20170918
PROCLAIMING CHRIST AS THE ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN
GOD AND MAN
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
|
First reading
|
1 Timothy 2:1-8 ©
|
My advice is that, first of all, there should be prayers offered
for everyone – petitions, intercessions and thanksgiving – and
especially for kings and others in authority, so that we may be able to live
religious and reverent lives in peace and quiet. To do this is right, and will
please God our saviour: he wants everyone to be saved and reach full knowledge
of the truth. For there is only one God, and there is only one mediator between
God and mankind, himself a man, Christ Jesus, who sacrificed himself as a
ransom for them all. He is the evidence of this, sent at the appointed time,
and I have been named a herald and apostle of it and – I am telling the
truth and no lie – a teacher of the faith and the truth to the pagans.
In every
place, then, I want the men to lift their hands up reverently in prayer, with
no anger or argument.
|
Responsorial Psalm
|
|
Psalm 27(28):2,7-9 ©
|
Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard my cry.
Hear the voice of my pleading
as I call for help,
as I lift up my hands in prayer
to your holy place.
Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard my cry.
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts.
I was helped, my heart rejoices
and I praise him with my song.
Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard my cry.
The Lord is the strength of his people,
a fortress where his anointed find salvation.
Save your people; bless Israel your heritage.
Be their shepherd and carry them for ever.
Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard my cry.
|
Gospel Acclamation
|
Ps118:27
|
Alleluia, alleluia!
Make me grasp the way of your precepts,
and I will muse on your wonders.
Alleluia!
|
Or
|
Jn3:16
|
Alleluia, alleluia!
God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son:
everyone who believes in him has eternal life.
Alleluia!
|
Gospel
|
Luke 7:1-10 ©
|
When Jesus had come to the end of all he wanted the people to
hear, he went into Capernaum. A centurion there had a servant, a favourite of
his, who was sick and near death. Having heard about Jesus he sent some Jewish
elders to him to ask him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus
they pleaded earnestly with him. ‘He deserves this of you’ they said ‘because
he is friendly towards our people; in fact, he is the one who built the
synagogue.’ So Jesus went with them, and was not very far from the house when
the centurion sent word to him by some friends: ‘Sir,’ he said ‘do not put
yourself to trouble; because I am not worthy to have you under my roof; and for
this same reason I did not presume to come to you myself; but give the word and
let my servant be cured. For I am under authority myself, and have soldiers
under me; and I say to one man: Go, and he goes; to another: Come here, and he
comes; to my servant: Do this, and he does it.’ When Jesus heard these words he
was astonished at him and, turning round, said to the crowd following him, ‘I
tell you, not even in Israel have I found faith like this.’ And when the
messengers got back to the house they found the servant in perfect health.
PROCLAIMING CHRIST AS THE ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MAN
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 Tim 2:1-8; Ps 28:2,7-9; Lk 7:1-10 ]
It is the
centrality of Christian belief that “there is only one God, and there is only
one mediator between God and mankind, himself a man, Christ Jesus, who
sacrificed himself as a ransom for them all.” To this claim, St Paul and
many missionaries after him were willing to sacrifice their lives for the
salvation of souls. St Paul wrote, “I have been named a herald and
apostle of it and – I am telling the truth and no lie – a teacher of the faith
and the truth to the pagans.” It was believed by missionaries that
there was no salvation outside of Christ. So, it was important that they
laid down their lives for the service of humanity, by rescuing them from the
possibility of going to hell forever without knowing Christ. This was the
rationale for the Church’s mission to those who do not know Christ. This
was the same reason why we seek to baptize our young infants within seven days
after birth for fear that if something untoward happens to them, they might die
without being saved.
In an age of
inter religious dialogue and ecumenism, how do we conduct ourselves and
proclaim in today’s context? To proclaim Christ as the Universal Saviour of
humanity makes us sound as if we are overly triumphant in our claims.
Many people would reject this claim and many more do not feel the need to have
a savior anyway, as they believe in themselves and that the future lies in
their hard work alone. Such a claim of Jesus as the Way, the Truth and
the Life does not jive with the modern man anymore.
This happens
because of various reasons, the lack of credible preachers, pastors and leaders to walk the
talk. Scandals and the forced rediscovery of the humanity of our priests
and religious have also lowered our expectations of them as we realize that
they are weak and human like us after all. It means that they do make
mistakes and are not always trustworthy as well. Secondly, because of the
secular climate of individualism and materialism, the hope for life after death
is hardly spoken of, or people just prefer to remain agnostic. So the
world lives only for today and if they do not feel like living anymore, they
just end their lives, thinking it is forever and they have no thoughts about
the continuity of the soul. I think the majority believe that there are
some supernatural or trans-historical events in our lives which we assign to
God. Many, even if they do not go to Church, believe in God.
Thirdly, for
the sake of a greater unity among humanity, there is that added need to
accommodate each other’s views and sensitivities, his culture and religion, and
to be more circumspect in our claims. That is why either we follow the
Singapore way of recognizing the importance of religion in society and seek to
preserve the harmonious relationship among the different adherents of their own
religions or to follow the way of Europe where they deny their religious
identity and make secularism a way of life, that is, by keeping God out of
public life.
But should
we, for the sake of a greater unity among religions, avoid mentioning our
claims about Jesus? The truth is that this claim of Jesus as Lord and God, His
life and teaching, is something that we all claim not out of reasoning alone or
intellectual speculation but a personal encounter with Him. The apostles,
and especially St Paul, encountered Jesus as the Risen One and as God. So
to deny what they saw and came to conclude that Jesus is Lord would not be
right either. We would be cheating not others but ourselves because we
believe in Jesus as Lord. St Paul wrote, “He is the evidence of this,
sent at the appointed time.” Our position and belief is based on personal
experience and testimony. In the final analysis, it is not what we say
about what we believe in and why we believe, that would convince people to
accept Jesus but how we encounter God and allow God to transform our lives.
Today, we are
called to learn from the Centurion how he personally attended to the needs of
one of his favorite servants “who was sick and near death.” Although
not a follower of the Lord and not a Jew, he was a man of generosity,
compassion and inclusivity. For him to lower his status and plead with
Jesus to heal his servant shows that he did not regard his servants as mere
slaves. He treated them as if they were his own children and looked
after them when they were sick and unwell. He was truly an example
of a good boss who looked after his staff and appreciated them and loved them
as he loved his own loved ones. He was a man who put status and
money as secondary to the life of a person who was suffering and dying.
Secondly, he
was a good friend to all, regardless of their beliefs. He was not just
nice to the Jews under his jurisdiction but he was also supportive of their
culture and faith. He respected the beliefs of those whom he ruled
directly. But more than just respect alone, he went ahead to build a
synagogue for the Jews. “When they came to Jesus they pleaded earnestly
with him. ‘He deserves this of you’ they said ‘because he is friendly
towards our people; in fact, he is the one who built the synagogue.’”
Thirdly, he
was sensitive to the culture and beliefs of others. Hence, “having heard
about Jesus he sent some Jewish elders to him to ask him to come and heal his
servant.” And the reason for not welcoming Jesus personally was not
because he was of status and did not want to lower himself, but rather because
he did not feel worthy to have Jesus come under his roof and get
contaminated. Hence when Jesus “was not very far from the house when the
centurion sent word to him by some friends: ‘Sir’ he said, ‘do not put yourself
to trouble; because I am not worthy to have you under my roof; and for this
same reason I did not presume to come to you myself; but give the word and let my
servant be cured.”
Fourthly, he
recognized the supreme power of God over his own life and that of his loved
ones.
Although, a centurion who was in command, he knew that his authority came from
God and not from himself. He did not abuse his authority to serve
himself, but used his power of influence for others. He was receptive to
the Lord Jesus and made a confession of faith in Him. He uttered the
words which we pray at every Eucharistic celebration, “I am not worthy to have
you under my roof. For I am under authority myself, and have
soldiers under me; and I say to one man: Go, and he goes: to another: Come
here, and he comes; to my servant: Do this, and he does it.”
We read that
“when Jesus heard these words he was astonished at him and, turning around,
said to the crowd following him, ‘I tell you, not even in Israel have I
found faith like this.’ And when the messengers got back to the house
they found the servant in perfect health.” Indeed, the centurion is a
shining example of inter-religious dialogue. He was truly a man of God
because the love of God shone through him. Although not yet a full
believer of the Lord, he was receptive of the healing grace that came from the
Lord Jesus.
So, too, in
our relationship with people who are of different faiths or without faith, we
must treat them with respect and acceptance; the way the Centurion lived out
his faith and life. Beliefs and faith cannot be imposed but accepted in all
humility. We can only share our faith in testimonies and in witnessing of
life and love. This is the safest way to share our faith today, not
through intellectual discourse, which will come about when we enter into their
religious mindsets and experience. Being in good rapport with people
regardless of faith, culture and language is how we help people encounter God’s
love and open themselves to the fullness of truth which we believe is found in
Jesus Christ. For salvation is ultimately to arrive at the fullness
of truth. St Paul says, “To do this is right, and will please God our
saviour: he wants everyone to be saved and reach full knowledge of the truth.”
So, let us
build good relations with others. Setting aside our prejudices, let us enter into
religious dialogue with them. Only by appreciating other people’s beliefs
and customs, can we help them to be more receptive to our own proclamation of
Jesus. People must be loved unconditionally before we can share our faith
with them. Through inter-religious dialogue in good relationship, harmonious
living, compassion and forgiveness, we cement our relationship with each other.
In this way, we grow together in understanding of the truth of love and
continue to be a light to the nation.
Finally, we
must pray and intercede for our nation. St Paul urges us to pray “especially for
kings and others in authority, so that we may be able to live religious and
reverent lives in peace and quiet.” Praying for both religious and
political leaders is very important for the good of those under their
care. If the leaders live a righteous and proactive life, they can raise
the community to a higher level. But to pray well, we must let go
of our anger and vindictiveness. “In every place, then, I want the men to
lift their hands up reverently in prayer, with no anger or argument.”
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment