20260102 MORAL AND DOCTRINAL AMBIGUITIES
02 January 2026, Friday, Weekday of Christmas
First reading | 1 John 2:22-28 |
The anointing he gave you teaches you everything
The man who denies that Jesus is the Christ –
he is the liar,
he is Antichrist;
and he is denying the Father as well as the Son,
because no one who has the Father can deny the Son,
and to acknowledge the Son is to have the Father as well.
Keep alive in yourselves what you were taught in the beginning:
as long as what you were taught in the beginning is alive in you,
you will live in the Son
and in the Father;
and what is promised to you by his own promise
is eternal life.
This is all that I am writing to you about the people who are trying to lead you astray.
But you have not lost the anointing that he gave you,
and you do not need anyone to teach you;
the anointing he gave teaches you everything;
you are anointed with truth, not with a lie,
and as it has taught you, so you must stay in him.
Live in Christ, then, my children,
so that if he appears, we may have full confidence,
and not turn from him in shame
at his coming.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 97(98):1-4 |
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Sing a new song to the Lord
for he has worked wonders.
His right hand and his holy arm
have brought salvation.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
The Lord has made known his salvation;
has shown his justice to the nations.
He has remembered his truth and love
for the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
Shout to the Lord, all the earth,
ring out your joy.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Gospel Acclamation | Jn1:14,12 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.
To all who received him he gave power to become children of God.
Alleluia!
Or: | Heb1:1-2 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
At various times in the past
and in various different ways,
God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets;
but in our own time, the last days,
he has spoken to us through his Son.
Alleluia!
Or: |
Alleluia, alleluia!
A hallowed day has dawned upon us.
Come, you nations, worship the Lord,
for today a great light has shone down upon the earth.
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 1:19-28 |
'One is coming after me who existed before me'
This is how John appeared as a witness. When the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ he not only declared, but he declared quite openly, ‘I am not the Christ.’ ‘Well then,’ they asked ‘are you Elijah?’ ‘I am not’ he said. ‘Are you the Prophet?’ He answered, ‘No.’ So they said to him, ‘Who are you? We must take back an answer to those who sent us. What have you to say about yourself?’ So John said, ‘I am, as Isaiah prophesied:
a voice that cries in the wilderness:
Make a straight way for the Lord.’
Now these men had been sent by the Pharisees, and they put this further question to him, ‘Why are you baptising if you are not the Christ, and not Elijah, and not the prophet?’ John replied, ‘I baptise with water; but there stands among you – unknown to you – the one who is coming after me; and I am not fit to undo his sandal-strap.’ This happened at Bethany, on the far side of the Jordan, where John was baptising.
MORAL AND DOCTRINAL AMBIGUITIES
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 JOHN 2:22-28; JOHN 1:19-28]
Today, people like to speak and write in ambiguity. We are ambiguous in our moral and doctrinal positions because we do not want to offend anyone. We want to appear inclusive and promote harmonious relationship. We speak in politically correct language so that we do not cause offence to anyone. As a result, we are not clear in our stance or position because, in a relativistic world, no one is wrong. Everything is a matter of opinion or personal preference. Sad to say, even the Church, the proclaimer of truth, is also caught up in this dilemma. Religious leaders today often lack the courage to speak the truth as it is; instead, they cover it up with ambiguities so that each person can interpret things as they wish without feeling offended. Worse still, some religious leaders use ambiguity with the intention of subtly twisting and distorting the teachings of the Word of God, so that what is wrong slowly becomes normalised over time. In the Gospel, Jesus warned us against ambiguity: “Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.” (Mt 5:37)
Indeed, this was the same temptation during the time of our Lord and in the early Church. In the Gospel, although the religious authorities knew the Scriptures, they were not ready to accept the truth about Jesus, despite the testimony of John the Baptist. They “sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask John the Baptist, ‘Who are you?'” If they truly sought the truth, they would have gone to inquire directly themselves. Instead, they sent representatives. They had no intention of finding the truth. They even demonstrated their knowledge of Scripture by listing a string of titles – Christ, Elijah and the Prophet – suggesting His possible identity. They knew that the Christ would come, that He would be the eschatological prophet, and that Elijah would return to prepare the way for Him. Yet, they were not ready to accept the testimony of John the Baptist. Their purpose was to discredit him.
In contrast, John the Baptist showed us what it means to be truthful and honest. He did not speak with ambiguity. “He not only declared, but he declared quite openly, ‘I am not the Christ’.” In no uncertain terms, he also denied he was Elijah or the Prophet. Given the honour and popularity accorded to him, he could have taken advantage of the situation and claimed the titles for himself. But John the Baptist was candid about who he was. He said, “I am, as Isaiah prophesied: a voice that cries in the wilderness: Make a straight way for the Lord.” He saw himself simply as a messenger, a forerunner sent to prepare the people to receive the Messiah. When pressed further about his identity, he showed his humility by saying, “I baptise with water; but there stands among you – unknown to you – the one who is coming after me; and I am not fit to undo his sandal strap.”
John the Baptist was truly a forthright man who did not believe in using politically correct language. His message was one of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, effected by the waters of baptism. So “when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Mt 3:7-10) To the crowds who asked him, “What then should we do?”, He replied, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” To tax collectors who came to be baptised, He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” To the soldiers, He said, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.” (cf Lk 3:10-14) John the Baptist spoke plainly, proclaiming the truth with clarity and authority, without mincing his words. He was not a man who spread confusion or advocated falsehoods as if they were truths.
This was the same temptation faced by the early Church. We are not entirely sure of the confusion which St John was referring to when he wrote to the early Christians. They were supposedly members of the community, yet they held deviant teachings. Although they accepted Christ as the Messiah, the Anointed One, they were not prepared to confess fully to the divinity of our Lord. In the early Church, there were two extreme positions that tended toward heresy. One was Docetism, which rejected the true humanity of Jesus – which we affirm, especially on the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, that Jesus is truly the Son of Mary and truly man. The other extreme position was Arianism, which regarded Jesus merely as the first among all creatures and not truly divine, in order to preserve a flawed understanding of the unity of God.
Most likely, this group of deviant Christians was making compromises regarding the true identity of Jesus. They may have claimed that they shared common beliefs about God while holding different interpretations of who Jesus was. They found it difficult to profess Jesus as the Son of God, truly Lord and Messiah. Once we waver with respect to the identity of our Lord, other heresies will inevitably arise, and Jesus’ role as the Saviour of the world would be compromised. This is why St John was uncompromising in proclaiming the truth about Jesus. He wrote, “The man who denies that Jesus is the Christ – he is the liar; he is Antichrist; and he is denying the Father as well as the Son, because no one who has the Father can deny the Son, and to acknowledge the Son is to have the Father as well.” To reject the divinity of our Lord is to deny that Jesus is the Son of the Father. Jesus is the revelation of the Father, for to see Him is to see the Father.
Today, what is happening in the world is not much different. We are compromising the identity and role of Jesus as the Saviour of the world, that He is divine and Lord. Even some religious leaders speak of Jesus merely as a model of life. He is reduced to a great teacher, a social reformer, or a revolutionary. Indeed, the Christian faith is often reduced to a humanistic faith. Salvation is presented as living a happy life on this earth, living harmoniously with everyone, and accepting everyone regardless of beliefs and lifestyles. The Gospel is treated as a panacea for all problems in life.
Even within the Church, the emphasis is often no longer on Jesus as Lord and Saviour. We hardly speak about sin or the conversion of life. The word “sin” is often rejected because we are all considered good, and morality is seen as contextual. Repentance and sin are not topics that many religious preachers feel comfortable addressing. We dilute or ignore the realities of human sinfulness and the demands of the Gospel. We compromise the Gospel to suit our preferences. We no longer speak of sacrifices, judgment, heaven, or hell. Today, we normalise as acceptable what the Gospel explicitly rejects, including injustice, immorality, greed, same-sex marriage, transgenderism, and divorce. The Church no longer speaks about morality or repentance from sins. “Do what you like” we say, “Jesus loves you!”
Once again, we must learn from St John and John the Baptist. The Church must be clear in her teachings instead of confusing the world and, most of all, our own Catholics about where we stand with regard to truth and love. We must heed the words of St John: “Keep alive in yourselves what you were taught in the beginning: as long as what you were taught in the beginning is alive in you, you will live in the Son and in the Father; and what is promised to you by his own promise is eternal life.” Indeed, we must return to the Scriptures, the Word of God, as taught by the Fathers of the Church and the Magisterium, and not twist the Word of God or dilute it so that what is right becomes wrong, and what is wrong becomes right. We must find the courage to remain true to Scripture and apostolic teaching without compromise. St John’s warning remains valid for us all: “But you have not lost the anointing that he gave you, and you do not need anyone to teach you; the anointing he gave teaches you everything; you are anointed with truth, not with a lie, and as it has taught you, so you must stay in him. Live in Christ, then, my children, so that if he appears, we may have full confidence, and not turn from him in shame at his coming.” Indeed, only when we are in union with Christ, with the apostolic faith, and accept the Word of God as it is, can we remain true to Christ and the Gospel.
Let us also follow the example of St Basil and St Gregory whose feasts we celebrate today. Both shared a common desire: to search for truth and grow in wisdom. Both manifested their wisdom by living lives of charity. They cared for each other and always rejoiced in each other’s success. Together, they grew in faith for God and in love for one another.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment