20240419 SUSTAINING OUR FAITH AFTER BAPTISM
19 April 2024, Friday, 3rd Week of Eastertide
First reading | Acts 9:1-20 © |
This man is my chosen instrument to bring my name before the pagans
Saul was still breathing threats to slaughter the Lord’s disciples. He had gone to the high priest and asked for letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, that would authorise him to arrest and take to Jerusalem any followers of the Way, men or women, that he could find.
Suddenly, while he was travelling to Damascus and just before he reached the city, there came a light from heaven all round him. He fell to the ground, and then he heard a voice saying, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ ‘Who are you, Lord?’ he asked, and the voice answered, ‘I am Jesus, and you are persecuting me. Get up now and go into the city, and you will be told what you have to do.’ The men travelling with Saul stood there speechless, for though they heard the voice they could see no one. Saul got up from the ground, but even with his eyes wide open he could see nothing at all, and they had to lead him into Damascus by the hand. For three days he was without his sight, and took neither food nor drink.
A disciple called Ananias who lived in Damascus had a vision in which he heard the Lord say to him, ‘Ananias!’ When he replied, ‘Here I am, Lord’, the Lord said, ‘You must go to Straight Street and ask at the house of Judas for someone called Saul, who comes from Tarsus. At this moment he is praying, having had a vision of a man called Ananias coming in and laying hands on him to give him back his sight.’
When he heard that, Ananias said, ‘Lord, several people have told me about this man and all the harm he has been doing to your saints in Jerusalem. He has only come here because he holds a warrant from the chief priests to arrest everybody who invokes your name.’ The Lord replied, ‘You must go all the same, because this man is my chosen instrument to bring my name before pagans and pagan kings and before the people of Israel; I myself will show him how much he himself must suffer for my name.’ Then Ananias went. He entered the house, and at once laid his hands on Saul and said, ‘Brother Saul, I have been sent by the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on your way here so that you may recover your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ Immediately it was as though scales fell away from Saul’s eyes and he could see again. So he was baptised there and then, and after taking some food he regained his strength.
He began preaching in the synagogues, ‘Jesus is the Son of God.’
Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 116(117) © |
Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News.
or
Alleluia!
O praise the Lord, all you nations,
acclaim him all you peoples!
Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News.
or
Alleluia!
Strong is his love for us;
he is faithful for ever.
Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Lk24:46,26 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
It was ordained that the Christ should suffer
and rise from the dead,
and so enter into his glory.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn6:56 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood
lives in me, and I live in him,
says the Lord.
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 6:52-59 © |
My flesh is real food and my blood is real drink
The Jews started arguing with one another: ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ they said. Jesus replied:
‘I tell you most solemnly,
if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,
you will not have life in you.
Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood
has eternal life,
and I shall raise him up on the last day.
For my flesh is real food
and my blood is real drink.
He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood
lives in me
and I live in him.
As I, who am sent by the living Father,
myself draw life from the Father,
so whoever eats me will draw life from me.
This is the bread come down from heaven;
not like the bread our ancestors ate:
they are dead,
but anyone who eats this bread will live for ever.’
He taught this doctrine at Capernaum, in the synagogue.
SUSTAINING OUR FAITH AFTER BAPTISM
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Acts 9:1-20; Psalm 117:1-2; John 6:52-59]
We are coming to the end of the third week of Easter. The Easter joy is celebrated in the Church for 50 days. Those of us who were just baptized and those just renewed in the faith continue to draw out the joy of encountering the Risen Lord and being filled with His Holy Spirit. Like Saul, we were blind and ignorant. We wanted things our own way. We were filled with pride and full of arrogance. Instead of leading ourselves, we, like Saul, allowed ourselves to be led, for when he “got up from the ground, but even with his eyes wide open he could see nothing at all, and they had to lead him into Damascus by the hand. For three days he was without his sight, and took neither food nor drink.” But now we see, thanks to the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, like Saul, when we were baptized, we were “filled with the Holy Spirit’ and like Saul, scales fell away from our eyes and we could see again.
However, we must not fall into complacency as a result of this euphoria. This will not last long. After the 50 days of joy, we will go back to our ordinary life, which is one of struggles and trials. To be baptized into Christ also means to enter into His death. This was what the Lord said to Ananias, “I myself will show him how much he himself must suffer for my name”. Being a Christian implies carrying the cross with Jesus. We will be open to ridicule, misunderstanding, slander and even persecution, as in the case of St Paul and the early Christians. So even in our joy, we must brace ourselves for the challenges ahead as we seek to live out the gospel way of life. If our Lord suffered and died, we will not be exempted from the path of suffering as well.
How can our newly baptized Catholics and those of us who have just been renewed in the faith continue to grow in our relationship with the Lord? The first thing we must do is to witness to Christ. This was what St Paul did. Immediately, upon recovery, “he began preaching in the synagogues, ‘Jesus is the Son of God’.” He did not wait till he studied the scriptures or learned more from the apostles. There are some people who suggest that we cannot proclaim the gospel till we are properly formed. In truth, when will we ever be fully formed? As bishop, I am still being formed each day in holiness, in spiritual life, in theology and in pastoral skills. No one can say that he is now ready to proclaim the gospel. Of course, there are different levels of proclamation. Only an authorized theologian can teach sound doctrines of the Church. Only an ordained minister can act as a pastor of his flock. But we do not need to be a theologian or an ordained minister to witness to Christ. All we need to do is to follow in the example of St Paul; he shared what Christ had done for him, how he was a great sinner and persecutor of the Church but chosen by Christ to be His instrument. (cf Gal 1:11-15) “…he who had set me apart before I was born, and had called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles.” (Gal 1:15f)
The truth is that it is only when we start witnessing for Christ and evangelizing Him that we ourselves can grow in faith. The more we speak about Jesus, the more we clarify for ourselves who Jesus is to us. The more we are challenged by others when we proclaim Him, the more we seriously reflect on our knowledge of Jesus. The reason why we do not grow in faith is because we are complacent in our faith, afraid of being challenged by others and hide in the closet. We grow best when we share our faith. The best way to learn is to testify and to teach. Even if we feel inadequate to expound on doctrines, we can share our relationship with the Lord, our spiritual life, our prayers and how the Lord impacts our lives each day at work, in our homes and community.
Truly, we are not chosen for ourselves only but for the world. This is what the Lord said, “this man is my chosen instrument to bring my name before pagans and pagan kings and before the people of Israel.” The responsorial psalm reminds us to proclaim how wonderful this God of ours is. “Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News. O praise the Lord, all you nations, acclaim him all you peoples! Strong is his love for us; he is faithful for ever.” So we must not delay any longer but find occasions to give testimony to Christ without imposing our beliefs on others. Being polemical in our evangelization work is not the best approach to proclaiming the Good News. It leads to argument and useless debate. But the best is to share His love for us and what the Lord has done for us and how our lives have changed after encountering Him. No theological formation is required for this task. Every baptized Catholic must immediately set out to share Christ with others.
This does not mean that theological and scriptural studies are not needed. This is of course beneficial and would be required for some groups of people who need to make sense of our beliefs. This is where the study of philosophy, scripture and theology is a necessity for priests and teachers of the faith. Indeed, where possible, Catholics should attend courses and talks to deepen their faith. Most of all, we need to deepen our own spiritual life through prayer and contemplation. This was what St Paul did after his conversion. He wrote, “I did not confer with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia; and again I returned to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas, and remained with him fifteen days.” (Gal 1:17f) Let us hear the call of St Peter, “Like newborn babes, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation; for you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. Come to him, to that living stone, rejected by men but in God’s sight chosen and precious; and like living stones be yourselves built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Pt 2:2-5)
To come to Jesus is to come to the heart of what will sustain us in our spiritual life. This is what the Lord shared with us. “As I, who am sent by the living Father, myself draw life from the Father, so whoever eats me will draw life from me.” We must draw life from our Lord constantly if we are to be transformed in love to be like Christ. How can we draw life from Jesus if not through the Word of God and the Eucharist, which are the pillars and foundation of Christian life? In the gospel, Jesus made it clear that He is the bread of life. “This is the bread come down from heaven; not like the bread our ancestors ate: they are dead, but anyone who eats this bread will live for ever.” To eat the bread of life is to partake in the life of Jesus, sharing His mind and His heart, His truth and His love.
Eating the bread of life would entail cultivating a deep love for the Word of God. Jesus as the manna from heaven, comes to give us God’s word. Hence, St Peter shows us the way to be purified in truth and love. He wrote, “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere love of the brethren, love one another earnestly from the heart. You have been born anew, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God.” (1 Pt 1:22f) By meditating and contemplating on the Word of God daily, we become more attuned to the mind and heart of Christ.
Secondly, we are transformed into Christ, especially when we receive Him in the Eucharist, in Holy Communion. Again the Lord warns us, “I tell you most solemnly, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life in you. Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and I shall raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.” Celebrating the Eucharist and receiving Him in communion is the way in which His Spirit is given to us as we contemplate on His passion, death and resurrection. The Eucharist sums up the whole life of Jesus which is offered as a gift to His Father for us all, in humble service, in forgiveness, and in love and unity. The Eucharist makes it possible for all to be in communion with Him.
This communion with the Lord in the Eucharist does not stop here but it reinforces our insertion into the Body of Christ, His Church. Receiving the Eucharist is not merely receiving Christ but also His body, the members of His Church. No Catholic must live an individualistic faith. We cannot say we love Jesus if we do not love His body. The entire Christ is both head and body. Even St Paul recognized that he needed the community. And so, he made it a point to connect with St Peter. In the first place, it was the brotherly love of Ananias who called him, “brother” that he felt loved and accepted. In spite of his reservations, Ananias obeyed the Lord and accepted him as his brother and healed him. St Paul himself learned this truth the hard way because the Lord also said a similar thing to him. The Lord asked, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” “‘Who are you, Lord?’ he asked, and the voice answered, ‘I am Jesus, and you are persecuting me.” To hurt our brothers and sisters is to hurt Jesus! He did tell us as well. “Whatsoever you do to the least of My brothers, that you do unto Me'” (Mt 25:40) That is why, we must welcome each other in the Church. “Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” (Heb 13:1f)
Truly, united with the Lord and with the body of Christ, nurtured by the Word of God and receiving Him sacramentally in the Eucharist, we can be sure that our faith will remain firm and strong as we continue to strengthen our commitment by testifying to His love and mercy for us. This is the secret of growing in faith. By neglecting our prayers, the Word of God, the Eucharist and the community, we are doomed to fall away after some time, especially when our faith is challenged and we feel all alone facing the oppositions of the world.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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