REMOULDING, RESHAPING, RENEWING

20220728 REMOULDING, RESHAPING, RENEWING

 

 

28 July, 2022, Thursday, 17th Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

Jeremiah 18:1-6 ©

When the clay goes wrong, the potter starts afresh

The word that was addressed to Jeremiah by the Lord, ‘Get up and make your way down to the potter’s house; there I shall let you hear what I have to say.’ So I went down to the potter’s house; and there he was, working at the wheel. And whenever the vessel he was making came out wrong, as happens with the clay handled by potters, he would start afresh and work it into another vessel, as potters do. Then this word of the Lord was addressed to me, ‘House of Israel, can not I do to you what this potter does? – it is the Lord who speaks. Yes, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so you are in mine, House of Israel.’

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Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 145(146):2-6 ©

He is happy who is helped by Jacob’s God.

or

Alleluia!

My soul, give praise to the Lord.

  I will praise the Lord all my days,

  make music to my God while I live.

He is happy who is helped by Jacob’s God.

or

Alleluia!

Put no trust in princes,

  In mortal men in whom there is no help.

Take their breath, they return to clay

  and their plans that day come to nothing.

He is happy who is helped by Jacob’s God.

or

Alleluia!

He is happy who is helped by Jacob’s God,

  whose hope is in the Lord his God,

who alone made heaven and earth,

  the seas and all they contain.

He is happy who is helped by Jacob’s God.

or

Alleluia!

---

Gospel Acclamation

Jn15:15

Alleluia, alleluia!

I call you friends, says the Lord,

because I have made known to you

everything I have learnt from my Father.

Alleluia!

Or:	cf.Ac16:14

Alleluia, alleluia!

Open our heart, O Lord,

to accept the words of your Son.

Alleluia!

---

Gospel

Matthew 13:47-53 ©

The fishermen collect the good fish and throw away those that are no use

Jesus said to the crowds: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea that brings in a haul of all kinds. When it is full, the fishermen haul it ashore; then, sitting down, they collect the good ones in a basket and throw away those that are no use. This is how it will be at the end of time: the angels will appear and separate the wicked from the just to throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.

  ‘Have you understood all this?’ They said, ‘Yes.’ And he said to them, ‘Well then, every scribe who becomes a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out from his storeroom things both new and old.’

 

REMOULDING, RESHAPING, RENEWING

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SCRIPTURE READINGS: [JER 18:1-6; MT 13:47-53]

In the gospel, Jesus described the Kingdom of heaven as “like a dragnet cast into the sea that brings in a haul of all kinds. When it is full, the fishermen haul it ashore; then, sitting down, they collect the good ones in a basket and throw away those that are no use.” This is true not just with respect to collective groups of people but also to individuals as well.  The truth is that in each of us, there is so much good as well as evil.  We are always fighting this inner warfare within us, as St Paul describes in his letter to the Romans.  (Rom 7) This is also true in the parable of the householder.  Jesus said, “Well then, every scribe who becomes a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his storeroom things both new and old.”  Again, on the level of the individual, there is this ongoing tension of reconciling our past with the present, the old mindset, and the new way of looking at life.  This is then reflected in society.  Before we see the division in society, we must know that this division begins in the heart and mind of each individual.  Society is divided because man is divided.

Yet, God the merciful and compassionate One allows us to be moulded, formed, and purified through all these challenges.  Life is not as clear-cut as we want it to be.  Life cannot be compartmentalized into neat categories.  Life is dynamic, changing, developing for better or retrogressing.  We must never give up on ourselves.  Precisely, the scripture readings want us to know that we are always a work in progress.  God has not done with us yet. God is patient.  He allows time and history to form us gradually.  As St Paul wrote in Romans, “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”  (Rom 8:28) He also wrote, “we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”  (Rom 5:3-5)

There are two ways to look at this reality in life.  Just like the dragnet that does not discriminate or differentiate when it draws all kinds of fishes and even things when it is dragged through the water.  The contents collected are a mixture of good and bad.  So too the Church must be seen in this manner.  In the Church, we have all kinds of people, those who are strong in faith and in their spiritual life; those who are nominal Catholics; and those who are lapsed Catholics.  Some have very good heart, are humble and respectful.  Others are arrogant and self-righteous.  So as Church, do we sift out the net at this point of time, or should we be patient and wait for everyone to grow in holiness?   This is why we must be careful that we do not make the Church exclusive, one that is reserved for the saints and the holy people.  We are a Church of sinners, and therefore we must also accommodate those who are struggling to live out the gospel, those who are unable to be faithful to all that the Church asks of them.  We must be inclusive, journey with them without being judgmental but seek to help them to grow in life and be more committed to Christ and the gospel.

Of course, judgment, in the end, is inevitable.  This is what the parable of the Dragnet wants to remind us.  “This is how it will be at the end of time; the angels will appear and separate the wicked from the just to throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.”  Until then we have the opportunity to change, repent, reform, and grow to become the person that God meant us to be.   The first reading reminds us that God is the potter.  He allows us to have many chances in life.  This is the image that Jeremiah provided us.  “Yes, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so you are in mine, House of Israel.”  Like the potter behind the wheel, God gives us many opportunities to repent. “Whenever the vessel he was making came out wrong, as happens with the clay handled by potters, he would start afresh and work it into another vessel, as potters do.”  That was how God dealt with Israel when she betrayed the Covenant, rebelled against Him and chose their own way.

The question is, how open are we to the transforming power of God’s spirit?  What kind of clay are we in the hands of God our potter?  Are we soft clay that God could easily mould to be the person that we are called to be?  Or are we already the hardened clay that can no longer be moulded?  This is the question we are called to reflect on for ourselves this morning. Will we be like Israel who hardened their hearts by not responding to God’s grace to change and be converted?  God gave them many signs, including the destruction of the Northern Kingdom by Assyria, and the Southern Kingdom by Babylon.  But they failed to take the warnings of God seriously.  They were not ready to be moulded.  They did not seek repentance and change.  Hence, we must also take stock of ourselves.  When we reflect on our lives, we have made many foolish mistakes.  We have been selfish and self-centred.  We have hurt as many people as they have hurt us.  We have allowed evil to triumph over goodness.   But have we learnt from these mistakes?  Are we contrite and ready to change? Or do we take the grace of God for granted and continue to abuse His grace in our lives?

This is where we must find courage and creativity. The parable of the householder is a clear encouragement to us to find new ways of looking at our life.  Some of us are so stuck to the old way of life.  We see life through the windows of the past, our pains and our traumas.  We live in fear, suspicion, and distrust.  We have been betrayed.  We have been deceived.  So we tend to have a fixed mindset about life and about people.  In other words, our eyes are blinded and our hearts are hardened by the past and by our upbringing.  For some, it could also be the way we were brought up in our faith, just like the scribes in their interpretation of the scriptures.  So our mindset is fixed on the way we see God and see our faith.  This will inhibit us in the way we look at ourselves as sinners, and also the way we judge others who fail to live up to the gospel life.  Sometimes, it is because of a narrow understanding of God and faith that makes us give up on our faith.

Today, the Lord is inviting us to bring in new experiences as well.  We are called to look at our pains and struggles and failures in a new way.  Instead of seeing them as obstacles, we are called to look at such failures as stepping stones for growth.  Instead of dwelling on the negative dimension of what we have gone through, we are called to look at such events as purifying and redeeming.  This is what the Lord is asking of us when He said to bring in the old and new together.  Looking at the old from a new outlook will help us to recognize with gratitude and appreciation all that had happened in our lives.  We will be filled with thanksgiving.   This is what Jeremiah is asking of us, to be broken, remoulded, and renewed.

Once we come out of a difficult and painful situation, it does not mean that all our past experiences or what we have learned become redundant.  Jesus never intends us to abandon our past traditions, experiences, and knowledge we have acquired.  Just like the scribe who spent his whole life studying the law and the commandments.  We who have been living the life the Lord assigned us should continue with that life.  But we must see it from a new perspective.  God wants us to continue to use the gifts He has blessed us with in a new way, finding new motivation and use for them. We should never despise our traditions but let us use them for the greater good in our ministry and work.

We must also be receptive to what is new.  It does not mean that anything that is new compromises our values and our traditions.  We need to move with the times whilst being faithful to the eternal values of humanity.  These will never change because truth does not change.  But the way we apply them to our concrete situation will change.  However, all changes must be founded on the Word of God.  We must not forget that the foundation of being renewed always goes back to the scriptures, the Word of God.  We must rely on the Word of God, which is ever old and yet ever new.  The Word of God should not be read in a fossilized manner.  The principles of interpretation remain but new contexts, new situations, and new challenges demand us to re-read the scriptures from a different perspective.  We must turn to the Holy Spirit to inspire us on how to read the signs of the times.  This is why we must spend time in prayerful reflection on the Word of God, listening to His call to change and be remoulded.  We must be courageous and creative in the way we listen to God.

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

 

THE PRICE OF FINDING YOUR TREASURE

20220727 THE PRICE OF FINDING YOUR TREASURE

 

 

27 July, 2022, Wednesday, 17th Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

Jeremiah 15:10,16-21 ©

They will not overcome you, because I am with you

‘Woe is me, my mother, for you have borne me

to be a man of strife and of dissension for all the land.

I neither lend nor borrow,

yet all of them curse me.

‘When your words came, I devoured them:

your word was my delight

and the joy of my heart;

for I was called by your name,

Lord, God of Hosts.

I never took pleasure in sitting in scoffers’ company;

with your hand on me I held myself aloof,

since you had filled me with indignation.

Why is my suffering continual,

my wound incurable, refusing to be healed?

Do you mean to be for me a deceptive stream

with inconstant waters?’

To which the Lord replied,

‘If you come back,

I will take you back into my service;

and if you utter noble, not despicable, thoughts,

you shall be as my own mouth.

They will come back to you,

but you must not go back to them.

I will make you

a bronze wall fortified against this people.

They will fight against you

but they will not overcome you,

because I am with you

to save you and to deliver you

– it is the Lord who speaks.

I mean to deliver you from the hands of the wicked

and redeem you from the clutches of the violent.’

---

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 58(59):2-5,10-11,17-18 ©

O God, you have been a refuge in the day of my distress.

Rescue me, God, from my foes;

  protect me from those who attack me.

O rescue me from those who do evil

  and save me from blood-thirsty men.

O God, you have been a refuge in the day of my distress.

See, they lie in wait for my life;

  powerful men band together against me.

For no offence, no sin of mine, Lord,

  for no guilt of mine they rush to take their stand.

O God, you have been a refuge in the day of my distress.

O my Strength, it is you to whom I turn,

  for you, O God, are my stronghold,

  the God who shows me love.

O God, you have been a refuge in the day of my distress.

As for me, I will sing of your strength

  and each morning acclaim your love

for you have been my stronghold,

  a refuge in the day of my distress.

O God, you have been a refuge in the day of my distress.

O my Strength, it is you to whom I turn,

  for you, O God, are my stronghold,

  the God who shows me love.

O God, you have been a refuge in the day of my distress.

---

Gospel Acclamation

Ps118:105

Alleluia, alleluia!

Your word is a lamp for my steps

and a light for my path.

Alleluia!

Or:

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!

---

Gospel

Matthew 13:44-46 ©

He sells everything he owns and buys the field

Jesus said to the crowds: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which someone has found; he hides it again, goes off happy, sells everything he owns and buys the field.

  ‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls; when he finds one of great value he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it.’

 

THE PRICE OF FINDING YOUR TREASURE

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SCRIPTURE READINGS: [JER 15:10,16-21; MT 13:44-46]

The Lord said “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  (Mt 6:19-21) In today’s gospel, Jesus likened the kingdom of heaven to a “treasure hidden in a field which someone has found; he hides it again, goes off happy, sells everything he owns and buys the field.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls; when he finds one of great value he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it.”

What is our treasure?  Is our treasure truly the Kingdom of God?  Indeed, this should be the only treasure because this treasure encompasses all other treasures.  “Therefore, do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’  For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”  (Mt 6:31-33) All the other things will pass; food and things can only provide us a good life but not a meaningful life.  Rather, to seek righteousness is to seek values and meaning.  This can only be found in right relationships, service to God and our fellowmen, fostering love and harmony, and caring for the weak and the suffering.  Living a meaningful life, knowing that we have not lived this life in vain and truly making a difference in the lives of others, bringing joy, love and peace is the most rewarding life.

However, loving and serving people, and giving up your life for the service of others is not always an easy task or often appreciated.  Those of us who are in public and religious or even humanitarian service will realize that whilst there are some who are very appreciative of what we are doing for them, there are also many who are jealous of what we do. Some have an entitlement mentality and are demanding, and others are never happy regardless what we do for them.  So we must never imagine that those of us in public, religious and humanitarian service are always well received, welcomed and supported.  The fact is that there are jealous competitors for fame and recognition, and there are disgruntled people.  So we too have to suffer with Jeremiah.

Jeremiah was sent by God to be a prophet for the people of Judah but was rejected.  The people of Judah were living in a precarious time as her enemies were waiting to seize the kingdom.  Jeremiah tried to help the leaders and the people to be united so that they could face their enemies.  He tried to put them back on the path of the Covenant, observing the laws of Moses and living a righteous and honest life.  Instead, he was persecuted for seeking to do what was best for the people and the country.  He was accused of being a traitor and a pessimist weakening the morale of the army.  Hence, he cried out to God, “Woe is me, my mother, for you have borne me to be a man of strife and of dissension for all the land.  I neither lend nor borrow, yet all of them curse me and avenge me on my persecutors.  Your anger is very slow: do not let me be snatched away. Realize that I suffer insult for your sake. Why is my suffering continual, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Do you mean to be for me a deceptive stream with inconstant waters?”

So how can we remain true to our calling, keeping the treasure in our hearts and not giving up so easily?  We need the Word of God to strengthen us.   Jeremiah found the great pearl in his life when the Lord spoke to him.  “When your words came, I devoured them: your word was my delight and the joy of my heart; for I was called by your name, Lord, God of hosts.”  For Jeremiah, the Word of God filled him with delight and joy.  This is true not for Jeremiah only but for many of us when we read the Word of God with faith, devotion and sincerity.  We read the Word of God as if God is speaking to us and not just mere words as St Paul praised the Thessalonians.  “We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers.”  (1 Th 2:13) Indeed, “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.”  (2 Tim 3:16f)

But reading the Word of God cannot be a mere intellectual process.  It must be a prayerful reading and listening to the voice of God through the scriptures in a spirit of prayer and docility.   We need to go beyond discursive meditation of the Word of God.  We need to progress to the affective level of our relationship with God so that we will feel loved by God and Him speaking to us.  This was how Jeremiah felt when he cried out to God.  And he heard the Lord assuring him of His divine assistance and protection.  The Lord replied, “If you come back, I will take you back into my service; and if you utter noble, not despicable thoughts, you shall be as my own mouth. They will come back to you, but you must not go back to them. I will make you a bronze wall fortified against this people. They will fight against you to save you and to deliver you it is the Lord who speaks. I mean to deliver you from the hands of the wicked and redeem you from the clutches of the violent.”

We too need to hear from the Lord in our discernment process.  Even our Lord Himself was assured by His Father in the last days of His life when He was discerning how to move forward in His mission.  At the Transfiguration on the Mountain, the Father gave Him a preview of the future and, most of all, affirmed that He would fulfil the Old Testament and be the true prophet and teacher in the New Testament because He is the beloved Son of the Father.  (Mt 17:1-8) So at every stage in our life too, especially during trials and temptations, as in the case of Jeremiah and our Lord, we need to hear afresh the voice of God which happens often at prayer.  Such affirmation will give us the strength to persevere in doing God’s will.  Making time for prayer and for the Word of God is of critical importance for us in pursuing the Kingdom of God.

This is why we must be ready to make sacrifices for the greater good.  Like the man who found the hidden treasure, he went off to sell everything to buy it.   For the sake of greater joy, we must be ready to put all our security in it.  Everything else must be secondary to our desire to find greater life and joy in seeking the kingdom of God.  This wholehearted response will help us to set our priorities.  That is provided we are convinced of the joy of living the gospel life.  Hence, the real question is, do we know what we really want in life?  And where is this meaning and joy to be found?  Sacrificing everything for the kingdom is not so much a sacrifice because it is for the greater joy, just as the merchant who sold everything to buy the field.  We read “he goes off happy.”  So in truth, it was a worthwhile exchange.

Perhaps, we need to fall in love with Jesus before we can truly say that Jesus is our pearl and the hidden treasure we are looking for.  Until and unless we encounter the Lord, it would be difficult for anyone to give up everything for the Kingdom.  It is true in daily life as well.  Unless, we have fallen in love with someone whom we love with our heart and soul, and who is able to give us the joy, warmth, security and happiness, we will not be ready to give our entire life, all our resources for that relationship.  For the sake of love, we would give up everything as the Book of Songs says. “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If one offered for love all the wealth of one’s house, it would be utterly scorned.”  (Songs 8:7) Let us pray that we might fall in love with God and for His grace to have a personal encounter with Him so that we will know not just from our heads but in our hearts that He is truly the treasure and pearl of our life.  Like the apostles, we can then leave everything and follow after Him.  With the psalmist, we “will sing of your strength and each morning acclaim your love for you have been my stronghold, a refuge in the day of my distress.”

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

 

MYSTERY OF EVIL OVERCOME BY MYSTERY OF GRACE

20220726 MYSTERY OF EVIL OVERCOME BY MYSTERY OF GRACE

 

 

26 July, 2022, Tuesday, 17th Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

Jeremiah 14:17-22 ©

We confess our wickedness; you, God, are our hope

The Lord said to me:

Say this word to the people:

‘Tears flood my eyes

night and day, unceasingly,

since a crushing blow falls on the daughter of my people,

a most grievous injury.

If I go into the countryside,

there lie men killed by the sword;

if I go into the city,

I see people sick with hunger;

even prophets and priests

plough the land: they are at their wit’s end.’

‘Have you rejected Judah altogether?

Does your very soul revolt at Zion?

Why have you struck us down without hope of cure?

We were hoping for peace – no good came of it!

For the moment of cure – nothing but terror!

Lord, we do confess our wickedness

and our fathers’ guilt:

we have indeed sinned against you.

For your name’s sake do not reject us,

do not dishonour the throne of your glory.

Remember us; do not break your covenant with us.

Can any of the pagan Nothings make it rain?

Can the heavens produce showers?

No, it is you, Lord.

O our God, you are our hope,

since it is you who do all this.’

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Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 78(79):8-9,11,13 ©

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

Do not hold the guilt of our fathers against us.

  Let your compassion hasten to meet us;

  we are left in the depths of distress.

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

O God our saviour, come to our help.

  Come for the sake of the glory of your name.

O Lord our God, forgive us our sins;

  rescue us for the sake of your name.

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

Let the groans of the prisoners come before you;

  let your strong arm reprieve those condemned to die.

But we, your people, the flock of your pasture,

  will give you thanks for ever and ever.

  We will tell your praise from age to age.

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

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Gospel Acclamation

1P1:25

Alleluia, alleluia!

The word of the Lord remains for ever:

What is this word?

It is the Good News that has been brought to you.

Alleluia!

Or:

Alleluia, alleluia!

The seed is the word of God, Christ the sower;

whoever finds this seed will remain for ever.

Alleluia!

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Gospel

Matthew 13:36-43 ©

As the darnel is gathered up and burnt, so it will be at the end of time

Leaving the crowds, Jesus went to the house; and his disciples came to him and said, ‘Explain the parable about the darnel in the field to us.’ He said in reply, ‘The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world; the good seed is the subjects of the kingdom; the darnel, the subjects of the evil one; the enemy who sowed them, the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; the reapers are the angels. Well then, just as the darnel is gathered up and burnt in the fire, so it will be at the end of time. The Son of Man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that provoke offences and all who do evil, and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then the virtuous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Listen, anyone who has ears!’

 

MYSTERY OF EVIL OVERCOME BY MYSTERY OF GRACE

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SCRIPTURE READINGS: [JER 14:17-22; MT 13:36-43]

In the first reading, we read of the grief of Jeremiah over the destruction of his homeland by the Babylonian army.  In spite of his forewarnings, his compatriots did not believe in him. They continued to rebel against God and aligned themselves with foreigners.  Most of all, they were not faithful to the Covenant.  This national tragedy led the inhabitants, including Jeremiah, to try to understand the significance of their sufferings. As the true prophet, it behoved Jeremiah to interpret for the people how their sufferings were God’s judgment on His people and also part of a larger plan that God had for Judah.

When we face crises in life, we, too, like Jeremiah, always begin by lamenting about our predicament. Such a time of mourning is always necessary.   However, it is more important that such events force us to look deeply into ourselves and search for God’s plan for us.  Through failures, mistakes and sufferings, we are driven to self-realization and wisdom.   Through the trials and challenges of life, we experience the growing pains of Christ’s kingdom inside us.  Let us not delude ourselves into thinking that God’s kingdom always comes in spectacular ways. More often than not, it works quietly like the seed and yeast.  Our frustrations, doubts and questions, sinning and repenting are all the growing pains of Christ coming to life in us. This is the message of today’s scripture readings.

There is a purpose for God permitting sin and evil to exist in this world.  The parable of the weeds and wheat is a clear reminder that goodness and evil co-exist in this world.  At any time, there is a hostile power that is at work seeking to destroy goodness. In this world, there will always be tension between doing the right thing and the wrong thing.  The kingdom of God does not come without a struggle.  This battle takes place ordinarily in our daily struggles in our relationships and in the choices we make.  Often, we feel rather frustrated because we are always torn between doing good and succumbing to evil. The temptation is for us to fall into legalism and see all things as neatly demarcated into evil and good.  The truth is that we do not want to live in tension.  This is what fundamentalists seek to do when it comes to difficult areas of doctrines, be they concerned with morals or faith.

The truth is that life is rather complex, and decision-making is never easy.  The discernment process is even trickier.  This is what the parable of the weeds and wheat is meant to illustrate.  We must not seek the easy way out by bundling everything into good or evil.   Like the tares and the wheat, they look so alike.  In the early stages, the tares closely resemble the wheat that it is impossible to tell one from the other.  Only much later, when both have headed out, can they be distinguished.  Unfortunately, by then the roots of both would have been so inter-twined that it is impossible to remove the tares without also pulling up the wheat.

In our lives too, we must be careful not to judge people too quickly when we do not have all the facts about the person.  Often we hear one or two remarks about the person, and we are ready to sum up the person.  Knowing just a part of the person does not give us the right to judge the whole person.   How often have we come across people who appear to be good and holy, only to find out later that they are living double and hypocritical lives?  And the reality is, how many of us can truly say that we always live lives of integrity?  The world is so quick to judge and is very unforgiving of people who make mistakes.   The world will pass judgement on those who have sinned or failed in their responsibilities, as if we ourselves are faultless.  All the good that the person has done are immediately forgotten.  We choose to pick that one fault and the person is condemned.  Indeed, we must be careful that we do not label or classify people too quickly without first examining all the facts. This explains why all judgment must be left to the Lord.  Only He can read the hearts of men when we can only see their external actions.  Only He can see our whole life from the day we were conceived in our mother’s womb till the day we die, whereas we can see only certain actions of our fellowmen.

Secondly, we too can ill afford to remove difficult people from our lives just because we find them irritable.  We also have to learn to live with the imperfections and sins that we have inherited or cultivated.  We are what we are today partly because of our upbringing, the culture we have inherited and our own personal choices.   As it is said, we are spiritual benefactors to each other.  The good can influence us to be like them.  The bad can purify our love and our motives.  The difficult people who are always finding fault with us could very well be agents of God’s purifying work to help us grow in love.  Consequently, we must accept the mystery of God’s grace at work in our lives.  Good or evil, we can be influenced either way.  It is how we want to respond to grace. So we must let both the strong and the weak, good and evil, healthy and sick co-exist. Through their interaction, the strong becomes stronger and the weak becomes strong.  The weak purifies the strong; and the strong strengthens the weak.

Consequently, it behoves us to recognize that we are in solidarity with others in sin.  Before we pass judgment on others, let us be conscious that none of us can say that he is without sin, for all of us have sinned, albeit differently.  So like Jeremiah, although he lamented at the ruins of Israel, he did not condemn his own countrymen for causing the downfall of all, especially the innocent.  On the contrary, he identified himself as a fellow sinner with the rest, imploring God for His forgiveness, mercy and compassion.  He prayed, “Lord, we do confess our wickedness and our father’s guilt: we have sinned against you.”

Of course, we must always be on guard lest we drag each other down the slippery path. Because as the gospel says, there will be a final judgment.  “Well then, just as the darnel is gathered up and burnt in the fire, so it will be at the end of time.  The Son of Man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that provoke offences and all who do evil, and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.  Then the virtuous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  Listen, anyone who has ears!”

In the meantime, we must place all our hopes in Christ.  He will be victorious in the end.  He intends that the stones He puts in our way be stepping stones to heaven.  It is said that if God sends us stony paths, He also provides strong shoes.  So if God allows us to suffer disasters in life, it is to help us to appreciate who we are and what we have forgotten.  One of the greatest artists in history is Rembrandt, a 17^thcentury Dutch painter. His wife died in the midst of his career and that caused him to fall into deep depression and sadness.  Upon coming out of his bereavement, he assumed his work with greater passion.  It seems that the mourning period for his wife was the turning point of his career.  As in all things, and as in the case of the Israelites, God allows tragedy in life to mould us according to His designs for us.  God wants to transform us into His image.  Leo Tolstoy once remarked, “It is by those who suffer that the world has been advanced.”

This faith in the triumph of goodness is possible because God is faithful to His name and His covenant.  That was how Jeremiah and the psalmist prayed.  “For your name’s sake do not reject us, do not dishonour the throne of your glory. Remember us; do not break your covenant with us.”  Jeremiah appealed to God’s power as the basis for this surety of God’s promise, “Can any of the pagan Nothings make it rain? Can the heavens produce showers? No, it is you Lord our God, you are our hope, since it is you who do all this.”  So too we pray with the psalmist, “For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.”

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

 

ARTHENWARE JARS BEARING THE MERCY OF GOD

20220725 EARTHENWARE JARS BEARING THE MERCY OF GOD

 

 

25 July, 2022, Monday, St James, Apostle

First reading

2 Corinthians 4:7-15 ©

Such an overwhelming power comes from God and not from us

We are only the earthenware jars that hold this treasure, to make it clear that such an overwhelming power comes from God and not from us. We are in difficulties on all sides, but never cornered; we see no answer to our problems, but never despair; we have been persecuted, but never deserted; knocked down, but never killed; always, wherever we may be, we carry with us in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus, too, may always be seen in our body. Indeed, while we are still alive, we are consigned to our death every day, for the sake of Jesus, so that in our mortal flesh the life of Jesus, too, may be openly shown. So death is at work in us, but life in you.

  But as we have the same spirit of faith that is mentioned in scripture – I believed, and therefore I spoke – we too believe and therefore we too speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus to life will raise us with Jesus in our turn, and put us by his side and you with us. You see, all this is for your benefit, so that the more grace is multiplied among people, the more thanksgiving there will be, to the glory of God.

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Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 125(126):1-6 ©

Those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap.

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.

Those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap.

The heathens themselves said: ‘What marvels

  the Lord worked for them!’

What marvels the Lord worked for us!

  Indeed we were glad.

Those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap.

Deliver us, O Lord, from our bondage

  as streams in dry land.

Those who are sowing in tears

  will sing when they reap.

Those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap.

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.

Those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap.

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Gospel Acclamation

cf.Jn15:16

Alleluia, alleluia!

I chose you from the world

to go out and bear fruit,

fruit that will last,

says the Lord.

Alleluia!

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Gospel

Matthew 20:20-28 ©

'Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?'

The mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons to make a request of him, and bowed low; and he said to her, ‘What is it you want?’ She said to him, ‘Promise that these two sons of mine may sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your kingdom.’ ‘You do not know what you are asking’ Jesus answered. ‘Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?’ They replied, ‘We can.’ ‘Very well,’ he said ‘you shall drink my cup, but as for seats at my right hand and my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been allotted by my Father.’

  When the other ten heard this they were indignant with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that among the pagans the rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt. This is not to happen among you. No; anyone who wants to be great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’

 

EARTHENWARE JARS BEARING THE MERCY OF GOD

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SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 Cor 4:7-15; Ps 126:1-6; Mt 20:20-28]

Many of us are happy and excited to follow Jesus in the ministry.  We too are inspired by the life of Jesus who “came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Like the apostles who followed Jesus in the gospel, we have goodwill and apparently good intentions.  Indeed, in the Church, we have thousands of volunteers giving themselves generously in service, time and resources to the Christian community and society, especially the poor and the underprivileged.

But, often there is much infighting and competition among ministry members and even among priests and religious.  There is jealousy when others do well, or when others are appointed to positions and offices of power. Because of envy there is competition, sometimes leading to slander and backbiting.  This was the case of the apostles in today’s gospel.  Not only were James and John and their mothers seeking glory and power, but so were the other apostles. “When the other ten heard this they were indignant with the two brothers.” So we should not be surprised that even within the Christian community, many are also fighting for recognition and power and benefits, even though many claim that they are serving God and the Church freely and without expectations of return.

The truth is that many of us lack self-awareness.  Most of us are sincere in wanting to serve the Lord and His people.  Very few in the ministry render their services with the intention of serving themselves.  But most of us are unaware of our human imperfections and hidden motives. We lack the depth of self-realization. This was true with the apostles.  Clearly, they were not following Christ for His sake and the Kingdom, but for their own personal agenda.  They were seeking for power, security and recognition. They wanted to rule over others in Christ’s Kingdom.  When we search deeply and honestly in our hearts, we, too, are no different from them.  All of us want to be loved, to be known and to have security and freedom.  That is why we seek recognition, power and status.

As Catholics, at times we do not really have a deep spiritual life or a good doctrinal understanding of our faith.  Fresh from RCIA or from a Conversion Experience, we have this deep desire to serve God.  We are enthusiastic, but we are quite naïve about who Jesus is to us, the realities of life; the truth about ourselves as sinners; and what it means to be a disciple of Christ.  Doctrinally, many of us are weak in understanding our faith, the teachings of the Church and have only a superficial knowledge of the scriptures.  The disciples were like that before the passion and the resurrection of Christ.  They were still thinking of Jesus as the earthly and political Messiah.  Hence, they held political ambitions.

What is this Kingdom that Jesus is offering to us if not the kingdom of lowliness in the service of truth and love?  The Lord taught, “You know that among the pagans the rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt. This is not to happen among you. No; anyone who wants to be great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave.”  The kingdom that Jesus preached is not so much an earthly kingdom, but a kingdom of love, truth and justice expressed in compassion, lowly and humble service, and selflessness even unto death.  It is to love and care for our brothers and sisters to the end, to the extent of suffering, often unjustly, being misunderstood, unappreciated, misjudged, slandered and rejected by the very people we love and give our lives to.

Many of us are too weak to love in this manner.  In truth, our love is so imperfect.  Our love for others is more like that of the pagans, loving those who love us, serving those who appreciate us.  Even if we have no material motives in service, we seek affective recognition and appreciation.  To love our enemies, to love strangers, to love those who do not love us or cannot repay us is much more difficult.  Most of our so-called Christian love is confined to our loved ones, family members and friends.  But this is not the only kind of love that Jesus is asking of us.  He wants us to love beyond our circle of friends and community.  We are called to reach out to the marginalized, the wounded, the broken, those without friends and those abandoned by society.

Yet, the Lord accepts the fact that we cannot love purely and unconditionally like Him.  He knows we are weak.  Just as He accepted Peter’s inadequate love for Him and his mixed motives in serving Him, He too accepts our limited love.  He does not demand that we either love selflessly or not at all.  He did not give up on the apostles simply because they were jostling for power and status.  Instead, He continued with them on that journey.  The Lord knows, as St Paul says, “We are only the earthenware jars that hold this treasure, to make it clear that such an overwhelming power comes from God and not from us.”  The Lord wants to work not through perfect people but through our brokenness and fallen nature.  St Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.” (1 Cor 2:4f) Indeed, rather than be scandalized at the sins of priests, religious leaders, lay or clerical, or ministry members and active Catholics, we should give praise to God that in spite of their sinfulness and imperfections, God could use them in some way to give glory to Him and to serve His people.  

God has chosen us weaklings to be His messengers of Divine Mercy so that His glory can shine in and through us.  Only in weakness will we depend on the power of God and recognize our nothingness before Him.  This is what St Paul experienced when he wrote that this is “to make it clear that such an overwhelming power comes from God and not from us. We are in difficulties on all sides, but never cornered; we see no answer to our problems, but never despair; we have been persecuted, but never deserted; knocked down, but never killed.”  Until we have tasted the power of God, we will never be able to trust Him or surrender our lives to Him.  Even in ministry, we tend to rely on our powers, ingenuity and knowledge rather than on God.  This explains why few in the ministry really pray, intercede or rely on God’s grace.  It is all about planning, strategy, techniques, organization, except the importance and necessity of prayers!

Secondly, He chose us sinners to be His vessels of divine mercy because only in our sinfulness do we learn humility and compassion.  In the letter of Hebrews, the author wrote, “Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness; and because of this he must offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people.”  If God has chosen sinners to be His priests and leaders, it is so that we can learn to be humbler and more compassionate towards others.  Those who have gone through difficult times or faced tremendous challenges and misfortunes in life will become great evangelizers and proclaimers of God’s mercy when they get out of their difficulties. They will come to understand the power of God and the helplessness of man with regard to sin and temptation.  Because they are aware of their own sins and weaknesses, they do not condemn others or judge them.  Instead, they will reach out to them, healing them with the healing that they themselves had received.  Conversely those who are self-righteous, arrogant and proud are those who never know the power of God or recognize their finiteness and sinfulness.  They only know how to despise, condemn and judge. 

We must never forget that although we are baptized, we are not yet saints.  We are pilgrims along the way, growing in perfection.  As St Paul says, each day, “we carry with us in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus, too, may always be seen in our body. Indeed, while we are still alive, we are consigned to our death every day, for the sake of Jesus, so that in our mortal flesh the life of Jesus, too, may be openly shown.”  Every day is a call for us to die to self a little more, until eventually we, like St James and the other apostles, come to a stage when we are ready to die totally for the Lord, even in martyrdom.  So the path to martyrdom is not an instant decision but a gradual confidence and trust in the Lord, and letting go and letting God take over our lives.

Let us therefore never be afraid of making mistakes in life.  This is a necessary path to growth in virtues, in love and truth.  The only way to learn is to make mistakes.  Like the apostles, we learn as we go along with the Lord.  So if we find ourselves inadequate and imperfect in serving the Lord because of our sins and weaknesses, we must not be too harsh on ourselves.  We should be understanding and compassionate like Jesus towards His ignorant and self-centred apostles.  The only thing that we must not forget is that we need to grow in grace each day.  Whilst we should accept and learn from our mistakes, we must always be humble to fix our eyes on the Lord and seek His grace to grow in holiness, in truth and in love, so that at the end of our lives, we could also say with the psalmist, “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.   The heathens themselves said:  What marvels the Lord worked for them!”  What marvels the Lord worked for us! Indeed, we were glad. 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.”

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