20180704
DICHOTOMY BETWEEN BELIEF AND FAITH
04 JULY, 2018, Wednesday, 13th Week,
Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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Amos 5:14-15,21-24 ©
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Seek good and not evil so that you may live
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Seek good and not evil
so that you may live,
and that the Lord, God of Hosts, may really be with you
as you claim he is.
Hate evil, love good,
maintain justice at the city gate,
and it may be that the Lord, God of Hosts, will take pity
on the remnant of Joseph.
I hate and despise your feasts,
I take no pleasure in your solemn festivals.
When you offer me holocausts,
I reject your oblations,
and refuse to look at your sacrifices of fattened cattle.
Let me have no more of the din of your chanting,
no more of your strumming on harps.
But let justice flow like water,
and integrity like an unfailing stream.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 49(50):7-13,16-17 ©
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I will show God’s salvation to the upright.
‘Listen, my people, I will speak;
Israel, I will testify against you,
for I am God, your God.
I accuse you, lay the charge before you.
I will show God’s salvation to the upright.
‘I find no fault with your sacrifices,
your offerings are always before me.
I do not ask more bullocks from your farms,
nor goats from among your herds.
I will show God’s salvation to the upright.
‘I own all the beasts of the forest,
beasts in their thousands on my hills.
I know all the birds in the sky,
all that moves in the field belongs to me.
I will show God’s salvation to the upright.
‘Were I hungry, I would not tell you,
for I own the world and all it holds.
Do you think I eat the flesh of bulls,
or drink the blood of goats?
I will show God’s salvation to the upright.
‘How can you recite my commandments
and take my covenant on your lips,
you who despise my law
and throw my words to the winds?’
I will show God’s salvation to the upright.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Jn14:6
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord;
No one can come to the Father except through me.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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James1:18
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Alleluia, alleluia!
By his own choice the Father made us his children
by the message of the truth,
so that we should be a sort of first-fruits
of all that he created.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 8:28-34 ©
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The Gadarene swine
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When Jesus reached the country of the Gadarenes on the other side
of the lake, two demoniacs came towards him out of the tombs – creatures
so fierce that no one could pass that way. They stood there shouting, ‘What do
you want with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before the
time?’ Now some distance away there was a large herd of pigs feeding, and the
devils pleaded with Jesus, ‘If you cast us out, send us into the herd of pigs.’
And he said to them, ‘Go then’, and they came out and made for the pigs; and at
that the whole herd charged down the cliff into the lake and perished in the
water. The swineherds ran off and made for the town, where they told the whole
story, including what had happened to the demoniacs. At this the whole town set
out to meet Jesus; and as soon as they saw him they implored him to leave the
neighbourhood.
DICHOTOMY BETWEEN BELIEF AND FAITH
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ AMOS 5:14-15, 21-24; MT 8:28-34 ]
In the first
reading, we read of Prophet Amos speaking against the social injustices
practiced by the rich and the powerful. They were affluent and
influential. But they were oppressing the poor and the widows. They
were not paying their workers their just salaries, treating their slaves badly
and taking advantage of the weak and vulnerable. Whilst they were living
in luxury, they had no thought for the poor. That is why Amos exhorted
them, “Seek good and not evil so that you may live, and that the Lord, God of
hosts, may really be with you as you claim he is. Hate evil, love good,
maintain justice at the city gate, and it may be that the Lord, God of hosts,
will take pity on the remnant of Joseph.”
On the other
hand, they were acting as if they were good and righteous people before
God. They offered expensive sacrifices of fattened cattle for
holocausts. Externally, they performed the rituals as required.
They counted themselves among those who were observing the laws of Moses.
They claimed that God was with them and they were with God. But their
worship was not an expression of what was in their heart. The same
judgement of Isaiah on the citizens of Judah applies also to the Northern
Kingdom. “The Lord said: Because this people draw near with their
mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from
me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men learned by rote; therefore,
behold, I will again do marvelous things with his
people, wonderful and marvelous; and the wisdom of their wise men shall
perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hid.” (Isa 29:13-14)
Indeed, we
know of many supposedly good Catholics who give money to the Church and are
active in Church ministries, but they treat their domestic helpers no better
than slaves, tasking them to work from early morning until nightfall with
little less than five to six hours of rest a day. They scold them and
punish them, knowing that they are helpless and vulnerable because they need
the work. Have we ever thought of them as fellow human beings, needing
rest, proper food and time off for themselves? Social justice demands
that we treat them well. Of course, sometimes the domestic helpers are lazy and
appear to be irresponsible, but this could be due to miscommunication and
cultural differences in getting something done. As good Catholic employers, we
should treat each other as brothers and sisters working for and with each
other. We should not be shouting and screaming at each other.
Hence, such
external worship does not please the Lord. In fact, it only makes the Lord angry
and sad. “I hate and despise your feasts, I take no pleasure in your
solemn festivals. When you offer me holocausts, I reject your oblations, and
refuse to look at your sacrifices of fattened cattle. Let me have no more din
of your chanting, no more of your strumming on harps. But let justice flow like
water, and integrity like an unfailing stream.”
The Lord is
angry because we continue to break the commandments of social justice. Which parents would
be happy if their children were to give them a great celebration whilst they
are divided and fighting among themselves and neglecting the weaker ones? Jesus
in the gospel said, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will
love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever
does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not
mine, but is from the Father who sent me.” (Jn 14:23f)
Indeed, a dinner or a gathering is truly a celebration only when it is a
sincere celebration of love, especially for those whom we honour at the feast.
The Lord is
sad even for those who are hypocritical because in the final analysis, they are
cheating themselves. By not living the covenanted life, which is a life of
harmony with their brothers and sisters, they divide the community into the
haves and the have-nots. This brings about jealousy, hatred and inner
division. When a country is divided, it would not be able to perform well
on all fronts; and it would eventually be too weak to withstand the onslaughts
from outside. The sad fact of life is that we “reap whatever you
sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the
flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the
Spirit.” (Gal 6:7f)
But isn’t
this the way we live our lives as well? I have come across so-called
active Catholics living a double life. They are faith leaders, catechists,
Extra-ordinary Communion Minister, choir members, etc, but the sad reality is
that not all are seeking to live a life of holiness expressed in responsibility
to their vocation, work and duties; and a life of charity expressed in
compassion and forgiveness. I am not speaking of those who know that they are
sinners and are seeking God’s grace to help them to live the gospel life.
Rather, the Lord’s judgement is on those who are pretending to be good and holy
when they do not make any real effort to change their lives, to treat their
workers well and to show good examples of Christian love.
The question
of justice must first begin in our own homes. Many of us take advantage of our
parents and those who have charge of taking care of the home. Some do not
contribute financially to the household expenses even though they have the
means. They think only of spending on themselves and their indulgences,
but they are indifferent to contributing to the household expenses. When
we make use of others in the care of the household, whether it be our parents
or siblings, financially or otherwise, we are dividing the family. Family
disunity begins with resentment against each other, because we feel we are
being taken advantage of by family members. Each must contribute within
his or her means, in any way we can to the upkeep the family. If we
cannot give money, at least we must help in the household chores.
The gospel reminds
us that there is a real difference between faith and belief. The devils
believed that Jesus was the Son of God. When they saw the Lord,
“They stood there shouting, ‘What do you want with us, Son of God? Have
you come here to torture us before the time?’” Indeed, the devils knew in
their head that Jesus was the Son of God. Yet they did not trust Him or
worship Him. They had no intention of changing their relationship with
God. Rather, they were so absorbed in their desire to destroy and kill
that they asked the Lord to send them to the pigs. It was a demonstration
of the power of evil and what the Evil One could do. “Now some distance away
there was a large herd of pigs feeding, and the devils pleaded with Jesus, ‘If
you cast us out, send us into the herd of pigs.’ And he said to them, ‘Go
then,’ and they came out and made for the pigs; and at that the whole herd
charged down the cliff and into the lake and perished in the water.” It
was their pride that prevented them from submitting to God’s authority.
Not only was
there dichotomy between faith and belief in Satan and His demons, but it was so
with the swineherds too. We read that “the swineherds ran off and made for the
town, where they told the whole story, including what had happened to the
demoniacs. At this the whole town set out to meet Jesus; and as soon as
they saw him they implored him to leave the neighbourhood.” Why did they
ask Jesus to leave even though they believed and acknowledged that Jesus had
some supernatural powers and that He was probably sent by God? The fact
is that the price of accepting the Lord was too high a price to pay! They
were not ready to risk their income and livelihood. They put money before
the lives of others. They were not excited that two of their fellowmen
were delivered from the bondage of the Evil One. Their primary concern
was about making money and a livelihood. Here again, we have another
example of believing without trust.
Today, let us
go beyond the practice of religion. Serving and loving God is to empower
us to love our neighbours and enemies the way God is patient in forgiving and
loving us. God does not need our worship. The responsorial psalm says, “I find no
fault with your sacrifices, your offerings are always before me. I do not ask
more bullocks from your farms, nor goats from among your herds. Were I hungry,
I would not tell you, for I own the world and all it holds. Do you think I eat
the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? How can you recite my
commandments and take my covenant on your lips, you who despise my law and
throw my words to the winds?” So we must learn from the Northern
Israelites not to allow our complacency, affluence and success to get into our
heads. We will face the consequence of living an empty and unfulfilled
life. Most of all, we will have many enemies who will keep us from being
at peace with ourselves. Rather, we should turn belief into trust by
loving Him with all our heart, soul, strength and our neighbours as
ourselves. (cf Mk 12:28-34)
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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