Friday, 13 February 2015

20150214 SENTIRE CUM ECCLESIA

20150214 SENTIRE CUM ECCLESIA

Mass Readings

1 Cor 3 : 9-17
9 After all, we do share in God's work; you are God's farm, God's building.
10 By the grace of God which was given to me, I laid the foundations like a trained master-builder, and someone else is building on them. Now each one must be careful how he does the building.
11 For nobody can lay down any other foundation than the one which is there already, namely Jesus Christ.
12 On this foundation, different people may build in gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay or straw
13 but each person's handiwork will be shown for what it is. The Day which dawns in fire will make it clear and the fire itself will test the quality of each person's work.
14 The one whose work stands up to it will be given his wages;
15 the one whose work is burnt down will suffer the loss of it, though he himself will be saved; he will be saved as someone might expect to be saved from a fire.
16 Do you not realise that you are a temple of God with the Spirit of God living in you?
17 If anybody should destroy the temple of God, God will destroy that person, because God's temple is holy; and you are that temple.

Gospel Luke 19 : 1-10
1 He entered Jericho and was going through the town
2 and suddenly a man whose name was Zacchaeus made his appearance; he was one of the senior tax collectors and a wealthy man.
3 He kept trying to see which Jesus was, but he was too short and could not see him for the crowd;
4 so he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus who was to pass that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot he looked up and spoke to him, 'Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I am to stay at your house today.'
6 And he hurried down and welcomed him joyfully.
7 They all complained when they saw what was happening. 'He has gone to stay at a sinner's house,' they said.
8 But Zacchaeus stood his ground and said to the Lord, 'Look, sir, I am going to give half my property to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody I will pay him back four times the amount.'
9 And Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham;
10 for the Son of man has come to seek out and save what was lost.'

SENTIRE CUM ECCLESIA
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 1 CORINTHIANS 3:9-17; LUKE 19:1-10
Today is the anniversary of the Dedication of the Good Shepherd Cathedral, which is the mother church of the diocese, just as St John Lateran Basilica is the mother church of all the churches in the world.  For this reason, all the parishes in the Archdiocese in Singapore celebrate and rejoice with the Archbishop and the Church in Singapore in celebrating the Dedication of the mother church of the diocese.  The Cathedral represents the seat of unity in the person of the Bishop who is the head of the Church appointed by Christ, not chosen by men.  As we celebrate this feast, we are reminded to show our solidarity with the Bishop, the priests and all Catholics in Singapore so that together we can be truly a sign of communion in love and mission.
The Church, however, is not merely a building but a person, or rather a person of persons.  We are called to love the local Church as the mother of us all.  It is through the Church that we were given New Life through baptism. The Church as our mother, nurtures, strengthens and feeds us with the Word of God and most of all, the Eucharist, the Bread of life and the Body and blood of Christ.  Through the ordained ministers in the Church, we grow in union with the Lord through the celebration of the sacraments and also through the proclamation of the Word of God.  What Ezekiel says of the Temple of Jerusalem giving life to all creatures is applicable to the Church as well.  As mother she communicates life and love. “Wherever the river flows, all living creatures teeming in it will live. Fish will be very plentiful, for wherever the water goes it brings health, and life teems wherever the river flows. Along the river, on either bank, will grow every kind of fruit tree with leaves that never wither and fruit that never fails; they will bear new fruit every month, because this water comes from the sanctuary.” (Ez 47:8-9)
As such, we are called to love the Church by feeling with her, thinking with her and praying with her.  This is what it means by Sentire cum Ecclesia. Loving the Church is more than just being sentimental, but it is an invitation to be identified with her in mind and heart.  We must therefore try to understand the teachings of the Church and the direction of the diocese so that we can move in tandem with everyone.  That is why it is so important that all of us must take our direction from the Bishop instead of setting our own directions. Otherwise, regardless how noble and good our intentions are, we can cause confusion and division in the Church, which would destroy the Church as the sign of communion and unity.  As the Bishop is the Father of the diocese, we must give him reverence and respect, making ourselves available for his service in serving the Church of Christ.  We must also seek to love our priests.  They are human and imperfect, but all the same, they have responded to God’s call to serve His people.  To love the Church is to also love all of us fellow Christians in the Body of Christ.  As St Paul tells us, we are the Temple of the Holy Spirit. “Didn’t you realize that you were God’s temple and that the Spirit of God was living among you?” (1 Cor 3:16)
Sentire Cum Ecclesia also demands that we all play our part in the building of the Church.  St Paul reminds us that we are God’s building.  He exhorts us to work together to build the Temple of God.  “Everyone doing the building must work carefully. For the foundation, nobody can lay any other than the one which has already been laid, that is Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor 3:10)  Furthermore, St Paul says, “On this foundation, different people may build in gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay or straw but each person’s handiwork will be shown for what it is. The Day which dawns in fire will make it clear and the fire itself will test the quality of each person’s work.” (1 Cor 3:11-12)  Each of us must therefore consider what kind of services we are offering to build the Temple of God.  If we love the Church, we would want to give the best to make the Church a place of exquisite beauty, both in the building and its people, so that God is glorified in the same way we make our house a beautiful home to live in.  In fact, we beautify our houses much more than we adorn the House of God.  It is almost akin to David who lived in the palace while the Lord lived in the tent.  Gone are those days when men and women would give their best to build a church that is worthy to give glory to God.  Even some non-Christian places of worship are more dignified and grand compared to our churches.
But it is not easy to love the Church because on one hand the head, our Lord Jesus Christ, is holy but the members are still imperfect.  We are sinners striving to become saints.  Even our Church leaders are imperfect and, because of their weaknesses, often cause grief to those whom they lead, just as parents too fail in their responsibility towards their children, or at least are lacking in love and in showing good examples.  The most painful thing is to be wounded by our Church leaders because of their lack of compassion and arrogance.  Of course, this too is applicable to those of us who are parents or leaders.  Those under our care who love us most are also hurt by us when we reject them.  Because priests are configured in Christ by the Sacrament of Holy Orders, they are seen as the representatives of God.  Their sins and scandals hurt the people of God more than any other persons.  Fellow Church members also hurt us by their sins.  Even within the Church we see the ugly side of Catholics who are competitive, insecure, power crazy, manipulative and hungry for honour, recognition and appreciation.
 As we celebrate the Dedication of the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, we are reminded of the importance of compassion that would be required for us to love, pray and think with the Church. In the gospel, Jesus our Good Shepherd never gave up on the weak and the most incorrigible and despised sinners like the tax-collectors.  He would go for the lost sheep who are marginalized and rejected by the people, such as Zacchaeus.  At the heart of this call to love the Church is the virtue of compassion.  We need to cultivate the heart of Christ, a heart of compassion, for it is when we share a common passion for Christ, for the gospel, and are identified with each other in our struggles and weaknesses that we can accept and forgive each other for our failings.  Without compassion, we become judgmental, self-righteous, having a holier than thou attitude.  Only with a compassionate heart like that of Jesus the Good Shepherd, can we show more graciousness, respect, love and consideration of each other’s sensitivities. Only when there is compassion, will we look for the weak, the marginalized and those without a voice in the Church.
 Finally, we must remember that the Church is Catholic, which means universal.  Everyone must have a place in the Church.  Every person’s culture and preferences must be respected.  Unity is not uniformity but harmony in diversity.  Whenever individuals or groups try to impose their preferences or theological stance on others, it causes disunity and division.  The Catholic Church is big enough to accommodate people of different cultures, rites and theological positions, so long as we are one in leadership, doctrine and in worship.  Today the Church needs leaders and members to be more embracing of people who worship differently or adopt more conservative practices in liturgy, devotions and moral lifestyles than them.  The Church must be hospitable and give everyone a place where they can feel at home, loved, accepted and appreciated for their unique contribution to the catholicity of the Church of Christ.
Let us therefore take heed as St Peter tells us to come to the Lord who is the living stone, “so that you too, the holy priesthood that offers the spiritual sacrifices which Jesus Christ has made acceptable to God, may be living stones making a spiritual house.”  (1 Pt 2:5)   Only by coming to Christ, who is the cornerstone of the Church, can our local Church make progress in strengthening our Churches, our people’s faith and love for Christ which, in the final analysis, is measured by the Church’s commitment to the poor and the work of evangelization.  St Peter wrote, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a people set apart to sing the praises of God who called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Pt 2;9)  When fervor in the proclamation of the Good News to the poor is lacking, whether in works of charity or in direct proclamation of the Word of God, we know that the Church has not come to Christ, the Living Stone.
WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV WILLIAM GOH
ARCHBISHOP OF SINGAPORE

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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