20161022 ASSUMING OUR RESPONSIBILITY IN BUILDING EACH OTHER UP IN
CHRIST
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
|
First reading
|
|
Ephesians 4:7-16
©
|
Each one of us has
been given his own share of grace, given as Christ allotted it. It was said
that he would:
When he ascended
to the height, he captured prisoners,
he gave gifts to
men.
When it says, ‘he
ascended’, what can it mean if not that he descended right down to the lower
regions of the earth? The one who rose higher than all the heavens to fill all
things is none other than the one who descended. And to some, his gift was that
they should be apostles; to some, prophets; to some, evangelists; to some,
pastors and teachers; so that the saints together make a unity in the work of
service, building up the body of Christ. In this way we are all to come to
unity in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God, until we become the
perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself.
Then we
shall not be children any longer, or tossed one way and another and carried
along by every wind of doctrine, at the mercy of all the tricks men play and
their cleverness in practising deceit. If we live by the truth and in love, we
shall grow in all ways into Christ, who is the head by whom the whole body is
fitted and joined together, every joint adding its own strength, for each
separate part to work according to its function. So the body grows until it has
built itself up, in love.
|
Responsorial
Psalm
|
Psalm 121:1-5 ©
|
I rejoiced when I
heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
I rejoiced when I
heard them say:
‘Let us
go to God’s house.’
And now our feet are
standing
within
your gates, O Jerusalem.
I rejoiced when I
heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
Jerusalem is built as
a city
strongly
compact.
It is there that the
tribes go up,
the
tribes of the Lord.
I rejoiced when I
heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
For Israel’s law it
is,
there to
praise the Lord’s name.
There were set the
thrones of judgement
of the
house of David.
I rejoiced when I
heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
|
Gospel
Acclamation
|
Ps144:13
|
Alleluia, alleluia!
The Lord is faithful
in all his words
and loving in all his
deeds.
Alleluia!
|
Or
|
Ezk33:11
|
Alleluia, alleluia!
I take pleasure, not
in the death of a wicked man,
says the Lord,
but in the turning
back of a wicked man
who changes his ways
to win life.
Alleluia!
|
Gospel
|
Luke 13:1-9 ©
|
Some people arrived
and told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with that of
their sacrifices. At this he said to them, ‘Do you suppose these Galileans who
suffered like that were greater sinners than any other Galileans? They were not,
I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did. Or those
eighteen on whom the tower at Siloam fell and killed them? Do you suppose that
they were more guilty than all the other people living in Jerusalem? They were
not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did.’
He told
this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came
looking for fruit on it but found none. He said to the man who looked after the
vineyard, “Look here, for three years now I have been coming to look for fruit
on this fig tree and finding none. Cut it down: why should it be taking up the
ground?” “Sir,” the man replied “leave it one more year and give me time to dig
round it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year; if not, then you can cut
it down.”’
ASSUMING
OUR RESPONSIBILITY IN BUILDING EACH OTHER UP IN CHRIST
Our life on this earth is
for us to grow, as St Paul wrote, to “become the perfect Man, fully mature with
the fullness of Christ himself.” Holiness is to become another
Christ. Happiness and living a blessed life is to live the life of
Christ. But how can we grow into that perfect man in Christ? Living
in a broken and messed up world, “tossed one way and another and carried along
by every wind of doctrine, at the mercy of all the tricks men play and their
cleverness in practising deceit”, how can we ever be able to live “by the truth
and in love”? This is a cruel, selfish, competitive and
individualistic world. Worldly people only think of themselves, their
self-interests and convenience. It is all about me!
The Good News is that we do
not struggle to be perfect by ourselves and by our own strength alone. On
our own, we will not be able to withstand the temptations and hostility of the
world. As Christians, we are never alone. We are with Christ and
His Body the Church. Indeed, in yesterday’s reading, St Paul reminded us,
“There is one Body, one Spirit, just as you were all called into one and the
same hope when you were called. There is one Lord, one faith, one
baptism, and one God who is Father of all, over all, through all and within
all.”
So if
we want to remain firm in our faith and not get carried away by Satan and the
world, we must first and foremost align ourselves with Christ. He is the
vine and we are the branches. St Paul says, we must “grow in all ways
into Christ, who is the head by whom the whole body is fitted and joined
together, every joint adding to it’s own strength, for each separate part to
work according to it’s function.” Each individual Christian must be connected
with Christ and draw strength, nourishment and food from the Lord.
Indeed, the Eucharist which we celebrate daily is the summit of our faith, for
by partaking of the body and blood of Christ, we are transformed by His grace
in us through the work of the Holy Spirit. Every Christian, if he or she
wants to be united with Christ, must unite himself or herself with the Lord in
the Eucharist and in personal prayer, especially a contemplative reading of the
Word of God.
But it
is not enough to come to Christ individually as a Christian. We are all
members of the Body of Christ. We cannot reduce Christian Faith to an
individualistic and subjective kind of spirituality. There is a real danger
that many Christians today no longer associate themselves with any church or
communion. They do not attend Church services and are not involved in the
life of the community but practise their own private faith at home. Such
mentality is at variance with what Christ intends for us all. Salvation
is not just about saving my soul but being in communion with each other and the
whole of humanity by being in communion with God. This is what faith in
the Communion of Saints is all about. To grow in holiness is to intensify
ourselves by being witnesses of love and communion. Otherwise, such
a kind of faith is an inward looking faith.
This
explains why today’s scripture readings must be read in the context of the
biblical background of the People of God. The bible always sees salvation
as the redemption of a people, not merely individuals. Every person is
always seen as a member of a race or nation, family or clan. There is no
individualism either in the Old or the New Testament. Human beings are
defined by their relationship with one another and with God. All of us as
human beings therefore are in solidarity with each other whether we like it or
not. As a consequence, we either suffer together or rejoice
together. We are inter-dependent on each other, never alone and without
the other.
The corollary of this
principle means that if we are to grow in Christ, we must grow together with
the Church, which is the Body of Christ. We cannot think of growing in
our spiritual life without the Church. It is to the Church that we seek
support, help and direction. This explains why St Paul speaks of Christ’s
bestowing the gifts of the Spirit to His Church. “And to some, his gift was
that they should be apostles; to some, prophets; and to some, evangelists; to
some, pastors and teachers; so that the saints together make a unity in the
work of service, building up the body of Christ.” Indeed, God has given
each one of us gifts not for ourselves but principally for the good of our
fellow brothers and sisters. We are called to turn to the Church for
assistance and encouragement.
The tragedy is that many of
our Catholics tend to live and practise their faith all alone. Many of
them hardly have any Catholic friends. After baptism, they go back to
their old way of life and live among peoples without faith. In such a
secular and atheistic environment, how could the Catholic ever grow in
faith? In times of trouble and tribulations, they have no one to turn to,
no Catholic friends, no priests that they know. Instead of turning to
Christ and His Church, in their desperation they turn to the world and some
even to those involved in occult activities to find a solution. Once
under the rein of the evil spirits, they find themselves unable to get out of
their bondage and get from bad to worse. Any Catholic who stands alone
will fall. Every Catholic, if he is to grow in faith, must somehow belong
to a Catholic support group or organization, whether informal or
formal. Most of all, he or she should belong to a cell group that
meets regularly for prayer and sharing of the Word of God. Without the
support of our fellow Catholics, we cannot face a world so hostile towards the
values of the gospel.
But it
is not enough to belong to an organization or a Catholic cell group. We
must contribute to the growth of the Christian community as well. We
cannot only be receivers and not give as well. There are some who only
want to receive but are not ready to give. Some come to Church only to
ask for help but they do not contribute to the Church and the life of the
Christian community with whatever resources the Lord has blessed them. It
is ironical that many Catholics are doing so well in their personal and
corporate life but they do not care that the House of God is falling apart or
in ruins. Many regard the Church as a dispensing machine where they get all
they want but do not give anything back. The gospel is free and given
freely but someone has to give to the Church otherwise she has nothing to give!
Indeed,
we must never forget that because of our solidarity with each other in Christ,
and that each of us has received specific gifts for the building of Christ’s
body, it means that we all affect each other for better or for worse. The
gifts we receive can help the community to grow but they can also provoke
jealousy because the gifts are not shared or are abused for the selfish needs
of some members. The growth of the individual is dependent on the
community; and conversely, the community can grow only if the individual plays
his or her part in serving and contributing. Without cooperation, the
community will become fragmented and divided. So the choice is ours,
whether we want to suffer and perish together or rejoice and celebrate life and
love together in Christ.
Today’s
gospel should be a stern warning for us all. We must not fall into the
trap of theologizing from our arm-chair, criticizing others for their
failures. This was what happened during the time of Jesus. Instead
of examining themselves they were speculating whether those who died in the
hands of Pilate “were greater sinners than any other Galileans” or those who
died when the tower of Siloam fell on them were guilty of sinning. Isn’t
this what we do? We read the papers or the News and we start criticizing
and condemning people for their failures, making remarks, “How could this
person be so irresponsible, dishonest, etc …” as if we are exempted and
exonerated from sin and failure. The truth is that we are no better than
those whom we condemn. The only difference is that our sins have not yet
been uncovered and published like the rest!
That is
why Jesus repeated the warning twice, “unless you repent you will all perish as
they did.” What is more important is that we are living an honest and
integrated life of love and communion. In His parable of the barren fig
tree, Jesus is warning us that if we do not bear fruit, there will come a time
of judgment. God is patient with us but He cannot stop us from rejecting
His love. If we remain indifferent to His love and His Church, the Body
of Christ and our fellow Christians, we will be held accountable for our
failure to be fully inserted into Him and grow together grow “until it has
built itself up, in love.” In the final analysis, those who remain outside
the Body of Christ and do not contribute to it will be the losers in the end
for cutting themselves off from Christ and His Church, they will be swept by
the tides of the world and drown in their own sin and misery.
Let us
therefore take heed of the exhortation of Jesus and St Paul. We share a
common bond of flesh and spirit. Let us not drag each other down but let
us build each other up. If Jesus unites Himself with us, it is because He
wants to build us up. Instead of complaining that the Church is backward,
outdated, slow and inefficient; our liturgy and worship is not spirit-filled;
our catechesis and preaching are uninspiring; our priests are old and
uninspiring, etc., let us assume responsibility by making a difference in the
community we are in. Don’t blame the organization and the Church or
society. We are a member of the community and we can change the Church
and society. As it is said, better light a candle than condemn the
darkness in the world.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights
Reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment