20160218 THE GOLDEN RULE
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Violet.
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First reading
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Esther 4:17 ©
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Queen Esther took
refuge with the Lord in the mortal peril which had overtaken her. She besought
the Lord God of Israel in these words:
‘My Lord, our King,
the only one,
come to my help, for
I am alone
and have no helper
but you
and am about to take
my life in my hands.
‘I have been taught
from my earliest years, in the bosom of my family,
that you, Lord, chose
Israel out of all the
nations
and our ancestors out
of all the people of old times
to be your heritage
for ever;
and that you have
treated them as you promised.
‘Remember, Lord;
reveal yourself
in the time of our
distress.
‘As for me, give me
courage,
King of gods and
master of all power.
Put persuasive words
into my mouth
when I face the lion;
change his feeling
into hatred for our enemy,
that the latter and
all like him may be brought to their end.
‘As for ourselves,
save us by your hand,
and come to my help,
for I am alone
and have no one but
you, Lord.’
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Psalm
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Psalm
137:1-3,7-8 ©
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On the day I
called, you answered me, O Lord.
I thank you, Lord,
with all my heart:
you have
heard the words of my mouth.
In the presence of
the angels I will bless you.
I will
adore before your holy temple.
On the day I
called, you answered me, O Lord.
I thank you for your
faithfulness and love,
which
excel all we ever knew of you.
On the day I called,
you answered;
you
increased the strength of my soul.
On the day I
called, you answered me, O Lord.
You stretch out your
hand and save me,
your hand
will do all things for me.
Your love, O Lord, is
eternal,
discard
not the work of your hands.
On the day I
called, you answered me, O Lord.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Joel2:12-13
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Glory to you, O
Christ, you are the Word of God!
Now, now – it is
the Lord who speaks –
come back to me with
all your heart,
for I am all
tenderness and compassion.
Glory to you, O
Christ, you are the Word of God!
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Or
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Ps50:12,14
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Glory to you, O
Christ, you are the Word of God!
A pure heart create
for me, O God,
and give me again the
joy of your help.
Glory to you, O
Christ, you are the Word of God!
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Gospel
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Matthew 7:7-12 ©
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Jesus said to his
disciples, ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock,
and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the
one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door
opened to him. Is there a man among you who would hand his son a stone when he
asked for bread? Or would hand him a snake when he asked for a fish? If you,
then, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more
will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
‘So
always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the meaning of
the Law and the Prophets.’
THE
GOLDEN RULE
“Do
not do unto others what you would not like done unto you.” This
golden rule of Confucius is an ancient rule that is advocated in almost every
community, though phrased in different ways. It is a basic
principle of ethical living and for the preservation of harmony. It is
pure humanism because it begins with the self. All of us have experienced
those times we were unjustly treated, humiliated, cheated, betrayed, slandered
and falsely accused. We know what it means to be without food or
shelter. So based on human experience of suffering and pain, we
should therefore be more sensitive to the sufferings and pain of our fellowmen.
The logical thing therefore is that if we know how the failures or selfish
actions of others can cause pain, then we should not do the same to
others. Indeed, if everyone observes this golden rule, there will be
peace and harmony. No one will hurt each other. All will live a
responsible life and do their part so that others would not have to suffer in
their place or because of them.
All
sins are committed only because this rule is not observed. When we sin against God and our
fellowmen, it shows that we lack sensitivity to God who suffers for us and our
fellowmen who suffer because of us. All sins are due to selfishness,
putting ourselves and our interests before others without any regard for
others’ rights and happiness. It is pure egotism. So this ancient
rule is still valid and truly, as it is called, a golden rule. If we keep
this rule in mind, we will never hurt people. This is what the psalmist
says, “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his
holy place? Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not
lift up their souls to what is false and do not swear deceitfully.
They will receive blessing from the Lord, and vindication from the
God of their salvation.” (Ps 24:3-5)
This
is what the Lord is also teaching us today as well in the gospel. He provided us two examples in
daily life with respect to requests that we make. He said, “Is
there a man among you who would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread?
Or would hand him a snake when he asked for a fish?” Which father will
mock and humiliate his son when he asks for bread by giving him a stone.
It must be noted that stone in those days indeed have the appearance of bread.
It would be so cruel to play such a trick on one who is hungry by giving him a
stone. Similarly, would a father be so insensitive to give his son a
serpent when he asked for a fish? This serpent actually is an eel
which looks like a serpent. But Jews, as mentioned in the book of
Leviticus, are not permitted to eat fish without scales or fins. (Lev 11:12)
The
point that Jesus wants to underscore therefore is that with respect to God our
Father, He would not act in this manner even if the earthly father did, which
is unthinkable in the first place. “If you, then, who are evil, know how to give your
children what is good, how much more will your Father in heaven give good
things to those who ask him!” So if, as human fathers, we are
generous, caring and sensitive to the needs of our children and would willingly
accede to their requests, how much more would the Heavenly Father do!
Jesus in the gospel reminds us, “When you are praying, do not heap up empty
phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of
their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need
before you ask him.” (Mt 6:7f) Following this exhortation,
Jesus taught us to pray the “Our Father.” God is our Heavenly
Father, and He will surely hear our prayers because His love and compassion for
us is greater than any of our human fathers. So we need not doubt the
mercy of God or pester Him in prayer. He knows what we need and all we
need is to trust Him and express our needs to Him. He knows how to help
us resolve our needs and problems.
Conversely,
if we do not observe the Golden Rule, then it can also work against us. In the first reading, Esther
prayed, “As for me, give me courage, King of Gods and master of all power. Put
persuasive words into my mouth when I face the lion; change his feeling into
hatred for our enemy that the letter and all like him may be brought to their
end.” Esther was simply praying that God will let her enemies
suffer the consequences of whatever evil they were doing to her and her
countrymen. In this way, they would come to know the evil that they were
causing others. “For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no
mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.” (Jms 2:13) Jesus promised us,
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.” (Mt 5:7) Esther was not cursing her enemies
but merely praying that they might come to awareness of their sinfulness.
But
even the practice of this Golden Rule is not good enough. The Golden Rule in its negative
formulation has been rephrased by the Lord. Instead of repeating this
rule negatively as not doing to others what we do not like them to do unto us,
Jesus was more proactive. He said, “So always treat others as you would
like them to treat you; that is the meaning of the Law and the
Prophets.” Not doing anything harmful does not equate with doing
good. The Old Testament Laws, like many ancient laws, tend to be
protective of the individual. They are more for defending oneself against
one’s enemies. But it can be self-centered too. Even the Ten
Commandments tell us what we cannot do but not what we must do. Jesus in
the gospel adopts a more positive and proactive approach to life. Not
doing harm is not so difficult, but to go out of the way to do good is much
more challenging. This is what Jesus expects of us; that we actively go
out to do good and help others. Protecting one’s turf is not
Christian. It meets a certain level of justice but there is a lack of
charity and compassion. Thus, Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come
to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to
fulfill.” (Mt 5:17)
So,
during this season of Lent, we are called to imitate our Heavenly Father who is
proactive and generous in love. This is the basis of all Christian
prayers. When we
pray to the Father, we must pray with confidence, just the way Esther prayed
when she said, ‘My Lord, our King, the only one, come to my help, for I am
alone and have no helper but you and am about to take my life in my hands. I
have been taught from my earliest years, in the bosom of my family, that you,
Lord, chose Israel out of all the nations and our ancestors out of all the
people of old times to be your heritage for ever; and that you have treated
them as you promised. Remember, Lord; reveal yourself in the time of our
distress.” Based on the history of salvation, God had always shown His
mercy and love. This is expressed in the responsorial psalm, “I thank you
for your faithfulness and love, which excel all we ever knew of you. On the day
I called, you answered; you increased the strength of my soul. You stretch out
your hand and save me, your hand will do all things for me. Your love, O Lord,
is eternal, discard not the work of your hands.”
But
it is not enough to pray this way, we must also do the same for others what the
Lord has done for us.
As we pray, we too are called to show mercy and compassion to our brothers and
sisters. We are called to feel with and for them, the way God our Father
feels for and with us. The same mercy we have received, we must impart to
others. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our
affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with
the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God.” (2 Cor 1:3f) The season of Lent invites us
to ask, search and knock so that we can find not just our prayers answered but
that we will find Him so that we can know Him enough to trust Him with our
lives and our anxieties. So our prayers are more than merely making
requests and demands on our Lord but we want to know Him, His heart and His
love for us. In this way, we too can also imitate Him in the way we love
and care for others; not just not harming our neighbours but proactively taking
steps and going the extra mile to care for them, serve them and show the face
of our heavenly Father to them.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore
© All Rights Reserved
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