20151031 BE PROUD BUT NOT SMUG CATHOLICS
Readings at Mass
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First reading
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Romans
11:1-2,11-12,25-29 ©
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Let me put a further
question: is it possible that God has rejected his people? Of course not. I, an
Israelite, descended from Abraham through the tribe of Benjamin, could never
agree that God had rejected his people, the people he chose specially long ago.
Do you remember what scripture says of Elijah – how he complained to God
about Israel’s behaviour? Let me put another question then: have the Jews
fallen for ever, or have they just stumbled? Obviously they have not fallen for
ever: their fall, though, has saved the pagans in a way the Jews may now well
emulate. Think of the extent to which the world, the pagan world, has benefited
from their fall and defection – then think how much more it will benefit
from the conversion of them all. There is a hidden reason for all this,
brothers, of which I do not want you to be ignorant, in case you think you know
more than you do. One section of Israel has become blind, but this will last
only until the whole pagan world has entered, and then after this the rest of
Israel will be saved as well. As scripture says: The liberator will come
from Zion, he will banish godlessness from Jacob. And this is the covenant I
will make with them when I take their sins away.
The Jews
are enemies of God only with regard to the Good News, and enemies only for your
sake; but as the chosen people, they are still loved by God, loved for the sake
of their ancestors. God never takes back his gifts or revokes his choice.
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Psalm
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Psalm
93:12-15,17-18 ©
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The Lord will not
abandon his people.
Happy the man whom
you teach, O Lord,
whom you
train by means of your law;
to him you give peace
in evil days.
The Lord will not
abandon his people.
The Lord will not
abandon his people
nor
forsake those who are his own;
for judgement shall
again be just
and all
true hearts shall uphold it.
The Lord will not
abandon his people.
If the Lord were not
to help me,
I would
soon go down into the silence.
When I think: ‘I have
lost my foothold’;
your
mercy, Lord, holds me up.
The Lord will not
abandon his people.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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cf.Col3:16a,17
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Let the message of
Christ, in all its richness,
find a home with you;
through him give
thanks to God the Father.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Mt11:29
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Shoulder my yoke and
learn from me,
says the Lord,
for I am gentle and
humble in heart.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 14:1,7-11 ©
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On a sabbath day
Jesus had gone for a meal to the house of one of the leading Pharisees; and
they watched him closely. He then told the guests a parable, because he had
noticed how they picked the places of honour. He said this, ‘When someone
invites you to a wedding feast, do not take your seat in the place of honour. A
more distinguished person than you may have been invited, and the person who
invited you both may come and say, “Give up your place to this man.” And then,
to your embarrassment, you would have to go and take the lowest place. No; when
you are a guest, make your way to the lowest place and sit there, so that, when
your host comes, he may say, “My friend, move up higher.” In that way, everyone
with you at the table will see you honoured. For everyone who exalts himself
will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted.’
BE
PROUD BUT NOT SMUG CATHOLICS
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SCRIPTURE
READINGS: ROM 11:1-2.
11-12. 25-29; PS 93:12-15, 17-18; LK 14:1.7-11
There
is currently a movement, “Proud to be Catholic” that is gaining momentum not
just in our local Church but in the world. This movement is indeed
helping many Catholics to recover their identity and their pride in being
Catholic. However, this movement has also been criticized for being too
smug. As it is, quite often, Catholics, including Christians, are seen by
other religions as having a superiority complex, “mine is better than yours”,
“mine is greater than others”, “only we are saved and the rest are condemned to
hell”, etc. Such triumphalist and self-righteous attitude do not fit in
with the gospel’s message today on the need for true humility regardless of
whatever position we are in.
Indeed,
when we act and speak in such a conceited manner, which is contrary to the
message of Christ to build unity in the human race, we only create division in
the world. Just a few days ago, on 28th October, we celebrated the
50th year anniversary of Nostra Aetate, Vatican II Council’s
Declaration on the Church’s Relation to Non-Christian Religions in which
all forms of anti-Semitism were condemned, and the principles for dialogue, not
just with Judaism and Islam but with other religions as well, were laid
down. Hence, it is important to examine and be sensitive to the way we
speak about ourselves, our faith and even more importantly, how we speak about
other’s faith, as the lack of sensitivity could lead to animosity and hatred.
Today’s
first reading from the letter of Romans touches on one of the most sensitive
questions with respect to the Jews. Quite often in the past,
relations between Christians and the Jews were characterized by tension due to
discrimination, persecution and enmity. Thus, it is appropriate for St
Paul himself, who was reflecting on the salvation of the Jews and their place
in salvation history, to offer us some guidelines in the way we should see the
Jews and also the other religions.
In the
first place, when we say that we are proud to be Catholic, it has nothing to do
with smugness or a superiority complex. On the contrary, it is one of
humility and gratitude that God has been so gracious to reveal His love and
mercy to us, undeserving as we are; and most of all, sending us His Son, our
Lord Jesus Christ to reveal to us His plan for the salvation of humanity and
the world. So we see it as a great honour and privilege bestowed upon us, not
through our merits but simply because God gave us that privilege. This is
what the gospel parable wants to teach us today; that we must never choose our
position in life but allow the wisdom of God to place us where we should
be. We should never be so presumptuous as to think that we deserve this
place or that, for it is all God’s grace and election.
Such a
humble acknowledge of God’s grace should make us also appreciative of the role
of the Jews in God’s plan of salvation. Like St Paul, we need to
acknowledge that the Jewish people remain the Chosen People of God. This
is what St Paul quipped, “Let me put a question: is it possible that God has
rejected his people? Of course not. I, an Israelite, descended from Abraham
through the tribe of Benjamin, could never agree that God had rejected his
people, the people he chose specially long ago.” In no uncertain
terms, he concluded, “as the chosen people, they are still loved by God, loved
for the sake of their ancestors. God never takes back his gifts or
revokes his choice.”
Hence,
we should be appreciative of the Jews from whom our faith takes its
origin. They are our brothers and sisters. We belong to the same
family because we worship the same God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We
share a common patrimony of faith and the same spiritual roots. We
share the same scriptures which we call the “Old Testament.” The
Jews remain as people of the covenant. Instead of hostility and hatred,
we are brothers and sisters seeking greater friendship, mutual respect through
fraternal dialogue and common projects in building bridges of peace and harmony
in the world, especially in the service of the poor.
On our
part, we are grateful to God for the gift of faith and revelation.
Without His grace, we will not be able to recognize Jesus as the fullness
of revelation. This was the case of St Paul who was persecuting the early
Christians until Christ revealed Himself and His plan to him. So, once
again, we should be humbled by His grace and mercy.
There
should be no condemnation of the Jews and or of other religions. Their
salvation is the judgement of God; not ours. St Paul says they will also
be saved within the plan of God. The gift of salvation is to all but it
is how each one responds in sincerity to His call. Only those who
willfully reject the truth are condemned, regardless of which religion they
belong to. Even Christians who do not live the life of truth and love
will be condemned. This is what the Constitution of the Church
teaches. “Those also can attain to salvation who through no fault of
their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, yet sincerely seek
God and moved by grace strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to
them through the dictates of conscience. Nor does Divine Providence deny the
helps necessary for salvation to those who, without blame on their part, have
not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God and with His grace strive to
live a good life. Whatever good or truth is found amongst them is looked upon
by the Church as a preparation for the Gospel. She knows that it is given by
Him who enlightens all men so that they may finally have life. But often men,
deceived by the Evil One, have become vain in their reasonings and have
exchanged the truth of God for a lie, serving the creature rather than the
Creator.” (Lumen Gentium 16)
Furthermore,
it does not help for us to make distinctions, as the gospel teaches. God
has a plan for all of us. The mystery of God’s salvific plan is beyond
human understanding because His divine wisdom is man’s folly. The gospel
today reminds us that we are all God’s children. We do not need any
special place. All of us have a role in this life. In the case of
the Jews, they have a role to play in the salvation of the Gentiles. As
St Paul remarked, “There is a hidden reason for all this, brothers, of which I
do not want you to be ignorant, in case you think you know more than you
do. One section of Israel has become blind, but this will last only until
the whole pagan world has entered, and then after this the rest of Israel will
be saved as well.” The rejection of the Jews made it possible for Christianity
to be offered to the Gentiles. Otherwise, if not for the persecution,
Christianity would have just remained within the Jewish people and within
Palestine. In the early Church, the first Christians were all Jews and
they were still worshipping in the synagogues. It was only when they were
expelled and also persecuted that they were forced to bring the gospel to the
Gentiles.
God
writes straight in crooked lines. The failure of one is often the success
of another. The success of others could inspire those who are failures in
life. This is the paradox of God’s grace where evil and good are left
together to help each other to grow. The faith of one can inspire faith
in another. The lack of faith in others can inspire those who are
lukewarm in faith to search for a deeper understanding of their own
faith. The religion with a fuller revelation can enlighten those with
rays of truth. But every religion can contribute to other religions in
terms of richness in spirituality and culture. We have much to learn from
each other.
As
Catholics we do not need to compromise our faith, even in acknowledging the
goodness and truth in other religions. Through faith and revelation, we know
that Christ is the fullness of revelation. He is the way, the truth and Life.
This is not to be seen in terms of superiority but in
humility. We receive this revelation as a gift from God. That is
why we are proud to be Catholic, yet always remaining humble and
grateful. We do not despise others who have a different faith or compare
ourselves with them. We take what has been given and revealed to us in
faith. We share our faith tradition with those who wish to know
more. Just as we receive freely, we share freely our faith with others,
but always as a gift, without imposing. We also endeavor to understand
other faith traditions so that we can appreciate their faith.
We
remain hopeful that God in His mercy and love, in ways unknown to us, will save
all men and women. So we conclude with the words of St Paul,
“Obviously they have not fallen for ever: their fall, though, has saved the
pagans in a way the Jews may well now well emulate. Think of the extent
to which the world, the pagan world, has benefited from their fall and
defection – then think how much more it will benefit from the conversion of
them all.” These words apply to everyone including Catholics. At
the end of the day, what we seek is sincere and humble conversion of hearts and
minds, not false humility, as the gospel warns us, to walk in the way of truth
and love.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh
Roman
Catholic Archbishop of Singapore
©
All Rights Reserved
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