20160607 WALKING OUT OF THE CHURCH
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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1 Kings 17:7-16 ©
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The stream in the
place where Elijah lay hidden dried up, for the country had no rain. And then
the word of the Lord came to Elijah, ‘Up and go to Zarephath, a Sidonian town,
and stay there. I have ordered a widow there to give you food.’ So he went off
to Sidon. And when he reached the city gate, there was a widow gathering
sticks; addressing her he said, ‘Please bring me a little water in a vessel for
me to drink.’ She was setting off to bring it when he called after her.
‘Please’ he said ‘bring me a scrap of bread in your hand.’ ‘As the Lord your
God lives,’ she replied ‘I have no baked bread, but only a handful of meal in a
jar and a little oil in a jug; I am just gathering a stick or two to go and
prepare this for myself and my son to eat, and then we shall die.’ But Elijah
said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, go and do as you have said; but first make a
little scone of it for me and bring it to me, and then make some for yourself
and for your son. For thus the Lord speaks, the God of Israel:
“Jar of meal shall
not be spent,
jug of oil shall not
be emptied,
before the day when
the Lord sends
rain on the face of
the earth.”’
The woman went and
did as Elijah told her and they ate the food, she, himself and her son. The jar
of meal was not spent nor the jug of oil emptied, just as the Lord had foretold
through Elijah.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm 4:2-5,7-8 ©
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Lift up the light
of your face on us, O Lord.
When I call, answer
me, O God of justice;
from
anguish you released me, have mercy and hear me!
O men, how long will
your hearts be closed,
will you
love what is futile and seek what is false?
Lift up the light
of your face on us, O Lord.
It is the Lord who
grants favours to those whom he loves;
the Lord
hears me whenever I call him.
Fear him; do not sin:
ponder on your bed and be still.
Lift up the light
of your face on us, O Lord.
‘What can bring us
happiness?’ many say.
Lift up
the light of your face on us, O Lord.
You have put into my
heart a greater joy
than they
have from abundance of corn and new wine.
Lift up the light
of your face on us, O Lord.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Ph2:15-16
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Alleluia, alleluia!
You will shine in the
world like bright stars
because you are
offering it the word of life.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Mt5:16
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Your light must shine
in the sight of men,
so that, seeing your
good works,
they may give the
praise to your Father in heaven.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 5:13-16 ©
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Jesus said to his
disciples, ‘You are the salt of the earth. But if salt becomes tasteless, what
can make it salty again? It is good for nothing, and can only be thrown out to
be trampled underfoot by men.
‘You
are the light of the world. A city built on a hill-top cannot be hidden. No one
lights a lamp to put it under a tub; they put it on the lamp-stand where it
shines for everyone in the house. In the same way your light must shine in the
sight of men, so that, seeing your good works, they may give the praise to your
Father in heaven.’
WALKING
OUT OF THE CHURCH
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: [ 1 KINGS
17:7-16; MT 5:13-16 ]
“Lord,
let your face shine on us. When I call, answer me, O my just
God.” This is the cry of the world as well. Today, many
are unable to see the face of God. In a world of materialism, we cannot
hear the voice of God. In a world of consumerism, we cannot feel God. In
a world of technology, we cannot rely on God. In a world of relativism,
we cannot know God. In a world of poverty, sickness, injustice, war and
natural disasters, it is difficult to believe in a God who cares. God
seems to be redundant and remote.
If we
think that is bad enough, sometimes, we feel that God is not even in His
Church. With so many problems facing the Church, scandals and failures
and sin in the Church, we wonder at times whether Jesus is with the Church at
all. Those of us who work with the Church or are involved in Church activities
often become disillusioned when confronted with the sinful and imperfect side
of the Church, especially the bureaucracy and politics. Many times we
feel like walking out of the Church. We become disheartened as to whether
Christ is with His Church.
What is the reason for our
feeling discouraged? We do not have the faith of Elijah and the widow at
Sidon. We lack faith that God is with us. We trust more
in ourselves and in our ingenuity. Even those who are supposedly more
grounded in the knowledge of the faith are not spared from such
disappointments. This is because our faith is more of an
intellectual faith than a personal faith. That is why some of us
give up on our ministry and our faith in God and in the institutions when
things do not seem to go the way we think they should. Many of our so
called ordinary Catholics who do not have much knowledge of the bible and the
doctrines of the Church seem to have greater faith than us, just like the widow
in the first reading. They live their lives in total surrender and trust
in God. Like the psalmist, they “know that the Lord does wonders for his
faithful one.” Indeed, “the Lord will hear me when I call upon him.
Tremble, and sin not; reflect, upon your beds, in silence.”
In the case of Elijah, when
there was famine everywhere, he trusted in God. He did not give up
hope. He took God at His word that the rain would eventually return, for
God allowed the famine to punish the people of Israel so that they would be
brought to repentance. This is even truer in the case of the widow.
She had nothing left because of the drought. Yet when she was tested to
share her last meal with Elijah, she did not hold anything back. She was
willing to give up her food to the prophet. Although stripped of everything,
she did not bear grudges against God. She hoped against all hope.
Because of her great faith, she was rewarded with the gift of bread. For
the miracle of the loaves took place as the prophet said, “Jar of meal shall
not be spent, jug of oil shall not be emptied, before the day when the Lord
sends rain on the face of the earth.” This miracle anticipates the
multiplication of loaves of our Lord who too multiplied bread for the five
thousand. And today in the Eucharist He makes Himself present to those
who believe in Him and His real presence in the Eucharist. The Lord
continues to feed those who have faith in Him.
As the chosen people of
God, we are called to proclaim faith in the world and give hope to humanity who
no longer can feel the presence of God. We do this by being the salt of
the earth and light of the world. To be salt is to continue to
preserve our institutions and the faith of our fathers. We are called to
preserve the gospel values that have been imparted to us. But salt
is more than mere preservation of traditions and institutions. To be the
salt of the earth is to transform life, to add spice and flavour into the
boring and meaningless life of society. We are called to make a
difference in people’s lives, by giving them meaning and purpose. We must
correct the wrong impression that religion and religious people are boring and
prudish. Many think that religion takes the joy out of life. On the
contrary, it is important to let people know that faith in Christ gives greater
meaning and purpose to life, and helps us to love more authentically, setting
us free from our enemies. Faith in Christ keeps us tranquil in the face
of problems and hope in the face of desperation.
We are also called to be
the light of the world, to be a beacon to humanity. As light, we
are called to show them the face of God and Christ as their light in their
struggles in life, so that they can walk in the way. We do this by
radiating Christ’s love and life. There is no way to be the light unless
we show good examples to others. Of course, the purpose of all that we do
is not meant to attract people to ourselves but to the Heavenly Father.
Jesus said, “In the same way your light must shine in the sight of men, so
that, seeing your good works, they may give the praise to your Father in
heaven.” That is why the good works of a Christian are not done for
show. They come from a heart that is full of love for God and for their
neighbours. They spring unconsciously and naturally from a person
who has the heart of God.
But it
is easy to conceive of our ministry as saving the world out there. The
truth is that the world is not out there but here. It is easy to love
humanity but we cannot stand people around us. Loving the Church is
easy but the Church is where we are, a community of sinners striving to become
saints. Many of us are broken and wounded. As a result, we have to
deal with imperfect brothers and sisters who are struggling to live the gospel
life. The real test of love is not loving the Church in the abstract but
the very people around us.
So we must begin by being
salt and light to each other. It is important to ask whether we inspire
faith in the community we belong. Instead of bemoaning that some members
are not living an authentic Christian life, we should be setting an example to
live exemplary Christian lives. Are we truly salt to each other in terms
of protecting each other from the ways of the world, from the loss of
faith? Are we salt to our community, adding flavor and colour to the
community we belong? Are we light to each other, helping each other to
grasp our understanding of God, helping each other to come to know ourselves
and most of all, be a shining example of God to each other?
We are called to reveal His
face to each other and be a source of inspiration to each other. A good
question to ask in determining whether we are salt or light to this community
is whether the community will feel our absence when we are no longer around.
Our presence must be seen by the community as contributive. Whether we
are living a life of influence is determined when we are called to leave the
community. If our absence is considered a real loss to the community,
then we have certainly been salt and light to them. But if our departure
does not cause any loss to the community, it means that we have never been an
influence in the life of the community. If we do not begin here and now,
we would be deluding ourselves into thinking we can change the Church and the
world.
Indeed,
to fulfill our vision of being the salt and light of the world, we must deepen
our understanding and experience of the mystery of Christ by sharing our
Christ-experience in a loving community, and challenging and supporting one
another in evangelical and missionary zeal. Jesus warns us, “But if salt
becomes tasteless, what can make it salty again? It is good for nothing,
and can only be thrown out to be trampled underfoot by men.” This is a
warning to all of us who have taken our faith for granted and living a mediocre
life. By not nurturing our faith, we will lose all influence in the
lives of others. Let us therefore come to Jesus in the Eucharist
and have Him fill us with His love; and let us be salt to each other for each
other’s good. Let our love for the Lord and our presence in a
faith-filled community strengthen our love for the Lord and for each
other. Without being salted by the Lord and His Body, we will not
be able to the salt and light of the world.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights
Reserved
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