20260526 FOLLOWING CHRIST DEMANDS OUR COMPLETE ALLEGIANCE
26 May 2026, Tuesday, 8th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | 1 Peter 1:10-16 |
Put your trust in the grace that is coming to you
It was this salvation that the prophets were looking and searching so hard for; their prophecies were about the grace which was to come to you. The Spirit of Christ which was in them foretold the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would come after them, and they tried to find out at what time and in what circumstances all this was to be expected. It was revealed to them that the news they brought of all the things which have now been announced to you, by those who preached to you the Good News through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, was for you and not for themselves. Even the angels long to catch a glimpse of these things.
Free your minds, then, of encumbrances; control them, and put your trust in nothing but the grace that will be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. Do not behave in the way that you liked to before you learnt the truth; make a habit of obedience: be holy in all you do, since it is the Holy One who has called you, and scripture says: Be holy, for I am holy.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 97(98):1-4 |
The Lord has made known his salvation.
Sing a new song to the Lord
for he has worked wonders.
His right hand and his holy arm
have brought salvation.
The Lord has made known his salvation.
The Lord has made known his salvation;
has shown his justice to the nations.
He has remembered his truth and love
for the house of Israel.
The Lord has made known his salvation.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
Shout to the Lord, all the earth,
ring out your joy.
The Lord has made known his salvation.
Gospel Acclamation | Ph2:15-16 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
You will shine in the world like bright stars
because you are offering it the word of life.
Alleluia!
Or: | Mt11:25 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed are you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth,
for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom
to mere children.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 10:28-31 |
Whoever has left everything for the sake of the gospel will be repaid
At that time Peter began to tell Jesus, ‘What about us? We have left everything and followed you.’ Jesus said, ‘I tell you solemnly, there is no one who has left house, brothers, sisters, father, children or land for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not be repaid a hundred times over, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and land – not without persecutions – now in this present time and, in the world to come, eternal life.
‘Many who are first will be last, and the last first.’
FOLLOWING CHRIST DEMANDS OUR COMPLETE ALLEGIANCE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 Peter 1:10-16; Mk 10:28-31]
We have just completed the Easter season, during which we have seen Christ as the revelation of the Father through His passion, death, resurrection and ascension. Together with the psalmist, we can truly praise God with gratitude, for “the Lord has made known his salvation.” With the celebration of Pentecost, we declare that “all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.” At the same time, the liturgy instructs us that at the conclusion of the final Mass at Pentecost, the paschal candle – which has burned brightly at the altar – is to be moved to the baptismal font for use in the Rite of Baptisms. In its place, the celebrant dismisses us with a final, resonant “Alleluia” and, with a joy like that of the Psalmist, sends us into the world to continue the mission of our Master: “Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands; break into song; sing praise.”
Entering Ordinary Time of the liturgical year does not mean we are in an unimportant or uneventful time. Rather, the green vestments of the liturgy signify that we, as Church, must grow into the Paschal Mystery of Christ which we have just celebrated. We are called to become more deeply inserted into His passion, death and resurrection; indeed, this is the very essence of growing in holiness.
Indeed, the Ordinary Time is a season to grow in holiness, in grace, and in faith. St Peter, citing Leviticus 11:44-45, wrote, “In all you do, since it is the Holy One who has called you, and scripture says: Be holy, for I am holy.” Being holy entails giving up everything for Christ and following Him. To be holy is to be different – to be set apart. To be holy is to be extra-ordinary. A Christian is one who is set apart from the world so that he can be a reflection of Christ, living the life of God in the world. God has called us all to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth, giving hope to all nations. We are called to enlighten, to be catalysts of change and transformation, and to give the world a certain future by revealing to others their own calling and destiny in Christ.
Many today find themselves in the same dilemma as the rich young man in the Gospel. We read that he went away sad because he was not capable of responding to the call to give everything to the poor and follow Christ. It remains a paradox: how one can be happy when poor. It was the common understanding at that time – and remains so today among those who preach the ‘prosperity gospel’ – that to be blessed by God means to be endowed with riches, encompassing not just spiritual blessings but material wealth and worldly success as well. So we can imagine, that it was not only the rich young man who struggled with this; even the apostles were appalled by Jesus’ teaching. We see the lingering uncertainty of Peter and the other apostles when Peter subsequently sought consolation from the Lord – it appeared to them that they had given up everything for nothing! One can almost hear them saying to Jesus, “So what is there in it for me?” Life is such that if we do not get anything, we are not going to give. This is true even for those who serve in voluntary organisations, whether within the confines of the Church or in the world.
Yet, if Jesus demanded this total self-surrender from His disciples, it is because He Himself became poor for our sake. St Paul told the Christians in Corinth that “Our Lord Jesus Christ, though he was rich, yet for your sake, be became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” (2 Cor 8:9) This poverty of Jesus extends beyond material or social poverty. Instead of self-sufficiency, He chose to be totally dependent on His Father’s divine providence. He gave up His divine power and became powerless like us. He allowed Himself to be vulnerable even to His enemies and His apostles – particularly Judas, who betrayed Him despite having shared in His life. Jesus was truly poor. His kenosis, or self-emptying, is beautifully captured by St Paul in that inspiring ancient hymn in Philippians “though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God … but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men …. He humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.” (Phil 2:6-8)
To grow in holiness – especially in the midst of the daily trials of life, whether financial crisis, sickness, failure, or estranged relationships (particularly between husband and wife) – requires that we be poor and totally surrender our lives to Him. Poverty of spirit forces us to recognise our limitations; it humbles us, forces us to face our nothingness, and drives us to our limits so that we can do nothing else but surrender in faith. Like Jesus on the cross, we cry out: “Into your hands, I commend my spirit.” (Lk 23:46) Of course, this surrender includes the letting go of our pride, greed, anger and all our root sins. This is what St Peter urges us, “Free your minds, then, of encumbrances; control them, and put your trust in nothing but the grace that will be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
More so, this poverty is expressed in the suffering we endure for Christ. Following Him inevitably entails persecution, yet, these sufferings serve to purify us and make us become more identified with Christ’s suffering. Jesus warned us of the trials we would face when He told the disciples that the rewards of the Kingdom are theirs, but “not without persecutions.” As the author of the First Reading tells us, the sufferings and subsequent glory of Christ were foretold by the prophets for our sake. He wrote, “It was revealed to them that the news they brought of all the things which have now been announced to you, by those who preached to you the Good News through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, was for you and not for themselves.” We who desire to share in the glory of Christ must, ultimately, share in His passion. The true acid test of faith is not when we are self-sufficient in material, social or personal security. Rather, it is when we are stripped of our financial independence, our health, and our status that our faith is truly seen – in our decision to rely on God alone.
Indeed, the promise of Jesus was fulfilled when He assured the apostles, saying, “I tell you solemnly, there is no one who has left house, brothers, sisters, father, children or land for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not be repaid a hundred times over, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and land – not without persecutions – now in this present time and, in the world to come, eternal life” (Mk 10:29-30). Did they become rich in this world, being paid a hundred fold in land, wealth, and family? Yes – but in a spiritual sense. They built the family of God where everyone was a brother or sister; they owned everything, yet nothing belonged to them personally. Being freed from the burden of possessions, they possessed everything and became fully free for the Lord. As Christians, these missionaries travelled every land, recognising no boundaries that divide humanity. This was the experience of the apostles and the great missionaries of Christ. Even today, although priests and religious have left everything behind, including their own families, we are the richest of people on earth, because we belong to the biggest family in the world, where members call us “Father”, “Brother”, or “Sister”. We may not have the luxuries of the world, but we are never short of sustenance because we are loved in the family of God. And ultimately, when we reach heaven, we shall be “all in all”, because God is in us and we are in Him, through Christ in the Spirit.
There is a final warning to those of us who think that becoming a Christian is a way to climb the social leader or to satisfy ourselves with the material things of this world. In a succinct and pointed way, Jesus reminded Peter that “many who are first will be last, and the last first”. He was demonstrating that God’s estimation is fundamentally different from that of the world. Peter was approaching the Kingdom from a material and calculative point of view. But God judges the things of this world by a different measure. What man counts as “fair” is considered lacking in true charity in God’s eyes; and what is held in high value on this earth is often disdained by God.
In the final analysis, only the man capable of emptying Himself for the love of God and for the love of neighbour is truly rich. Only those capable of self-sacrifice for the sake of others are truly living a life in union with Christ. Otherwise, we deceive ourselves into thinking that we are holy simply because we follow the outward motions of discipleship – as was initially the case with the apostles. To follow Jesus is to follow Him through His passion so that we may share in His glory. Again, we are reminded of the words of St Peter: “This is a great joy to you, even though for a short time yet you must bear all sorts of trials; so that the worth of your faith, more valuable than gold, which is perishable even if it has been tested by fire, may be proved – to your praise and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. You have not seen him, yet you love him; and still without seeing him you believe in him and so are already filled with a joy so glorious that it cannot be described; and you are sure of the goal of your faith, that is, the salvation of your souls. (1 Pt 1:6-9)
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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