Saturday, 5 September 2020

SPIRITUAL FATHERHOOD

20200905 SPIRITUAL FATHERHOOD

 

 

05 September, 2020, Saturday, 22nd Week, Ordinary Time

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Green.

First reading

1 Corinthians 4:6-15 ©

What do you have that was not given to you?

Take Apollos and myself as an example and remember the maxim: ‘Keep to what is written.’ It is not for you, so full of your own importance, to go taking sides for one man against another. In any case, brother, has anybody given you some special right? What do you have that was not given to you? And if it was given, how can you boast as though it were not? Is it that you have everything you want – that you are rich already, in possession of your kingdom, with us left outside? Indeed I wish you were really kings, and we could be kings with you! But instead, it seems to me, God has put us apostles at the end of his parade, with the men sentenced to death; it is true – we have been put on show in front of the whole universe, angels as well as men. Here we are, fools for the sake of Christ, while you are the learned men in Christ; we have no power, but you are influential; you are celebrities, we are nobodies. To this day, we go without food and drink and clothes; we are beaten and have no homes; we work for our living with our own hands. When we are cursed, we answer with a blessing; when we are hounded, we put up with it; we are insulted and we answer politely. We are treated as the offal of the world, still to this day, the scum of the earth.

  I am saying all this not just to make you ashamed but to bring you, as my dearest children, to your senses. You might have thousands of guardians in Christ, but not more than one father and it was I who begot you in Christ Jesus by preaching the Good News.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 144(145):17-21 ©

The Lord is close to all who call him.

The Lord is just in all his ways

  and loving in all his deeds.

He is close to all who call him,

  who call on him from their hearts.

The Lord is close to all who call him.

He grants the desires of those who fear him,

  he hears their cry and he saves them.

The Lord protects all who love him;

  but the wicked he will utterly destroy.

The Lord is close to all who call him.

Let me speak the praise of the Lord,

  let all mankind bless his holy name

  for ever, for ages unending.

The Lord is close to all who call him.

Gospel Acclamation

cf.Ps26:11

Alleluia, alleluia!

Instruct me, Lord, in your way;

on an even path lead me.

Alleluia!

Or:

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!

Gospel

Luke 6:1-5 ©

The Son of Man is master of the sabbath

One sabbath Jesus happened to be taking a walk through the cornfields, and his disciples were picking ears of corn, rubbing them in their hands and eating them. Some of the Pharisees said, ‘Why are you doing something that is forbidden on the sabbath day?’ Jesus answered them, ‘So you have not read what David did when he and his followers were hungry how he went into the house of God, took the loaves of offering and ate them and gave them to his followers, loaves which only the priests are allowed to eat?’ And he said to them, ‘The Son of Man is master of the sabbath.’

 

 

SPIRITUAL FATHERHOOD

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 CORINTHIANS 4:6-15; LUKE 6:1-5 ]

The theme of today’s scripture readings is on the meaning of spiritual fatherhood.  St Paul, writing to the Corinthians, said, “You might have thousands of guardians in Christ but no more than one father and it was I who begot you in Christ Jesus by preaching the Good News.”  St Paul saw himself as the spiritual father to all the Christians in Corinth because he preached the good news and established the Christian community at Corinth.  Jesus in the gospel also claimed spiritual fatherhood when he compared Himself and His disciples with King David and his men.  King David was not just a political king but also a spiritual leader of the people of Israel.  Jesus likewise claimed to be on the same level as King David when his men disobeyed the law that stipulated that the Bread of the Presence could only be consumed by Aaron and his sons in a holy place.  (cf Lev 24:8-9; 1 Sm 21:1-6) We are all called in different ways to exercise spiritual fatherhood to those under our charge, regardless whether we are parents, older siblings, school, Church or community leaders.

Our first task as spiritual father is to ensure unity in our community or organization.  This is the greatest challenge and most daunting task.  In every community, there will be differences of opinion and camps pledging allegiance to different leaders.  This was the case when St Paul wrote to the Corinthians.  There was division in the community.  Some were pledging support for Paul and some for Apollos. There was jealousy, competition and quarreling. Disunity and competition can happen when members start to lobby for their favorite leader. However, sometimes the leaders themselves could be the culprits by putting down other leaders and encouraging sectarianism.  Paul was conscious of what was happening.  He dealt decisively with the issue before the community became divided.

Secondly, as spiritual father, it is our duty to instruct those under our care about the right values of life.  Just as Paul instructed Titus, Timothy and Onesimus as their spiritual father in the faith, so too a spiritual father has the responsibility to care for their children, whether spiritual or biological, and forming them in the right values, just as Jesus taught His disciples the way to live the kingdom life in the Sermon on the Mount.  (cf Mt 5-7) St Paul in today’s reading instructed the Christians not to be carried away by riches, honour, status and intellectual pride.  Instead, they were to live a life of simplicity, goodness, service and charity.  St Paul said, “For this reason I sent you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ Jesus, as I teach them everywhere in every church.”  (1 Cor 4:17)

Thirdly, as spiritual father, we must always be watchful in feeding our spiritual children with the right spiritual food.  St Paul would always write letters to the Christians if he could not be there in person, exhorting and encouraging them to live the life of Christ more authentically and rebuking them when they lived in contradiction to the gospel values.  Jesus, in defending His disciples who broke the Sabbath Law as interpreted by the Pharisees and scribes, made reference to the event when David took the Bread of Presence from the altar to feed himself and his men even though only the priests were allowed to eat those loaves.  Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is master of the Sabbath.”

Jesus showed Himself to be a father who was not just concerned with the physical hunger of his men but also their spiritual hunger.  This bread of presence at the Tabernacle after the coming of Christ is identified with the Eucharist in our Tabernacle.  Jesus as the Bread of life, whose real presence is in the consecrated bread, continues to feed the People of God both in His word and in the sacrament of the Eucharist.   Spiritual fathers therefore must act consciously towards their spiritual children by having them nourished by the Word of God and the Eucharist so that they will grow in faith and love.

Fourthly, a spiritual father is a mentor to his spiritual children.  It is not enough just to teach our spiritual children; we must walk the talk and be an example to them.  Twice, St Paul asked the Corinthians to imitate him.  “I appeal to you, then, be imitators of me.”  (1 Cor 4:16) “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”  (1 Cor 11:1) St Paul had the courage and confidence to ask the Christians to imitate him.  A true spiritual fatherhood is not just one who talks, preaches and lectures.  He is conscious that he is called to be a role model for those under his care.  Unless, the spiritual father is living out what he teaches, he will lose credibility.  Indeed, mentorship is perhaps the most important task in being a spiritual father to our spiritual children.

Unfortunately, instead of defending, protecting, caring and loving our spiritual children, many of us who are supposedly spiritual fathers are hard on them, lacking empathy.  This was the case of the Pharisees and the Scribes in the time of Jesus. They were interpreting the Laws in such a way that they became a burden to the people.  Instead of putting their human needs before the Law, they were more concerned about observing the letter of the law than the spirit of the law.   If they were more in touch with humanity, their struggles and their pains, they would interpret the laws in a spirit of compassion.

Indeed, the most important prerequisite of a spiritual father is to acquire the wisdom of God, which is the spirit of humility.  Unless, we are humble and conscious that what we have comes from God, we will think too highly of ourselves. “Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.”  (1 Cor 3:18) All leaders and their gifts are given by God.  Hence, “In any case, brother, has anybody given you some special right? What do you have that was not given to you? And if it was given, how can you boast as though it were not?”  This is why St Paul wrote, “So let no one boast about human leaders. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future – all belong to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.”  (1 Cor 3:21-23) So a spiritual father must be conscious that spiritual fatherhood is a gift of God.   We do not deserve this honor.  It is purely by God’s grace that we have been appointed to act on His behalf for His children.

Secondly, a spiritual father must remember that they are “servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries.”  (1 Cor 4:1) We are servants of Christ to bring the presence of God, His word and His love to our spiritual children.   As servants, we must remain humble in service and conscious of our responsibility not just towards our children but also to God who appointed us.  “It is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.”  (1 Cor 4:2)   St Paul showed himself as a good servant of God’s mysteries. He wrote, “We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities,  beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God.”  (2 Cor 6:3-8) We, too, as spiritual fathers must earn the respect of our spiritual children by the way we conduct ourselves and care for them.  St Paul, even when he reprimanded the Christians, did so with love and gentleness.  He wrote, “I am saying all this not just to make you ashamed but to bring you, as my dearest children, to your senses.”  He appealed to their hearts by his sincerity.  “We have spoken frankly to you Corinthians; our heart is wide open to you. There is no restriction in our affections, but only in yours. In return – I speak as to children – open wide your hearts also.”  (2 Cor 6:11f) This is the kind of spiritual fatherhood that we are to exercise with all those under our care, whether as parents, guardians, superiors or even as priests.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved. 

 

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Friday, 4 September 2020

PUTTING ON A NEW MINDSET IN CHRIST

20200904 PUTTING ON A NEW MINDSET IN CHRIST

 

 

04 September, 2020, Friday, 22nd Week, Ordinary Time

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Green.

First reading

1 Corinthians 4:1-5 ©

The Lord alone is our judge

People must think of us as Christ’s servants, stewards entrusted with the mysteries of God. What is expected of stewards is that each one should be found worthy of his trust. Not that it makes the slightest difference to me whether you, or indeed any human tribunal, find me worthy or not. I will not even pass judgement on myself. True, my conscience does not reproach me at all, but that does not prove that I am acquitted: the Lord alone is my judge. There must be no passing of premature judgement. Leave that until the Lord comes; he will light up all that is hidden in the dark and reveal the secret intentions of men’s hearts. Then will be the time for each one to have whatever praise he deserves, from God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 36(37):3-6,27-28,39-40 ©

The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

If you trust in the Lord and do good,

  then you will live in the land and be secure.

If you find your delight in the Lord,

  he will grant your heart’s desire.

The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

Commit your life to the Lord,

  trust in him and he will act,

so that your justice breaks forth like the light,

  your cause like the noon-day sun.

The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

Then turn away from evil and do good

  and you shall have a home for ever;

for the Lord loves justice

  and will never forsake his friends.

The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

The salvation of the just comes from the Lord,

  their stronghold in time of distress.

The Lord helps them and delivers them

  and saves them: for their refuge is in him.

The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

Gospel Acclamation

cf.Ps18:9

Alleluia, alleluia!

Your words gladden the heart, O Lord,

they give light to the eyes.

Alleluia!

Or:

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!

Gospel

Luke 5:33-39 ©

When the bridegroom is taken from them, then they will fast

The Pharisees and the scribes said to Jesus, ‘John’s disciples are always fasting and saying prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees too, but yours go on eating and drinking.’ Jesus replied, ‘Surely you cannot make the bridegroom’s attendants fast while the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come, the time for the bridegroom to be taken away from them; that will be the time when they will fast.’

  He also told them this parable, ‘No one tears a piece from a new cloak to put it on an old cloak; if he does, not only will he have torn the new one, but the piece taken from the new will not match the old.

  ‘And nobody puts new wine into old skins; if he does, the new wine will burst the skins and then run out, and the skins will be lost. No; new wine must be put into fresh skins. And nobody who has been drinking old wine wants new. “The old is good” he says.’

 

PUTTING ON A NEW MINDSET IN CHRIST

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 CORINTHIANS 4:1-5; LUKE 5:33-39]

Today’s scripture readings remind us of what St Paul wrote to the Romans when he said, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Rom 12:2) This is the meaning of the parable of the New Cloak and New Wine-skin. Christianity is a call not just to see life differently and to live differently but a call to live the life of Christ radically.  There is no compromise, no half-heartedness and no complacency.

Many times in the gospel, this radical call to follow Jesus is implied in discipleship.  In the calling of the apostles, the response given was always immediate.  “James son of Zebedee and his brother John, (were) in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.”  (Mt 4:21f) Another disciple said to the “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”  But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”  (Mt 8:21f) The response demanded of His disciples is total, immediate and unconditional.  So too was the call of Matthew.  Jesus said to him, ‘”Follow me.” And he got up and followed him.’ (Mt 9:9) The Lord said, “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”  (Lk 14:26f)

But it also means to adopt an entire new mindset as well, imbibing in the Beatitudes, the blueprint for the kingdom as set out by our Lord.  This includes all that the Lord taught at the Sermon on the Mount.  (Mt 5-7) The vision of our Lord for humanity is totally new and different with respect to anger, forgiveness, poverty, justice, mercy and persecution.  Jesus also gives us His take on humble service, honour, glory and power.  In no uncertain terms, the Lord said, “For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?”  (Mt 16:25f) He invites us to trust His Father even if our life is in danger because of our fidelity to the truth.   We are called to surrender our life to Him, to pick up our cross and follow after Him.  (Lk 9:23) As the Lord remarked, “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”  (Mt 5:20)

Indeed, anyone who encounters Jesus will have his life transformed radically.  We have the case of Zacchaeus who said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.”  (Lk 19:8) St Peter after encountering the Lord at the miraculous catch of fish “fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!’  For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken.”  (Lk 5:8f) St Paul shared his encounter with the Risen Lord, “Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him.”  (Phil 3:7f)

In the light of what we said, we can better appreciate what the Lord teaches in today’s gospel.  The truth of the gospel does not admit compromises.  He makes it clear.  “No one tears a piece from a new cloak to put it on an old cloak; if he does, not only will he have torn the new one, but the piece taken from the new will not match the old.”  It is a misfit. What some of us seek to do is to try and fit the gospel of Christ into our lifestyle.  Indeed, we insist on same-sex union.  Those who are childless want children by all means, even outside of the natural process of procreation.  We want the Church to permit divorce because it is cruel for an irreconcilable marriage to continue, or to allow someone who is divorced to re-marry.  We want the right to abort our babies because we are not ready, or end our life if the suffering becomes too unbearable.  So we try to change the gospel to suit our needs and our preferences.  Instead of changing our mindset and putting on the mind of Christ, we try to make the gospel suit our convenience.  What we end up with is not Christianity but syncretism.

We want to be Christians but we are not ready to live the radical gospel that is demanded of us.  Like King Herod, we love to hear the teaching of Christ because they are so beautiful and true.  But we are not ready to make a commitment to these values, like the rich young man in the gospel.  “Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.”  (Mk 10:21f) This is how many of us feel, and are struggling with the Church’s teachings on marriage, sex and procreation.  Many Catholics have left the Church because the Church does not condone or endorse their life options.

The truth is as the Lord remarked, “Nobody who has been drinking old wine wants new.  ‘The old is good’ he says.”  Indeed, we are not willing to change our lifestyle, give up our old habits, our pagan culture, our superstitious practices, our attachments to wealth, money, promiscuous lifestyle, drinking, drugs and pleasure.  We find it difficult to let go because we have become so addicted to them.   We cannot live without them and so like the rich man, we go away sad.  We are afraid that if we give them up, our life will be miserable.  We are afraid to take the risk of sharing, giving, living a life of simplicity, a life of service.

However, the choice is either for Him or against Him.  The Lord said, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”  (Mt 12:30) The Lord is telling us that we need to change our lifestyle radically if we want to embrace Him and the gospel.  He said, “And nobody puts new wine into old skins; if he does, the new wine will burst the skins and then run out, and the skins will be lost.  No; new wine must be put into fresh skins.”   In order to receive the Lord, we must be made new.  The receptacle must be transformed.  We cannot use the old mindset and expect to accommodate the new wine. Indeed, in attempting to compromise and reconcile the gospel with the world, we end up with nothing.  The gospel is diluted and no longer pure.  St Augustine in his commentary on the first letter of John wrote, “Suppose that God wants to fill you with honey: if you are filled with vinegar where would you put the honey? The jar must be emptied, or rather cleaned out thoroughly and rinsed well to make it ready to receive the new substance.”

Today, we are asked to make a decision for the Lord.  The judgement, as St Paul says, is not what people think of us or even what we think of ourselves.  We do not judge by the standards of the world.  He wrote, “Not that it makes the slightest difference to me whether you, or indeed any human tribunal, find me worthy or not.  I will not even pass judgement on myself.  True, my conscience does not reproach me at all, but that does not prove that I am acquitted: the Lord alone is my judge.”  Indeed, it does not matter what people think of us or even what we think of ourselves.  Our judgement is always faulty and inadequate.  Rather, we must judge the world and ourselves according to the measure of Christ.  The gospel must remain the yardstick of authentic life.

How can we do it?  Not by our own strength but by His power.  The responsorial psalm says, “The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.”  A new mind and a new heart are the work of the Holy Spirit.  It is the consequence of encountering the Lord.  We cannot make it happen on our own, using our will.  However, “if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!”  (2 Cor 5:17) St Paul wrote, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God – not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.”  (Eph 2:8-10; cf Col 3:5, 9,10)

Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved. 

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Wednesday, 2 September 2020

HUMILITY THE KEY TO THE WISDOM OF GOD

20200903 HUMILITY THE KEY TO THE WISDOM OF GOD

 

 

03 September, 2020, Thursday, 22nd Week, Ordinary Time

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: White.

These are the readings for the feria

First reading

1 Corinthians 3:18-23 ©

The wisdom of the world is foolishness to God

Make no mistake about it: if any one of you thinks of himself as wise, in the ordinary sense of the word, then he must learn to be a fool before he really can be wise. Why? Because the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As scripture says: The Lord knows wise men’s thoughts: he knows how useless they are; or again: God is not convinced by the arguments of the wise. So there is nothing to boast about in anything human: Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life and death, the present and the future, are all your servants; but you belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 23(24):1-6 ©

The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness.

The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness,

  the world and all its peoples.

It is he who set it on the seas;

  on the waters he made it firm.

The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness.

Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?

  Who shall stand in his holy place?

The man with clean hands and pure heart,

  who desires not worthless things.

The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness.

He shall receive blessings from the Lord

  and reward from the God who saves him.

Such are the men who seek him,

  seek the face of the God of Jacob.

The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness.

Gospel Acclamation

cf.2Thess2:14

Alleluia, alleluia!

Through the Good News God called us

to share the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Alleluia!

Or:

Mt4:19

Alleluia, alleluia!

Follow me, says the Lord,

and I will make you into fishers of men.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 5:1-11 ©

They left everything and followed him

Jesus was standing one day by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the crowd pressing round him listening to the word of God, when he caught sight of two boats close to the bank. The fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats – it was Simon’s – and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.

  When he had finished speaking he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water and pay out your nets for a catch.’ ‘Master,’ Simon replied, ‘we worked hard all night long and caught nothing, but if you say so, I will pay out the nets.’ And when they had done this they netted such a huge number of fish that their nets began to tear, so they signalled to their companions in the other boat to come and help them; when these came, they filled the two boats to sinking point.

  When Simon Peter saw this he fell at the knees of Jesus saying, ‘Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man.’ For he and all his companions were completely overcome by the catch they had made; so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were Simon’s partners. But Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on it is men you will catch.’ Then, bringing their boats back to land, they left everything and followed him.

 

HUMILITY THE KEY TO THE WISDOM OF GOD

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 CORINTHIANS 3:18-23; LUKE 5:1-11]

When we read the challenges facing the Christian community in the early Church, we can take consolation that our Church today faces similar difficulties as well.  Like the early Church, we have to deal with scandals, cliques, oppositions and heresies.  Because of disagreements, backbiting and exclusivity, the Christian community is divided.   These issues will always be with us.  Christians, even though they profess their faith in Christ, are not perfect.  The Old Adam did not completely die in them.  What is the greatest of all the sins of Adam?  It is pride.

Indeed, the main cause of division is always pride.  Pride was the cause of the fall of the Devil and of our first parents.  Those of us who are intellectually proud think highly of our opinions and ourselves.  We enjoy intellectual debates and all the subtleties of arguments.  We want to prove to others that we know more.   We are always right.  Proud people think that they are so good and make themselves judges of others.  They enjoy finding fault with others, pointing out their mistakes, criticizing them and putting them down.  They listen to no one except themselves.  They do not listen to learn but to find fault to show that they are better.  Instead of looking at the content of the message, they would pay attention to the rhetoric and the delivery of the speech.

This is the worldly wisdom that St Paul was cautioning the early Christians about.  In contrast, St Paul urges the Christians at Corinth to go beyond worldly wisdom to seek the wisdom of God “Make no mistake about it: if any one of who thinks of himself as wise, in the ordinary sense of the word, then he must learn to be a fool before he really can be wise.  Why? Because the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God.  As scripture says: The Lord knows wise men’s thoughts: he knows how useless they are: or again: God is not convinced by the arguments of the wise.”   Worldly arguments cannot lead us to fullness of life.   Unspiritual and worldly people cannot see the deeper reality of life.

Indeed, Paul himself was a great rabbi and teacher endowed with a string of credentials.  He said, “If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more:  circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ.”  (cf Phil 3:4-8)

Indeed, Christian wisdom puts on the mind of Christ and sees everything from the perspective of the gospel.  It is illogical to the world and against human wisdom.  But precisely the way of the gospel contradicts the way of the world.  It is the way of the cross, the way of humility and humble service.  It is the way of poverty and simplicity.  It is the way of total dependence on God.  St Paul made it clear earlier when he said, “I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.  My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power.”  (cf 1 Cor 2:1-5) Christ chose Peter, a fisherman to be the leader of the Church, without education just like most of the other apostles.  The Lord indeed worked powerfully through them when they proclaimed the gospel.  Even the Sanhedrin, upon seeing “Peter and John were uneducated and ordinary men”, were amazed at their boldness “and recognized them as companions of Jesus.”  (Acts 4:13)

Intellectual pride is the primary obstacle in coming to know the Wisdom of God and His power working in our lives.  In contrast we have the example of Peter.  He too was an experienced fisherman.  When the Lord asked Peter to lay down the nets, he was hesitant too. He said, “Master, we worked hard all night long and caught nothing.”  From his professional standpoint, he was certain that there was no fish.   Yet, he was humble enough to listen to a carpenter telling him where to fish.  Going against his professional knowledge and experience, he listened to Jesus.  He said, “if you say so, I will pay out the nets.”  God showed where true wisdom lies, not in man’s intellectual knowledge but in His power.  For “when they had done this they netted such a huge number of fish that their nets began to tear, so they signalled to their companions in the other boat to come and help them; when these came, they filled the two boats to sinking point.”  God defeated human wisdom with His divine wisdom.

Unless we are willing to surrender our wisdom to God and trust in Him, we cannot see miracles at work in our lives.  This has always been the case of the miracles that Jesus performed.  Those without faith in Jesus, He worked no miracles.  But those who had faith in Jesus, whether it was Peter’s mother-in-law, the lepers, the blind men, the Centurion, the Synagogue Official, or the woman with hemorrhage, Jesus showed them that nothing was impossible for God, even to raise the dead back to life.  Many have never seen God’s power simply because they delimit God’s power to heal and to restore life.  They only trust in medicine and in doctors but not in the power of God.  

Sometimes it could be due to our spiritual pride.  When we think of ourselves as holier than others, we also prevent ourselves from encountering the mercy of God.  Some people cannot experience God’s mercy deeply simply because they have no consciousness of their sinfulness.  If Paul and Peter became great saints, it was because they were conscious of being great sinners.  St Paul confessed his scandalous sins when he wrote, “I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence.”  (1 Tim 1:13) As for St Peter, although he was obedient to our Lord in putting down the nets, he was still thinking that the Lord would be proven wrong.  But when he saw the catch, he was filled with shame at his presumptuous confidence.   Hence, immediately, “he fell at the knees of Jesus saying, ‘Leave me Lord; I am a sinful man.'”  He felt totally unworthy because of his pride.

Yet, there is something we can learn from both Paul and Peter as well.  What brought about their conversion was their encounter with the divine presence.  It was at Damascus that Paul encountered the light of Christ that brought him down from his high ground.   For Peter, it was when he saw the miraculous catch.  Both of them immediately recognized their human limitations and the divine presence.   It is when we encounter God’s presence radically, that our human pride is destroyed.  So long as we think highly of ourselves, we cannot truly change our lives.  However, when we go through a crisis, or when something marvelous happens in our lives, then we will know the power of God’s hand at work.  We must pray for such an encounter.

Of course, at the end of the day, such God-encounters are by the grace of God.   But we can prepare ourselves to receive such graces.  St Peter was listening to the Lord preaching before the Lord asked him to lay down the nets.  Jesus “got into one of the boats – it was Simon’s – and asked him to put out a little from the shore.  Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.”  So too was Paul.  He was psychologically prepared when he witnessed the stoning of St Stephen.  It was the beginning of his conversion because the seeds of faith were sown by the blood of Stephen.  So, for those who have not encountered God deeply as yet, let us learn to be docile like Peter and Paul.  Let us listen to the Word of God, pray deeply and perhaps, one day, He will come to us in a radical way.   Before His divine presence, all our sins, pride and selfishness will be burnt away.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved. 

 

 

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Tuesday, 1 September 2020

SPIRITUAL MATURITY MEANS LIVING OUT ONE’S IDENTITY

20200901 SPIRITUAL MATURITY MEANS LIVING OUT ONE’S IDENTITY

 

 

01 September, 2020, Tuesday, 22nd Week, Ordinary Time

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Green.

First reading

1 Corinthians 2:10-16 ©

The Spirit reaches even the depths of God

The Spirit reaches the depths of everything, even the depths of God. After all, the depths of a man can only be known by his own spirit, not by any other man, and in the same way the depths of God can only be known by the Spirit of God. Now instead of the spirit of the world, we have received the Spirit that comes from God, to teach us to understand the gifts that he has given us. Therefore we teach, not in the way in which philosophy is taught, but in the way that the Spirit teaches us: we teach spiritual things spiritually. An unspiritual person is one who does not accept anything of the Spirit of God: he sees it all as nonsense; it is beyond his understanding because it can only be understood by means of the Spirit. A spiritual man, on the other hand, is able to judge the value of everything, and his own value is not to be judged by other men. As scripture says: Who can know the mind of the Lord, so who can teach him? But we are those who have the mind of Christ.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 144(145):8-14 ©

The Lord is just in all his ways.

The Lord is kind and full of compassion,

  slow to anger, abounding in love.

How good is the Lord to all,

  compassionate to all his creatures.

The Lord is just in all his ways.

All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord,

  and your friends shall repeat their blessing.

They shall speak of the glory of your reign

  and declare your might, O God,

to make known to men your mighty deeds

  and the glorious splendour of your reign.

The Lord is just in all his ways.

Yours is an everlasting kingdom;

  your rule lasts from age to age.

The Lord is faithful in all his words

  and loving in all his deeds.

The Lord supports all who fall

  and raises all who are bowed down.

The Lord is just in all his ways.

Gospel Acclamation

Heb4:12

Alleluia, alleluia!

The word of God is something alive and active:

it can judge secret emotions and thoughts.

Alleluia!

Or:

Lk7:16

Alleluia, alleluia!

A great prophet has appeared among us;

God has visited his people.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 4:31-37 ©

'I know who you are: the Holy One of God'

Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath. And his teaching made a deep impression on them because he spoke with authority.

  In the synagogue there was a man who was possessed by the spirit of an unclean devil, and it shouted at the top of its voice, ‘Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God.’ But Jesus said sharply, ‘Be quiet! Come out of him!’ And the devil, throwing the man down in front of everyone, went out of him without hurting him at all. Astonishment seized them and they were all saying to one another, ‘What teaching! He gives orders to unclean spirits with authority and power and they come out.’ And reports of him went all through the surrounding countryside.

 

SPIRITUAL MATURITY MEANS LIVING OUT ONE’S IDENTITY

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 CORINTHIANS 2:10-16; LUKE 4:31-37 ]

Many of us are baptized in Christ but not many are living out their full identity as a child of God.  If we believe that we are children of God, then we must act and live in the Spirit.  What does it mean to live a life of Christian maturity?  

Spiritual maturity means that our knowledge of God is not based on some philosophical considerations.  Faith is not something that is reasoned but revealed to us by God.  This is why there are some teachings unspiritual people will never come to accept because they do not have the Spirit of Christ in them.  St Paul says, “Therefore, we teach, not in the way in which philosophy is taught, but in the way that the Spirit teaches us: we teach spiritual things spiritually.” St Paul earlier on underscored this fact when he wrote, “I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom.  My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.”  (1 Cor 2:1,4f) Only God can reveal Himself to us and only the Spirit of God can enlighten us about Him.  “The Spirit reaches the depths of everything, even the depths of God.”  Human wisdom will not be able to accept the dogma of the Incarnation, the resurrection, the Holy Trinity, the efficacy of the Sacraments, and the doctrines regarding Mary, hell, purgatory and heaven.   So, using reason alone cannot bring a person to faith unless God’s Spirit fills him with His truth and wisdom.

Secondly, spiritual maturity is more than just knowing God but knowing our identity as well.  In the gospel, we have an unclean spirit that calls out the name of Jesus revealing His identity.  He shouted at the top of his voice.  “Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth?  Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God.”  The devil, being a spirit, immediately sensed the presence of God in Jesus.  By calling out the name of Jesus, he thought that would distract Jesus and His focus on delivering the possessed man.  However, Jesus would not allow the unclean spirit to derail His intent on setting the possessed man free.  “Jesus said sharply, ‘Be quiet!  Come out of him!'”

The confidence and calmness of Jesus in His ministry, whether with respect to the way He taught or the way He dealt with evil forces, showed Jesus to be very much in control of Himself.  We also read that “Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught them on the Sabbath.  And his teaching made a deep impression on them because he spoke with authority.”   Jesus taught from the depth of His heart and from the depth of God.  He did not teach some philosophical truths or clever and sophisticated arguments.  Jesus’ teaching was clear and direct to the point, touching people’s lives and transforming them.   When the gospel said, Jesus taught with authority, what the author meant was that He taught in such a way that His listeners were able to immediately perceive the truth, not just philosophical truth but the existential truth.  Hence, the words of Jesus struck His listeners deeply because they spoke to them.

Indeed, Jesus showed Himself to be one who knew Himself, and God.  Unlike us, He was not afraid of the unclean spirits.  Jesus showed His power over the Evil One even when he sought to frighten our Lord by “throwing the man down in front of everyone.”  But as the evangelist wrote, the devil “went out of him without hurting him at all.”  Christ was not afraid of the evil spirits because He knew that the Spirit of God was with Him.   He had no fear because He was fully aware of His identity as the Son of the Father and that He was given the anointing of the Holy Spirit to cast out evil spirits and to announce the gospel with authority and the power of the Holy Spirit.  Indeed, we read that after the exorcism, “Astonishment seized them and they were all saying to one another, ‘What teaching!  He gives orders to unclean spirits with authority and power and they come out.'”  The authoritative teaching of Jesus was demonstrated by Jesus exercising His ministry in the power of the Spirit. 

Thirdly, spiritual maturity means that we are able to judge everything with the mind of Christ.  St Paul, writing to the Christians, gives us the criterion for determining whether we are spiritual men and women.   He says, “a spiritual man is able to judge the value of everything, and his own value is not to be judged by other men.”  Being spiritual requires us to see and judge everything in relation to Christ and the gospel.  It is to see life and situations from the perspective of Christ.  A true Christian who is spiritually mature will measure life by the same measure that Christ lived His life, and according to the teachings of Christ.  St Paul wrote, “As scripture says: Who can know the mind of the Lord, so who can teach him? But we are those who have the mind of Christ.”

But more than just living by the laws of Christ, a Christian sees the wisdom and the truth of what the Lord is teaching us.  Unlike the Israelites and the Jews, although some obeyed the law of Moses, they complied slavishly without understanding the laws as Moses had instructed them. “You must observe them diligently, for this will show your wisdom and discernment to the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and discerning people!'” (Dt 4:6) In other words, a Christian understands the depth of Christ’s word and therefore embraces the Word of God interiorly and not just externally.  St Paul says, “Now instead of the spirit of the world, we have received the Spirit that comes from God, to teach us to understand the gifts that he has given us.”

Spiritual maturity is only possible because we have the Spirit of God living in us.  St Paul says, “The Spirit reaches the depths of everything, even the depths of God.  After all, the depths of a man, and in the same way the depths of God can only be known by the Spirit of God.” This is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Jeremiah when he said, “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.”  (Jer 31:33f)

Today, we must recover our identity as the children of God.  We must reclaim our true identity as God’s children by virtue of our baptism.  St Paul wrote, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’  it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ – if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.”  (Rom 8:14-17) Conscious of our identity as God’s children, we will be able to not just live with confidence and with pride but also with the power of the Holy Spirit to do what Jesus did and “in fact, will do greater works than these.”  (cf Jn 14:12)

We must hear the Word of God anew if we want to grow in spiritual maturity.  Getting in touch with the Lord and being filled with His Spirit requires us to be in constant dialogue and contact with Him.  Only the Word of God can help us to discern the Spirit of God as Hebrews tells us, “Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”  Let us turn to the Word of God every day so that we can be guided by the Spirit and understand the wisdom of what the Word is saying to be able to use it “for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.’  (2 Tim 3:16)   Together with prayer, the Lord will guide us to make proper discernment as to what He wants us to do and how we should live our lives according to His will.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved. The contents of this page may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission from the Archbishop’s Office. This includes extracts, quotations, and summaries.

 

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