20180411
ATTEMPTS TO SILENCE THE GOOD NEWS
11 APRIL, 2018, Wednesday, 2nd Week of Easter
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Red.
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First reading
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Acts 5:17-26 ©
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The men you imprisoned are in the Temple, preaching to the
people
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The high priest intervened with all his supporters from the party
of the Sadducees. Prompted by jealousy, they arrested the apostles and had them
put in the common gaol.
But at night
the angel of the Lord opened the prison gates and said as he led them out, ‘Go
and stand in the Temple, and tell the people all about this new Life.’ They did
as they were told; they went into the Temple at dawn and began to preach.
When the
high priest arrived, he and his supporters convened the Sanhedrin – this
was the full Senate of Israel – and sent to the gaol for them to be
brought. But when the officials arrived at the prison they found they were not
inside, so they went back and reported, ‘We found the gaol securely locked and
the warders on duty at the gates, but when we unlocked the door we found no one
inside.’ When the captain of the Temple and the chief priests heard this news
they wondered what this could mean. Then a man arrived with fresh news. ‘At
this very moment’ he said, ‘the men you imprisoned are in the Temple. They are
standing there preaching to the people.’ The captain went with his men and
fetched them. They were afraid to use force in case the people stoned them.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 33(34):2-9 ©
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This poor man called and the Lord heard him.
or
Alleluia!
I will bless the Lord at all times,
his praise always on my lips;
in the Lord my soul shall make its boast.
The humble shall hear and be glad.
This poor man called and the Lord heard him.
or
Alleluia!
Glorify the Lord with me.
Together let us praise his name.
I sought the Lord and he answered me;
from all my terrors he set me free.
This poor man called and the Lord heard him.
or
Alleluia!
Look towards him and be radiant;
let your faces not be abashed.
This poor man called, the Lord heard him
and rescued him from all his distress.
This poor man called and the Lord heard him.
or
Alleluia!
The angel of the Lord is encamped
around those who revere him, to rescue them.
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
He is happy who seeks refuge in him.
This poor man called and the Lord heard him.
or
Alleluia!
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Gospel Acclamation
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2Co1:3-4a
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed be God, a gentle Father
and the God of all consolation,
who comforts us in all our sorrows.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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John 3:16-21 ©
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God sent his Son into the world so that through him the world
might be saved
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Jesus said to Nicodemus:
‘God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost
but may have eternal life.
For God sent his Son into the world
not to condemn the world,
but so that through him the world might be saved.
No one who believes in him will be condemned;
but whoever refuses to believe is condemned already,
because he has refused to believe in the name of God’s only Son.
On these grounds is sentence pronounced:
that though the light has come into the world
men have shown they prefer darkness to the light
because their deeds were evil.
And indeed, everybody who does wrong
hates the light and avoids it,
for fear his actions should be exposed;
but the man who lives by the truth comes out into the light,
so that it may be plainly seen that what he does is done in God.’
ATTEMPTS TO SILENCE THE GOOD NEWS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ ACTS 5:17-26; PS 34:2-9; JOHN 3:16-21 ]
The Christian
gospel is truly Good News. The gospel today encapsulates the heart of the Good News,
which is simply this, “God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life.
For God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world, but so that
through him the world might be saved.” Indeed, it is so wonderful to know
that God loves the world. In other words, God loves us all. He has
never abandoned us in our suffering and misery. His love is directed at
us for all eternity. He wants to save the world. He wants us
all to find the fullness of life. He does not wish to condemn us or give
up on us.
However, God
does not love with words nor even with gifts. He loves us with His entire
being. He shows us His love by giving us Himself in His Son Jesus
Christ. No greater love can one give to anyone than himself. We can
do things for people, we can give them our money and resources, but real giving
is the giving of oneself, one’s life and being. This is how the Father
demonstrates His love for us. He gives us all that He is. Jesus in
turn gave His life to us, His body and soul for our salvation. Such is
the love of God. So much so, St Paul remarked, “He who did not spare his
own Son but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all things with
him? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who
justifies; who is to condemn?” (Rom 8:32-34)
But not all
accept Jesus or believe in Him. To accept Jesus is more than just a
verbal or even an intellectual assent to Jesus as the Son of God. Jesus said, “On
these grounds is sentence pronounced: that though the light has come into the
world men have shown they prefer darkness to the light because their deeds were
evil.” To accept Jesus is to walk in the way of truth and love as
revealed by the Lord in His life and in His teaching. This is why the
Lord said, “No one who believes in him will be condemned; but whoever refuses
to believe is condemned already, because he has refused to believe in the name
of God’s only Son.” Rejection of Jesus is ultimately to reject all
that Jesus stands for, His identity as the revealer of the Father’s love for
us, and Him as the Way to the fullness of Truth, and the Way to fullness of
life. This was what St Peter and St John were instructed by the
angel to proclaim to the whole world. “Go and stand in the Temple, and tell the
people all about this new Life.”
Why are there
many against Jesus and the gospel? Jesus explains why. “And indeed, everybody who does
wrong hates the light and avoids it, for fear his actions should be exposed;
but the man who lives by the truth comes out into the light, so that it may be
plainly seen that what he does is done in God.” Christianity is under
persecution, covertly or overtly in the world today, because the gospel is an
affront to what the secular and materialistic world is advocating, namely,
individualism, consumerism and hedonism. There is a conspiracy to
silence the gospel by emptying Christianity from public life. This is
particularly true in the West where once Christianity was synonymous with
Europe. Many are not happy with the scripture teachings especially on
sexual morality, marriage and fidelity, justice for the human person from
conception till death at old age.
This was the
case of the Jewish leaders during the time of the early Church. The
apostles too were persecuted for preaching in the name of Jesus. The
Jewish leaders and the Sanhedrin knew that there was something there in the
preaching of the apostles. When the paralyzed man was healed, they could not deny the
fact. “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that
they were uneducated, common men, they wondered; and they recognized that they
had been with Jesus. But seeing the man that had been
healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition.” (Acts 4:13f)
Again, when they put them in goal, the next day, they “found the gaol securely
locked and the warders on duty at the gates” but when “they unlocked the door”
they “found no one inside.” The evangelist remarked, “when the captain of the
Temple and the chief priests heard this news they wondered what this could
mean.” So, they had all the evidence to surmise that divine intervention
was at work but they refused to accept.
However,
instead of seeking the truth of the matter and getting to the bottom of it,
they sought to suppress the truth. The reason given was because
they were “prompted by jealousy.” We can appreciate where they were
coming from. They belonged to the highest strata of society. They
were holding important political and religious positions. They were well
protected in their interests. With the apostles’ teaching, their
religious and social positions in society were challenged and
compromised. Regardless of the truth of the matter, they needed to
protect their interests. Thus, they tried to silence the truth by
silencing the apostles in proclaiming the name of Jesus. They were not
stopping them from healing the sick but simply from announcing the name of
Jesus as they would otherwise be put in a bad light. Worse still, people
might believe in Jesus and their religious institution would be at risk.
This is still
happening in our world today. Christianity is being persecuted in many
parts of the world, even in the so-called free world. In some countries,
Christians are oppressed, persecuted and prevented from practising their
faith. They are marginalized, discriminated and often lack the freedom of
worship and the freedom to practise and propagate the faith. The irony is
that Christians in so-called Christian countries are suppressed subtly through
the promotion of the ideology of secularism and relativism.
However, even
more difficult for us in proclaiming the gospel today is the opposition from
the mass media, especially the social media. Whatever Catholics teach or
believe are being challenged by unbelievers, which include among them,
Catholics who are unhappy with the Church’s teachings and doctrines. They
demand that we agree with their values and their perspective of the world, on
moral issues and what life is all about. The truth is that our teachings
are available freely on the social media and circulated freely. When we
teach what the world does not like to hear, they get offended and react by
accusing us of creating division, causing discrimination, and insulting
them. Unless we agree with what they are doing, we will be faulted.
They expect us to teach what relativism proclaims, that truth is relativistic
and that there is no absolute truth. In other words, we cannot say that
anything is better than others, or that it is right or wrong.
But the fact
is that light cannot be overcome by darkness, the truth cannot be kept locked
in prison.
No matter how much the religious authorities sought to cover up their ignorance
and sins, it was not possible. This is the significance of the apostles
being released from jail and then later on found at the Temple again, preaching
to the people. Regardless of the world’s hostile opposition to the gospel
of truth and life, the gospel wants to assure us that evil and unenlightened
man cannot chain up the Good News. We must not allow the world to
silence the truth and the Good News. We must have courage like that
of the apostles.
Consequently,
as Catholics, we must remember that being a Christian is to suffer persecution. This should not be a
surprise to us. Even the apostles were persecuted in spite of their power
to perform miracles and preach boldly. If we stand against the world, we
will be marginalized. Being a Christian does not mean that we will not
suffer. Rather, it means we will not be defeated. Faith gives us
that vision and hope that God will protect us as He protected Peter and
John. This is what the psalmist experienced. “Glorify the Lord with
me. Together let us praise his name. I sought the Lord and he answered me
from all my terrors he set me free. Look towards him and be radiant; let
your faces not be abashed. This poor man called, the Lord heard him and rescued
him from all his distress. The angel of the Lord is encamped around those who
revere him, to rescue them.”
Whilst we
must certainly be sensitive to the feelings of others who are not of our faith, we must however not allow
the truth to be stifled or prevented from being proclaimed. We must be
respectful of others who do not share in our beliefs and give reasons for our
faith. St Peter exhorts us, “Always be ready to make your defense
to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in
you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your
conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your
good conduct in Christ may be put to shame.” (1 Pt 3:15f)
We strive to live in harmony with the rest of society. St Paul said, “I
urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for
kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and
peaceable life in all godliness and dignity.” (1 Tim 2:1f)
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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