20150713
SEEK PEACE BUT NOT AT ANY PRICE
Readings at Mass
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First reading
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Exodus 1:8-14,22
©
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There came to power
in Egypt a new king who knew nothing of Joseph. ‘Look,’ he said to his subjects
‘these people, the sons of Israel, have become so numerous and strong that they
are a threat to us. We must be prudent and take steps against their increasing
any further, or if war should break out, they might add to the number of our
enemies. They might take arms against us and so escape out of the country.’
Accordingly they put slave-drivers over the Israelites to wear them down under
heavy loads. In this way they built the store-cities of Pithom and Rameses for
Pharaoh. But the more they were crushed, the more they increased and spread,
and men came to dread the sons of Israel. The Egyptians forced the sons of
Israel into slavery, and made their lives unbearable with hard labour, work
with clay and with brick, all kinds of work in the fields; they forced on them
every kind of labour.
Pharaoh
then gave his subjects this command: ‘Throw all the boys born to the Hebrews
into the river, but let all the girls live.’
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Psalm
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Psalm 123:1-8 ©
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Our help is in the
name of the Lord.
‘If the Lord had not
been on our side,’
this is
Israel’s song.
‘If the Lord had not
been on our side
when men
rose up against us,
then would they have
swallowed us alive
when
their anger was kindled.
Our help is in the
name of the Lord.
‘Then would the
waters have engulfed us,
the
torrent gone over us;
over our head would
have swept
the
raging waters.’
Blessed be the Lord
who did not give us
a prey to
their teeth!
Our help is in the
name of the Lord.
Our life, like a
bird, has escaped
from the
snare of the fowler.
Indeed the snare has
been broken
and we
have escaped.
Our help is in the
name of the Lord,
who made
heaven and earth.
Our help is in the
name of the Lord.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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cf.Ac16:14
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Open our heart, O
Lord,
to accept the words
of your Son.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Mt5:10
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Happy those who are
persecuted
in the cause of
right,
for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew
10:34-11:1 ©
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Jesus instructed the
Twelve as follows: ‘Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the
earth: it is not peace I have come to bring, but a sword. For I have come to
set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law
against her mother-in-law. A man’s enemies will be those of his own household.
‘Anyone
who prefers father or mother to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who prefers son
or daughter to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who does not take his cross and
follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me. Anyone who finds his life will lose
it; anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it.
‘Anyone
who welcomes you welcomes me; and those who welcome me welcome the one who sent
me.
‘Anyone
who welcomes a prophet will have a prophet’s reward; and anyone who welcomes a
holy man will have a holy man’s reward.
‘If
anyone gives so much as a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because
he is a disciple, then I tell you solemnly, he will most certainly not lose his
reward.’
When
Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples he moved on from there to
teach and preach in their towns.
SEEK
PEACE BUT NOT AT ANY PRICE
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SCRIPTURE
READINGS: EXODUS 1:8-14,
22; MATTHEW 10:34-11:1
After
love, more than anything else, we desire peace. We desire peace in our
families and in society. Governments strive for political peace;
religious organisations for religious peace and harmony. If all of us
have the same aspiration for peace, why is it then that we are still so
divided?
What
causes quarrels, wars and division if not because of the lack of understanding?
The first line of today’s reading from Exodus is rather poignant, for we read
that “there came to power in Egypt a new king who knew nothing of
Joseph.” This new pharaoh, unlike his father, did not know how much
Joseph had done for his people, how he saved them from famine by his wise administration
and foresight; how he ruled with fairness, justice and compassion. The
cause of all the problems and misery of his people was simply because he “knew
nothing of Joseph.” This terse statement is pregnant with many
implications. Why?
In any
human relationship, mutual knowledge is necessary. When we do not know a
person, we do not understand the motives and actions of the person. This
leads to misinterpretation and suspicion. When we are doubtful of a
person’s intentions, we create mistrust, which then leads to fear. When
trust is lacking, it breeds fear. This in turn will lead to actions that
are defensive as we all need to protect our personal interests against our
potential enemies. At times, fear leads to anger, revenge and even murder.
Isn’t this
the case of the new king? He was paranoid over the increasing number of
Hebrews in his country. And because he did not know Joseph and presumably
the Hebrews themselves, he became apprehensive of them, and started
strategizing to preempt potential threats to his own people. When we feel
threatened by our enemies, real or perceived, we often over react because of
fear. The trouble is that when fear grips us, we cannot think objectively
and wisely. Instead of taking the trouble to understand the validity of
his fears and taking appropriate measures to prevent possible racial conflicts,
he reacted to the whole situation by using harsh measures to suppress the
Hebrews, forcing them to work under impossible conditions. And when that
was not enough, he resorted to killing the harmless and innocent babies.
It is
within this context that we can better situate Jesus’ message about
peace. Ironically, He said, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring
peace to earth: it is not peace I have come to bring, but a sword. For I
have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a
daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man’s enemies will be those
of his own household.” How could Jesus, the Prince and messenger of Peace,
the Reconciler bring division? The inevitable reality is that when our
message, whether of peace or truth, confronts those who are unable to see the
truth or goodness of the message, what we get is a reaction which sometimes can
become hostile if not violent. Few people are comfortable with changing
the status quo as change means dying to self and one’s views and lifestyle.
This
should not be surprising because all fear spring from a lack of mutual
understanding. St Paul wrote that “An unspiritual person is one who does
not accept anything of the Spirit of God; he sees it all as nonsense; it is
beyond his understanding because it can only be understood by means of the
Spirit.” (1 Cor 2:14)
We must realize that if people persecute us or are against us, it is because
they feel that we are taking happiness away from them. So, quite often,
accepting the gospel message and the values could be seen by non-Christians as
a betrayal of one’s culture and the religion of their ancestors, hence, the
lack of filial piety. The Catholic morality concerning sex and procreation is
often perceived by non-believers and even Catholics themselves as the attempt
of the Church to deprive them of the pleasure of sex, the intimacy in
relationship and hence lacking understanding of the human needs.
Consequently,
those of us who seek to be faithful to the gospel values are often persecuted
by family members, often our spouse, for spending time in prayer and Church
ministry. They are resentful of us for choosing Christ and His Church
over them. Unavoidably, the choice of Christ is always interpreted as the
rejection of our loved ones, which of course is not the case.
Such
division not only occurs in families or in society but at all places, even in
the Church we serve, because of disagreements and different ideas. Even
in Church, due to disagreements and the nature of voluntary organizations,
members who supposedly regard each other as brothers and sisters have deep
hatred and resentment against each other. We quarrel not only over our
own needs but also with regard to our views and ways of doing things.
Quite often, such rupture among Church members is due to the lack of
communication, personal relationship and mutual understanding. When we
act and conduct ourselves with a corporate mentality of the world, we tend to
see everything and people in terms of their utility and overlook their
sensitivities and values.
Does it
mean that we must seek peace at any price? No. Jesus, in no
uncertain terms, tells us, “Anyone who prefers father or mother to me is not
worthy of me. Anyone who prefers son or daughter to me is not worthy of
me.“ Clearly, in all that we do, we must seek approval, not from man, but
from God. St Paul says, “So now whom am I trying to please; man or
God? Would you say it is men’s approval I am looking for? If I
still wanted that, I should not be what I am – a servant of Christ.” (Gal 1:10) If we do
that, then we become identified with Christ. “Anyone who welcomes you
welcomes me; and those who welcome me welcome the one who sent me.”
Otherwise, we cannot claim that we are His servants.
Such a
decision for the objective truth and the peace of God might require a heavy
price from us. It could mean accepting persecution, misunderstanding, and
alienation from our loved ones and separation from our friends. That is what
Jesus asks of us, “Anyone who does not take his cross and follow in my footsteps
is not worthy of me. Anyone who finds his life will lose it; anyone who
loses his life for my sake will find it.” In the face of our enemies, we
must never become violent and reactive. Rather, let us suffer bravely and
innocently with Jesus on the cross. With Jesus, we must pray for their
forgiveness and not just stop at forgiving them. Praying for those who
disagree with us is better than taking things into our own hands, and
slandering and destroying them in public. It would be a total lack of
charity when we seek to destroy the reputation of our fellow Catholics or
Christians whom we disagree with by washing dirty linen in public, as some
people do, writing emails to everyone, even those who have nothing to do with
the misunderstanding.
If we
find that we are the ones causing division in the group, then we should be
ready to leave for the sake of unity and peace. Pope St Clement in his
letter to the Corinthians wrote, “Who then among you is generous, who is
compassionate, who is filled with love? He should speak out as follows: If I
have been the cause of sedition, conflict and schisms, then I shall depart; I
shall go away wherever you wish, and I shall do what the community wants, if
only the flock of Christ live in peace with the presbyters who are set over
them. Whoever acts thus would win great glory for himself in Christ, and he
would be received everywhere, for the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness
thereof. Thus have they acted in the past and will continue to act in the
future who live without regret as citizens in the city of God.”
But
more than just suffer with resignation, we must trust in God who will be our
vindicator and deliverer. Like the psalmist, we must realize that only
God can change the hearts and minds of our enemies. So like the psalmist
we pray, “Our help is in the name of the Lord. Had not the Lord been with us –
when men rose up against us, then would they have swallowed us alive, when
their fury was inflamed against us? Our help is in the name of the Lord, who
made heaven and earth.”
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh
Roman
Catholic Archbishop of Singapore
© All Rights Reserved
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