20141020 GOING BEYOND JUSTICE AND SEEKING OUR RIGHTS
First
reading
Ephesians
2:1-10 ©
You
were dead through the crimes and the sins in which you used to live when you
were following the way of this world, obeying the ruler who governs the air,
the spirit who is at work in the rebellious. We all were among them too in the
past, living sensual lives, ruled entirely by our own physical desires and our
own ideas; so that by nature we were as much under God’s anger as the rest of
the world. But God loved us with so much love that he was generous with his
mercy: when we were dead through our sins, he brought us to life with Christ –
it is through grace that you have been saved – and raised us up with him and
gave us a place with him in heaven, in Christ Jesus.
This was to show for all ages to come,
through his goodness towards us in Christ Jesus, how infinitely rich he is in
grace. Because it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith; not by
anything of your own, but by a gift from God; not by anything that you have
done, so that nobody can claim the credit. We are God’s work of art, created in
Christ Jesus to live the good life as from the beginning he had meant us to
live it.
Psalm Psalm 99:1-5 ©
He
made us, we belong to him.
Cry
out with joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing for joy.
He
made us, we belong to him.
Know
that he, the Lord, is God.
He made us, we belong to him,
we are his people, the sheep of his flock.
He
made us, we belong to him.
Go
within his gates, giving thanks.
Enter his courts with songs of praise.
Give thanks to him and bless his name.
He
made us, we belong to him.
Indeed,
how good is the Lord,
eternal his merciful love.
He is faithful from age to age.
He
made us, we belong to him.
Gospel
Acclamation Ps24:4,5
Alleluia,
alleluia!
Teach
me your paths, my God,
make
me walk in your truth.
Alleluia!
Or Mt5:3
Alleluia,
alleluia!
How
happy are the poor in spirit:
theirs
is the kingdom of heaven.
Alleluia!
Gospel Luke 12:13-21 ©
A
man in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Master, tell my brother to give me a share of
our inheritance.’ ‘My friend,’ he replied, ‘who appointed me your judge, or the
arbitrator of your claims?’ Then he said to them, ‘Watch, and be on your guard
against avarice of any kind, for a man’s life is not made secure by what he
owns, even when he has more than he needs.’
Then he told them a parable: ‘There was once
a rich man who, having had a good harvest from his land, thought to himself,
“What am I to do? I have not enough room to store my crops.” Then he said,
“This is what I will do: I will pull down my barns and build bigger ones, and
store all my grain and my goods in them, and I will say to my soul: My soul,
you have plenty of good things laid by for many years to come; take things
easy, eat, drink, have a good time.” But God said to him, “Fool! This very
night the demand will be made for your soul; and this hoard of yours, whose
will it be then?.” So it is when a man stores up treasure for himself in place
of making himself rich in the sight of God.’
GOING
BEYOND JUSTICE AND SEEKING OUR RIGHTS
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: EPH 2:1-10; LK 12:13-21
http://www.universalis.com/20141020/mass.htm
In the gospel, we read that
a man asked Jesus to help him to get a share of his inheritance from his
brother. Apparently, Jesus refused to get involved in this family
dispute for He replied, “My friend, who appointed me your judge, or the
arbitrator of your claims?” On the contrary, Jesus goes to the heart of
the man’s unhappiness, namely greed.
Jesus said, “Watch, and be
on your guard against avarice of any kind.” Indeed, greed can manifest
itself in many ways and in varying degrees. Is Jesus implying that
seeking for justice in itself is some form of greed? Certainly, seeking
for justice is not morally wrong. In fact, justice is a fulfillment of
charity. We should promote justice for all in the world. Nevertheless,
justice is not the highest level of charity for charity goes beyond
justice. Justice cannot replace charity. Justice however is the
basic exercise of charity. If we cannot practice justice and give what is
due to others, all charitable works would merely be a cover up. Justice is
premised on the principle of an eye for an eye, and that the reward or
punishment commensurate with one’s work and deeds.
However, this is not the
way that God regards us, that is, in accordance with our merits. In
the first reading from the letter of St Paul to the Ephesians, he reminds us of
our past and how we were dead through the crimes and sins which we have
committed. “We all were among them too in the past, living sensual lives,
ruled entirely by our own physical desires and our own ideas; so that by nature
we were as much under God’s anger as the rest of the world.” If
God were to act along the principles of human justice, then surely we deserve
condemnation. But precisely, the justice of God is His love and
mercy. “God loved us with so much love that he was generous with his
mercy: when we were dead through our sins, he brought us to life with Christ.”
Because we are saved by His
love and not because we deserve to be saved, St Paul therefore made it clear
that it is through grace that we have been saved and raised up with Him
in Christ Jesus. This is to show how infinitely rich He is in grace, through
His goodness towards us in Christ Jesus. “Because it is by grace that you
have been saved, through faith; not by anything of your own, but by a gift from
God; not by anything that you have done, so that nobody can claim the
credit.” Clearly, God’s justice is not a strict legal justice but a
justice that effects right relationships and reconciles us with Him. We
are not just but God considers us just in His sight because He forgives us all
our imperfections and offences. God is our justice, not man. His
justice is that we who “are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus” are
called “to live the good life as from the beginning he had meant us to live
it”.
Once we realize that we are
not worthy to be saved and loved by God, and yet God in His merciful love has
forgiven us and raised us to share in the life of His Son, we cannot but in
turn also be empowered to love others who are not so lovable and who do
not deserve our love. Once again, we return to the heart of the Christian
faith, which is that God loves us and on the basis of this love which we
encounter, we love others, going beyond the demands of justice. We too
are called to render this justice to others, a justice that is not vindictive
but forgiving and does not keep a record of wrongs. This justice is love
and mercy for all, including those who have offended and cheated us. It
demands no repayment. It only desires repentance and reconciliation.
Let us now return to the
frustration of the man who was deprived of his inheritance. The truth is that his
unhappiness was due to the fact that he wanted justice to be meted out
according to strict justice. But Jesus asked him to practice charity by
going beyond justice and overcome his brother with love. This
exhortation is consistent with the teaching of Jesus at the Sermon on the Mount
when He spoke of forgiving our enemies and not retaliating, giving away our
cloak when asked, letting our enemies have their ways so that through love, we
can win them over. In other words, charity requires us to suffer injustice for
the good of others as Jesus did when He was on the cross. Indeed, He warned
us that if our compassion does not go beyond the justice of the scribes and
Pharisees, we cannot enter the Kingdom of God.
Hence Jesus remarked, “A
man’s life is not made secure by what he owns, even when he has more than he
needs.” What brings us true happiness is when we are capable of
love, humility, unconditional giving, forgiveness and selfless service.
Only when we are capable of love, forgiveness and compassion, can we find true
peace and joy. Yes, we must use our wealth, our position, our good health
and whatever we have to serve and help others especially the less fortunate, be
they materially or spiritually poor so that we can bring them to God.
What is even more important is that we spend our lives not storing up treasure
for ourselves, but to make ourselves rich in the sight of God. This is
what growth in holiness and in virtue entails. If we only love those who
love us, then Jesus would say, “What is there to boast about for even pagans do
the same.” There is nothing exceptional in loving those who love
us. If our spirituality is merely at this level, then we are pagans, not
Christians!
For us, we too can fall
into the same danger of seeking for justice. How often do we hear
ourselves speaking of our rights? Certainly, it is not wrong to ask for
our rights for this is what the laws of the Church and the country seek to
provide. But if our spiritual life is a matter of insisting on our
rights, we will neither develop much nor be able to give of ourselves
generously. When we are insistent about our rights, we tend to become
calculative with our service as well. This results in a minimalist behaviour.
We end up doing the minimum for everything we undertake, instead of giving
ourselves for the good of all, like Jesus. What is great about being a
Christian is that we not only do the right ethical thing but that we are also
ready to forgive and overlook people’s sins and shortcomings. We repay
evil with good, hatred with love, mercy with revenge.
When we become so
calculative of our rights, we also begin to regard our ministry as a career
and work. It is no longer truly selfless, unconditional and
total-giving service. Instead of growing in virtue and making
ourselves rich in the sight of God, we become inward-looking, protective of our
interests and lacking generosity in reaching out and giving more and more of
ourselves. Yes, we must learn to reach out and not consider our interests
and convenience before others. Charity is to put others before self and
not be concerned about our own justice, but to seek justice for others.
Love for God is to put the good of the Church above our interests, and the
unity of our community before our rights.
Only when we empty
ourselves, like Jesus of His divinity and humanity, can we claim to be true followers
and apostles of Jesus. We have no rights because we have been ransomed by
Jesus. As baptized Christians, we belong to Jesus and Jesus is our only
right. The only right we have now is freedom in Christ because we share
in His sonship. And as St Paul wrote, “For you did not receive a spirit
that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship.
And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our
spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs –
heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in
order that we may also share in his glory.” (Rom 8:15-17) We are to surrender
everything we have to Jesus and let Him do with us what He wills. Only then
can we be true missionaries of Christ, like St Paul.
WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV WILLIAM GOH
ARCHBISHOP OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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