05-18-2014, 04:59 PM
TESTIFYING TO THE RESURRECTED CHRIST BY BEING A PRIESTLY PEOPLE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: ACTS 6:1-7; 1 PT 2:4-9; JN 14: 1-12
http://www.universalis.com/20140518mass.htm
We have just celebrated the feast of the Good Shepherd last Sunday when we reflected how Jesus as our Good Shepherd gave up His life for His sheep. Having received life from Jesus through His death and resurrection, we must now consider how we can show our gratitude to Jesus our Good Shepherd. The best way to do so is none other than what the letter of Peter tells us: “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a people set apart to sing the praises of God who called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” Indeed, this is the surest way of testifying to the power of the Risen Christ in our lives and that He is alive when we show ourselves walking in the wonderful light of the Risen Lord.
How then can we sing the praises of God who has given us life in Jesus our Risen Lord? By being members of His royal priesthood! Indeed, all of us by virtue of our baptism into the death of Jesus have joined Jesus in offering ourselves as sacrifice to God. Yes, as Peter tells us, we, too, as the holy priesthood are called to offer “the spiritual sacrifices which Jesus Christ has made acceptable to God.” Living our royal priesthood to the fullest then is the way we bring unbelievers to come to know God in Jesus Christ. But in order that we may carry out our duty as the priests of God faithfully and effectively, it is necessary to know exactly what it means to be a priest of God.
Now, to be a priest is to be bridge to God, to be a mediator. All of us are called to mediate God’s presence to others by being Jesus to others. That is why a Christian priest is often called the alter Christus or the other Christ. We are called as priests to be the medium by which others can come to know Christ. The spiritual sacrifices that we are all called to offer is to make ourselves as bridges for others to come to know God in Jesus Christ. But how can this be done?
Firstly, we exercise our priesthood by doing the works of Jesus which is primarily the works of compassion and love. Indeed, in today’s gospel, Jesus tells His disciples that “whoever believes in me will perform the same works” as He did. He continues, “he will perform greater works because I am going to the Father.” In the works of mercy and compassion, we manifest the presence of Jesus. It is important to take note that when the disciples felt troubled and worried that Jesus would go away and that they would no longer able to see Him, Jesus assured them that they must believe that He is present because of the works that He has done.
This means that if people in the world were to see Jesus today, they would not see Him physically, but that they would see Jesus tangibly in the works that we as Christians perform. Just as people came to have faith in Jesus whom the Father lives in through His works, unbelievers too will come to have faith that Jesus is alive in us when they see the same works that Jesus has done are now done by and through us. Indeed, not only good works manifest the presence of the Risen Lord but it will be in the poor too that Christians will discover the Risen Lord suffering in their midst.
It is for this reason that in the early Church, the apostles gave importance to the material needs of the community. It is remarkable that the apostles, while preaching about God, did not forget to attend to the needy. And so they appointed deacons, people filled with the Holy Spirit and with wisdom to help them to distribute the food to the widows who were being neglected. The apostles understood that they could not proclaim the love of Jesus for them nor claim that the Risen Lord lived in them and among them unless they showed concern for their fellow Christians, especially those who were less fortunate. For how can we expect the suffering and the needy to sing praises of God when they are not liberated from their hunger and sufferings? Christian love and compassion for the poor is therefore one sure sign that the Risen Lord is living in their midst.
Of course, we must also be careful. Being the priests of God who are called to proclaim the Risen Lord in our midst is not only done through acts of love and mercy, but He must be proclaimed in word as well. So, we are told that the apostles selected the deacons so that they could dedicate themselves to the service of the word. In fact, it would be dangerous, as the apostles realized, to “neglect the word of God so as to give out food.” The truth is that although we are called to attend to the material hunger of people, yet such focus is limited. We can never fully satisfy the physical and material needs of man. To reduce the proclamation of the gospel to mere Christian ethics and Christian humanism, that is loving our fellow human beings, would be to reduce the full message of Jesus.
Rather, between the dispensation of material and spiritual food, the latter takes the priority, even if it is not to be understood in an exclusive manner. The primacy of preaching the Word of God is to be underscored. Even if we have done works of compassion and love, but have not proclaimed Christ verbally, then we cannot claim that we have done the work of Evangelization, proclaiming Jesus as the One who leads us out of darkness. As such, it is necessary that all Christians must somehow be at the service of the Word. Concretely, this means that Christians must proclaim Christ through the education of their children, sharing their faith with others, or even giving talks and catechism to those who are interested to know or to grow in the faith. No one can exempt himself from such direct proclamation of the gospel.
Only in this way, through both word and deed can we say that we have lived out our royal priesthood perfectly. Only in this way, will people come to know Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life. For in seeing us, they will come to realize that Jesus lives in us and we in Him; just as the Father lives in Jesus and He in Him. If seeing Jesus is to see the Father, the challenge for all Christians who bear the name of Christ is to make sure that when people see us, they too will see Christ and come to know Him through our being, our words and our works. With such a challenge before us, we cannot but feel diffident because we know our human weaknesses and failings. If we are feeling this way, then today’s readings give us the key to live out our priesthood authentically.
In order that the Word of God and His deeds can be proclaimed effectively in our lives, what is absolutely needed is that we, as the letter of Peter tells us, set ourselves close to our Lord Jesus Christ who is that living stone chosen by God and precious to Him. Yes, we need to rest our hope and strength in Jesus our precious cornerstone. Jesus as the rock will be able to give us the grace and strength to be strong in our faith so that we who rest our trust in Him will never be disappointed. He is the rock that can bring down the mighty and proud from their seats. This was what the apostles did in the early Church. When they realized that they were spending too much time attending to the material needs of the Christians, they appointed the deacons so that they could devote themselves to prayer and the Word of God.
Yes, if we find ourselves lacking in zeal to be His priest, that is to proclaim Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life to others, it is because we do not know Jesus sufficiently. If we know Jesus personally and realize His utter love for us, we will want to make Him known to all. For this reason, we cannot call ourselves members of the royal priesthood when we do not pray, when we do not offer the Eucharistic sacrifice. In the final analysis, it is only prayer, which brings about our union with Jesus in His love for all humankind, that makes us true priests of God. Before we can lead others to God, it presupposes that we know Him intimately ourselves.
And so, to be members of the royal priesthood, to be that chosen race that sings the praises of God is simply to be witnesses of God’s love in Christ through our devotion to the service of the Word and our charity towards others. These then are the three basic criteria of being the true priests of God who can bring people to Christ: preaching the Word, living out His word in deeds; and finally doing everything in union with Jesus through an intense prayer life. In this way, with Christ living and working in us, we become the living stones of Jesus, making a spiritual house whom people, especially unbelievers, will come to experience and know God. And like the early Church, more will be added into our group and many people will come to submission of faith; and in their turn find life and sing the praises of God who has called them out of darkness into His wonderful light.
WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV WILLIAM GOH
SCRIPTURE READINGS: ACTS 6:1-7; 1 PT 2:4-9; JN 14: 1-12
http://www.universalis.com/20140518mass.htm
We have just celebrated the feast of the Good Shepherd last Sunday when we reflected how Jesus as our Good Shepherd gave up His life for His sheep. Having received life from Jesus through His death and resurrection, we must now consider how we can show our gratitude to Jesus our Good Shepherd. The best way to do so is none other than what the letter of Peter tells us: “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a people set apart to sing the praises of God who called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” Indeed, this is the surest way of testifying to the power of the Risen Christ in our lives and that He is alive when we show ourselves walking in the wonderful light of the Risen Lord.
How then can we sing the praises of God who has given us life in Jesus our Risen Lord? By being members of His royal priesthood! Indeed, all of us by virtue of our baptism into the death of Jesus have joined Jesus in offering ourselves as sacrifice to God. Yes, as Peter tells us, we, too, as the holy priesthood are called to offer “the spiritual sacrifices which Jesus Christ has made acceptable to God.” Living our royal priesthood to the fullest then is the way we bring unbelievers to come to know God in Jesus Christ. But in order that we may carry out our duty as the priests of God faithfully and effectively, it is necessary to know exactly what it means to be a priest of God.
Now, to be a priest is to be bridge to God, to be a mediator. All of us are called to mediate God’s presence to others by being Jesus to others. That is why a Christian priest is often called the alter Christus or the other Christ. We are called as priests to be the medium by which others can come to know Christ. The spiritual sacrifices that we are all called to offer is to make ourselves as bridges for others to come to know God in Jesus Christ. But how can this be done?
Firstly, we exercise our priesthood by doing the works of Jesus which is primarily the works of compassion and love. Indeed, in today’s gospel, Jesus tells His disciples that “whoever believes in me will perform the same works” as He did. He continues, “he will perform greater works because I am going to the Father.” In the works of mercy and compassion, we manifest the presence of Jesus. It is important to take note that when the disciples felt troubled and worried that Jesus would go away and that they would no longer able to see Him, Jesus assured them that they must believe that He is present because of the works that He has done.
This means that if people in the world were to see Jesus today, they would not see Him physically, but that they would see Jesus tangibly in the works that we as Christians perform. Just as people came to have faith in Jesus whom the Father lives in through His works, unbelievers too will come to have faith that Jesus is alive in us when they see the same works that Jesus has done are now done by and through us. Indeed, not only good works manifest the presence of the Risen Lord but it will be in the poor too that Christians will discover the Risen Lord suffering in their midst.
It is for this reason that in the early Church, the apostles gave importance to the material needs of the community. It is remarkable that the apostles, while preaching about God, did not forget to attend to the needy. And so they appointed deacons, people filled with the Holy Spirit and with wisdom to help them to distribute the food to the widows who were being neglected. The apostles understood that they could not proclaim the love of Jesus for them nor claim that the Risen Lord lived in them and among them unless they showed concern for their fellow Christians, especially those who were less fortunate. For how can we expect the suffering and the needy to sing praises of God when they are not liberated from their hunger and sufferings? Christian love and compassion for the poor is therefore one sure sign that the Risen Lord is living in their midst.
Of course, we must also be careful. Being the priests of God who are called to proclaim the Risen Lord in our midst is not only done through acts of love and mercy, but He must be proclaimed in word as well. So, we are told that the apostles selected the deacons so that they could dedicate themselves to the service of the word. In fact, it would be dangerous, as the apostles realized, to “neglect the word of God so as to give out food.” The truth is that although we are called to attend to the material hunger of people, yet such focus is limited. We can never fully satisfy the physical and material needs of man. To reduce the proclamation of the gospel to mere Christian ethics and Christian humanism, that is loving our fellow human beings, would be to reduce the full message of Jesus.
Rather, between the dispensation of material and spiritual food, the latter takes the priority, even if it is not to be understood in an exclusive manner. The primacy of preaching the Word of God is to be underscored. Even if we have done works of compassion and love, but have not proclaimed Christ verbally, then we cannot claim that we have done the work of Evangelization, proclaiming Jesus as the One who leads us out of darkness. As such, it is necessary that all Christians must somehow be at the service of the Word. Concretely, this means that Christians must proclaim Christ through the education of their children, sharing their faith with others, or even giving talks and catechism to those who are interested to know or to grow in the faith. No one can exempt himself from such direct proclamation of the gospel.
Only in this way, through both word and deed can we say that we have lived out our royal priesthood perfectly. Only in this way, will people come to know Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life. For in seeing us, they will come to realize that Jesus lives in us and we in Him; just as the Father lives in Jesus and He in Him. If seeing Jesus is to see the Father, the challenge for all Christians who bear the name of Christ is to make sure that when people see us, they too will see Christ and come to know Him through our being, our words and our works. With such a challenge before us, we cannot but feel diffident because we know our human weaknesses and failings. If we are feeling this way, then today’s readings give us the key to live out our priesthood authentically.
In order that the Word of God and His deeds can be proclaimed effectively in our lives, what is absolutely needed is that we, as the letter of Peter tells us, set ourselves close to our Lord Jesus Christ who is that living stone chosen by God and precious to Him. Yes, we need to rest our hope and strength in Jesus our precious cornerstone. Jesus as the rock will be able to give us the grace and strength to be strong in our faith so that we who rest our trust in Him will never be disappointed. He is the rock that can bring down the mighty and proud from their seats. This was what the apostles did in the early Church. When they realized that they were spending too much time attending to the material needs of the Christians, they appointed the deacons so that they could devote themselves to prayer and the Word of God.
Yes, if we find ourselves lacking in zeal to be His priest, that is to proclaim Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life to others, it is because we do not know Jesus sufficiently. If we know Jesus personally and realize His utter love for us, we will want to make Him known to all. For this reason, we cannot call ourselves members of the royal priesthood when we do not pray, when we do not offer the Eucharistic sacrifice. In the final analysis, it is only prayer, which brings about our union with Jesus in His love for all humankind, that makes us true priests of God. Before we can lead others to God, it presupposes that we know Him intimately ourselves.
And so, to be members of the royal priesthood, to be that chosen race that sings the praises of God is simply to be witnesses of God’s love in Christ through our devotion to the service of the Word and our charity towards others. These then are the three basic criteria of being the true priests of God who can bring people to Christ: preaching the Word, living out His word in deeds; and finally doing everything in union with Jesus through an intense prayer life. In this way, with Christ living and working in us, we become the living stones of Jesus, making a spiritual house whom people, especially unbelievers, will come to experience and know God. And like the early Church, more will be added into our group and many people will come to submission of faith; and in their turn find life and sing the praises of God who has called them out of darkness into His wonderful light.
WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV WILLIAM GOH