20250518 HEALING THROUGH TESTIMONY TO THE POWER OF THE RISEN LORD
18 May 2025, Sunday, 5th Week of Easter
First reading | Acts 14:21-27 |
They gave an account to the church of all that God had done with them
Paul and Barnabas went back through Lystra and Iconium to Antioch. They put fresh heart into the disciples, encouraging them to persevere in the faith. ‘We all have to experience many hardships’ they said ‘before we enter the kingdom of God.’ In each of these churches they appointed elders, and with prayer and fasting they commended them to the Lord in whom they had come to believe.
They passed through Pisidia and reached Pamphylia. Then after proclaiming the word at Perga they went down to Attalia and from there sailed for Antioch, where they had originally been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.
On their arrival they assembled the church and gave an account of all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith to the pagans.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 144(145):8-13a |
I will bless your name for ever, O God my King.
or
Alleluia!
The Lord is kind and full of compassion,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
How good is the Lord to all,
compassionate to all his creatures.
I will bless your name for ever, O God my King.
or
Alleluia!
All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord,
and your friends shall repeat their blessing.
They shall speak of the glory of your reign
and declare your might, O God,
to make known to men your mighty deeds
and the glorious splendour of your reign.
I will bless your name for ever, O God my King.
or
Alleluia!
Yours is an everlasting kingdom;
your rule lasts from age to age.
I will bless your name for ever, O God my King.
or
Alleluia!
Second reading |
Apocalypse 21:1-5 |
A vision of the heavenly Jerusalem, the bride of the Lamb
I, John, saw a new heaven and a new earth; the first heaven and the first earth had disappeared now, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the holy city, and the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, as beautiful as a bride all dressed for her husband. Then I heard a loud voice call from the throne, ‘You see this city? Here God lives among men. He will make his home among them; they shall be his people, and he will be their God; his name is God-with-them. He will wipe away all tears from their eyes; there will be no more death, and no more mourning or sadness. The world of the past has gone.’
Then the One sitting on the throne spoke: ‘Now I am making the whole of creation new.’
Gospel Acclamation | Jn13:34 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I give you a new commandment:
love one another just as I have loved you,
says the Lord.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
John 13:31-33,34-35 |
In the Son of Man, God has been glorified
When Judas had gone Jesus said:
‘Now has the Son of Man been glorified,
and in him God has been glorified.
If God has been glorified in him,
God will in turn glorify him in himself,
and will glorify him very soon.
‘My little children,
I shall not be with you much longer.
I give you a new commandment:
love one another;
just as I have loved you,
you also must love one another.
By this love you have for one another,
everyone will know that you are my disciples.’
HEALING THROUGH TESTIMONY TO THE POWER OF THE RISEN LORD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ACTS 14:21-27; APOCALYPSE 21:1-5; JOHN 13:31-35]
We face all sorts of challenges every day. We are afflicted by all kinds of trials and sufferings. No matter how strong and focused we are, we do get discouraged at times by problems, setbacks, criticisms and difficulties that come from work, relationships, illnesses and financial needs. In such situations, we seek consolation, comfort and encouragement. We know that sufferings are inevitable, regardless of our status or position in life. But sufferings can be embraced more easily and even transcended if we have people who continue to encourage us, affirm us and give us hope when we feel despondent and want to give up.
This was what the apostles did with the Christian communities that they established. We read that on their way back from their first missionary journey, “Paul and Barnabas went back through Lystra and Iconium to Antioch. They put fresh heart into the disciples, encouraging them to persevere in the faith.” How then can we find encouragement when things are not going right and God seems to be absent in our lives? In such moments, we are called to trust in God. But often trust is lacking because we lack faith in God’s power to change the situation or that He would help us. Unless we see the power of God at work in our lives and that of our fellowmen, pure faith in God’s love is not for the forlorn. Hence, if we are to carry on during difficult and trying times, we need to know that God is with us and that He is still in charge. In other words, we need to encounter the presence of the Risen Lord.
Now faith in the Risen Lord knows that all things are being made new. In the gospel, Jesus spoke about His impending glorification in His passion, death and resurrection. “Now has the Son of Man been glorified, and in him God has been glorified.” Faith in the miracles, in the Sacraments and in the Church is dependent on our faith in the Risen Lord. Because Christ is enthroned at His resurrection, we can look forward to His second coming when He will make all things new. This is the basis of believing that God is in charge of His creation.
How, then, do we know that the Lord is truly risen in our midst? Firstly, we need to hear testimonies of what God has done in the lives of our fellow Christians. Testimony is a very powerful means of giving glory to the Lord. Testimony is different from preaching because the latter is concerned with teaching the truth about Jesus and God whereas the former is concerned with the concrete ways that God works in our lives. We all need to hear the testimonies of God’s power at work in our lives or, better still, see the miracles of transformation happening before us, to be convicted of God’s love. Testimony was and still is one of the ways that the Church uses to evangelize. Indeed, we read that “On their arrival they assembled the church and gave an account of all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith to the pagans.”
What is important about testimony is not simply that our lives are changed or that we are healed, or that we are successful in our studies, business or projects. The criterion of testimony underscores that God is the One who has done great things for us. Credit must not go to us but to God alone. Unless we are convinced that our success or healing is the work of God and not the work of man, such testimonies cannot change lives. What is worse is that some of us subtly use such testimonies to glorify self or for ulterior motives and not solely to give praise to God. Testimonies therefore must be Christ-centred and God-centred. We read that “when the apostles returned to the Church in Syrian Antioch, they reported not what they had done, but what ‘God had done with them.'” It must be noted that they did not claim that it was through their efforts, strategy and planning but that it was the Lord who “opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.” The apostles from the outset were people of faith. They knew that their mission was not man-made, or that the success of the mission was due to mere human planning and strategizing. It was all the work of the Lord, the Risen Lord. It was never what they did for the Lord but what God has done through them and with them.
Why are testimonies so important? By testifying to what God is doing in our daily lives, it reiterates that our preaching is not mere empty words but accompanied by deeds. It confirms that the God we worship is a living God who is not only all mighty but who is also loving, caring and merciful. So, one of the ways we show our love for the People of God is to give glory to God’s marvellous works in our lives, especially His transforming and healing love.
Indeed, the missionary activities of the apostles and the accompanying miracles showed that God is truly full of compassion and love. Many were brought to faith because they saw the lame walk, the blind see, the dead raised. What the apostles did was simply a continuation of Jesus’ earthly ministry when He too proclaimed the Good News of the Kingdom of God through both preaching and works of healing and mercy.
For the early Christians, the healing miracles of Jesus were signs that God is in charge of the world and that He is the Lord of creation. The greatest of all miracles is of course the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. On the basis of His resurrection, hatred is overcome by love, sin by obedience, death by life. No one can destroy the kingdom of God. Jesus is truly our Lord and Saviour; not just of Christians but of the whole world. We do not have to worry or fear even when all things are going wrong because we know that our Lord is in control of history and humanity. Nothing can wreck the divine plan of God for humanity. The glory and reign of God is the constant theme in the psalms as we read today, “They shall speak of the glory of your reign and declare your might, O God.”
This new heaven and a new earth are not so farfetched but now made present and anticipated in the life of the Christian community. “‘I, John, saw a new heaven and a new earth’ … Here God lives among men. He will make his home among them; they shall be his people, and he will be their God; his name is God-with-them.” In the Church, the Risen Lord lives in our midst and in us. The Church is the Sacrament of Jesus. In the Church, which is His body, we are united with Christ as our bridegroom. Through Christ in the Holy Spirit, God now dwells with His people, but only in the Word and the Sacraments, especially in the Eucharist. Through the Word, we come to discern His plans for us. Through the Eucharist, we are renewed in His love.
But most of all, God’s love becomes real in the Christian community. If the early Christians grew in numbers and strength in spite of fierce persecution from the political and religious authorities, it was because of their mutual and fraternal support for each other. This is underscored by Jesus’ final instruction to His disciples before His departure. He gave them a new commandment, the mutual love of the Christians. “I shall not be with you much longer. I give you a new commandment: love one another; just as I have loved you, you also must love one another. By this love you have for one another, everyone will know that you are my disciples.” This is what we celebrate at every Eucharistic celebration, a foretaste of the eternal banquet that is to come, where there is joy, love and unity. As for now, we must be in union with the Lord and His Church, supporting and encouraging each other in love.
In the final analysis, we must allow God to be our Lord. Conversion is always the grace of God; not human work. No amount of diligence and ingenuity can bring about success in the ministry and fruitfulness in our mission. This is the real danger for many of us. Instead of trusting God and His divine providence, we rely on our human ingenuity. This explains why we are so anxious when things do not turn out the way we want. We desire to be in control rather than allow God to be in control. What we must do is to do our best and allow the grace of God to operate, trusting in God’s wisdom and mercy. Indeed, without prayer and fasting, without commending our work to the Lord, our plans only cause us to be anxious and competitive. Our ego comes to play and overshadow grace, hindering the power of God from acting in and through us. Only prayer can ensure that what we are doing is truly in accordance with the will of God, in line with His intentions. Only prayer will allow God to be the Lord of all our projects and plans. Indeed, this total reliance on the power of God is critical. It is God alone who will see us through in all things.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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