REACHING OUT TO THE LOST SHEEP

20220809 REACHING OUT TO THE LOST SHEEP

 

 

09 August, 2022, Tuesday, 19th Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

Ezekiel 2:8-3:4 ©

He gave me the scroll to eat and it was as sweet as honey

I, Ezekiel, heard a voice speaking. It said, ‘You, son of man, listen to the words I say; do not be a rebel like that rebellious set. Open your mouth and eat what I am about to give you.’ I looked. A hand was there, stretching out to me and holding a scroll. He unrolled it in front of me; it was written on back and front; on it was written ‘lamentations, wailings, moanings.’ He said, ‘Son of man, eat what is given to you; eat this scroll, then go and speak to the House of Israel.’ I opened my mouth; he gave me the scroll to eat and said, ‘Son of man, feed and be satisfied by the scroll I am giving you.’ I ate it, and it tasted sweet as honey.

  Then he said, ‘Son of man, go to the House of Israel and tell them what I have said.’

---

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 118(119):14,24,72,103,111,131 ©

Your promise is sweet to my taste, O Lord.

I rejoiced to do your will

  as though all riches were mine.

Your will is my delight;

  your statutes are my counsellors.

Your promise is sweet to my taste, O Lord.

The law from your mouth means more to me

  than silver and gold.

Your promise is sweeter to my taste

  than honey in the mouth.

Your promise is sweet to my taste, O Lord.

Your will is my heritage for ever,

  the joy of my heart.

I open my mouth and I sigh

  as I yearn for your commands.

Your promise is sweet to my taste, O Lord.

---

Gospel Acclamation

Mt11:25

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessed are you, Father, 

Lord of heaven and earth,

for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom

to mere children.

Alleluia!

Or:

Mt11:29

Alleluia, alleluia!

Shoulder my yoke and learn from me,

says the Lord,

for I am gentle and humble in heart.

Alleluia!

---

Gospel

Matthew 18:1-5,10,12-14 ©

Anyone who welcomes a little child in my name welcomes me

The disciples came to Jesus and said, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ So he called a little child to him and set the child in front of them. Then he said, ‘I tell you solemnly, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. And so, the one who makes himself as little as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

  ‘Anyone who welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.

  ‘See that you never despise any of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven are continually in the presence of my Father in heaven.

  ‘Tell me. Suppose a man has a hundred sheep and one of them strays; will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go in search of the stray? I tell you solemnly, if he finds it, it gives him more joy than do the ninety-nine that did not stray at all. Similarly, it is never the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.’

 

REACHING OUT TO THE LOST SHEEP

---

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [EZE 2:8-3:4 MT 18:1-5, 10, 12-14 ]

It is a fact that our churches are packed with worshippers every Sunday.  Many churches are alive and vibrant with activities and programs.  Priests are kept busy ministering to their parishioners.  Some are overworked and tired. Thanks to the migrants, it seems the Catholic Church is growing in Singapore.

The downside is that when our churches are full, it brings about complacency and a parochial mindset.  We have enough work to do.  Hence, we do not feel the need to reach out beyond our parish boundaries.  Perhaps, we have no more energy left after spending them on those who come to our churches.   Or it could be a feeling that we are growing so much and we have no more space for newcomers anyway.  At the same time, a growing number of Catholics also mean that effective formation of the members is weakened.  Whilst it is true that we might have more Catholics in attendance at our services, we wonder how well formed they are in their faith.   Are they fully alive, committed, empowered and faith-filled with a personal relationship with the Lord?  Or are our pews packed with ritualistic and nominal Catholics who do not really have any fervor in their faith?  Many do not understand their faith, the doctrines or even the liturgy they celebrate. Our young people cannot wait to complete their catechism classes so that they do not have to go for any more lessons.  Ironically, once having received the Sacrament of Confirmation, many young people stop coming to church eventually.  We can be very sure that many of our Catholics have been neglected, hurt, confused, misled and have left to join other denominations or other religions. Those who are nominal in their faith will eventually leave the Church as they do not find purpose, meaning and hope.  We do not have statistics unfortunately, but the number is not small.  Many more have left the Church and given up on God completely and live pagan, atheistic and materialistic lives.  These are the lost sheep today as mentioned in the gospel.

But to forget about our mission means we have failed in our responsibility.  When the Church is only functioning as a maintenance Church, providing services to its parishioners, it will eventually die as it lacks vision and mission.  In the gospel, Jesus made it clear that He came precisely for the lost sheep.  His heart was not so much for the self-righteous but for the sinners.  The parable of the lost sheep illustrates the heart of God.  Every sheep is important to God, even the little ones.  No one is insignificant to God.  As Jesus said, “See that you never despise any of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven are continually in the presence of my Father in heaven.” Whether they are sinners or children, they are all children of God.   God cares for every individual.  Jesus did not come to merely save humanity or a community.  He comes to save the individual as well.

The question that we need to ask as Church is, what are we doing for these lost sheep? Some might not be lost completely yet, but are wounded, confused, strayed and hungry. How are we feeding our faithful the Word of Life and nurturing them in the faith? What programs do we have and if there are such programs, are they effective in bringing them back to the Church?  How can we help our Catholics and those who are lapsed to be connected with God and find hope and solace in Him?  If we are not proactive in reaching out to them, then we do not have the heart of the Good Shepherd.  The truth is that whether we are clergy or active lay in Church ministry, we do not seem to see the urgency to reach out to all the lost sheep, not forgetting the very many people in the world seeking for meaning, purpose and life because they do not know Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life.  How can we be proactive when we are not even reactive to the current challenges facing the Church?  Merely being contented with those who come to our parishes means that we are missing out on the great opportunities presented to us in bringing Christ especially to those young and old Catholics who have lapsed and to the migrant Catholics as well.  Most of all, we have the big harvest waiting in the vineyard for us to reap in the many migrants who are searching for God.  However, unlike other Christian churches, we are slow to act.

What, then, does it take for us to be a truly evangelizing and missionary Church?  Today’s first reading gives us the clue.  Firstly, we read that God told the prophet, Ezekiel, “‘son of man, listen to the words I say; do not be a rebel like that rebellious set.  Open your mouth and eat what I am about to give you.’ I looked.  A hand was there, stretching out to me and holding a scroll.  He unrolled it in front of me; it was written on back and front; on it was written ‘lamentations, wailings, moanings.'”  In other words, if we were to reach out to all the lapsed, wounded, stray Catholics and those outside our churches, we must first learn to identity with them in their pain, hopelessness, hurts and confusion.  So long as we cannot feel with the sick, the abandoned, the marginalized, the lost and the oppressed, we will not see the need to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to alleviate their sufferings.  If the prophet was asked to eat the scroll of “lamentations, wailings, moanings”, it is in order that he might feel with God for His people.  Once we hear their cries and empathize with them in their pains, our hearts will be moved for them as God’s heart is moved by our sins.

Secondly, to reach out to such people, we ourselves must first find hope.  We must have already tasted the love of God.  Otherwise, how can we give what we have not got.  Once again, we hear God telling the prophet, “‘Son of man, eat what is given to you; eat the scroll, then go and speak to the House of Israel.’ I opened my mouth; he gave me the scroll to eat and said, ‘Son of man, feed and be satisfied by the scroll I am giving you.’ I ate it, and it tasted sweet as honey. Then he said, ‘Son of man, go to the House of Israel and tell them what I have said.'”

Indeed, passion for mission presupposes that we have tasted the goodness of the Lord in our lives. This was what gave the psalmist the confidence in God when he prayed, “How sweet to my taste is your promise! In the way of your decrees I rejoice, as much as in all riches. Yes, your decrees are my delight; they are my counselors. The law of your mouth is to me more precious than thousands of gold and silver pieces. How sweet to my palate are your promises, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Your decrees are my inheritance forever; the joy of my heart they are. I gasp with open mouth, in my yearning for your commands.”  Only when we have discovered the love and mercy of God, can we proclaim Him to others in thanksgiving.  Only the lost sheep appreciates the mercy of God when he is found.  Those who are lukewarm Catholics, neither dead nor alive, live their faith like a dead fish or dead bones.  There is no passion, no joy, no love or gratitude to God because we do not know we are lost because of our self-righteousness.  To be excited about Christ is the condition of proclamation.  Truly, until and unless we have been touched by the Lord’s love and mercy in our wretchedness, we will never know the heart of God and His love for us.  But if we have the grace to come to realize how ignorant, ungrateful and foolish we are in living a self-righteous or sinful, worldly way of life, then we will be powerful and zealous prophets and missionaries of our Lord.

---

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

CONSOLATION IN DESOLATION

20220808 CONSOLATION IN DESOLATION

 

 

08 August, 2022, Monday, 19th Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

Ezekiel 1:2-5,24-28 ©

Ezekiel's vision of the glory of the Lord

On the fifth of the month – it was the fifth year of exile for King Jehoiachin – the word of the Lord was addressed to the priest Ezekiel son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldaeans, on the bank of the river Chebar.

  There the hand of the Lord came on me. I looked; a stormy wind blew from the north, a great cloud with light around it, a fire from which flashes of lightning darted, and in the centre a sheen like bronze at the heart of the fire. In the centre I saw what seemed four animals. They looked like this. They were of human form. I heard the noise of their wings as they moved; it sounded like rushing water, like the voice of Shaddai, a noise like a storm, like the noise of a camp; when they halted, they folded their wings, and there was a noise.

  Above the vault over their heads was something that looked like a sapphire; it was shaped like a throne and high up on this throne was a being that looked like a man. I saw him shine like bronze, and close to and all around him from what seemed his loins upwards was what looked like fire; and from what seemed his loins downwards I saw what looked like fire, and a light all round like a bow in the clouds on rainy days; that is how the surrounding light appeared. It was something that looked like the glory of the Lord. I looked, and prostrated myself.

---

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 148:1-2,11-14 ©

Your glory fills all heaven and earth.

or

Alleluia!

Praise the Lord from the heavens,

  praise him in the heights.

Praise him, all his angels,

  praise him, all his host.

Your glory fills all heaven and earth.

or

Alleluia!

All earth’s kings and peoples,

  earth’s princes and rulers,

young men and maidens,

  old men together with children.

Your glory fills all heaven and earth.

or

Alleluia!

Let them praise the name of the Lord

  for he alone is exalted.

The splendour of his name

  reaches beyond heaven and earth.

Your glory fills all heaven and earth.

or

Alleluia!

He exalts the strength of his people.

  He is the praise of all his saints,

of the sons of Israel,

  of the people to whom he comes close.

Your glory fills all heaven and earth.

or

Alleluia!

---

Gospel Acclamation

Ps147:12,15

Alleluia, alleluia!

O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!

He sends out his word to the earth.

Alleluia!

Or:	cf.2Th2:14

Alleluia, alleluia!

Through the Good News God called us

to share the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Alleluia!

---

Gospel

Matthew 17:22-27 ©

'They will put the Son of Man to death'

One day when they were together in Galilee, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘The Son of Man is going to be handed over into the power of men; they will put him to death, and on the third day he will be raised to life again.’ And a great sadness came over them.

  When they reached Capernaum, the collectors of the half-shekel came to Peter and said, ‘Does your master not pay the half-shekel?’ ‘Oh yes’ he replied, and went into the house. But before he could speak, Jesus said, ‘Simon, what is your opinion? From whom do the kings of the earth take toll or tribute? From their sons or from foreigners?’ And when he replied, ‘From foreigners’, Jesus said, ‘Well then, the sons are exempt. However, so as not to offend these people, go to the lake and cast a hook; take the first fish that bites, open its mouth and there you will find a shekel; take it and give it to them for me and for you.’

 

CONSOLATION IN DESOLATION

---

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [EZEKIEL 1:2-5, 24-28; MATTHEW 17:22-27]

Most of us succumb to depression in the face of trials and difficulties.  We feel that God is no longer with us because of our sins and folly.   We condemn ourselves and give up on trying to do good even.

If we are feeling this way, then the scripture readings are meant to help us to see things in perspective.  Jesus said to His disciples “The Son of Man is going to be handed over into the power of men, they will put him to death, and on the third day he will be raised to life again.” In the face of the passion before Him Jesus did not allow Himself to fall into discouragement, unlike the apostles.  “And a great sadness came over them,” noted the evangelist. They were sad because they were unable to let the Master go, or to see Him suffer such a cruel, shameful and horrible death worse than that of John the Baptist.  Of course, they were also filled with sadness because they might have to share the fate of their master.

What was the motive for Jesus’ total commitment to His ministry even in the face of suffering and death?  In fact, this second passion prophecy of Jesus showed His resolution to go to Jerusalem to meet His passion and attain His glory.   He was not forced to suffer for us.  He willingly took upon Himself to die for us because of His love for His Father.  He was aware of His fate, but He did not run away from death to save His own skin.  If Jesus had the courage to go through the passion, it was because He knew His Father was with Him.

Indeed, this is the same message from the prophet Ezekiel to his people who were in exile in Babylon.  Ezekiel, who was a priest, was called to be a prophet for His people in exile.  Together with 10000 captives during the second wave of the exile to Babylon before the final destruction of Judah in 587 B.C, he was sent to give them hope and courage. He told them their exile would be long, 70 years!    They would have to suffer, but they would be restored eventually.

In the meantime, he wanted to assure them that God had not abandoned them.  He was still with them.  This is given in the mystical vision that Ezekiel received when the hand of the Lord came upon him.  In this vision, he saw the Lord in the form of four animals and on a throne.  There was also a wheel beside each of the four animals.  These animals had the face of a lion, an ox, an eagle and a man.  The Lion symbolized the strength and power of God; the ox symbolized servanthood, the eagle divinity, and the man represented intelligence. In other words, Ezekiel wanted to assure the exiled Israelites that God is powerful and great.  He knows all things and He is with them to restore them.

Finally, the wheel of the animals meant that this God is mobile.  He is not confined to some sanctuary or temple.  This God moves with man.  He is a trek-God, a God who lives and moves in their midst.  So even in exile from the Temple of Jerusalem, God was still with them.  He was not absent.  For this reason, we can cling to this hope of His presence even in our consolation.  We must not think that God is absent in our sinfulness or in our sadness, especially during difficult moments.  Rather, He is carrying us all the time, as the familiar story of the footprints tells us; when the man asked where God was He when he was suffering, God said that He was carrying Him, hence there was only one set of footprints in the sand.

This truth is reinforced in the gospel story as well.  This incident of the Temple tax is only found in St Matthew’s gospel, apparently because Matthew was a tax-collector and knew the requirements of every male Jew to pay their annual temple tax, which was about two days’ wages.  Scholars often wondered what this Temple Tax and the coin in the fish’s mouth had to do with the gospel and how it flowed from the earlier events.  It seems that for many, this miracle is out of place. Furthermore, Jesus never performed miracles for Himself as He even rejected the temptation of Satan to change stone into bread when He was hungry.

The theological message of this incident is to underscore what the first reading and the psalmist said, that God is the Lord of History and His glory fills the whole earth. “Your glory fills all heaven and earth.  Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights.  Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his host.  All earth’s kings and peoples, earth’s princes and rulers, young men and maidens, old men together with children. Let them praise the name of the Lord for he alone is exalted. The splendor of his name reaches beyond heaven and earth. He exalts the strength of his people. He is the praise of all his saints, of the sons of Israel, of the people to whom he comes close.”

Consequently, Jesus who is the Son of the Heavenly Father is not required to pay any taxes, since tax is never imposed on the family members but on outsiders and foreigners.  He was therefore exempt.   Not only was He exempted from rendering the tax, St Peter and the rest of His disciples were also exempted because Christ, by His passion and death, as prophesied earlier, will redeem them from the slavery of Satan.  They too have been placed with Christ and are now God’s children.  In other words, Christians too are exempted from paying taxes since we are children of the Heavenly Kingdom and God is our Father.  For this reason, Jesus instructed Peter to get the coin from the fish to pay the Temple tax, both for himself and for Him.  He said, “Well then, the sons are exempt. However, so as not to offend these people, go to the lake and cast a hook; take the first fish that bites open its mouth and there you will find a shekel; take it and give it to them for me and for you.”

Nevertheless, there is also a lesson to be learnt here.  Although God provides us all our needs, and heaven and earth belong to Him and therefore to us, we are called to cooperate with His grace.  St Peter was asked to catch the fish.  The shekel was not just given without his active cooperation.  So too, although it is true that God is with us in our darkness, pain, grief and desolation, God wants us to work through our pains and sufferings and come to accept His plan for us as Jesus did in accepting the will of God in His life.   We too must allow the sufferings of life to purify us like the Israelites in exile so that we can prepare to return to rebuild our lives.  We cannot live in our past, but as the prophet tells us, there is a rainbow in our struggles, as in the case of Noah.  “I saw what looked like fire, and a light all round like a bow in the clouds on rainy days; that is how the surrounding light appeared. It was something that looked like the glory of the Lord. I looked, and prostrated myself.”  The rainbow means that God is with us in our suffering and we are called to look beyond the rainbow to see the beauty and glory of God and His presence in our struggles and pains in life.

---

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

HAPPY THE PEOPLE THE LORD HAS CHOSEN AS HIS OWN

20220807 HAPPY THE PEOPLE THE LORD HAS CHOSEN AS HIS OWN

 

 

07 August, 2022, Sunday, 19th Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

Wisdom 18:6-9 ©

You made us glorious by calling us to you

That night had been foretold to our ancestors, so that,

once they saw what kind of oaths they had put their trust in,

they would joyfully take courage.

This was the expectation of your people,

the saving of the virtuous and the ruin of their enemies;

for by the same act with which you took vengeance on our foes

you made us glorious by calling us to you.

The devout children of worthy men offered sacrifice in secret

and this divine pact they struck with one accord:

that the saints would share the same blessings and dangers alike;

and forthwith they had begun to chant the hymns of the fathers.

---

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 32(33):1,12,18-20,22 ©

Happy are the people the Lord has chosen as his own.

Ring out your joy to the Lord, O you just;

  for praise is fitting for loyal hearts.

They are happy, whose God is the Lord,

  the people he has chosen as his own.

Happy are the people the Lord has chosen as his own.

The Lord looks on those who revere him,

  on those who hope in his love,

to rescue their souls from death,

  to keep them alive in famine.

Happy are the people the Lord has chosen as his own.

Our soul is waiting for the Lord.

  The Lord is our help and our shield.

May your love be upon us, O Lord,

  as we place all our hope in you.

Happy are the people the Lord has chosen as his own.

---

Second reading

Hebrews 11:1-2,8-19 ©

Abraham looked forward to a city founded, designed and built by God

Only faith can guarantee the blessings that we hope for, or prove the existence of the realities that at present remain unseen. It was for faith that our ancestors were commended.

  It was by faith that Abraham obeyed the call to set out for a country that was the inheritance given to him and his descendants, and that he set out without knowing where he was going. By faith he arrived, as a foreigner, in the Promised Land, and lived there as if in a strange country, with Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. They lived there in tents while he looked forward to a city founded, designed and built by God.

  It was equally by faith that Sarah, in spite of being past the age, was made able to conceive, because she believed that he who had made the promise would be faithful to it. Because of this, there came from one man, and one who was already as good as dead himself, more descendants than could be counted, as many as the stars of heaven or the grains of sand on the seashore.

  All these died in faith, before receiving any of the things that had been promised, but they saw them in the far distance and welcomed them, recognising that they were only strangers and nomads on earth. People who use such terms about themselves make it quite plain that they are in search of their real homeland. They can hardly have meant the country they came from, since they had the opportunity to go back to it; but in fact they were longing for a better homeland, their heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, since he has founded the city for them.

  It was by faith that Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac. He offered to sacrifice his only son even though the promises had been made to him and he had been told: It is through Isaac that your name will be carried on. He was confident that God had the power even to raise the dead; and so, figuratively speaking, he was given back Isaac from the dead.

---

Gospel Acclamation

Mt11:25

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessed are you, Father, 

Lord of heaven and earth,

for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom

to mere children.

Alleluia!

Or:	Mt24:42 44

Alleluia, alleluia!

Stay awake and stand ready,

because you do not know the hour

when the Son of Man is coming.

Alleluia!

---

Gospel

Luke 12:32-48 ©

You too must stand ready

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘There is no need to be afraid, little flock, for it has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom.

  ‘Sell your possessions and give alms. Get yourselves purses that do not wear out, treasure that will not fail you, in heaven where no thief can reach it and no moth destroy it. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

  ‘See that you are dressed for action and have your lamps lit. Be like men waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, ready to open the door as soon as he comes and knocks. Happy those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. I tell you solemnly, he will put on an apron, sit them down at table and wait on them. It may be in the second watch he comes, or in the third, but happy those servants if he finds them ready. You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what hour the burglar would come, he would not have let anyone break through the wall of his house. You too must stand ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’

  Peter said, ‘Lord, do you mean this parable for us, or for everyone?’ The Lord replied, ‘What sort of steward, then, is faithful and wise enough for the master to place him over his household to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? Happy that servant if his master’s arrival finds him at this employment. I tell you truly, he will place him over everything he owns. But as for the servant who says to himself, “My master is taking his time coming,” and sets about beating the menservants and the maids, and eating and drinking and getting drunk, his master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. The master will cut him off and send him to the same fate as the unfaithful.

  The servant who knows what his master wants, but has not even started to carry out those wishes, will receive very many strokes of the lash. The one who did not know, but deserves to be beaten for what he has done, will receive fewer strokes. When a man has had a great deal given him, a great deal will be demanded of him; when a man has had a great deal given him on trust, even more will be expected of him.’

 

HAPPY THE PEOPLE THE LORD HAS CHOSEN AS HIS OWN

---

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Wis 18:6-9; Ps 33; Heb 11:1-2,8-19 (or Heb 11:1-2,8-12); Lk 12:32-48 (or Lk 12:35-40)]

It is indeed a great privilege and honour to be chosen for a public office or a position in an organization.   Those of us who are appointed especially for public office are grateful for the trust and honour given to them.  In the same vein, when we are promoted to a higher office in an organization, we feel a great sense of achievement, not so much because we are promoted but because it is a recognition of our hard work, commitment and ability.  Certainly, the servant in the gospel who was appointed to take charge of his fellow servants also felt honoured that the master would trust him to take care of his household and his other servants. 

Unfortunately, the danger is that when we assume high office and power, it can often lead to abuses.  Instead of using our office for the common good, for the service of our fellowmen, promoting their interests and wellbeing, we use our office to promote ourselves, indulge in the privileges and enrich our pockets.  We forget that we have been chosen to serve the One who has appointed us to the position and those entrusted to our care.  This was the case of the servant in today’s gospel.  “The servant who says to himself, ‘My master is taking his time coming”, and sets about beating the menservants and the maids, and eating and drinking and getting drunk.”  Indeed, the more powerful we are, the more is the temptation to make use of people for our selfish gains and not for the greater good of the people we serve.  We see such abuses not just in the political or corporate world but even among clergy and religious.

Abuses of power, office and privileges are a betrayal of the trust given to us.  We are unfaithful to the responsibility that comes with the election and the trust.  We cause scandals.  Of course, not all weaknesses of leaders are deliberate or malicious, but leaders are also weak and are tempted to the same sins as those of their fellowmen.  In fact, the devil tempts leaders more than others because this is how he destroys society and humanity.  By making the leaders fall into greed, anger, lust, and pride, they will lose their authority.   This explains why we always ask people to pray for their leaders.  When the leaders fall, the entire community will suffer the consequence.

Hence, those in leadership are called to examine their conduct and commitment to what they have been appointed to.  Peter said, “‘Lord, do you mean this parable for us, or for everyone?’ The Lord replied, ‘What sort of steward, then, is faithful and wise enough for the master to place him over his household to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? Happy that servant if his master’s arrival finds him at this employment. I tell you truly, he will place him over everything he owns.'”  A leader must always be responsible, accountable and faithful to his tasks.  He is accountable not just to his fellowmen or to those who appointed him, but he is ultimately faithful to God.  A leader therefore cannot be complacent, slothful, self-indulgent but he is called to put himself completely at the service of God, his organization ad his people.  

The failure to act responsibly and work diligently will result in punishment either in this life or the next as the Lord warned, “His master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. The master will cut him off and send him to the same fate as the unfaithful.”  Indeed, when leaders abuse their power and office, they will eventually fall and suffer shame, humiliation and condemnation.  Even if they are able to escape from punishment in this world, their conscience will condemn them.  They will not die in peace knowing that they had abused their position and trust of those who appointed them.   They live in guilt and eventually when they die, they would be punished accordingly by their sins.

Indeed, the Lord made it clear that reward and punishment will be meted out according to one’s fidelity to his position in life.  The greater the responsibility, the greater the reward or punishment especially when one chooses to sin deliberately knowing that it is wrong.  As the Lord said, “The servant who knows what his master wants, but has not even started to carry out those wishes, will receive very many strokes of the lash. The one who did not know but deserves to be beaten for what he has done, will receive fewer strokes. When a man has had a great deal given him, a great deal will be demanded of him; when a man has had a great deal given him on trust, even more will be expected of him.”

In the second reading from the letter to the Hebrews, Abraham is presented as someone who was responsible to his calling in life.  He was chosen to be the Father of nations.  But it was beyond his imagination how this would be realized.  The letter to the Hebrews said, “It was by faith that Abraham obeyed the call to set out for a country that was the inheritance given to him and his descendants, and that he set out without knowing where he was going.  By faith he arrived, as a foreigner, in the Promised Land, and lived there as if in a strange country, with Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. They lived there in tents while he looked forward to a city founded, designed and built by God.”

Abraham was childless and so the first thing that was needed was for him to have a child.  He trusted that God would give him a child although he did not know how as both he and Sarah were old and beyond childbearing age.   Still he clung on to his faith in God that somehow He would provide.  True enough, one day, Isaac was born. “It was equally by faith that Sarah, in spite of being past the age, was made able to conceive, because she believed that he who had made the promise would be faithful to it. Because of this, there came from one man, and one who was already as good as dead himself, more descendants than could be counted, as many as the stars of heaven or the grains of sand on the seashore.”

But sometime later, he was again tested for his fidelity.  He was asked to sacrifice his only son.  “It was by faith that Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac. He offered to sacrifice his only son even though the promises had been made to him and he had been told: It is through Isaac that your name will be carried on. He was confident that God had the power even to raise the dead; and so, figuratively speaking, he was given back Isaac from the dead.” 

Indeed, the capacity to live out our responsibility is dependent firstly on faith.   Without a deep faith in God, we will depend on ourselves.  Instead of relying on God, we rely on the world.  This is how we become proud, distracted and absorbed by the world.   So faith is paramount in rendering justice to what the Lord has called us to do and for what we have been tasked.  It is not important where we are appointed or what we are called to do.  Happiness is not about position or office but serving faithfully according to the position the Lord has entrusted to us.  It is not for us to decide where we want to be.  Happiness requires us to trust God wherever He assigns us and whatever He calls us to do.

Secondly, the capacity to be faithful to our office and position in life comes when we realize that before we are even appointed for an office, our greatest dignity is not that we have been chosen for an office but as the responsorial psalm says, we have been chosen as His own.  It is our awareness that we all belong to God as His sheep and His sons and daughters that should give us cause to feel great and happy.  What position we hold in the world cannot be compared to who we are before the eyes of God.  We are called to be with Him as His brothers and sisters.  Our ultimate joy and happiness is to be included among the saints of God and sharing in the heavenly banquet.  We have a foretaste of this banquet whenever we celebrate the Eucharist for as the Lord said, “Happy those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. I tell you solemnly, he will put on an apron, sit them down at table and wait on them. It may be in the second watch he comes, or in the third, but happy those servants if he finds them ready.”  Jesus serves us His body and blood at every eucharistic celebration.  So our great rejoicing is not that we are given such great honour in the eyes of the world but that we are His chosen ones, His own, His children.  This joy cannot be compared to worldly honour.

---

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

 

A GOD-ENCOUNTER LEADS TO CONVICTED FAITH AND WITNESS

20220806 A GOD-ENCOUNTER LEADS TO CONVICTED FAITH AND WITNESS

 

 

06 August, 2022, Saturday, The Transfiguration of the Lord

First reading

Daniel 7:9-10,13-14 ©

His robe was white as snow

As I watched:

Thrones were set in place

and one of great age took his seat.

His robe was white as snow,

the hair of his head as pure as wool.

His throne was a blaze of flames,

its wheels were a burning fire.

A stream of fire poured out,

issuing from his presence.

A thousand thousand waited on him,

ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.

A court was held

and the books were opened.

I gazed into the visions of the night.

And I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven,

one like a son of man.

He came to the one of great age

and was led into his presence.

On him was conferred sovereignty,

glory and kingship,

and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants.

His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty

which shall never pass away,

nor will his empire ever be destroyed.

---

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 96(97):1-2,5-6,9 ©

The Lord is king, most high above all the earth.

The Lord is king, let earth rejoice,

  let all the coastlands be glad.

Cloud and darkness are his raiment;

  his throne, justice and right.

The Lord is king, most high above all the earth.

The mountains melt like wax

  before the Lord of all the earth.

The skies proclaim his justice;

  all peoples see his glory.

The Lord is king, most high above all the earth.

For you indeed are the Lord

  most high above all the earth,

  exalted far above all spirits.

The Lord is king, most high above all the earth.

---

When a Feast of the Lord falls on a weekday, there is no reading after the Psalm and before the Gospel.

---

Gospel Acclamation

Mt17:5

Alleluia, alleluia!

This is my Son, the Beloved:

he enjoys my favour.

Listen to him.

Alleluia!

---

Gospel

Luke 9:28-36 ©

Jesus is transfigured before them

Jesus took with him Peter and John and James and went up the mountain to pray. As he prayed, the aspect of his face was changed and his clothing became brilliant as lightning. Suddenly there were two men there talking to him; they were Moses and Elijah appearing in glory, and they were speaking of his passing which he was to accomplish in Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were heavy with sleep, but they kept awake and saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As these were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ – He did not know what he was saying. As he spoke, a cloud came and covered them with shadow; and when they went into the cloud the disciples were afraid. And a voice came from the cloud saying, ‘This is my Son, the Chosen One. Listen to him.’ And after the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. The disciples kept silence and, at that time, told no one what they had seen.

 

A GOD-ENCOUNTER LEADS TO CONVICTED FAITH AND WITNESS

---

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [DN 7:9-10, 13-14; OR 2 PT 1:16-19; LK 9:28-36]

What is the basis for our faith in Christ?  What is the basis for our vocation and passion for evangelization? Is it theology?  Is it based on philosophical reasoning?  Is it founded on doctrines?  To some extent, knowledge does lead to a greater faith. As Pope St John Paul II says, “Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth – in a word, to know himself – so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves.” However, a faith that is largely cerebral in nature would not move mountains. God is ineffable. There are certain things that cannot be conceived or grasped by the human mind. We need revelation from God to understand Him.

That is why the second reading speaks of the truth of prophecies – “So we have confirmation of what was said in prophecies; and you will be right to depend on prophecy and take it as a lamp for lighting a way through the dark until the dawn comes and the morning star rises in your minds.” Things of God are often spoken of in terms of visions and imagery (as in the First Reading taken from the Book of Daniel) but imagery must not be misconstrued as myth but as attempts to convey the mystery. Ultimately, it is not only through reason but a convicted heart that faith becomes alive and lived out in testimony. As St Thomas Aquinas says, “Love takes up where knowledge leaves off.” 

The unravelling and challenge of faith is portrayed in the same chapter of Luke, in the preceding verses, when Jesus asked the disciples “Who do the crowds say I am, who do you say I am.” He then went on to speak about His suffering and death. This must have seemed incomprehensible to the disciples, who were expecting anything but the death of the Messiah. It was as if Jesus was talking gibberish. A leap of faith, a God-encounter was therefore required by the disciples, to believe that their Master was not just a preacher or some faith-healer but God Himself. In the last book of the Old Testament, in the last chapter, the prophet Malachi (written in 5^th century B.C) talks about the day of the coming of the Lord and makes a specific reference to Moses and Elijah. “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel. See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.” To see Jesus (the New Testament) with Moses and Elijah (from the Old Testament) and to hear the voice of God saying, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; he enjoys my favour’, led the disciples to believe. It was thus through a God-encounter in the Transfiguration that Peter, James and John came to believe that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, the fulfilment of the prophecies of the Old Testament.

We see the power of this God-encounter repeated in scripture in the conversion of Saul and echoed in the lives of many saints and missionaries who gave up wealth and comfort, venturing courageously to the far-flung ends of the earth to proclaim Christ. We see this reality also at home in the Conversion Experience Retreat where lives are transformed after a God-encounter. It is no wonder therefore that the key to a convicted faith and witness lies in an initial God-encounter. Hence, the thrust of the New Evangelization is encapsulated in this as Pope St John Paul II aptly crystallises, “The New Evangelization is not a matter of merely passing on doctrine but rather of a personal and profound meeting with the Saviour.”

Yet, a God-encounter does not end in private faith. It must move us to testimony and witness. “‘Master, it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah’ – He did not know what he was saying.'” Peter was not allowed to dwell on the mountain but he had to follow Jesus to Jerusalem and thereafter, to testify with his life. Testimonies of our God-encounters are therefore important to keep our faith alive. In the second reading, Peter testified to the Transfiguration, “It was not any cleverly invented myths that we were repeating when we brought you the knowledge of the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; we had seen his majesty for ourselves.” We know that it is not a myth because his testimony is verified in history through the life, passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. The transformation of the disciples’ lives and their capacity to vouch for their testimony even in the face of death, demonstrates their credibility.

To be zealous like the apostles in proclaiming Christ, the spark of faith therefore must be kept alive through our God-encounters – through contemplative prayer, reading the Word, celebrating the Liturgy, Eucharistic adoration, in community and testimonies. In the Old Testament, the mountain was a place where one could come close to God. Hence, whenever God was to be encountered we see Moses and Elijah ascending the mountains. Likewise, Jesus took with Him Peter, John and James and went up the mountain to pray. In those days, it was believed as well that their faces had to be covered lest they are struck dead when they encountered God face to face. How fortunate we are today. Jesus has broken the barrier between God and man. We no longer have the God of the Old Testament who is veiled behind a cloud but comes to us directly in the Eucharist. We do not have to scale mountains, nor veil our eyes; yet, how often do we make time to meet God.

Hence, if our faith needs renewal, let us remember our God-encounters and make time once again to meet Him. As the psalmist says, “Remember the marvels the Lord worked for us, indeed we were glad.” Remembering our own God-encounters and through the testimonies of others, we can once again surrender all our troubles to the Lord in faith, with the conviction that Jesus is Lord! “For you indeed are the Lord most high above all the earth, exalted far above all spirits.” So let us not be afraid to testify to the wonders that the Lord has worked for us. A faith lived out in conviction and testimony keeps the faith alive not only for ourselves but for others too. Only then can people say, “Jesus is alive, alive forever more!”

---

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