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THE WAY TO POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS PEACE
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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1 Maccabees 2:15-29 ©
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The commissioners of King Antiochus who were enforcing the
apostasy came to the town of Modein to make them sacrifice. Many Israelites
gathered round them, but Mattathias and his sons drew apart. The king’s
commissioners then addressed Mattathias as follows, ‘You are a respected
leader, a great man in this town; you have sons and brothers to support you. Be
the first to step forward and conform to the king’s decree, as all the nations
have done, and the leaders of Judah and the survivors in Jerusalem; you and
your sons shall be reckoned among the Friends of the King, you and your sons
shall be honoured with gold and silver and many presents.’ Raising his voice,
Mattathias retorted, ‘Even if every nation living in the king’s dominions obeys
him, each forsaking its ancestral religion to conform to his decrees, I, my
sons and my brothers will still follow the covenant of our ancestors. Heaven
preserve us from forsaking the Law and its observances. As for the king’s
orders, we will not follow them: we will not swerve from our own religion
either to right or to left.’ As he finished speaking, a Jew came forward in the
sight of all to offer sacrifice on the altar in Modein as the royal edict
required. When Mattathias saw this, he was fired with zeal; stirred to the
depth of his being, he gave vent to his legitimate anger, threw himself on the
man and slaughtered him on the altar. At the same time he killed the king’s
commissioner who was there to enforce the sacrifice, and tore down the altar.
In his zeal for the Law he acted as Phinehas did against Zimri son of Salu.
Then Mattathias went through the town, shouting at the top of his voice, ‘Let
everyone who has a fervour for the Law and takes his stand on the covenant come
out and follow me.’ Then he fled with his sons into the hills, leaving all
their possessions behind in the town.
At this,
many who were concerned for virtue and justice went down to the desert and
stayed there.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 49(50):1-2,5-6,14-15 ©
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I will show God’s salvation to the upright.
The God of gods, the Lord,
has spoken and summoned the earth,
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
Out of Zion’s perfect beauty he shines.
I will show God’s salvation to the upright.
‘Summon before me my people
who made covenant with me by sacrifice.’
The heavens proclaim his justice,
for he, God, is the judge.
I will show God’s salvation to the upright.
Pay your sacrifice of thanksgiving to God
and render him your votive offerings.
Call on me in the day of distress.
I will free you and you shall honour me.’
I will show God’s salvation to the upright.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Ps118:135
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Let your face shine on your servant,
and teach me your decrees.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Ps94:8
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Harden not your hearts today,
but listen to the voice of the Lord.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 19:41-44 ©
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As Jesus drew near Jerusalem and came in sight of the city he shed
tears over it and said, ‘If you in your turn had only understood on this day
the message of peace! But, alas, it is hidden from your eyes! Yes, a time is
coming when your enemies will raise fortifications all round you, when they
will encircle you and hem you in on every side; they will dash you and the
children inside your walls to the ground; they will leave not one stone
standing on another within you – and all because you did not recognise
your opportunity when God offered it!’
THE WAY TO POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS PEACE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ 1 MC 2:15-29; PS 50:1-2,5-6,14-15; LK 19:41-44 ]
The two
primary causes of division in the world come from politics and religious
rivalry.
These are the biggest battles fought in the world. These battles are as
old as the Ancient world. They are not new but the scale goes beyond just
local conflicts. With globalization and mass communication, even when something
happens in a particular country, others all over the world are also
affected. Both scripture readings underscore this reality of political
and religious division. This tension becomes worse when politics makes
use of religion and vice versa.
In the
gospel, Jesus warned the Jews of the outcome of their political maneuvering
with the Romans. On one hand, there were those who aligned themselves with the
Romans for political, religious and personal benefits, allowing themselves to
be puppets of the Romans in order to control their fellow Jews. On the
other hand, there were those who were radically opposed to the domination of the
Romans and formed revolutionary groups to overthrow the government. Jesus
anticipated the outcome of such political goals. Hence, He prophesied, “a
time is coming when your enemies will raise fortifications all round you, when
they will encircle you and hem you in on every side; they will dash you and the
children inside your walls to the ground; they will leave not one stone
standing on another within you.” This prophecy was fulfilled in AD 70
when the Romans totally sacked and devastated the City bringing it to ruins.
Yet, the
world cannot do without politics. In itself, the word, “politics” originated from Latin and
Greek, “polis” which means city; and “polites” which means citizen.
So politics is concerned with the governance of the city for the greater good
of the citizens. Regardless which form of government a country adopts,
whether it is socialist, democracy or even monarchy, what matters is whether
the government looks after the interest of the people without being
discriminating or perceived to exclude and marginalize people who are socially
disadvantaged, or because of sex, race and religion. It is the
perception of unjust regulations, especially against the minority, that stirs
up resentment, anger and rebellion.
Indeed, every
form of government has its strengths and weaknesses. Democracy is not
necessarily the ideal form of government because it can lead to abuses.
What is good about democracy is that it gives the feeling of “freedom of
choice.” However, a one man one vote system does not necessarily bring in
the best man for the job. Monarchy can also lead to the abuse of
power through authoritarianism and cronyism. But if we have a strong and
visionary leader who works selflessly for the people, it could bring greater
progress because it is not hindered by the political self-interests of
different parties. A Socialist form of government also has it weakness
because it can lead to a lack of ownership. But it has its strength
of striving to make all as equal as possible in reaping the fruits of
success. However, we know it is a far-fetched ideal because of the
selfishness of man. Even in socialist countries, there is much
corruption.
In the final
analysis, it is not about the form of government but whether the government
works selflessly and without vested interests for power, glory and wealth. If those in
government seek to enrich themselves at the expense of the people, this will
breed jealousy and resentment. Only governments and leaders who work for
the good and well-being of their people without discrimination and favour will
earn their respect and appreciation. The task of every government
is to ensure that there is progress for the people and that the economy grows
to support the needs of its people. At the same time, they are to ensure
peace and order by protecting the citizens from all harm, whether from within
or without. When they do that, there will be less cause for
rebellion and revolution. If these take place, it is because the people
feel that they are being short-changed by their political leaders who cling to
power and wealth.
What is said
of politics is also true of religion. What is even worse is that politics
is often mixed up with religion. Often, religion is used by
politics to gain power. Vice versa, there are some in religion who use politics
to gain religious power. Whichever is the case, it brings disharmony in
the country. In the first reading, the Greek ruler sought to impose a
common religion for all so that they could control the citizens and avoid
religious conflicts. Whilst it might be a good thing to have all peoples
professing one common faith for the sake of unity, it is another thing to
impose faith on others. This itself is against the whole basis of faith
because the word “faith” implies trust and personal conviction. To impose
one’s religious beliefs on others would not be sustainable because there is no
personal faith involved. It only leads to resentment and hostility.
Faith requires a personal contact and experience of the Sacred. Without
this personal encounter, there is no faith.
Consequently,
we can appreciate why Mattathias and his fellow Jews reacted so strongly
against the coercion of the commissioners of King Antiochus. Even the promise of
friendship, honour, glory and wealth were disdained by them. By forcing
them to submit to worship of foreign gods, it was tantamount to asking them to
go against their conscience and the principles they held strongly in their
hearts. It was unthinkable. Hence, we can understand the anger of
Mattathias when he saw one of his fellow Jews succumbing to politics by
offering sacrifice on the altar to foreign gods. “When Mattathias saw
this, he was fired with zeal; stirred to the depth of his being, he gave vent
to his legitimate anger, threw himself on the man and slaughtered him on the
altar. At the same time he killed the king’s commissioner who was there
to enforce the sacrifice, and tore down the altar.” Indeed, to insult a
person’s religion is to step on the most sensitive of nerves. Faith is
not just about reason but the heart, and so when a person’s religion is
ridiculed and not respected, even a sensible person would not act sensibly but
from his heart.
All religions
are meant to preach the message of peace and goodwill. For Catholics, the
Church is called to be a Sacrament, that is, a sign and instrument of love and
unity between God and man and of the human race. All true religions must seek
to demonstrate that they are people of love and charity. Any religion
that preaches hate, violence and revenge cannot be from God because God is love
and peace. That is why we must respect each other’s religion and
recognize the goodness, beauty and truth in it even if we do not accept all
their teachings.
Failure to do
this provides a breeding ground for secularism, secularization and
relativism. When religions cannot respect and tolerate each other, it gives
rise to secularism. In itself, secularism is the way to preserve
neutrality for all religions. Unfortunately, it also gives rise to
extremism. Secularism becomes an enemy of religions when it pits itself
against all religions. This happens in some countries where secularism is
used to shut all religions from public life completely, relegating them to some
private sphere. This is the cause of another tension between religion and
secularism. When religion is pushed out of the public domain, it is
denied its role in public life. The truth is that religion has a place to
play in public life and can partner the government in forming the people in
authentic values that are universal in character, such as justice, charity,
compassion and integrity. To put religion out of public circulation is a
disadvantage both to the government and the people.
What is the
way out of such division in religion and politics? Jesus said, “If you
in your turn had only understood on this day the message of peace! But,
alas, it is hidden from your eyes! – and all because you did not recognise your
opportunity when God offered it!” If all of us accept the gospel of peace
that Jesus came to offer us, there will be peace and unity. The way of Jesus is
the way of peace through compassion and inclusivity. He is a friend to
all especially the poor and the marginalized. He is a man of compassion for
he feels with everyone who is suffering and in pain. He seeks to reach
out to them, to heal them and to restore them to fullness of health and
life. Jesus was a man of forgiveness, even towards those who crucified
Him because we do not know what we are doing.
We on our
part must seek to promote peace and harmony wherever we are and not be
discouraged.
Like Jesus, we must seek to live a life of integrity, that our faith is
expressed through works of love. One can have the right religion
but yet not be saved because one does not live up to the truth of love.
“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for
anything; the only thing that counts is faith working through love.” (Gal 5:6)
Jesus reminds us of the need to tolerate and appreciate each other who is
working for love when He said to His disciples who wanted to stop another
exorcist for casting demons in His name: “Do not stop him; for whoever is not
against you is for you.” (Lk 9:50)
And when He was rejected by the Samaritans, He rebuked the disciples who wanted
to “command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” (cf Lk 9:51-55)
We are called to be servants of each other, to serve unconditionally. For
those in leadership, let the words of Jesus remind us how we should act as
leaders. “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and
their great ones are tyrants over them. It will not be so among you; but
whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and
whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the
Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom
for many.” (Mt 20:25-28)
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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