20150216 SINCERITY IN ASKING FOR SIGNS
Readings at Mass
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First reading
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Genesis
4:1-15,25 ©
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The man had
intercourse with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. ‘I
have acquired a man with the help of the Lord’ she said. She gave birth to a
second child, Abel, the brother of Cain. Now Abel became a shepherd and kept
flocks, while Cain tilled the soil. Time passed and Cain brought some of the
produce of the soil as an offering for the Lord, while Abel for his part
brought the first-born of his flock and some of their fat as well. The Lord
looked with favour on Abel and his offering. But he did not look with favour on
Cain and his offering, and Cain was very angry and downcast. The Lord asked
Cain, ‘Why are you angry and downcast? If you are well disposed, ought you not
to lift up your head? But if you are ill disposed, is not sin at the door like
a crouching beast hungering for you, which you must master?’ Cain said to his
brother Abel, ‘Let us go out’; and while they were in the open country, Cain
set on his brother Abel and killed him.
The Lord
asked Cain, ‘Where is your brother Abel?’ ‘I do not know’ he replied. ‘Am I my
brother’s guardian?’ ‘What have you done?’ the Lord asked. ‘Listen to the sound
of your brother’s blood, crying out to me from the ground. Now be accursed and
driven from the ground that has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s
blood at your hands. When you till the ground it shall no longer yield you any
of its produce. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer over the earth.’ Then
Cain said to the Lord, ‘My punishment is greater than I can bear. See! Today
you drive me from this ground. I must hide from you, and be a fugitive and a
wanderer over the earth. Why, whoever comes across me will kill me!’ ‘Very
well, then,’ the Lord replied ‘if anyone kills Cain, sevenfold vengeance shall
be taken for him.’ So the Lord put a mark on Cain, to prevent whoever might
come across him from striking him down.
Adam had
intercourse with his wife, and she gave birth to a son whom she named Seth,
‘because God has granted me other offspring’ she said ‘in place of Abel, since
Cain has killed him.’
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Psalm
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Psalm
49:1,8,16-17,20-21 ©
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Pay your sacrifice
of thanksgiving to God.
The God of gods, the
Lord,
has
spoken and summoned the earth,
from the rising of
the sun to its setting.
‘I find no fault with
your sacrifices,
your
offerings are always before me.’
Pay your sacrifice
of thanksgiving to God.
‘But how
can you recite my commandments
and take
my covenant on your lips,
you who despise my
law
and throw
my words to the winds?
Pay your sacrifice
of thanksgiving to God.
‘You who sit and
malign your brother
and
slander your own mother’s son.
You do this, and
should I keep silence?
Do you
think that I am like you?’
Pay your sacrifice
of thanksgiving to God.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Ps94:8
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Harden not your
hearts today,
but listen to the
voice of the Lord.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Jn14:6
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the Way, the
Truth and the Life, says the Lord;
No one can come to
the Father except through me.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Mark 8:11-13 ©
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The
Pharisees came up and started a discussion with Jesus; they demanded of him a
sign from heaven, to test him. And with a sigh that came straight from the
heart he said, ‘Why does this generation demand a sign? I tell you solemnly, no
sign shall be given to this generation.’ And leaving them again and
re-embarking, he went away to the opposite shore.
SINCERITY
IN ASKING FOR SIGNS
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: GENESIS 4:1-15, 25; MARK 8:11 – 13
Is it wrong to ask for a
sign to verify a
claim? Should not faith be credible? So why should one be faulted
for asking for a sign? Even God seeks signs of love and adoration from
us! Aren’t the offerings of Cain and Abel signs of their love for God, or
the lack of it? Yet, it seems Jesus was upset that the Pharisees
“demanded of him a sign from heaven, to test him. And with a sigh that came
straight from the heart he said, ‘Why does this generation demand a sign? I
tell you solemnly, no sign shall be given to this generation.’” On the
surface, they were being prudent in demanding for a sign, otherwise they could
be accused of being gullible.
When, then, is it
justifiable to ask for a sign? The bottom line is whether we are honestly seeking
clarification, or whether our question springs from a hostile heart. Are
we simply testing God out of arrogance, as the Pharisees did, or sincerely
seeking a confirmation from the Lord? If our minds are closed, like those
of the Jewish religious leaders, then no matter what the person says, no answer
would satisfy. But if we are humble and open, then asking for signs would
not only be right but also prudent, as in the case of Mary when she sought
confirmation from the angel after accepting his message in faith. Her
stance was in contrast to Zechariah’s. He doubted the angel’s message and was
thus punished.
Indeed, in the first
reading, if Cain’s offering was rejected, it was not because he was
offering farm produce when God desired animals as sacrifice. Nay, it was
because of his insincerity. He was not giving the best to God. As
for Abel, he gave the best to God and his offering was accepted.
Hence St Augustine tells us
that we must first believe, so that we will understand. Only those
who believe can understand much more than those who seek to believe only after
they have understood. The predisposition of the former accords the
benefit of the doubt to the bearer of the message. This predisposition of
openness is important, for if we were prejudiced from the outset, it would prevent
us from being able to perceive the deeper truths. Trying to understand
without believing will block us from availing of, and being available to, all
that is revealed.
Indeed, with regard to the
Church’s teaching, as far as doctrines are concerned, the Church says that we
must submit our intellect and will to the teachings of the Church. If
the theologian has some disagreement, he must first accept the Church’s
teachings in good faith, and then later try to understand the Church’s point of
view. Without such a disposition, he would not be able to put on the mind
of the Church, but instead allows his position to obstruct him from
understanding the truth. This is the presupposition for dialogue. If not,
it will only lead to confrontation. Indeed, it is this spirit of
the yeast, that negative spirit, which Jesus will speak about in tomorrow’s
gospel.
Why are we not open to
faith? Cain, like the Jewish leaders, was proud, jealous and insecure.
In contrast, Abel was humble, and instead of being angry with God, he cried out
to God for justice, even when he was unjustly killed. He offered his life
to God, instead of taking revenge and resorting to violence. Clearly,
Abel was a man of deep faith in God due to his humility, whereas Cain was
selfish and cut off from God.
As a consequence, all sins,
especially the sin of injustice against fellowmen, spring from our
rejection of God’s love. This causes our relationship with our fellowmen to
rupture. In the same way too, like Abel, it was jealousy that finally
killed Jesus. The failure to love and be in dialogue with God will lead
to resentment against our fellowmen. Hence, when God asked Cain where his
brother, Abel, was, he replied, “‘I do not know’ he replied. ‘Am I my brother’s
guardian?’”
In the context of community
living, we must extend further how faith in God is also related to faith in
our fellowmen. In the first reading, the author warns us, “Why are
you angry and downcast? If you are well disposed, ought you not to lift up your
head? But if you are ill disposed, is not sin at the door like a crouching
beast hungering for you, which you must master?” Yes, we must be
watchful, lest we allow our pride and jealousy to destroy our relationship with
our fellow brothers and sisters.
In the same vein, because we
are brothers and sisters, we must watch over each other, so that we can help
each other to grow; not watch each other to see when they fall.
Watching over each other is different from watching each other.
For example, keeping an eye on our colleagues at work in case they discredit
us, is watching each other. Yes, we must not treat each other with
suspicion and attribute negative motives to their actions without
clarification. Only with enemies should we be suspicious, but not with
our friends.
Disharmony is caused
oftentimes because we read the signs from our perspective; which is one of
suspicion, fear and jealousy. When we remove these obstacles, then we can approach our
brothers and sisters with objectivity and calmness to seek clarification, so that
we can appreciate them better. Indeed, so often, signs are
misconstrued, not only from the person who gave them, but quite often, because
of our subjective and often prejudiced interpretation of the signs.
Hence, we must be sincere
and open in reading and asking for clarification of the signs from our brothers
and sisters. Sometimes, their actions and signs could be
misunderstood. We must thus dialogue and seek for clarification, not with the
intention to condemn or judge, but to understand the person. Charity demands
that we seek explanation before we make any judgment. In this way, we
promote communion and mutual understanding.
WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV
WILLIAM GOH
ARCHBISHOP
OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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