01-11-2016, 08:51 AM
SINGULARITY OF PURPOSE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 1 Sm 1:1-8 [Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)] ; Ps 115:12-19 [Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)] ; Mk 1:14-20 [Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)]
In the gospel today, we find the Lord looking for people who are committed to His vision and mission of building the Kingdom of God and spreading the Good News. However, in this modern era, commitment is something that is hard to come by. Most people today lack commitment. We do not hold on to a job for long. We keep changing our involvement in ministry. This is true of relationships as well, especially in marriages. Yet, the truth is that without commitment and singularity of purpose, we cannot do anything well in life. Dedication, commitment and devotion are necessary for us to accomplish any task in life.
This necessity for singularity of purpose is clearly brought out in the first reading with respect to marriage. We read that Elkanah was a rich man because he could afford two wives! In those days, polygamy was permitted. But as we can see, polygamy goes against human nature. Marital love is always possessive and exclusive. This is particularly true for women because when they love, they love completely and they give themselves body, mind and soul to the person they love. Understandably, women do not allow competitors in their relationships. Otherwise, the demons of envy, jealousy, anger and even rage will surface.
So it is not surprising to hear of the family disputes between the two wives of Elkanah because of jealousy and insecurity. In truth both were vying for the love of their husband. They did this by making themselves useful and more worthy. In this case, having children was a status symbol of fertility and God’s blessings. Indeed, in the past, the role of women was seen primarily as being at the service of their husbands as a helpmate, bearing children for the family, being a good mother and homemaker. To be without children was seen as a curse from God. Of course, in those days, they knew nothing about the medical reasons for infertility. Children were needed not just to continue with the family name but to work and sustain the family and look after the aged ones. So we can imagine the humiliation that Hannah suffered. It was as if she was cursed. As such her life, which was to be both a wife and a mother, was not complete. This was made worse by the taunts that she suffered from Penninah each day.
But if we read between the lines, maybe it was not all Penninah’s fault. Elkanah seemed to love Hannah more than her in spite of the fact that she bore him children. We are told that “he would give only one portion, although he loved her more, since the Lord made her barren.” Other translations put it as a “special” portion or even a “double” portion. The fact remains that Elkanah loved her more. And that was why even though she had no children, “Elkanah her husband said to her, ‘Hannah, why are you crying and why are you not eating? Why so sad? Am I not more to you then ten sons?’” Of course, we can imagine how jealous Penninah would have been. This caused her to be even more vindictive and envious of her.
In the gospel, Jesus too was looking for disciples who could share His dream and vision for humanity. Fired with the Holy Spirit after His baptism, He knew that His mission cannot be realized by Him alone. He needed to find a good team of collaborators to help Him fulfill His mission. In seeking for His team of disciples, what were the qualities that He looked for? He did not look for external qualities – whether they had status, or even with academic or ecclesiastical degrees. They were ordinary fisherman, uneducated and simple people. Yet Jesus chose them to be His disciples, instead of trying to win over some Pharisees or scribes that He could use to bring about a change in His society and the establishments of His time.
Jesus must have observed that they were sincere, passionate and hardworking fisherman. We are told that when Jesus called them, they were about in their work. Peter and Andrew were casting out their nets to catch fish; whilst James and John were busy mending their nets. We too need such people today to collaborate with us in the work of the New Evangelization. We need priests, religious and laity who are committed to Jesus and the work of evangelization. Without passionate and committed people, the mission of Christ and His Church cannot be successful.
We can see the passion of the first apostles chosen by the Lord in the way they responded to His call. We are told that when “Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you into fishers of men.’ And at once they left their nets and followed him.” It was a similar situation in the call of James and John as well. “He called them at once and, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the men he employed, they went after him.” There was no hesitation whatsoever. It was immediate. At once! As if the order is from God Himself. When God is the one who calls, the answer must be immediate, unconditional, total and without reservation. So they left everything, their rice-bowl so to speak, their family and their loved ones, their passion for fishing, and followed Jesus. More than just following Jesus, we read that “they went after him.” In other words, the first apostles were people who were devoted to the Lord, as seen by the way they followed Jesus in His life and going after Him, that is, following Him from behind and yet always catching up with Jesus, not for a second losing sight of Him in their journey.
What could be the reason for their immediate response to the call of the Lord? We can be sure that it was not something that happened out of the blue. They would have been listening to Jesus and His dreams. At the end of the day, it was not simply the plans or the dreams of Jesus that excited them but it was the man Himself. They must have been so struck by Jesus, His passion, His life and His teachings that they fell in love with Jesus. Indeed, vocation is not so much a logical thing that you decide based on your expertise or skills or knowledge or training. It is more like a marriage that is based on the heart. Indeed, it is said that those whom we admire, we have reasons, but those whom we love, we have no reason. Christianity is always based on the level of the heart; not of the head.
This is what Pope Benedict wrote in his first encyclical, “God is love.” He wrote, “We have come to believe in God’s love: in these words the Christian can express the fundamental decision of his life. Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction. Saint John’s Gospel describes that event in these words: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should … have eternal life” (3:16). (Cf God is Love, 1) So if the disciples could give up their whole life for Jesus, it was because they had been listening to Him and watching Him, and then they fell in love with Jesus. Thus we can also understand why some believers continue to follow their religious leader even when logically they should not, because of wrong doctrines or scandalous behavior. Following Jesus is always like marriage, we need to fall in love and keep ourselves in love!
Thus, today, regardless of which vocation we are in, the question is, have we fallen in love with Jesus so much so that we are ready to give ourselves to Him according to the vocation He has chosen for us? God calls us wherever we are. At whatever state of life we are in, whatever work we do, just like the disciples, He calls us. What is important is whether we are conscious that this is His calling for us in life. Our first response must be to the Lord; that is our primary calling. Once we are devoted to the Lord, then in whichever vocation we are in, we would be able to give ourselves fully to what we do, whether we are married, single, religious or clerical. The basis for fidelity in our vocation, passion and commitment, is dependent on our singular mindedness in wanting to serve Christ out of love for Him. Without this grounding, whatever we do would be for ourselves and our own selfish needs. But with Christ and for Christ, we will do all things well, with joy and love.
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 1 Sm 1:1-8 [Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)] ; Ps 115:12-19 [Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)] ; Mk 1:14-20 [Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)]
In the gospel today, we find the Lord looking for people who are committed to His vision and mission of building the Kingdom of God and spreading the Good News. However, in this modern era, commitment is something that is hard to come by. Most people today lack commitment. We do not hold on to a job for long. We keep changing our involvement in ministry. This is true of relationships as well, especially in marriages. Yet, the truth is that without commitment and singularity of purpose, we cannot do anything well in life. Dedication, commitment and devotion are necessary for us to accomplish any task in life.
This necessity for singularity of purpose is clearly brought out in the first reading with respect to marriage. We read that Elkanah was a rich man because he could afford two wives! In those days, polygamy was permitted. But as we can see, polygamy goes against human nature. Marital love is always possessive and exclusive. This is particularly true for women because when they love, they love completely and they give themselves body, mind and soul to the person they love. Understandably, women do not allow competitors in their relationships. Otherwise, the demons of envy, jealousy, anger and even rage will surface.
So it is not surprising to hear of the family disputes between the two wives of Elkanah because of jealousy and insecurity. In truth both were vying for the love of their husband. They did this by making themselves useful and more worthy. In this case, having children was a status symbol of fertility and God’s blessings. Indeed, in the past, the role of women was seen primarily as being at the service of their husbands as a helpmate, bearing children for the family, being a good mother and homemaker. To be without children was seen as a curse from God. Of course, in those days, they knew nothing about the medical reasons for infertility. Children were needed not just to continue with the family name but to work and sustain the family and look after the aged ones. So we can imagine the humiliation that Hannah suffered. It was as if she was cursed. As such her life, which was to be both a wife and a mother, was not complete. This was made worse by the taunts that she suffered from Penninah each day.
But if we read between the lines, maybe it was not all Penninah’s fault. Elkanah seemed to love Hannah more than her in spite of the fact that she bore him children. We are told that “he would give only one portion, although he loved her more, since the Lord made her barren.” Other translations put it as a “special” portion or even a “double” portion. The fact remains that Elkanah loved her more. And that was why even though she had no children, “Elkanah her husband said to her, ‘Hannah, why are you crying and why are you not eating? Why so sad? Am I not more to you then ten sons?’” Of course, we can imagine how jealous Penninah would have been. This caused her to be even more vindictive and envious of her.
In the gospel, Jesus too was looking for disciples who could share His dream and vision for humanity. Fired with the Holy Spirit after His baptism, He knew that His mission cannot be realized by Him alone. He needed to find a good team of collaborators to help Him fulfill His mission. In seeking for His team of disciples, what were the qualities that He looked for? He did not look for external qualities – whether they had status, or even with academic or ecclesiastical degrees. They were ordinary fisherman, uneducated and simple people. Yet Jesus chose them to be His disciples, instead of trying to win over some Pharisees or scribes that He could use to bring about a change in His society and the establishments of His time.
Jesus must have observed that they were sincere, passionate and hardworking fisherman. We are told that when Jesus called them, they were about in their work. Peter and Andrew were casting out their nets to catch fish; whilst James and John were busy mending their nets. We too need such people today to collaborate with us in the work of the New Evangelization. We need priests, religious and laity who are committed to Jesus and the work of evangelization. Without passionate and committed people, the mission of Christ and His Church cannot be successful.
We can see the passion of the first apostles chosen by the Lord in the way they responded to His call. We are told that when “Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you into fishers of men.’ And at once they left their nets and followed him.” It was a similar situation in the call of James and John as well. “He called them at once and, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the men he employed, they went after him.” There was no hesitation whatsoever. It was immediate. At once! As if the order is from God Himself. When God is the one who calls, the answer must be immediate, unconditional, total and without reservation. So they left everything, their rice-bowl so to speak, their family and their loved ones, their passion for fishing, and followed Jesus. More than just following Jesus, we read that “they went after him.” In other words, the first apostles were people who were devoted to the Lord, as seen by the way they followed Jesus in His life and going after Him, that is, following Him from behind and yet always catching up with Jesus, not for a second losing sight of Him in their journey.
What could be the reason for their immediate response to the call of the Lord? We can be sure that it was not something that happened out of the blue. They would have been listening to Jesus and His dreams. At the end of the day, it was not simply the plans or the dreams of Jesus that excited them but it was the man Himself. They must have been so struck by Jesus, His passion, His life and His teachings that they fell in love with Jesus. Indeed, vocation is not so much a logical thing that you decide based on your expertise or skills or knowledge or training. It is more like a marriage that is based on the heart. Indeed, it is said that those whom we admire, we have reasons, but those whom we love, we have no reason. Christianity is always based on the level of the heart; not of the head.
This is what Pope Benedict wrote in his first encyclical, “God is love.” He wrote, “We have come to believe in God’s love: in these words the Christian can express the fundamental decision of his life. Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction. Saint John’s Gospel describes that event in these words: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should … have eternal life” (3:16). (Cf God is Love, 1) So if the disciples could give up their whole life for Jesus, it was because they had been listening to Him and watching Him, and then they fell in love with Jesus. Thus we can also understand why some believers continue to follow their religious leader even when logically they should not, because of wrong doctrines or scandalous behavior. Following Jesus is always like marriage, we need to fall in love and keep ourselves in love!
Thus, today, regardless of which vocation we are in, the question is, have we fallen in love with Jesus so much so that we are ready to give ourselves to Him according to the vocation He has chosen for us? God calls us wherever we are. At whatever state of life we are in, whatever work we do, just like the disciples, He calls us. What is important is whether we are conscious that this is His calling for us in life. Our first response must be to the Lord; that is our primary calling. Once we are devoted to the Lord, then in whichever vocation we are in, we would be able to give ourselves fully to what we do, whether we are married, single, religious or clerical. The basis for fidelity in our vocation, passion and commitment, is dependent on our singular mindedness in wanting to serve Christ out of love for Him. Without this grounding, whatever we do would be for ourselves and our own selfish needs. But with Christ and for Christ, we will do all things well, with joy and love.