20240924 GETTING NEAR TO THE LORD
First reading |
Proverbs 21:1-6,10-13 |
On wickedness and virtue
Like flowing water is the heart of the king in the hand of the Lord,
who turns it where he pleases.
A man’s conduct may strike him as upright,
the Lord, however, weighs the heart.
To act virtuously and with justice
is more pleasing to the Lord than sacrifice.
Haughty eye, proud heart,
lamp of the wicked, nothing but sin.
The hardworking man is thoughtful, and all is gain;
too much haste, and all that comes of it is want.
To make a fortune with the help of a lying tongue,
such the idle fantasy of those who look for death.
The wicked man’s soul is intent on evil,
he looks on his neighbour with dislike.
When a mocker is punished, the ignorant man grows wiser,
when a wise man is instructed he acquires more knowledge.
The Just One watches the house of the wicked:
he hurls the wicked to destruction.
He who shuts his ear to the poor man’s cry
shall himself plead and not be heard.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 118(119):1,27,30,34-35,44 |
Guide me, Lord, in the path of your commands.
They are happy whose life is blameless,
who follow God’s law!
Make me grasp the way of your precepts
and I will muse on your wonders.
Guide me, Lord, in the path of your commands.
I have chosen the way of truth
with your decrees before me.
Train me to observe your law,
to keep it with my heart.
Guide me, Lord, in the path of your commands.
Guide me in the path of your commands;
for there is my delight.
I shall always keep your law
for ever and ever.
Guide me, Lord, in the path of your commands.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ps129:5 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
My soul is waiting for the Lord,
I count on his word.
Alleluia!
Or: | Lk11:28 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Happy are those
who hear the word of God
and keep it.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 8:19-21 |
'My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God'
The mother and the brothers of Jesus came looking for him, but they could not get to him because of the crowd. He was told, ‘Your mother and brothers are standing outside and want to see you.’ But he said in answer, ‘My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice.’
24 September 2024, Tuesday, 25th Week in Ordinary Time
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [PROVERBS 21:1-6,10-13; LUKE 8:19-21]
In many ways, like the mother and brothers of Jesus, we want to get near to the Lord. Why is it that many of us cannot get near to Him? We feel that God is too far away and we cannot feel Him. We think there are too many obstacles that prevent us from coming near to Him. What could be the reasons why we cannot come near to the Lord?
Firstly, we cannot come near to Jesus because of the crowd. Who is the crowd in our lives? Very often, we are conditioned by society. In today’s secular society, it is becoming increasingly difficult to get near to Jesus. All signs and images of Christ are taken out from public view. Some of us are sheepish and even apologetic that we are Catholic! The Church is being attacked, discredited and ridiculed. The mistakes and scandals of the Church are much publicised in once so-called Christian countries. The Catholic Church, more than any other religion, is always the target of a hostile secular press. “If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!” (Mt 10:25) In the name of neutrality for all religions, governments have unwittingly shown support to humanism by adopting secularism, which in itself is a disguised form of humanism and atheism.
So the crowd refers to the conditioning of our society and also our upbringing as well. Today, many parents are lacking in faith. They are not living a life of faith in God. They do not know their faith. How can they impart faith to their children? As Jesus says in the gospel, “A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. (Mt 10:24) Indeed, one of the reasons why people are lobbying for same-sex union is because our heterosexual marriages are not working well. Many of our parents are divorced and as a result many are sceptical about their own relationships. Many remain single, or just cohabitate. Others seek same-sex relationships. Alas, today, relationships are fragile and many of us are not capable of faithful love anymore. Without loving and faith-filled parents, we cannot expect our children to have faith. If our children lose their faith when they grow up, parents have much to be blamed for not setting the example of faith to them. When we do not live out our faith, our children will see the dichotomy between faith and life, and they will relegate faith to mere superstition as they cannot see the real effects in their lives.
Secondly, we cannot get near Him simply because we do not know Him. Indeed, the reason why Mary and the brothers of Jesus came to look for Jesus was because they thought He was out of His mind. St Mark recorded, “then he went home; and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, ‘He has gone out of his mind.’ And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, ‘He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.'” (Mk 3:20-22) Indeed, when we do not know Jesus, like His family and the enemies of Jesus, we imagine all sorts of things about Him.
Many of us have wrong or inadequate notions of Jesus. Some of us think that Jesus is waiting to punish us when in truth Jesus is our mercy and our advocate. We do not know the scriptures enough, so we do not know the heart of Jesus. St John wrote, “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 Jn 2:1f) The letter to the Hebrews assures us, “he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” (Heb 7:25)
Thirdly, we cannot get near to Jesus as the gospel says, because we are standing outside. To be outside means that we are on the fringe as observers. Precisely, there are many people who cannot encounter the Lord because they are standing outside the Church whenever they attend Mass. Some might be within the Church but their hearts and minds are outside, in the restaurants or at work or somewhere else. Their hearts are far from Him. They are observing the rituals and the service that is going on, but their hearts and minds are not in them. They stand and sit with a critical mind, judging everything that is going on, just like the scribes and Pharisees watching Jesus performing His healing activities.
When we are detached observers we can never enter into a relationship. This is true when we meet someone whom we are introduced to in some social engagement. Most of the time, it is just a superficial relationship, nothing personal, in fact, often very impersonal. We find such engagements tiring because we have to “behave” ourselves and the relationship is formal and distant. In order to find relationships enriching, we need to get “inside” of each other. That is why through personal sharing of life, interests, aspirations, joys and sorrows, success and failure we begin to feel with and for each other. Empathy that comes through the sharing of the heart rather than the mind strengthens the relationship more than any intellectual sharing of thoughts and ideas.
Fourthly, we cannot get near to Jesus because we are not those who hear the Word of God. Jesus said, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice.” God is far from us because we do not make time to read, pray and listen to the Word of God. Mary is truly the mother of Jesus because she was always pondering and reflecting on the Word of God. We hardly hear Mary speak in the New Testament, but we are told that she would be attentive to the Word of God. We read that after what the shepherds shared with them about the birth of Jesus “Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.” (Lk 2:19) When Jesus was found in the Temple, again we read, “Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart.” (Lk 2:51) In today’s gospel, this is also said of her. If we want to get near to Jesus, there is no better way than to read the Word of God.
But it is more than just reading His word. It is keeping His word that matters in the end. Reading and keeping the Word brings Jesus into our hearts. St James warns us. “But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act – they will be blessed in their doing.” (Jms 1:22-25) Indeed, this is the promise of Jesus to His disciples, when He said, “They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.” (Jn 14:21) Again, He reiterated, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.” (Jn 14:23f)
This is what the first reading from the Book of Proverbs is asking of us all. It invites us to walk in the laws of the Lord. “Like flowing water is the heart of the king in the hand of the Lord, who turns it where he pleases. A man’s conduct may strike him as upright, the Lord, however, weighs the heart. To act virtuously and with justice is more pleasing to the Lord than sacrifice. Haughty eye, proud heart, lamp of the wicked, nothing but sin. The hardworking man is thoughtful, and all is gain; too much haste, and all that comes of it is want.” The prayer of the psalmist should be ours as well. “Guide me, Lord, in the path of your commands. They are happy whose life is blameless, who follow God’s law! Make me grasp the way of your precepts and I will muse on your wonders. Guide me in the path of your commands; for there is my delight. I shall always keep your law for ever and ever.”
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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