SEEKING CLARIFICATION ON OUR FAITH

20161214 SEEKING CLARIFICATION ON OUR FAITH

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: White.

First reading

Isaiah 45:6-8,18,21-25 ©

Apart from me, all is nothing.

I am the Lord, unrivalled,

I form the light and create the dark.

I make good fortune and create calamity,

it is I, the Lord, who do all this.

Send victory like a dew, you heavens,

and let the clouds rain it down.

Let the earth open

for salvation to spring up.

Let deliverance, too, bud forth

which I, the Lord, shall create.

Yes, thus says the Lord,

creator of the heavens,

who is God,

who formed the earth and made it,

who set it firm,

created it no chaos,

but a place to be lived in:

  ‘I am the Lord, unrivalled:

  there is no other god besides me.

  A God of integrity and a saviour:

  there is none apart from me.

  Turn to me and be saved,

  all the ends of the earth,

  for I am God unrivalled.

  ‘By my own self I swear it;

  what comes from my mouth is truth,

  a word irrevocable:

  before me every knee shall bend,

  by me every tongue shall swear,

  saying, “From the Lord alone

  come victory and strength.”

  To him shall come, ashamed,

  all who raged against him.

  Victorious and glorious through the Lord shall be

  all the descendants of Israel.’

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 84(85):9-14(Advent) ©

Send victory like a dew, you heavens, and let the clouds rain it down.

I will hear what the Lord God has to say,

  a voice that speaks of peace,

  peace for his people.

His help is near for those who fear him

  and his glory will dwell in our land.

Send victory like a dew, you heavens, and let the clouds rain it down.

Mercy and faithfulness have met;

  justice and peace have embraced.

Faithfulness shall spring from the earth

  and justice look down from heaven.

Send victory like a dew, you heavens, and let the clouds rain it down.

The Lord will make us prosper

  and our earth shall yield its fruit.

Justice shall march before him

  and peace shall follow his steps.

Send victory like a dew, you heavens, and let the clouds rain it down.

Gospel Acclamation

Is55:6

Alleluia, alleluia!

Seek the Lord while he is still to be found,

call to him while he is still near.

Alleluia!

Or

Is40:9-10

Alleluia, alleluia!

Shout with a loud voice, joyful messenger to Jerusalem.

Here is the Lord God coming with power.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 7:19-23 ©

John, summoning two of his disciples, sent them to the Lord to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or must we wait for someone else?’ When the men reached Jesus they said, ‘John the Baptist has sent us to you, to ask, “Are you the one who is to come or have we to wait for someone else?”’ It was just then that he cured many people of diseases and afflictions and of evil spirits, and gave the gift of sight to many who were blind. Then he gave the messengers their answer, ‘Go back and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind see again, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, the Good News is proclaimed to the poor and happy is the man who does not lose faith in me.’

SEEKING CLARIFICATION ON OUR FAITH

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ Isaiah 45:6-8, 18, 21-26; Ps 84:9-14; Luke 7:19-23   ]

“John, summoning two of his disciples, sent them to the Lord to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or must we wait for someone else?’”  This is a fair question as John awaited his destiny in prison.  He needed confirmation as to whether Jesus was the messiah so that he could withdraw quietly from the scene.  John the Baptist was conscious that he was only the forerunner and the voice of the bridegroom.  He was not the Messiah.  He was courageous enough to seek clarification.

Asking questions about our faith and about Christ and the Church is not wrong.  It does not mean that we lack faith.   Rather, there is faith but we lack understanding.  Theology is to understand what we believe.  Faith comes first, followed by understanding.  It is important that we continue to ask questions about what we believe so that we can have a deeper understanding of what we believe. Indeed, the real problem with us Catholics is that we are too complacent about our faith.  We just follow the practices of the faith blindly without inquiring as to why we do what we do.  Many cannot explain our faith clearly to those who ask.  Even basic liturgical signs and symbols that we use so often in our services are not understood by many Catholics. Lesser still, the teachings of the Church on our lofty doctrines, especially with regard to the Eucharist and our Blessed Mother or the sacraments.  Such ignorance extends to moral teachings that affect our daily life, such as the Church’s teaching on sexuality, marriage and family.

When we do not ask, we fall into naivety and superstition when we carry out the practices religiously more out of fear than with understanding.  It also leads to complacency and until our faith is challenged by others, then we begin to realize how little we know about our faith.  Unfortunately, many Catholics do not bother to discover more about their faith, and when confronted by people of other beliefs or from other Christian denominations, they get all shaken up.   Hearing one side of the argument, they become convinced that the teachings of the Catholic Church is wrong or heretical when they do not even know what we really teach and why.  Just listening to their opponents who present their own limited and often biased perspective of the Catholic Church’s doctrines, they come to the conclusion that what they have believed all along are wrong.

It is sad but true, that we can try for years to get our Catholics to read the bible or to come for formation courses, but they will not come.  Then out of the blue, they step into a non-Catholic Christian service, are touched by Christ and are converted.  The irony is that from being nominal Catholics they become anti-Catholics overnight, and they seek to convince all other Catholics that they are not worshipping in the true church of Christ.  Whilst we are sad that these people have taken such a radical route, yet, sometimes it might be better that they have a living faith in Christ than to have none.  It is however a retrogression.  Instead of seeking the fullness of faith in the Catholic Church where the Church of Christ subsists with all the means for sanctification, especially the Eucharist, Confession and the other sacraments, the special assistance of our Blessed Mother, and the magisterium of the teaching Church to guide them correctly, they seek to find Christ outside the authoritative guidance of the successors of the apostolic Church.

How do we know that the God we worship is a true God?  How do we know that the faith we have is a true faith?  How do we know that the Church of Christ subsists in the Catholic Church? The answer is not through intellectual argument or through sophistry but a demonstration of the power of the Spirit.  Jesus did not try to defend or prove that He was the Messiah.  He did not try to give reasons why He was the Messiah.

Rather, the proofs that Jesus offered were the signs of the messianic time.   He said to the disciples of John the Baptist. “Go back and tell John what you have seen and heard; the blind see again, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, the Good News is proclaimed to the poor.”  St Luke noted, “It was just then that he cured many people of diseases and afflictions and of evil spirits, and gave the gift of sight to many who were blind.”  The proof of Jesus’ messiahship does not rest on arguments but on the effects of His ministry.  He demonstrated the messianic signs expected of the Messiah when His coming would usher the restoration of all creation.  There will be healing, peace and reconciliation.  With Christ’s coming, indeed, God showed His mercy and His love to the nations through His healing miracles.

So too, the Church continues to manifest these signs in her institutions today.  She continues the work of healing through the sacraments, especially of the Eucharist and reconciliation.  She continues to work miracles through the intercession of the saints and those gifted with the charisms of the Holy Spirit.  She continues to guide humanity to the fullness of truth by being prophets in our days, proclaiming the gospel of justice and truth.  The Church is not only inward- looking but also reaches out to the world, especially to the poor and the marginalized.  Through her works of mercy and outreach, she seeks to heal the nations and bring all to live in harmony, peace and justice. The Church continues to remain a very important moral institution in the world today even as amorality becomes prevalent in society.  The Church will continue to stand up for the poor, the voiceless and the truth.  If we are confident that the Church is the Church of Christ, it is because we are doing what the Lord was doing on earth and have imparted her work to the Church.

Today, we can be confident that the Lord we worship will continue to be at work in our lives.  Just as Isaiah told the Israelites to have faith in God, we must do the same.   The Lord said, “happy is the man who does not lose faith in me.”  God has demonstrated His power and faithfulness to us through His power over creation and over history.  He said, “Apart from me, all is nothing.  I am the Lord, unrivalled; I form the light and create the dark.  I make good fortune and create calamity, it is I, the Lord, who do all this. Yes, thus says the Lord, creator of the heavens, who is God, who formed the earth and made it, who set it firm, created it no chaos, but a place to be lived in.”   Not only has He power over creation, He made it possible for the pagan king, Cyrus, to reign over Assyria and Babylon so that he could be used by the Lord to free the Israelites from exile and be given permission and assistance to rebuild their homeland in Jerusalem.

Indeed, no power can rival the power of God, for He declared, “I am the Lord, unrivalled, there is no other god besides me, a God of integrity and a saviour; there is none apart from me. Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God unrivalled.”   So during this time of Advent, if we feel hopeless at the situation we are in; if we find ourselves unable to resolve our family and work issues; if we feel helpless in guiding our children and loved ones to walk the way of the light and of Christ, then we must not give up but turn to the Lord.  We must pray like the psalmist, “Send victory like a dew, you heavens, and let the clouds rain it down. Let the earth open for salvation to spring up.”  Truly, “’From the Lord alone come victory and strength.’ To him shall come, ashamed, all who raged against him.”   With hope and confidence, let us place our faith in Christ who has come to save us.  With John the Baptist, we can rest in peace knowing that Christ is in charge of our lives.   Our God is a faithful God for His word can be trusted. “By my own self I swear it; what comes from my mouth is truth, a word irrevocable.”

Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved