07-25-2012, 09:41 AM
Scripture Reflections
Wednesday 25 July, 2012, Feast of St James, Apostle
SPIRITUALITY OF THE EMPTY VESSEL
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 2 COR 4:7-15; MT 20:20-28
Often, Catholics feel diffident about their faith. When approached to share their faith or called upon to undertake leadership in Church organizations and ministry, we feel that we are not worthy or capable enough. We have so many human frailties and we know our faith in Christ and our spiritual life is rather shallow. And so we do not want to appear as empty vessels! But precisely, this morning, the liturgy is inviting us to be empty vessels for Christ and for His people. For the spirituality of the earthen vessel is not complete without a spirituality of the empty vessel. What then is this spirituality of the empty vessel?
It is simply this, to empty ourselves for others. For what is the meaning of love if not to be an empty vessel for others? In other words, we are called to empty our lives and be available not just for our loved ones at home but also for the service of the people of God. This is made clear in today’s gospel reading. Jesus instructed His apostles that if they were to sit in His kingdom, sharing in His kingdom life, they too would have to share His life of service and servanthood. We are called to “be like the Son of man who has come, not to be served but to serve and to give his life to redeem many.” So the invitation is to empty our lives completely for the service of all. It is to drink the cup of Jesus, which is to share His life of passion and death.
But do we really understand the import of what Jesus is asking of us? Do we understand what is required of us in our vocation? Unfortunately, many of us who are entering into marriage or are married and are parents never fully consider what it takes to live up to our vocation. This is also true when we assume leadership either in the world or in the Church. This is the question Jesus is asking us, “Do you know what you are entering into?” That is what Jesus pointedly told James and John as well. “You do not know what you are asking.”
The truth is that if we knew what we were asking, we would not now be grumbling, complaining and embittered about the weight of the cross we are carrying in our state of life. Isn’t this what the Lord Himself had gone through? Isn’t this what the cup is all about? So why should we be surprised that we are now suffering? We said that we want to die with Jesus, didn’t we? We were prepared to give up our lives for Him, for our loved ones and for others, did we not? So why all this grumbling, bitterness and resentment now?
Where did we gone wrong? The truth is that we have not really emptied ourselves. Firstly we are blinded by our ambition, like the apostles, so much so we cannot see the full reality of what we are asking for in life. Somehow we have deceived ourselves. We know about the sufferings of the vocation we choose in life. Yet, somehow deep within, we do not believe what others tell us. We just cannot believe that there can be suffering in marriage life since we feel so much joy now in loving our partner or in serving others. Like the apostles, we tend to focus more on the benefits, glory, privileges and joys without really considering the sacrifices and sufferings of whatever vocation or office we undertake.
Indeed, quite often people only want to believe that married life or leadership is a bed of roses. We are so confident that our love for our partner will always be romantic and happy. We think that as leaders we can make great changes in the lives of others. People only see the external aspects, but they are not aware of the challenges that those in married life and in leadership face each day.
Secondly, in our ambitiousness, we have overestimated ourselves. Like the apostles who responded immediately “We can” when challenged by the Lord as to whether they could drink the cup that He was about to drink, we too, in saying this, show that we are full of ourselves. We think we can perform better than others before us. We delude ourselves into believing we can solve all the problems. For the irony is that in emptying ourselves for others, we have actually boosted our own ego. We have unconsciously followed the spirituality of self-perfection. We think we can be givers and helpers simply because we will it. We actually believe that we can imitate Christ if we just reflect on the scriptures. So even in the process of helping and serving others, there is a lot of ego and self-will on our part. Although we say that we need the grace of God, we depend more on our human effort and strength than anything else.
As a result, many of us who are now in the process of trying to live up to the ideals of life in our vocation, have come to realize that we are earthen vessels after all. Once we are married or have assumed an office, then we will be forced into eating humble pie and take back our words. In the spirituality of the earthen vessel, we are asked to be in touch with our weaknesses and brokenness. We are not impeccable. We cannot do everything by ourselves. We do not have all the solutions. We are not so perfect after all. But this experience of our brokenness is not bad. Indeed, it is a necessary stage of purification in our love for Jesus. The spirituality of the earthen vessel invites us to recognize our human limitations. We do not have to pretend that we are a perfect spouse, parent or leader; that we do not make mistakes or know everything. Once we recognize that we are earthen vessels, we come to the full understanding of what it means to live out the spirituality of the empty vessel. Yet, this experience of our brokenness is important. It is not meant to lead us to despair or complacency, but to give up relying on ourselves alone. If we are struck down it is because the Lord wants to raise us up and give us a new and transformed life in the Spirit. So we should thank God for this “struck-down” experience so that we might be awakened to His love and power.
The truth is that we cannot really empty ourselves for others in love and service unless we empty ourselves for Christ. We must not forget that we are earthen vessels only, but that we also hold the treasure of Christ in us. But we can hold this treasure only if we have emptied ourselves of our self-sufficiency and self-perfectionist attitude. This was the way of Jesus Himself. In the prophecy of the passion just before the episode of today’s gospel, Jesus recognized His need to entrust His mission to the Father and to trust that only His Father can vindicate Him and His mission.
So the spirituality of the empty vessel is simply to allow ourselves to be filled with the treasure that is the grace of God. The blunder is that we do not allow God to work in and through us. We are not like the flute that God can play in and through us. When the flute is not hollow, no music can be created. So too when we are too full of ourselves, we become the obstacle to the work of God. The mistake is we rely too much on our intelligence and logic to meet the challenges of life. We rely more on our talents and ingenuity than the grace and power of God. We only pay lip service to Him, if not why is it that we do not pray? We do not trust that He can help us and so we work doubly hard. We do not rely on His inspiration and wisdom to guide us.
And the warning is this, so long as death is not at work in us, the life of Christ cannot be seen in us. Yes, St Paul tells us, we are “given up continually to death for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may appear in our mortal existence.” It is St Paul’s experience of his helplessness that allowed him to experience the power of God in Christ. Hence, it is only when we experience our desperation and limitations, that we entrust ourselves to the mercy of God. Unless and until we realize our nothingness and our inadequacy, the power of God cannot work in us. Instead of relying on our good works, we are called to rely on the power and grace of God. We are called to surrender our lives to Him in faith, trust and love. Precisely, the spirituality of the earthen vessel is to remind us that we are weak and broken in order that we no longer rely on ourselves but on the grace that comes from the power of our Lord Jesus Christ. Only then, in our total surrender of our lives and our vocation and ministry to the Lord, can the glory of God be seen in us.
Truly, the spirituality of the earthen vessel is to have faith in the power of the resurrected Christ. Indeed, it is Paul’s faith in the power of the risen Christ in his life, especially in the way He worked in his life, manifesting His mercy and love so that he could proclaim Him so mightily, not using human wisdom but the power of the Spirit. Yes, he said, “We also believe and so we speak. We know that He who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and bring us, with you, into his presence.”
Only then can we live out the other aspect of the spirituality of the empty vessel, which is to empty ourselves for others, especially those whom we find difficult to love and serve. Without a deep love and gratitude for God’s mercy to us, we cannot empty our lives in compassion for others. Because of His love for us, we would then want to unite our lives in the priesthood of Christ which is a sacrifice. We want to drink His cup because we love Jesus. We want to give our lives for others because we want them to experience the same power and grace that St Paul had experienced in Jesus. It is only because Christ has been experienced as love and mercy that we can now be ready to serve and be like Jesus to give our lives as a ransom for many.
Written by Rev. Fr. William Goh
Wednesday 25 July, 2012, Feast of St James, Apostle
SPIRITUALITY OF THE EMPTY VESSEL
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 2 COR 4:7-15; MT 20:20-28
Often, Catholics feel diffident about their faith. When approached to share their faith or called upon to undertake leadership in Church organizations and ministry, we feel that we are not worthy or capable enough. We have so many human frailties and we know our faith in Christ and our spiritual life is rather shallow. And so we do not want to appear as empty vessels! But precisely, this morning, the liturgy is inviting us to be empty vessels for Christ and for His people. For the spirituality of the earthen vessel is not complete without a spirituality of the empty vessel. What then is this spirituality of the empty vessel?
It is simply this, to empty ourselves for others. For what is the meaning of love if not to be an empty vessel for others? In other words, we are called to empty our lives and be available not just for our loved ones at home but also for the service of the people of God. This is made clear in today’s gospel reading. Jesus instructed His apostles that if they were to sit in His kingdom, sharing in His kingdom life, they too would have to share His life of service and servanthood. We are called to “be like the Son of man who has come, not to be served but to serve and to give his life to redeem many.” So the invitation is to empty our lives completely for the service of all. It is to drink the cup of Jesus, which is to share His life of passion and death.
But do we really understand the import of what Jesus is asking of us? Do we understand what is required of us in our vocation? Unfortunately, many of us who are entering into marriage or are married and are parents never fully consider what it takes to live up to our vocation. This is also true when we assume leadership either in the world or in the Church. This is the question Jesus is asking us, “Do you know what you are entering into?” That is what Jesus pointedly told James and John as well. “You do not know what you are asking.”
The truth is that if we knew what we were asking, we would not now be grumbling, complaining and embittered about the weight of the cross we are carrying in our state of life. Isn’t this what the Lord Himself had gone through? Isn’t this what the cup is all about? So why should we be surprised that we are now suffering? We said that we want to die with Jesus, didn’t we? We were prepared to give up our lives for Him, for our loved ones and for others, did we not? So why all this grumbling, bitterness and resentment now?
Where did we gone wrong? The truth is that we have not really emptied ourselves. Firstly we are blinded by our ambition, like the apostles, so much so we cannot see the full reality of what we are asking for in life. Somehow we have deceived ourselves. We know about the sufferings of the vocation we choose in life. Yet, somehow deep within, we do not believe what others tell us. We just cannot believe that there can be suffering in marriage life since we feel so much joy now in loving our partner or in serving others. Like the apostles, we tend to focus more on the benefits, glory, privileges and joys without really considering the sacrifices and sufferings of whatever vocation or office we undertake.
Indeed, quite often people only want to believe that married life or leadership is a bed of roses. We are so confident that our love for our partner will always be romantic and happy. We think that as leaders we can make great changes in the lives of others. People only see the external aspects, but they are not aware of the challenges that those in married life and in leadership face each day.
Secondly, in our ambitiousness, we have overestimated ourselves. Like the apostles who responded immediately “We can” when challenged by the Lord as to whether they could drink the cup that He was about to drink, we too, in saying this, show that we are full of ourselves. We think we can perform better than others before us. We delude ourselves into believing we can solve all the problems. For the irony is that in emptying ourselves for others, we have actually boosted our own ego. We have unconsciously followed the spirituality of self-perfection. We think we can be givers and helpers simply because we will it. We actually believe that we can imitate Christ if we just reflect on the scriptures. So even in the process of helping and serving others, there is a lot of ego and self-will on our part. Although we say that we need the grace of God, we depend more on our human effort and strength than anything else.
As a result, many of us who are now in the process of trying to live up to the ideals of life in our vocation, have come to realize that we are earthen vessels after all. Once we are married or have assumed an office, then we will be forced into eating humble pie and take back our words. In the spirituality of the earthen vessel, we are asked to be in touch with our weaknesses and brokenness. We are not impeccable. We cannot do everything by ourselves. We do not have all the solutions. We are not so perfect after all. But this experience of our brokenness is not bad. Indeed, it is a necessary stage of purification in our love for Jesus. The spirituality of the earthen vessel invites us to recognize our human limitations. We do not have to pretend that we are a perfect spouse, parent or leader; that we do not make mistakes or know everything. Once we recognize that we are earthen vessels, we come to the full understanding of what it means to live out the spirituality of the empty vessel. Yet, this experience of our brokenness is important. It is not meant to lead us to despair or complacency, but to give up relying on ourselves alone. If we are struck down it is because the Lord wants to raise us up and give us a new and transformed life in the Spirit. So we should thank God for this “struck-down” experience so that we might be awakened to His love and power.
The truth is that we cannot really empty ourselves for others in love and service unless we empty ourselves for Christ. We must not forget that we are earthen vessels only, but that we also hold the treasure of Christ in us. But we can hold this treasure only if we have emptied ourselves of our self-sufficiency and self-perfectionist attitude. This was the way of Jesus Himself. In the prophecy of the passion just before the episode of today’s gospel, Jesus recognized His need to entrust His mission to the Father and to trust that only His Father can vindicate Him and His mission.
So the spirituality of the empty vessel is simply to allow ourselves to be filled with the treasure that is the grace of God. The blunder is that we do not allow God to work in and through us. We are not like the flute that God can play in and through us. When the flute is not hollow, no music can be created. So too when we are too full of ourselves, we become the obstacle to the work of God. The mistake is we rely too much on our intelligence and logic to meet the challenges of life. We rely more on our talents and ingenuity than the grace and power of God. We only pay lip service to Him, if not why is it that we do not pray? We do not trust that He can help us and so we work doubly hard. We do not rely on His inspiration and wisdom to guide us.
And the warning is this, so long as death is not at work in us, the life of Christ cannot be seen in us. Yes, St Paul tells us, we are “given up continually to death for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may appear in our mortal existence.” It is St Paul’s experience of his helplessness that allowed him to experience the power of God in Christ. Hence, it is only when we experience our desperation and limitations, that we entrust ourselves to the mercy of God. Unless and until we realize our nothingness and our inadequacy, the power of God cannot work in us. Instead of relying on our good works, we are called to rely on the power and grace of God. We are called to surrender our lives to Him in faith, trust and love. Precisely, the spirituality of the earthen vessel is to remind us that we are weak and broken in order that we no longer rely on ourselves but on the grace that comes from the power of our Lord Jesus Christ. Only then, in our total surrender of our lives and our vocation and ministry to the Lord, can the glory of God be seen in us.
Truly, the spirituality of the earthen vessel is to have faith in the power of the resurrected Christ. Indeed, it is Paul’s faith in the power of the risen Christ in his life, especially in the way He worked in his life, manifesting His mercy and love so that he could proclaim Him so mightily, not using human wisdom but the power of the Spirit. Yes, he said, “We also believe and so we speak. We know that He who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and bring us, with you, into his presence.”
Only then can we live out the other aspect of the spirituality of the empty vessel, which is to empty ourselves for others, especially those whom we find difficult to love and serve. Without a deep love and gratitude for God’s mercy to us, we cannot empty our lives in compassion for others. Because of His love for us, we would then want to unite our lives in the priesthood of Christ which is a sacrifice. We want to drink His cup because we love Jesus. We want to give our lives for others because we want them to experience the same power and grace that St Paul had experienced in Jesus. It is only because Christ has been experienced as love and mercy that we can now be ready to serve and be like Jesus to give our lives as a ransom for many.
Written by Rev. Fr. William Goh