20260425 CHARITY IN FAITH
25 April 2026, Saturday, St Mark, Evangelist
First reading | 1 Peter 5:5-14 |
My son, Mark, sends you greetings
All wrap yourselves in humility to be servants of each other, because God refuses the proud and will always favour the humble. Bow down, then, before the power of God now, and he will raise you up on the appointed day; unload all your worries on to him, since he is looking after you. Be calm but vigilant, because your enemy the devil is prowling round like a roaring lion, looking for someone to eat. Stand up to him, strong in faith and in the knowledge that your brothers all over the world are suffering the same things. You will have to suffer only for a little while: the God of all grace who called you to eternal glory in Christ will see that all is well again: he will confirm, strengthen and support you. His power lasts for ever and ever. Amen.
I write these few words to you through Silvanus, who is a brother I know I can trust, to encourage you never to let go this true grace of God to which I bear witness.
Your sister in Babylon, who is with you among the chosen, sends you greetings; so does my son, Mark.
Greet one another with a kiss of love.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 88(89):2-3,6-7,16-17 |
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord;
through all ages my mouth will proclaim your truth.
Of this I am sure, that your love lasts for ever,
that your truth is firmly established as the heavens.
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
The heavens proclaim your wonders, O Lord;
the assembly of your holy ones proclaims your truth.
For who in the skies can compare with the Lord
or who is like the Lord among the sons of God?
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
Happy the people who acclaim such a king,
who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face,
who find their joy every day in your name,
who make your justice the source of their bliss.
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | 1Co1:23-24 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
We are preaching a crucified Christ,
who is the power and the wisdom of God.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 16:15-20 |
Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News
Jesus showed himself to the Eleven and said to them:
‘Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation. He who believes and is baptised will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned. These are the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name they will cast out devils; they will have the gift of tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison; they will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover.’
And so the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven: there at the right hand of God he took his place, while they, going out, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it.
CHARITY IN FAITH
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 PETER 5:5-14; Ps 89:2-3, 6-7, 16-17; MARK 16:15-20]
“Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation.” The command to spread the Good news is the obligation for all Christians. If we do not evangelise, it means that we have not been faithful to the command of the Lord. Evangelisation is not an option but a duty, an obligation, or rather, a privilege arising from the Good News that we have received freely from the Lord. Because we have received the Good News freely, we must now give freely.
What is this Good News if not the love and mercy of God as manifested in the Paschal Mystery, the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord? Throughout His life, Jesus, who was a man for others, demonstrated the mercy and compassion of God. He accepted sinners by eating and drinking with them. He helped the sick, healed them and spoke up for the marginalised. He died for sinners and showed what it means to love and forgive our enemies. Most of all, He was raised from the dead by the Father, showing that He is truly His Son and the Messiah. With His resurrection and ascension, He has also sent us the same Spirit He received, thereby making us the adopted sons and daughters of God. Indeed, how great is the mercy of God and His generosity in making us His children and giving us His Spirit at our baptism.
Since we have received the Good News for free, we now must extend this to others. Freely received, freely given! All can spread the Good News regardless of age and resources. We read, “And so the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up to heaven: there at the right hand of God he took his place, while they, going out, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it.” It is the Lord who works in and through us. The work of spreading the Gospel is not our efforts alone. Rather, it is the work of the Holy Spirit working through love in our hearts. He will supply us with the grace and the means to do His work. What is important is that we are docile and available, not blocking His grace and His love.
How do we spread the Good news? The Good News is more than words. It is about a person, Jesus the Christ. Jesus makes the Good News concrete by His words and actions. For this reason, to spread the Gospel, we need the signs that those who do not have faith in Jesus can recognise. The Evangelist, Mark, said, “These are the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name they will cast out devils; they will have the gift of tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison; they will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover.”
These signs would, of course, include the works of charity and compassion. The proclamation of the Gospel need not always be direct or spectacular and miraculous. Often, it comes in the most ordinary way — when we show acts of love and kindness, especially by helping the poor, attending to those who are sick, praying and interceding for those in need, and listening to those who are very much wounded.
But beyond works of compassion, the greatest gift we can give is the gift of faith. Proclaiming the Good News that falls short of giving the faith is to shortchange our recipients. This is because we are shy of sharing the source of all our gifts. The fear of being accused of proselytising or offending them often prevents us from sharing the faith explicitly. Of course, more often than not, it is because it is not our Catholic culture to openly share our faith with others without invitation. We are overly sensitive to the privacy of others and afraid to encroach on their private space.
In fact, we can be seen as lacking complete charity by not sharing Christ with them. We give all kinds of gifts to people, but why is it wrong to let them know where we find the gifts and who is the one empowering us? Jesus said, “He who believes and is baptised is saved; he who does not believe will be condemned.”
Why is the gift of Faith the greatest of all gifts? This is because with the gift of faith, they have everything. Faith in Jesus is what saves us ultimately, not just the soul, but the way to live life to the fullest because Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Happiness in life is more than what we own or possess, but who we are. It is how we live our lives, our attitude towards suffering, material possessions, and people. It is concerned with living a meaningful and purposeful life of love and service. Whether we are rich or poor, there is no excuse for not being messengers of love to others.
They will never live in anxiety but trust in the Lord. As St Peter wrote, “Bow down, then, before the power of God now, and he will raise you up on the appointed day; unload all your worries on to him, since he is looking after you.” With Christ on our side, we can cope with suffering because we find inspiration from Him. St Peter told the Christians, “Stand up to him, strong in faith and in the knowledge that your brothers all over the world are suffering the same things. You will have to suffer only for a little while: The God of all grace who called you to eternal glory in Christ will see that all is well again: he will confirm, strengthen and support you. His power lasts forever and ever. Amen.” We no longer suffer in vain but for the love of God and the good of others. Suffering is no longer mere suffering but redemptive suffering.
They will be taught how to live a life of contentment. The truth is that no one can satisfy our greed but only our needs. How poor you are is dependent on how much you need. If you need more to be happy, then you are poorer to that extent. Those of us who need little live very contented lives because we do not hanker for more. We are happy whether we have little or much, because our happiness depends not on what we have, but on our gratitude for whatever we have. As the psalmist says, “Happy the people who acclaim such a king, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face, who find their joy every day in your name, who make your justice the source of their bliss.”
Indeed, they will become people of praise and thanksgiving. “I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord; through all ages my mouth will proclaim your truth. Of this I am sure, that your love lasts for ever; that your truth is firmly established as the heavens. The heavens proclaim your wonders, O Lord; the assembly of your holy ones proclaims your truth. For who in the skies can compare with the Lord or who is like the Lord among the sons of God?” People who are grateful will also become generous in giving to others what they have received. Grateful people are always happy people.
Most of all, in Christ, they recover their dignity as the Children of God. We give and serve others because we are all brothers and sisters. Every human person is recognised and given due respect for their dignity. That explains why, in serving them, we do not simply dish out material things; instead, we must empower the disadvantaged to become self-sufficient. Our task is to help them to gain independence so that, in turn, they may become servants and instruments for others.
So as St Peter urges us, “Be calm but vigilant, because your enemy the devil is prowling round like a roaring lion, looking for someone to eat.” We need to be vigilant both in giving and receiving, and not allow pride or selfishness to destroy us. We must ensure that – whether as helpers or as recipients — we grow together in love and service, and generosity. We know that our works of charity have served its purpose when all of us, regardless of whether we are givers or receivers, come to know and love Christ, discover our love in Him, and in turn, through the works of charity, become more like Christ in extending the blessings we have to others. God blesses us not for ourselves, but so that we may bless others with what we have received.
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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