20160919 LIVING IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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Proverbs 3:27-34
©
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My son, do not refuse
a kindness to anyone who begs it,
if it is
in your power to perform it.
Do not say to your
neighbour, ‘Go away! Come another time!
I will
give it you tomorrow’, if you can do it now.
Do not plot harm
against your neighbour
as he
lives unsuspecting next door.
Do not pick a
groundless quarrel with a man
who has
done you no harm.
Do not emulate the
man of violence,
never
model your conduct on his;
for the wilful
wrong-doer is abhorrent to the Lord,
who
confides only in honest men.
The Lord’s curse lies
on the house of the wicked,
but he
blesses the home of the virtuous.
He mocks those who
mock,
but accords
his favour to the humble.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm 14:2-5 ©
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The just will live
in the presence of the Lord.
Lord, who shall dwell
on your holy mountain?
He who walks without
fault;
he who acts with
justice
and speaks the truth
from his heart;
he who does not
slander with his tongue.
The just will live
in the presence of the Lord.
He who does no wrong
to his brother,
who casts no slur on
his neighbour,
who holds the godless
in disdain,
but honours those who
fear the Lord.
The just will live
in the presence of the Lord.
He who keeps his
pledge, come what may;
who takes no interest
on a loan
and accepts no bribes
against the innocent.
Such a man will stand
firm for ever.
The just will live
in the presence of the Lord.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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James1:18
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Alleluia, alleluia!
By his own choice the
Father made us his children
by the message of the
truth,
so that we should be
a sort of first-fruits
of all that he
created.
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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Luke 8:16-18 ©
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Jesus
said to his disciples: ‘No one lights a lamp to cover it with a bowl or to put
it under a bed. No, he puts it on a lamp-stand so that people may see the light
when they come in. For nothing is hidden but it will be made clear, nothing
secret but it will be known and brought to light. So take care how you hear;
for anyone who has will be given more; from anyone who has not, even what he thinks
he has will be taken away.’
LIVING
IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD
Jesus said, “Nothing is
hidden but it will be made clear, nothing secret but it will be known and
brought to light.” These words of our Lord should remind us that things cannot
be hidden for long and all things will be revealed, if not on earth, at the end
of time. In truth, there is no secret on earth. For that reason, it
is better to walk in the light at all times. In other words, as the
psalmist tells us, “The just will live in the presence of the Lord.”
Because we know that what
is kept secret will be revealed in time, many of us live in fear when we have
done wrong in life, more so if it is a crime we have committed. Even
though we might be apparently doing well in life, yet we are not happy.
This is because we have secret and hidden sins which we dare not reveal.
We live in anxiety and fear that one day our past sins and our failures will be
exposed; or even current and ongoing sins.
Indeed, we can never be
happy regardless of our wealth and other material security when our heart is
insecure because of dishonesty. We might have a beautiful bed but we
cannot sleep. We have good food but cannot eat in peace. We have a
big car but we know it does not belong to us. Those who cheat and steal
can never find peace with ill-gotten gains. So long as we take what is
not ours, we cannot be at peace because we are living on stolen goods, “for the
willful wrong-doer is abhorrent to the Lord, who confides only in honest men.”
Cheating is not confined only to money but in relationships as
well. When we cheat on our friends, our loved ones especially, or our
spouse, we can never find peace in that extra-marital or irregular
relationship. We rationalize that it is all right because of
certain circumstances. We try to justify our actions but deep
within our hearts, our conscience condemns us. It speaks so loudly in our
heart, robbing us of our peace and joy.
Then there are many who do
not have peace in their hearts because of addictions, especially to drugs, sex
and gambling. Those addicted to drugs are afraid to let their loved ones
know about their addiction. Often by the time they are discovered, it is
too late. But even if those hidden sins are not criminal, such as
those sins involving sex, pornography and gambling, they are shameful and often
not confessed. More so if you are Catholic, or worse still, an active
Catholic in Church! We would do all these things under cover for fear of
being recognized. When confronted we would deny vehemently that we are
addicted. We claim that these are pure fun. So long as our conscience
is not clear, we know that what we are doing is wrong.
Peace comes only when we do
what is right and just. This is what the psalmist tells us. “Lord, who
shall dwell on your holy mountain? He who walks without fault; he who acts with
justice and speaks the truth from his heart; he who does not slander with his
tongue. He who does no wrong to his brother; who casts no slur on his neighbor;
who holds the godless in disdain, but honours those who fear the Lord. He who
keeps his pledge, come what may; who takes no interest on a loan and accepts no
bribes against the innocent. Such a man will stand firm forever.”
Otherwise, we will always live in fear of being discovered. That will
bring shame to us and our family; cause us to lose our friends and sometimes
our reputation and even our livelihood. So it is better to walk in the
light than to walk in darkness. To walk in the light is to walk in the
presence of the Lord, knowing that He is watching us in whatever we do.
We can deceive the world but we cannot cheat ourselves. Most of all, we
cannot cheat God. That is why we feel disgusted with ourselves.
In truth, being frail and
mortal beings, because of our fallen nature we can expect to fall into sin or
succumb to our human weaknesses. We should never condemn ourselves when
we fail in Christian charity or in truth. This is the reason why God sent
our Lord to reveal to us His unconditional love and mercy. Most of all,
He came to assure us that in His humanity, He understands our struggles against
sins and the temptations of the Evil One. So He wants to offer us
forgiveness and His strength that comes from grace, to overcome sin. We
cannot be perfect by our own efforts alone but solely with the help of the Holy
Spirit.
The real problem is because
we keep our sins hidden from God and from others. We harbor all our
secret sins and this puts unnecessary burden on our guilt. The more we
try to hide or suppress them, the more they will manifest themselves in
neurosis. Hidden sins have to do with the sin of pride. We fear
shame and pain. But by not talking about our fears, we end up neurotic,
depressed and often wild imaginations of punishment and frightening dreams will
haunt us to no end.
Hidden sins and unconfessed
sins is the weapon that the devil uses to put fear into our hearts and so
cripple us from finding peace and joy in our lives. When that happens, we
become quarrelsome, picking fights with others for no reason, irritable, angry
and suspicious of others. We allow our past to cripple us from living in
the present. If we cannot forgive ourselves or find forgiveness, there
will be no healing. Those of us who sinned and then refuse to confess our
sins because of shame and fear, have already begun the prison sentence even
before being discovered. We sentence ourselves to our crimes and our sins
and suffer silently without others knowing it.
Hidden sins will destroy
all that we have, including our friends and loved ones. When we live in
guilt, we will end up fighting and quarreling with our loved ones. They
will be so hurt and can no longer talk to us. Without open and sincere
communication, there will be no trust, breeding suspicions. Besides
destroying our family and marriage, our health will also suffer.
With poor health and guilt, we cannot do our work or run our business with
peace of mind either. So even if we have everything in the house but
because we know that we live a dishonest life, cheating those whom we love and
serve, we cannot do anything well.
So let us take the first
step to find peace by admitting that we are sinners or that we are addicts or
that we have committed some grave sins. Acknowledgement of sins and
contrition for our sins that have caused so many to be hurt, including
ourselves, is the first step to true liberation and freedom. Spending
time to examine our conscience is necessary to realizing our problems.
When we do not acknowledge and name our sins, the devil will continue to
deceive us by helping us to justify our actions. If many are not healed
of their past, it is because they never truly come to grasp their past mistakes
but simply gloss over them.
Once that is done, we need
to share our worries, fears and struggles with someone whom we can trust.
If we have a confidant whom we can share with, that would be ideal. But
we must make sure that this person is trustworthy and mature enough to offer us
guidance and thoughtful reflections and encouragement on what we are doing.
Speaking and sharing our shame with those who are very close to us will
bring about the first stage of healing. Unloading our guilt and shame,
sharing our griefs and tears with someone who is empathetic with our situation
will bring much relief and peace. But sometimes, this is not sufficient
because we need the forgiveness of God. We need to know that God has
forgiven us.
For this reason, the Church
has given us the Sacrament of reconciliation. This is the most beautiful
gift of Christ to the Church. Unlike in other situations and even
professions, no sharing is absolutely confidential. But in the confessional, no
priest, under the pain of mortal sin and excommunication, can reveal the sin of
the penitents to anyone under whatever circumstances. There is absolute
secrecy in confession. Thus confession is never done through the phone,
email or letter, but always in person. To allow a person to confess
freely so that he could be healed of his shame and guilt, the Church gives the
penitent the option of confessing face to face with the priest or behind the
curtain. The Church respects the privacy of the penitent and his
sensitivity. What the Church wishes is that we do not harbor our private
and hidden sins, especially the shameful and embarrassing ones so that we can
be set free from guilt, and find peace and joy again. The
confessional therefore is one place where one is set free without conditions
and with respect and compassion for those who have failed. A good confessor is
one who is sensitive, patient, compassionate, forgiving and encouraging to the
penitent.
Next, we must choose to
walk in the light and in the truth. Walking in His presence at all times
will give us true and lasting peace even when things do not turn out the way we
want. Let us take heed of the warning of our Lord, “So take care how you
hear; for anyone who has will be given more; from anyone who has not, even what
he thinks he has will be taken away.” The psalmist also warns us in the
same vein. “The Lord’s curse lies on the house of the wicked,
but he blesses the home of the virtuous. He mocks those who mock, but accords
his favour to the humble.” So let us walk in the light and also be the light in
the world as Christ commands us. The best way to fight sin and evil is to
live in truth, in good and be the light for others.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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