20250205 TRAINING IN HOLINESS
05 February 2025, Wednesday, 4th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Hebrews 12:4-7,11-15 |
God is training you as his sons
In the fight against sin, you have not yet had to keep fighting to the point of death.
Have you forgotten that encouraging text in which you are addressed as sons? My son, when the Lord corrects you, do not treat it lightly; but do not get discouraged when he reprimands you. For the Lord trains the ones that he loves and he punishes all those that he acknowledges as his sons. Suffering is part of your training; God is treating you as his sons. Has there ever been any son whose father did not train him? Of course, any punishment is most painful at the time, and far from pleasant; but later, in those on whom it has been used, it bears fruit in peace and goodness. So hold up your limp arms and steady your trembling knees and smooth out the path you tread; then the injured limb will not be wrenched, it will grow strong again.
Always be wanting peace with all people, and the holiness without which no one can ever see the Lord. Be careful that no one is deprived of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness should begin to grow and make trouble; this can poison a whole community.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 102(103):1-2,13-14,17-18 |
The love of the Lord is everlasting upon those who hold him in fear.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord
all my being, bless his holy name.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord
and never forget all his blessings.
The love of the Lord is everlasting upon those who hold him in fear.
As a father has compassion on his sons,
the Lord has pity on those who fear him;
for he knows of what we are made,
he remembers that we are dust.
The love of the Lord is everlasting upon those who hold him in fear.
But the love of the Lord is everlasting
upon those who hold him in fear;
his justice reaches out to children’s children
when they keep his covenant in truth.
The love of the Lord is everlasting upon those who hold him in fear.
Gospel Acclamation | Mt4:4 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Man does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn10:27 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,
says the Lord,
I know them and they follow me.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 6:1-6 |
'A prophet is only despised in his own country'
Jesus went to his home town and his disciples accompanied him. With the coming of the sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue and most of them were astonished when they heard him. They said, ‘Where did the man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been granted him, and these miracles that are worked through him? This is the carpenter, surely, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joset and Jude and Simon? His sisters, too, are they not here with us?’ And they would not accept him. And Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is only despised in his own country, among his own relations and in his own house’; and he could work no miracle there, though he cured a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.
TRAINING IN HOLINESS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [HEB 12:4-15; PS 103:1-2,13-14,17-18; MARK 6:1-6]
In his apostolic letter, at the Beginning of the New Millennium, St John Paul II stressed that “I have no hesitation in saying that all pastoral initiatives must be set in relation to holiness.” To profess the Church as holy means to point to her as the Bride of Christ, for whom he gave himself precisely in order to make her holy (cf. Eph 5:25-26). This objective gift of holiness is offered to all the baptized. But the gift in turn becomes a task, which must shape the whole of Christian life: “This is the will of God, your sanctification” (1 Th 4:3). (NMI 30) “It is also clear however that the paths to holiness are personal and call for a genuine ‘training in holiness’, adapted to people’s needs.” (NMI 31) The letter to the Hebrews in today’s first reading gives us the fundamental steps to train ourselves in holiness. The author underscores that the path to holiness requires training. We cannot take the grace of holiness for granted. God wants us to be holy but we must also cooperate with the grace that He has given us. Holiness is a gift and also a task.
To grow in holiness, we must fight against sin. So long as we tolerate sin in our lives, we will be defeated. This is the real temptation of the Devil. He does not just tempt us to sin. But he knows us well. He tempts us in small things. We give in easily because we think these are small sins. But the devil is patient. When we get used to small sins, he would then lead us gradually to commit more serious sins. Everything begins small, but if we are not careful and alert to the ways of the evil one, we will fall into his snare without knowing it. When we are used to sins, small or big, we are won over and it is difficult for us to turn back. This is why the author challenges us, “In the fight against sin, you have not yet had to keep fighting in to the point of bloodshed.”
But how can we find strength to resist the temptations of the evil one, of the world and our human weaknesses, especially of the flesh? We need to strengthen our perseverance when we suffer. To go through trials and mistakes is part of the process of growing in holiness. Along the way, we might fall or make mistakes because we are weak, both in our will and in our ability to see what is truly good for us. We lack wisdom. And so when we are penalized for our mistakes, we should not give up because that is how the Lord trains us in holiness. The author said, “Have you forgotten that encouraging text in which you are addressed as sons? My son, do not scorn correction from the Lord, do not resent his training, for the Lord trains those he loves, and chastises every son he accepts.” The Lord wants us to learn from our mistakes. Instead of being resentful, we must ask, “What is God teaching me through this mistake or experience in life?”
Indeed, our reaction must be positive and not negative when we suffer because of our sins or the sins of others. Rather, we must take these as opportunities to grow in faith and most of all, imitate our Lord when we suffer unjustly, trusting in God’s grace and assistance. The author reminds us that suffering is always part of growth in life. He gives us the analogy of a loving father who disciplines his son when he goes wrong, not because he is angry with his son or is venting but because he loves him. He said, “Perseverance is part of your training; God is treating you as his sons. Has there ever been any son whose father did not train him? If you were not getting this training, as all of you are, then you would be not sons but bastards.” Those who refuse correction are not children of God!
Indeed, if we are truly sons and daughters of God, we should expect God to discipline us as He did with the people of Israel for their infidelities. God did not punish them out of anger or sent them into exile just to see them suffer. On the contrary, God suffers with them when they suffer. Prophet Hosea wrote, “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? My heart recoils within me my compassion grows warm and tender. I will not execute my fierce anger; for I am God and no mortal, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath.” (Hos 11:8f) St Jerome said something very paradoxical but so true, “The greatest anger of all is when God is no longer angry with us when we sin.” Indeed, when someone has given up on us and just allows us to sin and destroy ourselves, it is not love but indifference to our pain. If we ever seek to put a person on the right path, it is because we truly love and care for the person. Otherwise, why do we want to bother if a person is doing something that would harm himself. After all, he should pay a price for his folly. It is not our concern. But it would be different if we love that person because he or she is a child of God, then we will do everything we can to help that person to come to his or her senses.
But more importantly, for God, it is not just for the sake of our good in this life but for life eternal. “Besides, we have all had our human fathers who punished us, and we respected them for it; all the more readily ought we to submit to the Father of spirits, and so earn life. Our human fathers were training us for a short life and according to their own lights; but he does it all for our own good, so that we may share his own holiness.” Hence in our sufferings, we must not just think of our suffering only but consider the greater good that could come out of it, for ourselves and for others. Indeed, “any discipline is at the time a matter for grief, not joy; but later, in those who have undergone it, it bears fruit in peace and uprightness.” Most of all, it is part of the process of growing in holiness, which is to become more perfect like our heavenly father. This is what it means to share the holiness of God, being like Him. As St John wrote, “Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.” (1 Jn 3:2f)
Hence, let us be courageous and be ready to fight against sin and persecutions. The author of Hebrews used the analogy of a boxing match. We must hold up our hands to defend ourselves from the blows of our enemies and never let them down no matter how tired. We must also steady our trembling knees so that we will not allow ourselves to be put down. Like Jesus on His way to Calvary, even when we fall down, we must quickly pick ourselves up. God will send us another Simon of Cyrene or a Veronica to strengthen us. We will not be alone in this fight. For those of us who are watching others suffer, we must encourage them and render them assistance. We should never put a person down when he is in despair or going through the purification process. Instead we must help them to walk the way of the Lord by our encouragement, by our examples and by our prayers, and if possible to remove the obstacles that cause them to stumble and fall. When we do that, suffering can help us to grow.
In the final analysis, we know that we have grown in holiness when we find peace in our hearts. This is what the author of Hebrews tells us, “Seek peace with all people, and the holiness without which no one can ever see the Lord. Be careful that no one is deprived of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness should begin to grow and make trouble; this can poison a large number.” When we are able to accept graciously the trials of life positively, we will find peace in our hearts even when we are not in the wrong. This was how the Lord responded to innocent suffering. “If you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God’s approval. 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. When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly.” (1 Pt 2:20-23) Indeed, peace is found when we arrive at our highest good. Being at peace with God is what gives us peace. This is why obedience to God’s will is what brings us peace. This enables us to live in peace with our fellowmen, doing them no harm, caring for them. Such is the faith we are called to have in Christ, who comes to bring us peace. But we must be ready to accept Him and see Him as God working in Him for our good and happiness. Unfortunately, He did not find this faith in His hometown. Their faith did not go far enough than mere acknowledgement of His wisdom and miracles. They lacked faith in Him as the divine messenger of God.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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