20151016
FAITH IN GOD’S LOVE ENABLES US TO BE FAITHFUL TO
OURSELVES AND TO CONQUER HYPOCRISY IN OUR LIVES
Readings at Mass
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First reading
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Romans 4:1-8 ©
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What shall we say
about Abraham, the ancestor from whom we are all descended? If Abraham was
justified as a reward for doing something, he would really have had something
to boast about, though not in God’s sight because scripture says: Abraham
put his faith in God, and this faith was considered as justifying him. If a
man has work to show, his wages are not considered as a favour but as his due;
but when a man has nothing to show except faith in the one who justifies
sinners, then his faith is considered as justifying him. And David says the
same: a man is happy if God considers him righteous, irrespective of good
deeds:
Happy those whose
crimes are forgiven,
whose sins are
blotted out;
happy the man whom
the Lord considers sinless.
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Psalm
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Psalm
31:1-2,5,11 ©
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You are my refuge,
O Lord; you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Happy the man whose
offence is forgiven,
whose sin
is remitted.
O happy the man to
whom the Lord
imputes
no guilt,
in whose
spirit is no guile.
You are my refuge,
O Lord; you fill me with the joy of salvation.
But now I have
acknowledged my sins;
my guilt
I did not hide.
I said: ‘I will
confess
my
offence to the Lord.’
And you, Lord, have
forgiven
the guilt
of my sin.
You are my refuge,
O Lord; you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Rejoice, rejoice in
the Lord,
exult,
you just!
O come, ring out your
joy,
all you
upright of heart.
You are my refuge,
O Lord; you fill me with the joy of salvation.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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cf.Ps18:9
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Your words gladden
the heart, O Lord,
they give light to
the eyes.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Ps32:22
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Alleluia, alleluia!
May your love be upon
us, O Lord,
as we place all our
hope in you.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 12:1-7 ©
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The people had
gathered in their thousands so that they were treading on one another. And
Jesus began to speak, first of all to his disciples. ‘Be on your guard against
the yeast of the Pharisees – that is, their hypocrisy. Everything that is
now covered will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear.
For this reason, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the
daylight, and what you have whispered in hidden places will be proclaimed on
the housetops.
‘To you
my friends I say: Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that
can do no more. I will tell you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has
killed, has the power to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Can you not
buy five sparrows for two pennies? And yet not one is forgotten in God’s sight.
Why, every hair on your head has been counted. There is no need to be afraid:
you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows.’
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FAITH IN GOD’S LOVE ENABLES US TO BE FAITHFUL TO
OURSELVES AND TO CONQUER HYPOCRISY IN OUR LIVES
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The
theme of today’s scripture reading is clear. It concerns hypocrisy.
What is hypocrisy if not the lack of courage to be true to oneself? It is
to live our lives in such a way that is contaminated by the false exaggeration
of what one is not. That is why hypocrisy is comparable to the yeast of
the Pharisees. The symbol of yeast presents to us the element of an alien
intrusion of falsehood. Furthermore, it contaminates the whole person
since it permeates every cell of the person. How then do we get out of
this hypocritical attitude? Simply this: by realizing the consequences of
our hypocritical behaviour.
The
irony of hypocrisy is that the real reason why we are hypocritical is because
we are fearful of destroying our lives. We are afraid that people might
not think well of us. Hypocrites are afraid of losing their reputation,
their securities and, most of all, their physical life. Yet, Jesus makes
it so clear that what hypocrites try to avoid would be the very thing that will
ultimately destroy them. Why?
Firstly,
it is a fact that if we fail to live a transparent life, then we cannot live in
peace and security. We will always live in fear and anxiety. This
is because our words and actions do not correspond with the truth. That
being the case, we will always worry whether what we do will one day be
exposed. And the probability is that what is hidden will eventually be
revealed; and what is said in the dark will be heard in the
daylight. The truth will always prevail. It is a matter of
time.
Of
course sometimes it can happen that no one will ever find out. Still,
even if people do not expose it, we cannot deceive ourselves. We can
deceive others but deep within ourselves, we will hate ourselves for putting on
masks. We know that we are not what we proclaim to be. And what can
be more distressful than to know an ugly secret about ourselves whom we cannot
share with anyone. That is why Jesus says that what is hidden will be
revealed. It is man’s nature to feel the need to reveal himself, for he
is created to share and to love.
Then
again, even if some of us can repress our pretenses to the extent of being
numbed to them, still, we cannot escape our judgment before God. We
cannot hide things from God. That is why God continues to haunt us in our
conscience and in our dreams. When we try to dull our conscience, God
will speak to us in our dreams. After all, what are dreams if not the
repressed desires of our hearts? Some of these desires we hope to fulfill
one day; others we repress and deny that we have them.
Not
only desires, but dreams always manifest our repressed anger, resentment,
bitterness and hatred. That is why we have nightmares, for these are but
the expressions of the unhealed hurts and fears in our lives; that our enemies
or that God will take revenge on us. Hence, on all counts, there will be
no peace for one who lives in hypocrisy. In fact, we are already living
in hell, or at least in purgatory.
The
only way out of this hellish experience is to live an authentic life. We
are called to live our lives sincerely and courageously. Indeed, it is
better to suffer in our body than to suffer in our soul or in our mind.
Physical suffering is nothing compared to mental and spiritual
sufferings. The sufferings of the heart can kill us; not just physically
but personally. With physical sufferings, we can still be happy; but with
spiritual sufferings, we will be surely crushed. It is within this
context that we can understand Jesus’ advice, “Do not be afraid of those who
kill the body and can do no more.”
But
where can we find courage to live such a life? It is found in our faith
in God’s love. Abraham and Jesus could live authentic lives precisely
because they trusted in God’s providence and care. Jesus in the gospel
speaks of the providential love of God when He compared our lives to the
sparrows and the hairs on our heads which are counted by God. Such was
Jesus’ utter conviction of His Father’s love that He was able to surrender His
life by being faithful to Himself and His mission unto death. Without
such a trust, it would be simply impossible to be true to oneself.
This is
also true of Abraham. He is considered to be the father of faith and was
truly justified before God. This does not mean that Abraham was sinless
or that he was perfect. No! He remained a sinner but because he was
sincere and true to himself in every way, he is considered by God to be
righteous and perfect. God loves a person who is true to himself; aware
of his sinfulness and always ready to change himself. But Abraham could
be true to his calling in life and true to God only because he trusted in God
and surrendered his life to God in faith, trust and love.
We too
are called to live our lives in such a way. Only a life of faith and
trust can free us to be ourselves and therefore free for others. So long
as we are not free to be ourselves, we cannot be free for others nor can we set
others free. By living in slavery to ourselves and to the world with its
expectations, we cannot but place ourselves in hell, which is a symbol of our
isolation, not simply from others but from ourselves and God. Only a life
of sincerity to the truth, a life of transparency, can grant us true joy, peace
and happiness because we are at peace within ourselves, with others and with God.
Having
said that, we face another problem. This is the dilemma between being
true to ourselves and the fear of causing scandals. Although we would
like to be transparent in our dealings and actions all the time, yet, quite
often it is not always possible. This is because sometimes even doing the
right thing can cause scandals due to the different levels of maturity, whether
spiritual, emotional or intellectual standards of our fellow human
beings. Consequently, certain people can get jealous or offended due to
the limited ways they see life, love and morality.
And so
we are caught in a predicament. If we are faithful to ourselves, others’
faith might be shaken; but if we are not faithful to ourselves, then we will
deceive ourselves and others. So it is the tension between fidelity to
oneself and the exercise of Christian charity. Indeed, Paul does speak of
this matter in the example he gave regarding eating meat offered to
idols. According to him, it is not wrong, yet we should not do it because
it can cause others to lose faith.
So
then, what is the right thing to do? Ultimately, I believe it is a
question of prudence and sincerity. On one hand, we cannot always be too
concerned about what others think or say. In trying to please everyone,
we please no one. Thus we must, as far as possible, be true to ourselves
even if sometimes we inevitably cause harm to others. This is so
especially if it is a case of doing good works. But if it is a question
that simply concerns our personal interests, then I believe we must surrender
our personal freedom freely, transcending it out of Christian charity so that
the other person’s faith will not be overly shaken. However, this does
not mean that we should do nothing in helping the other person to grow in maturity
if it is within our ability to do so.
Prudence
therefore is the key to the tension. Nevertheless, in the final analysis,
being true to ourselves even in the exercise of prudence is always rooted in
sincerity and love. Truth and love need not necessarily be
contradictory. In fact, truth and love are complementary. If we are
truly truthful, then whatever is done, either for ourselves or for the other
person, must be done in love; and if we truly love, we will always be living in
the truth.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh
Roman
Catholic Archbishop of Singapore
© All Rights Reserved
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