20180809
WHICH WAY IS GOD’S WAY?
9 AUGUST, 2018, Thursday, 18th Week,
Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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Jeremiah 31:31-34 ©
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I will write my Law in their hearts
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See, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks –
when I will make a new covenant with the House of Israel (and the House of
Judah), but not a covenant like the one I made with their ancestors on the day
I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that
covenant of mine, so I had to show them who was master. It is the Lord who
speaks. No, this is the covenant I will make with the House of Israel when
those days arrive – it is the Lord who speaks. Deep within them I will plant
my Law, writing it on their hearts. Then I will be their God and they shall be
my people. There will be no further need for neighbour to try to teach
neighbour, or brother to say to brother, ‘Learn to know the Lord!’ No, they
will all know me, the least no less than the greatest – it is the Lord who
speaks – since I will forgive their iniquity and never call their sin to
mind.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 50(51):12-15,18-19 ©
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A pure heart create for me, O God.
A pure heart create for me, O God,
put a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
nor deprive me of your holy spirit.
A pure heart create for me, O God.
Give me again the joy of your help;
with a spirit of fervour sustain me,
that I may teach transgressors your ways
and sinners may return to you.
A pure heart create for me, O God.
For in sacrifice you take no delight,
burnt offering from me you would refuse,
my sacrifice, a contrite spirit.
A humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn.
A pure heart create for me, O God.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Ps144:13
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The Lord is faithful in all his words
and loving in all his deeds.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Mt16:18
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Alleluia, alleluia!
You are Peter,
and on this rock I will build my Church.
And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 16:13-23 ©
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You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church
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When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this
question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ And they
said, ‘Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one
of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ Then Simon Peter
spoke up, ‘You are the Christ,’ he said, ‘the Son of the living God.’ Jesus
replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and
blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. So I now say to you:
You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the
underworld can never hold out against it. I will give you the keys of the
kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in
heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.’ Then
he gave the disciples strict orders not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.
From that
time Jesus began to make it clear to his disciples that he was destined to go
to Jerusalem and suffer grievously at the hands of the elders and chief priests
and scribes, to be put to death and to be raised up on the third day. Then,
taking him aside, Peter started to remonstrate with him. ‘Heaven preserve you,
Lord;’ he said ‘this must not happen to you.’ But he turned and said to Peter,
‘Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle in my path, because the way you
think is not God’s way but man’s.’
WHICH WAY IS GOD’S WAY?
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ JER 31:31-34; MT 16:13-23 ]
“But he
turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me Satan! You are an obstacle in my
path, because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s.’” Indeed, we are living in
very difficult, challenging and confusing times. The world has changed
much because of relativism, technological advancement, globalization and
migration that have also brought about the corollary encounter and often
clashes among religions and cultures. Which religion is right or
wrong? Which religion has the truth? Which philosophy of life is
the right one? With the uncertainty of the truth that religion and
philosophy can offer, there are also implications on morality.
Because of
the change of lifestyle, cultural and moral values have also evolved. There are so many
traditional values on family life and the dignity of life that have been called
into question. With both parents working to meet a rising standard of
living and the costs of living, couples are more independent of each
other. The family is no longer as closely knit as in the olden days when
our fathers would go to work and come back in the evening to be with the
family. Today, the family unit is falling apart, because married couples
are spending less and less time with each other and their children.
There are a growing number of divorces. Many have great distrust in
heterosexual relationships. Instead they think that same sex
relationships work better. Marriage and the family are being redefined as two
persons coming together or three persons living together. Abortion is the
easy way out of responsibility in sexual life. Euthanasia is the way to
escape from commitment to our elderly.
Indeed,
should the Church compromise her doctrines to suit the reality of modern times? Do we remain faithful
to the truths of the gospel and the constant teaching of the Church and
preserve the purity of our doctrines? Or do we adapt and change to
accommodate the challenges of living up to the doctrines of the gospel and the
Church lest we distance ourselves from the larger group of people who find our
doctrines intolerable and impossible? The danger of compromise is always
there, like that of Peter who could not accept Jesus’ prophecy of His
passion. “Then, taking him aside, Peter started to remonstrate with him.
‘Heaven preserve you, Lord,’ he said ‘this must not happen to you.’”
Indeed, like
Peter, we are unable to accept the ways of God. By so doing, aren’t we no
better than the Israelites who broke the Covenant of Moses? Although we might have the
New Covenant, it also became ineffective because we are not faithful to it. This
was what the prophet said, “See, the days are coming – it is the Lord who
speaks – when I will make a new covenant with the House of Israel and the House
of Judah, but not a covenant like the one I made with their ancestors on the
day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. They
broke that covenant of mine, so I had to show them who was master.”
The crux of
the question is, “How then do we know what God’s ways are?” For some
Protestant Christians, the key is to acquire the faith of St Peter. This is how they interpret
the declaration of Jesus when He said to Peter, “You are Peter and on this rock
I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold
out against it.” In this interpretation, the rock does not stand for St
Peter and his successors but the faith of Peter when he declared, “You are the
Christ,’ he said ‘the Son of the living God.” With this faith in Christ
as the Son of the Living God, we can be sure of what we believe and whom we
believe by accepting all that Christ has taught us in the scriptures.
Faith in Christ and in the Word of God is all that is necessary to keep us in
the truth and find life.
This is also
because with our baptism, many Protestant Christians believe that the Spirit of
Christ lives in all the baptized. As members of His Church, we all know Christ
intimately, personally, and we no longer need the teaching authority of Church
since as Jeremiah prophesied, “This is the covenant I will make with the House
of Israel when those days arrive – it is the Lord who speaks. Deep within
them I will plant my law, writing it on their hearts. Then I will be
their God and they shall be my people. There will be no further need for
neighbour to try to teach neighbour, or brother to say to brother, ‘Learn to
know the Lord!’ No, they will all know me, the least no less than the greatest
– it is the Lord who speaks – since I will forgive their iniquity and never
call their sin to mind.”
Yet, if we
hold this view, then it is difficult to sustain the unity of the Church, which
must be unity in truth and in love. There can be no unity in
fellowship unless there is unity in beliefs. The fact is that we all
interpret the Word of God differently and all claim that they have the Holy
Spirit to guide them. If we all differ in opinions and interpretations,
then no one knows the exact truth. This leads to relativism. As a
result, the Church can no longer be called the the “pillar and ground of truth”
(cf 1 Tim 3:15)
or the body of Christ (cf 1 Cor 12:12-27)
or the Temple of God and the Holy Spirit (cf 1 Cor 3:16)
or a spiritual fellowship (cf 2 Cor 13:14).
Indeed, how then can the Church be called a People of God, holy, one and
apostolic in faith?
Obviously,
personal faith, whilst necessary to walk in the way of the Lord, is not enough
unless it is also a communal faith, the faith of the Church. The faith is imparted to us
by the Church and therefore we are baptized in the faith of the
Church. That is why we need the teaching Church. That is why
the Lord entrusted to Peter the authority to rule when He said, “You are Peter
and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld
can never hold out against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of
heaven; whatever you bind on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.” The
keys to binding and loosing refer to the authority of the Church under the
leadership of St Peter and the Apostolic College, which is succeeded by the
Pope and the College of Bishops.
To walk the
truth and way of Christ requires more than reason alone. We need the
revelation of God. Faith is not just reasoned but based on
revelation. This was what the Lord said to Peter, “Simon son of Jonah,
you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed
this to you but my Father in heaven.” If it was merely based on reason
then we can agree or disagree based on logic. But faith in Christ as the
Son of God requires more than mere reason; faith in God’s revelation is in
Christ. In all humility, we must recognize that there are many things in
life we do not understand. This is where we submit in faith to Christ who
continues to govern, teach and sanctify the Church through the governing,
teaching and sanctifying authority of the Pope and the bishops. The
magisterium is needed to preserve unity in truth through discipleship and
order. Unity is the basis for stability and continuity in
doctrines, morals and in the institutions, especially the sacraments.
But in fact,
the infallibility of the teaching Church is also very much influenced by the
infallibility of the believing Church. The authority of the teaching
Church does not work independently from the People of God. On the
contrary, the Church recognizes the Sensus Fidei of the People of God.
That is why the Magisterium must consult the People of God in defining
doctrines. Often, it is the faith of the people that helps the
Magisterium to discern the truth of the gospel. That is why the Church is
always asked to pray, especially for the Holy Father and the bishops, because
they are the ones who teach authoritatively. All the more, they need the
grace of God, the spirit of discernment, the spirit of truth, the spirit of
courage so that they can teach the Word of God without fear or favour.
The teaching Church is not exempted from acquiring a deeper personal faith in
the Lord. Such personal faith when strengthened will help them to be in
tune with Christ, His Spirit and the Word of God. With the
psalmist, we pray, “A pure heart create for me, O God, put a steadfast spirit
within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, nor deprive me of your Holy
Spirit.”
But for us to
help the Church leaders to discern, as individuals and as the believing Church,
the laity and priests must enlighten the Magisterium by articulating their
faith in Christ and their interpretation of the Word of God through their intuitive
faith and the study of scriptures. The laity must articulate their views to be
heard by the Church. That is why Pope Francis is ensuring that there is
greater representation of laity in the Pontifical Councils and in the offices
of the Church. In this way, both the teaching and believing Church help
each other to discern the way forward that is inspired by a common
spirit. The sign that we are the Church of Christ is when we preserve
ourselves as One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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