20170828
A LIVING COMMUNITY OF FAITH IN THE SPIRIT
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
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First reading
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1 Thessalonians 1:1-5,8-10 ©
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From Paul, Silvanus and Timothy, to the Church in Thessalonika
which is in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ; wishing you grace and
peace.
We always
mention you in our prayers and thank God for you all, and constantly remember
before God our Father how you have shown your faith in action, worked for love
and persevered through hope, in our Lord Jesus Christ.
We know,
brothers, that God loves you and that you have been chosen, because when we
brought the Good News to you, it came to you not only as words, but as power
and as the Holy Spirit and as utter conviction. And you observed the sort of
life we lived when we were with you, which was for your instruction, since it
was from you that the word of the Lord started to spread – and not only throughout
Macedonia and Achaia, for the news of your faith in God has spread everywhere.
We do not need to tell other people about it: other people tell us how we
started the work among you, how you broke with idolatry when you were converted
to God and became servants of the real, living God; and how you are now waiting
for Jesus, his Son, whom he raised from the dead, to come from heaven to save
us from the retribution which is coming.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 149:1-6,9 ©
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The Lord takes delight in his people.
or
Alleluia!
Sing a new song to the Lord,
his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel rejoice in its Maker,
let Zion’s sons exult in their king.
The Lord takes delight in his people.
or
Alleluia!
Let them praise his name with dancing
and make music with timbrel and harp.
For the Lord takes delight in his people.
He crowns the poor with salvation.
The Lord takes delight in his people.
or
Alleluia!
Let the faithful rejoice in their glory,
shout for joy and take their rest.
Let the praise of God be on their lips:
this honour is for all his faithful.
The Lord takes delight in his people.
or
Alleluia!
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Gospel Acclamation
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Jn17:17
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Your word is truth, O Lord:
consecrate us in the truth.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Jn10:27
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,
says the Lord,
I know them and they follow me.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 23:13-22 ©
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Jesus said: ‘Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites!
You who shut up the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces, neither going in
yourselves nor allowing others to go in who want to.
‘Alas for
you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who travel over sea and land to
make a single proselyte, and when you have him you make him twice as fit for
hell as you are.
‘Alas for
you, blind guides! You who say, “If a man swears by the Temple, it has no
force; but if a man swears by the gold of the Temple, he is bound.” Fools and
blind! For which is of greater worth, the gold or the Temple that makes the
gold sacred? Or else, “If a man swears by the altar it has no force; but if a
man swears by the offering that is on the altar, he is bound.” You blind men!
For which is of greater worth, the offering or the altar that makes the
offering sacred? Therefore, when a man swears by the altar he is swearing by
that and by everything on it. And when a man swears by the Temple he is
swearing by that and by the One who dwells in it. And when a man swears by
heaven he is swearing by the throne of God and by the One who is seated there.’
A LIVING COMMUNITY OF FAITH IN THE SPIRIT
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 TH 1:1-5. 8-10; PS 149:1-6, 9; MT 23:13-22 ]
The first
reading presents to us a primitive Church that was very much alive in the
faith, life-giving and fulfilling. In contrast, the gospel presents to us
a religion that is sterile and not life-giving. These two illustrations show
us what living faith entails and what causes a religion to lose favor with the
people. Consequently, we must reflect on the struggles between those who have
been institutionalized over a period of time and those who are still in their
infancy.
Firstly, St
Paul praised his fellow Christians for breaking away from idolatry “when you
were converted to God and became servants of the real, living God.” They became aware that
there was only one God who is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He is whom we are called to place our absolute trust. Only this God is to
be worshipped and served. In Jesus, they came to know who God is.
In contrast, while the religious leaders during the time of Jesus claimed
to love and serve God, they were worshipping themselves. The real focus
was not the worship of God but it was about their glory, status and appearing
good before others. Religion was made use for their own benefits.
Secondly,
Paul commended the Thessalonians for observing “the sort of life we lived when
we were with you, which was for your instruction.” They were living out
the Christian life of which Paul was a shining example of what it meant to
worship the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul was conscious that he
was setting himself to be a model of how Christian life should be
lived. They in turn were serious in living the life of the
gospel and the life of Christ. It was not just a nominal faith, like that
which many of us subscribe to. This precisely was the case of the religious
leaders. They were finding fault with others who could not observe the
laws. Although they observed the laws meticulously, it was done more out
of guilt and pride than out of love. They knew that the poor could never
observe the laws adequately. Theirs was a religion for the rich and the
elite.
Thirdly,
their faith was not an abstract faith but with consequences in terms of
relationship with others. Paul said that we “constantly remember before God our Father
how you have shown your faith in action, worked for love and persevered through
hope, in our Lord Jesus Christ.” Their faith was translated into
works of love and charity. They cared for and loved each other and
reached out to those who were in need. Faith was not a private affair or
simply an escape into mystification but manifesting God through their lives of
love and service. But for the religious leaders, faith was simply
about observance of the ritual laws. It was not about their brothers and
sisters. There was no love for those who were sinners. They were
ever ready to condemn those who failed in their weaknesses to observe the
laws. In truth, the religious leaders were selective in choosing
those laws that made them superior to the rest. But they were not
primarily concerned with whether what they were doing were really done out of
love and compassion for their fellowmen.
What is our
analysis of the faith of the early Christians and that of the Jewish people? In the same way, we
can also compare the vibrant and evangelistic fervor of the early Christians
with that of our institutionalized churches today. It is true that even
today, new-found Christian evangelical communities tend to be more alive,
adaptive and creative. But those that have been established over the
years, particularly, the traditional Churches like the Catholic and the
reformed Churches, tend to be much more protective of their traditions. Indeed,
this seems to be the sociological development of any community or
organization. The founders and the pioneers of the movements tend to be
prophetic, zealous and filled with the spirit. But over the years, the
members of that movement or organization that carries the spirit of the founder
would tend to become ritualistic, routine and mechanical.
What is the
cause? It is the absence of the Spirit at work in our lives. St Paul wrote
to the Thessalonians, saying, “We know, brothers, that God loves you and that
you have been chosen, because when we brought the Good News to you, it came to
you not only as words, but as power and as the Holy Spirit and as utter
conviction.” Indeed, the early Christians felt strongly the
presence of God in their lives. They encountered the love of God in Jesus
Christ. They were deeply grateful for encountering the Good News and to
be chosen as Jesus’ adopted brothers and sisters. And because they
believed wholeheartedly the Good News, they in turn became people who acted
under the power of the Holy Spirit. In the early Church, we read of the
use of their charisms and the working of miracles that testify to the power of
the Spirit of the Risen Lord at work in their lives.
Unfortunately
for us today, many of us are born into the faith. We were brought up in a
Catholic ambiance. We breathe the faith the moment we were born because
of our parents’ faith and religious upbringing. Many of us through
habit and custom, inherited the faith and practise them without
questioning. At times we can experience, like our parents, the love
and mercy of God. But if our parents are not faith-filled, then our
experience of God is going to be rather shallow and weak. We will only
end up doing all the Catholic practices such as attending mass and abstinence,
but there is no real personal relationship with the Lord as there are no family
prayers, no sharing of the Word of God, no personal testimony of how God is at
work in our lives. It is reduced to mere observance of the
commandments of the Church, going for boring masses and listening to
uninspiring homilies that do not speak to our needs. In such a situation,
we lose the zeal and the fire of our forefathers’ faith in Christ.
This is what
the Lord is warning those of us who are supposedly to be leaders in faith,
whether we are religious or lay. “You who shut up the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces,
neither going in yourselves nor allowing others to go in who want
to.” If we ourselves have not encountered God like the Jewish
leaders, how can we ever help people to experience the love and mercy of
God? Instead of leading people closer to God, we lead them further away
from Him. If we have not learnt the meaning of prayer and who God is, how
can we ever instruct others to pray rightly. If we do not have
faith in God and the Bible as the Word of God, how can we teach? The
truth is that the blind is leading the blind.
We will be
like the religious leaders, using our knowledge of the doctrines and the laws
to find loopholes so that we can circumvent from having to observe the laws. They were not
interested in observing the laws but finding ways and means to bypass the laws
and feel justified before God and men. Such people twist and turn the
gospel, as many do today, to justify their rationale for subscribing to
teachings that are contrary to the bible. Of course we can always
rationalize for all that we want to do. We can make the bible fit our
ways rather than fit our ways to the Word of God. Unlike the early
Christians, we do not take the Word of God as God’s words. “We also
constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God
that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it
really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers.” (1 Th 2:13)
Indeed, as
Jesus sighed, “You who travel over sea and land to make a single proselyte, and
when you have him you make him twice as fit for hell as you are.” Instead of helping people to
become more Christ-like by converting them to Catholicism, we form them to
become bigoted, legalistic, judgmental. Then there is also the irony of
bringing new converts to the faith every year when there are many more who have
left the Church without us batting our eyelids, because their faith is weak and
they are ill-formed in the faith?
So let us
renew our love for the Lord. This is what the psalmist is inviting us, “Sing
a new song to the Lord, his praise in the assembly of the faithful. Let the
praise of God be on their lips: this honour is for all his
faithful.” Only in praising God and worshipping Him in faith and
love, can we find the strength to live out our faith in hope and confidence.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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