05-30-2012, 09:29 AM
Scripture Reflections
Wednesday 30 May, 2012, Eighth Week, Ordinary Time
HOLINESS REQUIRES PURIFICATION OF OUR SENSES, MIND AND HEART
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 1 PT 1:18-25; MK 10:32-45
This text of today’s first reading is appropriate for newly baptized Catholics because after baptism, we need to grow in holiness. Every Christian must live out the Pentecost in his or her life by living a life of the Spirit. They must strive to become more and more like Christ in their life. We must already live the life that is come with Christ. Everything in this world is passing, as St Peter wrote, quoting from Isaiah 40:6-8, “All flesh is grass and its glory like the wild flowers.” We must therefore live with the realization that all things in this world, especially our wealth, achievements, status, power and even our loved ones, will pass away.
Salvation, which is a free gift from God, must not be taken lightly lest we reduce the grace of God to that of cheap grace. We are reminded that this gift of God is given to us at the cost of the life of His only Son. Truly, having received so great a gift, it would be tragic for us to squander away the graces we have received through the precious blood of Christ shed for us on the cross.
Growth in holiness entails the purification of our senses and our spirit, our motivation and our love for God and for His people. St Peter says, “You have been obedient to the truth and purified your souls until you can love like brothers, in sincerity; let your love for each other be real and from the heart.” The call to holiness truly is a call to love selflessly, sincerely and unconditionally. It must go beyond mere externals and performance, and come from a pure mind and pure heart. Hence, it is not enough to do good or to serve God in ministry or even doing voluntary services.
Many of us do it with ulterior motives, just like the apostles in yesterday’s gospel when Peter asked Jesus, “’What about us?’ Peter asked Jesus. ‘We have left everything and followed you.’” (Mk 10:28) Indeed, even after Jesus’ assurance, they continued to squabble over who would take the place of honour once Jesus came to His kingdom. (cf Mk 10:35-45). As if oblivious to what Jesus said earlier, they still had the audacity to ask, “’Master,’ they said to him ‘we want you to do us a favour.’ He said to them, ‘What is it you want me to do for you?’ They said to him, ‘Allow us to sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your glory.’” And this request was totally insensitive for they ignored Jesus’ sentiments about His imminent death and crucifixion. Instead of feeling with Jesus who was pensive and anxious, they thought only of themselves. They simply could not understand the true meaning of love and service. Indeed, the evangelist noted that “Jesus was walking on ahead of them; they were in a daze, and those who followed were apprehensive.”
Many of us too serve God and the Church with not so loving and selfless motives. We serve with the intention of receiving something back from God. Sometimes, the “rewards” we are seeking are not even spiritual blessings but material and worldly blessings of wealth, power, recognition and respect from man. This explains why even in Church ministry, we sometimes see a lot of politics, power struggle, demands and expectations. Consciously or unconsciously, although everyone claims to be working for God, yet the imperfect love in our hearts seek the things of this world, namely, pleasure and power, one to satisfy our senses and the other to satiate our ego and our human spirit. We are like the apostles seeking for power and human respect. It is not often that we hear Church members serving in the ministry asking, “What are my privileges?” We regard the Church as if it is a club house!
So how can we love from an obedient and sincere heart? Firstly, it must come from a love that one has received graciously from God Himself. Because of His mercy and forgiveness, we can now respond to Christ’s command to love one another as He has loved us. (cf Jn 13:34-35). It is in imitation of Christ’s unselfish and self-emptying love for us. True and sincere love is when we serve for the sake of Christ and for the gospel. (cf Mk 10:29) We give because He has first loved us. This is the basis of Christian service. Since we have freely received, we must now freely give. We do not expect any return from our service since it comes from a grateful heart that is filled with God’s love and mercy. The moment we expect some returns from our service, it is no longer from the heart but a mere exchange.
Truly, the capacity to love must come from God Himself. This is what St Peter wrote, “let your love for each other be real and from the heart – your new birth was not from any mortal seed but from the everlasting word of the living and eternal God. All flesh is grass and its glory like the wild flowers. The grass withers, the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever. What is this word? It is the Good News that has been brought to you.” We can love only because Christ has given us a rebirth. Our capacity to love does not come from within us but due to the work of God. Our rebirth is made possible by the Good News which is the love of God in Christ. Holiness is not something we can do on our own but it is God’s grace at work in us enabling us to love like Him.
Such selfless love implies that we choose the lowest position in service. At all times, regardless which office or position we hold, we must be absolutely conscious that we are the servants of God and the servants of His people. The Holy Father calls Himself after Jesus, the servant of servants. As servant, our desire is to be of help to people and to improve their lives, not to control and use them for our needs, especially our ego. In no uncertain terms, Jesus reprimanded the apostles for thinking in such worldly manner when He said, “You know that among the pagans their so-called 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 become great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be slave to all. For the Son of Man himself did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Such pure service would involve death to self and following Him to the cross. True love requires sacrifices. This was what Jesus told the apostles when He said, “‘You do not know what you are asking’ Jesus said to them. ‘Can you drink the cup that I must drink, or be baptised with the baptism with which I must be baptised?’ They replied, ‘We can.’ Jesus said to them, ‘The cup that I must drink you shall drink, and with the baptism with which I must be baptised you shall be baptized.’” Christian love is really emptying oneself for others because we love God just as Christ emptied Himself for us because He loves His Father.
How many of us are ready for the price of love and service? Many of us who offer voluntary services to the Church often lack commitment and perseverance. In the face of some setback, disagreement or failure to get what we want, we resign or revolt. Just because it is a free service, we often walk in and out of ministry as if we are serving man and not God. We fail to realize that we are not serving a priest or even the people of God. All service is rendered to God through man. When we choose to do what we like according to our personal preference and convenience, we are in truth serving ourselves, not serving God. A service without commitment, perseverance and without striving for excellence reveals the kind of love we have for God. We are more concerned about how we perform at our work than how we perform at God’s House where His glory is shown or not! Again, it is always me first, God, second. Is our house more important than God’s house?
How can we be purified in love except through meditation on the Word of God? St Peter exhorts us, “your new birth was not from any mortal seed but from the everlasting word of the living and eternal God.” If that were so, then if we lack progress in Christian life or self-knowledge of our true motives and consciousness in serving God, it is because we lack contemplation on the Word of God. Without meditation on His Word, we do not have the wisdom to see the eternal values of life and instead seek the temporal things. Ultimately it is living in the truth that will set us free. The truth refers to the truly essential and lasting things that matter in life, not the transitory things of the world. “All flesh is grass and its glory like the wild flowers. The grass withers, the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains for ever.”
In the final analysis, to contemplate on the Word of God is to contemplate on Christ. We must again and again contemplate on His passion and resurrection if we were to find strength to love purely and be obedient to His word. And “as for seats at my right hand or my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been allotted”, Jesus said. We must not be concerned with the rewards from God but we should be thankful that He has given us the gifts, resources and talents to serve. One day, when our health fails us or when we no longer have the resources to serve, we will regret that we have never given ourselves to love and service when we could. Now it is too late!
Wednesday 30 May, 2012, Eighth Week, Ordinary Time
HOLINESS REQUIRES PURIFICATION OF OUR SENSES, MIND AND HEART
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 1 PT 1:18-25; MK 10:32-45
This text of today’s first reading is appropriate for newly baptized Catholics because after baptism, we need to grow in holiness. Every Christian must live out the Pentecost in his or her life by living a life of the Spirit. They must strive to become more and more like Christ in their life. We must already live the life that is come with Christ. Everything in this world is passing, as St Peter wrote, quoting from Isaiah 40:6-8, “All flesh is grass and its glory like the wild flowers.” We must therefore live with the realization that all things in this world, especially our wealth, achievements, status, power and even our loved ones, will pass away.
Salvation, which is a free gift from God, must not be taken lightly lest we reduce the grace of God to that of cheap grace. We are reminded that this gift of God is given to us at the cost of the life of His only Son. Truly, having received so great a gift, it would be tragic for us to squander away the graces we have received through the precious blood of Christ shed for us on the cross.
Growth in holiness entails the purification of our senses and our spirit, our motivation and our love for God and for His people. St Peter says, “You have been obedient to the truth and purified your souls until you can love like brothers, in sincerity; let your love for each other be real and from the heart.” The call to holiness truly is a call to love selflessly, sincerely and unconditionally. It must go beyond mere externals and performance, and come from a pure mind and pure heart. Hence, it is not enough to do good or to serve God in ministry or even doing voluntary services.
Many of us do it with ulterior motives, just like the apostles in yesterday’s gospel when Peter asked Jesus, “’What about us?’ Peter asked Jesus. ‘We have left everything and followed you.’” (Mk 10:28) Indeed, even after Jesus’ assurance, they continued to squabble over who would take the place of honour once Jesus came to His kingdom. (cf Mk 10:35-45). As if oblivious to what Jesus said earlier, they still had the audacity to ask, “’Master,’ they said to him ‘we want you to do us a favour.’ He said to them, ‘What is it you want me to do for you?’ They said to him, ‘Allow us to sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your glory.’” And this request was totally insensitive for they ignored Jesus’ sentiments about His imminent death and crucifixion. Instead of feeling with Jesus who was pensive and anxious, they thought only of themselves. They simply could not understand the true meaning of love and service. Indeed, the evangelist noted that “Jesus was walking on ahead of them; they were in a daze, and those who followed were apprehensive.”
Many of us too serve God and the Church with not so loving and selfless motives. We serve with the intention of receiving something back from God. Sometimes, the “rewards” we are seeking are not even spiritual blessings but material and worldly blessings of wealth, power, recognition and respect from man. This explains why even in Church ministry, we sometimes see a lot of politics, power struggle, demands and expectations. Consciously or unconsciously, although everyone claims to be working for God, yet the imperfect love in our hearts seek the things of this world, namely, pleasure and power, one to satisfy our senses and the other to satiate our ego and our human spirit. We are like the apostles seeking for power and human respect. It is not often that we hear Church members serving in the ministry asking, “What are my privileges?” We regard the Church as if it is a club house!
So how can we love from an obedient and sincere heart? Firstly, it must come from a love that one has received graciously from God Himself. Because of His mercy and forgiveness, we can now respond to Christ’s command to love one another as He has loved us. (cf Jn 13:34-35). It is in imitation of Christ’s unselfish and self-emptying love for us. True and sincere love is when we serve for the sake of Christ and for the gospel. (cf Mk 10:29) We give because He has first loved us. This is the basis of Christian service. Since we have freely received, we must now freely give. We do not expect any return from our service since it comes from a grateful heart that is filled with God’s love and mercy. The moment we expect some returns from our service, it is no longer from the heart but a mere exchange.
Truly, the capacity to love must come from God Himself. This is what St Peter wrote, “let your love for each other be real and from the heart – your new birth was not from any mortal seed but from the everlasting word of the living and eternal God. All flesh is grass and its glory like the wild flowers. The grass withers, the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever. What is this word? It is the Good News that has been brought to you.” We can love only because Christ has given us a rebirth. Our capacity to love does not come from within us but due to the work of God. Our rebirth is made possible by the Good News which is the love of God in Christ. Holiness is not something we can do on our own but it is God’s grace at work in us enabling us to love like Him.
Such selfless love implies that we choose the lowest position in service. At all times, regardless which office or position we hold, we must be absolutely conscious that we are the servants of God and the servants of His people. The Holy Father calls Himself after Jesus, the servant of servants. As servant, our desire is to be of help to people and to improve their lives, not to control and use them for our needs, especially our ego. In no uncertain terms, Jesus reprimanded the apostles for thinking in such worldly manner when He said, “You know that among the pagans their so-called 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 become great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be slave to all. For the Son of Man himself did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Such pure service would involve death to self and following Him to the cross. True love requires sacrifices. This was what Jesus told the apostles when He said, “‘You do not know what you are asking’ Jesus said to them. ‘Can you drink the cup that I must drink, or be baptised with the baptism with which I must be baptised?’ They replied, ‘We can.’ Jesus said to them, ‘The cup that I must drink you shall drink, and with the baptism with which I must be baptised you shall be baptized.’” Christian love is really emptying oneself for others because we love God just as Christ emptied Himself for us because He loves His Father.
How many of us are ready for the price of love and service? Many of us who offer voluntary services to the Church often lack commitment and perseverance. In the face of some setback, disagreement or failure to get what we want, we resign or revolt. Just because it is a free service, we often walk in and out of ministry as if we are serving man and not God. We fail to realize that we are not serving a priest or even the people of God. All service is rendered to God through man. When we choose to do what we like according to our personal preference and convenience, we are in truth serving ourselves, not serving God. A service without commitment, perseverance and without striving for excellence reveals the kind of love we have for God. We are more concerned about how we perform at our work than how we perform at God’s House where His glory is shown or not! Again, it is always me first, God, second. Is our house more important than God’s house?
How can we be purified in love except through meditation on the Word of God? St Peter exhorts us, “your new birth was not from any mortal seed but from the everlasting word of the living and eternal God.” If that were so, then if we lack progress in Christian life or self-knowledge of our true motives and consciousness in serving God, it is because we lack contemplation on the Word of God. Without meditation on His Word, we do not have the wisdom to see the eternal values of life and instead seek the temporal things. Ultimately it is living in the truth that will set us free. The truth refers to the truly essential and lasting things that matter in life, not the transitory things of the world. “All flesh is grass and its glory like the wild flowers. The grass withers, the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains for ever.”
In the final analysis, to contemplate on the Word of God is to contemplate on Christ. We must again and again contemplate on His passion and resurrection if we were to find strength to love purely and be obedient to His word. And “as for seats at my right hand or my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been allotted”, Jesus said. We must not be concerned with the rewards from God but we should be thankful that He has given us the gifts, resources and talents to serve. One day, when our health fails us or when we no longer have the resources to serve, we will regret that we have never given ourselves to love and service when we could. Now it is too late!