Gospel Reflection 2020/2021

Myanmar is crushed under the military regime. India and Pakistan are struggling with the mass infection of COVID-19.

Back home in Malaysia, we are experiencing political instability, economic meltdown, severe unemployment, and the plague of COVID-19. For the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur, public Masses in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur have been suspended yet again until further notice. The plague continues to haunt us with no end in sight. Does the Resurrection of Jesus mean anything to us Christians at all?

In continuation from last Sunday’s ‘I AM the True Vine’, Jesus reveals His deepest desire to us this Sunday: He desires that ‘His own JOY may be in us, and that our JOY may be complete’.

Jesus desires us to receive His JOY. We are called to be Christians aglow with the Joy of the Gospel. Yes, even in the midst trials, tribulations, temptations and turbulences, ’the joy of the Lord is our strength’ [Ne 8:10]!

So what is this Christian JOY? This JOY from our Lord Jesus must not be confused with the fuzzy feeling of earthly happiness.

The late Fr Leo Chang of the Church of Holy Family, Kajang used to say that JOY is (in the right sequence):

J = Jesus

O = Others

Y = Yourself

And in today’s Gospel reading, Jesus mentions

JOY only two (2) times;

but COMMAND and COMMANDMENT, five (5) times;

and LOVE, nine (9) times.

If we seriously want to be joyful in the Lord, we must keep Jesus’ Commandments of Love [Mk 12: 30-31]: love God, and love one another.

1) We must love the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind, and with all our strength.

To love God means to put God first before all things. God must be at the top of all our priorities. To wilfully, intentionally and deliberately compromise Jesus and His Gospel is to reject Him and the Father who sends Him, and to reject Jesus and the Father is to reject His love and His joy. Jesus is the True Vine and we are the branches, only in Him we can be truly alive and truly joyful.

2) We must love others as ourselves.

We receive love and life from God. So we must also share our love and our life with others. The more we give, the more we receive. ‘God loves a joyful and cheerful giver’ [c.f. 2 Co 9]. Jesus promises us that [Lk 6: 38], “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you receive.”

The Christian JOY is to keep the Commandments of Love. Jesus tells us that “if you keep My commandment, you will remain in my love…” Love is a commandment, a commitment and a choice. We must always consciously choose to love even until it hurts. Mother Teresa testifies that “I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.”

Reflecting further, perhaps it is timely to ask ourselves:

During this MCO 3.0,

1) How can I love God more?

2) To whom can I show love?

3) And how can I love myself better?

Let our fervent prayer be:

“O Risen Jesus, teach me to love.”