20170921
UNITY AS AN ESSENTIAL SIGN AND GOAL OF THE
CHURCH OF CHRIST
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Red.
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First reading
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Ephesians 4:1-7,11-13 ©
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I, the prisoner in the Lord, implore you to lead a life worthy of
your vocation. Bear with one another charitably, in complete selflessness,
gentleness and patience. Do all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit by
the peace that binds you together. There is one Body, one Spirit, just as you
were all called into one and the same hope when you were called. There is one
Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God who is Father of all, over all,
through all and within all.
Each one of
us, however, has been given his own share of grace, given as Christ allotted
it. To some, his gift was that they should be apostles; to some, prophets; to
some, evangelists; to some, pastors and teachers; so that the saints together
make a unity in the work of service, building up the body of Christ. In this
way we are all to come to unity in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of
God, until we become the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ
himself.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 18(19):2-5 ©
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Their word goes forth through all the earth.
The heavens proclaim the glory of God,
and the firmament shows forth the work of his hands.
Day unto day takes up the story
and night unto night makes known the message.
Their word goes forth through all the earth.
No speech, no word, no voice is heard
yet their span extends through all the earth,
their words to the utmost bounds of the world.
Their word goes forth through all the earth.
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Gospel Acclamation
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cf.Te Deum
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Alleluia, alleluia!
We praise you, O God,
we acknowledge you to be the Lord.
The glorious company of the apostles praise you, O Lord.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 9:9-13 ©
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As Jesus was walking on, he saw a man named Matthew sitting by the
customs house, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him.
While he was
at dinner in the house it happened that a number of tax collectors and sinners
came to sit at the table with Jesus and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw
this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your master eat with tax collectors
and sinners?’ When he heard this he replied, ‘It is not the healthy who need
the doctor, but the sick. Go and learn the meaning of the words: What I want is
mercy, not sacrifice. And indeed I did not come to call the virtuous, but
sinners.’
UNITY AS AN ESSENTIAL SIGN AND GOAL OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Eph 4:1-7, 11-13; Ps 19:2-5; Matt 9:9-13 ]
Today, we
read of the calling of Matthew the tax collector to be a disciple of Christ,
and then later an apostle among the Twelve. What was in the mind of Christ when He
chose him to be His disciple and apostle? Surely Jesus would have known
the potential conflict that the other apostles would feel with the addition of
Matthew a tax collector. Clearly, the most hated Jews were the tax
collectors as they were not just seen as traitors for working for the Romans
but also scoundrels for cheating the people, exacting exorbitant taxes to
enrich themselves. Thus, we can appreciate the scandal that Jesus caused
when He was found eating with tax-collectors. “When the Pharisees saw this,
they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your master eat with tax collectors and
sinners?’”
Logically
speaking, the choice of Matthew and the rest of the apostles were bad
choices. They were of diverse characters. Their interests and
passions were varied. Some were revolutionaries. Others were fishermen
and uneducated. Peter was such an impulsive person, and that should
disqualify him from assuming leadership. The greatest miracle is that
Jesus could choose these very different personalities with their own hidden
agendas and make them work together with Him and for His Father. This is
the greatness of Jesus in His selection of the apostles. Few leaders
would want to risk the unity of the team by choosing characters that are
opposed to each other.
Indeed, unity
is a very essential sign of the Church of Christ. In the creed, we
confess, “I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.” The true Church
of Christ must not only be Catholic and apostolic but also be one in doctrine,
worship, faith and leadership. That is why in the priestly prayer of
Jesus just before He departed from this world, He prayed for unity among His
disciples. “The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that
they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may
become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and
have loved them even as you have loved me.” (Jn 17:22f)
St Paul urged the Christians, “Do all you can to preserve the unity of the
Spirit by the peace that binds you together.”
Indeed, a
true mark that the Church is not just a human church is when the Church is both
Catholic and united. Catholicity means that the Church is constituted of peoples
from all over the world, different in culture, language and race. The
majority of our members are ordinary members, with some coming to the lower
rungs of society and some from the higher rungs. With such diversity in
character and constitution, it is a miracle that the Catholic Church has
remained one in union with the Holy Father and the successors of the apostolic
college. But we must also extend this unity beyond the confines of the
Church.
What, then,
enabled the apostles to work together as an apostolic college and the
Christians to live in unity when the Church is Catholic? Jesus prayed, “As you,
Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the
world may believe that you have sent me.” (Jn 17:21) The
key to unity among Christians is our common unity with Christ. Communion
with the Lord is the principle for communion among Christians. Without a
real and deep union with the Lord, we cannot speak about building communion
among Christians because we are all so different in character and in our ways
of looking at life. We will not be able to agree on anything, more so in
this age of relativism and individualism. This is why it is so
difficult for governments all over the world to preserve the unity of their
citizens because of global migration, the varied racial and religious
backgrounds.
The second
principle that holds us together is the remembrance that we are one Body in
Christ. “There
is one Body, one Spirit. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God
who is Father of all, over all, through all and within all.”
Indeed, this is what binds all Christians together because we share in the
Spirit, belonging to the Body of Christ. We all worship the same God who
is the Father of all, one Lord, and share the same faith in Christ as savior
and redeemer. We also agree that baptism is the entry into the family of
God. Consequently, St Paul reminds us to “lead a life worthy of your
vocation.” It is imperative that the unity of the Church should also be
expressed in unity in doctrine, leadership and worship. Unfortunately,
beyond the essentials of Christian belief, this is where different Christian
communities and denominations hold differing doctrines. This is where
dialogue is necessary so that the intensity of communion could be enlarged and
deepened. As Catholics united under the leadership of the Holy Father, we
are in union with him in doctrine, in leadership and in worship.
The third
principle that unites us is that we are “all called into one and the same
hope.” Regardless
of our differences in the interpretation of scriptures and tradition, and
doctrines and practices, the truth is that we are all called to the same hope.
This is true not just of Christians but we can extend this hope to all who are
non-Christians as well. As St Paul says, we believe in “one God who is Father
of all, over all, through all and within all.” Since we all have a
common Father and the source of origin of life, by whichever name we call Him,
we are all given the same hope to be united with Him. Regardless of which
religion we are in, our common hope is this, that “we are all to come to unity
in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God, until we become the
perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself.” Of
course, for us to be Christ is to be the complete man, because He is a man who
is united with God, one person, two natures, in His humanity and
divinity. We too are one in God through our humanity and the Spirit of
God living in us. This becomes for us as the starting point for dialogue
with people of other religions, searching with them how we can grow to be the
perfect man, having the fullness of life and love, both here and hereafter. We
are called to help them realize themselves and in turn also be enriched by them
in the process of dialogue and sharing of life and faith.
The fourth
principle in building unity is that all are called to build up the body of
Christ according to the charisms entrusted to us. “Each one of us,
however, has been given his own share of grace, given as Christ allotted it.
And to some, his gift was that they should be apostles; to some, prophets; to
some, evangelists; some, pastors and teachers; so that the saints together make
a unit in the work of service, building up the body of Christ.” We all
have different charisms and gifts. But all gifts are for the building of
the Church and the community. But not just for the Church, all gifts are
meant for the promotion of love and harmony among all men because we are the
family of God and He is the Father of all. If each of us contributes our
fair share of the gifts we have been blessed with for the service of the
community, then the community will become united in love and service. We
are called to grow together in Christ, each of us is called to complement the
other.
To ensure
that these principles work, we need to cultivate the virtues of Christ in our
personal life. We need to cultivate Christ-like attitudes if the
principles are to be executed. Without the right spirit and the
Christ-like character, the principles we have enumerated would not work.
This is where St Paul’s reminder of how we should conduct ourselves in our
relationship with each other must be taken seriously. “Bear with one another
charitably, in complete selflessness, gentleness and patience. Do all you can
to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together.”
We must exercise charity through tolerance and acceptance of each other,
especially when we disagree. In all things, we must check that our
motives spring from selflessness and not our egoistic needs and self-centered
interests. In dealing with each other, we need to exercise
gentleness and sensitivity to the culture, needs, religious beliefs and
affinity of others. We must be welcoming and polite.
Finally, we
must exercise patience and perseverance in the process of dialogue and working
together as one Church. Unity is not something that can be achieved
overnight. It is a lifelong process and this process never stops.
We cannot take mutual understanding for granted. There will be ups and
downs in this dialogue with others who are different from us. But if we
are motivated by the desire for peace and unity among all peoples, then we
cannot stop or give up on the process. St Paul urges us, “Do all you can
to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you
together.” Like the psalmist, we must work for the glory of
God. “The heavens proclaim the glory of God, and the firmament
shows forth the work of this hands. Day unto day takes up the story and night
unto night makes known the message. No speech, no word, no voice is heard yet their
span extends through all the earth, their words to the utmost bounds of the
world.”
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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