20150710
WHEN FILIAL PIETY TO GOD RENDS OUR RELATIONSHIP
WITH OUR LOVED ONES
Readings at Mass
First reading
|
Genesis
46:1-7,28-30 ©
|
Israel left Canaan
with his possessions, and reached Beersheba. There he offered sacrifices to the
God of his father Isaac. God spoke to Israel in a vision at night, ‘Jacob,
Jacob’, he said. ‘I am here’, he replied. ‘I am God, the God of your father’,
he continued. ‘Do not be afraid of going down to Egypt, for I will make you a
great nation there. I myself will go down to Egypt with you. I myself will
bring you back again, and Joseph’s hand shall close your eyes.’ Then Jacob left
Beersheba. Israel’s sons conveyed their father Jacob, their little children and
their wives in the waggons Pharaoh had sent to fetch him.
Taking
their livestock and all that they had acquired in the land of Canaan, they went
to Egypt, Jacob and all his family with him: his sons and his grandsons, his
daughters and his grand-daughters, in a word, all his children he took with him
to Egypt.
Israel
sent Judah ahead to Joseph, so that the latter might present himself to him in
Goshen. When they arrived in the land of Goshen, Joseph had his chariot made
ready and went up to meet his father Israel in Goshen. As soon as he appeared
he threw his arms round his neck and for a long time wept on his shoulder.
Israel said to Joseph, ‘Now I can die, now that I have seen you again, and seen
you still alive.’
Psalm
|
Psalm
36:3-4,18-19,27-28,39-40 ©
|
The salvation of
the just comes from the Lord.
If you trust in the
Lord and do good,
then you
will live in the land and be secure.
If you find your
delight in the Lord,
he will
grant your heart’s desire.
The salvation of
the just comes from the Lord.
He protects the lives
of the upright,
their
heritage will last for ever.
They shall not be put
to shame in evil days,
in time
of famine their food shall not fail.
The salvation of
the just comes from the Lord.
Then turn away from
evil and do good
and you
shall have a home for ever;
for the Lord loves
justice
and will
never forsake his friends.
The salvation of
the just comes from the Lord.
The salvation of the
just comes from the Lord,
their
stronghold in time of distress.
The Lord helps them
and delivers them
and saves
them: for their refuge is in him.
The salvation of
the just comes from the Lord.
Gospel
Acclamation
|
1P1:25
|
Alleluia, alleluia!
The word of the Lord
remains for ever:
What is this word?
It is the Good News
that has been brought to you.
Alleluia!
Or
|
Jn16:13,14:26
|
Alleluia, alleluia!
When the Spirit of
truth comes
he will lead you to
the complete truth,
and he will remind
you of all I have said to you.
Alleluia!
Gospel
|
Matthew 10:16-23
©
|
Jesus instructed the
Twelve as follows: ‘Remember, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; so
be cunning as serpents and yet as harmless as doves.
‘Beware
of men: they will hand you over to sanhedrins and scourge you in their
synagogues. You will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear
witness before them and the pagans. But when they hand you over, do not worry
about how to speak or what to say; what you are to say will be given to you
when the time comes; because it is not you who will be speaking; the Spirit of
your Father will be speaking in you. ‘Brother will betray brother to death, and
the father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them
put to death. You will be hated by all men on account of my name; but the man
who stands firm to the end will be saved. If they persecute you in one town,
take refuge in the next; and if they persecute you in that, take refuge in
another. I tell you solemnly, you will not have gone the round of the towns of
Israel before the Son of Man comes.’
WHEN FILIAL PIETY TO GOD RENDS OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR
LOVED ONES
|
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: GN 46:1-7.
28-30; MT 10:16-23
In
today’s gospel, Jesus warns the Twelve that the proclamation of the Good News
could ironically bring family division. He said, “Brother will betray
brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise against their
parents and have them put to death.” This, perhaps, is the most painful
part of discipleship. We do not mind following Christ, but when the cost
of discipleship entails rejection at home or a rift with our loved ones or even
persecution, this is more than we can bear.
Indeed,
the forewarning of Jesus is as real for us today as it was with the
disciples. We can be certain that when St Matthew wrote his gospel,
Christianity, which was then winning converts, must have also resulted in much
friction in family life, especially when many of these converts were formerly
practicing Judaism. With the Jewish Christians expelled from the
synagogues in AD 70, they were then persecuted by their fellow Jews. Those who
accepted Christ would surely have faced rejection by family members and also
ostracism from their community. Such was the price of faith in Christ.
Such,
too, is the price of faith even in our day, where society is supposedly more
secular, relativistic and open. Many of our Christian converts tell of
how their relationships were impacted by their conversion to Christianity, as
their loved ones found it hard to accept their conversion.
The
truth is that faith in Christ is more than just attending church services and
practicing some rituals; it is a whole Copernican revolution in the way we see
God, people, ourselves and the values of life. So whether we like it or
not, if our faith in God is different from that of our loved ones, there is
bound to be tension, depending on how accommodating they are to our beliefs and
we to theirs. Bickering over practices of faith and differences in values
are not uncommon. In some cases, the spouses even forbid their partners
to attend church services, pray or read the bible. And even though the
non-Catholic partner promised that their children would be baptized, many of
them renege on their promises and even disallow their children from learning or
practicing the faith.
This
form of division exists even among practicing and devout Catholics. Many
parents object strongly to their children wanting to join the religious life or
the priesthood. Some threaten to disown them, even though they are avowed
Catholics! At times, it could be because of a love
relationship. To give up our loved ones for the sake of the gospel is
perhaps the greatest of all sacrifices. It breaks not just one’s own
heart but that of our beloved. So we can imagine how much Jesus’ mother
had to go through in offering her only son to us and how much more our heavenly
Father had to empty Himself to give up His only Son for our redemption!
But if
one thinks that family division ends here, it does not. The Church is our
bigger family. When we have to speak out against our superiors, parish
priest or leaders in our church organizations because of perceived wrongs,
injustices or scandals, this also hurts us deeply. We do not want to be
the cause of division, but by failing to speak the truth, we would be doing the
community a greater harm in the long run. But being truthful may make us
unpopular and even ridiculed and persecuted. So the gospel also brings
division in the Christian community; the Word of God being “living and active,
sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit,
of joins and marrows” (Heb 4:12).
By
extension, we can also include our workplace as our family. When there
are disagreements with regard to values in business ethics, living out our
faith could result in us being marginalized, and rifts and misunderstandings
with our colleagues and bosses may ensue.
So when
faith threatens to drive a wedge between our loved ones and our faith, what
should we do? We do not want to lose our faith, but neither do we want to
lose our loved ones and status in life. This was the same challenge for Jacob
in today’s first reading. He was uncomfortable about moving to Egypt for
fear of abandoning his religious and cultural traditions and being unfaithful
to his ancestors and to God. On the other hand, he yearned to be with
Joseph, his lost son whom he had not seen for many years. He would never
be able to die in peace without being reconciled with his son. This is
true for all of us, parents and children. To die without being reconciled
with our loved ones would be the greatest regret in life. So like him, we
are in a conundrum. Should we choose God or choose man?
The
scripture readings today are very assuring. God is merciful and all
understanding. God recognized the need of Jacob, the pain in his
heart. In His divine providence, He permitted him to go to Egypt but He
also assured him that the promises made to his forefathers would stay and that
he would return to the Promised Land once again. In the same way too, God
is merciful and kind to us. We must be patient when our loved ones
disagree with us and object to our beliefs. We must give them time to
come to terms with our faith and our hearts’ desire. Such things cannot
be forced and our loved ones must be given time to adapt and to accept.
We must learn patience and practice compassion towards their resistance.
Secondly,
we must learn to act wisely and prudently. Instead of reacting to their
hostilities, we must exercise tact in dealing with them. Isn’t that what
Jesus urges us? He said, “’Remember, I am sending you out like sheep
among wolves; so be cunning as serpents and yet as harmless as doves.”
So, like serpents, we must be wise and prudent. Like doves, we must be
gentle and harmless. If we react, we would only create greater
disharmony.
And if
the heat gets too strong for us, it is better, as Jesus advises us, to
flee: “If they persecute you in one town, take refuge in the next; and if
they persecute you in that, take refuge in another.” We need not ‘take
the bull by its horns’ in every situation. Sometimes, as the proverb
tells us, it is better to run and fight another day. Hence, if our loved
ones become too violent and hostile, let us stay cool and wait for grace to
take over. God is greater than their resistance. He will settle the
conflict for us.
Of
course, this requires that we trust in the Lord totally. God knows better than
we do. Instead of taking things into our own hands, let the grace of
divine providence work its way through our history and our lives. Only
Christ and the grace of God can change them, as Jesus said, “I tell you
solemnly, you will have gone the round of the towns of Israel before the Son of
Man comes.”
So
today in our trials, especially when we are at variance with our loved ones
with regard to our faith, let us follow Jacob and bring our fears and anxieties
to the Lord. God will speak to us in prayer or in a vision as He did to
Jacob and give us the direction as to what we should do. Yes, Jesus encourages
us to trust in His heavenly Father no matter what happens. Pray to the
Holy Spirit, for He says, “when they hand you over, do not worry about how to
speak or what to say; what you are to say will be given to you when the time
comes; because it is not you who will be speaking; the Spirit of your Father
will be speaking on you.”
Finally,
let us remember that even if conflicts and persecutions cannot be avoided, let
these be occasions for us to witness to the gospel of love and compassion by
our lives of non-violence and forgiveness towards those who hate us for seeking
to live the gospel life of truth and love. As Jesus said, “You will be
dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and
the pagans.” We are reminded of the words of St Peter, “But even if you
do suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of
them, nor be troubled but in your hearts reverence Christ as Lord.” ( 1 Pt 3:14)
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh
Roman
Catholic Archbishop of Singapore
© All Rights Reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment