20170911
LIFE GIVER OR LIFE TAKER
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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Colossians 1:24-2:3 ©
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It makes me happy to suffer for you, as I am suffering now, and in
my own body to do what I can to make up all that has still to be undergone by
Christ for the sake of his body, the Church. I became the servant of the Church
when God made me responsible for delivering God’s message to you, the message
which was a mystery hidden for generations and centuries and has now been
revealed to his saints. It was God’s purpose to reveal it to them and to show
all the rich glory of this mystery to pagans. The mystery is Christ among you,
your hope of glory: this is the Christ we proclaim, this is the wisdom in which
we thoroughly train everyone and instruct everyone, to make them all perfect in
Christ. It is for this I struggle wearily on, helped only by his power driving
me irresistibly.
Yes, I want
you to know that I do have to struggle hard for you, and for those in Laodicea,
and for so many others who have never seen me face to face. It is all to bind
you together in love and to stir your minds, so that your understanding may
come to full development, until you really know God’s secret in which all the
jewels of wisdom and knowledge are hidden.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 61(62):6-7,9 ©
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In God is my safety and glory.
In God alone be at rest, my soul;
for my hope comes from him.
He alone is my rock, my stronghold,
my fortress: I stand firm.
In God is my safety and glory.
Take refuge in God, all you people.
Trust him at all times.
Pour out your hearts before him
for God is our refuge.
In God is my safety and glory.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Ps118:105
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Your word is a lamp for my steps
and a light for my path.
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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Luke 6:6-11 ©
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On the sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach,
and a man was there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the
Pharisees were watching him to see if he would cure a man on the sabbath,
hoping to find something to use against him. But he knew their thoughts; and he
said to the man with the withered hand, ‘Stand up! Come out into the middle.’
And he came out and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, ‘I put it to you: is
it against the law on the sabbath to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or
to destroy it?’ Then he looked round at them all and said to the man, ‘Stretch
out your hand.’ He did so, and his hand was better. But they were furious, and
began to discuss the best way of dealing with Jesus.
LIFE-GIVER OR LIFE-TAKER
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Col 1:24 – 2:3; Ps 62:6-7, 9; Lk 6:6-11 ]
In the
gospel, Jesus was faced with a dilemma. Before Him was a man whose right hand
was withered. But it was a Sabbath Day. Should He delay healing the
man to another day since it was not urgent, or should such acts of mercy be
performed immediately? What is the basis for our decision to do good even
when the law is broken? Jesus posed this question to us, “I put it to
you: is it against the law on the Sabbath to do good, or to do evil; to save
life, or to destroy it?” So Jesus said to the man, “’Stretch out your
hand.’ He did so, and his hand was better.” In the mind of Jesus,
doing good should not be postponed. We must relieve pain and suffering as
soon as possible, unless we have good reasons not to do so. No man or
woman should prolong their suffering unnecessarily. We are called to
restore the dignity and the life of every human person.
The truth is
that the laws are not meant to make life difficult for others. Laws are meant to help
people to live their lives harmoniously and for their betterment and for the
good of all. Laws are good and should normally be observed, but they must
be applied rightly and appropriately, depending on the circumstances.
Being slaves to the laws without taking the context and the existential
situation into consideration is to disobey the spirit of the law. It is
important when applying the laws that we first understand the intention of the
laws, the spirit of the legislator in formulating the laws. In some
circumstances when the spirit of the law is contrary to the legalist
application of the laws, then the spirit of the law should be followed.
In contrast,
there were religious leaders who were out to catch Jesus breaking the law. They were
life-killers. “The scribes and the Pharisees were watching him to see if
he would cure a man on the Sabbath, hoping to find something against
him.” Their focus was not on the man who was suffering. He was just a
pawn for them to get even with Jesus so that they could find fault with
Him. For the Jewish leaders, their meticulous application of the Law of
Moses was meant to separate them from the common and ordinary
people. The latter could never fulfill the laws adequately because
they were too poor to observe the minute details of the laws. So the laws
were applied in order to raise their status and put them above the rest.
It was an attempt at exclusivity. Indeed, the word, “Pharisee” means the
separated one. Hence, they were life-takers and destructive of
life. The irony of their action was seen in their attempt to kill
Jesus. “But they were furious, and began to discuss the best way of dealing
with Jesus.” Whilst they were insistent on others observing the Sabbath
Law, they themselves were planning on getting rid of Jesus on the Sabbath
Day. Killing of course is against the law.
In the first
reading, we have St Paul who sought to reveal the mystery of God’s plan, which
was kept for ages, to the people, “the message which was a mystery hidden for
generations and centuries and has now been revealed to his saints. It was
God’s purpose to reveal it to them and to show all the rich glory of this
mystery to pagans. The mystery is Christ among you, your hope of
glory.” St Paul sought to make Jesus known to all, especially to the
pagans, that Christ is the mystery of God, the plan of God for all
humanity. For in Christ, we come to know ourselves, our identity and
calling in life. That is why Christ is the Hope of glory for all. “This
is the Christ we proclaim, this is the wisdom in which we thoroughly train
everyone and instruct everyone, to make them all perfect in Christ.” In
Christ, we see the Wisdom of God’s salvific plan for all nations. Anyone
who wants to find fulfillment in life must come to Jesus who is the Wisdom of
God in person. In Christ, we see the love, mercy and the compassion of
God, especially by His life, passion, death and resurrection. St Paul says, “we
speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for
our glory.” (1 Cor 2:8)
This again is
in contrast to the Gnostics’ claim during the time of St Paul that to know God
and to have access to Him, we need some kind of esoteric knowledge obtained
through some form of techniques. Again, this was an attempt to exclusivity
because such knowledge is not given to all. The Gnostics claim that one
needs a special knowledge to arrive at God. They also considered the
human body to be evil and a hindrance to coming to know God. All matter
were considered evil and must be put away to come into the presence of
God. Thus they held that Jesus was not truly a man but only apparently
man. Docetism is one of the forms of Gnosticism which denies the reality
of the humanity of Jesus.
The above
attempts at exclusivity through the use of the laws and knowledge are still
prevalent in our times. How often have we quarrelled over the application
of the laws of the Church, especially liturgical laws? We spend so much time
squabbling over who is right and who is wrong. There are some Catholics
who make themselves watchdogs for the full observance of the laws to the
minutest detail, and would find fault when someone breaks the laws. They
are like the modern Pharisees, watching out for those who break the laws.
How sad that the Church is divided because of the laws of the Church, whether
liturgical or other laws! When the Church becomes merely an institution
without heart but pure legalism, we have lost the Spirit of Christ. We
need to be watchful and ask ourselves whether the insistence of the laws is
helpful to build the community and whether it brings about the end it intends
to achieve. If legalism is to exclude others and impose our own narrow
interpretation of the laws, we have forgotten that charity and compassion
surpass every law. Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish
the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” (Mt 5:17)
How did He do it if not by putting love in the way He applied the laws?
As St Paul said, “Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one
who loves another has fulfilled the law.” (Rom 12:8)
Sometimes,
others will use knowledge of scripture and theology to confuse us. They speak in high sounding
words which the ordinary person cannot understand. Some like to boast of some
technique in prayer that can enable them to arrive at God. Yet, the truth
is that whilst knowledge of theology and scriptures are a great help to know
God, it is the personal relationship with Him that determines our knowledge of
God. St Theresa of the Child Jesus was not a theologian, never studied
any theology and yet is proclaimed a Doctor of the Church. So it is
not necessary to have some special knowledge, intellect or technique to come to
know the Lord. A simple heart, a docile spirit and an open mind in
reading the scriptures and praying fervently to the Lord will help us find Him.
Indeed, the
key to the passionate love of Jesus and St Paul for the people they served was
simply their personal knowledge of God. Jesus was motivated by His Father’s love
and compassion for all. He sought to make the Father’s love present in
His life and to allow the people to encounter the same love He has with the
Father. “I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so
that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in
them.” (Jn 17:26) Similarly, St Paul’s zeal for the people was
inspired by God’s personal revelation to Him of the mystery of Christ. He
wrote, “It makes me happy to suffer for you, as I am suffering now, and in my
own body to do what I can to make up all that has still to be undergone by
Christ for the sake of his body, the Church. I became the servant of the
Church when God made me responsible for delivering God’s message to you.”
St Paul, like
Jesus, was a life-giver who took risks for His people. “Yes, I want you to
know that I do struggle hard for you, and for those in Laodicea, and for so
many others who have never seen me face to face. It is all to bind you
together in love and to stir your minds, so that your understanding may come to
full development, until you really know God’s secret in which all the jewels of
wisdom and knowledge are hidden.” Are we ready to risk our life, our popularity,
our time, our resources and our energy even in the face of suffering for the
greater good of the people that we are called to serve? Or are we
protective of our interests and our convenience as the Scribes and Pharisees
did? This is the question we need to ask ourselves today. “Is it
against the law on the Sabbath to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or to
destroy it?”
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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