MAKING PROGRESS IN THE WORK OF EVANGELISATION

20210828 MAKING PROGRESS IN THE WORK OF EVANGELISATION

 

 

28 August, 2021, Saturday, 21st Week, Ordinary Time

First reading

1 Thessalonians 4:9-11 ©

You have learnt from God how to love one another

As for loving our brothers, there is no need for anyone to write to you about that, since you have learnt from God yourselves to love one another, and in fact this is what you are doing with all the brothers throughout the whole of Macedonia. However, we do urge you, brothers, to go on making even greater progress and to make a point of living quietly, attending to your own business and earning your living, just as we told you to.

---

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 97(98):1,7-9 ©

The Lord comes to rule the people with fairness.

Sing a new song to the Lord

  for he has worked wonders.

His right hand and his holy arm

  have brought salvation.

The Lord comes to rule the people with fairness.

Let the sea and all within it, thunder;

  the world, and all its peoples.

Let the rivers clap their hands

  and the hills ring out their joy

The Lord comes to rule the people with fairness.

at the presence of the Lord: for he comes,

  he comes to rule the earth.

He will rule the world with justice

  and the peoples with fairness.

The Lord comes to rule the people with fairness.

---

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:

Jn13:34

Alleluia, alleluia!

I give you a new commandment:

love one another just as I have loved you, 

says the Lord.

Alleluia!

---

Gospel

Matthew 25:14-30 ©

You have been faithful in small things: come and join in your master's happiness

Jesus spoke this parable to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of Heaven is like a man on his way abroad who summoned his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to a third one; each in proportion to his ability. Then he set out.

  ‘The man who had received the five talents promptly went and traded with them and made five more. The man who had received two made two more in the same way. But the man who had received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

  ‘Now a long time after, the master of those servants came back and went through his accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents came forward bringing five more. “Sir,” he said “you entrusted me with five talents; here are five more that I have made.”

  ‘His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have shown you can be faithful in small things, I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master’s happiness.”

  ‘Next the man with the two talents came forward. “Sir,” he said “you entrusted me with two talents; here are two more that I have made.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have shown you can be faithful in small things, I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master’s happiness.”

  ‘Last came forward the man who had the one talent. “Sir,” said he “I had heard you were a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered; so I was afraid, and I went off and hid your talent in the ground. Here it is; it was yours, you have it back.” But his master answered him, “You wicked and lazy servant! So you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered? Well then, you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have recovered my capital with interest. So now, take the talent from him and give it to the man who has the five talents. For to everyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away. As for this good-for-nothing servant, throw him out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.”’

 

MAKING PROGRESS IN THE WORK OF EVANGELISATION

---

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ 1 TH 4:9-11; PS 98:1,7-9; MT 25:14-30 ]

In the Parable of the Talents, the context of the evangelist’s inclusion of this parable was to remind the Christian community of their responsibility to make progress in their spiritual life, to let God’s kingdom rule their lives and to extend the Kingdom of God as the Lord commanded them just before His ascension.  The Lord told them, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  (Acts 1:8) This command to spread the Good News is reinforced in today’s parable when Jesus said, “A man on his way abroad summoned his servants and entrusted his property to them.”  This refers to His ascension.

With the ascension, the Lord gave them the gifts of the Spirit so that they could be empowered to be His witnesses.  “To one he gave five talents, to another two, to a third one; each in proportion to his ability.”  The Holy Spirit gives to all different gifts.  As St Paul says, “All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.”  (1 Cor 12:11) Until then, the Christians are to continue to work for the growth of the Kingdom until the Second Coming of the Lord when God will call us to judgment.  Hence, Matthew says, “Then he set out.  Now a long time after, the master of those servants came back and went through his accounts with them.”

St Paul also urged the Christians in Thessalonica to do the same.  He wrote, “we do urge you, brothers, to go on making even greater progress and to make a point of living quietly, attending to your own business and earning your living, just as we told you to.”  The context of this exhortation was because some Christians who thought that the Second Coming was imminent, stopped working and spent their time idling, gossiping and causing trouble to others.   This was what the angel told the disciples when they continued to stare at the sky when Jesus ascended.  “While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.'”  (Acts 1:10f)

How does one make progress in growing the Kingdom of God in one’s personal life and that of the community and of society in general?  What would be the attitudes required of us Christians when awaiting the Second Coming of Christ?  We must be progressive by taking initiative to extend the reign of Christ, each according to the role and talents the Lord has given to us.  Like the servants who were given five and two talents, they developed, invested and grew the amount the master gave to them.  “The man who had received the five talents promptly went and traded with them and made five more.  The man who had received two made two more in the same way.”   When we seek to grow the gifts the Lord has given to us, it requires not just initiative but it also means taking calculated risks.  As it is said, “no risk, no gain.”   We need courage and faith in God and in ourselves when we venture on something that is not within our control.

But that was what the early Christians did.   They ventured out to proclaim the Good News, first at the Temple, then to the people and even to the Sanhedrin.  When they were persecuted, they fled to the countryside and started to evangelize in Samaria and throughout the countryside of Judea.  (Acts 8:1) St Paul later ventured out to proclaim the gospel at Damascus and went on three missionary trips to Macedonia and the surrounding Greek cities, preaching first to the Jews then to the Gentiles.   Eventually, he brought the gospel to Rome as well.  All these were done at great cost to their lives because of persecutions.

And that is what our early missionaries did as well.  With Colonialism through trade and then conquest, Europe also brought with them missionaries to Asia and the Far East.  Many of them came to a land with very different and diverse cultures, languages and religions.  But they were ready to leave their homeland, travelling months on the seas to arrive at the shores of Asia.  There they sowed the seeds of faith.  Singapore is one of those countries that have benefitted from the labour of the missionaries who not only proclaimed the Good News about Jesus but accompanying the proclamation with works of mercy, providing education, land, medicine and food to the people.  The missionaries had foresight, courage, patience and perseverance in sowing the seeds of faith and building up the local church.

The rewards of making full use of our talents and working for the Kingdom is that not only do our recipients benefit but we also benefit because God will grow our knowledge, talents and experience, and we are empowered to do more so that we will always be living to our optimum level.  This was what the master told the first two servants who brought in more talents.  His master said to him, “Well done good and faithful servant; you have shown you can be faithful in small things, I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master’s happiness.”  Indeed, when we do something well and we exercise our potentials, we grow and become better and more skilful and knowledgeable as well.  Whether we are teacher or student, benefactor or beneficiary, we all grow together in maturity and in spiritual life.

However, those who are afraid to take up the challenge to grow the gifts that God has given to them, will eventually stifle themselves to death.  This was the case of the Jews during the time of Jesus when this parable was addressed to them.  The religious leaders were more concerned with preserving the Laws of Moses and keeping them intact.  They were exclusive in their faith, not just to the Gentiles but even to those whom they considered sinners, because they could not keep to the details of the laws.  This is true for us as Christians as well.  Some of us read the bible rigidly and fail to understand deeper the Word of God.  Although scriptures are fixed and contain the fullness of revelation, the understanding of scriptures and God’s revelation can grow in depth and in understanding, especially when we seek to apply them to our context.  Scriptures is not a dead book but kept alive by the community of faith.   This is why we cannot read scriptures or even the doctrines of the Church as if they are carved in stone.  Truths cannot change but understanding of the truths can grow.  This is why the doctrines of the Church are never fixated but grow in continuity with what was taught.

Failure to take the risk of making the gospel relevant to our people today is the cause of the loss of faith and members.  Unless the gospel makes sense to our people, they will no longer perceive it as Good News.  This is why we need to reinterpret and recast the same truths of the gospel in new and creative ways, using different forms of communications to communicate the gospel to our present generation.  Otherwise we will lose them to the world.  We cannot remain closed to the changing situation and cultures.  We need to make ourselves relevant and this calls for courage to take risks, to adapt and make changes, of course, always faithful to the unchanging truths of scripture and tradition.

The Lord warns us that we must not be lazy, wicked and worthless servants.  Lazy because we are indifferent to the need to make progress in the work of evangelisation; wicked because we fail to appreciate the gift of faith and the many talents in our lives given to us not just for ourselves but for others; worthless because we fail to make a difference in the lives of others.  This is what the Lord reminds us, “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.’  (Mt 5:13) The best way to protect our faith is not to hide it or keep it for ourselves.  We will lose what we try to save.  “Those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”  (Mt 16:25) The only way to preserve our faith and our life is to proclaim and share the Good News with others, and to expend our lives for the service of others.  In proclamation and in sharing, we are doubly enriched.

---

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

SEXUAL REVOLUTION

20210827 SEXUAL REVOLUTION

 

 

27 August, 2021, Friday, 21st Week, Ordinary Time

First reading

1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 ©

What God wants is for you all to be holy

Brothers, we urge you and appeal to you in the Lord Jesus to make more and more progress in the kind of life that you are meant to live: the life that God wants, as you learnt from us, and as you are already living it. You have not forgotten the instructions we gave you on the authority of the Lord Jesus.

  What God wants is for you all to be holy. He wants you to keep away from fornication, and each one of you to know how to use the body that belongs to him in a way that is holy and honourable, not giving way to selfish lust like the pagans who do not know God. He wants nobody at all ever to sin by taking advantage of a brother in these matters; the Lord always punishes sins of that sort, as we told you before and assured you. We have been called by God to be holy, not to be immoral; in other words, anyone who objects is not objecting to a human authority, but to God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.

---

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 96(97):1-2,5-6,10-12 ©

Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.

The Lord is king, let earth rejoice,

  let all the coastlands be glad.

Cloud and darkness are his raiment;

  his throne, justice and right.

Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.

The mountains melt like wax

  before the Lord of all the earth.

The skies proclaim his justice;

  all peoples see his glory.

Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.

The Lord loves those who hate evil;

  he guards the souls of his saints;

  he sets them free from the wicked.

Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.

Light shines forth for the just

  and joy for the upright of heart.

Rejoice, you just, in the Lord;

  give glory to his holy name.

Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.

---

Gospel Acclamation

cf.Ps129:5

Alleluia, alleluia!

My soul is waiting for the Lord,

I count on his word.

Alleluia!

Or:

Lk21:36

Alleluia, alleluia!

Stay awake, praying at all times

for the strength to stand with confidence

before the Son of Man.

Alleluia!

---

Gospel

Matthew 25:1-13 ©

The wise and foolish virgins

Jesus told this parable to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of heaven will be like this: Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were sensible: the foolish ones did take their lamps, but they brought no oil, whereas the sensible ones took flasks of oil as well as their lamps. The bridegroom was late, and they all grew drowsy and fell asleep. But at midnight there was a cry, “The bridegroom is here! Go out and meet him.” At this, all those bridesmaids woke up and trimmed their lamps, and the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, “Give us some of your oil: our lamps are going out.” But they replied, “There may not be enough for us and for you; you had better go to those who sell it and buy some for yourselves.” They had gone off to buy it when the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding hall and the door was closed. The other bridesmaids arrived later. “Lord, Lord,” they said “open the door for us.” But he replied, “I tell you solemnly, I do not know you.” So stay awake, because you do not know either the day or the hour.’

 

 

SEXUAL REVOLUTION

---

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 Th 4:1-8; Ps 97:1-2,5-6,10-12; Mt 25:1-13]

Marriage is one of the most beautiful gifts of God to humanity.  In marriage, it is the union of a man and a woman, both different but complementary to each other.  Together they complete each other emotionally, sexually and spiritually.  This is why the Christian ideal of marriage is according to the plan of God for humanity.  As the Lord said, “Have you not read that the one who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.”  (Mt 19:4-6) It is the indissoluble union of the couple that makes possible unconditional love, mutual giving and forgiveness, union of heart, mind and body.

So sacred is marriage that the bible uses marriage as the way to describe our relationship with God.  In today’s gospel, the Parable of the Bridesmaids reminds us of the joy of welcoming the bridegroom into our lives.  Of course, the bridegroom is our Lord and the bride is the Church which is all of us.  Although all of us are Christians, just like the ten who were bridesmaids, not all of us are ready to welcome the bridegroom.  We fail to make the necessary preparations to get our torches ready to welcome Him when He arrives.  Only the wise bridesmaids who were prepared for the unexpected arrival of the bridegroom were ready to receive Him.  We too do not know when the Lord will be arriving.  Regardless when He arrives, we need to be ready to share in His joy and love.   This presupposes we live in the light of Christ, with good works to shine before the world, giving glory to the Father and most of all, as St Paul tells us in the first reading, to live a life of holiness, which is to live a life of purity in truth and love.  Whilst a life of holiness goes beyond sexual purity, it has to do with right relationships with our brothers and sisters, and ultimately with God.  The foundation for right relationship begins with marriage.  However, the relationships between man and woman, whether in marriage or outside marriage today are disordered.

Today, we are going through a sexual revolution.  By this I do not mean we are changing to a situation that is new, but going back like a revolving door to what was the situation during the Pre-Christian era.  This was the context of St Paul’s exhortation to the Thessalonians in asking them to avoid sexual immorality.  It is also good for us to take note that St Paul was writing from Corinth which was also well known for sexual immorality.  Yet, we must appreciate that St Paul was going against the culture of those days when sexual immorality was rampant according to our assessment, but for the people it was a way of life.  Many marriages were arranged and often to protect the legitimacy of the children and to protect the family line.  But many had mistresses and concubines to satisfy their sexual pleasures and affective needs as not all arranged marriages resulted in romance. Extra-marital relationships were accepted as part of the culture.  Seneca said, “Women were married to be divorced and divorced to be married.”  Furthermore, there was the temple worship of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of sex and beauty whom the Romans identified as Venus.  There were temple prostitutes associated with the rites.

Our society is not much different today when we compare ourselves to the time of St Paul.  Sexual promiscuity today is also rampant.  Infidelity outside of marriage is increasing and so is divorce.  In fact, the census, not just in Singapore but in many countries as well, shows that the number of divorces among Catholics and Christians are comparable to the national figure.  Divorce seems to be a natural and acceptable reality today because many couples are not capable of lasting commitment and permanent relationships.  This is of course due to the changing lifestyle of urban living.

Indeed, one of the main factors for the sexual revolution is the changing lifestyle of society.   The rise of the power of women is one of the most important factors.  Our women today are no longer just homemakers, looking after babies and children, or high-class domestic workers at home, cleaning the house and cooking for the family.  Our women are highly educated and many of them hold important and influential positions in government, corporate organizations, NGOs and church bodies.  Some are political leaders in many nations.  Because of the great demand on their time, and with their husbands equally committed to their work or business, they have hardly any time for each other.  Their relationships after marriage tend to be superficial, as each is so involved not just in their work but also in social entertainment and relationships with a wider circle of people, especially of the opposite sex.  The temptation is much greater for sexual infidelity, especially when one or both of the couple are not getting sufficient intimacy, quality time and understanding from their partners.

The second factor is the advancement of science and technology.  With easy abortion and the many means of contraception, and mobile apps to determine with greater accuracy the possibility of pregnancy, the temptation to sexual promiscuity is greater.  Women no longer are afraid that they would get an unwanted pregnancy.  On the reverse, today, one can have a child without getting married as well, through surrogate motherhood or invitro-fertilization.   Otherwise, we can also conceive babies in laboratory.

The third factor is the influence of social media and the secular culture at large.  Because of relativism, it is difficult for someone of this generation to be told what is right and what is wrong.  In the past, our sense of morality is determined and influenced by our family and religious traditions.  Today, it is no longer the family or our religion that influences us but television, movies, radio, internet, social media, celebrities and leaders in the political and corporate world.   They become the mentor of what is good for us.  This is why it is very difficult for us to go against the culture of the world that is obsessed with sensuality and pleasures. Sexual immorality is promoted by the mass media and the entertainment world and commercials normalizing what is immoral.   People dress provocatively and skimpily as this is a free world.  We do not have to be out of our homes to see sexually provocative images because pornography can be accessed on the Internet.

These factors, such as an active career lifestyle, desire for wealth and status, increasing number of divorces, advancement in medical science, social media have also led to an increasing number of singles.  Many do not want commitments that would compromise their career or their freedom to go as they like.  They desire relationships that are open-ended.  So couples change relationships the way they change cars.  Many prefer to stay single but they also need love and affection and sex as well.  So they go for one-night stands or casual relationships.  Others are attracted to same-sex relationships.  Today, the novelty is to call oneself a transgender, a non-binary; not just gay or lesbian.

How do we protect ourselves from this permissive culture?  It cannot be by rules and teaching moral principles alone because today everyone holds different views.  There are all kinds of arguments against and for the Christian moral principles we hold.  St Paul gives us the clue.  He said, God “wants nobody at all ever to sin by taking advantage of a brother in these matters; the Lord always punishes sins of that sort, as we told you before and assured you.  We have been called by God to be holy, not to be immoral; in other words, anyone who objects is not objecting to a human authority, but to God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.”  It is not so much knowing what is right or wrong, which is just the first step.  Before we take note of the imperative that comes from Christian Faith, we must underscore the imperative dimension of the gospel, which is the Good News that has been given to us.  Holiness and living the gospel life presupposes we know what God has done for us in Jesus, how He has shown us the way to live our life in truth and love.  Unless we first encounter Jesus’ love, there is no way to grow in holiness.  Most of all, St Paul says we need the power of the Holy Spirit.

---

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

 

 

LAST THINGS FIRST

20210826 LAST THINGS FIRST

 

 

26 August, 2021, Thursday, 21st Week, Ordinary Time

First reading

1 Thessalonians 3:7-13 ©

Now we can breathe again, as you are still holding firm in the Lord

Brothers, your faith has been a great comfort to us in the middle of our own troubles and sorrows; now we can breathe again, as you are still holding firm in the Lord. How can we thank God enough for you, for all the joy we feel before our God on your account? We are earnestly praying night and day to be able to see you face to face again and make up any shortcomings in your faith.

  May God our Father himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, make it easy for us to come to you. May the Lord be generous in increasing your love and make you love one another and the whole human race as much as we love you. And may he so confirm your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless in the sight of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus Christ comes with all his saints.

---

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 89(90):3-4,12-14,17 ©

Fill us with your love that we may rejoice.

You turn men back to dust

  and say: ‘Go back, sons of men.’

To your eyes a thousand years

  are like yesterday, come and gone,

  no more than a watch in the night.

Fill us with your love that we may rejoice.

Make us know the shortness of our life

  that we may gain wisdom of heart.

Lord, relent! Is your anger for ever?

  Show pity to your servants.

Fill us with your love that we may rejoice.

In the morning, fill us with your love;

  we shall exult and rejoice all our days.

Let the favour of the Lord be upon us:

  give success to the work of our hands.

Fill us with your love that we may rejoice.

---

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:	Mt24:42,44

Alleluia, alleluia!

Stay awake and stand ready,

because you do not know the hour

when the Son of Man is coming.

Alleluia!

---

Gospel

Matthew 24:42-51 ©

He is coming at an hour you do not expect

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Stay awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming. You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what time of the night the burglar would come, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed anyone to break through the wall of his house. Therefore, you too must stand ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

  ‘What sort of servant, then, is faithful and wise enough for the master to place him over his household to give them their food at the proper time? Happy that servant if his master’s arrival finds him at this employment. I tell you solemnly, he will place him over everything he owns. But as for the dishonest servant who says to himself, “My master is taking his time,” and sets about beating his fellow servants and eating and drinking with drunkards, his master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. The master will cut him off and send him to the same fate as the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.’

 

LAST THINGS FIRST

---

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 Th 3:7-13; Ps 90:3-4,12-14,17; Mt 24:42-51]

The principle of arriving at our goal or destination is always to put the “last things first.” This is because unless we know the last things, the final outcome of what we do, we will live our lives aimlessly.   We will just drift along not knowing when we will arrive or whether there is any destination at all.  This is what is happening to many people in the world today.  They are so focused on the “now”, what they are doing that they forget the goal ahead of them.

Forgetfulness or ignorance of the end is the cause of complacency and disorientation. When we do not know the last things of this life, we live like the YOLOS, “you only live once.”  The only last thing they know is death.  Hence, they must enjoy as much as they can since after death, there is nothing. They believe that our life ends on this earth and there is no hereafter.  This is why they can live adventurously and recklessly.  There is no accountability to anyone, surely, not God but at most to ourselves in this life.  So, it doesn’t matter that we do evil so long as we do not get caught or overcome by good forces.

But the Church tells us that the Last Things consist of death, judgment, hell and heaven.  These are the four last things.  This is clearly brought up in today’s both scripture readings.  Death is not the end but the prelude to judgment and hell or heaven.  In the gospel, Jesus spoke of the responsibility of God’s servants.  Jesus said to His disciples, “Stay awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming. You too must stand ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”  St Paul wrote to the Christians about the final judgment, “May he so confirm your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless in the sight of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus Christ comes with all his saints.”   If we are irresponsible, then the outcome would be damnation as Jesus said, “The master will cut him off and send him to the same fate as the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.”

It is significant that the parable today is not addressed to unbelievers who have no inkling of the four last things.  It is addressed to those who believe, those who are disciples of the Lord.  In other words, the parable is addressed to believers who are in the Church, not those outside the fold.  The parable is prefaced by the statement that Jesus was addressing His disciples.  The tragedy of many Christians is that although they are baptized and they know the last four things, they live their lives oblivious to this fact.  We live our lives as if we are YOLOs, like the rest of the world, thinking that this life on earth is all there is to live for.  We forget, as the psalmist says, “You turn men back to dust and say: ‘Go back, sons of men.’  To your eyes a thousand years are like yesterday, come and gone, no more than a watch in the night. Make us know the shortness of our life that we may gain wisdom of heart.  Lord, relent!  Is your anger for ever?  Show pity to your servants.”

Hence, the Lord urges us twice to stay awake.  This is because the master, the Son of Man, the Eternal Judge, will come at an hour we do not expect.  But He will come.  Even if we are not around on the last day, He will come on our last day on this earth, which could be any day because we cannot determine when our last day on earth is.  This is what St James urges us, “You do not even know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”  (Jms 4:14) That is why we must be prepared at all times.  The failure to keep vigilant is the cause of irresponsibility in living our life in truth, in goodness and in righteousness.  This is what the Devil wants us to do and that is why the greatest deception he has sowed in the world today is that there is no life after death, there is no God to judge us.  We will not suffer for doing evil, and if we do, at most we will only suffer in this life.

How then do we stay awake?  As servants of God, we must be found working at all times.  Jesus said, “What sort of servant, then, is faithful and wise enough for the master to place him over his household to give them their food at the proper time?  Happy that servant if his Master’s arrival finds him at this employment.”   When someone told John Calvin to rest from his untiring preaching of the gospel, he said, “Do you want the Lord to find me idle when He comes?”  As servants of God, there is no rest, just as God is always working.  It does not mean that we must always be doing something.  What it means is that we must be loving and sometimes being loving would involve doing something.  But there are times when being loving is just being present to God and to our brothers and sisters, hearing their pains and sharing their joys.  So it means doing good or simply being loving in whatever situation we are in.  This is the sure way to stand ready when the Lord comes.   He will find us awake and walking in the light of truth and love.

Unfortunately, many Christians, although baptized in the Lord, do not serve Christ.  Instead, they serve themselves.  We know that the master would come but we live under the illusion that there is plenty of time for preparation and for conversion.  We say, I will change my life when I reach 70 years old.  Or I will give up my pursuits of the world when I have made enough money.  We keep postponing righteous, honest and selfless giving to our brothers and sisters.  At most we leave our money and wealth to our loved ones and charitable organizations when we die, simply because we cannot bring a single cent with us to the next life.  And that kind of giving has no real merits at all since we are giving upon death.  No sacrifice is needed for us to give away our wealth.  When there is no sacrifice, there is no real love.  Of course, we give to our loved ones most of all.  It is a kind of love and gratitude but otherwise what shall we do with our property?

Worse still, if we are living a selfish and sinful life.  This is the servant that the Lord condemns. “But as for the dishonest servant who says to himself, ‘My master is taking his time,’ and sets about beating his fellow servants and eating and drinking with drunkards, his master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know.  The master will cut him off and send him to the same fate as the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.”  When we do not respect people, engage in promiscuous activities or be responsible in our tasks, we will suffer our fate.   A day will come when we are consumed by self-indulgence, the flesh, sensuality and pleasures, like the rich man who was so oblivious to Lazarus, the poor man, we will lose touch with ourselves, with humanity and with God.  We will come to a state when we no longer know how to love or what is true love.

This parable of course is addressed in a special way to the leaders of the Church and of society.  We are stewards of God’s grace and His people.  How we manage ourselves and our people require accountability to the Lord.  The greater the office, the more talents and blessings we receive, more is demanded of us to give and to help the people under our charge.  But if we are like that irresponsible chief servant, we would be doubly punished because we have abused our powers, our position and the gifts God has entrusted to us.  Indeed, heavier is the judgment on those given responsibility in leadership.

Today, we are called to imitate St Paul in his exemplary leadership in the first reading.  His heart was always with the people.  He shared their joy, their pain and their struggles.  St Paul was always anxious for the people, not just the Thessalonians that he had converted. “Besides other things, I am under daily pressure because of my anxiety for all the churches.”  (2 Cor 11:28) Indeed, he was always thinking of them, and when away from them, he would write to the churches to encourage them.  We see his genuine love for the Christians when he wrote, “Brothers, your faith has been a great comfort to us in the middle of our own troubles and sorrows; now we can breathe again, as you are still holding firm in the Lord.  How can we thank God enough for you, for all the joy we feel before our God on your account? We are earnestly praying night and day to be able to see you face to face again and make up any shortcomings in your faith.”  This is the kind of true pastoral leadership St Paul exhibited.

---

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

SELF-EXAMINATION OF A CHRISTIAN LEADER

20210825 SELF-EXAMINATION OF A CHRISTIAN LEADER

 

 

25 August, 2021, Wednesday, 21st Week, Ordinary Time

First reading

1 Thessalonians 2:9-13 ©

We slaved night and day so as not to be a burden on any one of you

Let me remind you, brothers, how hard we used to work, slaving night and day so as not to be a burden on any one of you while we were proclaiming God’s Good News to you. You are witnesses, and so is God, that our treatment of you, since you became believers, has been impeccably right and fair. You can remember how we treated every one of you as a father treats his children, teaching you what was right, encouraging you and appealing to you to live a life worthy of God, who is calling you to share the glory of his kingdom. Another reason why we constantly thank God for you is that as soon as you heard the message that we brought you as God’s message, you accepted it for what it really is, God’s message and not some human thinking; and it is still a living power among you who believe it.

---

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 138(139):7-12 ©

O Lord, you search me and you know me.

O where can I go from your spirit,

  or where can I flee from your face?

If I climb the heavens, you are there.

  If I lie in the grave, you are there.

O Lord, you search me and you know me.

If I take the wings of the dawn

  and dwell at the sea’s furthest end,

even there your hand would lead me,

  your right hand would hold me fast.

O Lord, you search me and you know me.

If I say: ‘Let the darkness hide me

  and the light around me be night,’

even darkness is not dark for you

  and the night is as clear as the day.

O Lord, you search me and you know me.

---

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:

1Jn2:5

Alleluia, alleluia!

Whenever anyone obeys what Christ has said,

God’s love comes to perfection in him.

Alleluia!

---

Gospel

Matthew 23:27-32 ©

You are the sons of those who murdered the prophets

Jesus said: ‘Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who are like whitewashed tombs that look handsome on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of corruption. In the same way you appear to people from the outside like good honest men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

  ‘Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who build the sepulchres of the prophets and decorate the tombs of holy men, saying, “We would never have joined in shedding the blood of the prophets, had we lived in our fathers’ day.” So! Your own evidence tells against you! You are the sons of those who murdered the prophets! Very well then, finish off the work that your fathers began.’

 

SELF-EXAMINATION OF A CHRISTIAN LEADER

---

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13; Ps 139:7-12; Mt 23:27-32 ]

Being a Christian leader is perhaps the most difficult form of leadership in the world, unlike those in the corporate or political world where leaders are only expected to show results, particularly economic growth, and prosperity.  So long as the aspirations of people are satisfied, money, pleasures, freedom, and peace, that leader can be considered successful.  It does not matter very much what he does in his personal life, or the way he brings down his opponents, or even if he is corrupt.  People in general are just concerned with key performance indicators.

A Christian leader, on the other hand, is expected to not just do well in the ministry and produce results, such as conversion rates and increased membership, but he is expected to be a role model in the way he lives his life, and conducts his relationship with God and the community.  The moral conduct of a religious leader is paramount in all that he does.  Even if he were the most eloquent preacher, teacher, administrator, organizer, if his moral life is put in question, then everything collapses.  All that he says or teaches would immediately be discredited.  No one would believe in him anymore.  Hence, when a Christian leader is convicted of a criminal offence, such as moral misconduct or a lack of integrity, he loses all credibility as a leader.

That is why St Paul in many of his letters took pains to defend himself from slander and attacks from both the Christian leaders and some members of the community.  He faced opposition and defamation from the Christians at Corinth, Galatia and in Thessalonica.  In his letter to the Corinthians, he said, “We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way.”  (2 Cor 6:3) The letter to the Thessalonians is no exception.  They were accusing St Paul of neglecting them.  They charged him for preaching the gospel from “deceit or impure motives or trickery”, or just to please and gain favour from some powerful and rich people.  They accused Paul of using “words of flattery or with a pretext for greed” and “seeking praise from mortals.”  (1 Th 2:3-6)

In the gospel, Jesus too, in His Seven Woes condemned the religious leaders for being hypocritical.  Earlier on, He condemned them for not practicing what they preached, doing things for show to gain attention, seeking honour and glory, wanting to be respected and recognized by people, manipulating the laws of God, and interpreting them in a legalistic way so that they could avoid being true to the Spirit of the Law, not practising justice but focusing on less weightier matters.  Today’s last two woes sum up all that Jesus wanted to say about them.  Jesus said, “Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who are like whitewashed tombs that look handsome on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of corruption. In the same way you appear to people from the outside like good honest men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”  Last but not least, they have perpetuated the sins of their fathers by ignoring and killing the prophets of God.  They pretended to take the law of God seriously and honour the prophets.  Jesus said, “you hypocrites! You who build the sepulchres of the prophets and decorate the tombs of holy men.  You are the sons of those who murdered the prophets!”  Jesus saw through their external actions into their hearts and He indicted them for the most serious of all sins, hypocrisy, pretending to be what they were not.

What about us as Christian leaders?  Before we reject the criticisms of those who speak ill of us, we must honestly examine ourselves.  The truth is that as Christian leaders we are tempted to spiritual worldliness, which is even more devious that mere worldliness.  Spiritual worldliness is the desire for the world masked as religious works and activities.  We seek to impress others, making ourselves look holy to the rest of the world.  Yet, underneath the good works, there may be ulterior motives.  Like all men, Christian leaders seek popularity, approval, and acceptance.  Some look for personal gains, money, pleasures, riches and power.  So those criticisms hurled at the religious leaders during the time of our Lord and those levelled against St Paul and his fellow leaders are nothing new.  These same temptations to glory, power, wealth, and popularity, do not stop when we are holy and influential.  In fact, just like Jesus, the Devil would tempt us all the more by offering us, greater fame, influence, riches, and power.

St Paul today helps us to search ourselves as to whether we are credible Christian leaders and whether we are leading from sincere and noble motives.  Firstly, he spoke of the courage to suffer for the sake of the gospel.  “You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was not in vain, but though we had already suffered and been shamefully mistreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition.”  (1 Th 2:2) A leader who seeks popularity will shy from speaking the hard truths and doing what is right.   The ability to suffer for the right thing is the first criterion of a true leader.

Secondly, the care we have for our people, as if we are their parents, loving them as a father or mother loves his or her child. St Paul wrote, “We were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children.  So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.”  (1 Th 2:7f) We must care for them by giving them encouragement and love.  But we are also called to be fathers to them as well.  St Paul wrote, “You can remember how we treated every one of you as a father treats his children, teaching you what was right, encouraging you and appealing to you to live a life worthy of God, who is calling you to share the glory of his kingdom.”  This is why priests are called “Father” because we are called to be spiritual fathers to God’s people.  We must never forget that to be a father entails the need to form, which means sometimes having to call people to repentance and discipline.  We are to be firm but never harsh.  Yet, to avoid guiding our people in the truth is to neglect our duty as fathers.

Thirdly, we must work for them without using them for our needs.  “Let me remind you, brothers, how hard we used to work, slaving night and day so as not to be a burden on any one of you while we were proclaiming God’s Good News to you.”  St Paul worked as a tent-maker whilst proclaiming the gospel so that he would not have to burden the Christian community with financial help.  Also, it was because he did not want to be obligated to anyone, as so often is the case because many people do not give money to the church unconditionally, but treat the church as their client so that the church becomes obligated to them.  

Fourthly, as leaders we must remain impartial.  “You are witnesses, and so is God, that our treatment of you, since you became believers, has been impeccably right and fair.”  Impartiality is important to win respect from the members.  When a leader favours some persons over another or one group over another, there will be division, jealousy, and resentment.  Only a leader who cares for all, irrespective of race, language, or status, can truly be said to be a Christ-like leader who has no fear of man but only God.  

Indeed, when we act in this manner, then our people will see us as credible leaders.  Like the Thessalonians, when they hear the message that we bring to them, they will accept it as God’s message “and not some human thinking.”  Only then will it become “a living power” among those who believe it.  Credibility in teaching presupposes credibility in living.

---

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