20141115 CHRISTIAN FORMATION IS EXPRESSED IN PASTORAL CHARITY
First
reading 3 John 1:5-8 ©
My
friend, you have done faithful work in looking after these brothers, even
though they were complete strangers to you. They are a proof to the whole
Church of your charity and it would be a very good thing if you could help them
on their journey in a way that God would approve. It was entirely for the sake
of the name that they set out, without depending on the pagans for anything; it
is our duty to welcome men of this sort and contribute our share to their work
for the truth.
Psalm Psalm 111:1-6 ©
Happy
the man who takes delight in the commands of the Lord.
Happy
the man who fears the Lord,
who takes delight in all his commands.
His
sons will be powerful on earth;
the children of the upright are blessed.
Happy
the man who takes delight in the commands of the Lord.
Riches
and wealth are in his house;
his justice stands firm for ever.
He
is a light in the darkness for the upright:
he is generous, merciful and just.
Happy
the man who takes delight in the commands of the Lord.
The
good man takes pity and lends,
he conducts his affairs with honour.
The
just man will never waver:
he will be remembered for ever.
Happy
the man who takes delight in the commands of the Lord.
Gospel
Acclamation Jm1:21
Alleluia,
alleluia!
Accept
and submit to the word
which
has been planted in you
and
can save your souls.
Alleluia!
Or cf.2Th2:14
Alleluia,
alleluia!
Through
the Good News God called us
to
share the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Alleluia!
Gospel Luke 18:1-8 ©
Jesus
told his disciples a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose
heart. ‘There was a judge in a certain town’ he said ‘who had neither fear of
God nor respect for man. In the same town there was a widow who kept on coming
to him and saying, “I want justice from you against my enemy!” For a long time
he refused, but at last he said to himself, “Maybe I have neither fear of God
nor respect for man, but since she keeps pestering me I must give this widow
her just rights, or she will persist in coming and worry me to death.”’
And the Lord said ‘You notice what the unjust
judge has to say? Now will not God see justice done to his chosen who cry to
him day and night even when he delays to help them? I promise you, he will see
justice done to them, and done speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he
find any faith on earth?’
CHRISTIAN
FORMATION IS EXPRESSED IN PASTORAL CHARITY
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: 3 JOHN1: 5-8; LUKE 18:1-8
As
Christians, it is our duty to nurture our faith in scripture, doctrines and in
spiritual life. Christian formation is necessary not only to strengthen our own
faith and spiritual life but for the sake of sharing the love of Christ with
others in words and deeds. Indeed, the goal of an integrated Christian
formation in scripture, morality, doctrines and spiritual life is directed
at the exercise of pastoral charity and apostolic zeal.
In the
first reading, St John praised Gaius for his hospitality towards fellow
Christians in accommodating and supporting Christian missionaries.
Although not an apostle or missionary himself, he expressed his apostolic zeal
by the exercise of pastoral charity towards his fellow Christians, especially
those itinerant preachers of the faith. Clearly, Gaius has this ecclesial
mindedness and he sees the mission of the Church as one. This is in
direct contrast to Diotrephes, one of the leaders of a Christian community, who
refused to have anything to do with other spiritual leaders. He wanted to
control the Church by himself and refused to welcome any teacher. He
isolated himself from the rest of the Christian community and built his own
kingdom, not the Church of Christ. He was not a servant but an autocrat!
Why is pastoral charity
the goal of all apostolic zeal and work? This is because the Church is called to communion in the
Trinity so that she can call others into communion with God. The Church
is the sign and instrument of unity of the human race. This is the
mission of the Church. All pastoral activities and missionary endeavours
are to bring about communion among men through communion with God. This communion
is achieved principally through charity, which presupposes justice.
Charity is the primary
work of the Church, not justice. Pope Emeritus Benedict in the encyclical “God is Love”
reminds us that justice is the work and responsibility of the government. It is
the duty of the state to enact harmonious and fair laws that respect the
dignity of the individual, especially the weak and poor and for the good of
society. The Church is not responsible for implementing the laws of
justice. Nevertheless if the government, just like the unjust judge in
today’s gospel, fails to do its work, it is the moral duty of the Church to be
the prophet of justice for the voiceless. The Church has the moral
responsibility to speak out for justice, especially when the rights of the
human person or the poor are marginalized or oppressed. If the Church speaks so
passionately against injustice, it is because justice is the presupposition for
unity.
However, the Church is
called to go beyond justice to serve in charity and compassion. To
remain on justice alone is still on the level of human love. Hence, the
scripture readings invite us to extend hospitality first and foremost to fellow
Christians, especially teachers of the faith; secondly to other
Christians. This is because our support for missionaries is ultimately
for the proclamation of the gospel. In the same vein, it is also inconceivable
and a scandal that our fellow Christians need to be supported by non-Christians
when we are called to be the sign and instrument of love and unity.
Indeed, it is a scandal to have amongst us Catholics and Christians who are
deprived of the basic needs of life. This is a contradiction to our very
essence as a Church of communion and love.
On the level of the Church,
we must exercise ecclesial-mindedness. There is a danger that we
can become too myopic in the way we see ourselves. The parish must be
concerned for the diocese and the latter for the universal Church. There
is only one Church of Christ and therefore we must care for each
other. Within the parish, all organizations are inter-related and
these must work with the parish for the good of all. Hence, it would
certainly be against Christian charity to favour one group over the
other. We must not see ourselves as competitors but as fellow
missionaries for the Lord. So too, a parish cannot be thinking only of
herself, but she must be concerned for the needs of poorer parishes and the
diocese at large. When a group or a movement does not align itself with
the rest of the Church, it is in danger of becoming inward-looking and a sect
that introduces deviant teachings. It is for this reason that the Church
always underscores that we must all, for the sake of unity, have reverence for
the local bishop and strive to work with him; and the bishop in turn must work
in collegiality with the rest of the bishops and the Holy Father in the
universal Church.
For this to happen, we must
begin with ourselves in whichever organization or movement we are in.
Quite often, we tend to draw parameters in service and charity. We
are contented with doing the minimum or what is our responsibility.
Beyond our duty, we would not lift a finger to help. When we become so
parochial minded, then we are certainly not living out the call to pastoral charity.
Indeed, we must exercise more charity towards each other. Whether in work
or service, we must offer fraternal care and support for each other’s
needs. To look after each other beyond the call of duty is to practice
pastoral charity, which is our expression of apostolic zeal. For by
caring for our fellow brothers and sisters in their ministry and work, we know
that the Church will gain at the end. If we cannot practise pastoral
charity in the parish or organization or in our homes, it is difficult to
believe that we have genuine pastoral zeal, since apostolic fervour is the
desire that all peoples come to know Christ either through us directly or
through our fellow brothers and sisters labouring in the Lord’s harvest.
Due to the presence of sin
in the Church, there are occasions when justice and charity are not
exercised. In the gospel, like the widow, we are called
to pray to God and trust in His divine providence and mercy. When justice is
not being done or seen to be done, or when we feel so helpless in the face of
injustices, we can, instead of taking things into our own hands, trust that God
will in His own time and in His own way bring about justice and charity in the
Church. It would be a contradiction for those who claim to be speaking
for justice and for the good of the Church and society to be so unjust and
lacking charity in their attempts to bring about justice. We must
recognize the difference between the area of concern and the area of influence.
So long as we, in all honesty, speak for justice according to the power of
influence we have, we would have done our part and our conscience is
clear. To incite others and cause greater disunity in the Church shows a
lack of charity and compassion. Indeed, Jesus reminds us that it is not
by our effort alone that will bring about justice and unity, but only through
our faith in God. The question is, “when the Son of man comes, will he
find any faith on earth?”
Let us reflect and pray for
the faith of the widow, never giving up hope on anyone or in any situation but persevere
in our prayers and faith in God. We can be confident that He will
hear our prayers because He is obviously more just than the unjust judge; and
genuinely concerned about our welfare and happiness. God who is our
Father will not fail us. All we need to do is to surrender everything to
Him after we have done all we possibly could. Yes, Jesus assures us, “Now
will not God see justice done to his chosen who cry to him day and night even
when he delays to help them? I promise you, he will see justice done to them,
and done speedily.”
WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV
WILLIAM GOH
ARCHBISHOP
OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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