Sunday, 8 October 2023

THE TRAGEDY OF INGRATITUDE

20231008       THE TRAGEDY OF INGRATITUDE

 

 

08 October 2023, Sunday, 27th Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

Isaiah 5:1-7 ©

Against the Lord’s vineyard

Let me sing to my friend

the song of his love for his vineyard.

My friend had a vineyard

on a fertile hillside.

He dug the soil, cleared it of stones

and planted choice vines in it.

In the middle he built a tower,

he dug a press there too.

He expected it to yield grapes,

but sour grapes were all that it gave.

And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem

and men of Judah,

I ask you to judge

between my vineyard and me.

What could I have done for my vineyard

that I have not done?

I expected it to yield grapes.

Why did it yield sour grapes instead?

Very well, I will tell you

what I am going to do to my vineyard:

I will take away its hedge for it to be grazed on,

and knock down its wall for it to be trampled on.

I will lay it waste, unpruned, undug;

overgrown by the briar and the thorn.

I will command the clouds

to rain no rain on it.

Yes, the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts

is the House of Israel,

and the men of Judah

that chosen plant.

He expected justice, but found bloodshed,

integrity, but only a cry of distress.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 79(80):9,12-16,19-20 ©

The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.

You brought a vine out of Egypt;

  to plant it you drove out the nations.

It stretched out its branches to the sea,

  to the Great River it stretched out its shoots.

The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.

Then why have you broken down its walls?

  It is plucked by all who pass by.

It is ravaged by the boar of the forest,

  devoured by the beasts of the field.

The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.

God of hosts, turn again, we implore,

  look down from heaven and see.

Visit this vine and protect it,

  the vine your right hand has planted.

The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.

And we shall never forsake you again;

  give us life that we may call upon your name.

God of hosts, bring us back;

  let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.

The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.

Second reading

Philippians 4:6-9 ©

If there is anything you need, pray for it.

There is no need to worry; but if there is anything you need, pray for it, asking God for it with prayer and thanksgiving, and that peace of God, which is so much greater than we can understand, will guard your hearts and your thoughts, in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, fill your minds with everything that is true, everything that is noble, everything that is good and pure, everything that we love and honour, and everything that can be thought virtuous or worthy of praise. Keep doing all the things that you learnt from me and have been taught by me and have heard or seen that I do. Then the God of peace will be with you.

Gospel Acclamation

Jn15:15

Alleluia, alleluia!

I call you friends, says the Lord,

because I have made known to you

everything I have learnt from my Father.

Alleluia!

Or:

cf.Jn15:16

Alleluia, alleluia!

I chose you from the world

to go out and bear fruit,

fruit that will last,

says the Lord.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 21:33-43 ©

This is the landlord's heir: come, let us kill him

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people, ‘Listen to another parable. There was a man, a landowner, who planted a vineyard; he fenced it round, dug a winepress in it and built a tower; then he leased it to tenants and went abroad. When vintage time drew near he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his servants, thrashed one, killed another and stoned a third. Next he sent some more servants, this time a larger number, and they dealt with them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them. “They will respect my son” he said. But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, “This is the heir. Come on, let us kill him and take over his inheritance.” So they seized him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’ They answered, ‘He will bring those wretches to a wretched end and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will deliver the produce to him when the season arrives.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the scriptures:

It was the stone rejected by the builders

that became the keystone.

This was the Lord’s doing

and it is wonderful to see?

‘I tell you, then, that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.’

 

THE TRAGEDY OF INGRATITUDE

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ISAIAH 5:1-7; PHILIPPIANS 4:6-9; MATTHEW 21:33-43]

Ingratitude is the underlying root of the failure to respond positively to what we have received in life.  When we do not value the gift we have received, we tend to abuse it or neglect to use it well.  How often have we received gifts from people but because we do not appreciate them, we put them aside and eventually forget about them?  If only the giver knew how little we value their gifts, they would not have made so much sacrifices and time to procure it for us, believing that it is for our good and happiness.

This is the theme of this Sunday’s scripture readings.  The liturgy wants us to reflect on the grace of God given to us.  In life, everything is grace.  How often we forget!  We think that it is our hard work alone that has enabled us to achieve our successes in life.  We fail to realize that without the grace of God, we would have not been able to be where we are today.  The grace of God comes to us in many ways, in our innate talents, health, financial ability, good friends and teachers, contacts and opportunities.  We cannot make these factors for success happen but they are givens in life.  We did not work for them.

This is precisely what both parables of the vineyard underscore, namely, the graciousness of God.  Israel was the vineyard of the Lord.  In His kindness and graciousness, God chose Israel to be His vineyard.  They were slaves in Egypt and nomads in the desert.  However, God gave them the Promised Land so that they could cultivate crops and be prosperous.  God gave them the Covenant and the Law so that the country would be united and the people live in peace. They were supposedly the exemplar of how the People of God should conduct themselves and so be the light of the nations.  It was indeed such a great privilege.  Moses said to the People, “the Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on earth to be his people, his treasured possession. It was not because you were more numerous than any other people that the Lord set his heart on you and chose you – for you were the fewest of all peoples.”  (Dt 7:6f) Indeed, the Lord gave them all that were needed for them to grow and become prosperous.  “My friend had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug the soil, cleared it of stones, and planted choice vines in it. In the middle he built a tower, he dug a press there too.”

In choosing Israel, God also showed His trust in them.  God gave them freedom to act responsibly.   “He leased it to tenants and went abroad.”  God entrusted His vineyard to them to cultivate.  He left it to them to do what they would with it according to the talents, resources and opportunities the Lord had given to them.  He did not check on them like a hawk.  God was not only gracious but also trusting.  Indeed, no greater gift can we give to a person than to trust a person with responsibilities.  When we are given a responsible job, a big task to handle, a mega-project, it means that those who delegate us the work have confidence in us and believe that we can deliver.

Alas, instead of producing juicy and sweet grapes, the landowner was greatly disappointed because “sour grapes were all that it gave.”  The Lord said, “I ask you to judge between my vineyard and me. What could I have done for my vineyard that I have not done? I expected it to yield grapes. Why did it yield sour grapes instead?” God posed this question to Israel.  The leaders and the people were supposed to develop the Promised Land, build up the People of God, and rule the country justly so that all could share in the benefits of the land.  But there was corruption, oppression, injustices and cheating, which weakened and divided the people internally.   They received the grace of God in vain.

This same drama is also played out in our life as well.  We too have received much graces from God.  How often have we taken for granted the comforts we have in life; our house, our food, our health, our education, our jobs, our loved ones and friends; and our faith.  God has blessed us all with these gifts.  Unfortunately, we often forget that all these are gifts from God.  We fail to appreciate them adequately.  We have been provided with education but we waste our time idling instead of making use of the opportunity to study.  We have been blessed with a loving spouse and loving children but instead of spending time with them, caring for them and putting them first in our lives, we spend more time in social engagements and all our time on our work.  What is worse, because of our exposure to the world, we are often tempted to pleasure, sex and sin.  Instead of being grateful for our work and the position entrusted to us, we do not take our work seriously.  We are not diligent and are careless.  Some of us even cheat our organizations.  So too, the gift of faith.  Many of us, especially cradle Catholics who are born into the faith, tend to take it for granted.  We do not nurture it, continue to be formed in the faith and grow in spiritual life.  We do not celebrate the sacraments regularly or spend time praying the scriptures.

Yet, in spite of our negligence and ingratitude, God, as our Prodigal Father, is always generous, merciful, patient and accommodating.  Just as He kept sending prophet after prophet to appeal to Israel to wake up to their sinful state of life and repent, God also sends us messengers, through our friends, our colleagues, our superiors, and through failures and suffering to alert us of our need to take the graces and gifts of God responsibly.  God was not simply contented to send His servants, the prophets, but His Only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.  Yet, instead of being grateful that God sent His messengers to call us to repentance, we react negatively.  We are angry with our bosses for pointing out our weaknesses and mistakes.  We become defensive and bitter.  We are angry and resentful of our parents who care for us when they seek to guide us to live a good and responsible life.  We are annoyed with the Church for her moral teachings on living an authentic life.  We think God, the Church, our loved ones and our bosses are against us because they take away our freedom.

Indeed, the choice is really ours.  Jesus said to the Jews, “Have you never read in the scriptures: It was the stone rejected by the builders that became the keystone.”  We can see the prophets and messengers of God and our faith in Christ as the cornerstone of our life and our happiness, or we can see them as a stone that causes us to trip and fall, because they make our lives inconvenient and difficult, or worse still, by failing to listen to the warning, let the stone crush us completely.  “The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.”  (Mt 21:44) Jesus warned the Jews and us of the consequences.  Like the Israelites, the vineyard was run down by their enemies eventually.  He said, “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end. I tell you, then, that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.”  We, too, will face the same consequences if we do not take heed of the grace given to us.  We, too, will allow complacency, negligence and ingratitude to lead us into self damnation.  Ironically, those who are converts and repentant will be the ones who will find fullness of life than those so-called “old” Catholics.

Indeed, we must take heed of the exhortation of St Paul in the second reading.  He urges us to place our trust in God.  “If there is anything you need, pray for it, asking God for it with prayer and thanksgiving, and that peace of God, which is so much greater than we can understand, will guard your hearts and your thoughts, in Christ Jesus.”  In gratitude and trust, we will find peace in our lives.  Next, we find peace by filling our minds “with everything that is true, everything that is noble, everything that is good and pure, everything that we love and honour, and everything that can be thought virtuous or worthy of praise.”  Most of all, let us put into practice all that we have heard and learned as St Paul advises us, “Keep doing all the things that you learnt from me and have been taught by me and have heard or seen that I do. Then the God of peace will be with you.”

Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved. 

 

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Friday, 6 October 2023

PRAYING AND CONTEMPLATING WITH MARY

20231007      PRAYING AND CONTEMPLATING WITH MARY

 

 

07 October 2023, Saturday, Our Lady of the Rosary

First reading

Acts 1:12-14 ©

The apostles all joined in continuous prayer with Mary, the mother of Jesus

After Jesus was taken up into heaven the apostles went back from the Mount of Olives, as it is called, to Jerusalem, a short distance away, no more than a sabbath walk; and when they reached the city they went to the upper room where they were staying; there were Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Jude son of James. All these joined in continuous prayer, together with several women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

Responsorial Psalm

Luke 1:46-55 ©

The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy is his name!

or

Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of the eternal Father.

My soul glorifies the Lord,

  my spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour.

The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy is his name!

or

Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of the eternal Father.

He looks on his servant in her nothingness;

  henceforth all ages will call me blessed.

The Almighty works marvels for me.

  Holy his name!

The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy is his name!

or

Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of the eternal Father.

His mercy is from age to age,

  on those who fear him.

He puts forth his arm in strength

  and scatters the proud-hearted.

The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy is his name!

or

Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of the eternal Father.

He casts the mighty from their thrones

  and raises the lowly.

He fills the starving with good things,

  sends the rich away empty.

The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy is his name!

or

Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of the eternal Father.

He protects Israel, his servant,

  remembering his mercy,

the mercy promised to our fathers,

  to Abraham and his sons for ever.

The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy is his name!

or

Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of the eternal Father.

Gospel Acclamation

cf.Lk1:28

Alleluia, alleluia!

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee!

Blessed art thou among women.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 1:26-38 ©

'I am the handmaid of the Lord'

The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. He went in and said to her, ‘Rejoice, so highly favoured! The Lord is with you.’ She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, ‘Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God’s favour. Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?’ ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you’ the angel answered ‘and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. Know this too: your kinswoman Elizabeth has, in her old age, herself conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God.’ ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord,’ said Mary ‘let what you have said be done to me.’ And the angel left her.

 

PRAYING AND CONTEMPLATING WITH MARY

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ACTS 1:12-14; LUKE 1:26-38]

Today, we celebrate the Memorial of the Holy Rosary.   In celebrating this feast in honour of Our Lady of the Rosary, the Church wants to encourage the faithful to cultivate this devotion to our Lady and our Blessed Lord.  For many, the rosary is boring, repetitive and mechanical.  It does not change lives, increase our faith or strengthen our love for God and our Lady.  This explains why some Catholics no longer pray the rosary.

To benefit from the rosary, we must therefore consider how the Church wants us to pray. In the first reading, we read how the apostles went back to Jerusalem after our Lord had ascended into heaven.  They gathered at the Upper Room. “All these joined in continuous prayer, together with several women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.”  It is significant that St Luke specifically singled out Mary with the apostles coming together to pray continuously.  It shows the importance of Mary in the context of prayer.  They could not have prayed deeply without the assistance of Mary, much less still to pray continuously.  Why is this so?

Mary provides the key to unlock the mystery of the person of Jesus.  No one knows Jesus more than she did.  Mary who took care of Jesus and lived with Him for 30 years would surely know the mind and heart of Jesus more than anyone else.  If anyone were to know the person of Jesus intimately, it would be Mary.  Furthermore, Mary was with Him in the background when Jesus went about His public ministry, coming to the fore only when our Lord was facing the greatest crisis in His life.  As a mother, Mary did not want to overshadow our Lord in His ministry or show herself to be in control of Him.  Rather, she looked from afar, and certainly must have joined Him in spirit and in prayer.  However, when the Lord was alone at His passion and especially when He was hanging on the cross, Mary His mother returned to be with Him when all others had abandoned Him.  Indeed, Mary holds the key to understanding Jesus’ person, His mind, His heart and His desire for humanity.

We must ask ourselves how the apostles, the disciples and Mary prayed unceasingly.  Most likely they prayed the psalms, as this was the Prayer Book of the Jews.  Besides the psalms, they would have read the Old Testament scripture to see how the promises of God through the prophets have been fulfilled in our Lord’s ministry, passion, death and resurrection.   However, this would entail going back to the life of our Lord. The unceasing prayer of Mary and the disciples therefore could not have simply comprised of vocal prayers and unceasing articulation of their desires and petitions or even praises.  If they had prayed for ten days in the Upper Room unceasingly, vocal prayer would have led to contemplative prayer.  Indeed, only in contemplative prayer do we pray unceasingly because prayer is not so much words or what we say or even think, but when we are in union of mind and heart with God.  Even if we are not saying anything or even thinking, but if our minds and hearts are consciously or even unconsciously in union with God, we are praying unceasingly.

For the apostles and Mary, after the vocal prayer had ceased, contemplation would have begun.  Where would their thoughts have led them in their contemplation if not to the resurrection and death of our Lord?  Take note of the order, the resurrection and death of our Lord; not death and resurrection.  Why is this so?  Because in the order of reflection, we always begin with what is most recent before we move backwards to the remote past.  The recent events are those that occupy us most, as they are still vivid in our memories.  However, as we seek to savour, relish or think through the recent events, we will find connection and understanding by linking them to the past.

Is not this the way the scripture was written?  The first book written in the Bible was not Genesis, although chronologically it is the first.  Modern scholars think that the book of Genesis was written around 6th or 5th century B.C.  So, too, the gospels as well.  They were written backwards, beginning with the most recent events.  The first part of the gospel was the passion and resurrection narratives.  Without the passion and resurrection accounts, there would have been no story about the ministry of our Lord.  The infancy narrative was the last part of the gospel to be written, and that is why St Mark’s gospel, being the first book to be written, does not have the infancy narrative.  St John’s gospel, being the last book written, even have reflections brought backwards to eternity, even before the Word of God became flesh.

When the vocal prayer was completed, we can be sure that the apostles and disciples together with Mary contemplated on the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord.  These most dramatic events took place hardly 40 days before, and these were fresh in their minds.  We can be sure that whilst thinking over what happened in those last days of our Lord’s life, they would have wondered what the Lord had gone through.  They would also have reflected on their reactions to these cruel and yet surprising twists in these events.  From the passion and death, they would have sought to make sense of these events by going back to the life of Jesus, all that He had said and done in His ministry.   From the hindsight of the passion, death and resurrection, they would have begun to understand deeper the words and actions of Jesus when He was with them.  This was what the Lord did for the disciples at Emmaus.  “‘Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?’ Beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.”  (Lk 24:26f)

However, their reflection on the recent happenings did not stop here.  They would have shared with each other their insights into the person and life of Jesus.  Seeing everything in the light of the resurrection, everything made greater sense.  All the implications of the life and ministry of our Lord were unfolded.  But there was one aspect of the life of Jesus that none of the disciples would have known, the interior life of our Lord and His childhood.  Perhaps Jesus’ brethren, that is, His cousins, may have shared some stories about the life of Jesus before His ministry; but none other than Mary would have been able to fully share with the apostles and disciples the day of His conception in her womb and the earlier days of His life.  Most of all, no one could have shared as intimately as our Blessed Mother on the life and person of our Lord.

This is what the rosary seeks to do for us.  Together with Mary and the Church, we want to enter into the mystery of the person, identity, and salvific work of Jesus.  Through the four categories of mysteries of the rosary, the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries, we contemplate on the life of Jesus with the help of Mary and the Church.   The Luminous mysteries of the rosary is truly a gift of St John Paul II to the Church, without which the contemplation on the life of Jesus would have been incomplete.  The Luminous mysteries complete the missing three years of Christ’s life from the beginning of His public ministry until His death, passion and resurrection.

Hence, we can appreciate why the rosary is such a beautiful prayer because it captures the entire bible in the mysteries we contemplate, the significant salvific events culminating in the life and paschal mystery of our Lord.  It is a beautiful prelude to the celebration of the Eucharist and a fitting epilogue as well.  This is because the Mass celebrates the different mysteries or saving events of the life of our Lord according to the liturgical calendar.  The rosary does the same by inviting us to contemplate on these saving events for our salvation.  Indeed, when we learn how to appreciate the rosary in this manner, we can no longer say that the rosary is Marian-centric.  On the contrary, it is Christocentric with a Marian flavour because we see the life of Christ through the eyes of Mary.  Praying with Mary in the rosary will bring us closer to our Lord in union with Mary.

Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.


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Thursday, 5 October 2023

DEALING WITH REJECTION

20231006 DEALING WITH REJECTION

 

 

06 October 2023, Friday, 26th Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

Baruch 1:15-22 ©

We have been disobedient to the Lord our God

Integrity belongs to the Lord our God; to us the look of shame we wear today, to us, the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem, to our kings and princes, our priests, our prophets, as to our ancestors, because we have sinned in the sight of the Lord, have disobeyed him, and have not listened to the voice of the Lord our God telling us to follow the commandments which the Lord had ordained for us. From the day when the Lord brought our ancestors out of the land of Egypt until today we have been disobedient to the Lord our God, we have been disloyal, refusing to listen to his voice. And so the disasters, and the curse which the Lord pronounced through his servant Moses the day he brought our fathers out of Egypt to give us a land where milk and honey flow, have seized on us, disasters we experience today. Despite all the words of those prophets whom he sent us, we have not listened to the voice of the Lord our God, but, each following the dictates of his evil heart, we have taken to serving alien gods, and doing what is displeasing to the Lord our God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 78(79):1-5,8-9 ©

Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.

O God, the nations have invaded your land,

  they have profaned your holy temple.

They have made Jerusalem a heap of ruins.

  They have handed over the bodies of your servants

as food to feed the birds of heaven

  and the flesh of your faithful to the beasts of the earth.

Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.

They have poured out blood like water in Jerusalem;

  no one is left to bury the dead.

We have become the taunt of our neighbours,

  the mockery and scorn of those who surround us.

How long, O Lord? Will you be angry for ever;

  how long will your anger burn like fire?

Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.

Do not hold the guilt of our fathers against us.

  Let your compassion hasten to meet us;

  we are left in the depths of distress.

Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.

O God our saviour, come to our help.

  Come for the sake of the glory of your name.

O Lord our God, forgive us our sins;

  rescue us for the sake of your name.

Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.

Gospel Acclamation

Ps144:13

Alleluia, alleluia!

The Lord is faithful in all his words

and loving in all his deeds.

Alleluia!

Or:

Ps94:8

Alleluia, alleluia!

Harden not your hearts today,

but listen to the voice of the Lord.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 10:13-16 ©

Anyone who rejects me rejects the one who sent me

Jesus said to his disciples:

  ‘Alas for you, Chorazin! Alas for you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. And still, it will not go as hard with Tyre and Sidon at the Judgement as with you. And as for you, Capernaum, did you want to be exalted high as heaven? You shall be thrown down to hell.

  ‘Anyone who listens to you listens to me; anyone who rejects you rejects me, and those who reject me reject the one who sent me.’

 

DEALING WITH REJECTION

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Baruch 1:15-22; Ps 79:1-5,8-9; Lk 10:13-16]

We just read about the mission of the 70 disciples whom Jesus dispatched to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God.  “The Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to come.”  (Lk 10:1) In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus also instructed the Twelve to do the same.  But He also reminded them, “You received without pay, give without pay” (Mt 10:8b) Finally, they were pre-empted in their mission with an advice, “Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you; heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off against you; nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.'” (Lk 10:8-11)

Why did Jesus give these counsels before they set out on the mission?  This is because while the Good News is good, not all will find it good.  There will be some who reject the Good News that is offered to them freely.  The disciples must be ready to face rejection and opposition for the good work that they do.  To give without charge means that there should be no conditions attached to the proclamation of the gospel.  There should not be a financial price tag attached to it.  Not only must it be given freely but unconditionally.  This would mean that even if the Good News is not accepted, we would not react negatively to those who reject the Good News.

However, for most of us, the normal reaction towards people who reject our gifts and assistance is one of anger.  We get annoyed when people do not accept our advice or our offer.  How often do priests feel that their homilies and good advice were not heeded?  Fraternal correction among family members and friends are not taken seriously.  Some feel rejected when they are not appointed to positions in the organization.  They feel they are the best and the most competent to lead the organization.  Indeed, there are some who promptly resign when they are not re-elected or appointed in their organizations.   They feel angry and humiliated; their ego is wounded.  They seek to have their agenda adopted at all costs.  Most of all, if we have spent much time trying to help a person to put his or her life in order and the response seems slow and the results negligible, we get disheartened, feeling like we have been throwing pearls before swines.  We become bitter with the whole situation.  From bitterness, we become indifferent and soon it we become hostile.   When we act in such a manner, whether we admit it or not, it is obvious our service comes with conditions.   It is more about ourselves than about those whom we are reaching out to.  This explains why we are hurt and disappointed.  In rejecting our message, they reject us.  We need to feel good about ourselves.  So when we do not have a positive response, we react negatively.

Today, the gospel also recounts Jesus’ feelings of frustration in His ministry.  He had been preaching to His people, supposedly the chosen people of God, but they failed to respond to His message of the Good News of the Father’s love.  They were too proud or wilful in their sinful lifestyle to listen to Jesus.  They failed to see that Jesus was the Word of God in person.   But there is a marked difference in the way Jesus responded to those who rejected His message and even His person.   He did not retaliate, become angry or take revenge.  Instead, He responded with regret and compassion.  Jesus was not angry with them but felt sorry for them because they would have to suffer the consequences of their sins.  “Alas for you, Chorazin! Alas for you, Bethsaida!”  These are expressions of sadness, not condemnation.  This is the tragedy of rejecting the Good News.  Those who reject the message are the ones who will lose out, not the messenger of the Good News.

The consequences of rejecting the message are spelt out in the first reading.  Firstly, they would have to suffer the shame of their sins.  The prophet Baruch confessed and admitted to this “shame we wear today, to us, the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem, to our kings and princes, our priests, our prophets, as to our ancestors, because we have sinned in the sight of the Lord, have disobeyed him, and have not listened to the voice of the Lord our God telling us to follow the commandments which the Lord had ordained for us.”  

Secondly, they would have to suffer the disaster because of their disobedience to the Lord.  “From the day when the Lord brought our ancestors out of the land of Egypt until today we have been disobedient to the Lord our God, we have been disloyal, refusing to listen to his voice.  And so the disasters, and the curse which the Lord pronounced through his servant Moses the day he brought our fathers out of Egypt to give us a land where milk and honey flow, have seized on us, disasters we experience today.”  All sins bring about destruction in our lives and in the lives of our loved ones.

This, too, is the warning of our Lord about the destruction of those cities in which the Good News is proclaimed but rejected.  “For if the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.  And still, it would not go as hard with Tyre and Sidon, at the judgement as with you.  And as for you, Capernaum, did you want to be exalted high as heaven? You shall be thrown down to hell.”   Pride and selfishness prevent them from being converted to the Lord.  But their punishments would be harsh.  How many of us, by refusing to walk the ways of the Lord find ourselves getting hurt by our folly and sins?  We land ourselves in a divorce because of infidelity, lose our family because of gambling and addictions, lose our job because of criminal breach of trust, get sick because we did not take care of our health.

So we should instead feel sorry for those who reject us rather than get angry.  It is their loss, not ours.  This is why the Lord asked us to wipe off the dust from out feet when we are rejected.  In other words, we should not take such rejections personally.  If at all, when they reject us, they are not rejecting us but Christ Himself.  “Anyone who listens to you listens to me; anyone who rejects you rejects me, and those who reject me reject the one who sent me.”  We are just the messengers of Christ.

Jesus showed His love and patience for His enemies.  It was not out of vindictiveness that Jesus spoke those words of regret but out of compassion, out of pity for them. Jesus continued His mission and preaching, doing good in spite of the fact that He failed to get the full response from the people.  It behoves us as the ambassadors of Christ, to be patient with others who are slow in responding.   Like Jesus, we need to pray for our enemies and make excuses for them as Jesus did on the cross.  Often, they cannot hear or see the truth because they are blinded by their sins, especially of pride, like the inhabitants at Capernaum.   But more often than not, the inability to listen to the truth could be blocked by the wounds of their sins and the sins of their fellowmen.  They are hurt so deeply that they are imprisoned by their pains and their past.  They cannot let go of their fears and prejudices.  They are afraid of being cheated again.  They cannot forgive or let go.  Over the years, they become conditioned to act out of self-defence.  As a result, they cannot see the truth of what they are doing, and even if they do, they are helpless psychologically.

Of course, as messengers of the Good News we must also examine ourselves.  Sometimes we can fall into self-righteousness, become arrogant and insensitive in the way we relate with sinners.  We could have used the wrong approach or fallen into the sin of presumption, thinking that we know the whole situation when we do not.  As a result, our judgement could have been skewed and even flawed.  So let us learn humility in approaching people with the Good News and when rejected, to pray for them.  In the final analysis, only God can set them free.  With the psalmist we pray, “O God our saviour, come to our help. Come for the sake of the glory of your name. O Lord our God, forgive us our sins; rescue us for the sake of your name.”

Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved. 

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Wednesday, 4 October 2023

PROCLAIMING THE GOSPEL IN WORD AND IN DEEDS

20231005 PROCLAIMING THE GOSPEL IN WORD AND IN DEEDS

 

 

05 October 2023, Thursday, 26th Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

Nehemiah 8:1-12 ©

All the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law

When the seventh month came, all the people gathered as one man on the square before the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses which the Lord had prescribed for Israel. Accordingly Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, consisting of men, women, and children old enough to understand. This was the first day of the seventh month. On the square before the Water Gate, in the presence of the men and women, and children old enough to understand, he read from the book from early morning till noon; all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.

  Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden dais erected for the purpose. In full view of all the people – since he stood higher than all the people – Ezra opened the book; and when he opened it all the people stood up. Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people raised their hands and answered, ‘Amen! Amen!’ Then they bowed down and, face to the ground, prostrated themselves before the Lord. And Ezra read from the Law of God, translating and giving the sense, so that the people understood what was read.

  Then Nehemiah – His Excellency – and Ezra, priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people, said to all the people, ‘This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not be mournful, do not weep.’ For the people were all in tears as they listened to the words of the Law.

  He then said, ‘Go, eat the fat, drink the sweet wine, and send a portion to the man who has nothing prepared ready. For this day is sacred to our Lord. Do not be sad: the joy of the Lord is your stronghold.’ And the Levites calmed all the people, saying, ‘Be at ease; this is a sacred day. Do not be sad.’ And all the people went off to eat and drink and give shares away and begin to enjoy themselves since they had understood the meaning of what had been proclaimed to them.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 18(19):8-11 ©

The precepts of the Lord gladden the heart.

The law of the Lord is perfect,

  it revives the soul.

The rule of the Lord is to be trusted,

  it gives wisdom to the simple.

The precepts of the Lord gladden the heart.

The precepts of the Lord are right,

  they gladden the heart.

The command of the Lord is clear,

  it gives light to the eyes.

The precepts of the Lord gladden the heart.

The fear of the Lord is holy,

  abiding for ever.

The decrees of the Lord are truth

  and all of them just.

The precepts of the Lord gladden the heart.

They are more to be desired than gold,

  than the purest of gold

and sweeter are they than honey,

  than honey from the comb.

The precepts of the Lord gladden the heart.

Gospel Acclamation

Mt4:4

Alleluia, alleluia!

Man does not live on bread alone,

but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Alleluia!

Or:

Mk1:15

Alleluia, alleluia!

The kingdom of God is close at hand:

repent and believe the Good News.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 10:1-12 ©

Your peace will rest on that man

The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself was to visit. He said to them, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest. Start off now, but remember, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road. Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, “Peace to this house!” And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you. Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house. Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is set before you. Cure those in it who are sick, and say, “The kingdom of God is very near to you.” But whenever you enter a town and they do not make you welcome, go out into its streets and say, “We wipe off the very dust of your town that clings to our feet, and leave it with you. Yet be sure of this: the kingdom of God is very near.” I tell you, on that day it will not go as hard with Sodom as with that town.’

 

PROCLAIMING THE GOSPEL IN WORD AND IN DEEDS

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [NEHEMIAH 8:1-12; LK 10:1-12]

“The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself was to visit.”  Like the disciples, we are all called to prepare the way for the Lord to enter into the lives of people, be they Catholic or otherwise.   Indeed, our task is to lead them into an encounter with the Lord.  The work of evangelization is to offer them the Good News, which is Jesus Christ Himself.  Only by encountering the Lord personally, can they be converted and follow Him in the way of love and service.

How then can we prepare the way for the Lord to enter into their lives?  Firstly, we are called to be messengers of peace and love.  “Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you.”  Many are looking for peace in their lives.  Many are confused and burdened by sin and by their worldly pursuits of life.  They live in deep insecurity and are blinded by their fears, which lead them to act selfishly towards others whom they see as their competitors.  As a result, they have many enemies in their lives.  Of course, they themselves are their worst enemies because of the lack of authentic self-love, direction, purpose and meaning in life.  To such people, we are called to offer the Good News of peace and joy.  This was the message of the angels to the Shepherds when they said, “Do not be afraid; for see – I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:  to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!'” (Lk 2:10-14)

Secondly, to find peace, they need to hear the Word of God.  The psalmist praises the beauty of the Law when he said, “The law of the Lord is perfect, it revives the soul. The rule of the Lord is to be trusted; it gives wisdom to the simple.  The precepts of the Lord are right, they gladden the heart. The command of the Lord is clear it gives light to the eyes.  The decrees of the Lord are truth and all of them just.  They are more to be desired than gold, than the purest of gold and sweeter are they than honey, than honey from the comb.” This was what Ezra the Scribe did for the people of Israel.  “On the square before the Water Gate, in the presence of the men and women and children old enough to understand, he read from the book from early morning till noon; all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.”   And we also read that when “Ezra opened the book; and when he opened it all the people stood up.  Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people raised their hands and answered, ‘Amen! Amen!’; then they bowed down and, face to the ground, prostrated themselves before the Lord.”  This was the great reverence for the Word of God.  Unless we have that same conviction, the Word of God has no effect on us.  This is what St Paul wrote, “We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers.”  (1 Th 2:13)

Thirdly, the Word of God needs explanation and exposition.  Indeed, the homily at Mass is part of the Word of God.  It is a living interpretation of the Word of God for us today.  This is the task of the preacher of the gospel.  “The Levites explained the Law to the people while the people remained standing.  And Ezra read from the Law of God, translating and giving the sense, so that the people understood what was read.”  For the Word of God to be alive, it requires that we apply the principles of the Word of God to our daily lives.  Reading the Word of God is not simply for information but for our formation in the truth of the gospel so that we can walk the way of the Lord.  God uses His word to sanctify us, to protect us and to build us up.  “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.”  (2 Tim 3:16f)

Indeed, hearing the Word of God that is preached with conviction, with depth and understanding brings about conversion of the heart.  This is what we read “Then Nehemiah – His Excellency – and Ezra, priest and scribe (and the Levites who were instructing the people) said to all the people, ‘This day is sacred to the Lord your God.  Do not be mournful, do not weep.’ For the people were all in tears as they listened to the words of the Law.”  As preachers and teachers and evangelizers of the gospel, if our words do not strike the hearts of our listeners, it is because we lack the Holy Spirit to read the inner spirit of the Word of God which we read.  We must preach and teach in the power of the Holy Spirit as St Paul did. He wrote, “When I came to you, brothers and sisters, 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.  And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling.  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 2:1-5)

Fourthly, the ultimate purpose of hearing the Word of God is the transformation of the person and not just enlightening the person with great insights and beautiful words of inspiration.  As St James warns us, “But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.  For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like.  But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act – they will be blessed in their doing.”  (Jms 1:1-5) This was not what the Israelites did.  They did not keep the joy to themselves.  On the contrary, they were instructed to share their joy with others by sharing their food with those who had nothing.  “‘Go, eat the fat, drink the sweet wine, and send a portion to the man who has nothing prepared ready.  For this day is sacred to our Lord.  Do not be sad.’ And all the people went off to eat and drink and give shares away and begin to enjoy themselves since they had understood the meaning of what had been proclaimed to them.”

Indeed, in the final analysis, the proclamation of the gospel is not merely by words but by deeds.  The latter speaks more powerfully than the former.  It is for this reason that the disciples were asked to proclaim the gospel, not so much by their words but by their deeds.  Jesus instructed them, “Stay in the house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house.  Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is set before you.”   By their simplicity and unconditional love and acceptance of people whom they visit, they are called to show them God’s acceptance of their graciousness, regardless what food they could offer.  This is important so that no one would feel unworthy to receive the Good News of salvation

Then Jesus said, “Cure those in it who are sick, and say, ‘The kingdom of God is very near to you.'” It is not enough to proclaim the Good News with mere words of encouragement and hope.  But we need to testify to this hope here and now by healing the sick and bringing the kingdom near to them.  For this reason, in the early Church, the proclamation of the Good News was always accompanied by deeds.  “And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”  (Mk 16:17f) Unless we demonstrate our words by works of charity, compassion and healing, people will not be able to encounter the love of God in a real and personal way.

But we cannot preach and teach with conviction, or find the power to demonstrate His love in action unless we are in touch with the Lord and are totally dependent on Him.  That is why Jesus told the disciples, “Start off now, but remember, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals.”  We cannot rely on our own strength but on Him.  Unless preachers understand and experience the power of God helping them in their lives, they cannot preach the Word with conviction.  So the evangelical counsels of poverty, obedience and celibacy are to make us rely totally on His grace, will and His love.  So long as we can depend on ourselves, we will hinder God from working in and through us.  That is why before preachers can preach the Word, they need to spend time in prayer, meditation on the Word of God daily.  If preachers are not ready to make time to converse with the Lord in prayer and set aside time to reflect on the Word of God, His Word will have no effect in our lives.  A true preacher of the gospel must depend on Christ alone who gives us His Holy Spirit to announce Him to the world.

Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved. 

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