20141025 UNITY BETWEEN HIERARCHICAL AND CHARISMATIC
GIFTS
First
reading
Ephesians
4:7-16 ©
Each
one of us has been given his own share of grace, given as Christ allotted it.
It was said that he would:
When
he ascended to the height, he captured prisoners,
he
gave gifts to men.
When
it says, ‘he ascended’, what can it mean if not that he descended right down to
the lower regions of the earth? The one who rose higher than all the heavens to
fill all things is none other than the one who descended. And to some, his gift
was that they should be apostles; to some, prophets; to some, evangelists; to
some, pastors and teachers; so that the saints together make a unity in the
work of service, building up the body of Christ. In this way we are all to come
to unity in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God, until we become
the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself.
Then we shall not be children any longer, or
tossed one way and another and carried along by every wind of doctrine, at the
mercy of all the tricks men play and their cleverness in practising deceit. If
we live by the truth and in love, we shall grow in all ways into Christ, who is
the head by whom the whole body is fitted and joined together, every joint
adding its own strength, for each separate part to work according to its
function. So the body grows until it has built itself up, in love.
Psalm Psalm 121:1-5 ©
I
rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
I
rejoiced when I heard them say:
‘Let us go to God’s house.’
And
now our feet are standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
I
rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
Jerusalem
is built as a city
strongly compact.
It
is there that the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord.
I
rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
For
Israel’s law it is,
there to praise the Lord’s name.
There
were set the thrones of judgement
of the house of David.
I
rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
Gospel
Acclamation Ps144:13
Alleluia,
alleluia!
The
Lord is faithful in all his words
and
loving in all his deeds.
Alleluia!
Or Ezk33:11
Alleluia,
alleluia!
I
take pleasure, not in the death of a wicked man,
says
the Lord,
but
in the turning back of a wicked man
who
changes his ways to win life.
Alleluia!
Gospel Luke 13:1-9 ©
Some
people arrived and told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had
mingled with that of their sacrifices. At this he said to them, ‘Do you suppose
these Galileans who suffered like that were greater sinners than any other
Galileans? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all
perish as they did. Or those eighteen on whom the tower at Siloam fell and
killed them? Do you suppose that they were more guilty than all the other
people living in Jerusalem? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you
repent you will all perish as they did.’
He told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree
planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it but found none. He
said to the man who looked after the vineyard, “Look here, for three years now
I have been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and finding none. Cut it
down: why should it be taking up the ground?” “Sir,” the man replied “leave it
one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it: it may bear fruit
next year; if not, then you can cut it down.”’
UNITY
BETWEEN HIERARCHICAL AND CHARISMATIC GIFTS
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: EPHESIANS 4:7-16; LUKE 13:1-9
We all have been blessed
with gifts from the Lord.
As St Paul tells us, “Each one of us has been given his own share of grace,
given as Christ allotted it.” These gifts were bestowed on us by the Holy
Spirit after the ascension of Christ into heaven.
What is the purpose of
these gifts? St
Paul makes it clear that it is for the “building up the body of Christ.
In this way, we are all to come to unity in our faith and in our knowledge of
the Son of God, until we become the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness
of Christ himself.”
What are these gifts
given to the Church, His Body? Namely, “his gift was that they should be apostles; to
some, prophets; and to some, evangelists; to some, pastors and teachers; so
that the saints together make a unity in the work of service.” It is
significant to note that some are charismatic gifts and others are hierarchical
gifts, the former is given to all whereas the latter is given to the ordained
ministers for the governance of the Church. All gifts are for the
building of the body of Christ through “a unity in the work of service.”
These gifts therefore cannot be seen in opposition to each other, but
complementary. Through these gifts, “we are all to come to unity in our
faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God.”
Both gifts, whether
institutional or charismatic in nature, are necessary for the unity of faith
and in our knowledge of who Jesus really is. Without the institution, the danger of being misled
in doctrines or carried away by emotionalism and sentimentalism will result in
a Christ beyond all recognition, since such a Christ would be a figment of our
imagination and not based on truth according to what has been passed down to us
from the apostolic tradition. If the Church insists on orthodoxy based on
apostolic tradition, it is because the only faith of the Church is that of the
apostolic faith, which is found in scripture and tradition. The latter explains
the scripture in context. Only “then we shall not be children any longer,
or tossed one way and another and carried along by every wind of doctrine, at
the mercy of all the tricks men play and their cleverness in practising
deceit.”
At times there may appear
to be an opposition between the institution and the charismatic gifts. If
there are differences, then both must search for the truth in humility and
in love. Truly, St Paul says, “If we live by the truth and in love,
we shall grow in all ways
into Christ, who is the head by whom the whole body is fitted and joined
together, every joint adding to its own strength, for each separate part to
work according to its function. So the body grows until it has built
itself up, in love.” It is when love is lacking that the Church becomes
divided. Those who champion the truth must do it with love. When
truth is pursued without charity, then truth becomes warped and
distorted. Conversely, true charity must seek the truth simply because
love desires justice for all. Charity must therefore always prevail in
the exercise of the gifts.
Love also requires
patience in dealing with difficult and sensitive issues. This is the way God deals with
us as well. The parable of the barren fig tree is a reminder of how
patient God is with us even in our negligence and imperfections. Against
divine wisdom in dealing with those who are slow in making progress, the world,
following human logic, would say, “Look here, for three years now I have been
coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and finding none. Cut it
down: why should it be taking up the ground?” But Jesus would say,
“leave it one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it:
it may bear fruit next year; if not, then you can cut it down.”
Indeed, when there is
love, there is always hope. When love is absent, hope perishes as
well. And when love and hope perish, faith is also lost. Truly,
those who have lost faith in the Church and her institutions begin by losing
love and then hope. As a consequence, in their hatred and anger, they
become anti-institutional, take things into their own hands believing that
their way is the way, their judgment is the only right judgment. From the
desire to restore justice based on truth and charity, it devolves into revenge
and arrogance. St Paul in 1 Cor 13 rightly wrote, “Faith, hope and charity but
the greatest is charity.” Yes, only charity can help us to become more
like Christ, in our judgment of others and situations so that growing in
maturity in faith “we become the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of
Christ himself.”
The love of God of course
does not exclude judgment at the end. Whilst God is patient with us, we
cannot take His patience and grace in vain or for granted. By not
working together as the body of Christ in love, we will destroy ourselves as
individuals and as a community. So with the exhortation to patience, there is
also a warning that “unless you repent you will perish as they did.” The
failure to respond to His grace will cause us to eventually lose faith and hope
in Him altogether. We will perish in our sins, not because God condemns
us, but our sins will destroy us; the anger, resentment, arrogance, pride and
skepticism will make us give up faith in God and in our fellowmen.
Let us learn from the
mistakes of others, especially when we see the consequences of their
actions. Instead of condemning them, we must exercise charity by praying
for them, that God will grant them wisdom and understanding. Bearing fruits of love, patience and
compassion are signs that we are on the right track in building up the body of
Christ. We must not reduce the fruits to mere productivity and tangible
success. Human success is not the same as spiritual success. What
is more important is that we are all growing in
holiness and becoming more
Christ-like in our conduct with our fellowmen, especially those who are weak
and sinful. Growth in virtues and dynamism in faith are more important
than insisting on our rights and our way of doing things. At times, like Christ,
we might have to suffer innocently and vicariously for the sins of
others. But let us do so without vindictiveness, otherwise, we are no
better than our oppressors.
Let us pray with the
psalmist that through our mutual love for each other, our patience, forgiveness
and tolerance, we will become more and more the Body of Christ as each
attains to full maturity in Christ. Then together we will become the
House of the Lord where we rejoice and worship Him in unity of faith and
love. Christians are called to become the New Jerusalem where in union
with all the saints in heaven and on earth, we experience full communion with
each other in the Lord. We will then have a foretaste of what is to come
in heaven.
WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV
WILLIAM GOH
ARCHBISHOP
OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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