CHRIST AS THE CORNERSTONE OF THE CHURCH

20211028 CHRIST AS THE CORNERSTONE OF THE CHURCH

 

 

28 October, 2021, Thursday, Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles

First reading

Ephesians 2:19-22 ©

In Christ you are no longer aliens, but citizens like us

You are no longer aliens or foreign visitors: you are citizens like all the saints, and part of God’s household. You are part of a building that has the apostles and prophets for its foundations, and Christ Jesus himself for its main cornerstone. As every structure is aligned on him, all grow into one holy temple in the Lord; and you too, in him, are being built into a house where God lives, in the Spirit.

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Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 18(19):2-5 ©

Their word goes forth through all the earth.

The heavens proclaim the glory of God,

  and the firmament shows forth the work of his hands.

Day unto day takes up the story

  and night unto night makes known the message.

Their word goes forth through all the earth.

No speech, no word, no voice is heard

  yet their span extends through all the earth,

  their words to the utmost bounds of the world.

Their word goes forth through all the earth.

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Gospel Acclamation

cf.Te Deum

Alleluia, alleluia!

We praise you, O God,

we acknowledge you to be the Lord.

The glorious company of the apostles praise you, O Lord.

Alleluia!

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Gospel

Luke 6:12-16 ©

Jesus chooses his twelve apostles

Jesus went out into the hills to pray; and he spent the whole night in prayer to God. When day came he summoned his disciples and picked out twelve of them; he called them ‘apostles’: Simon whom he called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot who became a traitor.

 

CHRIST AS THE CORNERSTONE OF THE CHURCH

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SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ EPHESIANS 2:19-22; LUKE 6:12-19]

In the gospel, Jesus appointed the Twelve to continue His mission, knowing that His life on earth would be short, especially when He saw the growing opposition against Him.  He saw the need to establish a community after Him so that His mission could continue.  Hence, “Jesus went out into the hills to pray; and he spent the whole night in prayer to God. When day came he summoned his disciples and picked out twelve of them; he called them ‘apostles'”.  In choosing the Twelve, Jesus had in mind the New Israel, for they represented the Twelve tribes of Israel.  They did not replace the Old Israel as such but it shows a continuity and development. No longer would Israel be just the Twelve tribes but the New Israel encompasses everyone who has faith in Christ.

Indeed, anyone who belongs to Christ forms His Church, His household and His body.   This is what St Paul wrote, “You are no longer aliens or foreign visitors: you are citizens like all the saints, and part of God’s household. You are part of a building that has the apostles and prophets for its foundations, and Christ Jesus himself for its main cornerstone.”  “And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”  (Eph 1:22f) The Lord said, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”  (Lk 8:21)

But what is significant is that the Church which Jesus established is truly Catholic, that is, universal, embracing people of every race, language, culture, nationality, rank, status, education, profession, and social class.  The vision of Jesus fulfils the promise of God made to Abraham when God renewed His covenant with him and said, “You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.”   (Gen 17:4-6)

Accordingly, our Lord began His Church by choosing Twelve apostles who came from different backgrounds, professions, aspirations and passion.  These were the Twelve He chose, “Simon whom he called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot who became the traitor.”  It is notable that these Twelve did not share much in common, whether it was their background, temperament or motivation in following Jesus.   Peter, James and John were fishermen.  Matthew was a tax collector.  Simon, whose feast we celebrate today, was a zealot.  He was a revolutionary and would have considered Matthew to be a traitor for selling the Jews to the Romans.  Then we have Judas Thaddeus, whose feast we also celebrate today.   He is more known as Jude so that we would not confuse him with Judas Iscariot.  Like Simon the Zealot and Jude Thaddeus, we do not know much about them except that they were among the Twelve and that Jude left behind a short letter.

Selecting His future leaders from such a wide diversity of people with different skills, mindsets and along with them, their prejudices, surely, Jesus was asking for trouble.  Obviously, there would have been tension among them just to co-exist, much less to work together.  We all know how difficult it is in any organization, especially among people who are professionals, experts in their fields, and passionate in different causes because of different backgrounds, to work together, find alignment in vision and mission.  Quite often, members would clash in their views as we all see life and situations very differently, each coloured by past experiences, encounters, history, education, upbringing and training.  So it is very challenging to try to get everyone on board as views are sometimes simply irreconcilable.

Yet, this is the Catholic Church that Jesus intends for humanity.  The Church of Christ must be able to embrace all peoples irrespective of culture, language, political and economic views, and even theological views.  The Church has this mammoth task of accommodating everyone so that none would be left out.  Only then can the Church be a Sacrament and sign of unity for the human race.  If as Church we cannot embrace diversity and differences, we will never achieve unity.  This is why we must bear in mind that unity is not uniformity.   Any unity that can be achieved is based on diversity.  The strength of union does not lie in uniformity, or homogeneity but in diversity.  When there is unity in spite of diversity, then that unity is solid, whereas a unity rooted in uniformity is a weak form of unity because it cannot withstand differences and diversity.

What then is the basis for unity in the Church?  Although unity embraces diversity, there are certain fundamental principles for such unity in diversity to be realized.  St Paul says that “You are part of a building that has the apostles and prophets for its foundations, and Christ Jesus himself for its main cornerstone.”   In this text, we see the importance of being aligned with the Lord and with His Church.  This guarantees that “every structure is aligned on him, all grow into one holy temple in the Lord; and you too, in him, are being built into a house where God lives, in the Spirit.”  To become the Holy Temple of the Lord, we must make the House of God a place where His Spirit truly lives. 

Indeed, the first foundational principle that cannot be compromised is that Jesus is our cornerstone.  We can have diverse ways in ministry, in execution of plans, in the structure of leadership, in some moral and theological perspectives, but we must all have a common devotion and fidelity to the Lord.  This is why, the Church today must be more ecumenical.  The insistence that non-Catholic Churches must return to the Catholic Church which is the Church of Christ is not realistic.  Today there are thousands of Christian denominations and even the mainstream Christian communities are quite fragmented within in theological positions and leaderships.  In the Constitution of the Church in Vatican II, the Church acknowledges the elements of the true Church of Christ in them even if they are not in union with the Catholic Church.  “For there are many who honour Sacred Scripture, taking it as a norm of belief and a pattern of life, and who show a sincere zeal. They lovingly believe in God the Father Almighty and in Christ, the Son of God and Saviour. They are consecrated by baptism, in which they are united with Christ. They also recognize and accept other sacraments within their own churches or ecclesiastical communities. Many of them rejoice in the episcopate, celebrate the Holy Eucharist and cultivate devotion toward the Virgin Mother of God. They also share with us in prayer and other spiritual benefits.”  (Lumen Gentium, 15)

Secondly, the Church is founded on the apostles and the prophets.  Beyond these established structures, there are also many gifts of the Holy Spirit given to Christians so that they can continue to build the Church of Christ.  “The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.”  (Eph 4:11-13) We cannot deny that these gifts are present in many non-Catholic churches.  Indeed, we must acknowledge that “there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.”  (Eph 4:4-6)

So today, as we celebrate the Feasts of Simon and Jude, let us rediscover the call to promote unity among Christians, a unity that is founded on diversity.  Whilst we cannot deny that we all have differences in the interpretations of scripture, traditions, doctrine and morality, what is of utmost importance is that we all seek to be as faithful to Christ as possible, bearing in mind our responsibility to dialogue with those whom we cannot agree.  It is through sincere and humble discussion that we can strengthen our fraternal bonds with each other and work together to spread the gospel of Christ to all of humanity.

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

 

BEING SHUT OUT

20211027 BEING SHUT OUT

 

 

27 October, 2021, Wednesday, 30th Week, 

First reading

Romans 8:26-30 ©

The Spirit himself expresses our plea in a way that could never be put into words

The Spirit comes to help us in our weakness. For when we cannot choose words in order to pray properly, the Spirit himself expresses our plea in a way that could never be put into words, and God who knows everything in our hearts knows perfectly well what he means, and that the pleas of the saints expressed by the Spirit are according to the mind of God.

  We know that by turning everything to their good God co-operates with all those who love him, with all those that he has called according to his purpose. They are the ones he chose specially long ago and intended to become true images of his Son, so that his Son might be the eldest of many brothers. He called those he intended for this; those he called he justified, and with those he justified he shared his glory.

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Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 12(13):4-6 ©

Lord, I trust in your mercy.

Look at me, answer me, Lord my God!

  Give light to my eyes lest I fall asleep in death,

lest my enemy say: ‘I have overcome him’;

  lest my foes rejoice to see my fall.

Lord, I trust in your mercy.

As for me, I trust in your merciful love.

  Let my heart rejoice in your saving help.

Let me sing to the Lord for his goodness to me,

  singing psalms to the name of the Lord, the Most High.

Lord, I trust in your mercy.

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Gospel Acclamation

Jn14:6

Alleluia, alleluia!

I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord;

No one can come to the Father except through me.

Alleluia!

Or:	cf.2Th2:14

Alleluia, alleluia!

Through the Good News God called us

to share the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Alleluia!

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Gospel

Luke 13:22-30 ©

The last shall be first and the first last

Through towns and villages Jesus went teaching, making his way to Jerusalem. Someone said to him, ‘Sir, will there be only a few saved?’ He said to them, ‘Try your best to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed.

  ‘Once the master of the house has got up and locked the door, you may find yourself knocking on the door, saying, “Lord, open to us” but he will answer, “I do not know where you come from.” Then you will find yourself saying, “We once ate and drank in your company; you taught in our streets” but he will reply, “I do not know where you come from. Away from me, all you wicked men!”

  ‘Then there will be weeping and grinding of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves turned outside. And men from east and west, from north and south, will come to take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.

  ‘Yes, there are those now last who will be first, and those now first who will be last.’

Ordinary Time

 

BEING SHUT OUT

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SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ ROM 8:26-30; LK 13:22-30]

How often in life have we been shut out – from a restaurant, a concert, an event or even from our hostel because we were late?  Being shut out is always a regret on our part that we did not exercise more discipline to be on time or to come early.  But sometimes, it is not just being shut out from an event, it is being shut out from a relationship.  How often have we felt shut out from conversations at work-places and even in our homes or organizations?  They do not include us in their company and we feel unwanted.  Worse still, some shut us out of their lives deliberately.  We do not exist even before them and they have nothing to do with us.  This happens sadly even at home, between spouses and siblings.

Sometimes, we also feel shut out from God.  We feel that God does not care or listen to our prayers.  This is particularly so when we are going through hard times.  When we are sick, out of work, financially stressed, have difficult colleagues, family quarrels, it is not so easy to pray.  Often, we do not hear anything from the Lord or sometimes, help does not even seem near.  This is why some give up praying to God and give up on God completely, preferring to take things into their own hands or look for alternative gods and deities, or even Satanism and spirits to get what they want.  When that happens, we will eventually shut out God from our lives.  Jesus in the gospel warns us what it is like to be shut out by God.  In truth, God never shuts us out, but it is we who shut Him out.

What causes us to shut out God, and consequently be shut out by Him?  We think that entry to the Kingdom of God is automaticsimply because we belong to a particular ethnic group of chosen people, like the Jews or members of an organization like the Church, or a civilization like those from Western Europe.  The truth is that we can be baptized into a church or belong to a Catholic family and a Catholic community, but we take the benefits for granted.  We do not grow in our faith in Christ but simply live on the faith of our parents and forefathers.  We have done nothing to preserve or grow our faith.  We hardly study our faith, read the scriptures or pray except when we need God.  Jesus said, “Then there will be weeping and grinding of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves turned outside.”  Indeed, it is a great tragedy that those who have been favoured with the grace of God, given all the opportunities to succeed in life, to grow in their faith but squandered away the grace given to them.  Often, we do not value what we have or treasure what is ours till these are taken away.

Secondly, we are warned that superficial exposure to the Lord is not sufficient to satisfy the demands for entry into the kingdom.  The Lord said, “Once the master of the house has got up and locked the door, you may find yourself knocking on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us’ but he will answer, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ Then you will find yourself saying, ‘We once ate and drank in your company; you taught in our streets’ but he will reply, ‘I do not know where you come from. Away from me, all you wicked men!'”  Indeed, what is needed is more than just a superficial relationship with the Lord, like some of the social friends we have.  We eat, drink and laugh but we do not share the real struggles in our life.  Such a shallow relationship of fine-weather friends will not see us through in our life.  To enter the kingdom, a fundamental requirement is that we know Jesus personally.  Just attending Mass, reading the scriptures without attention, hearing a homily without listening, praying with our lips but not with our hearts, such practices will not bring us any closer to the Lord.  It is all for show.  So what is critical is not just a nominal presence to the Lord, but that our minds and hearts are with Him.  To be with Jesus, means to abide in Him and to live in Him, finding our strength in Him, drawing life from Him and from His body, the Church.

Otherwise, as the Lord warned us, “And men from east and west, from north and south, will come to take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.  ‘Yes, there are those now last who will be first, and those now first who will be last.'”  Indeed, those whom we think are sinners, condemned, hopeless and outside the ambit of salvation, these would be the very ones who would have a place in the kingdom.  This is because many of them paid a price to search for God.  I have known many converts who risked their relationship with their loved ones, especially their parents, to accept Christ and be baptized.  Some were even ostracized by their family and community when they became Catholics.  But because they were willing to grow in their faith and in intimacy with the Lord, they are firm in their faith.  God has no favourites, as St Peter remarked when the Holy Spirit descended upon Cornelius and his household, “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.”  (Acts 10:34f)

Indeed, entry into the kingdom requires us to struggle.  The path to the kingdom, as the Lord reminds us, is through the narrow door. He said, “Try your best to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed.”  It will require effort and sincerity on our part even though faith and salvation are a gift from the Lord.  The word “try” means the need to strive.  This striving can be so intense that sometimes the soul and the spirit are in agony.  This is an important reminder that we must never take our faith for granted.  We risk losing our faith when we think that just because we have already made our commitment to the Lord at our baptism, or confirmation, or even ordination, our relationship with God is secure.  We have not yet arrived at our destination but we are still on the way.  Christian life is a never-ending process in arriving at the kingdom.  So long as we are on this earth, we must keep running the race until we attain the glory of the kingdom.

This is why we must decide for or against Jesus.  He is the Gate.  We must enter through Him.  But this is a narrow gate because it is by the way of the cross.  When “large crowds were traveling with him; and he turned and said to them, “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.”  (Lk 14:26f,33) We must count the cost of discipleship and be ready to pay the price.

Yet, we must not think that salvation is purely one’s effort because it is also the grace of God.  St Paul assures us, “We know that by turning everything to their good God co-operates with all those who love him, with all those that he has called according to his purpose. They are the ones he chose specially long ago and intended to become true images of his Son, so that his Son might be the eldest of many brothers. He called those he intended for this; those he called he justified, and with those he justified he shared his glory.”  God has called us and we are to cooperate with His grace as much as we can.  God does not judge us by our achievements but by our sincerity in trying to do His will and following Him in discipleship.  We might fail or fall short but God will even use our mistakes and sins for our growth and purification.  We must not be discouraged when things do not work out or when we experience set-backs in life.  God will bring good out of them.

On our part, we just need to surrender our fears to the Lord in faith.  Indeed, because we do not know how to pray as we ought simply because we cannot foresee the future, we often pray with a limited vision of what we see to be for our good, and what we pray for may not necessarily be in our favour in the long run, and even harmful for us.  Like children, we ask God our Father for things that could hurt us and God, taking the place of our parents, would decline our requests.  Hence, in such moments, let the Spirit pray in us.  St Paul says, “The Spirit comes to help us in our weakness. For when we cannot choose words in order to pray properly, the Spirit himself expresses our plea in a way that could never be put into words, and God who knows everything in our hearts knows perfectly well what he means, and that the pleas of the saints expressed by the Spirit are according to the mind of God.”

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

 

RESTORATION OF CREATION AND HUMANITY IS CONCOMITANT

20211026 RESTORATION OF CREATION AND HUMANITY IS CONCOMITANT

 

 

26 October, 2021, Tuesday, 30th Week, Ordinary Time

First reading

Romans 8:18-25 ©

The whole creation is eagerly waiting for God to reveal his sons

I think that what we suffer in this life can never be compared to the glory, as yet unrevealed, which is waiting for us. The whole creation is eagerly waiting for God to reveal his sons. It was not for any fault on the part of creation that it was made unable to attain its purpose, it was made so by God; but creation still retains the hope of being freed, like us, from its slavery to decadence, to enjoy the same freedom and glory as the children of God. From the beginning till now the entire creation, as we know, has been groaning in one great act of giving birth; and not only creation, but all of us who possess the first-fruits of the Spirit, we too groan inwardly as we wait for our bodies to be set free. For we must be content to hope that we shall be saved – our salvation is not in sight, we should not have to be hoping for it if it were – but, as I say, we must hope to be saved since we are not saved yet – it is something we must wait for with patience.

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Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 125(126) ©

What marvels the Lord worked for us.

When the Lord delivered Zion from bondage,

  it seemed like a dream.

Then was our mouth filled with laughter,

  on our lips there were songs.

What marvels the Lord worked for us.

The heathens themselves said: ‘What marvels

  the Lord worked for them!’

What marvels the Lord worked for us!

  Indeed we were glad.

What marvels the Lord worked for us.

Deliver us, O Lord, from our bondage

  as streams in dry land.

Those who are sowing in tears

  will sing when they reap.

What marvels the Lord worked for us.

They go out, they go out, full of tears,

  carrying seed for the sowing:

they come back, they come back, full of song,

  carrying their sheaves.

What marvels the Lord worked for us.

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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:

Mt11:25

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessed are you, Father, 

Lord of heaven and earth,

for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom

to mere children.

Alleluia!

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Gospel

Luke 13:18-21 ©

The kingdom of God is like the yeast that leavened three measures of flour

Jesus said, ‘What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it with? It is like a mustard seed which a man took and threw into his garden: it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air sheltered in its branches.’

  Another thing he said, ‘What shall I compare the kingdom of God with? It is like the yeast a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour till it was leavened all through.’

 

RESTORATION OF CREATION AND HUMANITY IS CONCOMITANT

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SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ROM 8:18-25; LK 13:18-21 ]

Today, the world speaks of climate change and climate warming.  So much so world leaders, including religious leaders, are advocating everyone to take steps to protect the earth.  This is certainly laudable.  Everyone must do his or her part to protect the ecology of creation.  Otherwise, the planet would become uninhabitable because of climate warming, natural disasters, flooding, heat-wave, causing wild life, marine life, plants and trees to die.  All these are true but very often, when we speak of ecology and protecting the earth, we exclude humanity from creation.  We are trying to resolve the issues affecting the planet when the real root of the problem is not creation itself per se but how humanity treats and uses creation.  Clearly, there cannot be any real change in the way we treat the environment unless there is a fundamental change in the hearts of humanity.

Right from the beginning of creation, humanity and the rest of creation were intimately linked together.  We cannot speak of humanity apart from the rest of creation and vice versa.  In the book of Genesis, we read that when God created the world, creation was a paradise.  There was perfect harmony among all creatures and plants.  Man was called to be stewards of creation and bring the entire creation to its perfection.   God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”  (Gn 1:28)

Unfortunately, this paradise of a harmonious relationship among animals and the entire creation under the stewardship of man was disrupted with the advent of sin into the world.  The Lord said to Adam, “cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.”  (Gn 3:17f) This curse of God in truth is but a foreshadowing of what sin would cause to creation because of the selfishness of man.  Without respect for creation, he abused creation for his own selfish pleasure.   Indeed, the world is what it is today simply because industrialization has led to deforestation, climate warming, water and air pollution, thereby destroying the ecology of planet earth.  We hear of extreme weather conditions, heat-wave in one place, and at another, extreme cold; drought on one hand, flooding on the other.  If creation is behaving erratically, it is because man has caused the harmonious relationship in creation through manipulation and abuse of the natural laws.  St Paul made it clear, “It was not for any fault on the part of creation that it was made unable to attain its purpose, it was made so by God” because of the sins of man.  Truly, creation has been subjected to frustration.  Creation cannot achieve its purpose for the reason it was created because man has manipulated nature and failed to respect the natural laws.

Creation is now groaning for liberation and restoration.  What is this groaning? St Paul wrote, “creation still retains the hope of being freed, like us, from its slavery to decadence, to enjoy the same freedom and glory as the children of God.”  Slavery to decadence means that nature is enslaved, under bondage of man, abused and used for purposes that they were never created for, and so will never find its fulfilment, resulting in futility, frustration, destruction and death.  Indeed, everything is created for a purpose, just as every human person has a special mission and vocation on this earth.  St Paul said, “From the beginning till now the entire creation, as we know, has been groaning in one great act of giving birth; and not only creation, but all of us who possess the first-fruits of the Spirit, we too groan inwardly as we wait for our bodies to be set free.”  But this frustration and incompleteness also indirectly forces creation and humanity to look towards a new order.  Positively, the groaning has propelled humanity and creation towards deliverance, freedom and new life.  Creation is looking forward to be liberated, transformed and filled with the glory of God, not destroyed.

But it must be man who will take the lead in restoring creation by first restoring himself.  The book of Wisdom says, “Do not invite death by the error of your life, or bring on destruction by the works of your hands; because God did not make death, and he does not delight in the death of the living.  For he created all things so that they might exist; the generative forces of the world are wholesome, and there is no destructive poison in them.”  (Wis 1:12-14) Indeed, unless we have a share of the first-fruits of the Spirit, we cannot restore the rest of creation.  Those of us who already have a foretaste of the freedom of the Spirit, the joy of sonship in Christ, sharing in His inheritance by virtue of being God’s adopted sons, we too live in hope for the full instalment that has already been given to us in part.

It implies therefore that since we already share in the adopted sonship of Christ, we must already begin to live this life of grace.  We must live a resurrected life by dying to ourselves in giving ourselves entirely for the glory of God and for the service of our fellowmen.  We are called to work with the rest of the world to build the Kingdom of God.  We must proclaim the gospel to the world, infusing it with the values of the Kingdom as preached by our Lord. We do this by conscientizing humanity, overcoming the negative values that are promoted by the world today – an excessive form of individualism over the need to promote the common good; an exaggerated form of freedom infringing the rights of others, pursuing materialism whilst neglecting the needs of the spirit and the soul.

Lest we become discouraged at the immensity of the work we have to do to bring about a transformation of humanity and creation, the Lord Jesus taught us two parables of growth of the kingdom.  In the first parable, the Lord said, “It is like mustard seed which a man took and threw into his garden:  it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air sheltered in its branches.”  Clearly, we need to begin small like a mustard seed.  We must not be discouraged at the apparently insignificant contribution we can make when the world’s problems are of such magnitude that we wonder whether our efforts would produce any real result and whether we make a real difference in society today.  Our task is just to grow the seed no matter how small it might be.  What is important is that we are playing our part in the promotion of the gospel values in the world.  In time to come, it will become a tree, perhaps not in our life-time.  We might not see the fruits of the labour we put in today, but humanity will reap what we do today, just as we are reaping the fruits of our forefathers, the foreign missionaries that had sowed the seed of faith in our country.  Indeed, Christianity started with just a handful of disciples and today, it is the largest religion in the world.  Today, the mustard seed has become a tree where people of all nations, regardless of race, language and status have a place in the family of God.

Secondly, the Lord reminds us that we must begin from within.  In the Parable of the Yeast, He said, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God with?  It is like the yeast a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour till it was leavened all through.”  This parable assures us that God is working quietly but surely in our lives, like the yeast in the dough.  We cannot see the work of the yeast but we can see its effects.  But what is important to take note is that it works from inside out.  It works within, but always in relationship to the dough.  So too, in our work of restoration of the kingdom, we must begin with our people but always bearing in mind the challenges being posed by the world.  It is our hope that our people will eventually bring about the change of mindset in the world so that peace, harmony, compassion and respect for all of humanity, including creation and its natural laws will prevail.

But we do all this with the hope of fulfilment in mind.  St Paul urges us, “For we must be content to hope that we shall be saved – our salvation is not in sight, we should not have to be hoping for it if it were – but, as I say, we must hope to be saved since we are not saved yet – it is something we must wait for with patience.”  So we wait patiently for the fulfilment of creation and humanity in the future, when creation together with humanity are transfigured and there will once again be harmony in creation, animals and plants and human beings.  Indeed, we await in hope and confidence that we will share in the glory of the resurrection.

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

 

DELIVERED FROM SLAVERY FOR SONSHIP

20211025 DELIVERED FROM SLAVERY FOR SONSHIP

 

 

25 October, 2021, Monday, 30th Week, Ordinary Time

First reading

Romans 8:12-17 ©

The Spirit himself and our spirit bear united witness that we are children of God

My brothers, there is no necessity for us to obey our unspiritual selves or to live unspiritual lives. If you do live in that way, you are doomed to die; but if by the Spirit you put an end to the misdeeds of the body you will live.

  Everyone moved by the Spirit is a son of God. The spirit you received is not the spirit of slaves bringing fear into your lives again; it is the spirit of sons, and it makes us cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’ The Spirit himself and our spirit bear united witness that we are children of God. And if we are children we are heirs as well: heirs of God and coheirs with Christ, sharing his sufferings so as to share his glory.

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Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 67(68):2,4,6-7,20-21 ©

This God of ours is a God who saves.

Let God arise, let his foes be scattered.

  Let those who hate him flee before him.

But the just shall rejoice at the presence of God,

  they shall exult and dance for joy.

This God of ours is a God who saves.

Father of the orphan, defender of the widow,

  such is God in his holy place.

God gives the lonely a home to live in;

  he leads the prisoners forth into freedom.

This God of ours is a God who saves.

May the Lord be blessed day after day.

  He bears our burdens, God our saviour.

This God of ours is a God who saves.

  The Lord our God holds the keys of death.

This God of ours is a God who saves.

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Gospel Acclamation

Jn17:17

Alleluia, alleluia!

Your word is truth, O Lord:

consecrate us in the truth.

Alleluia!

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Gospel

Luke 13:10-17 ©

Was it not right to untie this woman's bonds on the sabbath day?

One sabbath day Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who for eighteen years had been possessed by a spirit that left her enfeebled; she was bent double and quite unable to stand upright. When Jesus saw her he called her over and said, ‘Woman, you are rid of your infirmity’ and he laid his hands on her. And at once she straightened up, and she glorified God.

  But the synagogue official was indignant because Jesus had healed on the sabbath, and he addressed the people present. ‘There are six days’ he said ‘when work is to be done. Come and be healed on one of those days and not on the sabbath.’ But the Lord answered him. ‘Hypocrites!’ he said ‘Is there one of you who does not untie his ox or his donkey from the manger on the sabbath and take it out for watering? And this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan has held bound these eighteen years – was it not right to untie her bonds on the sabbath day?’ When he said this, all his adversaries were covered with confusion, and all the people were overjoyed at all the wonders he worked.

 

DELIVERED FROM SLAVERY FOR SONSHIP

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SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Rom 8:12-17; Ps 68:2,4,6-7,20-21; Lk 13:10-17 ]

The healing of the bent-over woman is significant for St Luke as it would be the last time Jesus would be featured teaching in a synagogue.  Since the Beelzebub controversy with the religious leaders, no miracles were narrated. This was because Jesus was facing an increasingly hostile audience who were bent on destroying Him.  The healing of the bent woman would again result in a confrontation with the Jewish leaders. This miracle brings out the ironical contrast between the woman seeking deliverance from her sickness and the evil spirit, and the Jewish leaders under the bondage of the laws and the institution.

Jesus came to deliver us from the bondage of the evil one and also the bondage of the laws.  He took the initiative to reach out to a woman possessed by a spirit that caused her to bend double.  The mention of the spirit underscores the fact that the cause of her illness was not just part of the process of aging and human frailty but actually the work of a spiritual force.  She was really in bad shape and suffering much for the last 18 years.  Unable to stand straight, the woman graphically symbolizes the paralyzing effect that evil can affect us. However, Jesus demonstrated His power over evil when He told the woman, “‘Woman, you are rid of your infirmity’ and he laid his hands on her.  And at once she straightened up, and she glorified God.”  Indeed, without much drama, she was healed after 18 years.  That she was more than physically healed but spiritually as well is seen by the fact that upon straightening up, and released from the bondage, she gave praise and glory to God.  She was healed, body and spirit.  When a person is liberated from fear, anxiety, depression and the burden of sin and evil, a tangible sign of being delivered is when we can stand up straight to praise God for His miracles in us.

What is even more important is that Jesus has not come only to deliver us from sin and evil. He has come to redeem our dignity as the sons and daughters of God.  In the gospel, Jesus called the woman, a daughter of Abraham.  She was not just any other creature, certainly not comparable to an animal, an ox or a donkey.  She was a child of God.  St Paul tells us in the first reading that “everyone moved by the Spirit is a son of God.  The spirit you received is not the spirit of slaves bringing fear into your lives again; it is the spirit of sons, and it makes us cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’ The Spirit himself and our spirit bear united witness that we are children of God.”  Indeed, Christ has given us the Holy Spirit so that we can have access to the Father and Himself.  The Holy Spirit, being the common possession of the Father and the Son, is what makes us united with them.  And that is why we are called the adopted sons and daughters of God in Christ Jesus.

As children of God, St Paul says, “we are heirs as well: heirs of God and coheirs with Christ, sharing his sufferings so as to share his glory.”  The sufferings we share is not due to our sins and folly but in the process of doing good and being true to the gospel.  But like Jesus, that kind of suffering will not oppress us.  On the contrary, like St Paul, we rejoice in being able to “complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.”  (Col 1:24) But because we share in His suffering for the sake of the Church and the glory of God, we are assured of sharing in His glory as well, in His resurrection.

However, there is another form of slavery as insidious as being slave to sin.  It is our slavery to the establishment, the system and the traditions that we receive.  In the gospel, we must not imagine that most of the religious leaders were evil people.  They were not.  They are just like many of our pious, devoted and good Catholics who take their faith seriously and seek to fulfil the requirements of the laws of the Church and the practices.  However, like them, we are under the bondage of the laws.  In order to be good, we are afraid of breaking the laws or going against the traditions laid down by the institution.  We want to feel that we are good Catholics and our conduct is commended by the Church.   We even police other Catholics and condemn them for breaking the commandments.  Others even go beyond criticizing and take it upon themselves to police this person and that priest for breaking the liturgical laws so that they can expose their negligence and mistakes.  We are more concerned about the implementation of the laws and regulations than about the person’s dignity, feelings and needs at that particular point of time.  The truth is that rules and regulations are objectively formulated as basic principles, which of course cannot take into consideration the particular and existential situation.  We might not be bent double but we will not bend the rules for the greater good of those people.  There is a danger that we might love the laws more than we love God and His people.

This was why the synagogue official was indignant when he saw Jesus healing on the Sabbath.  He was more concerned with the observance of the Sabbath Law than in rejoicing with the woman who had been liberated from her illness after almost two decades.  Instead of seeing the power of God being released by the Lord, he was incensed that the woman was healed on the sabbath.  For the official, the sabbath law must be strictly observed.  It did not matter whether the human person was suffering and in pain.  He was oblivious to the person.  And he dared not even speak to Jesus directly about his objection.  Instead, he addressed the assembly.  “‘There are six days’ he said ‘when work is to be done.  Come and be healed on one of those days and not on the Sabbath.’  But the Lord answered him.  ‘Hypocrites!’  he said ‘Is there one of you who does not untie his ox or his donkey from the manger on the Sabbath and take it out for watering?”  Even when it comes to our animals, the Lord permits them to bring them out to drink water, how much more, the Lord remarked, “And this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan has held bound these eighteen years – was it not right to untie her bonds on the Sabbath day?”

The truth, as the Lord said, is that there is only one law.  It is whether we are doing it out of love.  For Jesus, which better day to be healed than on the Sabbath, since the Sabbath celebrates the gift of creation and recreation; and most of all, that God is the giver of life and love.  When the Lord seeks to eliminate sin and evil, it means that the Kingdom of God has arrived.  Jesus was concerned about expressing the love of God for them.  Whilst we should generally respect the laws for the sake of unity and propriety, yet there are certain circumstances that for a greater good, we might have to dispense with the laws in place on some occasions.  This calls for sensitivity, prudence and always for a greater good.

Indeed, we read that “when he said this, all his adversaries were covered with confusion, and all the people were overjoyed at all the wonders he worked.”  Truly, Jesus has come to set us free from our sicknesses, our sins, the Evil One, and from being self-righteous.  They are all different forms of slavery.  Regardless, such people, whether under the bondage of sin or the law, will not find peace or happiness.  Sinners and self-righteous people are equally unhappy and burdened by the laws, the former from breaking, the latter from observing.  This is why we are called to make our choice today.  Will we take refuge under the yoke of the laws, or will we come under the bondage of sin, or will we choose to be under the rule of Christ, which is that of freedom, joy and peace, in the love of the Spirit?

Indeed, the only way to allow Christ to rule our lives is to let His Spirit dwell in us.  St Paul wrote, “My brothers, there is no necessity for us to obey our unspiritual selves or to live unspiritual lives.  If you do live in that way, you are doomed to die; but if by the Spirit you put an end to the misdeeds of the body you will live.”  Only the Spirit of love can keep us from sinning and hurting others by our selfishness.  Only the Spirit of love can help us to know when to apply the laws in such a way that it truly manifests the love and compassion of God.  Whatever we do, as the Lord asks of us, we must ask whether it gives life or not.

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