20250721 DYNAMIC CONTINUUM BETWEEN FAITH AND UNBELIEF
21 July 2025, Monday, 16th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Exodus 14:5-18 |
Pharaoh sets out in pursuit of the sons of Israel
When Pharaoh, king of Egypt, was told that the Israelites had made their escape, he and his courtiers changed their minds about the people. ‘What have we done,’ they said ‘allowing Israel to leave our service?’ So Pharaoh had his chariot harnessed and gathered his troops about him, taking six hundred of the best chariots and all the other chariots in Egypt, each manned by a picked team. The Lord made Pharaoh, king of Egypt, stubborn, and he gave chase to the sons of Israel as they made their triumphant escape. So the Egyptians gave chase and came up with them where they lay encamped beside the sea – all the horses, the chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen, his army – near Pi-hahiroth, facing Baal-zephon. And as Pharaoh approached, the sons of Israel looked round – and there were the Egyptians in pursuit of them!
The sons of Israel were terrified and cried out to the Lord. To Moses they said, ‘Were there no graves in Egypt that you must lead us out to die in the wilderness? What good have you done us, bringing us out of Egypt? We spoke of this in Egypt, did we not? Leave us alone, we said, we would rather work for the Egyptians! Better to work for the Egyptians than die in the wilderness!’
Moses answered the people, ‘Have no fear! Stand firm, and you will see what the Lord will do to save you today: the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. The Lord will do the fighting for you: you have only to keep still.’
The Lord said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry to me so? Tell the sons of Israel to march on. For yourself, raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and part it for the sons of Israel to walk through the sea on dry ground. I for my part will make the heart of the Egyptians so stubborn that they will follow them. So shall I win myself glory at the expense of Pharaoh, of all his army, his chariots, his horsemen. And when I have won glory for myself, at the expense of Pharaoh and his chariots and his army, the Egyptians will learn that I am the Lord.’
Responsorial Psalm | Exodus 15:1-6 |
I will sing to the Lord, glorious his triumph!
I will sing to the Lord, glorious his triumph!
Horse and rider he has thrown into the sea!
The Lord is my strength, my song, my salvation.
This is my God and I extol him,
my father’s God and I give him praise.
I will sing to the Lord, glorious his triumph!
The Lord is a warrior! ‘The Lord’ is his name.
The chariots of Pharaoh he hurled into the sea,
the flower of his army is drowned in the sea.
I will sing to the Lord, glorious his triumph!
The deeps hide them; they sank like a stone.
Your right hand, Lord, glorious in its power,
your right hand, Lord, has shattered the enemy.
I will sing to the Lord, glorious his triumph!
Gospel Acclamation | cf.2Tim1:10 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Our Saviour Jesus Christ abolished death
and he has proclaimed life through the Good News.
Alleluia!
Or: | Ps94:8 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Harden not your hearts today,
but listen to the voice of the Lord.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 12:38-42 |
There is something greater than Solomon here
Some of the scribes and Pharisees spoke up. ‘Master,’ they said ‘we should like to see a sign from you.’ He replied, ‘It is an evil and unfaithful generation that asks for a sign! The only sign it will be given is the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was in the belly of the sea-monster for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. On Judgement day the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation and condemn it, because when Jonah preached they repented; and there is something greater than Jonah here. On Judgement day the Queen of the South will rise up with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here.’
DYNAMIC CONTINUUM BETWEEN FAITH AND UNBELIEF
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Ex 14:5-18; Ex 15:1-6; Mt 12:38-42]
Very often, we use the terms “faith” and “unbelief” as if they are neat categories for classifying people. We may say to someone, “you have no faith”, and to another, “you have faith in God.” Yet, these terms merely describe the extreme ends of a spectrum – they do not capture the complexity of where most people actually are. There are certainly those who have lost all faith – not just in God but also in their fellowmen, and even in themselves. When that happens, they are on the path toward self-annihilation, because the loss of faith often leads to the loss of hope, and despair sets in. In such a state, it may feel as though nothing and no one can help. Even for those who have faith, few possess perfect faith in the Lord – not even the apostles before the Resurrection. That is why it is more accurate to understand faith as a continuum between faith and unbelief. Even so, this continuum is not necessarily a linear, upward growth from unbelief to belief. Faith is dynamic – it rises and falls, much like human relationships. It can be cold or hot, warm or lukewarm, depending on life’s circumstances, our emotional state, and our experience of God’s presence (or absence).
In the gospel, some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, “‘Master, we should like to see a sign from you.’ Jesus replied, ‘It is an evil and unfaithful generation that asks for a sign!'” The truth is that they were not just asking for a sign because they had already seen many signs that Jesus performed. Jesus healed a leper, cured the Centurion’s servant, healed many at Peter’s house, calmed the storm, exorcised the demoniacs at Gadarenes, healed a paralytic, restored the daughter of the Synagogue Official who had died, healed a woman with haemorrhage, gave sight back to two blind men, healed the man with the withered hand. (Mt 8,9,11) In spite of all these signs, they still asked the Lord for a sign. It is not more signs that they needed but a docile heart and a humble mind. At the heart of it, they were just too proud and arrogant to believe. Nothing can convince a mind that is closed, a heart that is shut.
That is why the Lord said to them, “The only sign that it will be given is the sign of the prophet Jonah” for “when Jonah preached they repented.” Similarly, He recalled how the Queen of the South “came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon.” Even though these were pagans and non-Jews, they responded when they heard the call to repentance and wisdom. The Ninevites repented upon hearing Jonah’s message from God, and the Queen of the South made a long journey just to listen to Solomon’s wisdom. They were humble and docile, open and receptive to the truth when they encountered it. Jesus was making a powerful point: “There is something greater than Jonah here” and “there is something greater than Solomon here.” Alas, they could neither hear nor see that Jesus was speaking about Himself – the Word of God and the Wisdom of God in person.
There will always be some who obstinately reject the Gospel, reject Christ, and reject the Christian Faith. But the reality is that faith often swings like a pendulum. Few do not have any faith at all – whether in God, or in life. Otherwise, our life would be totally aimless and meaningless. Even so-called atheists and humanists are in reality more agnostic than outright God-deniers. They might not agree with the Christian concept of God, or for that matter, all religious notions of God. But most of them would accept some moral principles of life. They hope to build a better life, have some pleasure, be happy, have loving relationships, do good and contribute to the growth of others. Most are searching, and although externally they may decry religions, in reality they are also seeking for truth, meaning, love and life.
Indeed, for most of us who claim to have faith in God, our faith is often shaped more by our needs and desires than by an unconditional trust free of expectations. Few of us have absolute faith in God. Our faith is complicated by how God responds to our needs and our petitions. It is an imperfect faith, often drive by fear and needs.
In the first reading, we have Pharaoh, who refused to believe in the God of Israel. After each devastating plague, Pharaoh would temporarily repent. After the second plague of frogs, Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron, and said, “Pray to the Lord to take away the frogs from me and my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the Lord” (Ex 8:8). “But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart, and would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said” (Ex 8:15). This letting go and hardening of heart continued whenever the plagues were too destructive (Ex 8:25,32). After the hail, Pharaoh said to them, “This time I have sinned; the Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. Pray to the Lord! Enough of God’s thunder and hail! I will let you go; you need stay no longer” (Ex 9:27f). “But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned once more and hardened his heart, he and his officials” (Ex 9:34). This repeated itself with the plagues of locusts and the plague of complete darkness over Egypt, right up to the final plague when the first born of the Egyptians, including their livestock, died. Yet, even in today’s reading, after finally allowing the Israelites to leave, Pharaoh’s heart hardened once more when he realized that his slaves were not returning after three days, but had truly gone for good. And so, he gave chase.
What does this story tell us? Isn’t this the way we relate with God? When we turn away from God and fall into sin, we tend to repent only when we sense that punishment is awaiting us. Just like the Ninevites. They turned away from their sins when the disaster was announced, but soon, they went back to their old way of life. We are like little children who do not do their homework, and hope that the teacher will not call them in class. Once the anxiety is over, they continue to play after class instead of finishing their homework. So too in our life of faith. When we face illness, hardship, or threatening situation, we will repent and promise God we will live a good life, make amends for our past if He would heal us and take away our imminent punishment. But once the petition is answered, or the threat is lifted, we very quickly go back to a life that is contrary to the will of God and the Gospel.
The sons of Israel were no better. Their faith in God wavered according to their sufferings as well. When Pharaoh reacted to Moses’ initial request for leave for the people to worship God, he instructed the taskmasters to tell the Hebrews to make bricks without straws. And the people complained against Moses, “You have brought us into bad odour with Pharaoh and his officials, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.” (Ex 5:21) Today’s reading speaks of their lack of faith, for when they were pursued by the Egyptians, they cried out to Moses, “Were there no grave in Egypt that you must lead us out to die in the wilderness? What good have you done us, bringing us out of Egypt? We spoke of this in Egypt, did we not? Leave us alone, we said, we would rather work for the Egyptians!”
Absolute faith in God takes time. Most of us need constant reassurance – signs that He loves us and will protect us from harm. Most of us see God as a dispensing machine for favors. The message of the prosperity gospel reinforces this mindset, suggesting that if we surrender everything to God, He will reward us with wealth and success. So, our love for God is not that pure. But this is true in most human relationships as well. It is the way of everyone as the Lord says, “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?” (Mt 5:46f) We will always need assurance from God just as God assured Moses, “Why do you cry to me so? Tell the sons of Israel to march on. For yourself, raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and part it for the sons of Israel to walk through the sea on dry ground. And when I have won glory for myself, the Egyptians will learn that I am the Lord.”
Indeed, to place our total trust in God requires absolute faith, and that kind of faith comes with time. Like the Israelites, we must go through the trials of faith. Some days, our faith is strong; other days, we forget all that He has done for us. Some days we are faithful to Him; other days we turn away from Him and get distracted and tempted by the world. This is why we must remain in relationship with God so that we can build the kind of trust and intimacy that will see us through in good and bad times, just as in any human relationship.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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