20250602 BE BRAVE: I HAVE CONQUERED THE WORLD
02 June 2025, Monday, 7th Week of Easter
First reading | Acts 19:1-8 |
The moment Paul laid hands on them the Holy Spirit came down on them
While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul made his way overland as far as Ephesus, where he found a number of disciples. When he asked, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?’ they answered, ‘No, we were never even told there was such a thing as a Holy Spirit.’ ‘Then how were you baptised?’ he asked. ‘With John’s baptism’ they replied. ‘John’s baptism’ said Paul ‘was a baptism of repentance; but he insisted that the people should believe in the one who was to come after him – in other words, Jesus.’ When they heard this, they were baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus, and the moment Paul had laid hands on them the Holy Spirit came down on them, and they began to speak with tongues and to prophesy. There were about twelve of these men.
He began by going to the synagogue, where he spoke out boldly and argued persuasively about the kingdom of God. He did this for three months.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 67(68):2-7 |
Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.
or
Alleluia!
Let God arise, let his foes be scattered.
Let those who hate him flee before him.
As smoke is blown away so will they be blown away;
like wax that melts before the fire,
so the wicked shall perish at the presence of God.
Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.
or
Alleluia!
But the just shall rejoice at the presence of God,
they shall exult and dance for joy.
O sing to the Lord, make music to his name;
rejoice in the Lord, exult at his presence.
Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.
or
Alleluia!
Father of the orphan, defender of the widow,
such is God in his holy place.
God gives the lonely a home to live in;
he leads the prisoners forth into freedom.
Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | Jn16:28 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I came from the Father
and have come into the world,
and now I leave the world
to go to the Father.
Alleluia!
Or: | Col3:1 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ,
you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is,
sitting at God’s right hand.
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 16:29-33 |
Be brave, for I have conquered the world
His disciples said to Jesus, ‘Now you are speaking plainly and not using metaphors! Now we see that you know everything, and do not have to wait for questions to be put into words; because of this we believe that you came from God.’ Jesus answered them:
‘Do you believe at last?
Listen; the time will come – in fact it has come already –
when you will be scattered,
each going his own way and leaving me alone.
And yet I am not alone,
because the Father is with me.
I have told you all this
so that you may find peace in me.
In the world you will have trouble,
but be brave: I have conquered the world.’
BE BRAVE: I HAVE CONQUERED THE WORLD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ACTS 19:1-8; PS 68:2-7; JOHN 16:29-33]
Jesus said, “In the world you will have trouble.” This is how we feel too. No one is exempt from the troubles of life, whether we are a little baby, a healthy person, an elderly, or even someone who is dying. Whether we are rich or poor, of high or low social status, single or married, we all face our own struggles each day.
As bishop, I am often overwhelmed by demands from both the Church and society. In addition to trying to be available for the many people, meetings and engagements, I have to contend with mediating the politics with the Church, working to reconcile between peoples and organizations due to misunderstandings and hurts in ministry. Whilst addressing the immediate challenges and problems facing the Church, I must also keep an eye on the future of the Church and humanity. So, as bishop, day and night, 365 days a year, I also carry my anxieties for the Church and society. I feel that, as Church, we are not taking our faith, our discipleship in Christ and our obligation to the work of evangelization seriously. Many of our Catholics are complacent, and there are so many who need to find hope and meaning in life. They are waiting for us to reach out to them, but few are taking this call seriously.
Those of you who are married or single also have your struggles. You face difficulties in maintaining harmonious relationships at home – with your spouse, children, and in-laws. You worry about whether they will have enough and whether they are adequately provided for. You worry about their health, their studies, careers, relationships and their spiritual lives. Those who are single often have the added responsibility of looing after their elderly parents. At work, you struggle with office politics, ambition, sabotage, backbiting, irresponsibility, work demands, expectations and difficult relationships with bosses and colleagues.
So whether in Church, at the office, at home, or in society at large, we all face so many challenges and difficulties. Many of us are tired and feel like giving up, especially when the demands made on us seem overwhelming. We feel crushed, misunderstood, taken for granted, exploited, unappreciated and rejected. We have tried, and it feels like no one is listening to us. We find that our efforts have all been futile, and we have expended our energy, time and resources in vain. Many times, we feel like throwing in the towel and resigning ourselves to the inevitable.
How, then, can we remain brave in the face of these trials? One thing is clear: intellectual faith is not sufficient to sustain us. This was the warning of the Lord to His disciples. They were not able to understand what the Lord was saying to them, but through the explanations of our Lord, they began to understand more clearly. And so confidently, they exclaimed, “Now you are speaking plainly and not using metaphors! Now we see that you know everything, and do not have to wait for questions to be put into words; because of this we believe that you came from God.” Indeed, they had knowledge about Jesus, but such knowledge alone cannot keep a person firm in his faith unless the conviction is from the heart. That is why the Lord responded, “Do you believe at last? Listen; the time will come – in fact it has come already – when you will be scattered, each going his own way and leaving me alone.” Although they knew about Jesus, such external knowledge could not empower them to stand up for Jesus when He was arrested by His enemies. After all the empty promises of fighting and standing up for Him, they all ran away when the soldiers came. Even St Peter, who said he would give up his life for the Lord, denied Him three times before the servants of the High Priest. This is true for us all. Those who have only intellectual faith in Christ will betray Him when trials engulf them.
Secondly, moral faith is also not sufficient to keep a person faithful to Christ. In the first reading, we learn that the disciples at Ephesus were baptized with John’s baptism. No wonder, like Apollos earlier on, they lacked power in their witness and zeal in their Christian life. St Paul said to them, “‘John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance; but he insisted that the people should believe in the one who was to come after him – in other words Jesus.” Christianity is more than just morality and ethics. If it were only about morality, it would become merely a discipline – one would try to live a righteous life through one’s own efforts. Such a life, even if lived, cannot bring joy and passion. Instead, we can end up being self-righteous and harsh towards those who fail, lacking compassion and mercy.
This is why Pope Benedict, at the beginning of his ministry, wrote in Deus est Caritas, “We have come to believe in God’s love: in these words, the Christian can express the fundamental decision of his life. Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.” (DEC 1) Indeed, this is the secret of our Lord. After prophesying that His disciples would betray Him, He added, “And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you all this so that you may find peace in me.” Jesus was able to go through His passion only because He knew that the Father was with Him. He was not going alone in this journey; His Father was walking with Him. This was the same experience of Abraham when he sacrificed Isaac. He believed that God would provide somehow. (cf Gn 22:1-18) He is the Father of faith.
The question is, how does this encounter with Christ as an event become possible so that we can feel the Father’s love for us? It is only through the Holy Spirit, who is God’s love poured into our hearts. (Rom 5:5) Unless we receive the Holy Spirit – and not just know about Him – we will not be filled with the joy, the courage and passion to continue working for the glory of God. This was the case of the Christians in Ephesus. St Paul noticed that the signs of their baptism in Christ were missing. So he asked, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” They answered, “No, we were never even told there was such a thing as a Holy Spirit.” Without the Holy Spirit, we would have no conscious awareness of the Father and the Son living in us, making their Home in us. It is the Holy Spirit that gives us a real, personal awareness of God’s love in our hearts. Only with that love, St Paul writes, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 8:37-39)
Quite often, the infilling of the Holy Spirit is marked by the gifts of tongues and prophecy. “When they heard this, they were baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus, and the moment Paul had laid hands on them the Holy Spirit came down on them, and they began to speak in tongues and to prophesy.” In the gospel of Mark, the evangelist notes, “And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mk 16:17f) Of course, the signs that we are filled with the Holy Spirit are not restricted to these spectacular charisms. When we encounter Him more deeply in prayer, or when we receive mystical graces or visions during contemplation, or we are just overflowing with unexplainable joy and peace, we know that the Holy Spirit dwells in us.
Truly, when we are aware of God’s presence with us as Jesus was, we too can commend our lives to Him, just as Jesus did on the cross. We know that because Christ has overcome the world through His death and resurrection, we too will share in His victory. Those who have not encountered the Holy Spirit personally will not be able to know Jesus personally, for the Holy Spirit is the One who leads us to know Jesus the Risen Lord.
Finally, if we are to remain at peace when everything seems to be going wrong, we can take heart from the advice of St John of the Crosswho wrote, “Strive to keep your heart in peace and do not allow anything that happens in this world to make you uneasy, but consider that it must all come to an end. In all things, however annoying they may be, we should rather rejoice than be sad if we are not to lose an even greater good: peace and tranquillity of soul. Even if everything here below were to fall apart and all were to go against us, it would be useless to worry ourselves about it, for worrying would cause us more injury than gain.” With the psalmist, we pray with confidence, “Let God arise, let his foes be scattered. Let those who hate him flee before him. As smoke is blown away so will they be blown away; like wax that melts before the fire, so the wicked shall perish at the presence of God. But the just shall rejoice at the presence of God, they shall exult and dance for joy. O sing to the Lord, make music to his name; rejoice in the Lord, exult at his presence.”
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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