20260516 ZEALOUS BUT MISGUIDED
16 May 2026, Saturday, 6th Week of Easter
First reading | Acts 18:23-28 |
Apollos demonstrated from the scriptures that Jesus was the Christ
Paul came down to Antioch, where he spent a short time before continuing his journey through the Galatian country and then through Phrygia, encouraging all the followers.
An Alexandrian Jew named Apollos now arrived in Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, with a sound knowledge of the scriptures, and yet, though he had been given instruction in the Way of the Lord and preached with great spiritual earnestness and was accurate in all the details he taught about Jesus, he had only experienced the baptism of John. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him speak boldly in the synagogue, they took an interest in him and gave him further instruction about the Way.
When Apollos thought of crossing over to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote asking the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived there he was able by God’s grace to help the believers considerably by the energetic way he refuted the Jews in public and demonstrated from the scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 46(47):2-3,8-10 |
God is king of all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
All peoples, clap your hands,
cry to God with shouts of joy!
For the Lord, the Most High, we must fear,
great king over all the earth.
God is king of all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
God is king of all the earth,
sing praise with all your skill.
God is king over the nations;
God reigns on his holy throne.
God is king of all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
The princes of the people are assembled
with the people of Abraham’s God.
The rulers of the earth belong to God,
to God who reigns over all.
God is king of all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | Jn14:16 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I shall ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate
to be with you for ever.
Alleluia!
Or: | 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!
Gospel | John 16:23-28 |
The Father loves you for loving me and believing that I came from God
Jesus said to his disciples:
‘I tell you most solemnly,
anything you ask for from the Father he will grant in my name.
Until now you have not asked for anything in my name.
Ask and you will receive, and so your joy will be complete.
I have been telling you all this in metaphors,
the hour is coming when I shall no longer speak to you in metaphors;
but tell you about the Father in plain words.
When that day comes you will ask in my name;
and I do not say that I shall pray to the Father for you,
because the Father himself loves you for loving me
and believing that I came from God.
I came from the Father and have come into the world
and now I leave the world to go to the Father.’
ZEALOUS BUT MISGUIDED
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Acts 18:23-28; PS 46:2-3,8-10; John 16:23-28]
A large number of Catholics are “nominal” Catholics. They call themselves “Catholics” but are rather lukewarm in their faith. They do not attend Mass regularly, and when they pray, their prayers are often petitionary prayers asking the Lord for help and protection. They are mostly living lives that are contradictory to Catholic values and teachings. Consequently, they run the risk of losing their faith, especially in times of tragedy. These poorly-formed Catholics are often the first to be drawn away from their faith when challenged by non-Catholics, as they are easily swayed by evangelical and fundamentalist viewpoints. As a result, we have an ironic situation where, those who were once disinterested Catholics have their heads turned and become staunch, or even fanatical, evangelical Christians. Some may even turn to another religion.
On the other hand, we have another group of very zealous but ill-informed Catholics. While we can be heartened that they take their faith seriously – fighting tooth and nail to defend it and applying their energy to spread the Gospel – but when it comes to drawing people to Christ, they can actually cause confusion and division among the faithful. Some of the views they hold are not part of the official teachings of the Church; instead, they can be one-sided, slanted and distorted. Some can even become fanatical in their views, promoting certain devotions that have been expressly forbidden by the Magisterium.
It is these two groups of people that today’s Scriptures seek to address. Those of us who are handling these complacent or zealous but ill-formed Catholics must learn from the patient, caring, and loving approach of Priscilla and Aquila. Instead of condemning or even marginalising them, we must see the positive side of such people. Those who are complacent have not yet encountered the living God or found Christ as their personal Saviour. Hence, their relationship with God remains distant and impersonal. Christ is not real to them in their lives. For some of them, their faith is merely an intellectual assent to some truths without personal experience. As for those who are zealous, they sincerely believe in Christ and the Church. They seek to spread the Good News about Him. Unfortunately, their knowledge is sometimes incomplete, distorted, and prejudiced.
Indeed, as a bishop, I regularly receive letters inquiring about matters of doubt or disagreement regarding certain tenets or practices of our faith. Those who make these queries or seek clarification are usually people of goodwill who are open to searching for, or deepening their understanding of the faith. Often, they come from a particular viewpoint or spectrum of understanding when reading a doctrine or biblical text. Their narrow reading of a doctrine, biblical text, or even magisterial teaching can cause much confusion and heated debate. Such an apologetic reading of sacred texts – whether from the Scriptures, the Magisterium, or some theological books – can breed more division if done without magisterial guidance and discernment. Furthermore, it can lead to the hardening of certain theological positions, which can also lead to fundamentalism and a fixated view of the Church and its doctrines.
What they do not realise is that the development of doctrines is much more complicated than just quoting a text from Scripture or Church document. To fully appreciate a doctrine or a biblical text, we need to study hermeneutics; the rules of interpretation. We also need to interpret a particular text within the whole context of Sacred Scripture, and a doctrine within the context of all other teachings, as faith must be consistent and integral. Otherwise, for every text in favour of a position, we can also find other texts to counter it. Biblical texts and Church doctrines cannot contradict one other.
Furthermore, we need other theological and scientific tools, such as Church history, the consistency of teachings from the Church Fathers, the development of doctrine since the first century, the constancy of the teachings of the Church, and the context in which such doctrines are interpreted. Biblical texts and Church doctrines explain a truth within defined parameters, depending on the specific questions they are addressing. With the change of context – informed by social sciences like psychology or sociology – the interpretation may need to be re-contextualised, as such information was not available for consideration in the past. Only when we have taken into account the faith of the Church over the last 2,000 years – including what was taught, the issues involved, and the integrity of our doctrines – can we then really understand and appreciate what the Church wants to say.
For this reason, when such theological questions are raised, people often seek a one- or two-line answer to an apparently simple question. In truth, however, the simpler the question, the more complex the answer. A simplistic response can easily trigger even more questions. Providing a comprehensive answer takes time, so that the matter is addressed adequately and systematically. Unfortunately, not all priests and bishops have the luxury of such time to compose lengthy theological treatises for every question asked, without neglecting their other pastoral duties.
Indeed, this was the case of Apollos when he arrived in Ephesus. He was not just a good and convicted Christian, but he was also very intelligent and knowledgeable as well. Coming from Alexandria, the second biggest city in Greece and a centre renowned for its scholarly research and studies, he was undoubtedly a great intellectual. We read that “he was an eloquent man, with a sound knowledge of the Scriptures, and yet, though he had been given instruction in the Way of the Lord and preached with great earnestness and was accurate in all the details he taught about Jesus, he had only experienced the baptism of John.” We have many such ‘Apollos’ in our Church today, and they are useful for the work of evangelisation.
Unfortunately, such people lack a fuller understanding of the faith, despite having an abundance of goodwill and conviction. Although Apollos was a great Jewish Scripture scholar who knew that Jesus was the fulfilment of the Old Testament, he “had only experienced the baptism of John.” In other words, he had not yet received the Holy Spirit, nor did he even know about the Holy Spirit. His faith in the Lord was merely cerebral and his knowledge was incomplete. All he needed was further refinement and formation.
The great thing about Priscilla and Aquila was their patience and tact in helping Apollos. Instead of dismissing him or reprimanding him, “they took an interest in him and gave him further instruction about the Way.” They helped him to come to the fullness of truth. Of course, credit must go to Apollos too, for although erudite, he was humble and open enough to learn from them. He did not allow his theological views to get in the way of new learning. As a result, we read that he became even more effective in his preaching. “He was able by God’s grace to help the believers considerably by the energetic way he refuted the Jews in public and demonstrated from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.” Surely, we need people like Apollos today to articulate our faith to our people who are highly educated in the sciences, who require intellectual credibility in what they are asked to believe. Truly, many young people have left the Church simply because they could not make sense of the Church’s doctrines and practices as there is no one to explain to them.
For this reason, our Catholics today must wake up to the call for on-going formation in their faith. They cannot remain complacent with their basic knowledge received during their catechism or RCIA journey. If they want to retain or grow in their faith – much less to evangelise – they must have the humility to learn from fellow Catholics who can help them deepen their understanding through faith-sharing groups. It is within the Catholic Community, rather than outside the fold, that such support could be found.
In the Gospel, Jesus lamented that the disciples had not asked sufficiently in His name. He said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you. Until now you have not asked anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.” If we want to seek the fullness of joy, we must come to know Christ more and more so that we can live His life and find happiness. But more than just knowing about Him, we need to come to know Him personally through the Holy Spirit. When we are conscious of the Holy Spirit in us, on that day, as Jesus said, we will no longer know Him just in figures, parables or biblical texts. The Holy Spirit will reveal to us clearly about Jesus and the Father. “When that day comes you will ask in my name; and I do not say that I shall pray to the Father for you, because the Father himself loves you for loving me and believing that I came from God.” (John 16:26-27) When the Holy Spirit dwells in us, we know for certain that God is love and that He will look after us and all our needs. Most of all, we will know for certain that Jesus is the Son of God and our Saviour because He is “leaving the world and going back to the Father.”
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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