20160708 DEFENDING THE TRUTH AND VALUES OF THE GOSPEL
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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Hosea 14:2-10 ©
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The Lord says this:
Israel, come back to
the Lord your God;
your iniquity was the
cause of your downfall.
Provide yourself with
words
and come back to the
Lord.
Say to him, ‘Take all
iniquity away
so that we may have
happiness again
and offer you our
words of praise.
Assyria cannot save
us,
we will not ride
horses any more,
or say, “Our God!” to
what our own hands have made,
for you are the one
in whom orphans find compassion.’
– I will heal their
disloyalty,
I will love them with
all my heart,
for my anger has
turned from them.
I will fall like dew
on Israel.
He shall bloom like
the lily,
and thrust out roots
like the poplar,
his shoots will
spread far;
he will have the
beauty of the olive
and the fragrance of
Lebanon.
They will come back
to live in my shade;
they will grow corn
that flourishes,
they will cultivate
vines
as renowned as the
wine of Helbon.
What has Ephraim to
do with idols any more
when it is I who hear
his prayer and care for him?
I am like a cypress
ever green,
all your fruitfulness
comes from me.
Let the wise man
understand these words.
Let the intelligent
man grasp their meaning.
For the ways of the
Lord are straight,
and virtuous men walk
in them,
but sinners stumble.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm
50:3-4,8-9,12-14,17 ©
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My mouth shall
declare your praise.
Have mercy on me,
God, in your kindness.
In your
compassion blot out my offence.
O wash me more and
more from my guilt
and
cleanse me from my sin.
My mouth shall
declare your praise.
Indeed you love truth
in the heart;
then in
the secret of my heart teach me wisdom.
O purify me, then I
shall be clean;
O wash
me, I shall be whiter than snow.
My mouth shall
declare your praise.
A pure heart create
for me, O God,
put a
steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away
from your presence,
nor
deprive me of your holy spirit.
My mouth shall
declare your praise.
Give me again the joy
of your help;
with a
spirit of fervour sustain me,
O Lord, open my lips
and my
mouth shall declare your praise.
My mouth shall
declare your praise.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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1P1:25
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The word of the Lord
remains for ever:
What is this word?
It is the Good News
that has been brought to you.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Jn16:13,14:26
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Alleluia, alleluia!
When the Spirit of
truth comes
he will lead you to
the complete truth,
and he will remind
you of all I have said to you.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 10:16-23
©
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Jesus instructed the
Twelve as follows: ‘Remember, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; so
be cunning as serpents and yet as harmless as doves.
‘Beware
of men: they will hand you over to sanhedrins and scourge you in their
synagogues. You will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear
witness before them and the pagans. But when they hand you over, do not worry
about how to speak or what to say; what you are to say will be given to you
when the time comes; because it is not you who will be speaking; the Spirit of
your Father will be speaking in you. ‘Brother will betray brother to death, and
the father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them
put to death. You will be hated by all men on account of my name; but the man
who stands firm to the end will be saved. If they persecute you in one town,
take refuge in the next; and if they persecute you in that, take refuge in
another. I tell you solemnly, you will not have gone the round of the towns of
Israel before the Son of Man comes.’
DEFENDING
THE TRUTH AND VALUES OF THE GOSPEL
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: [ HOS 14:2-10,
MT 10:16-23 ]
“The
Lord says this: Israel, come back to the Lord your God; your iniquity was
the cause of your downfall. Provide yourself with words and come back to the
Lord.” We read of the fall of Israel in the first reading. The
kingdom fell to the Assyrians for three reasons. Firstly, they were too
full of themselves. They were proud. They overestimated their military
might. When people are too presumptuous of their strength, they can fall
badly. Secondly, they were pursuing the idols, the false gods of
power, money and pleasure. Thirdly, they relied on their strength and power and
not on the power of God. Indeed, they learnt a hard lesson.
“Assyria cannot save us, we will not ride horses any more, or say, ‘Our God!’
to what our own hands have made, for you are the one in whom orphans find compassion.”
The prophet warns us, “Let the wise man understand these words. Let the
intelligent man grasp their meaning. For the ways of the Lord are straight, and
virtuous men walk in them, but sinners stumble.”
But it
is not easy today because of relativism and individualism. We have
enemies from within and without. From without, the world cannot
understand us. They are hostile to us. When we address our
Catholics, they will also attack us because our statements are no longer
confined within the people of our faith. We are called to defend our
faith before governors, that is, the secular leaders and society. Jesus
said, “Beware of men: they will hand you over to sanhedrins and scourge you in
their synagogues. You will be dragged before governors and kings for my
sake, to bear witness before them and the pagans.” In the early
days of Christianity, the government and the secularists perceived the
Christians negatively. They were thought to be revolutionaries, against the
state and challenging certain customs and beliefs of the day, such as slavery
and the worship of images. This cuts into the pockets of the merchants.
Indeed, Christianity is on
trial in the world today. The world cannot accept the Christian faith
because we are not adopting the relativistic values of the world, values that
promote individualism at the expense of the greater good of the community;
values that are in based on self-indulgence, materialism and consumerism.
If the world is against the teachings of the Church, this is understandable because
businesses are affected by the moral teachings of the Church. Political
leaders want to be elected and therefore promote themselves as defenders of
freedom and democracy, not of truth and justice. Their only concern is
with votes, not about whether it is right or wrong; or whether policies that
they advocate have serious repercussions and implications for society in the
future. This is particularly true with respect to the freedom of
religions, the marriage and family institutions. The confusion of the
sexual identity of the person is another source of concern.
From within, this is even
more insidious. We are attacked by our own Catholics publicly. We
are our own traitors. Some Catholics are publicly running down the Holy
Father and his teachings, thinking that they are doing the Church a
favour. We let the world know how divided we are within. This helps
the world to destroy us because they know that Catholics are not standing as
one Church and one body of Christ. Divide and conquer is the strategy of
the world. Of course, this is because of sins, weaknesses, poor
formation and scandals. This is what Jesus is warning us about. He
said, “Brother will betray brother to death, and the father his child; children
will rise against their parents and have them put to death.” Like the
early Church, those who became Christians were persecuted by their own loved
ones. So too, today, the Church can also persecute us because we
are outspoken. But mostly, Catholics today attack their Church leaders
and slander their own Church without understanding the teachings of the
Church. They listen to the world and judge and speak like those who are
outside of the faith.
How then must we act?
Firstly,
we need to hold firm in our faith to the end. “You will be hated by all men on
account of my name; but the man who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
Jesus is truly honest with us. He did not promise us a rose
garden. He did not preach the prosperity gospel or promise us a life of
comfort and luxury. Rather, He told His would-be disciples that the Son of Man
has nowhere to lay His head. Now, He warned them that they would be persecuted.
Secondly, we need to be
crafty in dealing with the world. “Remember, I am sending you out like
sheep among wolves; so be cunning as serpents and yet as harmless as
doves.” Indeed, the temptations of the Evil One are very
deceitful. The Evil One will tempt us in many ways. He comes under
the guise of good people when they are sent to tempt us to sin and to lose our
zeal in our faith and ministry. Often, within the Church, there are
Catholics who are using the Church for their own ambitions and
self-interests. We must therefore be alert, prudent, wise in
handling sensitive and difficult challenges in the Church. But at the
same time, we need to be gentle and diplomatic in dealing with our
opponents.
Finally, Jesus warns us not
to act rashly but act patiently. “If they persecute you in one town, take
refuge in the next; and if they persecute you in that, take refuge in
another. I tell you solemnly, you will have gone the round of the towns
of Israel before the Son of Man comes.” There is no need to
seek martyrdom. This is foolishness and a sin of pride. We must
keep ourselves alive to serve the Lord and His people. We do so only when
our faith is being challenged out rightly and God’s name is slandered.
Otherwise, in small matters, we will not sacrifice our life for
them. Some Catholics will fight over petty matters and forget the
bigger picture of the Church. We must therefore be prudent and know when
we need to stand up for the faith and when we need to flee and come back again
at another opportune time to witness Christ.
How can we act confidently
in the face of persecution? Firstly, we must seek the truth and repent of
our pride and sinfulness. The prophet says, “Provide yourself with words
and come back to the Lord. Say to him, ‘Take all iniquity away so that we may
have happiness again and offer you our words of praise. Assyria cannot save us,
we will not ride horses any more, or say, “Our God!” to what our own hands have
made, for you are the one in whom orphans find compassion.’” Indeed, we
must turn to the Lord and acknowledge our guilt and our dependence on
Him. By walking the way of the Lord, we will find life once again.
“For the ways of the Lord are straight, and virtuous men walk in them, but
sinners stumble.” When we turn to Him, the Lord will heal us and bless us
with His love. “I will heal their disloyalty, I will love them with all
my heart, for my anger has turned from them. I will fall like dew on
Israel.”
Secondly, we need to root
ourselves in the Lord. “He shall bloom like the lily, and thrust out
roots like the poplar, his shoots will spread far; he will have the beauty of
the olive and the fragrance of Lebanon. They will come back to live in my
shade; they will grow corn that flourishes, they will cultivate vines as
renowned as the wine of Helbon.” Only those of us who are grounded
in the Lord can find strength and wisdom. Without faith in God and most
of all in union with Him, we cannot blossom in life and make the faith
grow. So being united in Christ who is the Vine, we will find the
strength, the capacity and the wisdom to love like Him.
Finally, we are called to
speak what the Lord tells us in our hearts. “But when they hand you over,
do not worry about how to speak or what to say; what you are to say will be
given to you when the time comes; because it is not you who will be speaking;
the Spirit of your Father will be speaking on you.” Today, if we are to
prevent ourselves and humanity from destroying itself, then we must defend the
truth of the gospel. We should not fight shy of standing up for Jesus and
for the Catholic Faith. The tragedy of life is that the few good people
are keeping quiet. By saving their skin and their face, the whole country
perishes. We who have been given the truth, wisdom and knowledge have a
duty to proclaim the Gospel in and out of season. When we are
imbued with the love of Christ and the truth of the gospel, we only need to
speak from the depths of our hearts. God will use our sincerity of love
for the truth to touch the hearts of our listeners. By doing, we
also regain our dignity and identity as God’s children.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights
Reserved
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