FORMULA FOR MAINTAINING A HEALTHY CHRISTIAN LIFE

20240601 FORMULA FOR MAINTAINING A HEALTHY CHRISTIAN LIFE

 

 

01 June 2024, Saturday, 8th Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

Jude 1:17,20-25 ©

Use your most holy faith as your foundation

Remember, my dear friends, what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ told you to expect. You must use your most holy faith as your foundation and build on that, praying in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves within the love of God and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you eternal life. When there are some who have doubts reassure them; when there are some to be saved from the fire, pull them out; but there are others to whom you must be kind with great caution, keeping your distance even from outside clothing which is contaminated by vice.

  Glory be to him who can keep you from falling and bring you safe to his glorious presence, innocent and happy. To God, the only God, who saves us through Jesus Christ our Lord, be the glory, majesty, authority and power, which he had before time began, now and for ever. Amen.

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Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 62(63):2-6 ©

For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord, my God.

O God, you are my God, for you I long;

  for you my soul is thirsting.

My body pines for you

  like a dry, weary land without water.

For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord, my God.

So I gaze on you in the sanctuary

  to see your strength and your glory.

For your love is better than life,

  my lips will speak your praise.

For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord, my God.

So I will bless you all my life,

  in your name I will lift up my hands.

My soul shall be filled as with a banquet,

  my mouth shall praise you with joy.

For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord, my God.

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Gospel Acclamation

1P1:25

Alleluia, alleluia!

The word of the Lord remains for ever:

What is this word?

It is the Good News that has been brought to you.

Alleluia!

Or:	cf.Col3:16a,17

Alleluia, alleluia!

Let the message of Christ, in all its richness,

find a home with you;

through him give thanks to God the Father.

Alleluia!

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Gospel

Mark 11:27-33 ©

I will not tell you my authority for acting like this

Jesus and his disciples came to Jerusalem, and as Jesus was walking in the Temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, and they said to him, ‘What authority have you for acting like this? Or who gave you authority to do these things?’ Jesus said to them, ‘I will ask you a question, only one; answer me and I will tell you my authority for acting like this. John’s baptism: did it come from heaven, or from man? Answer me that.’ And they argued it out this way among themselves: ‘If we say from heaven, he will say, “Then why did you refuse to believe him?” But dare we say from man?’ – they had the people to fear, for everyone held that John was a real prophet. So their reply to Jesus was, ‘We do not know.’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Nor will I tell you my authority for acting like this.’

 

FORMULA FOR MAINTAINING A HEALTHY CHRISTIAN LIFE

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SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Jude 1:17, 20-25; Ps 63:2-6; Mk 11:27-33]

Regardless of who the author of the letter of Jude was, this letter was addressed to the Christians who were threatened by the presence of false teachers in the community.  It was important that he strengthened their faith against such threats.  Firstly, being persecuted by enemies from within and without should not be a surprise, he said, “Remember, my dear friends, what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ told you to expect.”  Christ had already forewarned the apostles as He knew how difficult it would be to unite the Church because of heretic teachers of faith.  We, too, should not be surprised that our greatest enemies are those from within.  Even today, we have liberal theologians and prelates seeking to compromise the gospel to accommodate the world.   We must pray that this will never happen.  We need to make a distinction between being welcoming and protecting the faith of the Church passed down to us from the apostolic Church.

Who are these false teachers that we need to be wary of?  St Jude describes their characteristics.  “For they said to you, ‘In the last time there will be scoffers, indulging their own ungodly lusts.’  It is these worldly people, devoid of the Spirit, who are causing divisions.”  (Jude 18-19) The false teachers are wolves in sheep’s clothing.  They seek to manipulate the community of faith by injecting worldly values in a subtle way, often masqueraded as compassion, inclusivity and relevance.  Indeed, they are sensual, earthy; carnal, not spiritual.  They are also schismatic because they want to divide the Church.  Lacking respect for leaders and for right doctrines, they demolish what took the Church generations to build.  Most of all, they are devoid of the Spirit as they are without a real personal relationship with the Lord.  They rely only on their human reasoning.   They act as if they know Christ but their words and actions betray their faith in Him.

So how do we preserve our faith?  We must keep ourselves “within the love of God.”  How does one do that if not to live a life of prayer, charity and integrity rooted in the faith of the Church?  This is why the first thing we must do is to hold on to the faith of the apostolic Church.  This faith “that was once for all entrusted to the saints.”  (Jude 1:3) We must continue to build upon “the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.”  (Eph 2:20) Christ and His gospel must be the basis of our faith.  Jesus and the Word of God are the sure ways for us to be true to our faith.  As we learn to understand the scriptures, we are strengthened in our faith, as they help us to discern the will of God.  Without the Word of God, we cannot grow in maturity in faith and our lives and values will be founded on sand.

Secondly, through the reading of scriptures, we must be led to praying in the Holy Spirit.  One can pray only in the Holy Spirit when the Word of God becomes ours as well.  When we let the Word of God live in us, what we think and what we say, will be that of God.  “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.”  (Col 3:16) We can discern with the mind of God when we let the Holy Spirit influence our lives.  When we do that we will walk in truth and love at all times.  So praying unceasingly that God’s will be done is what will give us peace.  “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.”  (Col 3:15)

Thirdly, charity is expressed in our concern and care for others.   St Jude exhorts us, “when there are some who have doubts, reassure them.”   Rescuing those who are lost is indeed a great act of charity.  St James wrote, “My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”  (Jms 5:19f) The reality is that many of us are willing to give to the poor, or even to the church, but we are not so ready to win or save souls for God.  Catholicism today is in danger of being reduced to another humanitarian organization that champions the poor, those suffering injustices, and protect the environment.  But it has little to do with the salvation of souls.  Truly, if we do not care for the salvation of souls, why do we even care for our own soul?   The message that we are sending is that salvation is concerned with the body, just for this life and not for eternal life.

A true love for Christ is our love for souls because Jesus came to save everyone including the lost sheep.  How many of us have sought to bring our loved ones back to Church?  How many of us have spoken or shared the Good News about Jesus to those who do not know Him?  This is why St Jude asks us to reach out to those who have slackened in their faith.  We must deal gently with those who have doubt about their faith.  We should not be harsh or judgmental. Instead we should show mercy and understanding.  We should not write them off or reject them.  All of us are sinners and we all go through crises in faith.  At times we struggle to be faithful to God.  At other times, we are influenced by false teachings, or the world.  We allow ourselves to be led astray by worldly friends, or when we fall into bad company.  We must never forget the law of gradualness in spiritual growth.  We must be patient and encouraging without being imposing.  Of course, for those who are in danger of being lost and condemned to the fires of hell, we must take quick and decisive action. St Jude says, “when there are some to be saved from the fire, pull them out.”  There is urgency for those people who are at the brink of death.  So if we can act quickly, we should act for their sake while there is still a window for us to reach out to them.  For those who are led astray and defiled by sin, they are not just a danger to themselves but to others.  We must seek to protect the innocent from being harmed by them. St Jude wrote, “there are others to whom you must be kind with great caution, keeping your distance even from outside clothing which is contaminated by vice.”

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Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved. 

 

MARY FULFILS OUR HOPE BY BRINGING US JESUS

20240531 MARY FULFILS OUR HOPE BY BRINGING US JESUS

 

 

31 May 2024, Friday, The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

First reading

Zephaniah 3:14-18 ©

The Lord, the king of Israel, is in your midst

Shout for joy, daughter of Zion,

Israel, shout aloud!

Rejoice, exult with all your heart,

daughter of Jerusalem!

The Lord has repealed your sentence;

he has driven your enemies away.

The Lord, the king of Israel, is in your midst;

you have no more evil to fear.

When that day comes, word will come to Jerusalem:

Zion, have no fear,

do not let your hands fall limp.

The Lord your God is in your midst,

a victorious warrior.

He will exult with joy over you,

he will renew you by his love;

he will dance with shouts of joy for you

as on a day of festival.

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Responsorial Psalm

Isaiah 12 ©

The rejoicing of a redeemed people

Great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

Truly, God is my salvation,

  I trust, I shall not fear.

For the Lord is my strength, my song,

  he became my saviour.

With joy you will draw water

  from the wells of salvation.

Great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

Give thanks to the Lord, give praise to his name!

  Make his mighty deeds known to the peoples!

  Declare the greatness of his name.

Great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

Sing a psalm to the Lord

  for he has done glorious deeds;

  make them known to all the earth!

People of Zion, sing and shout for joy,

  for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

Great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

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Gospel Acclamation

cf.Lk1:45

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who believed

that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.

Alleluia!

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Gospel

Luke 1:39-56 ©

The Almighty has done great things for me

Mary set out and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’

  And Mary said:

‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord

and my spirit exults in God my saviour;

because he has looked upon his lowly handmaid.

Yes, from this day forward all generations will call me blessed,

for the Almighty has done great things for me.

Holy is his name,

and his mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear him.

He has shown the power of his arm,

he has routed the proud of heart.

He has pulled down princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly.

The hungry he has filled with good things, the rich sent empty away.

He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his mercy

– according to the promise he made to our ancestors –

of his mercy to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’

Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back home.

 

MARY FULFILS OUR HOPE BY BRINGING US JESUS

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SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ZEPH 3:14-18 OR ROM 12:9-16; LUKE 1:39-56]

In today’s first reading, Israel was in exile, waiting for deliverance.  The prophet Zephaniah prophesied that “The Lord has repealed your sentence; he has driven your enemies away. The Lord, the king of Israel, is in your midst; you have no more evil to fear.”  Indeed, when the Lord is with us, we can shout for joy like Israel because the Lord will fight the battle for us.  “Shout for joy, daughter of Zion, Israel, shout aloud! When that day comes, word will come to Jerusalem: Zion, have no fear, do not let your hands fall limp. The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior.”  With God on our side, there is nothing for us to fear because we know that we can overcome all things in Him.

But God is not just our protector, He has renewed His love for us in Christ.  We are once again His sons and daughters.   The prophet said, “Rejoice, exult with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem! He will exult with joy over you, he will renew you by his love; he will dance with shouts of joy for you as on a day of festival.”  As St Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Rom 8:37-39)

This hope would not have been fulfilled without Mary who brings Jesus into our midst.  This is what the Feast of the Visitation celebrates.  It celebrates the visitation not so much of Mary but of God in Christ fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah.  After raising the son of the widow Nain, “Fear seized all who were present, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen among us,” and “God has visited his people.”   (Lk 7:16 New Catholic Bible) Indeed, Jesus is the visitation of God.  He has come to restore the people of Israel as Mary prayed in the Magnificat. “Holy is his name, and his mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear him. He has shown the power of his arm, he has routed the proud of heart. He has pulled down princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things, the rich sent empty away. He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his mercy – according to the promise he made to our ancestors – of his mercy to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

Mary’s visit to Elizabeth anticipates what the Messiah would do.  He would baptize us with the Holy Spirit and God will dwell in us.  Indeed, when Mary greeted Elizabeth, “the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, “Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”  Jesus’ presence brings about the presence of the Holy Spirit, filling John the Baptist and Elizabeth with His love.  Knowing that the Lord was in their midst in the womb of Mary, Elizabeth exclaimed, “Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy.”

So for us all too, we need to welcome Jesus and make Him the centre of our lives.   Unless the Lord lives in our hearts and in our midst, we will not find joy and peace.  How can we welcome the Lord into our lives?  We need to be humble like Mary and Elizabeth.  Both of them were conscious of their blessings from God.  They were not envious of each other.  They celebrated God’s love together, glad that God blessed them in His own way.  Elizabeth was not envious of Mary’s position as the Mother of God.  Neither was John the Baptist when he grew up and was happy to play the friend of the bridegroom.  Being able to rejoice with others is a sign of gratitude and contentment, believing that what God has given us is always for our good.

Secondly, we need to believe.  Elizabeth said to Mary, “Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.”  Faith is necessary for anyone to welcome the Lord into his or her heart.  Mary and Elizabeth could experience the presence of God in their lives only because they believed.  Even though Mary was a virgin and Elizabeth was in her old age, yet because both believed, the Lord worked in and through their lives.  Faith is the way in which we allow God to live and work in us.

Thirdly, Mary brought Jesus to us by announcing the coming of the Holy Spirit.  St Luke speaks of her as being filled with the Holy Spirit wherever she went.  She was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit when she conceived our Lord in her womb.  She was filled with the Holy Spirit when she sang the Magnificat in response to the infilling of the Holy Spirit in the lives of Elizabeth and John the Baptist.  Whenever Jesus is present, He gives us the Holy Spirit.  When He was still on earth, His presence evoked the Holy Spirit because He was the bearer of the Holy Spirit.  After Pentecost, the Holy Spirit made Jesus present to us in our lives through miracles and testimonies of those who felt the work of the Holy Spirit.

Fourthly, we make Jesus present by our works of charity.  Mary brought Jesus to Elizabeth and John the Baptist by her desire to help them.  She took the trouble to travel all the way from Nazareth and spent three months with Elizabeth in her last days of pregnancy.  Mary put the needs of her cousin before her own.  Instead of being focused on herself now that she was pregnant, she was always focused on others.  We see this too at the Wedding in Cana.  Instead of simply enjoying herself with the guests, she was observant that the wine had run out.  And so she turned to her Son to see how He could save the wedding celebration.

This is the kind of charity that St Paul spoke of in his letter to the Romans.   The love of Mary was always sincere and devoid of hypocrisy.  She did not do good to gain attention.  And in fact the steward at the Wedding in Cana did not know who was responsible for changing the water into wine.  “Do not let your love be a pretence, but sincerely prefer good to evil. Love each other as much as brothers should, and have a profound respect for each other.”  Mary never announced to others how good she was, or the good that she did for others.  She gave hospitality to others in need.  “If any of the saints are in need you must share with them; and you should make hospitality your special care.” So, too, when her Son was misunderstood or condemned at His passion, Mary was silent and never retaliated or thought ill of others.  She was a woman of charity and forgiveness.  As St Paul said, “Bless those who persecute you: never curse them, bless them. Rejoice with those who rejoice and be sad with those in sorrow. Treat everyone with equal kindness; never be condescending but make real friends with the poor.”

Mary gives us hope in life.  “If you have hope, this will make you cheerful. Do not give up if trials come; and keep on praying.”  She was always encouraging when the apostles were left on their own after the ascension of her Son.  She was with them in continuous prayer, waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit.  Mary never gave up even in the face of hopelessness.  This is why we must turn to Mary.  She will lead us to Jesus, our sure hope.  In turn we must continue to encourage one another, especially those who are going through difficult times and want to give up hope in life.  We must continue to lead them to Jesus and Mary.  Only in and through them, can they find hope and encouragement in their difficult journey of life.  Let those whom we encounter feel that God has visited them.  Like Mary and Elizabeth, let us continue to inspire them in their life.

Indeed, with Mary, let us be true missionaries of Christ by journeying with other believers and with the Church.  With the rest of the Church, let us together join Mary and Elizabeth, and John the Baptist to proclaim Christ everywhere and always, to transmit the faith to every human person.  We must make this synodal journey with the Church and incarnate Christ and the gospel wherever we are through our life, our words and our works of charity, especially to the sick, the marginalized, the lonely and the elderly.  But most of all, we must give Jesus to them because He is the true treasure and hope and joy for all of humanity.

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Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved. 

CHOSEN FOR THE LORD

20240530 CHOSEN FOR THE LORD

 

 

30 May 2024, Thursday, 8th Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

1 Peter 2:2-5,9-12 ©

You are a royal priesthood, a people set apart

You are new born, and, like babies, you should be hungry for nothing but milk – the spiritual honesty which will help you to grow up to salvation – now that you have tasted the goodness of the Lord.

  He 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. 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. Once you were not a people at all and now you are the People of God; once you were outside the mercy and now you have been given mercy.

  I urge you, my dear people, while you are visitors and pilgrims to keep yourselves free from the selfish passions that attack the soul. Always behave honourably among pagans so that they can see your good works for themselves and, when the day of reckoning comes, give thanks to God for the things which now make them denounce you as criminals.

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Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 99(100):2-5 ©

Come before the Lord, singing for joy.

  Serve the Lord with gladness.

  Come before him, singing for joy.

Come before the Lord, singing for joy.

Know that he, the Lord, is God.

  He made us, we belong to him,

  we are his people, the sheep of his flock.

Come before the Lord, singing for joy.

Go within his gates, giving thanks.

  Enter his courts with songs of praise.

  Give thanks to him and bless his name.

Come before the Lord, singing for joy.

Indeed, how good is the Lord,

  eternal his merciful love.

  He is faithful from age to age.

Come before the Lord, singing for joy.

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Gospel Acclamation

cf.Ps129:5

Alleluia, alleluia!

My soul is waiting for the Lord,

I count on his word.

Alleluia!

Or:

Jn8:12

Alleluia, alleluia!

I am the light of the world, says the Lord;

anyone who follows me will have the light of life.

Alleluia!

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Gospel

Mark 10:46-52 ©

Go; your faith has saved you

As Jesus left Jericho with his disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus (that is, the son of Timaeus), a blind beggar, was sitting at the side of the road. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout and to say, ‘Son of David, Jesus, have pity on me.’ And many of them scolded him and told him to keep quiet, but he only shouted all the louder, ‘Son of David, have pity on me.’ Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him here.’ So they called the blind man. ‘Courage,’ they said ‘get up; he is calling you.’ So throwing off his cloak, he jumped up and went to Jesus. Then Jesus spoke, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ ‘Rabbuni,’ the blind man said to him ‘Master, let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has saved you.’ And immediately his sight returned and he followed him along the road.

 

CHOSEN FOR THE LORD

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SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 PT 2:2-5. 9-12; PS 100:2-5; MK 10:46-52]

What is the most consoling assurance of God is that we are chosen.  The Lord comes not just for the good and the powerful; He comes for everyone, including those who are on the margins, just like Bartimaeus in the gospel.  He was physically blind, sitting by the side of the road, begging.   No one thought of him as important enough to be given attention by the Lord.  So “when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout and to say, ‘Son of David, Jesus, have pity on me.’  And many of them scolded him and told him to keep quiet.”  Indeed, why in the midst of the crowd would Jesus give attention to someone who was a nobody?

Yet, Jesus stopped and said, “Call him here.”  Indeed, even with the crowd, Jesus was not oblivious to what was happening around Him.  He was not taken up by the crowd and forgot to pay attention to the individual, especially those who were marginalized.  As far as Jesus was concerned, everyone is precious to God.   So He said to the man, “‘What do you want me to do for you?”  And the man said, “Master, let me see again.”  Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has saved you.”  This man had his sight restored because of his perseverance in faith.  He was sincere and he did not allow the discouragement of others to drown his voice for help when “many of them scolded him and told him to keep quiet, but he only shouted all the louder.”

Indeed, this is what St Peter says of us as well: “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a people set apart to the praises of God who called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.  Once you were not a people at all and now you are the People of God; once you were outside the mercy and now you have been given mercy.”  We are all blind in many ways, not necessarily physically, but spiritually blind like the crowd that followed Jesus.  They could not see Jesus or recognize Him as the Son of David, the Messiah.  It took a physically blind man to confess his faith in Him as the Son of David.  Yet, the Lord in His mercy has called us to Him and given us the gift of faith to recognize Him as our Saviour and Lord.  Before knowing Him, we were lost and walking in darkness like the Blind Man.  But now the Lord has brought us out of darkness into His wonderful light.  In choosing us, we become the praises of God to others.

But being chosen is just the first step.  It is one thing to be “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation” and another thing to remain as one.  We are told that after the blind man was healed, he followed Jesus along the road.  He did not remain where he was, sitting by the roadside, begging for money.  He followed Jesus all the way to Jerusalem, the place of His passion and glory.  Once his eyes were opened, he did not remain uncommitted.  This is what St Peter wrote, “You are new born, and, like babies, you should be hungry for nothing but milk – the spiritual honesty which will help you to grow up to salvation – now that you have tasted the goodness of the Lord.”  He was like a new born baby hungering for the Word of God.

That should be the same for us as well.  Unfortunately, although many of us are baptized, we are still unconverted.  We are not excited that we have been chosen, or appreciate the fact that God has called us out of darkness into His wonderful light.  We lack gratitude and conversion of heart.  As such, we do not desire to grow in faith.  Indeed, it is a clear sign that no real conversion has taken place when a newly baptized Catholic, or a young person having received the Sacrament of Confirmation, remains indifferent to his or her faith.  If we have truly encountered the Lord, we would desire to taste Him.  Hungering for the Word of God is a concrete sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit in us.  For when the Lord opens our minds and hearts, the manifestation is one of desire to be in deeper intimacy with Him, and especially a greater sensitivity and love for the Word of God.

We must make Jesus the centre and the foundation of our lives so that we can truly become like Him.   St Peter wrote, “He 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.”   We are chosen to share in the priesthood of Christ. As priests, we are called to be bridges for humanity to come to Him.  It is therefore necessary that we come close to Jesus so that we can be holy and offer ourselves as a living sacrifice for others.  Indeed, holiness means nothing else but to be consecrated to the Lord; to be given to Him so that He could work in and through us.  Holiness means that we will devote our entire life to Him.

But holiness is not just for our salvation but for the work of witnessing.  The call to be a witness is not always easy.  We will have to suffer, and that is part of the demands of the apostolate.  St Peter wrote, “I urge you, my dear people, while you are visitors and pilgrims to keep yourselves free from the selfish passions that attack the soul.  Always behave honourably among pagans so that they can see your good works for themselves and, when the day of reckoning comes, give thanks to God for the things which now make them denounce you as criminals.”   We need to set good examples in the way we live our lives, otherwise we become counter-witnesses.  We will be misunderstood, but we must remain firm in our faith even when we hear discouraging voices like Bartimaeus.  We need to be confident in who we are and what we are called to be in life.   Once we are consecrated to God, we will live like our Lord and be another Christ to others.  When we are focused on our identity and our calling, we will naturally live out our faith with courage and with pride, without any show of hypocrisy.

Regardless, the best way to demonstrate that we have been chosen is when we are people of joy, always singing praises to the Lord as the psalmist invites us.  “Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing for joy.  Know that he, the Lord, is God. He made us, we belong to him, we are his people, the sheep of his flock.  Go within his gates, giving thanks. Enter his courts with songs of praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name.  Indeed, how good is the Lord, eternal his merciful love. He is faithful from age to age.”  When we are a people of thanksgiving and joy, people will be attracted to our faith in Christ.  There is no better way to attract people than to let them know the joy we have in us.  The gospel, as Pope Francis reminds us, is a gospel of joy.  And it should be announced with joy.  Otherwise, we betray the joy of being called.  It becomes an ideology rather than a transmission of life.

Truly, as the crowd told the blind man, “Courage, get up; he is calling you.”  So, we too must take courage, especially when we face difficulties and trials in life.  To say to someone, “have courage”, gives that person hope.  We need to be positive in life.  But this attitude of being positive is not merely a make belief but rooted in one’s faith in the Lord.  We must never lose heart or make people lose hope in life, even when we feel so helpless in giving encouragement to them.  With patience and perseverance, we will see the hand of God at work in our lives.  But we can only say with confidence to one who is struggling, “take courage, He is calling you” only when we ourselves have experienced His transformation grace at work in our lives.

So let us learn from Bartimaeus.  When the Lord called him, “throwing off his cloak, he jumped up and went to Jesus.”  We, too, must throw off anything that hinders us from coming closer to the Lord.  We must surrender our cloak, that is, our security blanket – the only thing we have, like Linus in the Peanuts series.  When we surrender all, the Lord will reward us with a joy that cannot be explained.  In giving ourselves totally to Him, He gives Himself and His joy to us.  Let us not be like that rich man in the gospel who went away sad because he was a rich man and could not surrender his wealth to the poor and follow Jesus.  But we who have left everything to follow Jesus will be given the rewards of eternal life.

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Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved. 

GRATITUDE TO CHRIST WHO PAID OUR RANSOM

20240529 GRATITUDE TO CHRIST WHO PAID OUR RANSOM

 

 

29 May 2024, Wednesday, 8th Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

1 Peter 1:18-25 ©

You were ransomed by the precious blood of Christ, the spotless lamb

Remember, the ransom that was paid to free you from the useless way of life your ancestors handed down was not paid in anything corruptible, neither in silver nor gold, but in the precious blood of a lamb without spot or stain, namely Christ; who, though known since before the world was made, has been revealed only in our time, the end of the ages, for your sake. Through him you now have faith in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory for that very reason – so that you would have faith and hope in God.

  You have been obedient to the truth and purified your souls until you can love like brothers, in sincerity; let your love for each other be real and from the heart – your new birth was not from any mortal seed but from the everlasting word of the living and eternal God. All flesh is grass and its glory like the wild flower’s. The grass withers, the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains for ever. What is this word? It is the Good News that has been brought to you.

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Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 147:12-15,19-20 ©

O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!

or

Alleluia!

O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!

  Zion, praise your God!

He has strengthened the bars of your gates

  he has blessed the children within you.

O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!

or

Alleluia!

He established peace on your borders,

  he feeds you with finest wheat.

He sends out his word to the earth

  and swiftly runs his command.

O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!

or

Alleluia!

He makes his word known to Jacob,

  to Israel his laws and decrees.

He has not dealt thus with other nations;

  he has not taught them his decrees.

O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!

or

Alleluia!

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Gospel Acclamation

1Jn2:5

Alleluia, alleluia!

Whenever anyone obeys what Christ has said,

God’s love comes to perfection in him.

Alleluia!

Or:

Mk10:45

Alleluia, alleluia!

The Son of Man came to serve,

and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Alleluia!

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Gospel

Mark 10:32-45 ©

The Son of Man came to give his life as a ransom for many

The disciples were on the road, going up to Jerusalem; Jesus was walking on ahead of them; they were in a daze, and those who followed were apprehensive. Once more taking the Twelve aside he began to tell them what was going to happen to him: ‘Now we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man is about to be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the pagans, who will mock him and spit at him and scourge him and put him to death; and after three days he will rise again.’

  James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached him. ‘Master,’ they said to him ‘we want you to do us a favour.’ He said to them, ‘What is it you want me to do for you?’ They said to him, ‘Allow us to sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your glory.’ ‘You do not know what you are asking’ Jesus said to them. ‘Can you drink the cup that I must drink, or be baptised with the baptism with which I must be baptised?’ They replied, ‘We can.’ Jesus said to them, ‘The cup that I must drink you shall drink, and with the baptism with which I must be baptised you shall be baptised, but as for seats at my right hand or my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been allotted.’

  When the other ten heard this they began to feel indignant with James and John, so Jesus called them to him and said to them, ‘You know that among the pagans their so-called rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt. This is not to happen among you. No; anyone who wants to become great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be slave to all. For the Son of Man himself did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’

 

GRATITUDE TO CHRIST WHO PAID OUR RANSOM

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SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 PT 1:18-25; Ps 147:12-15, 19-20; Mk 10:32-45]

“Remember, the ransom that was paid to free you from the useless way of life.”  Two points require our reflection this morning.  Firstly, what is this useless way of life we were living? It is when we live our life without purpose and goal.  We just drift from day to day, allowing our body and mind to degenerate.  We eat, sleep and enjoy.  Often, we indulge in things that harm our body and mind.  We eat excessively, smoke and drink without consideration for our health.  We live only for ourselves, and irresponsibly.  We want to take an easy way out in life, enjoy the pleasures of this world without working or making an honest living. We cheat, rob, scam others, or take advantage of our loved ones by making them provide for our needs and pleasures.  Such a life is totally useless because it has no direction, goal or meaning at all.  It is an animal life. 

Secondly what is that kind of useless life that we have inherited from our ancestors?   Our forefathers always tell us to work hard, make lots of money, be successful and live luxuriously, have a nice house, a big car and travel the world.  Nowadays, marriage and having children are no longer part of our goal in life because it constrains our freedom and convenience.  Of course, in itself, this kind of life is not all together useless because it has some objectives.  

However, the stark truth remains – the purpose of life, which is happiness, will never be fulfilled simply because we are created not just with a body that needs to be satisfied.  We have a spirit that thirsts for more and more.  We need true and sincere love, affection and a sense of belonging.  We need to feel that useful and be identified with the rest of humanity in our joys, sorrows and struggles.  We feel a sense of worthwhileness when we know that we can make a difference in the lives of others and contribute to the greater good of humanity.  We have peace of mind when we know that we have lived a life of integrity and honesty, serving our brothers and sisters, sharing what we have with them.

The truth is that true security is found when our lives are established in God.  Only He can be our security because everything else is unpredictable.  As the responsorial psalm says, “O praise the Lord, Jerusalem! Zion, praise your God! He has strengthened the bars of your gates, he has blessed the children within you. He established peace on your borders, he feeds you with finest wheat. He sends out his word to the earth and swiftly runs his command. He makes his word known to Jacob, to Israel his laws and decrees. He has not dealt thus with other nations; he has not taught them his decrees.”  God is the one who gives us eternal rest.

Indeed, this is the kind of life that the Lord wants to give us.  He came to show us the way to an authentic lifestyle by offering Himself to us on the cross.   The ransom that He paid to show us how to live life to the fullest is the price of His life for us.  He said, “Now we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man is about to be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes.  They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the pagans, who will mock him and spit at him and scourge him and put him to death; and after three days he will rise again.”  Jesus, who went ahead resolutely to Jerusalem, the place of His passion and glory, shows us that being faithful to God and of service to our fellowmen would sometimes cost us suffering and death.  Indeed, fullness of life is dependent on how much we give ourselves to God and the service of our fellowmen.

This is just the opposite of the kind of useless life that His apostles sought to have. James and John and all the other apostles included were ambitious.  Although they followed our Lord, they were still ignorant and followed Him for the wrong motives, just like some of us do as well.  We serve Christ and His Church for fame, glory, honour, position and recognition, even though we say that we want to serve Him when in truth we are trapped by spiritual worldliness.  The apostles conceived a good and successful life in terms of power and glory with Jesus.  They wanted seats of glory and power.  So blinded by their folly, just like many of us who are willing to pay the price of success.  So when the Lord asked them, “Can you drink the cup that I must drink, or be baptised with the baptism with which I must be baptised?”  They replied, “We can.”  Of course, they were driven by worldly ambition rather than godly ambition.  For those of us who are ambitious in striving for success, fame and power, we do not mind giving our entire life to it, working day and night, giving our sweat and blood only to finally arrive at our goal, and to discover the emptiness of success, fame and glory.

Yet, the truth is that power and glory is allotted by God to each of us according to our vocation and calling in life.  Jesus said to the apostles, “The cup that I must drink you shall drink, and with the baptism with which I must be baptised you shall be baptised, but as for seats at my right hand or my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been allotted.”  All that Jesus promised us in order to live a meaningful life is that we need to empty ourselves in some ways, carry our crosses in some ways, but we must suffer for the right reasons.  Otherwise, we can become disillusioned at the end of our struggle.  This is true for those who have given themselves whole-heartedly to the pursuit of success in life, business and wealth.  When they reach the top of the ladder, they find life meaningless, their wealth empty, life is devoid of true friendship and love.  As St Peter wrote, “All flesh is grass and its glory like the wild flowers.  The grass withers, the flower falls.”

To free us from this useless way of life, Jesus reminds us that to live, we must live for others.  When we live only for ourselves, we are really useless.  To be useful means that we are able to contribute to the lives of others.  But greater still is when we who are in authority, that is, those who are vested with power, position, influence and financial ability, are able to serve the people with humility. Jesus told His disciples, “You know that among the pagans their so-called rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt.  This is not to happen among you.  No; anyone who wants to become great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be slave to all.  For the Son of Man himself did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus leads the way of living an authentic life.  St Peter wrote that our ransom “was not paid in anything corruptible, neither in silver nor gold, but in the precious blood of a lamb without spot or stain, namely Christ; who, though known since before the world was made, has been revealed only in our time, the end of the ages, for your sake.  Through him you now have faith in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory for that reason – so that you would have faith and hope in God.”   Through the price of His death on the cross for us, Jesus demonstrated the truth of life and love.   There is no short cut or easy way to find life except to give ourselves to God and to others.  Jesus has laid down the gauntlet, “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)

Today, let us take heed of the exhortation of St Peter.  He said, “You have been obedient to the truth and purified your souls until you can love like brothers, in sincerity; let your love for each other be real and from the heart – your new birth was not from any mortal seed but from the everlasting word of the living and eternal God.  The word of the Lord remains forever.  What is this word?  It is the Good News that has been brought to you.”  Let us cling to the Good News that the Lord has brought to us.  Unless we purify our love for our brothers and sisters and seek the values of the gospel, we will not find true life.  But when the Word of God lives in us and His love remains in us, we will be able to love unconditionally and sincerely.

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Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.