Nehemiah 8:2-6, 8-10 / 1 Cor 12:12-30 / Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21
The difference between the countryside and the city is that the countryside has a natural beauty and ambience, fewer tall buildings, a slower pace of life and less stress.
The city is a happening place with all the bright lights and conveniences, a place to look for a job or to start a business, a place of prospects and opportunities.
Singapore is a big city with almost no countryside to talk about. We are quite used to the urban lifestyle, and although we may think about going to a countryside for a break, we may not really consider staying there in some rural place for long-term.
So, if we really have to choose, it is most likely that we will want to live in the city instead of staying in the countryside. The city has obvious advantages.
In the gospel, Jesus with the power of the Holy Spirit in him, did not go to the big city to begin His ministry.
Instead, He returned to Galilee and to Nazareth where He had been brought up and He taught in the synagogues and everyone praised Him.
So, Jesus began His ministry in His humble home town of Nazareth, and throughout His life He was associated with His hometown, and even on the Cross, the notice stated that He was “Jesus the Nazarene”.
So, it can be said that Jesus started off with humble beginnings in His hometown, and went on further to the big city to proclaim the Good News of salvation.
But it was not just to start small that He began His ministry in His humble home town.
It was there that He had been brought up and had His religious formation there. He had heard the scriptures being read in the synagogue every Sabbath.
The time had come for Him to fulfill what he had heard and it was to begin from the humble town of Nazareth to the big city of Jerusalem.
We come to the Church of the Sacred Heart for Mass and this can be considered as our home Parish.
This is a rather small parish and although it is in the city, it is a bit like a simple and humble countryside parish.
We listen to the scriptures every Sunday and we are formed as the people of God.
And like what this parish is, we too must be simple and humble and radiating the warmth of God's love for each other.
So, when we say that we are from the Church of the Sacred Heart, others should be able to see the simplicity and humility of our lives and feel the warmth of God's love from us.
Yes, the Spirit of the Lord is also given to us so that as we go forth, we too will proclaim the Good News of God's love to those who are longing to see the beauty of love.
We are also empowered by the Holy Spirit to be messengers of hope to the downhearted and those burdened by the worries and anxieties of this world.
We may be from a small parish but we have a big mission ahead of us.
Let us remember that as parishioners of the Church of the Sacred Heart, we are to show God's love in simple and humble ways and to be witnesses of hope in God's blessings for the world.
That is how we will proclaim the Good News of salvation and may we begin our mission even as we listen.