20161031 THE CHALLENGES TO COMMUNION IN MISSION
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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Philippians
2:1-4 ©
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If our life in Christ
means anything to you, if love can persuade at all, or the Spirit that we have
in common, or any tenderness and sympathy, then be united in your convictions
and united in your love, with a common purpose and a common mind. That is the
one thing which would make me completely happy. There must be no competition
among you, no conceit; but everybody is to be self-effacing. Always consider
the other person to be better than yourself, So that nobody thinks of his own
interests first but everybody thinks of other people’s interests instead.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm 130(131) ©
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Keep my soul in
peace before you, O Lord.
O Lord, my heart is
not proud
nor
haughty my eyes.
I have not gone after
things too great
nor
marvels beyond me.
Keep my soul in
peace before you, O Lord.
Truly I have set my
soul
in
silence and peace.
A weaned child on its
mother’s breast,
even so
is my soul.
Keep my soul in
peace before you, O Lord.
O Israel, hope in the
Lord
both now
and forever.
Keep my soul in
peace before you, O Lord.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Ps118:18
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Open my eyes, O Lord,
that I may consider
the wonders of your
law.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Jn8:31-32
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Alleluia, alleluia!
If you make my word
your home
you will indeed be my
disciples,
and you will learn
the truth, says the Lord.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 14:12-14 ©
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Jesus said to his
host, one of the leading Pharisees, ‘When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not
ask your friends, brothers, relations or rich neighbours, for fear they repay
your courtesy by inviting you in return. No; when you have a party, invite the
poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; that they cannot pay you back means
that you are fortunate, because repayment will be made to you when the virtuous
rise again.’
THE CHALLENGES
TO COMMUNION IN MISSION
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: [ Philippians 2:1-4; Luke 14:12-14 ]
One of the biggest
challenges in kingdom building is uniting the People of God in one
mission. We have division at every level, from the universal church to
the diocese and the parish and within church organizations. There will
always be elements that will sow seeds of division. At the same time, we
know that without unity, there is no mission. Since the mission of the
Church is to bring all into communion, the division among ourselves is a
contradiction to the message we are bringing to the whole of humanity. In
other words, if we cannot put our own house in order, how can we be a catalyst
of communion for others?
This was the same appeal of
St Paul to the early Christians when he wrote, “If our life in Christ means
anything to you, if love can persuade at all, or the Spirit that we have in
common, or any tenderness and sympathy, then be united in your convictions and
united in your love, with a common purpose and a common mind. That is the one
thing which would make me completely happy.” Indeed, nothing can make the
head of any household happier than to have a united family. One of the
greatest sadness of any parent is to see the family divided. So, too, for
the universal and local church. A divided Church is a cause of sadness
and scandal to all. That is why the last prayer of Jesus for the Church
is the prayer for unity among His disciples. “I ask not only on behalf of
these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that
they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also
be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (Jn 17:20f)
How, then, can we build
communion among ourselves? St Paul urges us to “be united in your convictions
and united in your love, with a common purpose and a common mind.” Unity
can only come about when we are ready to align ourselves together for a common
purpose, which is the spread of the gospel and for the glory of God, and the
salvation of humanity. Without this alignment with the entire Church,
each of us would be doing our own thing and in our own ways. When we do
that, regardless of what we do, even if it is good and praiseworthy but brings
about division in the Church, it would be counterproductive. It may serve
our purpose but not the greater goal of the Church. It therefore
behooves every one of us, laity, priests and religious, to endeavor to seek to
be one with the local church and with the bishop in our ministry, just as the
bishop seeks to unite the local church with the universal church under the
leadership of the Holy Father.
It is for this reason that
the structure of the Catholic Church is both a hierarchical and organic
model. It is hierarchical in the sense that there are different levels of
authority in the Church where all are called to respect for the sake of unity.
The Holy Father is the symbol of unity in the Church. Consequently, he
has absolute power over the church of Christ so that the Church could be always
one in the face of diverse opinions. To preserve the unity of the
universal church, the local bishops pledge obedience and allegiance to the Holy
Father, working in unity with him, in close consultation and always deferring
to the decisions of the Holy Father. Similarly, the bishop of the local
diocese is given full power over his diocese so that he could align his priests
and the people with the universal mission of the church under the leadership of
the Holy Father. No bishop can act independently of the college of
bishops and of the Holy Father. Similarly too, no priest or
individual in the local church can act independently without being in communion
with the local bishop. Whilst respecting the organic dimension of the church,
that is, all with different gifts, there is a need to ensure that all gifts are
used for the good of the Church and in support of the mission of both the local
and universal church.
So what is it that prevents
this alignment from taking place? There are two main causes of disunity,
pride and self-centeredness. St Paul was aware of such competition
originating from pride and egotism among the Christians. “There must be
no competition among you, no conceit; but everybody is to be
self-effacing.” In the community, the sin of pride continues to
manifest itself in competition among church organizations, the struggle for
power, recognition and honour. Often, organizations and movements within
the church compete with each other for membership and popularity. Within
organizations, members are envious of each other, especially of those who are
talented and can do better than the others. Most of all, arrogance, which
is the sin of pride, is the cause of much division. This is especially evident
in those who are supposedly talented and accomplished in life. They will
not listen to the opinions of others but insist that their views and their ways
are the only way. They cannot compromise and see beyond their
narrow confines and interests. Their tunnel vision often causes
much division in any group they are in. Sometimes they are harsh,
sarcastic and destructive in their words, causing other members of the group to
be hurt.
The second factor that
causes disunity is self-interest. Although all in the church say that
they are working for Christ and the Church, yet many do so with self-interests
and hidden agendas. It is about themselves, their desires and their
needs. This prompted St Paul to remind the Christians, “that nobody
thinks of his own interests first but everybody thinks of other people’s
interests instead.” In our conduct in the community, do the interests of
the larger church come before our own in all that we do? There are many
church members and groups that desire to have things their way. They
become cliquish and demanding. Most church groups only care for
their members and the reputation of their organization, but they are not
concerned about the interests of the larger community. They do not work
for them or with them.
Consequently, today we are
called to exercise humility in our service. St Paul invites us to “always
consider the other person to be better than yourself.” None of us
must think only of our interests and be too proud to learn from
others. A truly wise man is one who is capable of listening and
welcoming others who have different views of life. Without humility, we
can no longer listen to others. We must be clear that our desire is to
bring glory to God and not to ourselves. St Paul urges us to be
self-effacing, ever ready to give way and deference to others. Whether in
words or in actions, we need to act and speak charitably so that we do not hurt
others who listen to us. When we are truly humble without any airs or
behave as if we are somebody, then people will find us easy to talk to and are
comfortable with us, knowing that we do not judge them.
Secondly, let our service
to the church be without vested interests. This is the meaning of the
parable in today’s gospel. Often the rich are invited for meals and
functions because we expect favours from them. We do things out of
selfish motives so that we can gain something from it. Indeed, many are
helping in government, NGOs and the church with a personal agenda and ulterior
motives. Their service is not pure and noble. Some help in the
church not as an expression of love but out of guilt and fear that God would
punish them for not doing anything good. Others are involved so that they
can get contacts for their businesses.
Let our love and service be
without vested interests. This is why Jesus told the people to invite
“the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; that they cannot pay you back
means that you are fortunate, because repayment will be made to you when the
virtuous rise again.” Real service is when it is done without selfish
interests, not for one’s glory or honour, or one’s benefit. When there is
nothing to gain and when things are done without any expectation of reward,
favour or recognition, then we can afford to be detached in whatever we
do. Then we would avoid fighting for position, power and
recognition. In this way, our service will bring about true unity among
our brothers and sisters.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights
Reserved
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