20240608 CHOSEN FOR THE GLORY OF GOD
08 June 2024, Saturday, The Immaculate Heart of Mary
First reading | Isaiah 61:9-11 |
I exult for joy in the Lord
Their race will be famous throughout the nations,
their descendants throughout the peoples.
All who see them will admit
that they are a race whom the Lord has blessed.
‘I exult for joy in the Lord,
my soul rejoices in my God,
for he has clothed me in the garments of salvation,
he has wrapped me in the cloak of integrity,
like a bridegroom wearing his wreath,
like a bride adorned in her jewels.
‘For as the earth makes fresh things grow,
as a garden makes seeds spring up,
so will the Lord make both integrity and praise
spring up in the sight of the nations.’
Responsorial Psalm |
1 Samuel 2:1,4-8 |
My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.
My heart exults in the Lord.
I find my strength in my God;
my mouth laughs at my enemies
as I rejoice in your saving help.
My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.
The bows of the mighty are broken,
but the weak are clothed with strength.
Those with plenty must labour for bread,
but the hungry need work no more.
The childless wife has children now
but the fruitful wife bears no more.
My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.
It is the Lord who gives life and death,
he brings men to the grave and back;
it is the Lord who gives poverty and riches.
He brings men low and raises them on high.
My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.
He lifts up the lowly from the dust,
from the dungheap he raises the poor
to set him in the company of princes
to give him a glorious throne.
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
on them he has set the world.
My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Lk2:19 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed is the Virgin Mary,
who treasured the word of God
and pondered it in her heart.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 2:41-51 |
Mary stored up all these things in her heart
Every year the parents of Jesus used to go to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up for the feast as usual. When they were on their way home after the feast, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents knowing it. They assumed he was with the caravan, and it was only after a day’s journey that they went to look for him among their relations and acquaintances. When they failed to find him they went back to Jerusalem looking for him everywhere.
Three days later, they found him in the Temple, sitting among the doctors, listening to them, and asking them questions; and all those who heard him were astounded at his intelligence and his replies. They were overcome when they saw him, and his mother said to him, ‘My child, why have you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been, looking for you.’
‘Why were you looking for me?’ he replied. ‘Did you not know that I must be busy with my Father’s affairs?’ But they did not understand what he meant.
He then went down with them and came to Nazareth and lived under their authority. His mother stored up all these things in her heart.
CHOSEN FOR THE GLORY OF GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Isaiah 61:9-11; Eph 1:3-6,11-12; Luke 2:41-51]
Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Whilst it is right that we honour our Blessed Mother on this feast, in truth, she does not need our honour. Being blessed by God to be conceived immaculately and remain sinless throughout her own life, is already the greatest of all blessings which anyone could ever receive from God. As the prophet said, “For as the earth makes fresh things grow, as a garden makes seeds spring up, so will the Lord make both integrity and praise spring up in the sight of the nations.” Being chosen to be the bride of the Holy Spirit is the highest honour that any human being could receive. And so, Mary said, “I exult for joy in the Lord, my soul rejoices in my God, for he has clothed me in the garments of salvation, he has wrapped me in the cloak of integrity, like a bridegroom wearing his wreath, like a bride adorned in her jewels.”
As always, however, nothing happens in this world by chance, but always at the service of the divine plan of God for humanity. God does not honour a person for his or her sake, but so that the person can be the instrument of His glory and a mediator of His grace and blessings to others. God chose us and granted us His blessings so that we can bless others with what we have received. This was what St Paul wrote, “Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings of heaven in Christ. Before the world was made, he chose us, chose us in Christ, to be holy and spotless, and to live through love in his presence, determining that we should become his adopted sons, through Jesus Christ for his own kind purposes, to make us praise the glory of his grace, his free gift to us in the Beloved.” Mary was given these blessings to lead us to her Son and to show us the way as to how we should respond to God in our lives.
Being predestined for holiness applies very aptly to Mary who was chosen to be the Mother of God and our Saviour. All of us share the same destiny and calling to be holy and spotless, but more so for Mary, because of her dignity as the Mother of the Saviour. Catholic teaching has always taught that it would not be proper for the Son of God to be conceived by one who is under the bondage of sin. The preservation of Mary from original sin is for Christ’s sake and His mission. St Paul wrote, “And it is in him that we were claimed as God’s own, chosen from the beginning, under the predetermined plan of the one who guides all things as he decides by his own will; chosen to be, for his greater glory, the people who would put their hopes in Christ before he came.”
How could Mary be conceived sinless? It is impossible! Certainly, it is not possible for men, but not for God. The incarnation is itself an impossible miracle, but it happened because God willed it so. Who are we, then, to reject the special privilege of being preserved from the consequences of sin that God gave to Mary when she was conceived. After all, it has always been the choice of God that we be “His adopted son through Jesus Christ for his own kind purposes, to make us praise the glory of his grace, his free gift to us in the Beloved.” This predestination should be applied to Mary most eminently. Being preserved from original sin at her conception is also to give her the freedom to resist sin in her life because God gave her the wisdom to recognize sin in all its repulsiveness.
Consequently, one must not think that being sinless made her less human; rather, to be without sin is to be really human. To be in sin is to be the children of the Evil One. When we are sinless, it means that we are loving, caring, and with no evil or selfishness in our hearts. To be in sin is to go against our real calling in life. It causes us to be less human, since we live for ourselves and not with and for others in communion and in love. God destined us to be holy and spotless, but because of the sins of our forefathers, we inherited the guilt of sin and a fallen nature. This is why our calling in life is to be holy like Mary so that we can be truly the adopted sons and daughters of God, to His glory and praise. To be holy is to live in the presence of God, as St Paul said. Mary was always conscious, like Jesus in the Temple, that she lives for God and from God. This explains why Mary always pondered in her heart whatever she heard, so that she could discern God’s presence and His will.
To honour the Immaculate Heart of Mary, therefore, is to imitate her in living a life of holiness, which is expressed through the state of life or vocation that the Lord has called us to. In the case of Mary, she was chosen to be the mother of the Saviour. She brought up our Lord according to the Jewish faith. In the gospel, Mary and Joseph faithfully performed their pilgrimage to Jerusalem, bringing Jesus along with them. Her vocation as Mother was to bring up Jesus so that He could respond to His vocation as the Messiah. This explains why at the Temple, Jesus reminded Mary that He was called to be busy with His Father’s affairs. By staying behind, Jesus revealed His intimacy with His Father and also His mission to be a teacher of faith. As the Messiah, He was called to reveal the Father to His people. The temple was not just a place of worship but a place of instruction as well. Not only was Jesus called to be a prophet and teacher, He was called to set the people free. Consequently, the liturgy chose the first reading from Isaiah, which is a continuation of the anointing of the Suffering Servant which Jesus cited at His inaugural sermon when He began His ministry. And this was made possible because Mary and Jesus were faithful to their mission in life.
For us to be holy does not mean that we must be a priest or a religious. Rather, it means to be true to our vocation, like Mary in her state of life. Some of us are called to be a mother, or a father. Some of us are called to serve in the Church, or in some charitable organization. Some are called to teach, to form, provide medical services, or build the economy of the country so that all can prosper together. Some of us are called to leadership in politics, or in religious life. Regardless, every vocation is God-given, and we are called to holiness in and through the living out of our vocation faithfully and joyfully.
Secondly, to live an immaculate life means to keep ourselves away from sin. When we say that Mary was born immaculate, it does not mean that Mary did not struggle to keep herself faithful to God’s will, and fight against sin. Even our Lord was tempted. To be saved from sin, therefore, is more than just being forgiven by Jesus or be sanctified by the Holy Spirit. It means seeking to be more like Christ. Forgiveness of sins is not the end but the beginning of a new life in Christ. Faith in Christ is for the purpose of allowing Christ to change our life into His. But this is an ongoing struggle whilst we are on earth.
In the final analysis, a life of purity entails seeking to do His will. We, too, must seek to have a pure heart, focused on the Lord and on doing the Father’s will. With Jesus and Mary, we seek to have a docile and obedient heart, without which we cannot achieve great things for God. As Jesus and Mary have demonstrated, submission to the plan of God is the key to receiving His grace and favour. In celebrating her Immaculate Heart, we are saying that Mary’s heart was always with God in all her thoughts, words and actions. She loved God and her fellowmen from the depth of her whole being with a love that was pure, selfless and humble. Only then, can we be truly sons and daughters of God. We must ask ourselves how we too can be the glory of God. Many of us want to be better Catholics, but are unwilling to submit our lives to the Lord.
To keep ourselves focused on giving glory to God in our lives, we need to grow in intimacy with Him, like Mary. She was given the gift of intimacy with God. We, too, are called to be the bride of Christ. We must “live through love in his presence.” Only when we are deeply in love with God, can we stay faithful to our calling. The secret of Mary in keeping herself pure is to fall in love with Jesus. When we love, we will be able to do all things for His greater glory. Isaiah says that God wants us to share an intimate relation with Him, wherein he will do for us what we cannot do for ourselves, that is, make us like Himself, and behave as He does. So let us learn from Mary by contemplating on His Word and growing in grace through the means made available to us, such as the sacraments of reconciliation and the Eucharist. Let us show forth the heart of the Mother of the Church, always contemplating on the teaching of Her Son, and cooperating with Him in the work of salvation by doing His divine will. May this celebration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary help us to triumph over evil, and be ignited with the fire of Pentecost, and may souls be saved through her intercession and our prayers and good examples.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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