20141010 DEALING WITH EVILS IN THE WORLD TODAY
First
reading
Galatians
3:7-14 ©
Don’t
you see that it is those who rely on faith who are the sons of Abraham?
Scripture foresaw that God was going to use faith to justify the pagans, and
proclaimed the Good News long ago when Abraham was told: In you all the pagans
will be blessed. Those therefore who rely on faith receive the same blessing as
Abraham, the man of faith.
On the other hand, those who rely on the
keeping of the Law are under a curse, since scripture says: Cursed be everyone
who does not persevere in observing everything prescribed in the book of the
Law. The Law will not justify anyone in the sight of God, because we are told:
the righteous man finds life through faith. The Law is not even based on faith,
since we are told: The man who practises these precepts finds life through
practising them. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by being cursed
for our sake, since scripture says: Cursed be everyone who is hanged on a tree.
This was done so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might include the
pagans, and so that through faith we might receive the promised Spirit.
Psalm Psalm 110:1-6 ©
The
Lord keeps his covenant ever in mind.
Or
Alleluia!
I
will thank the Lord with all my heart
in the meeting of the just and their
assembly.
Great
are the works of the Lord,
to be pondered by all who love them.
The
Lord keeps his covenant ever in mind.
or
Alleluia!
Majestic
and glorious his work,
his justice stands firm for ever.
He
makes us remember his wonders.
The Lord is compassion and love.
The
Lord keeps his covenant ever in mind.
or
Alleluia!
He
gives food to those who fear him;
keeps his covenant ever in mind.
He
has shown his might to his people
by giving them the lands of the nations.
The
Lord keeps his covenant ever in mind.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel
Acclamation Jn10:27
Alleluia,
alleluia!
The
sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,
says
the Lord,
I
know them and they follow me.
Alleluia!
Or Jn12:31-32
Alleluia,
alleluia!
Now
the prince of this world is to be overthrown,
says
the Lord.
And
when I am lifted up from the earth,
I
shall draw all men to myself.
Alleluia!
Gospel Luke 11:15-26 ©
When
Jesus had cast out a devil, some of the people said, ‘It is through Beelzebul,
the prince of devils, that he casts out devils.’ Others asked him, as a test,
for a sign from heaven; but, knowing what they were thinking, he said to them,
‘Every kingdom divided against itself is heading for ruin, and a household
divided against itself collapses. So too with Satan: if he is divided against
himself, how can his kingdom stand? – Since you assert that it is through
Beelzebul that I cast out devils. Now if it is through Beelzebul that I cast
out devils, through whom do your own experts cast them out? Let them be your
judges then. But if it is through the finger of God that I cast out devils,
then know that the kingdom of God has overtaken you. So long as a strong man
fully armed guards his own palace, his goods are undisturbed; but when someone
stronger than he is attacks and defeats him, the stronger man takes away all
the weapons he relied on and shares out his spoil.
‘He who is not with me is against me; and he
who does not gather with me scatters.
‘When an unclean spirit goes out of a man it
wanders through waterless country looking for a place to rest, and not finding
one it says, “I will go back to the home I came from.” But on arrival, finding
it swept and tidied, it then goes off and brings seven other spirits more
wicked than itself, and they go in and set up house there, so that the man ends
up by being worse than he was before.’
DEALING
WITH EVILS IN THE WORLD TODAY
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: GAL 3:7-14; LK 11:15-26
http://www.universalis.com/20141010/mass.htm
Perhaps, one of the most
dangerous attitudes of the modern man is to think that the devil is a myth,
that he is not real. The reality of the existence of the devil and
his works are testified clearly in the scriptures, no less than in today’s
gospel. He is not only a real being, given the name Beelzebul, but he is
also a force in the world. We can see the worrying trend of the world
today where people are becoming more materialistic and amoral. Of course,
we also cannot go to the extreme and blame everything that is wrong with the
world and in our lives on the devil. He is only a tempter and deceiver
but he cannot make us do evil unless we agree to co-operate with him. If we do,
then the consequence is that we find our lives are without peace and joy.
How, then, can we shield
ourselves from the godless state in the world today? Jesus warns us
in the gospel, “So long as a strong man fully armed guards his own palace, his
goods are undisturbed; but when someone stronger than he is attacks and defeats
him, the stronger man takes away all the weapons he relied on and shares out
his spoil.” Unless our house is in order and we are properly armed with
the strength of the Lord, we cannot defeat the power of evil. We are not
simply fighting a battle with man, but a battle with the spirit of evil.
Hence, it is vital that we examine the state of our spiritual life today. In
other words, what kind of house do we have? What weapons do we have to
deal with the negative influences of the world so that we can enjoy lasting
peace and joy?
The greatest mistake of
the world is that it relies on itself and its efforts. This is what St Paul
is cautioning us. We are justified not by good works or simply by
obedience to the laws. Good works only, will reinforce our pride and ego,
whereas the laws show up our weaknesses, and in our inability to adequately
fulfill them, lead us to self-condemnation. For this reason, St Paul warns the
Galatians not to go back to the Law since none of us can perfectly observe the
Law and by attempting to find justification through the Law, we only condemn
ourselves. Thus he concluded, “those who rely on the keeping of the Law are
under a curse, since scripture says: Cursed be everyone who does not persevere
in observing everything prescribed in the book of the Law. The Law will
not justify anyone in the sight of God, because we are told: the righteous man
finds life through faith.”
So what is required is
faith! Paul argued against the Galatians who returned back to circumcision
instead of living in the power of the Spirit. For St Paul, what makes us
the people of God is not so much a physical relationship with Abraham expressed
in circumcision, but to share the same faith as Abraham. It is faith that
assures us of God’s blessings. Thus, Paul said, “Don’t you see that it is those
who rely on faith who are the sons of Abraham? Scripture foresaw that God was
going to use faith to justify the pagans, and proclaimed the Good News long ago
when Abraham was told: In you all the pagans will be blessed. Those
therefore who rely on faith receive the same blessing as Abraham, the man of
faith.”
For us who live under the
New Covenant, this faith is in Jesus Himself who is the New Law, the Law of
love and mercy of the Father. Faith in Jesus is the cause of our
justification. By surrendering our lives to Him, we will “receive the
promised Spirit.” Indeed, we must turn to Jesus the strong man who can
help us win the battle against the works of darkness in the world. Jesus was
able to cast out the devil “through the finger of God”, that is the power of
God. Only Jesus, who gives us the same Spirit that enabled Him to cast
out Satan, can help us to overcome the presence of evil in the world and in our
own lives. Only through the power of His love and mercy, can we do
good. In this way, we can establish the kingdom of God.
Many of us have experienced
the power of God in our lives through miracles, healings and personal
conversion. However, the danger is that we can become complacent and rest
on our past experiences, just like the Jews who became proud and self-righteous
simply because they belonged to the race of Abraham. Some Catholics
presumptuously think that they are assured of salvation simply because they are
baptized!
Truth is, there can be no
salvation unless we have faith in Jesus. This faith is not simply
trust in Jesus, but a surrender of our entire life to Jesus. Hence, such
faith must be expressed in our daily life. This faith should never be
taken for granted, but must be nurtured to grow in depth each day.
Indeed, there is a danger that too many us, after having been touched by the
Lord, do nothing about our faith. These are likened to the parable of the man
who, having put his life in order, did not do anything more. Indeed,
Jesus said that the unclean spirit that comes out from him will bring “seven
other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and set up house there,
so that the man ends up by being worse than he was before.”
How then can we deepen our
faith? The weapons against the Evil One and against complacency in faith
require both offensive and defensive means. Defensive means of
strengthening the faith can be done through ongoing formation.
However growing in spiritual life is not simply about praising, worshipping God
and listening to spiritual and doctrinal talks. Such defensive means must
be complemented by offensive actions as well. It must be manifested in our
daily life. We must manifest our faith in good works. In
themselves good works cannot save us but they are necessary signs of our
conversion. We must complement our faith formation with exercise of good
works, service to the Church and to the community. Only by striving to grow
in virtues and in grace, can we ward off the temptations of the Evil One.
In the final analysis, to
win in this spiritual warfare, we need to be united with Jesus and the
Body of Christ, His Church. As Jesus said, “He who is not with me is
against me; and he who does not gather with me scatters.” To stay with
Jesus requires that we stay with the Church as well. Fighting the battle
alone is putting ourselves at risk. We must face the world with Jesus and
His Church. As Jesus reminded us, “Every kingdom divided against itself
is heading for ruin, and a household divided against itself collapses.”
Indeed, being with Jesus and growing with the Church is the key to fight
against the secularization of the world today. The key to success in our
mission is communion with Christ and with each other.
WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV WILLIAM GOH
ARCHBISHOP OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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