness not so much in doing things for others or with others, but just being in the company of someone we love. This is the secret of discipleship. Mary, the sister of Lazarus, understood this as she sat at the feet of Jesus, listening to Him. Indeed, with someone we love, we find great joy simply being in their presence, listening, sharing, enjoying each other’s company, even if it were in mere silence. In fact, the gospel never said that Jesus did anything or gave long discourses on the Kingdom of God when he was with the two disciples. All that was said was, “they went and saw where he lived, and stayed with him the rest of that day.” This is the joy of discipleship, spending time with the master. For us too, spending time with our loved ones, whether in silence, chatting, sharing, eating, or walking, makes us happy because it does not require effort or the need to put on a show to win acceptance.
Being with Jesus, seeing Him living His life was sufficient to transform them and make a mark in their lives. Indeed, they remembered distinctly that “It was about the tenth hour.” Furthermore, those who met Him had their lives transformed, as we read of Peter having his name changed to Cephas, meaning rock. Those who spend time with Jesus will have their lives transformed. This is true in human relationships, what more in our relationship with Jesus. We imbibe in someone’s values unconsciously, as we get to know the person more intimately and personally. A person who makes time for Jesus, feeling with Him and thinking with Him, will also be transformed into another Christ. This is what St John meant when he wrote, “No one who has been begotten by God sins; because God’s seed remains inside him, he cannot sin when he has been begotten by God.” When Jesus lives in our hearts, we will act like Him.
So let us not turn discipleship into a tedious and tiring journey with the Lord. Jesus wants us to enjoy His company. We do not have to earn His love because He gives us His love freely. We do not have to do good works to please Him. Jesus just wants us to enjoy His company and His love. He wants to bless us with His presence. Jesus comes to us in the Eucharist, when we adore Him in the Blessed Sacrament, when we read the Word of God, when we spend quiet time with Him. He is also present with us in common worship and when we share the Word of God together. Like Andrew, we can introduce Jesus to others by just inviting them to spend time with Jesus. Andrew did not say much except that they had found the Messiah and he took Peter to Jesus. Getting to know Jesus and spending time with Him in intimacy is what gives us the strength each day to live out the demands of discipleship, not in an extraneous manner but a love and passion coming out from our relationship with the Lord. It is a faith that expresses itself in love. Holiness of life is not a matter of living out the commandments but more an expression of our union with Jesus, sharing His life and love that we have received from Him, out of joy and the desire to bring others into fellowship with Him. Giving Jesus to someone is the best gift we can give.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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