CYNICISM AS THE RESULT OF PRIDE AND FEAR

20150916 CYNICISM AS THE RESULT OF PRIDE AND FEAR

Readings at Mass

First reading

1 Timothy 3:14-16 ©

At the moment of writing to you, I am hoping that I may be with you soon; but in case I should be delayed, I wanted you to know how people ought to behave in God’s family – that is, in the Church of the living God, which upholds the truth and keeps it safe. Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is very deep indeed:

He was made visible in the flesh,

attested by the Spirit,

seen by angels,

proclaimed to the pagans,

believed in by the world,

taken up in glory.

Psalm

Psalm 110:1-6 ©

Great are the works of the Lord.

or

Alleluia!

I will thank the Lord with all my heart

  in the meeting of the just and their assembly.

Great are the works of the Lord,

  to be pondered by all who love them.

Great are the works of the Lord.

or

Alleluia!

Majestic and glorious his work,

  his justice stands firm for ever.

He makes us remember his wonders.

  The Lord is compassion and love.

Great are the works of the Lord.

or

Alleluia!

He gives food to those who fear him;

  keeps his covenant ever in mind.

He has shown his might to his people

  by giving them the lands of the nations.

Great are the works of the Lord.

or

Alleluia!

Gospel Acclamation

cf.1Th2:13

Alleluia, alleluia!

Accept God’s message for what it really is:

God’s message, and not some human thinking.

Alleluia!

Or	cf.Jn6:63,68

Alleluia, alleluia!

Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life;

you have the message of eternal life.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 7:31-35 ©

Jesus said to the people: ‘What description can I find for the men of this generation? What are they like? They are like children shouting to one another while they sit in the market-place:

‘“We played the pipes for you,

and you wouldn’t dance;

we sang dirges,

and you wouldn’t cry.”

‘For John the Baptist comes, not eating bread, not drinking wine, and you say, “He is possessed.” The Son of Man comes, eating and drinking, and you say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” Yet Wisdom has been proved right by all her children.’

CYNICISM AS THE RESULT OF PRIDE AND FEAR

SCRIPTURE READINGS: 1 TIM 3:4-16; LK 7:31-35

It is very difficult to try to please some people in life.  In fact, I think we should never even try because no one can please anyone in life.  Ultimately, the problem is a problem of the heart and not the reality of the situation or the truth.  There are some people whom we cannot please or reason with; no matter how logical are our arguments and principles.   Right from the start their minds are already closed and they are not ready to listen to anything.   The mind is closed because the heart is hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.   This was what happened in the time of Jesus.  The Gospel tells us that Jesus’ contemporaries were negative, critical and cynical of everything, especially of the messengers of God.  They were critical of both John the Baptist and of Jesus.  They could see no good in them regardless of what they said or what they did.   They found fault with both of them.  When John the Baptist lived an ascetic life, they called him mad; and when Jesus ate and drank with sinners, they called Him a drunkard and a glutton, a friend of sinners and tax-collectors.

Underlying this rejection of John the Baptist and Jesus is a deeper problem, namely, that of pride, fear and selfishness, which led to a closed mind and a closed heart.  They had their motives for not listening.   It was not so much because what John the Baptist or Jesus said was not true but because they were too true and thus they felt their status quo threatened.  They were not ready to change or be converted.  They knew that what John the Baptist said was truly the Word of God but they did not want to change their lifestyle.   At the same time, they did not want people to follow John the Baptist as they were afraid to lose their popularity.  On the other hand, they also felt threatened by Jesus.  He was challenging not only their status quo but the institutions of the day.  They needed to discredit Jesus’ reputation so that people would not take Jesus seriously.  They wanted to cling to their own ideas, concepts and views of life and God.  That is why pride which springs from fear and selfishness lead to lying.  Their lies of course were covered up by rationalization, seeking reasons to justify their positions.  As the proverb says, even the devil can quote the scriptures for his purpose.

Today, we are invited to examine the depths of our hearts as to why we cannot accept certain things and people in life.  Is the matter more to do with others, the situation or more with ourselves?  When we search deep in our hearts, most of the time we will find that it is not so much the people or the situations that make us unhappy, but rather because we feel threatened or our ego is wounded.   Hence, we are too proud to admit that others could be right because it implies a need for change on our part.  In other words, it is our attachment to our ideas, our securities and our comforts that make us unwilling to be open.  Our inability to be receptive and docile to the Word of God springs from fear, anger and selfishness. For this reason, it is impossible to please a person whose heart is closed.

But adopting such a cynical attitude towards the truth is self-destructive.  We will never learn and we can never be open to a wider world that is offered to us.  In closing ourselves, we make ourselves inaccessible to others.  We live in our own narrow confines, in our little wells, mistaking them for the ocean.  To continue to live in such a situation is not to live in reality.  This becomes the cause of our unhappiness.   How do we know that we are living in illusion and falsehood?  When we suffer the loss of peace, joy and freedom, we know that we are not living in reality.  People who live in false security, unable to confront the truth, know that their foundation of happiness is shaky.  It can be taken away anytime.  If that were so, they are really not liberated anyway.  And even if we are seemingly happy, we know we are just putting on a mask pretending that we are happy when deep within we feel empty and fearful.  Indeed, for such a man, even when he lives in heaven, he will think it is hell.

A person whose heart is open will find God even when he thinks he is in hell because of his sufferings.  For such a person, life is always enriching and liberating.   Those who are truly happy remain joyful in all circumstances in life because their freedom and happiness are not tied down to the passing things of this world, whether power, glory or pleasure.  Their joy is found in a heart of peace and love.  The exemplar of such a life is that of John the Baptist and Jesus our Lord.  They embraced life to its fullest.  Whether we fast like John the Baptist at times; or feast like Jesus; we are all called to enjoy life like Him  Even in suffering, we remain at peace and happy to suffer for love and truth.  A truly happy person is one who is open to all things in life, embracing everything and aligning himself to the will of God in faith and trust.  By so doing, he neutralizes every situation.  He lives in perfect freedom, perfect joy and in wisdom.

Yes, today the gospel invites us to follow the path of wisdom.  The path of wisdom is the way of Jesus which is now enshrined in the Church, which is the pillar of truth, as the first reading tells us.  St Paul wrote, “I wanted you to know how people ought to behave in God’s family – that is, in the Church of the living God, which upholds the truth and keeps it safe.”   The Church as the Body of Christ with Christ as its head is where we find the fullness of truth and love.   Catholics should bear in mind that the Church of Christ subsists in the Catholic Church.  If they are seeking for the fullness of life and truth in love, they should not seek counsel from the world because they promote a selfish, materialistic, passing world.   As Catholics, we believe that the Church as the Sacrament of Christ, whom we call Mother Church, continues to instruct, teach and empower her children through the teaching, preaching and ministering of the ordained ministry and the authoritative teaching of the magisterium, the bishops in union with the Pope.   The Church is the pillar of truth and remains the guardian of truth and love in the world.

What is this way of wisdom that the world can never appreciate?  What is this wisdom that the world through reason and philosophy alone cannot come to understand?  St Paul wrote, “Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is very deep indeed: He was made visible in the flesh, attested by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed to the pagans, believed in by the world, taken up in glory.”  The truths of our faith is that God is incarnated in Christ Jesus, who in the power of the Holy Spirit announced the Good News of God’s kingdom, then crucified and raised from the dead and now ascended to heaven reigning with His Father.   We who have been baptized in Christ share in His sonship by adoption and reign with Him in truth and love.  So when our faith is founded in Christ, we know that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Following Christ is the way to live life abundantly and to the fullest.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh

Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore

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