HANDLING OUR CRITICS IN THE MINISTRY

20151009 HANDLING OUR CRITICS IN THE MINISTRY

Readings at Mass

First reading

Joel 1:13-15,2:1-2 ©

Priests, put on sackcloth and lament.

Ministers of the altar, wail.

Come, pass the night in sackcloth,

you ministers of my God.

For the house of our God has been deprived

of oblation and libation.

Order a fast,

proclaim a solemn assembly;

elders, call together

all the inhabitants of the country

to the house of the Lord your God.

Cry out to the Lord,

‘Oh, what a day!

For the day of the Lord is near,

it comes as a devastation from Shaddai.’

Sound the trumpet in Zion,

give the alarm on my holy mountain!

Let all the inhabitants of the country tremble,

for the day of the Lord is coming,

yes, it is near.

Day of darkness and gloom,

day of cloud and blackness.

Like the dawn there spreads across the mountains

a vast and mighty host,

such as has never been before,

such as will never be again

to the remotest ages.

Psalm

Psalm 9A:2-3,6,16,8-9 ©

The Lord will judge the world with justice.

I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;

  I will recount all your wonders.

I will rejoice in you and be glad,

  and sing psalms to your name, O Most High.

The Lord will judge the world with justice.

You have checked the nations, destroyed the wicked;

  you have wiped out their name for ever and ever.

The nations have fallen in the pit which they made,

  their feet caught in the snare they laid.

The Lord will judge the world with justice.

But the Lord sits enthroned for ever.

  He has set up his throne for judgement;

he will judge the world with justice,

  he will judge the peoples with his truth.

The Lord will judge the world with justice.

Gospel Acclamation

Jn10:27

Alleluia, alleluia!

The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,

says the Lord,

I know them and they follow me.

Alleluia!

Or	Jn12:31-32

Alleluia, alleluia!

Now the prince of this world is to be overthrown,

says the Lord.

And when I am lifted up from the earth,

I shall draw all men to myself.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 11:15-26 ©

When Jesus had cast out a devil, some of the people said, ‘It is through Beelzebul, the prince of devils, that he casts out devils.’ Others asked him, as a test, for a sign from heaven; but, knowing what they were thinking, he said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is heading for ruin, and a household divided against itself collapses. So too with Satan: if he is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? – Since you assert that it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils. Now if it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils, through whom do your own experts cast them out? Let them be your judges then. But if it is through the finger of God that I cast out devils, then know that the kingdom of God has overtaken you. So long as a strong man fully armed guards his own palace, his goods are undisturbed; but when someone stronger than he is attacks and defeats him, the stronger man takes away all the weapons he relied on and shares out his spoil.

  ‘He who is not with me is against me; and he who does not gather with me scatters.

  ‘When an unclean spirit goes out of a man it wanders through waterless country looking for a place to rest, and not finding one it says, “I will go back to the home I came from.” But on arrival, finding it swept and tidied, it then goes off and brings seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and set up house there, so that the man ends up by being worse than he was before.’

HANDLING OUR CRITICS IN THE MINISTRY

SCRIPTURE READINGS: Joel 1:13-15; 2:1-2; Ps 9A: 2-3, 6, 16, 8-9; Lk 11:15-26

Many of us would probably respond to Joel’s message of repentance by turning over a new leaf so that the Day of the Lord, the day of punishment, will not catch up with us.  Upon our conversion, we will involve ourselves in doing good works.  Many of us think that living a good life and offering ourselves for the service of the Church and of humanity would bring us much fulfillment and happiness.  We think that people will appreciate our services and be grateful to us for giving our time and resources freely. Yet others may take a pay cut, thinking that it would be a noble thing to sacrifice for the good of others through service to God and humanity.

But to our dismay and disappointment, we find ourselves no better off, as if from a frying pan into the fire.  Life in the ministry often is not much easier than in the corporate world.  In fact, it could be worse because at least in the corporate world, there are strict rules of governance and best practices.  Most things are more professionally run and staff are remunerated and recognized for their contributions.  Working in charitable organizations including the Church and Church organizations and ministries, where financial resources are lacking, there are many constraints with regard to manpower, remuneration and professionalism.  Most operate on a generosity basis.  For those who wish to give their lives in service to God and His people, we do not mind the sacrifices.

What we cannot accept and tolerate is that often our services are not accepted kindly.  We face a lot of critics in whatever we do.  When they are not able to logically defend their charges, they resort to slander and discrediting our character.  Some slander us and impute low motives to our good intentions.  They call us names.  They accuse us of things we are not responsible for, or distort the facts and confuse others so that they too will turn against us.  Even in doing good, there will be some who will oppose us in what we want to do.  Often, there is a lack of cooperation among the people we work with.  Instead of working together, we find ourselves working against each other. The general feeling is that we feel unappreciated, especially by those in charge of us.  Instead of listening to our side of the story, often our superiors jump on every complaint and judge us guilty without clarifying with us.  When things are doing well, everyone takes for granted the efficiency.  But when things do wrong, they only know how to point fingers and complain, but would not lift a finger to do anything to help the situation.

If we are feeling this way, misunderstood, ridiculed, maligned and unappreciated, then we can identify with the Lord in His ministry as well.  Christ Himself was not always appreciated for what He said or did, even when He was performing good works like healing the sick and exorcising those possessed by the Evil One.  In the gospel, the enemies of Jesus tried to discredit His work and attribute His power of exorcism to His being in league with the prince of devils.  When they could not argue against Jesus and when reason failed to win and convince, they resorted to malice, lies and falsehood.  So when we consider how Jesus faced much opposition from the authorities, especially the religious leaders, we can imagine how much pain Jesus went through Himself.  He came to do good and to bring life and redemption.  Instead, the evil and selfish people not only opposed Him and His works and teachings but sought to disgrace Him and confuse the ignorant people.  And indeed, some turned against Him because of the instigation of the religious leaders and those opposed to Jesus because He was a threat to their status quo.  Jealousy, fear and resentment resulted in plots aimed at eradicating Jesus and finally, their hatred for Jesus led to His crucifixion.  So if our master had gone down that road, we are not exempted.

How, then, should we handle such malevolent critics in our ministry? Most importantly, Jesus taught us not to retaliate without thinking through.  Most of us tend to react to criticisms by defending ourselves or, worse still, using the same tactics as our accusers to destroy our opponents.  We must not allow our emotions to react in self-defense.  Such spontaneous vindictive acts will make matters worse and will also hurt ourselves.

What we need to do is to be like Jesus in dealing with the criticisms on the logical level.  So when He was accused of being in league with the prince of demons, He asked them, “Now if it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils, through whom do your own experts cast them out? Let them be your judges, then.”  A rational response to impulsive and emotional accusation is the most appropriate response.  We should deal with the facts; not respond to the emotional outbursts.   They require separate responses.  Otherwise, when we are muddle-headed and emotionally worked up, we will fall into the same trap and that will hinder us from thinking through logically to face the criticisms and suggest a reasonable response and solution.

Secondly, we need to continue to do good and not get discouraged.  If our conscience is clear and we have searched our motives and considered their criticisms, we must remain focused in doing what we have to do; even if we are criticized and some react negatively towards us.  Jesus warns us in the parable of the idle soul how dangerous it is to allow our soul to be empty.   This man who had an unclean spirit cast out from him did not do anything good and positive.  As a consequence, upon returning and “finding it swept and tidied, it then goes off and brings seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and set up house there, so that the man ends up by being worse than he was before.”

There is no question of neutrality when it comes to evil and good.  Jesus puts it succinctly, “He who is not with me is against me; and he who does not gather with me scatters.”  Either you are for the kingdom of God or the Kingdom of darkness.  There is no question of being neutral.  When we do not fill our hearts with love and goodness, then evil will come to take that place.   It is not sufficient to guard against evil but we must always fill our hearts and minds with good, noble and holy thoughts and actions.  As the idiom goes, “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.”  So the only way to stay out of evil is not to do nothing but to be proactive in filling our lives with good thoughts and noble deeds.

Thirdly, we need to stand with those who support us.  Jesus said in the gospel, “Every kingdom divided against itself is heading for ruin, and a household divided against itself collapses.”  Our greatest enemy cannot destroy us if we do not stand alone.  We need to fight this battle, not alone but with others who are with us.  That is why our greatest threat is never from without, but it is from within.  It is the traitors within the Church, wolves wearing sheeps’ clothing who are distorting the teachings of the Church, working with hidden agendas, often for their selfish interests, like glory, power, status, recognition, wealth and a life of luxury and leading others astray and destroying the Church.  When the Church is divided, especially among leaders and members, we cannot accomplish the mission of Christ.  Unity is strength.

Finally, to withstand our critics, we must stand above all with Jesus.  He said, “But if it is through the finger of God that I cast out devils, then know that the kingdom of God has overtaken you.  So long as a strong man fully armed guards his own palace, his goods are undisturbed; but when someone stronger than he is attacks and defeats him, the stronger man takes away all the weapons he relied on and shares out his spoil.”  Jesus is that strongman in the House of God.  He will guard us and guide us.   So against all our detractors and opponents, we must turn to the Lord to seek strength, consolation and wisdom.  What is important at the end of the day is that we must be sure that we are on the side of Jesus, fighting with Him and not against Him.  We must not allow our soul to remain sterile but be filled with His Spirit instead.  Abide in Him so that He can abide in us.

With Him, we know that justice will prevail, as the psalmist says, “The Lord will judge the world with justice.  You have checked the nations, destroyed the wicked; you have wiped out their name for ever and ever.  The nations have fallen in the pit which they made, their feet caught in the snare they laid.”   Indeed, we can defer everything to the judgment of God.  We should not be worried how the world judges us but how God judges us.  His judgment is fair and just.   “But the Lord sits enthroned forever.  He has set up his throne for judgement; he will judge the world with justice, he will judge the peoples with his truth.”  This, too, was the warning of Joel to his people who did not take heed of the message of repentance.  The evil will eventually destroy themselves and the just will be vindicated.  St James tells us, “Do not speak evil against one another, brethren. He that speaks evil against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.  There is one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy.”  (Jms 4:11f)

Written by The Most Rev William Goh

Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore

© All Rights Reserved

PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT OF JESUS

20151008 PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT OF JESUS

Readings at Mass

First reading

Malachi 3:13-20 ©

You say harsh things about me, says the Lord. You ask, ‘What have we said against you?’ You say, ‘It is useless to serve God; what is the good of keeping his commands or of walking mournfully before the Lord of Hosts? Now we have reached the point when we call the arrogant blessed; yes, they prosper, these evil-doers; they try God’s patience and yet go free.’ This is what those who fear the Lord used to say to one another. But the Lord took note and heard them: a book of remembrance was written in his presence recording those who fear him and take refuge in his name. On the day which I am preparing, says the Lord of Hosts, they are going to be my own special possession. I will make allowances for them as a man makes allowances for the son who obeys him. Then once again you will see the difference between an upright man and a wicked one, between the one who serves God and the one who does not serve him. For the day is coming now, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and the evil-doers will be like stubble. The day that is coming is going to burn them up, says the Lord of Hosts, leaving them neither root nor stalk. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will shine out with healing in its rays.

Psalm

Psalm 1:1-4,6 ©

Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.

Happy indeed is the man

  who follows not the counsel of the wicked;

nor lingers in the way of sinners

  nor sits in the company of scorners,

but whose delight is the law of the Lord

  and who ponders his law day and night.

Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.

He is like a tree that is planted

  beside the flowing waters,

that yields its fruit in due season

  and whose leaves shall never fade;

  and all that he does shall prosper.

Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.

Not so are the wicked, not so!

For they like winnowed chaff

  shall be driven away by the wind.

for the Lord guards the way of the just

  but the way of the wicked leads to doom.

Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.

Gospel Acclamation

Jn14:6

Alleluia, alleluia!

I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord;

No one can come to the Father except through me.

Alleluia!

Or	cf.Ac16:14

Alleluia, alleluia!

Open our heart, O Lord,

to accept the words of your Son.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 11:5-13 ©

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him in the middle of the night to say, “My friend, lend me three loaves, because a friend of mine on his travels has just arrived at my house and I have nothing to offer him”; and the man answers from inside the house, “Do not bother me. The door is bolted now, and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up to give it you.” I tell you, if the man does not get up and give it him for friendship’s sake, persistence will be enough to make him get up and give his friend all he wants.

  ‘So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him. What father among you would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread? Or hand him a snake instead of a fish? Or hand him a scorpion if he asked for an egg? If you then, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’

PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT OF JESUS

SCRIPTURE READINGS: Malachi 3:13-20; Ps 1:1-4,6; Lk 11:5-13

Very often we hear the sentiments of those good Israelites in the first reading accusing the Lord of being unfair towards them.  Like them, in our anger we say, “It is useless to serve God; what is the good of keeping his commands or of walking mournfully before the Lord of Hosts? Now we have reached the point when we call the arrogant blessed; yes, they prosper, these evil-doers; they try God’s patience and yet go free.”   Indeed, we wonder why we should live a good and holy life when we see the dishonest and evil people seeming to have the best things in life.  They are thriving and prosperous while we who walk the ways of the Lord are suffering and seem to be getting a worse deal.

But this is not true at all.  The Lord is faithful to those who are good and true to the Law.  This is what the prophet wanted to reassure the good people who were tempted to give up doing good because they seem to suffer even more.  The prophet said, “But the Lord took note and heard them: a book of remembrance was written in his presence recording those who fear him and take refuge in his name.  On the day which I am preparing, says the Lord of Hosts, they are going to be my own special possession.  I will make allowances for them as a man makes allowances for the son who obeys him.  Then once again you will see the difference between an upright man and a wicked one, between the one who serves God and the one who does not serve him.”

It is within this context that the gospel of today invites us to cultivate the right spirit in prayer, which involves having the right attitudes towards God and our images of Him.  Today’s gospel reading is a sequence to yesterday’s gospel text on the Lord’s Prayer.  In the gospel yesterday we read that “once Jesus was in a certain place praying, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’”  Clearly, the disciples must have been impressed and edified by the way Jesus prayed and the way He related with His Father.  They therefore wanted to enter into the same spirit of prayer so that they too can enjoy the intimacy with His Father.

To the request of His disciples on how to pray, Jesus gave them the “Our Father.”  This prayer is more than just a prayer composed by the Lord Himself, or summed up by the primitive Christian community.  It is a prayer that is the basis and pattern for all prayers.  The principles of prayer, the content that should be included in every prayer and the object of prayer are all concisely contained in the Lord’s Prayer.  In fact, the Lord’s Prayer summarizes all our petitions and therefore is a fitting conclusion to the Liturgy of the Hours as it sums all the prayers of the psalmists.  So the Lord’s Prayer gives us the “what” to pray.

Today, the Lord tells us how to pray. It is not enough to know the Lord’s Prayer or to know the content of what should be prayed.  The trouble with us is that we are all reciting the Lord’s Prayer many times a day without imbibing the Spirit contained in that prayer.   We just repeat it like a parrot without consciously entering into the Spirit of Jesus when He taught us that prayer.  Thus, we must have the right spirit in praying the Lord’s Prayer, or any other prayer, if we want our prayers to be heard.  What, then, is this spirit that we are called to cultivate?

Firstly, we must believe that God is our Father who loves us because this is how the prayer begins, “Our Father.”  The question is: Do we truly believe that God who is our Father loves us and will look after us?  To underscore this point so that we have confidence when we pray, the Lord tells us the parable of the reluctant man who was forced to get up from his bed to answer the request of his persistent neighbor who came to ask for food for his guest.

This is a parable of contrast; not of similarity.  Jesus remarked, “If the man does not get up and give it him for friendship’s sake, persistence will be enough to make him get up and give his friend all he wants.”  In saying this, Jesus is not suggesting that we need to badger the Lord before God answers our petition. On the contrary, He is saying that God will do much more for us because we are His children.

Yet, we must be persistent in our prayer.  Hence, he said, “So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him.”  Why should we be persistent in prayer if God is more than willing to give us what we need?  Why do we still have to ask, search and knock?  In another text, Jesus seems to contradict Himself when He said, “Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”  (Mt 6:8) Hence, why then do we need to keep asking from the Lord if He knows what we need?

The problem is not on God’s side.  It is on ours.  We do not know what we want or rather what we need and what is truly good for us.  This is what Jesus said, “What father among you would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread? Or hand him a snake instead of a fish? Or hand him a scorpion if he asked for an egg? If you then, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”  In truth, God would only give us the best but unfortunately we are so blind and ignorant that we ask for the wrong things.  We mistake stone for bread, snake for a fish, and scorpion for an egg.  In other words, we are seeking for the wrong things that are truly good for us in life.

So we must ask, search and knock so that we will come to know the will of God for us.  We must not think that because of our persistent prayers, we force God to change His mind.  Rather, when we pray with perseverance and persistence, we come to understand deeper and clearer the plan of God for us.  This was the way of our Lord when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane.  The heavenly Father did not take away His cup of suffering but helped Him to understand that was His divine will.  So it was in the struggle at prayer in the

Garden that Jesus came to align His human will with the Divine will.

We need to be persistent in prayer and persevere so that we can intensify our desire for what we seek from the Lord.  If a person is truly sincere in wanting something, he or she will not just pray but also cooperate with the grace of God.  For example, if you truly want to have good health, then besides praying you will also do exercise and observe a proper diet and live a balanced lifestyle.   But if one continues to live an unhealthy lifestyle, then that prayer lacks sincerity.   If you are suffering from a stroke and you want to get well, then besides praying for the strength to get well, we must pray for the strength and discipline to go through the rehabilitation program as well.  Praying alone without cooperating with His divine grace shows the lack of real desire or sincerity in what we want.

In the final analysis, as Jesus said, what we need to pray for is the Holy Spirit which the Father wants to give to us.  We need to pray that we have the same spirit as Jesus in the way He prayed and lived His life.  As St Paul says, “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”  (Room 8:27f)

When we pray in this way, then the psalmist assures us, “Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.  He is like a tree that is planted beside the flowing waters, that yields its fruit in due season and whose leaves shall never fade; and all that he does shall prosper. Not so are the wicked, not so! For they like winnowed chaff shall be driven away by the wind. For the Lord guards the way of the just but the way of the wicked leads to doom.”

Written by The Most Rev William Goh

Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore

© All Rights Reserved

LETTING OUR PRAYER BE THE EXPRESSION OF OUR LIVES

20151007 LETTING OUR PRAYER BE THE EXPRESSION OF OUR LIVES

Readings at Mass

First reading

Jonah 4:1-11 ©

Jonah was very indignant; he fell into a rage. He prayed to the Lord and said, ‘Ah, Lord, is not this just as I said would happen when I was still at home? That was why I went and fled to Tarshish: I knew that you were a God of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in graciousness, relenting from evil. So now, Lord, please take away my life, for I might as well be dead as go on living.’ The Lord replied, ‘Are you right to be angry?’

  Jonah then went out of the city and sat down to the east of the city. There he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade, to see what would happen to the city. Then the Lord God arranged that a castor-oil plant should grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head and soothe his ill-humour; Jonah was delighted with the castor-oil plant. But at dawn the next day, God arranged that a worm should attack the castor-oil plant – and it withered.

  Next, when the sun rose, God arranged that there should be a scorching east wind; the sun beat down so hard on Jonah’s head that he was overcome and begged for death, saying, ‘I might as well be dead as go on living.’ God said to Jonah, ‘Are you right to be angry about the castor-oil plant?’ He replied, ‘I have every right to be angry, to the point of death.’ The Lord replied, ‘You are only upset about a castor-oil plant which cost you no labour, which you did not make grow, which sprouted in a night and has perished in a night. And am I not to feel sorry for Nineveh, the great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, to say nothing of all the animals?’

Psalm

Psalm 85:3-6,9-10 ©

You, O Lord, have mercy and compassion.

You are my God, have mercy on me, Lord,

  for I cry to you all the day long.

Give joy to your servant, O Lord,

  for to you I lift up my soul.

You, O Lord, have mercy and compassion.

O Lord, you are good and forgiving,

  full of love to all who call.

Give heed, O Lord, to my prayer

  and attend to the sound of my voice.

You, O Lord, have mercy and compassion.

All the nations shall come to adore you

  and glorify your name, O Lord:

for you are great and do marvellous deeds,

  you who alone are God.

You, O Lord, have mercy and compassion.

Gospel Acclamation

Ps118:24

Alleluia, alleluia!

Train me, Lord, to observe your law,

to keep it with my heart.

Alleluia!

Or

Rm8:15

Alleluia, alleluia!

The spirit you received is the spirit of sons,

and it makes us cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’

Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 11:1-4 ©

Once Jesus was in a certain place praying, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’ He said to them, ‘Say this when you pray:

“Father, may your name be held holy,

your kingdom come;

give us each day our daily bread,

and forgive us our sins,

for we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt to us.

And do not put us to the test.”’

LETTING OUR PRAYER BE THE EXPRESSION OF OUR LIVES

SCRIPTURE READINGS: JONAH 4:1-11; LK 11:1-4

The disciples in the gospel today must have been very impressed by the life of Jesus that they asked Him to teach them how to pray.  Yes, their desire to pray must have sprung from their desire to share the kind of life that Jesus lived.  Somehow, they knew that this must be the secret to where Jesus got His strength and energy to live such a selfless and directed life.  And to such a request, Jesus responded by teaching them the Our Father.

However, we must not be so naive to think that Jesus was merely imparting another formula prayer.  No, the reason why the Church has always upheld the importance of this prayer is not simply because Jesus taught this prayer to His disciples.  More importantly, this prayer is but the summary of His fundamental attitude towards God, life and His fellowmen.  In other words, the Our Father is a fitting summary of the life of Jesus Himself, in the way He relates to God, the world and others.   And so, to pray the Lord’s Prayer is simply to share in His fundamental attitudes towards God and life. Anyone who makes this prayer interiorly his own will have all his prayers answered because he begins to share in the life of God.  That is why it has been traditionally accepted that the Lord’s Prayer is the prayer of all prayers, the pattern of all prayers.

What, then, are these basic attitudes that we are called to adopt for our life-style?  Firstly, the openness to the absolute transcendence of God.  In calling God, our Father in heaven, Jesus invites us to surrender ourselves to the transcendence of God, the Mystery of all mysteries in life.  It is this humble recognition that life is more than what we can see, understand and enjoy on this earth, that we can be open to the limitless.  It would therefore be foolish for anyone of us to cling to this life.  Not to live beyond this earth and not to see beyond what this world can offer would limit our capacity to live fully.

Secondly, we are also called to trust in the providence of God.  If Jesus’ life was lived in utter freedom, it is because He lived in faith and trust in divine providence.  It was His trust in divine providence that enabled Him to live from moment to moment.  To ask the Father to give us our daily bread is simply an invitation to trust Him and His providence.  And unless we trust His divine providence, we cannot but be anxious about our tomorrows always.  And in our insecurity and anxiety, we begin to hoard, to be greedy, to be ambitious, to be selfish by protecting our interests first.  Such a kind of life will surely bring us no peace or joy because we will always be hoping for that tomorrow that will never come.  But when we begin to live in the present, then His kingdom is immediately present already.   We start experiencing His love now.

The third life principle of life for Jesus is simply to let go. Firstly, letting go with regards to God.  This is expressed in the petition, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.   In other words, what Jesus is sharing with us is that the kingdom of joy and peace can be ours if we learn to let go of our own will and make the will of God our own.  If not, then we will find ourselves battling with God all our lives, which inevitably leads to unhappiness.  Yes, there can be real peace in our lives only when we live a life of harmony with God’s laws and will.

Letting go must be applied to our relationship with ourselves and our fellowmen.  When Jesus asks to pray that we forgive others as we have been forgiven ourselves, He is telling us that in life we must learn to let go of our mistakes, our past and our guilt.  We must first and foremost learn to forgive ourselves and not to condemn ourselves since God does not condemn us.  Only when we have learnt to forgive ourselves, will we have the strength to forgive others – to let go of the mistakes that others have made.  All these because we realize that we have all sinned through ignorance and blindness.  “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they are doing” and “forgive me Father for I know not what I am doing” should prevail in our lives.  Yes, when we learn to let go of our hurts and bitterness in life, we will find a newfound freedom waiting for us at the doorsteps of our hearts.

In contrast, we have in the first reading, the prophet Jonah whose attitudes toward life contradict the life-principles of Jesus.  Although a prophet of God, he was more adamant in doing his own will than God’s will.  We read of how Jonah initially ran away from God’s will.  Then in today’s reading, we see his stubbornness again when he got angry with God because God relented and did not punish the Ninevites as he prophesied.  He was not open to God’s providential love and he could neither forgive God nor himself, nor the people of Nineveh.  Yes, he could not let go and trust in God.  For that reason, he became miserable and angry with the whole world including himself, so much so that he even wished that he would die.

Yes, today Jesus is inviting us to live the prayer that He taught us.  For Jesus, this prayer was very dear to Him, not because He composed it but because it summarizes so well His fundamental attitudes towards life.  His prayer was His life.  If we make His prayer our life, we too will be able to enter into that Abba experience of Jesus, recognizing that God is indeed our Father and we are all brothers and sisters of Jesus.  Indeed, unless we live what we pray as Jesus did, then no matter how many prayers we are going to say, they will almost be in vain. On the other hand, when we take our prayer seriously, our lives will be transformed. When others see us transformed by our prayer life, they too, like the disciples, will be curious and want to learn how to pray.  When that happens, when everyone is truly praying, then God’s kingdom will surely be realized on earth as in heaven.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh

Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore

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