Wednesday, 3 December 2014

20140811 THIN LINE BETWEEN FALSE COMPROMISE AND TOLERANCE

20140811 THIN LINE BETWEEN FALSE COMPROMISE AND TOLERANCE 


Reading 1, Ezekiel 1:2-5, 24-28

2 On the fifth of the month -- it was the fifth year of exile for King Jehoiachin-
3 the word of Yahweh was addressed to the priest Ezekiel son of Buzi, in Chaldaea by the River Chebar. There the hand of Yahweh came on him.
4 I looked; a stormy wind blew from the north, a great cloud with flashing fire and brilliant light round it, and in the middle, in the heart of the fire, a brilliance like that of amber,
5 and in the middle what seemed to be four living creatures. They looked like this: They were of human form.
24 I also heard the noise of their wings; when they moved, it was like the noise of flood-waters, like the voice of Shaddai, like the noise of a storm, like the noise of an armed camp; and when they halted, they lowered their wings;
25 there was a noise too.
26 Beyond the solid surface above their heads, there was what seemed like a sapphire, in the form of a throne. High above on the form of a throne was a form with the appearance of a human being.
27 I saw a brilliance like amber, like fire, radiating from what appeared to be the waist upwards; and from what appeared to be the waist downwards, I saw what looked like fire, giving a brilliant light all round.
28 The radiance of the encircling light was like the radiance of the bow in the clouds on rainy days. The sight was like the glory of Yahweh. I looked and fell to the ground, and I heard the voice of someone speaking to me.


Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 148:1-2, 11-12, 12-14, 14

1 Alleluia! Praise Yahweh from the heavens, praise him in the heights.
2 Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his host!
11 kings of the earth and all nations, princes and all judges on earth,
12 young men and girls, old people and children together.
13 Let them praise the name of Yahweh, for his name alone is sublime, his splendour transcends earth and heaven.
14 For he heightens the strength of his people, to the praise of all his faithful, the children of Israel, the people close to him.


Gospel, Matthew 17:22-27

22 When they were together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, 'The Son of man is going to be delivered into the power of men;
23 they will put him to death, and on the third day he will be raised up again.' And a great sadness came over them.
24 When they reached Capernaum, the collectors of the half-shekel came to Peter and said, 'Does your master not pay the half-shekel?'
25 'Yes,' he replied, and went into the house. But before he could speak, Jesus said, 'Simon, what is your opinion? From whom do earthly kings take toll or tribute? From their sons or from foreigners?'
26 And when he replied, 'From foreigners,' Jesus said, 'Well then, the sons are exempt.
27 However, so that we shall not be the downfall of others, go to the lake and cast a hook; take the first fish that rises, open its mouth and there you will find a shekel; take it and give it to them for me and for yourself.'

THIN LINE BETWEEN FALSE COMPROMISE AND TOLERANCE 
SCRIPTURE READINGS: EZEKIEL 1:2-5, 24-28; MATTHEW 17:22-27
http://www.universalis.com/20140811/mass.htm
Integrity requires that we stand firm on our beliefs and our convictions without compromise.  The temptation to offer easy compromises for the sake of superficial peace and acceptance is a path that false prophets often take.  This is particularly true in terms of values and religious beliefs.  For the sake of harmony, we want to appear agreeable by making statements like “all religions are the same” and “all values are dependent on the situation”.  By so doing, have we not fallen into religious and moral relativism?  However, does the refusal to compromise not make us look like we are unbending and intolerant of others to the extent of even being arrogant and fanatical?  Does integrity forbid conciliation whatsoever? Certainly not, otherwise we close ourselves to dialogue and mutual understanding.  So how can we make compromises and what kinds of compromise do not betray our sense of integrity?

In the gospel today, Jesus appears to have made a compromise with regard to the payment of the temple tax.  Strictly speaking, He does not need to pay the Temple tax for, as He argued, one would not expect the sons of the king to pay their own father.  Taxes are taken from foreigners.  Hence, Jesus concluded, “Well then, the sons are exempt. However, so as not to offend these people, go to the lake and cast a hook; take the first fish that bites, open its mouth and there you will find a shekel; take it and give it to them for me and for you.”   So we have a situation in the life of Jesus where He did not insist on His rights but instead submitted to the laws of the land and the human institutions, even though He felt that the laws did not apply to Him.

Why did Jesus exercise flexibility in this case, even though He had the right not to pay the Temple tax?  The lesson we can draw from this episode is that in spite of what He did at the end, He did not essentially compromise on His status as the Son of God.  It was an occasion for Jesus to clarify His position with Peter. It is also significant that He did not actually pay the tax Himself.  Rather, He instructed Peter to go to the lake and secure the shekel from the fish caught.  So it was God’s providence that paid for their taxes.

That He also did it because He did not wish to offend the people exemplified the case for not exercising one’s rights for the greater good of all.  As St Paul tells us, “We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: ‘The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.’”(Rom 15:1-3).  Jesus knew that His failure to respect the institutional laws would cause greater damage to everyone.  He did not want to cause scandal and lead more people to sin. The people still needed the temple to encounter God, notwithstanding the weaknesses and imperfections of the Temple worship and system, which were often abused by the religious leaders for their own benefit.   Still the Temple had its own value to the people.   In the final analysis, we must consider the overall good of what we do and whether our tolerance actually is a first step in speaking the fullness of the Truth, which has to be proclaimed gradually but surely.

What is needed then is prudence!  What is prudence, if not the practical application of the truth?  In this case, Jesus was discreet enough to have God pay for Him through the fish and through Peter. He acted in prudence by tolerating an imperfect system rather than destroying it entirely.  So too for us when we meet people of other faiths and different values.   We must openly commend the areas that we have in common and agree with.  But for those that are in conflict, we can disagree and tolerate each other’s differences.

This presupposes that we as Christians must be clear of our own values.  We must distinguish the essentials from the non-essentials.  There can be plurality of expressions of the truth but not the truth itself, since the truth is the truth.  So Christians must be well grounded on their knowledge of their faith in matters of doctrines and morals.   They must seek to be well versed with the scriptures, with Christ’s moral and spiritual teachings and also the guidance of the Church’s teaching magisterium in the pursuit of the truth.  If the disagreement lies in secondary issues or practical applications of the truth or of the values, there is always a possibility of variant practices.

In the first reading, Ezekiel makes it clear that we cannot be so narrow minded as to think that God is only found in our churches or temples.  As the vision of the prophet reveals, the glory of God is found not only in the Temple of Jerusalem but even in Babylon.   Ezekiel, a captive from the second invasion of Babylon, was in exile.  Like the rest of the captives, they were disheartened that God was absent since they were 500 miles from their homeland, Jerusalem.  Through this vision, God assured the people that He is everywhere, even in Babylon, because God can move anywhere and sees everything.

Thus, it behooves us to humbly recognize that the glory of God is found in all places, notwithstanding imperfections.  This is what we declare in the responsorial psalm, “Heaven and earth are filled with your glory.”  Yes, let us be more welcoming in appreciating the presence of grace in other religions and societies.  It is for this reason that we can work with other faiths and government agencies on those shared universal values that promote peace, justice, equality and harmony.  In those values that we disagree on, tolerance is required.  Since all seek the truth, we must pursue the path of dialogue in charity.

Does it mean that we are compromising?  No, because we still maintain our position and values, but we are willing to not impose our values on all unless they too come to be convinced of the truth that we proclaim.  Isn’t this how the Church deals with other Christian communities in her work of ecumenism and in her relations with other countries and other religions?  The purpose of ecumenism, inter-religious dialogue and political diplomacy of the Church is to pursue the truth with respect to others who think differently, and together seek to enlighten each other so that truth and love will prevail.   And where there is truth and love, there is God and His Glory is revealed.

WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV WILLIAM GOH

ARCHBISHOP OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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