20170721
THE VALUE OF RITUALS AND CUSTOMARY LAWS
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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Exodus 11:10-12:14 ©
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Moses and Aaron worked many wonders in the presence of Pharaoh.
But the Lord made Pharaoh’s heart stubborn, and he did not let the sons of
Israel leave his country.
The Lord
said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt:
‘This month
is to be the first of all the others for you, the first month of your year.
Speak to the whole community of Israel and say, “On the tenth day of this month
each man must take an animal from the flock, one for each family: one animal
for each household. If the household is too small to eat the animal, a man must
join with his neighbour, the nearest to his house, as the number of persons
requires. You must take into account what each can eat in deciding the number
for the animal. It must be an animal without blemish, a male one year old; you
may take it from either sheep or goats. You must keep it till the fourteenth
day of the month when the whole assembly of the community of Israel shall
slaughter it between the two evenings. Some of the blood must then be taken and
put on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses where it is eaten. That
night, the flesh is to be eaten, roasted over the fire; it must be eaten with
unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled, but
roasted over the fire, head, feet and entrails. You must not leave any over
till the morning: whatever is left till morning you are to burn. You shall eat
it like this: with a girdle round your waist, sandals on your feet, a staff in
your hand. You shall eat it hastily: it is a passover in honour of the Lord.
That night, I will go through the land of Egypt and strike down all the
first-born in the land of Egypt, man and beast alike, and I shall deal out
punishment to all the gods of Egypt, I am the Lord! The blood shall serve to
mark the houses that you live in. When I see the blood I will pass over you and
you shall escape the destroying plague when I strike the land of Egypt. This
day is to be a day of remembrance for you, and you must celebrate it as a feast
in the Lord’s honour. For all generations you are to declare it a day of
festival, for ever.”’
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 115(116):12-13,15-18 ©
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The cup of salvation I will raise; I will call
on the Lord’s name.
How can I repay the Lord
for his goodness to me?
The cup of salvation I will raise;
I will call on the Lord’s name.
The cup of salvation I will raise; I will call
on the Lord’s name.
O precious in the eyes of the Lord
is the death of his faithful.
Your servant, Lord, your servant am I;
you have loosened my bonds.
The cup of salvation I will raise; I will call
on the Lord’s name.
A thanksgiving sacrifice I make;
I will call on the Lord’s name.
My vows to the Lord I will fulfil
before all his people.
The cup of salvation I will raise; I will call
on the Lord’s name.
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Gospel Acclamation
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cf.Ps26:11
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Instruct me, Lord, in your way;
on an even path lead me.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 12:1-8 ©
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Jesus took a walk one sabbath day through the cornfields. His
disciples were hungry and began to pick ears of corn and eat them. The
Pharisees noticed it and said to him, ‘Look, your disciples are doing something
that is forbidden on the sabbath.’ But he said to them, ‘Have you not read what
David did when he and his followers were hungry – how he went into the
house of God and how they ate the loaves of offering which neither he nor his
followers were allowed to eat, but which were for the priests alone? Or again,
have you not read in the Law that on the sabbath day the Temple priests break
the sabbath without being blamed for it? Now here, I tell you, is something
greater than the Temple. And if you had understood the meaning of the words: What
I want is mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the blameless.
For the Son of Man is master of the sabbath.’
THE VALUE OF RITUALS AND CUSTOMARY LAWS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ EX 11:10-12:14; PS 116:12-13,15-18; MT 12:1-8 ]
In every
society and religion, there is a need for signs, symbols and rituals. Every nation too, has
its own rituals and symbols, as seen in the installation ceremonies and
funerals for those in public office, national events, etc. As human
beings, we need signs and symbols to remind us of past achievements or the
sacredness of the moment. We are incarnational beings and therefore we
communicate our thoughts and feelings through tangible signs and symbols.
Rituals celebrate or commemorate a past event and bring it into the present
experience of the participant through a series of signs and symbols. This is also
the context for religious rituals and customs as well. All religious and
human rituals have anthropological basis.
All signs and
symbols are connected with some historical events as they are reminders of the
past.
Otherwise, they are connected with some human realities. Consequently,
all the signs we use in religions are expressive of the experience which we
seek to impress upon the present generation. But they are also related to
a past event or just a human action that is given a new meaning. For example,
circumcision was originally for hygienic reasons, especially in the desert when
people did not shower so often. Later it was given a religious
significance of being members of the Chosen People of God. It is true
also for all Jewish and Christian festivals. Most of them were
agricultural celebrations but later adopted as religious commemorations and
thus given religious significance as well.
This is true
with regard to the first reading when God gave instructions to Moses as to how
the Passover was to be celebrated. Firstly, they were told that
“it must be an animal without blemish, a male one year old; you may take it
from either sheep or goats.” A young male animal without blemish is
considered pure and innocent and the best offering one could give to the
Lord. Secondly, they were asked to take some of the blood and “put on the
two doorposts and the lintel of the houses where it is eaten.” It
was a sign that they were saved by the blood of the lamb which was a symbol of
sacrifice offered to God. Consequently, this image was later taken
up by Jesus and the Christians with John the Baptist calling Jesus the Lamb of
God who takes away the sins of the world. (cf Jn 1:29)
Next, they were instructed that “the flesh is to be eaten, roasted over the
fire; it must be eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Do not eat
any of it raw or boiled, but roasted over the fire, head, feet and
entrails. You must not leave any over till the morning: whatever is
left till morning you are to burn.” The partaking of the lamb
roasted is seen as a holocaust offered to God. The only difference is
that the participants ate of it. It was also eaten with unleavened bread
symbolizing the purity of the bread and the bitter herbs to remind them of the
sufferings that they were being liberated from. Of course, for practical
reasons, as they were leaving Egypt, there was no time for them to make
leavened bread. Finally, they were told to eat “with a girdle round
your waist, sandals on your feet, a staff in your hand. You shall eat it
hastily.” Historically, they were in a hurry to move out of
Egypt. But symbolically, it was a reminder that they were pilgrims and
ready to make the Passover from Egypt to the Promised Land, from slavery to
freedom.
What is said
of the Passover is also true for the Sabbath. Humanly, we all need to rest from
work. To provide a religious reason for it, the book of Genesis speaks of
God as the creator and how He rested on the seventh day. Of course, God
does not need to rest. In fact, Jesus said, “My Father is still working,
and I also am working.” (Jn 5:17) But man needs to rest and remind himself that
he is not the creator of this world. The world is not dependent on man’s
ingenuity and hard work alone but on God who is the creator. For
Christians, the Sabbath is transferred to Sunday because we celebrate not only
God as the creator but the re-creator or redeemer of creation by Christ’s
passion, death and resurrection.
So with
respect to both the most solemn religious events of the Sabbath and Passover,
they are meant to bring to mind the mercy, love and the wonders of God at work
in our lives. By celebrating these festivals and others, we recount the love and
mercy of God in our history. The conscious memory of what the Lord
had done for our forefathers should inspire hope, gratitude and confidence in
God. Indeed, as the Lord told Moses, “It is a Passover in honour of the
Lord. When I see the blood I will pass over you and you shall escape the
destroying plague when I strike the land of Egypt. This day is to be a
day of remembrance for you, and you must celebrate it as a feast in the Lord’s
honour. For all generations, you are to declare it a day of festival,
forever.”
With the
psalmist, we pray, “How can I repay the Lord for his goodness to me? The cup of
salvation I will raise; I will call on the Lord’s name. O precious in the
eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful. Your servant, Lord, your servant
am I; you have loosened my bonds. A thanksgiving sacrifice I make; I will call
on the Lord’s name. My vows to the Lord I will fulfil before all his
people.” So the rituals are to render our thanksgiving to God for
the salvific work He has done for His people. They are ways to remind us
of the goodness of God in our lives and His power to see us through all our
struggles. Through these celebrations, we find inspiration, hope and
encouragement in times of trials and difficulties.
Indeed, all
rituals and celebrations are not so much for the sake of God but for the sake
of us.
The Sabbath is certainly not for God because He does not need to rest.
But it is important for man not to spend his life simply working, forgetting
the more important things of life, such as relationship with our loved ones,
rest for our body and mind, enjoying God’s creation and most of all, that God
is the Creator and source of life. All religious festivals and celebrations
are subordinated to the end, which is for the well-being and salvation of
humanity.
This is the
point of Jesus’ message when He defended His disciples who were picking ears of
corn to eat, breaking the Sabbath Law. Jesus argued that the Sabbath was
made for man; not man for the Sabbath. He provided two instances when the Sabbath laws were
broken by King David and the priests in the Temple. “Have you not read
what David did when he and his followers were hungry – how he went into the
house of God and how they ate the loaves of offering which neither he nor his
followers were allowed to eat, but which were for the priests alone? Or
again, have you not read in the Law that on the sabbath day the Temple priests
break the sabbath without being blamed for it?”
Obviously,
for a greater good, the Sabbath cannot be observed according to the letter
except in the Spirit. That is why, for essential public services, for example,
hospitals, public transport, etc must continue regardless whether it is Sunday
or Sabbath because it is for the greater good of all. Otherwise,
everything would come to a standstill! Even the priests break the Sabbath
Law because it is the busiest day of the week for them! Thus, Jesus
remarked, “Now here, I tell you, is something greater than the Temple.
And if you had understood the meaning of the words: What I want is mercy, not
sacrifice, you would not have condemned the blameless. For the Son of Man
is master of the Sabbath.” We are the Temple of the Holy Spirit. To
take care of our bodies is to honor the Lord as well! St Paul wrote, “Do
you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which
you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So
glorify God in your body.” (1 Cor 6:19f)
Even this
consideration for the needs of man was taken into account when the Lord asked
them to make the sacrifice. “Each man must take an animal from the flock,
one for each family: one animal for each household. If the household is
too small to eat the animal, a man must join with his neighbour, the
nearest to his house, as the number of persons requires. You must take
into account what each can eat in deciding the number of the animal.” In
other words, the animal must not be wasted but all should have a share of it,
and if too big, others should be invited to share in the meal. It
is a meal of sacrifice and of love for our neighbours.
Consequently,
we must remind ourselves that when we celebrate rituals or observe the laws of
the Church, we must never forget the spirit of the action we do. The end must be clear, which
is the love of God and the love of our neighbours. If our worship and
observance of the laws do not help us to love our neighbours more, then our
worship is in vain for the Lord says, “I desire steadfast love and not
sacrifice, the knowledge of God, rather than burnt offerings”. (Hos 6:6)
The Lord says, “If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world and all
that is in it is mine. Do I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of
goats? Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most
High.” (Ps 50:12-14) So let our worship be pure and our
sacrifices make us more loving and compassionate people. Only such
sacrifices will please the Lord. “He who brings thanksgiving as his
sacrifice honors me; to him who orders his way aright I will show the
salvation of God!” (Ps 50:23)
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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