20260701 DICHOTOMY BETWEEN BELIEF AND FAITH
01 July 2026, Wednesday, 13th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Amos 5:14-15,21-24 |
Seek good and not evil so that you may live
Seek good and not evil
so that you may live,
and that the Lord, God of Hosts, may really be with you
as you claim he is.
Hate evil, love good,
maintain justice at the city gate,
and it may be that the Lord, God of Hosts, will take pity
on the remnant of Joseph.
I hate and despise your feasts,
I take no pleasure in your solemn festivals.
When you offer me holocausts,
I reject your oblations,
and refuse to look at your sacrifices of fattened cattle.
Let me have no more of the din of your chanting,
no more of your strumming on harps.
But let justice flow like water,
and integrity like an unfailing stream.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 49(50):7-13,16-17 |
I will show God’s salvation to the upright.
‘Listen, my people, I will speak;
Israel, I will testify against you,
for I am God, your God.
I accuse you, lay the charge before you.
I will show God’s salvation to the upright.
‘I find no fault with your sacrifices,
your offerings are always before me.
I do not ask more bullocks from your farms,
nor goats from among your herds.
I will show God’s salvation to the upright.
‘I own all the beasts of the forest,
beasts in their thousands on my hills.
I know all the birds in the sky,
all that moves in the field belongs to me.
I will show God’s salvation to the upright.
‘Were I hungry, I would not tell you,
for I own the world and all it holds.
Do you think I eat the flesh of bulls,
or drink the blood of goats?
I will show God’s salvation to the upright.
‘How can you recite my commandments
and take my covenant on your lips,
you who despise my law
and throw my words to the winds?’
I will show God’s salvation to the upright.
Gospel Acclamation | Jn14:6 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord;
No one can come to the Father except through me.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Matthew 8:28-34 |
The Gadarene swine
When Jesus reached the country of the Gadarenes on the other side of the lake, two demoniacs came towards him out of the tombs – creatures so fierce that no one could pass that way. They stood there shouting, ‘What do you want with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before the time?’ Now some distance away there was a large herd of pigs feeding, and the devils pleaded with Jesus, ‘If you cast us out, send us into the herd of pigs.’ And he said to them, ‘Go then’, and they came out and made for the pigs; and at that the whole herd charged down the cliff into the lake and perished in the water. The swineherds ran off and made for the town, where they told the whole story, including what had happened to the demoniacs. At this the whole town set out to meet Jesus; and as soon as they saw him they implored him to leave the neighbourhood.
DICHOTOMY BETWEEN BELIEF AND FAITH
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [AMOS 5:14-15,21-24; MT 8:28-34]
In the first reading, we read of the Prophet Amos speaking against the social injustices practiced by the rich and the powerful. They were affluent and influential, but they were oppressing the poor and the widows. They were not paying their workers just salaries, they treated their slaves badly, and they took advantage of the weak and vulnerable. While they lived in luxury, they gave no thought to the poor. That is why Amos exhorted them: “Seek good and not evil so that you may live, and that the Lord, God of hosts, may really be with you as you claim he is. Hate evil, love good, maintain justice at the city gate, and it may be that the Lord, God of hosts, will take pity on the remnant of Joseph.”
On the other hand, they acted as if they were good and righteous people before God. They offered expensive sacrifices of fattened cattle for holocausts. Externally, they performed the rituals as required. They counted themselves among those who observed the laws of Moses. They claimed that God was with them and they were with God, but their worship was not an expression of what was in their hearts. The same judgment Isaiah levelled against the citizens of Judah applies to the Northern Kingdom: “The Lord said: Because this people draw near with their mouth and honour me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men learned by rote; therefore, behold, I will again do marvellous things with this people, wonderful and marvellous; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hid.” (Isa 29:13-14)
Indeed, we know of many supposedly good Catholics who give money to the Church and are active in Church ministries, but treat their domestic helpers no better than slaves–tasking them to work from early morning until nightfall with less than five to six hours of rest a day. They scold and punish them, knowing they are helpless and vulnerable because they need the work. Have we ever thought of them as fellow human beings who need rest, proper food, and time off for themselves? Social justice demands that we treat them well. Of course, sometimes domestic helpers are lazy or appear irresponsible, but this could be due to miscommunication and cultural differences. As Catholic employers, we should treat each other as brothers and sisters working for and with one another. We should not be shouting and screaming at each other.
Hence, such external worship does not please the Lord. In fact, it only makes the Lord angry and sad: “I hate and despise your feasts, I take no pleasure in your solemn festivals. When you offer me holocausts, I reject your oblations, and refuse to look at your sacrifices of fattened cattle. Let me have no more din of your chanting, no more of your strumming on harps. But let justice flow like water, and integrity like an unfailing stream.”
The Lord is angry because we continue to break the commandments of social justice. Which parents would be happy if their children threw them a great celebration while remaining divided, fighting among themselves, and neglecting the weaker ones? Jesus said in the Gospel, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.” (Jn 14:23-24) Indeed, a dinner or a gathering is truly a celebration only when it is a sincere expression of love, especially for those whom we honour at the feast.
The Lord is sad even for those who are hypocritical because, in the final analysis, they are cheating themselves. By not living the covenanted life–which is a life of harmony with their brothers and sisters–they divide the community into the haves and the have-nots. This brings about jealousy, hatred, and inner division. When a country is divided, it cannot perform well on any front, and it will eventually be too weak to withstand onslaughts from the outside. The sad fact of life is that you reap whatever you sow: “If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit.” (Gal 6:7-8)
But isn’t this the way we live our lives as well? I have come across so-called active Catholics living a double life. They are faith leaders, catechists, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, and choir members. Yet, the sad reality is that not all seek to live a life of holiness expressed through responsibility to their vocation, work, and duties, or a life of charity expressed in compassion and forgiveness. I am not speaking of those who know they are sinners and are seeking God’s grace to help them live the Gospel. Rather, the Lord’s judgment falls on those who pretend to be good and holy while making no real effort to change their lives, treat their workers well, or set a good example of Christian love.
The question of justice must first begin in our own homes. Many of us take advantage of our parents and those who take care of the household. Some do not contribute financially to household expenses even though they have the means. They think only of spending on themselves and their own indulgences, remaining indifferent to the family’s needs. When we exploit others in the care of the household–whether parents or siblings, financially or otherwise–we divide the family. Family disunity begins with resentment, born from the feeling of being taken advantage of by family members. Each must contribute within his or her means in any way possible to the upkeep of the family. If we cannot give money, at least we must help with the household chores.
The Gospel reminds us that there is a real difference between faith and belief. The devils believed that Jesus was the Son of God. When they saw the Lord, “They stood there shouting, ‘What do you want with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before the time?'” Indeed, the devils knew in their heads that Jesus was the Son of God, yet they did not trust Him or worship Him. They had no intention of changing their relationship with God. Instead, they were so absorbed in their desire to destroy and kill that they asked the Lord to send them into the pigs. It was a demonstration of the power of evil and what the Evil One can do. “Now some distance away there was a large herd of pigs feeding, and the devils pleaded with Jesus, ‘If you cast us out, send us into the herd of pigs.’ And he said to them, ‘Go then,’ and they came out and made for the pigs; and at that the whole herd charged down the cliff and into the lake and perished in the water.” It was their pride that prevented them from submitting to God’s authority.
There was a dichotomy between faith and belief not only in Satan and his demons, but also among the swineherds. We read that “the swineherds ran off and made for the town, where they told the whole story, including what had happened to the demoniacs. At this the whole town set out to meet Jesus; and as soon as they saw him they implored him to leave the neighbourhood.” Why did they ask Jesus to leave, even though they believed and acknowledged that He possessed supernatural powers and was probably sent by God? The fact is, the price of accepting the Lord was too high for them to pay! They were not ready to risk their income and livelihood. They put money before the lives of others. They were not excited that two of their fellow men had been delivered from the bondage of the Evil One; their primary concern was purely financial. Here again, we have another example of believing without trusting.
Today, let us go beyond the mere practice of religion. Serving and loving God should empower us to love our neighbours and our enemies the same way God is patient in forgiving and loving us. God does not need our worship. As the responsorial psalm says: “I find no fault with your sacrifices, your offerings are always before me. I do not ask more bullocks from your farms, nor goats from among your herds. Were I hungry, I would not tell you, for I own the world and all it holds. Do you think I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? How can you recite my commandments and take my covenant on your lips, you who despise my law and throw my words to the winds?” Therefore, we must learn from the Northern Israelites not to allow our complacency, affluence, and success to get to our heads. Otherwise, we will face the consequence of living an empty, unfulfilled life. Most of all, we will create many enemies who will keep us from being at peace with ourselves. Instead, we should turn belief into trust by loving Him with all our heart, soul, and strength, and our neighbours as ourselves. (cf. Mk 12:28-34)
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.
