20160401 THE CHALLENGE OF CONFESSING JESUS IS LORD AND SAVIOUR
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
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First reading
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Acts 4:1-12 ©
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While Peter and John
were talking to the people the priests came up to them, accompanied by the
captain of the Temple and the Sadducees. They were extremely annoyed at their
teaching the people the doctrine of the resurrection from the dead by
proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus. They arrested them, but as it was
already late, they held them till the next day. But many of those who had
listened to their message became believers, the total number of whom had now
risen to something like five thousand.
The next
day the rulers, elders and scribes had a meeting in Jerusalem with Annas the
high priest, Caiaphas, Jonathan, Alexander and all the members of the
high-priestly families. They made the prisoners stand in the middle and began
to interrogate them, ‘By what power, and by whose name have you men done this?’
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, addressed them, ‘Rulers of the people,
and elders! If you are questioning us today about an act of kindness to a
cripple, and asking us how he was healed, then I am glad to tell you all, and
would indeed be glad to tell the whole people of Israel, that it was by the
name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the one you crucified, whom God raised from
the dead, by this name and by no other that this man is able to stand up
perfectly healthy, here in your presence, today. This is the stone rejected by
you the builders, but which has proved to be the keystone. For of all the names
in the world given to men, this is the only one by which we can be saved.’
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm
117:1-2,4,22-27 ©
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The stone which
the builders rejected has become the corner stone.
or
Alleluia,
alleluia, alleluia!
Give thanks to the
Lord for he is good,
for his
love has no end.
Let the sons of
Israel say:
‘His love
has no end.’
Let those who fear
the Lord say:
‘His love
has no end.’
The stone which
the builders rejected has become the corner stone.
or
Alleluia,
alleluia, alleluia!
The stone which the
builders rejected
has
become the corner stone.
This is the work of
the Lord,
a marvel
in our eyes.
This day was made by
the Lord;
we
rejoice and are glad.
The stone which
the builders rejected has become the corner stone.
or
Alleluia,
alleluia, alleluia!
O Lord, grant us
salvation;
O Lord,
grant success.
Blessed in the name
of the Lord
is he who
comes.
We bless you from the
house of the Lord;
the Lord
God is our light.
The stone which
the builders rejected has become the corner stone.
or
Alleluia,
alleluia, alleluia!
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Ps117:24
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Alleluia, alleluia!
This day was made by
the Lord:
we rejoice and are
glad.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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John 21:1-14 ©
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Jesus showed himself
again to the disciples. It was by the Sea of Tiberias, and it happened like
this: Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the
sons of Zebedee and two more of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said,
‘I’m going fishing.’ They replied, ‘We’ll come with you.’ They went out and got
into the boat but caught nothing that night.
It was
light by now and there stood Jesus on the shore, though the disciples did not
realise that it was Jesus. Jesus called out, ‘Have you caught anything,
friends?’ And when they answered, ‘No’, he said, ‘Throw the net out to
starboard and you’ll find something.’ So they dropped the net, and there were
so many fish that they could not haul it in. The disciple Jesus loved said to
Peter, ‘It is the Lord.’ At these words ‘It is the Lord’, Simon Peter, who had
practically nothing on, wrapped his cloak round him and jumped into the water.
The other disciples came on in the boat, towing the net and the fish; they were
only about a hundred yards from land.
As
soon as they came ashore they saw that there was some bread there, and a
charcoal fire with fish cooking on it. Jesus said, ‘Bring some of the fish you
have just caught.’ Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore,
full of big fish, one hundred and fifty-three of them; and in spite of there
being so many the net was not broken. Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have
breakfast.’ None of the disciples was bold enough to ask, ‘Who are you?’; they
knew quite well it was the Lord. Jesus then stepped forward, took the bread and
gave it to them, and the same with the fish. This was the third time that Jesus
showed himself to the disciples after rising from the dead.
THE
CHALLENGE OF CONFESSING JESUS IS LORD AND SAVIOUR
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: [ ACTS 4:1-12;
JN 21:1-14 ]
In
the gospel, we have the apostles confessing Jesus is Lord. “The disciple Jesus loved said
to Peter, ‘It is the Lord’. At these words ‘It is the Lord,’ Simon Peter, who
had practically nothing on, wrapped his cloak round him and jumped into the
water.” Then St Peter at the end of his defence before the Sanhedrin,
comprising of the Priestly aristocratic families, the educated scribes and the
Pharisees, declared, “This is the stone rejected by you the builders, but which
has proved to be the keystone. For all the names in the world given to men,
this is the only one by which we can be saved.”
We
cannot but admire their confidence, courage and firmness in confessing their
faith in Christ before a board of powerful, influential and educated leaders. How many of us could speak so
confidently and courageously before a crowd, much less before a group of
professionals and prominent leaders? Most of us fight shy to speak of our
personal convictions. We tend to say politically correct things that
would not irritate anyone and at the same time not saying very much. We
are afraid to take a stand for fear of being unpopular or even condemned.
But this was the not case with the apostles. They were no cowards. They
spoke the truth even when under arrest and intimidation. Indeed, “the rulers,
elders and scribes were astonished at the assurance shown by Peter and John,
considering they were uneducated laymen.”
In a
world of relativism, religious fundamentalism and intolerant secularism, it is
more difficult for Christians to proclaim that Jesus is Lord and the Saviour of
the World. Non-Christians
would immediately challenge our claims and even accuse us of being
triumphalistic and arrogant. The truth is that no other religion has
claimed that their founder died and rose from the dead or that they died for
our sins. Whereas for Christians, the fact that Jesus who was put to
death unjustly and then raised from the dead, proves that Jesus is truly our
Savior and Lord. Non-Christians have no issues accepting that Jesus was a
good man, but what they cannot accept is our confession that Jesus is Lord and
Saviour of all.
What,
then, is the basis for the Christian claim? Simply that Jesus who went
about doing good was condemned and crucified but God raised Him from the
dead. The gospel
underscores the reality of Christ’s resurrection. In today’s gospel, it
is clear the evangelist wanted to dispel all doubts about the resurrection of
Jesus. He was no ghost and not a vision either. Certainly, He was
not a hallucination but truly a living person, body and spirit. If not,
how could a ghost invite the apostles for breakfast? Ghosts do not eat.
Thus, “None of the disciples was bold enough to ask, ‘Who are you?’ they knew
quite well that it was the Lord.” St John remarked, “This was the third time
that Jesus showed himself to the disciples after rising from the dead.”
So in the minds of the apostles it was beyond all doubt that Jesus is risen and
He is Lord.
For
those of us who have not seen the Risen Lord, St Peter invites us to see the
effects of the Resurrection of our Lord. His presence and power is seen in the works of the
apostles. Without mincing his words, St Peter said, “that it was by the
name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the one you crucified, whom God raised from
the dead, by this name and by no other that this man is able to stand up
perfectly healthy, here in your presence today.” Indeed, the fact that
the cripple was healed was indisputable. They could not deny that the man
was restored of his mobility. This made them recall the psalmist who
said, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the corner stone. This
is the work of the Lord, a marvel in our eyes. This day was made by the Lord;
we rejoice and are glad.”
Consequently,
we must understand the context in which the confession of faith in Jesus as
Lord was made.
The apostles and disciples of the Lord encountered the risen Jesus. By
His rising, Jesus showed that He was truly endorsed and vindicated by God His
Father. It was this personal encounter with the Risen Lord and the
ensuing manifestation of His living presence in the works of healing, preaching
and miracles that gave the apostles the impetus to confess Jesus’ divine
Lordship. Without this experience, it would not have been possible to
make this confession of faith.
So
we should not be surprised that their confession of faith in the resurrection
of Jesus caused the priests to be unhappy with them. It was against their faith, as
the Sadducees denied the doctrine of the resurrection. They were also
afraid of the swelling crowd at the Temple which could cause the Roman
authorities to intervene to maintain social order. But most of all, the priests
were afraid that they might lose their prestige and power. So
without a personal encounter with the Risen Lord, they could only react to
protect their own interests. But now that a cripple since birth has been
healed, they were challenged to offer an explanation of which they could not.
In the
same vein in our dealings with those of other faiths, how do we handle them
because they too would not be able to accept our confession of faith in Jesus
as Lord and Saviour? Whilst we should not compromise our faith in
Christ as Lord, since the resurrection established Him as Lord and God, we must
remember that this confession is possible only in the context of faith in
Christ. For those who have not encountered the Lord in their lives, either
personally through prayer and intimacy, as in the case of St John the beloved
disciple who immediately intuited Him as the Lord; or like the rest of the
disciples through the miracles in their lives, it would not be possible to make
this confession of faith. We must realize that the confession of faith is
an experience, before it is a doctrine. So on the level of
theological argument alone, one might not be able to convince someone who does
not share a common experience of Christ working in their lives.
This
is true of other religions as well. We have no right to denigrate their
beliefs or faith because we do not come from the same religious tradition and
experience.
Whilst we can make our confession of faith in Christ as Lord and Saviour of the
world, we cannot on the other hand dismiss their religious claims.
Indeed, Vatican II in Nostra Aetate says, “Men expect from the various
religions answers to the unsolved riddles of the human condition, which today,
even as in former times, deeply stir the hearts of men: What is man? What is
the meaning, the aim of our life? What is moral good, what is sin? Whence
suffering and what purpose does it serve? Which is the road to true happiness?
What are death, judgment and retribution after death? What, finally, is that
ultimate inexpressible mystery which encompasses our existence: whence do we
come, and where are we going?” (NA 1)
“From
ancient times down to the present, there is found among various peoples a
certain perception of that hidden power which hovers over the course of things
and over the events of human history; at times some indeed have come to the
recognition of a Supreme Being, or even of a Father. This perception and
recognition penetrates their lives with a profound religious sense. Religions,
however, that are bound up with an advanced culture have struggled to answer
the same questions by means of more refined concepts and a more developed
language.” (NA 2)
Hence,
“the Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these
religions. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of
life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from
the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that
Truth which enlightens all men. Indeed, she proclaims, and ever must proclaim
Christ “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), in whom men
may find the fullness of religious life, in whom God has reconciled all things
to Himself.” (NA 2)
Truly,
the Catholic Church embraces all humanity because, as Nostra Aetate reminds us, “One is the
community of all peoples, one their origin, for God made the whole human race
to live over the face of the earth. One also is their final goal, God. His
providence, His manifestations of goodness, His saving design extend to all
men, until that time when the elect will be united in the Holy City, the city
ablaze with the glory of God, where the nations will walk in His light.”
(NA 1) This paradoxical confession of Jesus as Lord and Saviour of the
World can also accommodate people from other religions who are searching for
the fullness of truth and life.
After
all, as the gospel says, the Church is able to accommodate people of all
nationalities and cultures and languages. This is the significance of Peter who “dragged the
net to the shore, full of big fish, one hundred and fifty-three of them; and in
spite of there being so many the net was not broken.” The number 153
stands for all the nations in the world; and the net stands for the
Church. “The Church, therefore, exhorts her sons, that through dialogue
and collaboration with the followers of other religions, carried out with
prudence and love and in witness to the Christian faith and life, they
recognize, preserve and promote the good things, spiritual and moral, as well
as the socio-cultural values found among these men.” (NA 2)
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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