20240211 BEING A CHURCH OF BLESSINGS
11 February 2024, Sunday, Dedication of the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd
Ezekiel 47:1-2,8-9,12
1 Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east); and the water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar. 2 Then he brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me round on the outside to the outer gate, that faces toward the east;h and the water was coming out on the south side. 8 And he said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah; and when it enters the stagnant waters of the sea,i the water will become fresh. 9 And wherever the riverj goes every living creature which swarms will live, and there will be very many fish; for this water goes there, that the waters of the seak may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes. 12 And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.”
1 Cor 3:9-17
9 For we are God’s fellow workers;* you are God’s field, God’s building.
10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and another man is building upon it. Let each man take care how he builds upon it. 11 For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any one builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 each man’s work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 17 If any one destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and that temple you are.
John 2:13-22
13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers at their business. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all, with the sheep and oxen, out of the temple; and he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; you shall not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for thy house will consume me.” 18 The Jews then said to him, “What sign have you to show us for doing this?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he spoke of the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.
BEING A CHURCH OF BLESSINGS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [EZEKIEL 47:1-2,8-9,12; 1 COR 3:9-17; JOHN 2:13-22]
We are in the midst of the Lunar New Year celebration. At every start of the New Year, we ask God for blessings on us, on our families and nation. The blessings we ask from God cannot just be material blessings but also spiritual blessings. Indeed, whilst we do wish for a blessed life in terms of material and physical comfort, we must also be aware that just having good food, nice accommodation and good health is not enough to make us happy. We must be blessed with the fruits of the Holy Spirit, namely, peace, love, joy, kindness, gentleness, patience, generosity, faithfulness and self-control. These are the fruits of the Spirit that can truly give us real happiness, more than just plenty of food, material pleasures and comfort, nice holidays.
This is what the Prophet Ezekiel tells us in today’s first reading. A stream flowed from the Temple and the water “flows east down to the Arabah and to the sea; and flowing into the sea it makes its waters wholesome. Wherever the river flows, all living creatures teeming in it will live. Fish will be very plentiful, for wherever the water goes it brings health, and life teems wherever the river flows. Along the river, on either bank, will grow every kind of fruit tree with leaves that never wither and fruit that never fails; they will bear new fruit every month, because this water comes from the sanctuary. And their fruit will be good to eat and the leaves medicinal.”
Water is a symbol of life and this life is given to us by the Holy Spirit. He is the source of our blessings. But it is also reminder to us that we who have received the blessings from the Holy Spirit must also be like this water, giving life to everyone that we meet. Water can reach every nook and corner of the surface. Water enables life. Water purifies. Water quenches our thirst. Like water, we too must be enablers. We must seek to enrich and give life to others by sharing ourselves and our blessings with them. We must help to purify those whose lives are motivated by selfish and unhealthy concerns. We must quench the thirst of those who seek for a fuller meaning of life in God and in service.
This is what Mother Church seeks to do. The Cathedral is at the heart of the city. Her central location gives her the opportunity to be the Mother Church that draws people from all over the country and even the world to her. People of different races, nationalities, languages and even from other religions come to this Cathedral. People with every kind of need seek solace and welcome from the mother Church. Those of us ministering to the people in the Cathedral must be reminded to act as a mother, not as a discipline master. As members of the Cathedral, especially those in church ministry, we must be welcoming, gracious, humble and tolerant of fellow Catholics who come from all walks of life, different levels of spirituality, and different needs and pain. We are not all the same. There will be some members or visitors to the Cathedral who are more sensitive than others, more in need of pastoral care, compassion and acceptance than others.
Indeed, our goal is to ensure that every one who visits the Cathedral could rejoice with the psalmist, “I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’ And now our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem. For Israel’s law it is, there to praise the Lord’s name. For love of my brethren and friends I say: ‘Peace upon you!’ For love of the house of the Lord I will ask for your good.” We need to make the Cathedral truly a welcoming and inclusive Church, where saints and sinners are welcome. Those of us who think we are saints must show themselves to be so by being patient, forgiving, tolerant and generous, especially towards those whom we regard as sinners. Precisely, if they are sinners, it is because they know that they are not yet saints, and they are striving to grow in the Spirit.
Yet, we know that it is not easy to live or serve fellow sinners, or even saints, because all are difficult to live with. Ironically, saints are too perfect and can be intolerant of those who have not yet attained perfection. Sinners, of course, are obviously very difficult because they are so sensitive when other make their lives difficult, but insensitive when they make themselves a nuisance to others who are trying to tolerate their lack of Christian charity. So, even as a Christian community, we can be sure that there will be frictions trying to live together as one united family, just like in any homes, or in any organization.
For us to do so, it cannot be our efforts alone, but we need the grace of God. This grace comes from the Holy Spirit, but it is Christ who bestows us His Holy Spirit. For this reason, we cannot be like mothers to each other unless we focus our life on Christ. St Peter reminds the people, “The Lord is the living stone, rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him; set yourselves close to him so that you too, the holy priesthood that offers the spiritual sacrifices which Jesus Christ has made acceptable to God, may be living stones making a spiritual house.” If we are to be the living stones of this Cathedral, then we must found our strength in Christ, our cornerstone. “As scripture says: See how I lay in Zion a precious cornerstone that I have chosen and the man who rests his trust on it will not be disappointed.” Christ must be the centre, the beginning, the way and the goal of our ministry.
How do we make Him the cornerstone of our ministry and life? We need to offer spiritual sacrifices to Him, which involves not just worship, liturgy and prayers but also our sacrifices, generosity, patience, kindness, forgiveness and inclusivity. We take a page from our Lord, the way He reached out to saints and sinners. He was always patient, non-judgmental, non-reactive, but kind and understanding. Jesus came for the poor, the sinners, the uncouth, those who served Him initially for the wrong reasons. He came for the sick, the rejected and the marginalized. He is a man so identified with our sins, our humanity and brokenness that He understands us all.
Above all, we are called to believe in Him and in His word. We are called to accept the gospel as it really is. St Peter warns us about rejecting Him and His gospel. He wrote, “That means that for you who are believers, it is precious; but for unbelievers, the stone rejected by the builders has proved to be the keystone, a stone to stumble over, a rock to bring men down. They stumble over it because they do not believe in the word; it was the fate in store for them.” Whilst the Lord welcomes everyone, being welcomed does not mean that we continue to live a selfish and destructive lifestyle both to oneself and to our neighbours. But we must take His gospel, the Word of God seriously and attune our life with His and all that He has taught us. Indeed, our Lord in the gospel came to purify us when He symbolically purified the Temple of Jerusalem by driving out the merchants who were selling in the Temple. In itself, the merchants were offering or selling their services to the worshippers, but they were making exorbitant profits out of their services. Instead of being contented with a just remuneration, they were making things difficult for the poor worshippers to offer their sacrifices to the Lord. They were destroying the sanctuary of God!
Indeed, as we celebrate the Dedication of this Cathedral, let us remember that as the Mother Church, we must set the example for all churches in the archdiocese to be a welcoming, caring, evangelizing and missionary Church. St Peter reminds us, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a people set apart to sing the praises of God who called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” Truly, we who have been chosen by the Lord to share in His priesthood of being mediators of His love and presence to others by our lives, must be conscious that we are worthy messengers of our Lord, enlightening and giving hope to our brothers and sisters who seek for the light of Christ. Let us be inspired by our Lord in the way He brought the people back to light, for He was what the Word of God expects of us. The evangelist noted that “His disciples remembered the words of scripture: Zeal for your house will devour me.” Will we too be filled with zeal for God’s house and like Jesus, show signs that we are the new Temple of God by our lives?
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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