Scripture Reflection and Prayer : Journeying together: June 2024

Sunday 30 June 2024

LEADERS SET THE STANDARDS BY WALKING THE TALK

20240701 LEADERS SET THE STANDARDS BY WALKING THE TALK

01 July 2024, Monday, 13th Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

Amos 2:6-10,13-16

Because of your crimes I will crush you into the ground

The Lord says this:

For the three crimes, the four crimes, of Israel

I have made my decree and will not relent:

because they have sold the virtuous man for silver

and the poor man for a pair of sandals,

because they trample on the heads of ordinary people

and push the poor out of their path,

because father and son have both resorted to the same girl,

profaning my holy name,

because they stretch themselves out by the side of every altar

on clothes acquired as pledges,

and drink the wine of the people they have fined

in the house of their god...

Yet it was I who overthrew the Amorites when they attacked,

men tall as cedars and strong as oaks,

I who destroyed them,

both fruit above ground

and root below.

It was I who brought you out of the land of Egypt

and for forty years led you through the wilderness

to take possession of the Amorite’s country.

See then how I am going to crush you into the ground

as the threshing-sledge crushes when clogged by straw;

flight will not save even the swift,

the strong man will find his strength useless,

the mighty man will be powerless to save himself.

The bowman will not stand his ground,

the fast runner will not escape,

the horseman will not save himself,

the bravest warriors will run away naked that day.

It is the Lord who speaks.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 49(50):16-23

Mark this, you who never think of God.

‘How can you recite my commandments

and take my covenant on your lips,

you who despise my law

and throw my words to the winds?

Mark this, you who never think of God.

‘You who see a thief and go with him;

who throw in your lot with adulterers,

who unbridle your mouth for evil

and whose tongue is plotting crime.

Mark this, you who never think of God.

‘You who sit and malign your brother

and slander your own mother’s son.

You do this, and should I keep silence?

Do you think that I am like you?

Mark this, you who never think of God.

‘Mark this, you who never think of God,

lest I seize you and you cannot escape;

a sacrifice of thanksgiving honours me

and I will show God’s salvation to the upright.’

Mark this, you who never think of God.

Gospel Acclamation

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!

Or:

Ps94:8

Alleluia, alleluia!

Harden not your hearts today,

but listen to the voice of the Lord.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 8:18-22

The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head

When Jesus saw the great crowds all about him he gave orders to leave for the other side. One of the scribes then came up and said to him, ‘Master, I will follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’

Another man, one of his disciples, said to him, ‘Sir, let me go and bury my father first.’ But Jesus replied, ‘Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their dead.’

LEADERS SET THE STANDARDS BY WALKING THE TALK

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [AMOS 2:6-10, 13-16; MT 8:18-22]

In the first reading, we read of the indictments of the prophet Amos against Israel. The people of the Northern Kingdom of Israel had become prosperous and wealthy. Business and trading were good. The people were living in luxury and comfort. But as in all countries, the rich got richer and the poor became poorer.

Instead of distributing their wealth to the poor and the under-privileged, greed set in. The rich grabbed and used dishonest means to increase their wealth. The poor were at their mercy. They were exploited, over-taxed and subjected to illegal collaterals for their loans. The helpless and the widows were taken advantage of.

The people became complacent in their spiritual life. Although the rich, who belonged to the Upper Class, were apparently faithful in observing the rituals, offering worship and sacrifices, their hearts were far from God. It was just for show, like many of our faithful today. We attend mass on Sundays just to show that we are good Catholics. However, behind all these expressions of piety, we take advantage of the weak and the vulnerable. We cheat and divide people. We are unjust towards our colleagues and employees. We engage in politics, manipulating each other for promotion and benefits. We shout and scream at our staff and colleagues, humiliating them in public, as if they have no feelings and no dignity. How can we who profess so much love for God act contrary to what God has done for us and how God would like to be loved in His people?

Such behaviour saddened God who chose Israel to be a model nation of love and compassion. God reminded them that they were nobody when they were in Israel. “Yet it was I who overthrew the Amorites when they attacked, men tall as cedars and strong as oaks, I who destroyed them, both fruit above ground and root below. It was I who brought you out of the land of Egypt and for forty years led you through the wilderness to take possession of the Amorite’s country.” They were once slaves themselves, so how could they make others their slaves now? They were once poor and without food and luxury, how could they allow the poor to suffer now that they were rich? Israel was given the laws of Moses so that they could govern themselves and live a covenanted life based on justice, charity and compassion for one another.

But the truth is that they had forgotten and hence were ungrateful. This is the tragedy of life’s common mistakes. We forget what we were before, now that we are well-off and living a comfortable life. We have no thought for those who are suffering like us before. We forget the love and mercy of God. Instead, we think we earned the blessings through our hard work. We forget that all we have today, including our health and opportunities, were given by God, without which we would be nowhere and nobody. We become arrogant and self-sufficient, thinking that we can do without God. This is the real mistake of the world today. Many of us have become prosperous and think highly of ourselves. We feel that we do not need God. At most we pay lip service to Him. We hardly pray to Him for wisdom. Only when we reach a stage where no money, power or status can save us from our desperation – because of illness, a lost relationship, bankruptcy, or caught by the arm of the law for a crime committed – do we then turn to God.

Jesus in the gospel shows us what it means to be grateful for the love and gifts we have received. He set Himself as an example for us to follow. One of the most important things about Jesus is that He practiced what He preached. That is why He could tell the people, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach.” (Mt 23:2f) Indeed, whatever He taught, He made sure that He Himself did it. “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.” (1 Pt 2:21)

So when “one of the scribes then came up and said to him, ‘Master, I will follow you wherever you go”, Jesus’ reply was, “Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” He did not tell the prospective disciple that following Him would cost him much in personal sacrifices, his comfort and his security. Rather, He pointed to Himself as an example because as the Son of Man and as an itinerant preacher, He was always on the move, walking, talking and living among His people, especially those who were poor, the marginalized and the sick. He was reaching out to them. He was at sea with the disciples, sleeping on the boat or in the desert praying. He did not live a life of comfort. That was why He instructed His apostles to do likewise, “You received without payment; give without payment. Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food.” (Mt 10:8-10)

Secondly, when the other would-be disciple said to Jesus, “‘Sir, let me go and bury my father first.’ But Jesus replied, ‘Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their dead.'” Again, this man was concerned about his security and attachment. Most probably he was asking Jesus to wait until his elderly parents had passed on. He had to do his filial duty as the son, and if he was the first born son, he would have been entitled to the inheritance. So this man was telling Jesus that when his life was more secure and when he was freed of his responsibilities, then he would follow Jesus. In itself, it is not wrong to fulfil our responsibilities. Indeed, it is the right thing to fulfil the commandment to honour our parents.

But if the Lord is the One who is calling us to follow Him, then we cannot wait but respond in faith. We must put the Lord before any human being. In this case, it was Jesus who was calling the man. When God calls, the answer expected of us is immediate obedience, as Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” (Lk 1:38) Abraham did the same thing when he was told to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. “So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him.” (Gn 22:3) If we trust in the Lord, He will provide for the needs of our loved ones. This was what Abraham said to Isaac, “God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” (Gn 22:8) True enough, God provided a ram for the offering. “So Abraham called that place ‘The Lord will provide’; as it is said to this day, ‘On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.'” (Gn 22:14)

This was the life of Jesus Himself. When His Father called Him, He could not wait; even as a young child, He told His parents who had searched for Him everywhere and finally found Him in the Temple, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Lk 2:49) It appears that by the time Jesus left for the ministry, Joseph had already died. Mary, His mother, would have been in her mid-forties. She was a widow. It must have been hard for Jesus to leave His mother alone while He went out for His mission and even unto death. It must have been difficult for the Lord to be detached from Mary because as her Son, He too wanted to take good care of her. And this was in the mind of our Lord because one of the last things He did for His mother was to entrust her to the care of His beloved disciple, John. (Cf Jn 19:26f)

Today, as leaders and elders, we must remember that what our younger generation will turn out to be is dependent on the kind of examples we set for them. They will follow what we do and what we say. If we do not lead by example, then together with them, we will face the consequences of our actions, just as the prophet Amos warned the people. “See then how I am going to crush you into the ground as the threshing-sledge crushes when clogged by straw; flight will not save even the swift, the strong man will find his strength useless, the mighty man will be powerless to save himself.” The psalmist warns us as well, “Mark this, you who never think of God, lest I seize you and you cannot escape; a sacrifice of thanksgiving honours me and I will show God’s salvation to the upright.” Let us therefore offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving by returning to the Lord and His people what He has blessed us with, our resources and health and loved ones.

Saturday 29 June 2024

FINDING HEALING AND LIFE IN JESUS

20240630 FINDING HEALING AND LIFE IN JESUS

30 June 2024, Sunday, 13th Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

Wisdom 1:13-15,2:23-24

God takes no pleasure in the extinction of the living

Death was not God’s doing,

he takes no pleasure in the extinction of the living.

To be – for this he created all;

the world’s created things have health in them,

in them no fatal poison can be found,

and Hades holds no power on earth;

for virtue is undying.

Yet God did make man imperishable,

he made him in the image of his own nature;

it was the devil’s envy that brought death into the world,

as those who are his partners will discover.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 29(30):2,4-6,11-13

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me

and have not let my enemies rejoice over me.

O Lord, you have raised my soul from the dead,

restored me to life from those who sink into the grave.

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.

Sing psalms to the Lord, you who love him,

give thanks to his holy name.

His anger lasts a moment; his favour all through life.

At night there are tears, but joy comes with dawn.

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.

The Lord listened and had pity.

The Lord came to my help.

For me you have changed my mourning into dancing:

O Lord my God, I will thank you for ever.

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.

Second reading

2 Corinthians 8:7,9,13-15

The Lord Jesus became poor for your sake, to make you rich

You always have the most of everything – of faith, of eloquence, of understanding, of keenness for any cause, and the biggest share of our affection – so we expect you to put the most into this work of mercy too. Remember how generous the Lord Jesus was: he was rich, but he became poor for your sake, to make you rich out of his poverty. This does not mean that to give relief to others you ought to make things difficult for yourselves: it is a question of balancing what happens to be your surplus now against their present need, and one day they may have something to spare that will supply your own need. That is how we strike a balance: as scripture says: The man who gathered much had none too much, the man who gathered little did not go short.

Gospel Acclamation

cf.Jn6:63,68

Alleluia, alleluia!

Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life;

you have the message of eternal life.

Alleluia!

Or:

cf.2Tim1:10

Alleluia, alleluia!

Our Saviour Jesus Christ abolished death

and he has proclaimed life through the Good News.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Mark 5:21-43

Little girl, I tell you to get up

When Jesus had crossed in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered round him and he stayed by the lakeside. Then one of the synagogue officials came up, Jairus by name, and seeing him, fell at his feet and pleaded with him earnestly, saying, ‘My little daughter is desperately sick. Do come and lay your hands on her to make her better and save her life.’ Jesus went with him and a large crowd followed him; they were pressing all round him.

Now there was a woman who had suffered from a haemorrhage for twelve years; after long and painful treatment under various doctors, she spent all she had without being any the better for it, in fact, she was getting worse. She had heard about Jesus, and she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his cloak. ‘If I can touch even his clothes,’ she had told herself ‘I shall be well again.’ And the source of the bleeding dried up instantly, and she felt in herself that she was cured of her complaint. Immediately aware that power had gone out from him, Jesus turned round in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched my clothes?’ His disciples said to him, ‘You see how the crowd is pressing round you and yet you say, “Who touched me?”’ But he continued to look all round to see who had done it. Then the woman came forward, frightened and trembling because she knew what had happened to her, and she fell at his feet and told him the whole truth. ‘My daughter,’ he said ‘your faith has restored you to health; go in peace and be free from your complaint.’

While he was still speaking some people arrived from the house of the synagogue official to say, ‘Your daughter is dead: why put the Master to any further trouble?’ But Jesus had overheard this remark of theirs and he said to the official, ‘Do not be afraid; only have faith.’ And he allowed no one to go with him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. So they came to the official’s house and Jesus noticed all the commotion, with people weeping and wailing unrestrainedly. He went in and said to them, ‘Why all this commotion and crying? The child is not dead, but asleep.’ But they laughed at him. So he turned them all out and, taking with him the child’s father and mother and his own companions, he went into the place where the child lay. And taking the child by the hand he said to her, ‘Talitha, kum!’ which means, ‘Little girl, I tell you to get up.’ The little girl got up at once and began to walk about, for she was twelve years old. At this they were overcome with astonishment, and he ordered them strictly not to let anyone know about it, and told them to give her something to eat.

FINDING HEALING AND LIFE IN JESUS

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Wis 1:13-15, 2:23-24; Ps 29:2,4-6,11-13; 2 Cor 8:7,9,13-15; Mk 5:21-43 (or Mk 5:21-24,35-43)]

One of the inevitable facts of life, and perhaps the most evident, is that we will all have to die, sooner or later. Death is the most feared truth of life. It is the last enemy of man. Many do not want to talk or think about it and deceive themselves into thinking that they will live here forever. Death is frightening because we reach the point of life where there is no return. Death is painful also for those who are left behind, and if the love is deep and intense, the bereavement might take a long time because of the vacuum the person leaves with his or her departure. Is there no way to overcome death? The world thinks that death is the end of everything. This is why the world fears death more than those of us who are believers.

But the Book of Wisdom tells us that “Death was not God’s doing, he takes no pleasure in the extinction of the living. To be – for this he created all. God did make man imperishable, he made him in the image of his own nature; it was the devil’s envy that brought death into the world, as those who are his partners will discover.” God created us all to be. He created us immortal, in His image and likeness. We were created for eternal life with God, but because of sin, not only do we suffer death as a consequence but we also acquire a wounded nature – when we lack control over our life and allow our disoriented passions and desires to lead us to go against authentic love and life. Instead of living for others, we seek to live only for ourselves. This is why the wages of sin is death.

To deliver us from personal and physical death, Jesus came to heal and to give life. This is the message of today’s gospel. In the gospel, He healed “a woman who had suffered from a haemorrhage for twelve years.” She had been impoverished by her long and painful treatment under various doctors without getting any better. In fact, she was getting worse. In the second story, the Lord raised a twelve-year-old girl from death, the daughter of the Synagogue Official. By so doing, Jesus showed Himself to be not just the healer over our illnesses but also our life-giver. Jesus has the power to heal, to save and to give life.

What does it take for us to encounter the healing and saving power of our Risen Lord? It boils down to faith. It is not so much that God will not grant us our petitions if we have no faith in Him. Rather, the obstacle to the reception of grace is on our side; not on the side of God. The gospel assures us that God is always loving and caring. His love is unconditional, as shown in today’s gospel. So, if we want to received His healing, be it emotional, physical or spiritual, what is paramount for us all is faith. But what kind of faith is required? A sincere, humble and trusting faith like that of the woman suffering from haemorrhage, and the disposition of Jairus to receive His healing grace.

In the first place, to be receptive to God’s healing grace, we must be humble to ask. We must recognize our finiteness and ignorance about the mystery of life and death. The trouble is that we are so proud of ourselves and our knowledge and power, we think we can solve all the problems in the world through science and technology. Science indeed can do many things, but science cannot solve the mystery of life and death. It can explain the how but not the why. This is why we are most fearful of death because when death and terminal illness strike, we are at a loss. Quite often, only in desperation do we turn to God for help and for healing. Sometimes, God allows us to suffer to learn humility, so that we will turn to Him and come to recognize our limitations.

In the case of Jairus, out of desperation he had to humble himself to come to Jesus to seek healing for his daughter. He was a synagogue official. It would have cost him his dignity to implore Jesus to go to his house to heal his daughter who was at the brink of death. Perhaps no one from his family wanted to invite Jesus and so he had to come himself. And to show his sincerity and faith, he discarded his pride and prejudice and “fell at his feet and pleaded with him earnestly, saying, ‘My little daughter is desperately sick. Do come and lay your hands on her to make her better and save her life.'” Certainly, that action could have caused him to lose the respect of his fellow Jews and officials. But in the face of death and life, all such prejudices and dignity are forgotten.

Not only humility in faith is required, but we need courage and perseverance as well. This was the case of the woman suffering from haemorrhage. She might not have much dignity to lose, unlike Jairus, but she risked condemnation for being in the crowd whilst menstruating. She, too, was desperate, having exhausted her money on doctors, but none could cure her of this shameful, embarrassing, physically debilitating illness. Ritually, she was perpetually unclean, making it impossible for her to render worship and sacrifices. She was also unable to bear children, which was considered shameful in Jewish culture. But she never gave up hope. She persevered in faith until the opportunity came. We can appreciate why the woman sneaked into the crowd and secretly touched the cloak of our Lord in faith to find healing. This was a great feat on her part, as she was unwell and it was inconvenient for her to go out.

Coming back to the faith of Jairus, even though his daughter was dead by the time he managed to get Jesus away from the crowd to his house, he never gave up hope when all others had. Jesus took charge of the situation, dismissed the unbelieving crowd and took the child’s father and mother and his own companions to see the girl. “And taking the child by the hand he said to her, ‘Talitha, kum!’ which means, ‘Little girl, I tell you to get up.’ The little girl got up at once and began to walk about, for she was twelve years old.”

Similarly, for the woman with haemorrhage, the Lord not only stopped her blood from flowing but by making her confess what she did, He released her from the fear and shame which had crippled her all her life. He restored her dignity by saying to her, “My daughter, your faith has restored you to health; go in peace and be free from your complaint.” By healing her physically, she was also restored spiritually and emotionally. She regained her dignity once again as the daughter of God. She found deep peace. Indeed, confession, which means acknowledging our sins and weaknesses and confessing in the power of Jesus, sets us free.

But what does it mean to be set free from illnesses, fear and death? We can be healed but we will fall sick again. We can be healthy but we might not find life. This is why we are called to be life-givers to others when we are set free from illness and death. The only way to live is to share our life with others. Hence, we must take heed of the exhortation of St Paul who told the Corinthians, “You always have the most of everything – of faith, of eloquence, of understanding, of keenness for any cause, and the biggest share of our affection – so we expect you to put the most into this work of mercy too. Remember how generous the Lord Jesus was: he was rich, but he became poor for your sake, to make you rich out of his poverty.” Because we have received grace and mercy from God, we too must do the same and render assistance to others.

Indeed, fullness of life is more than physical life. It is a life of love, a life of compassion, and a life that is giving. The more we give to others, the more we receive, not necessarily materially but spiritually, beyond human calculation. What makes us happy is when we live a life of meaning, purpose and sincere relationship with everyone. In giving life to others, we receive life ourselves. As St Paul remarked, “The man who gathered much had none too much, the man who gathered little did not go short.”

CAN THE CHURCH WITHSTAND THE ONSLAUGHTS OF THE WORLD?

20240629 CAN THE CHURCH WITHSTAND THE ONSLAUGHTS OF THE WORLD?

29 June 2024, Saturday, Ss Peter and Paul, Apostles

First reading

Acts 12:1-11

'Now I know the Lord really did save me from Herod'

King Herod started persecuting certain members of the Church. He beheaded James the brother of John, and when he saw that this pleased the Jews he decided to arrest Peter as well. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread, and he put Peter in prison, assigning four squads of four soldiers each to guard him in turns. Herod meant to try Peter in public after the end of Passover week. All the time Peter was under guard the Church prayed to God for him unremittingly.

On the night before Herod was to try him, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, fastened with double chains, while guards kept watch at the main entrance to the prison. Then suddenly the angel of the Lord stood there, and the cell was filled with light. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him. ‘Get up!’ he said ‘Hurry!’ – and the chains fell from his hands. The angel then said, ‘Put on your belt and sandals.’ After he had done this, the angel next said, ‘Wrap your cloak round you and follow me.’ Peter followed him, but had no idea that what the angel did was all happening in reality; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed through two guard posts one after the other, and reached the iron gate leading to the city. This opened of its own accord; they went through it and had walked the whole length of one street when suddenly the angel left him. It was only then that Peter came to himself. ‘Now I know it is all true’ he said. ‘The Lord really did send his angel and has saved me from Herod and from all that the Jewish people were so certain would happen to me.’

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 33(34):2-9