20141021 EUCHARIST BUILDS UP THE CHURCH AS COMMUNION

20141021 EUCHARIST BUILDS UP THE CHURCH AS COMMUNION  

First reading

Ephesians 2:12-22 ©

Do not forget that you had no Christ and were excluded from membership of Israel, aliens with no part in the covenants with their Promise; you were immersed in this world, without hope and without God. But now in Christ Jesus, you that used to be so far apart from us have been brought very close, by the blood of Christ. For he is the peace between us, and has made the two into one and broken down the barrier which used to keep them apart, actually destroying in his own person the hostility caused by the rules and decrees of the Law. This was to create one single New Man in himself out of the two of them and by restoring peace through the cross, to unite them both in a single Body and reconcile them with God: in his own person he killed the hostility. Later he came to bring the good news of peace, peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near at hand. Through him, both of us have in the one Spirit our way to come to the Father.

  So you are no longer aliens or foreign visitors: you are citizens like all the saints, and part of God’s household. You are part of a building that has the apostles and prophets for its foundations, and Christ Jesus himself for its main cornerstone. As every structure is aligned on him, all grow into one holy temple in the Lord; and you too, in him, are being built into a house where God lives, in the Spirit.

Psalm            Psalm 84:9-14 ©

The Lord speaks peace to his people.

I will hear what the Lord God has to say,

  a voice that speaks of peace.

His help is near for those who fear him

  and his glory will dwell in our land.

The Lord speaks peace to his people.

Mercy and faithfulness have met;

  justice and peace have embraced.

Faithfulness shall spring from the earth

  and justice look down from heaven.

The Lord speaks peace to his people.

The Lord will make us prosper

  and our earth shall yield its fruit.

Justice shall march before him

  and peace shall follow his steps.

The Lord speaks peace to his people.

Gospel Acclamation           cf.Lk8:15

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessed are those who,

with a noble and generous heart,

take the word of God to themselves

and yield a harvest through their perseverance.

Alleluia!

Or        Lk21:36

Alleluia, alleluia!

Stay awake, praying at all times

for the strength to stand with confidence

before the Son of Man.

Alleluia!

Gospel           Luke 12:36-38 ©

Jesus said to his disciples:

  ‘See that you are dressed for action and have your lamps lit. Be like men waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, ready to open the door as soon as he comes and knocks. Happy those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. I tell you solemnly, he will put on an apron, sit them down at table and wait on them. It may be in the second watch he comes, or in the third, but happy those servants if he finds them ready.’

EUCHARIST BUILDS UP THE CHURCH AS COMMUNION  

SCRIPTURE READINGS: EPH 2:12-22; LK 12:35-38
http://www.universalis.com/20141021/mass.htm

All of us desire unity.  This is the deepest need of every man.  We want unity in interpersonal relationships, in the home, seminary, parish, office, organization, society and the world at large.  Yet we could be quite discouraged, as unity seems to be such an illusive goal and perhaps never realized.  Why is unity unattainable in spite of the fact that all human beings seek unity?

This is because the unity sought by the world is based on compromise and mutual respect.  This tantamounts to saying that you do your thing, I do my thing but please do not interfere in mine.  Such fragile unity is not founded on common vision but a loose unity of individuals who continue to live in their individualistic way.  Thus, such unity is not only superficial but only an apparent unity.

This was exactly the situation in biblical time.  The Jews were separated from the Gentiles because the former considered themselves as the chosen people of God and the latter as lost and people without hope.  We hear this in today’s first reading when St Paul said, “Do not forget that you had no Christ and were excluded from membership of Israel, aliens with no part in the covenants with their Promise; you were immersed in this world, without hope and without God.”  So long as the Jews had a superiority complex and did not see their being the chosen people of God as a privilege, not for themselves alone but rather that they were called to be instruments of salvation for the whole humankind, such status only separated them from the rest of humanity.

It is within this context that the letter of St Paul to the Ephesians presents to us the grandiose vision of God.  All humankind is called to unity in Christ.  He is our peace.  He said, “But now in Christ Jesus, you that used to be so far apart from us have been brought very close, by the blood of Christ.  For he is the peace between us, and had made the two into one and broken down the barrier which used to keep them apart.”   So Christ is our peace in the midst of division.

How did he bring about that peace between the Gentiles and the Jews?  This he did by “actually destroying in his own person the hostility caused by the rules and decrees of the Law.”  Yes, Jesus came to wipe out the laws that separate men from each other.  It was the ritual laws that separated the gentiles from the Jews, even when it came to worshipping in the temple, for the Gentiles stayed in the outer court of the temple, and then the women, the men followed by the priests.  Such demarcation divides the people even when they came to worship the same God.  But most of all, a religion based on laws and its observation make one self-righteous, calculative, proud and presumptuous.  Laws alone cannot bring about unity.  It is love that unites.  It is love that overcomes all boundaries created by men.  Rules and regulations put up fences but love moves it.

There is a story told of some soldiers in France who wanted to bury the body of their dead comrade in a Roman Catholic cemetery but was gently told by the Parish Priest that it was not possible because the cemetery was meant only for baptized Catholics. Disappointed, the soldiers had to bury their comrade outside the fence of the cemetery.  The next day they came back to check that the grave was all right.  But to their astonishment they could not find it.  They were perplexed.  The priest then came out and told them that his heart was troubled the whole night.  So early in the morning, he moved the fence to include the body of the soldier who had died for France.

But there is another lesson we can learn from this story too.  It is not just human love alone that unites.  It is the common love for someone, as in the case for the country. Unity is only possible when we love the same person or have the same goal and vision.  It is our common love of Christ that we could come to love each other.   We can differ in the means of loving but at least with regard to the goal and objective we cannot differ.  It is said of G. K. Chesterton and his brother Cecil, “They always argued; they never quarrelled.”

Truly, Christ brings us into communion with each other. Christ makes us into a new being without destroying our identity.  This unity is achieved by making all men into Christians.  Indeed, Paul said, “This was to create one single New Man in himself out of the two of them and by restoring peace through the cross, to unite them both in a single Body and reconcile them with God.  In his own person he killed the hostility.”

Furthermore, Christ reconciles us to God in Him. He brings us all into communion with God the Father through the Spirit.  As Paul said, “Through him, both of us have in the one Spirit our way to come to the Father.” Unity in Christ therefore transcends all differences because our common love for God empowers us to love each other.   Consequently, our communion with the Father not only brings communion among ourselves but also makes us the Church of Christ, the Church of communion, a communion that is rooted in the love and unity of the Trinity.

Indeed, the Church is called to communion and as the people of God; we are called to be a sign and sacrament of unity and love for the human race.  As St Paul said, “So you are no longer aliens or foreign visitors: you are citizens like all the saints, and part of God’s household.  You are part of a building that has the apostles and prophets for its foundations, and Christ Jesus himself for its main corner stone.”

How can this be possible?  Unity is maintained when we are united with Jesus. Truly, we must take heed of the words of St Paul, “As every structure is aligned on him, all grow into one holy temple in the Lord; and you too, in him, are being built into a house where God lives, in the Spirit.”  Jesus is our cornerstone.  Unless we have a common love and devotion to the Lord Jesus, we will never be able to live in peace.

Hence, we must make ourselves available to His love.  This is what Jesus tells us in today’s gospel when He said, “See that you are dressed for action and have your lamps lit.”  This must not be misunderstood that through good works we can secure His love.  Rather, they are means by which we are disposed to His love.  Hence, Jesus said, “Be like men waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, ready to open the door as soon as he comes and knocks.  Happy those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes.”

What is this ultimate love that Jesus wants to give us?  It is Himself.  In the gospel, Jesus said, “I tell you solemnly, he will put on an apron, sit them down at table and wait on them.  It may be in the second watch he comes, or in the third, but happy are those servant if he finds them ready.”  However, Jesus not only comes to serve us but to give Himself to us especially in the Eucharist.  For this reason, the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, invited us to cultivate a Eucharistic spirituality so that we can truly be in communion with the Lord and with each other.  Only when we attain real communion with God and with each other, can we then speak of our mission in communion and communion in mission.

WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV WILLIAM GOH
ARCHBISHOP OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED