CAUSE AND EFFECT OVERCOME BY GRACE

20160628 CAUSE AND EFFECT OVERCOME BY GRACE

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Red.

First reading

Amos 3:1-8,4:11-12 ©

Listen, sons of Israel, to this oracle the Lord speaks against you, against the whole family I brought out of the land of Egypt:

You alone, of all the families of earth, have I acknowledged,

therefore it is for all your sins that I mean to punish you.

Do two men take the road together

if they have not planned to do so?

Does the lion roar in the jungle

if no prey has been found?

Does the young lion growl in his lair

if he has captured nothing?

Does the bird fall to the ground

if no trap has been set?

Does the snare spring up from the ground

if nothing has been caught?

Does the trumpet sound in the city

without the populace becoming alarmed?

Does misfortune come to a city

if the Lord has not sent it?

No more does the Lord do anything

without revealing his plans to his servants the prophets.

The lion roars: who can help feeling afraid?

The Lord speaks: who can refuse to prophesy?

I overthrew you as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,

and you were like a brand snatched from the blaze;

and yet you never came back to me.

It is the Lord who speaks.

This therefore, Israel, is what I plan to do to you,

and because I am going to do this to you,

Israel, prepare to meet your God!

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 5:5-8 ©

Lead me, O Lord, in your justice.

You are no God who loves evil;

  no sinner is your guest.

The boastful shall not stand their ground

  before your face.

Lead me, O Lord, in your justice.

You hate all who do evil;

  you destroy all who lie.

The deceitful and bloodthirsty man

  the Lord detests.

Lead me, O Lord, in your justice.

But I through the greatness of your love

  have access to your house.

I bow down before your holy temple,

  filled with awe.

Lead me, O Lord, in your justice.

Gospel Acclamation

Ps147:12,15

Alleluia, alleluia!

O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!

He sends out his word to the earth.

Alleluia!

Or

Ps129:5

Alleluia, alleluia!

My soul is waiting for the Lord,

I count on his word.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 8:23-27 ©

Jesus got into the boat followed by his disciples. Without warning a storm broke over the lake, so violent that the waves were breaking right over the boat. But he was asleep. So they went to him and woke him saying, ‘Save us, Lord, we are going down!’ And he said to them, ‘Why are you so frightened, you men of little faith?’ And with that he stood up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and all was calm again. The men were astounded and said, ‘Whatever kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him.’

CAUSE AND EFFECT OVERCOME BY GRACE

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ AMOS 3:1-8; 4:11-12; Ps 5:5-8; Mt 8:23-27 ]

When something goes wrong, we tend to assign blame.  We look for scapegoats for our misfortunes, mistakes and failures in life.  We blame our parents, our teachers and our guardians.  Otherwise, we blame the government, society and the Church.  Finally, we blame God for being uncaring, unjust and indifferent towards us.  When we refuse to take ownership of our failures and mistakes in life and assign the blame to others, we will never learn or be able to get out of our situation.  Pointing fingers at others will only augment our resentment, hatred and revenge, and reinforce our positions and negative views towards life.  This is the way of a defeatist.  It will only lead to anger, depression and suicide.  This is a negative way of dealing with life and its struggles.

Rather, we must take a good look at ourselves and examine our faults.  Instead of blaming others for our follies, we must face squarely our own failures, mistakes and sins.  The first and foremost thing we need to do is to admit our mistakes and acknowledge them. If we do not acknowledge that we are responsible, we cannot make any progress. If we do not say “Yes, I have sinned”, then the devil will make us look for other scapegoats.  And it must be done humbly, sincerely, existentially and doctrinally.  That is to say, it cannot be just a general awareness of the fact that we are sinners.  Rather, we must be able to pinpoint exactly where our failings are, what they are and why they are wrong.  Otherwise, there is no true repentance.  We can repent with a contrite heart only when we know that we have done wrong, and when we have hurt our fellowmen, especially those whom we love or those who love us dearly.

What are these sins and the causes that have resulted in where we are today?  Firstly, one of the most dangerous sins is the sin of sloth!  As the proverb says, “The idle mind is the devil’s workshop!”   When we are complacent and lazy, our minds are tempted to sin.  This was the mistake of the Israelites.  They were complacent about themselves.  Just because the Lord had chosen them to be His Covenanted People, they took for granted that privilege and were not faithful to the Covenantal promise of obeying the commandments of the Lord.  Indeed, as the Oracle of the Lord says, “Listen, the sons of Israel.  You alone, of all the families of earth, have I acknowledged.”  But it is not enough to be called sons and daughters of God and be His people if we do not live like the children of God.  We are called not for ourselves but for others.  Israel was chosen by the Lord not for the purpose of being a privileged nation but for the service of others so that all peoples of the earth would come to know how great and loving our God is.

The second reason for the cause of our fall is always because of wrong company.  The Lord asked, “Do two men take the road together if they have not planned to do so?” Indeed, the proverb says, “Birds of a feather flock together.”  Quite often, the people we mix with in life influence the way we think and say and do.  We cannot be wise unless we mix with the wise.  So quite often, when we mix with unhealthy company, we cannot but be sucked into their sinful and wasteful way of life.  Indeed, when we look at ourselves today, we are what our friends are.  So choose carefully the people you walk with and mix with.  It does not mean that we should not reach out to those who are living sinful or destructive lives, but that is provided we come to help them, not to learn from them how to be evil.  It presupposes that we are enlightened.  Only the healthy can help the sick; not the other way around.  We need to choose the right company so that walking together, we find strength and direction.

The third reason for our fall is because we do not avoid the occasions of sin and allow ourselves to fall into temptation.  The Lord says, “Does the lion roar in the jungle if no prey has been found?”  More often than not, if only we learn to be humble and cautious, we could avoid being the prey for others.   There are many dishonest, evil and selfish people in the world who want to harm and destroy us.  They want to destroy our families and our lives.  Consequently, we must be wary of such people who use us as prey to feed their ambitions, greed and power.  If we do not expose ourselves to evil, then evil cannot harm us.  No matter who we are, we can be tempted to sin.  And temptations are everywhere.  Even the Lord was tempted by the Evil One. Unless we are strong we cannot defeat temptations when they come.  So knowing that we are weak, let us avoid the occasions of sin and not allow ourselves to be trapped by them.

The fourth reason for our fall is because of greed.  Again the prophet says, “Does the young lion growl in his lair if he has captured nothing?” We desire to have more.  We want power, status and sex.   When we are greedy and lustful, we look for victims to satisfy us.  Indeed, most of us get into trouble because we are greedy.  We will never have all we want in this life.  Even God cannot satisfy our desires.  God can only fulfill our needs, not our wants because our desires are fathomless.  Indeed, if we do not know contentment, then no matter what we have will never be enough.  Happiness is not dependent on what we have but how little we need to be contented in life.  Happiness is not what we own but who we are.

So today, the scripture invites us to examine our motives in what we do.   The prophet says, “Does the bird fall to the ground if no trap has been set? Does the snare spring up from the ground if nothing has been caught?”   We need to purify our motives and do the right thing.

Otherwise, we only reap what we sow.  Indeed, the Lord reminds us that judgment is inevitable.  Justice will be served at the end of the day.  Truth will triumph.  “I overthrew you as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were like a brand snatched from the blaze; and yet you never came back to me. It is the Lord who speaks. This, therefore, Israel, is what I plan to do to you, and because I am going to do this to you, Israel, prepare to meet your God!”

God has served us notice and therefore we have no excuse when judgment is served.  If Israel was punished, it was not because the Lord took revenge as He is all compassion and forgiveness.  Rather, it was because their evil actions brought about the necessary consequences.  As the psalmist says, “You are no God who loves evil; no sinner is your guest. The boastful shall not stand their ground before your face.  You hate all who do evil; you destroy all who lie. The deceitful and bloodthirsty man the Lord detests.”  In saying this, it does not mean that God condemns us.  It simply means that God and Evil do not mix.  Holiness and sin; truth and falsehood are not compatible.  So those who do evil necessarily bring evil upon themselves.  It is not God who punishes them but evil that will punish them.  Indeed, as St Augustine often says, the punishment for iniquity is more iniquity.  We are punished by the very sins we commit!

Yet, if we are in such a mess already, then all we need is to repent and turn to Him for forgiveness and healing.  The sufferings that come from our sins and mistakes are not meant to be vindictive punishment.  Rather, they are means by which the Lord wakes us up to the greater reality before us, which is eternal life.  It is better to forfeit the joys of this world than to be condemned to death for all eternity.  This is what the Lord says, “And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.” (Mt 5:30)  The moment we repent, we are set free.  Indeed, when we repent, the new life is ours.  He will restore us to fullness of life.

So in our misery, in our fear of the future, in our problems and sufferings, let us not lose hope but cling to Jesus in our storms.  This is what the gospel is asking of us.  The disciples too were afraid when the storm beat against the boat.  That they were afraid in spite of the fact that they were fishermen meant that the storm was no ordinary storm and they knew fully the dangers ahead of them.  For this reason, they cried out to the Lord, “Save us, Lord, we are going down!”  Indeed, like the disciples in our times of fear, we think that the Lord is sleeping. He seems not to be helping us to fight the storms of our lives.  He appears to be indifferent to our fears and anxieties.

But in truth, He is with us in the boat.  So long as we are in the same boat as our Lord, we will never be drowned.  He will see that we remain safe and calm.  All He asks of us is to have faith in Him.  He said, “’Why are you so frightened, you men of little faith?’  And with that he rebuked the winds and the seas; and all was calm again.”  So in the storms of our lives, we must turn to Jesus to find strength, courage and inspiration.  In every storm, let us put Christ at the center of our lives.  In this way, we can find peace, not outside the storm but inside the storm.  We cannot stop the storms from manifesting or temptations from coming but we can be strong enough to resist the storms and the temptations that come by.

How can we do this if not to find faith in the Lord?  Like the disciples, we need to ask ourselves, do we have faith in the Lord?  Where is this faith found if not in surrendering our lives to Him?  We must learn to accept the will of God and not fight against His will.  We must learn to accept the price of our mistakes, not as punishment but as grace from God to help us grow in love and in character.  So instead of fighting against the means of purification through the sufferings we are going through, we must use them as opportunities for growth in holiness, truth and love.  When we are resigned to His will, we will find peace in the storm.  The world outside us might still be stormy, but in our hearts there will be peace, and in our minds calmness, because our conscience is clear and our will is aligned with God’s will.  In His will is our peace.

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

THE PRICE FOR THE PRIZE OF DISCIPLESHIP

20160627 THE PRICE FOR THE PRIZE OF DISCIPLESHIP

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Green.

First reading

Amos 2:6-10,13-16 ©

The Lord says this:

For the three crimes, the four crimes, of Israel

I have made my decree and will not relent:

because they have sold the virtuous man for silver

and the poor man for a pair of sandals,

because they trample on the heads of ordinary people

and push the poor out of their path,

because father and son have both resorted to the same girl,

profaning my holy name,

because they stretch themselves out by the side of every altar

on clothes acquired as pledges,

and drink the wine of the people they have fined

in the house of their god...

Yet it was I who overthrew the Amorites when they attacked,

men tall as cedars and strong as oaks,

I who destroyed them,

both fruit above ground

and root below.

It was I who brought you out of the land of Egypt

and for forty years led you through the wilderness

to take possession of the Amorite’s country.

See then how I am going to crush you into the ground

as the threshing-sledge crushes when clogged by straw;

flight will not save even the swift,

the strong man will find his strength useless,

the mighty man will be powerless to save himself.

The bowman will not stand his ground,

the fast runner will not escape,

the horseman will not save himself,

the bravest warriors will run away naked that day.

It is the Lord who speaks.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 49:16-23 ©

Mark this, you who never think of God.

‘How can you recite my commandments

  and take my covenant on your lips,

you who despise my law

  and throw my words to the winds?

Mark this, you who never think of God.

‘You who see a thief and go with him;

  who throw in your lot with adulterers,

who unbridle your mouth for evil

  and whose tongue is plotting crime.

Mark this, you who never think of God.

‘You who sit and malign your brother

  and slander your own mother’s son.

You do this, and should I keep silence?

  Do you think that I am like you?

Mark this, you who never think of God.

‘Mark this, you who never think of God,

  lest I seize you and you cannot escape;

a sacrifice of thanksgiving honours me

  and I will show God’s salvation to the upright.’

Mark this, you who never think of God.

Gospel Acclamation

Jn8:12

Alleluia, alleluia!

I am the light of the world, says the Lord;

anyone who follows me will have the light of life.

Alleluia!

Or

Ps94:8

Alleluia, alleluia!

Harden not your hearts today,

but listen to the voice of the Lord.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 8:18-22 ©

When Jesus saw the great crowds all about him he gave orders to leave for the other side. One of the scribes then came up and said to him, ‘Master, I will follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’

  Another man, one of his disciples, said to him, ‘Sir, let me go and bury my father first.’ But Jesus replied, ‘Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their dead.’

THE PRICE FOR THE PRIZE OF DISCIPLESHIP

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ AMOS 2:6-10, 13-16; MT 8:18-22]

In the gospel we read of two different responses to the call of discipleship.  One comes from an enthusiastic would-be disciple and the other from a reluctant would-be disciple.  For most of us our own response to discipleship lies between these two responses.  What is significant about the call of Jesus is that He was extremely candid about those who choose to follow Him.  He did not allow any of His potential disciples to have any illusions of whatever sort.  He did not offer empty promises or an easy life.  He comes to offer the fullness of life.  But this life is only given to those who are ready to have it.  There is a price for every prize.  If we are not ready for the price, then we should not expect to receive the prize.

This was the case of the scribe who was inspired by the life and ministry of our Lord.  His enthusiastic response upon hearing His preaching and watching Him ministering to the sick and those possessed was “’Master, I will follow you wherever you go.”  The reply of Jesus was downright candid that it can appear to be very discouraging.  He said, “Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”  Indeed, the life of Jesus was one of a Suffering Servant fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah.  (cf Isa 52:13-53:12).  His life is one of self-emptying. (Phil 2:7)   He was rich but became poor for our sake.  (cf 2 Cor 8:9)  Most of all, His life ended in rejection and death on the cross.  But by so doing, He brought salvation and life to all.

If Jesus travelled this road to life, His disciples cannot be travelling on a different path.  Indeed, the Lord just reminded us to enter through the narrow gate “for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it.  For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Mt 7:13f)  That is why we must be wary of preachers that promise us a rose garden without the thorns.  We must be wary of preachers that are more concerned about wealth, power and status than giving up their lives in humble service for others.  Otherwise, we are taking the easy road that leads to perdition, for the things of this earth will not give us happiness unless we give them away.  We are here to enrich others; not ourselves.  In enriching others, we are enriched in love, kindness, generosity and in spirit.   This is what money and power cannot buy; the freedom and joy of a magnanimous and compassionate heart.

The truth is that many of us make that commitment in baptism to follow Christ but in truth we are not ready to follow Him.  We want privileges without responsibilities and commitment.  It is just like those relationships where the couple only wants to be romantic and be sexually intimate but they are not ready for sacrifices, commitment and responsibility towards new life that comes from a relationship.  Love without commitment is pure selfishness.   Sex without responsibility is pure pleasure.  If this is true in human relationship, what more when it comes to our relationship with God?

This was the mistake of the Israelites during the time of the prophet Amos.  The Israelites in the Northern Kingdom of Israel did not obey the Covenant as set out by Moses.  They relished the fact that they were the chosen people of God but they failed to practice justice in their dealings with others and charity towards the poor.  Instead, the rich became richer and the poor became poorer as they were manipulated by the rich and powerful.  There was a great divide between the rich and the poor, the powerful and the voiceless.   Their lives were immoral and dishonest.  Most of all, they worshipped false gods.  How could they consider themselves the chosen People of God when they did not observe the part of their relationship with God, which is to serve Him alone and obey the Laws of Moses?

Indeed, the greatest weakness of the Catholic Church is that we have numbers and we like to boast of our numbers.  But we never ask, what kind of Catholics do we have?  Are they truly disciples of the Lord, following Him and living out the gospel life, or are they simply converts and mere nominal disciples?  If they are not disciples in fact but only in name, Jesus would say to them as He warned us earlier, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.  Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.’” (Mt 7:21, 23)  If we are not ready to follow Jesus by coming to Him, meditating on His life, daily listening to the Word of God and putting into practice the Word of God, then our response to the Lord is mere passing enthusiasm.  It does us no good unless like Jesus, we wake up early to pray and then go out to serve the community in humble service.

But there is another group of so-called disciples of the Lord.  These are the people who are tardy in responding to the call to discipleship.  The disciple wanted to follow the Lord but he was not yet ready to leave his father and his loved ones behind, whether because of inheritance or filial responsibility.   When Jesus told him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their dead”, He was not being hard hearted.  Rather, Jesus wanted Him to know his priorities.  Obedience and love for God must come first and we will see the other things in life in proper perspective.  When our love for the Lord takes first place in our lives, everything else would be seen in relation to our love for Him.

However, not many put Jesus at the center of their lives.  He lives on the margin of our lives, more as a backup than the foundation.  This explains why there are some would-be disciples who, upon hearing the gospel and prompted by the Holy Spirit to respond to the call to discipleship, are afraid to take the plunge.  The Holy Spirit has stirred their hearts to fulfill their yearnings for the Lord.  But when they consider the price that they have to pay, for example giving up their worldly pursuits, their irregular relationships and their dishonest lifestyles, they begin to have second thoughts.  Many in their hearts love the Lord but not enough to give up their other priorities for the Lord.  And so they wait.  Unfortunately, we do not know how long we can wait.  Many inspirations from the Holy Spirit to come to the Lord, to ask for baptism or to start a project or to do a good deed, are not heeded and therefore become a lost opportunity.  When we do not seize the moment, the opportunity that is in front of us, we might never have it again.

Similarly, many of us never find the fullness of life even though we are baptized because we are not willing to let go of our own worldly and selfish pursuits.  Many want to build up their career, their wealth, their status at the expense of their faith and their relationship with the Lord.  Some even sacrifice the intimacy and unity of the family and their spouse so that they could achieve their goals. They would tell the Lord that when they have earned enough then they would come back to serve Him.  Such thinking is naive and contrary to what the Lord is offering us.  We do not serve the Lord only when we are involved in Church ministry or charitable works.  Rather, we serve the Lord every day, wherever we are, and whatever we do.  We serve the Lord by being a responsible spouse and worker.  We serve the Lord by looking after our family and our colleagues and the community.  So there is no dichotomy between serving the Lord and serving our family or doing our work.  At any point of time, our duty is to ask where the Lord wants us to serve Him.  So to serve the Lord does not mean abandoning our parents or our family.

To serve the Lord simply means to serve where He asks us to serve.  So we do not have to wait till our retirement to serve Him.  We serve Him according to the situation, the resources, the responsibilities and the way we can serve.   At the end of the day, what is important is that we are serving God regardless of whether we are serving at home, in the office, in the Church or in some NGOs.   What we must be concerned is whether God is our priority and that all that we do is meant to serve and glorify Him in obedience to His will.

How, then, can we put the Lord as the priority in our lives?  It all depends on how much we know the Lord and are inspired by His love, life and passion for us.  We are called to be like the scribe who was touched by the Lord. Considering his legalistic background, he was the most unlikely disciple of Christ. Like St Paul who was a Pharisee, he too was a most unlikely candidate for discipleship.  Yet they were touched simply because of the way Jesus manifested Himself to them.  So only when we fall in love with Jesus like St Paul and all the saints, we cannot expect ourselves to give up everything for Him and make Him the center of our lives.  This is the pre-requisite for discipleship.  A Catholic who does not deepen his love for the Word of God and the Eucharist can hardly grow in discipleship.  But if we do, then we will see that the prize ahead of us is already with us because we would have shared in the joy, freedom and love of our Lord as we serve Him and His people.  The prize of having Jesus and the Holy Spirit in our hearts and the love of the Father would have given us great joy and consolation.  With Jesus, we have everything.

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