DEALING WITH OUR FEARS THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS

20160130 DEALING WITH OUR FEARS THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Green.

First reading

2 Samuel 12:1-7,10-17 ©

The Lord sent Nathan the prophet to David. He came to him and said:

‘In the same town were two men,

one rich, the other poor.

The rich man had flocks and herds

in great abundance;

the poor man had nothing but a ewe lamb,

one only, a small one he had bought.

This he fed, and it grew up with him and his children,

eating his bread, drinking from his cup,

sleeping on his breast; it was like a daughter to him.

When there came a traveller to stay, the rich man

refused to take one of his own flock or herd

to provide for the wayfarer who had come to him.

Instead he took the poor man’s lamb

and prepared it for his guest.’

David’s anger flared up against the man. ‘As the Lord lives,’ he said to Nathan ‘the man who did this deserves to die! He must make fourfold restitution for the lamb, for doing such a thing and showing no compassion.’

  Then Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man. So now the sword will never be far from your House, since you have shown contempt for me and taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.”

  ‘Thus the Lord speaks, “I will stir up evil for you out of your own House. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to your neighbour, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. You worked in secret, I will work this in the face of all Israel and in the face of the sun.”’

  David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’ Then Nathan said to David, ‘The Lord, for his part, forgives your sin; you are not to die. Yet because you have outraged the Lord by doing this, the child that is born to you is to die.’ Then Nathan went home.

  The Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David and it fell gravely ill. David pleaded with the Lord for the child; he kept a strict fast and went home and spent the night on the bare ground, covered with sacking. The officials of his household came and stood round him to get him to rise from the ground, but he refused, nor would he take food with them.

Psalm

Psalm 50:12-17 ©

A pure heart create for me, O God.

A pure heart create for me, O God,

  put a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me away from your presence,

  nor deprive me of your holy spirit.

A pure heart create for me, O God.

Give me again the joy of your help;

  with a spirit of fervour sustain me,

that I may teach transgressors your ways

  and sinners may return to you.

A pure heart create for me, O God.

O rescue me, God, my helper,

  and my tongue shall ring out your goodness.

O Lord, open my lips

  and my mouth shall declare your praise.

A pure heart create for me, O God.

Gospel Acclamation

cf.Ps26:11

Alleluia, alleluia!

Instruct me, Lord, in your way;

on an even path lead me.

Alleluia!

Or

Jn3:16

Alleluia, alleluia!

God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son:

everyone who believes in him has eternal life.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Mark 4:35-41 ©

With the coming of evening, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let us cross over to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd behind they took him, just as he was, in the boat; and there were other boats with him. Then it began to blow a gale and the waves were breaking into the boat so that it was almost swamped. But he was in the stern, his head on the cushion, asleep. They woke him and said to him, ‘Master, do you not care? We are going down!’ And he woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Quiet now! Be calm!’ And the wind dropped, and all was calm again. Then he said to them, ‘Why are you so frightened? How is it that you have no faith?’ They were filled with awe and said to one another, ‘Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him.’

DEALING WITH OUR FEARS THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS

SCRIPTURE READINGS: 2Sm 12:1-7.10-17; Ps 51:12-13, 14-15, 16-17; Mk 4:35-41

Like the apostles, we all face storms in life.  Yet, often we think that the storms are outside of us.  We blame others for our sufferings.  Worse still, we even blame God for the sufferings we are going through.  When we think that way, we root our lives in fear.

The truth is that fear does not come from without.  The real fear lies within.  The gospel tells us that in spite of the storm, Jesus slept soundly in the boat.  This was because Jesus had no fear in his heart.  He had conquered fear and hence was not afraid.

Indeed, fear is the cause of all our sins.  King David lived in fear of being found out after committing adultery with Bathsheba. This led him to further commit the sin of murder. It is because of fear that we are hypocritical, selfish and protective of our interests.  It is fear that makes us envious of others’ success, lustful so as to possess the person we love, greedy because we are afraid we do not have enough.  It is fear that makes us proud because we are afraid that others might despise us, angry because we fear that we might lose our dignity. So fear leads to all sorts of sin.

How then can we overcome the fear in our hearts?  The first step is to acknowledge it.  Otherwise in attempting to suppress it, we will become hypocritical, self-righteous and judgmental.  This was what caused David to react so strongly to Prophet Nathan’s tale of the rich man who took the poor man’s ewe lamb to feed his visitors.  Yet he failed to realize that he had acted in an even more shameful manner when he took the wife of his poor soldier and had the innocent and loyal subject killed at the battlefront just to satisfy his lust.

How true for us that instead of confronting our fears and our sinfulness, we often act as if we are sinless and perfect.  We criticize others for their mistakes and pronounce judgment on their sins. We condemn them and even delight in seeing them punished or suffer for their offences.  Why do we react so strongly when we see sin in others?  Often, it is because they remind us of who we really are, but we cannot accept such imperfections in ourselves.

David shows us the way to conquer our fears.  When confronted with his sin, he immediately repented and admitted his fault.  Although a King, he was humble enough to accept correction from the prophet of God without any attempt at denial or apportioning blame to others.  So if we want to conquer our inner fears, the first thing we need to do is to be conscious of where our fears lie, and acknowledge them.

Secondly, King David asked for forgiveness.  We too, must quickly turn to the Lord for forgiveness, especially in the sacrament of Reconciliation, when we sin.  We must seek the Lord as David did for the forgiveness of our sins.  This is an important step in being delivered from our fears.  The moment we acknowledge and confess our fears and the sins that result from them, the Devil will lose its foothold over us.  Acknowledgement and confession of sins put us immediately on the side of God.  The prayer of contrition that David wrote in the responsorial psalm shows the depth of David’s contrite heart and remorse for what he had done.  We too, when we seek forgiveness with a sincere and contrite heart, will receive the strength to break away from our fears and sins.

Thirdly, we must rest in the love and mercy of God.  If the apostles were worried and anxious because of the storm, it was because they did not know who Jesus was.  Indeed, the question raised after Jesus calmed the storm was, “Who can this be? Even the wind and sea obey him.”  They still did not know Jesus and hence had no faith in Him.  Jesus, on the contrary, always had faith in His Father’s love and therefore could remain tranquil in times of adversity.  David too, knew that the Lord is merciful and hence, in confidence turned to Him for forgiveness.  Do we know God’s love and mercy and His power enough to trust Him to deliver us from the clutches of fear?

The process of overcoming our fears is, however, a gradual development.  Besides forgiveness of sins, we need to be healed of our memories.  Inner healing is a gradual process which can take place only when we place our confidence in Jesus’ love.  This requires that we face the consequences of our sins, accepting them and learning from them so that we can be purified.  One must be clear that the consequences of sin are not punishment from God, because He is not a revengeful or vindictive God.  Rather, God permits us to suffer the punishment that comes from sin itself so that through our suffering we learn obedience.

With God’s love and forgiveness, we will find the courage to go through life acknowledging the mistakes we have made and the pain we have caused not only to ourselves but to others.  When we are able to see all these events as graces from God to help us overcome our hidden fears and sinfulness, then we can give praise to God for them.  We can then love others who are imperfect like us.

Finally, this whole process of rooting out fear from our lives must be accompanied by the Word of God.  It was the Word of God delivered through the Prophet Nathan that awakened David to his sin.  It was the Word spoken by Jesus that calmed the storm.  So too, if we are to be awakened, we must be in contact with Jesus, the Word of God, especially through the scriptures. By reading the scriptures prayerfully, the Holy Spirit will enlighten us about our true selves. The Holy Spirit which convicts us of our sins will help us to see the fears in our lives.  More than just confronting us, the Word will also inspire us and build up our faith in the love and mercy of God.  It will provide us the necessary wisdom and guidance to live a life of freedom in love and truth.

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

WHICH ANIMAL ARE YOU FEEDING?

20160129 WHICH ANIMAL ARE YOU FEEDING?

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Green.

First reading

2 Samuel 11:1-4,5-10,13-17 ©

At the turn of the year, the time when kings go campaigning, David sent Joab and with him his own guards and the whole of Israel. They massacred the Ammonites and laid siege to Rabbah. David, however, remained in Jerusalem.

  It happened towards evening when David had risen from his couch and was strolling on the palace roof, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; the woman was very beautiful. David made inquiries about this woman and was told, ‘Why, that is Bathsheba, Eliam’s daughter, the wife of Uriah the Hittite.’ Then David sent messengers and had her brought. She came to him, and he slept with her. She then went home again. The woman conceived and sent word to David; ‘I am with child.’

  Then David sent Joab a message, ‘Send me Uriah the Hittite’, whereupon Joab sent Uriah to David. When Uriah came into his presence, David asked after Joab and the army and how the war was going. David then said to Uriah, ‘Go down to your house and enjoy yourself. Uriah left the palace, and was followed by a present from the king’s table. Uriah however slept by the palace door with his master’s bodyguard and did not go down to his house.

  This was reported to David; ‘Uriah’ they said ‘did not go down to his house.’ The next day David invited him to eat and drink in his presence and made him drunk. In the evening Uriah went out and lay on his couch with his master’s bodyguard, but he did not go down to his house.

  Next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by Uriah. In the letter he wrote, ‘Station Uriah in the thick of the fight and then fall back behind him so that he may be struck down and die.’ Joab, then besieging the town, posted Uriah in a place where he knew there were fierce fighters. The men of the town sallied out and engaged Joab; the army suffered casualties, including some of David’s bodyguard; and Uriah the Hittite was killed too.

Psalm

Psalm 50:3-7,10-11 ©

Have mercy on us, Lord, for we have sinned.

Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.

  In your compassion blot out my offence.

O wash me more and more from my guilt

  and cleanse me from my sin.

Have mercy on us, Lord, for we have sinned.

My offences truly I know them;

  my sin is always before me

Against you, you alone, have I sinned;

  what is evil in your sight I have done.

Have mercy on us, Lord, for we have sinned.

That you may be justified when you give sentence

  and be without reproach when you judge,

O see, in guilt I was born,

  a sinner was I conceived.

Have mercy on us, Lord, for we have sinned.

Make me hear rejoicing and gladness,

  that the bones you have crushed may thrill.

From my sins turn away your face

  and blot out all my guilt.

Have mercy on us, Lord, for we have sinned.

Gospel Acclamation

Ps118:27

Alleluia, alleluia!

Make me grasp the way of your precepts,

and I will muse on your wonders.

Alleluia!

Or

Mt11:25

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessed are you, Father,

Lord of heaven and earth,

for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom

to mere children.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Mark 4:26-34 ©

Jesus said to the crowds, ‘This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man throws seed on the land. Night and day, while he sleeps, when he is awake, the seed is sprouting and growing; how, he does not know. Of its own accord the land produces first the shoot, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the crop is ready, he loses no time: he starts to reap because the harvest has come.’

  He also said, ‘What can we say the kingdom of God is like? What parable can we find for it? It is like a mustard seed which at the time of its sowing in the soil is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet once it is sown it grows into the biggest shrub of them all and puts out big branches so that the birds of the air can shelter in its shade.’

  Using many parables like these, he spoke the word to them, so far as they were capable of understanding it. He would not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything to his disciples when they were alone.

WHICH ANIMAL ARE YOU FEEDING?

SCRIPTURE READINGS: 2 SM 11:1-10. 13-17; Ps 50:3-7, 10-11; Mk 4:26-34

Man is an incredible creature.  His potential for good or for evil is unimaginable.  In each one of us, there are two animals.  There is the beast which makes us do evil and there is the lamb which is one of goodness and purity. Which animal are you feeding, the beast or the lamb?  Which camp are you with, Satan or Jesus?  The Kingdom of Darkness or the Kingdom of God? Like the seed in the fields in today’s gospel, and the mustard seed, nature will take its course.  What we do in life will unfold itself, for better or for worse.   We follow the laws of nature. We can grow virtues or vices.  Whatever we nurture, it will grow slowly but surely, until harvest time.  So what would you like to harvest at the end of your life?  Is it joy and happiness in eternal life or misery and pain in eternal death?  The choice is yours!

To help us understand the full implications and the seriousness of our choices in life, we have the tragic example of King David who committed adultery.  King David, like most of us, is a good person with a magnanimous heart.  We read of his fidelity to King Saul and Jonathan and how much he loved them, and forgave his enemies.  And yet, he could not be faithful, over a woman.  Right from the outset, we must be clear that no one is exempted from temptations.  Even Jesus was tempted in the desert and throughout His ministry.   (cf Mt 4:1-11)   So we must not be too harsh with the sin of King David.

Above all, he was tempted with the most powerful sin of man, the sin of lust.  The desire for sex is deeply ingrained in human nature.  That is why we are sexual beings.  It is also the biological need of man to procreate.   How could he fight against something that is part of his physiological and emotional need for intimacy with women?  This explains why many of us, like King David, can be very successful in our professional life, but when it comes to our personal life, we are in a mess!  We do not know how to handle our emotions; intimacy, fear, security, envy and our sexual needs.   King David is a very good example of one who was a great warrior and strategist, bringing peace to the kingdom after conquering all his enemies.  So successful was he in his military expeditions that he felt no necessity to continue to directly lead the soldiers.  So we read, “At the turn of the year, the time when kings go campaigning, David sent Joab and with him his own guards and the whole of Israel.  They massacred the Ammonites and laid siege to Rabah.  David however remained in Jerusalem.”  So just because we are intelligent, capable and successful does not mean that we are beyond temptation to do the most shameful, degrading and disgusting evil in our personal life.

In truth, the greatest enemy in life is not those enemies outside us, but the monster within us.  We are our worst enemy because we are weak within and susceptible to temptations.  If we do not know how to manage this monster well, it will eat us up and destroy us completely.  If we understand ourselves and practice self-control, we can then have real power over the world.  Otherwise, the world will overpower us.  The fact that we cannot resist the temptations of the world shows that the world has power over us.  So if we want to boast, it should not be about the number of people under our charge, but whether we are in total control of ourselves.  Consequently, if we want to manage the temptations in our lives, we need to understand the nature of sin and how to avoid the occasions of sin.  Understanding the process of sin will help us to be more alert when temptations come; and knowing the consequences will make us think twice before we act.

What then is the nature of sin?  Sin always begins with a desire.  This desire is always there, latent because of our fallen nature.   The consequences of original sin are dullness of mind and the lack of the orientation of the will, which we call, concupiscence.  So King David, let it be said, did not deliberately plan to commit adultery with Bathsheba.  It just happened by chance that “towards evening when David had risen from his couch and was strolling on the palace roof, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; the woman was very beautiful.” It was a natural attraction that aroused his desire and his lust for the woman.  If he had stopped there, the temptation would have just ended.

But the truth is that an idea or desire conceived in our heart and mind will soon give birth to a sin.  Instead of resisting the temptation, he allowed his desire and lust to develop.  He started to be curious.  “David made inquiries about this woman and was told, ‘Why, that is Bathsheba, Eliam’s daughter, the wife of Uriah the Hittite.’  Then David sent messengers and had her brought.  She came to him, and he slept with her.”  Ironically, a desire conceived led to sin, as is symbolically brought out in the following verse, “The woman conceived and sent word to David, ‘I am with child.’”

More importantly, look at the consequences of just this one sin of lust.  It led to many other sins.  If it is one sin, we can deal with it.  If it were one enemy, we can defeat him.  But the reality is that, as St Augustine says, the punishment for sin is sin.  When we fall into sin, we will fall into many more sins.   Like David, because of his pride, after sinning with Bathsheba, he tried to cover up his sins. He then tried to entice his loyal officer, Uriah, into having intimacy with his wife.  When that failed, he told his Commanding Office, Joab, to send Uriah to the battle front to be killed. We can see the increasing magnitude of sin.  Not only did sin bring death to one of his most loyal officers, but it caused others to sin.  We can be sure that Bathsheba was in a bind when asked to sleep with King David.  So too was Joab, when he was instructed to post Uriah to the front line of the battle so that he could be killed by his enemies.  Their consciences must have been in a dilemma, not knowing how to disobey the king’s evil intentions and orders.  But it did not end there. Eventually, David’s son too died because of his sins.  If David knew that all these were to happen, he would have thought twice and not allow himself to fall into the trap of the Evil One.

Indeed, how could a good man like King David be reduced to this state?  He was a faithful and loyal soldier.  His men were faithful to him.  How could he have acted thus?  From committing the sin of adultery, King David ended with the sin of killing.  This is the harvest of the works of our hands that the parables today speak about. When we fall into sin, our conscience becomes insensitive and dull.  As sins accumulate and grow, we lose our sensitivity to what is right and wrong.  We begin to rationalize and justify our actions and crimes.  We are blinded by our sins because of our evil desires.  So sin never comes alone.  When we do not stop one sin, it will lead to many other sins because they all come from desire and ignorance.

How, then, do we avoid the occasion of sin?   We must stay close to God in prayer.  We need to be imbued with the Word of God.  Whenever we are tempted to sin, read and pray the Word of God.  Seek direction, strength and inspiration.  Jesus defended Himself from the temptations of the Devil by citing scriptures to bolster His firm devotion to God.  We need to find good friends who can help us and guide us.  Birds of a feather flock together.  If your friends are evil and worldly, you will soon be one of them.   Be careful whom you mix with.   Do you have good Catholic friends to journey with you in your faith? If not, then you are a good target for the Evil One to lead you away from God.  Find good Catholic Mentors too, to inspire and guide you.  Find someone whom you can share your struggles with, especially your weaknesses and sins.  If you hide it, the monster will grow, but when you share it, the monster is kept in abeyance and under the lid.

Most of all, we must practice the daily examen of conscience, especially after our night prayers or early in the morning.  We must also go for regular confession.  But it must not be just a superficial unprepared confession.  If we make a sincere confession monthly, we will grow in holiness.  At least we won’t stray too far and remain close to Jesus as every confession is a renewal of our relationship with the Lord and it removes all obstacles of grace.   Confession is integral to our spiritual life because it fosters the virtues of humility and self-awareness. By conscientiously going through the daily examen, we prepare ourselves for the sacrament of reconciliation.  Finally, before you sleep, make peace with those whom you have hurt intentionally or unintentionally during the day, as St Paul reminds us, “Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil.” (Eph 4:26f)  “Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” (Col 3:13)

So we need to make a choice today.  Do you want to be like that seed of corn that grows to full term, giving life and nourishment to others?  Do you want to be like that mustard seed that one day gives shade to others?  We need to remember that the good or evil in us are either are growing in strength, waiting to reach the time of harvest, or they are dying.  There is no neutrality when it comes to growing virtues or vices.  Let us bear in mind the words of St Paul, “Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow.  If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit.  So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.  So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.” (Gal 6:7-10)

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

LISTENING TO GOD AND OTHERS FOR UNDERSTANDING

20160128 LISTENING TO GOD AND OTHERS FOR UNDERSTANDING

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: White.

First reading

2 Samuel 7:18-19,24-29 ©

After Nathan had spoken to him, King David went in and, seated before the Lord, said: ‘Who am I, O Lord, and what is my House, that you have led me as far as this? Yet in your sight, O Lord, this is still not far enough, and you make your promises extend to the House of your servant for a far-distant future. You have constituted your people Israel to be your own people for ever; and you, Lord, have become their God.

  ‘Now, O Lord, always keep the promise you have made your servant and his House, and do as you have said. Your name will be exalted for ever and men will say, “The Lord of Hosts is God over Israel.” The House of your servant David will be made secure in your presence, since you yourself, Lord of Hosts, God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, “I will build you a House”; hence your servant has ventured to offer this prayer to you. Yes, Lord, you are God indeed, your words are true and you have made this fair promise to your servant. Be pleased, then, to bless the House of your servant, that it may continue for ever in your presence; for you, Lord, have spoken; and with your blessing the House of your servant will be for ever blessed.’

Psalm

Psalm 131:1-5,11-14 ©

The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.

O Lord, remember David

  and all the many hardships he endured,

the oath he swore to the Lord,

  his vow to the Strong One of Jacob.

The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.

‘I will not enter the house where I live

  nor go to the bed where I rest.

I will give no sleep to my eyes,

  to my eyelids I will give no slumber

till I find a place for the Lord,

  a dwelling for the Strong One of Jacob.’

The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.

The Lord swore an oath to David;

  he will not go back on this word:

‘A son, the fruit of your body,

  will I set upon your throne.

The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.

‘If they keep my covenant in truth

  and my laws that I have taught them,

their sons also shall rule

  on your throne from age to age.’

The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.

For the Lord has chosen Zion;

  he has desired it for his dwelling:

‘This is my resting-place for ever;

  here have I chosen to live.

The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.

Gospel Acclamation

Ph2:15-16

Alleluia, alleluia!

You will shine in the world like bright stars

because you are offering it the word of life.

Alleluia!

Or

Ps118:105

Alleluia, alleluia!

Your word is a lamp for my steps

and a light for my path.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Mark 4:21-25 ©

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Would you bring in a lamp to put it under a tub or under the bed? Surely you will put it on the lamp-stand? For there is nothing hidden but it must be disclosed, nothing kept secret except to be brought to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to this.’

  He also said to them, ‘Take notice of what you are hearing. The amount you measure out is the amount you will be given – and more besides; for the man who has will be given more; from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away.’

LISTENING TO GOD AND OTHERS FOR UNDERSTANDING

SCRIPTURE READINGS: 2 SM 7:18-19, 24-29; PS 132:1-2, 3-5, 11, 12, 13-14; MK 4:21-25

There is an innate desire in each of us to know more and more.  We have many questions on our mind, but sometimes no answers seem to satisfy.  Or the answers that we receive only satisfy us for a while.  For this reason, we are in constant search to understand ourselves, the world we live in, and God.

But how do we really come to a greater understanding of the mysteries of life?  The gospel tells us that it all depends on the way we listen. Twice in the gospel, Jesus spoke about hearing.  In the first parable, he concluded with ‘Let him who has ears to hear me, hear!’  In the second parable, he prefaced it by warning his listeners, ‘Listen carefully to what you hear.’  The key message of Jesus therefore is one of listening.

The greatest obstacle to hearing, according to Jesus, is that we do not really hear.  We think we are hearing, but actually we hear only ourselves, but never give ourselves fully to the other.  Indeed, most of us behave like one who acquired a lamp in order to put it under a basket or hide it under a bed.  This may seem ludicrous to us.  But this is actually how we all behave in real life.

Very often, we seek the views of others, but how often do we really listen and absorb what is being said?   Often what we are only interested in is to confirm what we want to hear about ourselves.  We hope that these people will support our beliefs and ideas.  We are not open to what new things they have to tell us.  And so if their ideas fit in with ours, we say that they give good advice, but if they do not, we brush them aside and conclude that they are not very helpful, or that they talk nonsense.  We do not even try to assimilate and think deeper into whether there is truth in what they say.

It is the same too in prayer.  We often seek God for what we want to hear.  We read the bible according to what we want to hear and therefore interpret the text according to our own liking.  When we act thus, it means that we are simply not ready to confront ourselves.  We are not really interested to know more about ourselves, especially those things that we do not wish to hear.

That is why Jesus tells us in the second parable that if we really want to discover life, then we will need to listen carefully.  In the measure that we give ourselves to the other person by listening attentively with our whole being, and not planning another answer in our head, or be impaired by our own preconceived ideas while the other person is speaking, by that measure we will be able to grasp fully what that person is saying.  With the knowledge that one gains from the other, combined with our own, our understanding of the situation will be twice enriched.  That is what Jesus meant when He says that ‘In the measure you give you shall receive, and more besides.’

But when we give little attention to what the person is saying, then even the little that we know about the world will be taken away.  Yes, total listening is total receiving. Failure to listen totally not only causes us to miss benefitting from the other person’s wisdom, but it can even be destructive, because we risk misunderstanding the message, which in turn could result in immense trouble for ourselves and others.

Today King David gives us the model for listening in prayer.  In his prayer we see the basic ingredients of total listening:  his humility in the face of all that God has given him; his praise and thanksgiving for his loving deeds; his confident petition for his continued help in the future.

Let us pray in a similar manner – that in our relationship with God and with others, we may be humble enough to realize that we know very little in life.  Only in humility will we be truly open to the other person.  It is also in humility that our spirit will be receptive to hear what God wants to tell us, whether it is in prayer, through contemplation of the scriptures, or through the counsel of those in authority or of friends.

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