* YESUS, wajah Allah yang sesungguhnya, kasih, pengampunan.
* Give you strength to do it.
* A PASCHAL FAITH ENABLES US TO CATCH A GLIMPSE OF THE RESURRECTION
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YESUS menunujukkan kepada kita wajah Allah yang sesungguhnya,
BagiNya kekuatan tidak berarti kehancuran tapi kasih,
BagiNya keadilan bukanlah pembalasan dendam tapi pengampunan.
*Paus Fransiskus*
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Friday, 2nd MARCH 2018.
Matthew 21:33-43, 45
"There was a householder who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country. When the season of fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants, to get his fruit; and the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first; and they did the same to them. Afterward he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.' And they took him and cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him."
This is called 'breach of contract'. When God gave them the vineyard, He gave them a mission: to produce grapes. Vineyard and mission came together. The tenants liked the vineyard; it was kitted out with everything they needed to produce fruit. But they rejected their mission. So they decided to keep the vineyard and its fruit for themselves. They didn't want to obey. They preferred to be their own masters, 'appropriating' something that wasn't theirs.
The same can happen in our lives. God has given us everything we need to bear fruit. He has given us our lives, our family, our talents, our formation... and our mission. But some love all that so much that instead of being grateful for it, they decide to keep it for themselves: 'It's my life!', they say, 'I do with it what I like.' And they guard it jealously, taking hold of it as a child grasps his ice cream and licks it slowly with a look that says, 'It's mine; only mine!'
But we know that it is not. Life, and all it brings with it, is given by God. We are tenants and have to render fruit. We have been given life, family, friends, talents, formation... but also a mission!
That was the problem of the rich young man (Mk 10:17-31), do you remember him? "He went away sorrowful" (v. 22) says the Gospel. He kept his possessions - but lost his joy, his enthusiasm, his mission, his Lord...
"Cast yourself with confidence into the arms of God," recommends St Phillip Neri, "and be very sure of this, that if he wants anything of you he will fit you for your work and give you strength to do it."
Mary, my Mother, help me to give myself entirely to your Son.
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25 FEBRUARY, 2018, Sunday, 2nd Week, Lent
A PASCHAL FAITH ENABLES US TO CATCH A GLIMPSE OF THE RESURRECTION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [GN 22:1-2, 9-13, 15-18; ROM 8:31-34; MK 9:2-10 ]
This life is a mystery. Life is full of ambiguities and paradoxes. On one hand, we are blessed with many gifts, successes and happiness. On the other hand, we know we have so many problems yet unresolved. We live in sin and yet we know that we are not that bad to be classified as a condemned sinner. Yes, we are not perfect. In our frustration and anxiety to put things straight, we become impatient and dissatisfied. How are we to learn to accept such bi-polarities in life without feeling discouraged or complacent? Indeed, we are invited today to walk by faith, not by sight; to see life dimly as though through a glass.
How are we to live our life in the face of so many dilemmas? The answer that pervades all the readings is faith. We are called to share the faith of Abraham, the faith of Paul and that of Jesus.
But what kind of faith is a saving faith? It is the faith of the paschal mystery. It is the faith that through sufferings, we come to the resurrection. Only a paschal faith can help us to walk through the paradoxes of life. This faith proclaims that as we walk through the journey of life, we will catch a glimpse of the resurrection. Indeed, if the disciples were told not to tell anyone what they saw until after the resurrection, it was simply because the power of the resurrection cannot be known or experienced without the prior need of carrying our cross and embracing the sufferings of life.
A paschal faith therefore requires us to take the path of suffering. The gospel of Mark is against an epiphany Christology.
In other words, St Mark is weary of Christians who focus too much on the glory and miracles of Jesus. Noticeably, St Mark, unlike Luke and Matthew, did not mention the transformed face of Jesus at the Transfiguration, but only emphasized the whiteness of Jesus' garments. So in Mark's understanding, the divine manifestation of Jesus can only be found at the end of that journey. This explains why the disciples were bewildered when Jesus predicted His death and why they were instructed to keep silent about the incident until after the resurrection.
To disclose the Transfiguration before the death and resurrection of Jesus would be a wrong expression of Christology, involving glory without the cross. The blatant truth is simply this: No cross, no crown! The full and final disclosure of the glory of Jesus could come only after His death and resurrection. Hence, there is a kind of spirituality that we must avoid, a spirituality that only speaks of miracles, healings and blessings. It is a spirituality that promotes an easy life, a life of comfort without suffering. This is false spirituality. For the passion and death of Jesus reminds us that no one can escape the path of suffering and death if he or she truly wants to find the fullness of life.
How then can we cultivate this paschal faith so that we can go through life bearing our cross and sufferings cheerfully and with certain hope that we will be victorious in the final outcome?
Firstly, the faith that is required from us is a discerning faith. Abraham thought in his naivety that God wanted the life of His son. However, God is not a sadistic God. Of course, the intuitive faith of Abraham, even if he had perceived wrongly, was still exercised in good faith. God does not judge our actions but our intentions. Of course, faith today requires us to discern properly the Lord's call. Indeed, the story of Abraham sacrificing his son was an implicit disapproval of a primitive practice of human sacrifice.
Secondly, a paschal faith must be a trusting and obedient faith. This is the faith of Abraham. One would think that Abraham's faith was great already, because he was willing to leave his homeland for a far distant country. But to sacrifice Isaac, his only son whom he loved so dearly, which ironically was also the reward for his faith and obedience, is certainly the extreme test of faith. Hence, Abraham is praised not so much because he was willing to sacrifice his only son but because of his total trust and obedience in God. Abraham trusted God totally, regardless whether he understood His plan for him or not.
It is this trust that gave Abraham the courage to submit in obedience to His word. Without trust, there can be no real obedience. That is why obedience is not simply a blind obedience or irrational decision, but an obedience of the heart because one believes from the depth of one's being. Disobedience is always due to the lack of trust. So it is Abraham's deep intuitive trust in God's providence and love that rendered him to submit in obedience to His divine plan.
Thirdly, the paschal faith entails a Christocentric faith. This is the faith of St Paul. In the face of persecutions and trials, St Paul was certain of the hope that lay before him. He did not succumb to the sufferings in his ministry. For he knew that in spite of his sinfulness and weaknesses, he has been reconciled to God in Christ, liberated from sin and death, empowered by the Spirit and is destined for glory. The basis for this assurance of salvation and victory in Christ is founded on the gift from God of His only Son. Stating his case, he said, "with God on our side who can be against us? Since God did not spare his own Son, but gave him up to benefit us all, we may be certain, after such a gift, that he will not refuse anything he can give."
Indeed, so great is the love of God in Christ that He sacrificed His son to save us. It clearly means that God cannot be outdone in love and generosity. When we think that we have given a lot to God or have suffered so much in this world, then stop again to think that God has suffered even much more than any of us. When we realize this, resting on the love of God in Christ, we can be sure of a triumphant end to our sufferings in this life.
To arrive at a paschal faith, which is a discerning, trusting, obedient and Christocentric faith, we need to follow Jesus in acquiring an affective and contemplative faith. If Jesus could follow through His mission, it was because of His absolute trust in His Father, which came from His intimacy with Him. It is the experience of the Father's unconditional love that empowered Jesus to go through the passion and death.
That is why the Father invites us to listen to His beloved Son. Listening is the first step in creating trust and obedience. We need to listen anew to what God is saying about the gift of Jesus, His only Son to us. But we cannot listen unless we go to the mountain where, in our aloneness, God is present. To listen is a necessary stage to prayer and contemplation. Only in prayer, can we be enlightened and bask in the presence of God and His love, like Jesus.
When we listen and contemplate, we will be empowered. Empowerment comes from a deep encounter with God, an encounter that assures us personally that God loves us and is with us. Only such an encounter can enable us to give ourselves to God and His will in total trust and confidence because we have a glimpse of the resurrection, so to speak, because we have experienced the overwhelming love of Jesus in our hearts and the enlightenment He has given to us to in our lives.
It is through prayer and contemplation that, like the disciples, we will behold the glory of God, not in its glory now, but the glory of God in the face of the crucified Christ. Only because we have faced the cross with Jesus, can we proclaim to the world that the earthly life of Jesus in the world is the epiphany of the glory of God. This we do by courageously enduring the struggles in our own lives without losing faith in sufferings. When others see us as people of faith, not because we are successful but because we remain faithful and confident in sufferings, they will see the glory of God in our goodness, weaknesses and sinfulness. For in us, they can see God's strength in our weakness; and that when sin increases, grace abounds all the more. Yes, God manifests Himself in human weakness and imperfection. By perceiving His glory in this state, we are encouraged to live our lives with great fidelity, strength and hope.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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