[stephenkhoo]

BE AN APOSTLE BY LIVING OUT OUR VOCATION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: EPHESIANS 4:1-7, 11-13; MATTHEW 9:9-13

The gospel today gives us an account of the call of St Matthew to be an apostle of Jesus. On all counts, it was a poor choice for Jesus to choose Matthew, as tax-collectors were the most despised people among the Jews, not only because they were considered to be traitors for working for the Romans, but because they used their position to exploit their own people; extorting more taxes than was necessary for their own selfish gains. Yet, the wisdom of man is folly to God! Against such objections, the response of Jesus was that “it is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. Go and learn the meaning of the words: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice. And indeed I did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners.”

In the same way too, we who are unworthy have been chosen by the Lord to be His disciples and apostles. Like St Matthew, we also feel deeply unworthy, as we know how sinful and weak we are, even when we desire to be good. But at the same time, in our sinfulness we know that we can rely on God’s boundless mercy for us. Of course, this does not dispense us from making efforts to follow Jesus, since a disciple is one who follows Jesus. It is significant that when Jesus told Matthew, “Follow me”, “he got up and followed him.” He did not hesitate or make excuses but abandoned everything to follow Jesus.

St Paul in the same vein urges us, “I, the prisoner in the Lord, implore you to lead a life worthy of your vocation.” Concretely, what does it mean for us in daily life? What is this vocation that we have been called? Primarily, the vocation that the Lord has called us all is a vocation of compassion and love. Jesus wants us to extend the mercy of God to all, the sick and the sinners. Yes, we are called not just for ourselves, but we are called for the service of the Church, the Body of Christ and the world.

Each one of us, as St Paul tells us, has been blessed with different charisms. “Each one …has been given his own share of grace, given as Christ allotted it…so that the saints together make a unit in the work of service, building up the body of Christ.” Our charisms, regardless of what they are, are meant for the service of the community, within and without the Church. If the Spirit has blessed us with diverse charisms, it is in order that each one of us can play our part in making this world a better place to live in so that His love is incarnated in our midst. Through our charisms, the mercy and love of God are mediated and received.

It is in this light that we must consider seriously our vocation within the Church and our vocation in the world. We have a two-fold vocation in the one vocation of love. Within the Christian community, we must recognize our responsibility to contribute to the building of the body of Christ. Failure to use our charisms for the building of the Christian community is to fail to attend to the Body of Christ. How can we say we love Jesus the Head, but neglect the needs of His Body?

Of course, our vocation does not just lie within the Church. The primary arena of the laity is in the world. In our role as parents, workers, students, professionals, entrepreneurs or civil leaders, we too are called to cooperate in establishing the kingdom of justice, equality, love and peace in the society we belong. By so doing, we are realizing the Kingdom that Jesus sought to bring about in His proclamation. So to neglect our responsibility at home or in the office, or to the social, political and economic development of the country, would be to shirk our Christian responsibilities.

But this two-fold vocation cannot be fulfilled adequately unless we are rooted in Christ and in the Church. First and foremost, every Christian must root himself or herself in Christ to be fruitful. St Paul says that we are called to “become the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself.” In other words, growth in faith is to become more and more like Christ in heart and in mind. To grow in holiness is more than simply deepening our devotion to the Lord, especially in prayer, but it is also to manifest it in the fruits of love and compassion in our relationship with others.

Secondly, St Paul says, “In this way we are all to come to unity in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God.” Again and again, both the late Pope John Paul II and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI remind us that the mission of the Church must be accomplished in communion. This is what St Paul is exhorting us as well when he wrote, “Bear with one another charitably, in complete selflessness, gentleness and patience. Do all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together“. Truly, we must preserve our unity with each other at all costs. We must learn patience, tolerance, sensitivity, humility, dialogue and most of all, be ever ready to offer forgiveness and ask for forgiveness from each other.

If we bemoan the greatest scandal of Christianity, which is the division among Christians, then let it be said that this division begins in our own church, parish and church groups and Christian communities. If we attack each other, especially our leaders, clerical or lay, how can we ever foster unity among ourselves? If we cannot agree within our own church movements and organizations, but bicker among ourselves over power, position, recognition and domination over others, how can we promote ecumenism among the different Christian communities? So let us begin by working together for unity among ourselves. And what better way than to pray together before we start work. Only when we are all rooted in Christ, can we truly work in unity for the same mission and the same vocation. As St Paul argued, “There is one Body, one Spirit, just as you were all called into one and the same hope when you were called.”

Truly, if we want to share the joy of St Matthew in reaching out to his fellow tax-collectors and sinners, we too must seek to bring them to Jesus according to the situation we are in. God calls us wherever we are, just as He called Matthew when he was “sitting by the customs house.” God too calls us according to our status and responsibility in life. Let us use whatever charisms and opportunities we have to bring Christ to others so that we can share the joy of knowing Christ together, and our brotherhood in Him, since we all have “one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God who is Father of all, over all, through all and within all.” Yes, let this “message go out through all the earth” as we declare the glory of God in our communion with each other in love and harmony.