20250630 TEMPERING ENTHUSIASM WITH REASON
30 June 2025, Monday, 13th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Genesis 18:16-33 |
Abraham negotiates with the Lord
From Mamre the men set out and arrived within sight of Sodom, with Abraham accompanying them to show them the way. Now the Lord had wondered, ‘Shall I conceal from Abraham what I am going to do, seeing that Abraham will become a great nation with all the nations of the earth blessing themselves by him? For I have singled him out to command his sons and his household after him to maintain the way of the Lord by just and upright living. In this way the Lord will carry out for Abraham what he has promised him.’
Then the Lord said, ‘How great an outcry there is against Sodom and Gomorrah! How grievous is their sin! I propose to go down and see whether or not they have done all that is alleged in the outcry against them that has come up to me. I am determined to know.’
The men left there and went to Sodom while Abraham remained standing before the Lord. Approaching him he said, ‘Are you really going to destroy the just man with the sinner? Perhaps there are fifty just men in the town. Will you really overwhelm them, will you not spare the place for the fifty just men in it? Do not think of doing such a thing: to kill the just man with the sinner, treating just and sinner alike! Do not think of it! Will the judge of the whole earth not administer justice?’ The Lord replied, ‘If at Sodom I find fifty just men in the town, I will spare the whole place because of them.’
Abraham replied, ‘I am bold indeed to speak like this to my Lord, I who am dust and ashes. But perhaps the fifty just men lack five: will you destroy the whole city for five?’ ‘No,’ he replied ‘I will not destroy it if I find forty-five just men there.’ Again Abraham said to him, ‘Perhaps there will only be forty there.’ ‘I will not do it’ he replied ‘for the sake of the forty.’
Abraham said, ‘I trust my Lord will not be angry, but give me leave to speak: perhaps there will only be thirty there.’ ‘I will not do it’ he replied ‘if I find thirty there.’ He said, ‘I am bold indeed to speak like this, but perhaps there will only be twenty there.’ ‘I will not destroy it’ he replied ‘for the sake of the twenty.’ He said, ‘I trust my Lord will not be angry if I speak once more: perhaps there will only be ten.’ ‘I will not destroy it’ he replied ‘for the sake of the ten.’
When he had finished talking to Abraham the Lord went away, and Abraham returned home.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 102(103):1-4,8-11 |
The Lord is compassion and love.
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 Lord is compassion and love.
It is he who forgives all your guilt,
who heals every one of your ills,
who redeems your life from the grave,
who crowns you with love and compassion.
The Lord is compassion and love.
The Lord is compassion and love,
slow to anger and rich in mercy.
His wrath will come to an end;
he will not be angry for ever.
The Lord is compassion and love.
He does not treat us according to our sins
nor repay us according to our faults.
For as the heavens are high above the earth
so strong is his love for those who fear him.
The Lord is compassion and love.
Gospel Acclamation | Jn8:12 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
anyone who follows me will have the light of life.
Alleluia!
Or: | Ps94:8 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Harden not your hearts today,
but listen to the voice of the Lord.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Matthew 8:18-22 |
The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head
When Jesus saw the great crowds all about him he gave orders to leave for the other side. One of the scribes then came up and said to him, ‘Master, I will follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’
Another man, one of his disciples, said to him, ‘Sir, let me go and bury my father first.’ But Jesus replied, ‘Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their dead.’
TEMPERING ENTHUSIASM WITH REASON
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Gn 18:16-33; Ps 103:1-4,8-11; Mt 8:18-22]
There are two groups of people; one relies mostly on their passion and those who rely mostly on their reason. Those who act with reason see problems objectively and determine the best cause of action. Those who follow their hearts tend to bring their emotions and sensitivity into play. We see both of these groups in today’s Scripture readings.
We have the case of the Lord considering whether to reveal His intention to destroy Sodom to Abraham. It was God’s desire that Abraham’s descendants “maintain the way of the Lord by just and upright living. In this way the Lord will carry out for Abraham what he has promised him.'” Indeed, for Abraham to become “a great nation with all the nations of the earth blessing themselves by him”, his family must live righteously. In contrast, Sodom was becoming an evil city. Abraham’s nephew, Lot, and his family were living there. The Lord said, “How great an outcry there is against Sodom and Gomorrah! How grievous is their sin!” From God’s perspective, the city deserved to be destroyed, as its evil would only grow worse. The truth is that our sins affect others, just as our goodness influences those around us. Society is ether influenced by good or bad people.
Abraham, a man of compassion and love, saw the situation differently. He thought about the lives of the people – especially the righteous among them. He hoped that if even a few good people could be found, the city might be spared, believing that the presence of the righteous could outweigh the evil. So in his simplicity and compassion for the people, he bargained with God, asking if the city could be spared for the sake of 50, then gradually reducing the number down to just five. God, in His mercy and kindness, promised Abraham that though the city could not be saved, He would spare Lot and his family if they would flee from it.
In God, we see how His justice is tempered by mercy. God must uphold justice – He is a God of truth. But at the same time, He is also a God of mercy and compassion. The Lord continually gives opportunities to His people to repent. He is ever ready to forgive. The responsorial psalm speaks of God’s mercy and compassion. “It is he who forgives all your guilt, who heals every one of your ills, who redeems your life from the grave, who crowns you with love and compassion. The Lord is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy. His wrath will come to an end; he will not be angry forever. He does not treat us according to our sins nor repay us according to our faults. For as the heavens are high above the earth so strong is his love for those who fear him.”
Understandably, every life is important. But often, difficult choices must be made. This is true in many everyday situations, where the decision is not necessarily between good and evil, but between the lesser evil and the greater good of the community – while still caring for the needs of the individual. Doctors, for example, are often placed in a dilemma when they have to decide whether to continue trying to save a life or to let go. In times of crises, such as during major disasters with limited manpower and resources, those in charge face the agonising task of deciding whom to prioritise for rescue or treatment. This is also true in cases of staff retrenchment. When the economy is bad, deciding whom to let go is never easy. Depriving someone of his or her job would also cause financial hardships, especially for families who rely on that income. Yet, such decisions must be made for the survival of the larger organisation or community. Where possible, we seek to attend to the needs of the individual and the circumstances he or she is in. But how much compassion can we give without causing the organisation to close down because of insufficient funds. The truth is that there is only so much we can do. In such situations, we just have to act according to what is best for the greater good of all.
A similar situation occurred in the life of Jesus. He too had to temper enthusiasm with realism. One of the scribes who was inspired by Jesus said, “Master, I will follow you wherever you go.” The scribe was full of enthusiasm, eager to follow the Lord. But he had not yet considered the cost of discipleship – much like many who enter priestly or religious life, or missionary organisations, driven by initial inspiration. Jesus’ response was to ground him in reality: “Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Indeed, many are inspired by the exemplary lives of others, and in their enthusiasm, desire to dedicate their lives to serve God and humanity. But inspiration alone is not enough. The question is: are they ready to make the necessary sacrifices? Many aspire to leadership, but are they ready to bear the weight, burden, and responsibilities that come with it? Many are drawn to the priestly and religious life, but they may not fully grasp the challenges it entails. What they see is the outward appearance, but are unaware of the hidden struggles, the demands of community living, and the daily sacrifices involved.
It is important to have enthusiasm, but we must face the reality of the call. To follow Jesus means to take up our cross and follow after Him. It means that like Him, many demands would be made on us, so much so that we have no time to sleep or rest. Serving the Lord is a great calling, but often we are misunderstood, even when we strive to do good. There will be opposition to whatever we do. People will disagree with us, challenge our decisions, and thwart our plans. At times, we may be slandered – and find ourselves unable to defend or justify our intentions. If we do not count the cost of discipleship, we risk becoming disillusioned, and perhaps even losing our faith completely. Many want to work for the Church, imagining it to be a place filled with loving, caring, and supportive people. On the contrary, the Church is a community of sinners. If we are not prepared to work with wounded people like us, selfish, insecure, self-centred and discriminatory, we are not ready to work in the vineyard of the Lord. I have seen many Church volunteers and staff leave their ministry feeling bitter, wounded and deeply disappointed. Even Jesus was betrayed and abandoned by His disciples when He was most in need in the Garden of Gethsemane.
However, if the Lord calls us, we must respond with courage. We must not delay, especially if we have a deep conviction that the Lord is calling us to serve Him in a particular vocation. There is the danger of procrastination. When we delay or postpone our response we risk losing clarity and forgetting our calling altogether. This was why the Lord said to the other disciple who told the Lord, “Sir, let me go and bury my father first.’ But Jesus replied, ‘Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their dead.” Jesus was not telling the disciple to be unfilial. Rather, what the man was saying was that he had to wait till his parents had passed away before he could follow Him. If that were the case, that time may never come, because by then, it would be too late to follow Jesus. If we receive the call, we must respond with urgency, and not delay any longer.
Indeed, many priestly and religious vocations have been lost because those who were called kept postponing their response. They lacked the courage to make a decision for Christ. Fear of commitment, risk and uncertainty held them back. They wanted everything to be clear for them. Instead of walking by faith, they walked by sight. Often, great inspirations never materialize because those who receive them fail to act. How often do we feel prompted to do something good – to call someone, to visit someone – but instead of responding to the inspiration, we allow that thought to go away. Great things happen only when inspiration is transformed into action. The Lord might inspire us to start a ministry, to evangelize lapsed Catholics, to reach out to the poor, or to serve those with special needs. But if we do not respond, the vision remains just a thought.
In the final analysis, the call to do something originates from enthusiasm. Inspiration comes from the Holy Spirit. However, proper discernment is necessary, requiring us to take all relevant factors into consideration. Discernment calls for a realistic appraisal of one’s charisms, our readiness to make sacrifices, and prayerful reflection with the help of our Spiritual Director, or someone who could guide us. Once that is done, we must bring our discernment to prayer – listening to the Holy Spirit speaking to us. When proper discernment is done, we must in faith and with courage respond to the call of God immediately. In this way, we will not be rash in making decisions, or lose the opportunity to follow our calling.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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