20181022
THE CHRISTIAN MEANING
OF JUSTICE
22 OCTOBER,
2018, Monday, 29th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
Green.
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First reading
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Ephesians 2:1-10 ©
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Sinners are saved in Christ Jesus
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You were dead through the crimes and the
sins in which you used to live when you were following the way of this world,
obeying the ruler who governs the air, the spirit who is at work in the
rebellious. We all were among them too in the past, living sensual lives, ruled
entirely by our own physical desires and our own ideas; so that by nature we
were as much under God’s anger as the rest of the world. But God loved us with
so much love that he was generous with his mercy: when we were dead through our
sins, he brought us to life with Christ – it is through grace that you
have been saved – and raised us up with him and gave us a place with him
in heaven, in Christ Jesus.
This
was to show for all ages to come, through his goodness towards us in Christ
Jesus, how infinitely rich he is in grace. Because it is by grace that you have
been saved, through faith; not by anything of your own, but by a gift from God;
not by anything that you have done, so that nobody can claim the credit. We are
God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to live the good life as from the
beginning he had meant us to live it.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 99(100) ©
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He made us, we belong to
him.
Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the
earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing for
joy.
He made us, we belong to
him.
Know that he, the Lord, is God.
He made us, we belong to him,
we are his people, the sheep
of his flock.
He made us, we belong to
him.
Go within his gates, giving thanks.
Enter his courts with songs of
praise.
Give thanks to him and bless
his name.
He made us, we belong to
him.
Indeed, how good is the Lord,
eternal his merciful love.
He is faithful from age to
age.
He made us, we belong to
him.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Ps24:4,5
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Teach me your paths, my God,
make me walk in your truth.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Mt5:3
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Alleluia, alleluia!
How happy are the poor in spirit:
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 12:13-21 ©
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Fool! This very night your soul will be
demanded of you
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A man in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Master,
tell my brother to give me a share of our inheritance.’ ‘My friend,’ he
replied, ‘who appointed me your judge, or the arbitrator of your claims?’ Then
he said to them, ‘Watch, and be on your guard against avarice of any kind, for
a man’s life is not made secure by what he owns, even when he has more than he
needs.’
Then
he told them a parable: ‘There was once a rich man who, having had a good
harvest from his land, thought to himself, “What am I to do? I have not enough
room to store my crops.” Then he said, “This is what I will do: I will pull
down my barns and build bigger ones, and store all my grain and my goods in
them, and I will say to my soul: My soul, you have plenty of good things laid
by for many years to come; take things easy, eat, drink, have a good time.” But
God said to him, “Fool! This very night the demand will be made for your soul;
and this hoard of yours, whose will it be then?” So it is when a man stores up
treasure for himself in place of making himself rich in the sight of God.’
THE CHRISTIAN MEANING OF JUSTICE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ EPHESIANS 2:1-10; LUKE 12:13-21 ]
There is this instinct
in every man to seek justice.
The poor seek justice because they are deprived of the necessities of
life. The average person also seeks greater justice in the distribution
of this world’s goods because others have more than him. The rich also
seek justice because they feel they are entitled to more because they work
harder than the rest. Indeed, no one seems contented with what they
have. We never have enough to satisfy us.
Indeed, this was the
case of the man who brought his unhappiness to the Lord because his brother did
not give him a share of his inheritance. He felt he was entitled to a share of the
estate. He wanted Jesus to help him to resolve his quarrel with his
brother. This situation is still very common today. How often have
we had siblings fighting over their parents’ estate because they felt that they
did not get their fair share!
However, Jesus did not
deal with the specific issue raised. Instead, He helped the man to see
the bigger issue underlying his demand for justice. The underlying reason was greed,
selfishness and attachment. It could possibly be right that legally, he
was entitled to the share of the inheritance. However, did he really need
the inheritance to be happy in life? Could he do without it? Was he dying
of starvation? And what is enough? Poverty is relative. In
Singapore, if you do not own a mobile phone, a TV, a refrigerator and air-con,
you are considered poor. Therefore, the word “justice” is also
relative. What is a just wage? The truth is that the word “enough”
does not exist in our vocabulary. Jesus warns us, “Watch, and be on your
guard against avarice of any kind, for a man’s life is not made secure by what
he owns, even when he has more than he needs.”
The principles of
justice are highlighted in today’s scripture readings. Firstly,
everything belongs to God. This
is what the responsorial psalm expresses. “Cry out with joy to the
Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before him,
singing for joy. Know that he, the Lord is God. He made us, we
belong to him, we are his people, the sheep of his flock.” We are all the
sheep of God. Creation is given to all of humanity. No one owns the
earth. It is the common property of all. So whenever we have more
than what others need, we have no right to retain them. The wealth of
this world is to be shared with all, especially those who are deprived of the
basic needs of life. Indeed, it is a great injustice that the richest 1%
owns half the world’s wealth, even if what they own are legally theirs.
Whatever we have ultimately belongs to the Lord and comes from Him.
Secondly, the Lord
reminds us that happiness in life does not increase simply because we have more
wealth and things. It
is an illusion to think that if we have more money, our life will be made more
secure and happy. Some of the most miserable people in the world today
are those who are rich and famous; some have even committed suicide! This
was what the rich man in the parable thought, after a good harvest. He
said, “I will pull down my barns and build bigger ones, and store all my grain
and my goods in them, and I will say to my soul: My soul, you have plenty of
good things laid by for many years to come; take things easy, eat, drink, have
a good time.” This is what we all think; that if we have plenty of
money, we can retire and we will be happy. Have we asked those who are
retired whether they are really much happier than when they were working?
Some fall into depression and sickness because they do not put their body and
brain to good use. In the final analysis, we cannot stop working in life
because work gives us a sense of purpose, meaning, hope and keep us healthy.
Thirdly, happiness in
life is not about acquiring things but building meaningful relationships with
God and with our fellowmen.
Jesus warns those who live in false security when He said, “‘Fool! This very
night the demand will be made for your soul; and this hoard of yours, whose
will it be then?’ So it is when a man stores up treasure for himself in place
of making himself rich in the sight of God.” Money and resources are
means to an end. They alone cannot make us happy unless we use them for
the service of our fellowmen. When we use what we have to spread joy
around us by helping the needy, caring for the sick and building friendships
through meaningful activities, that is what makes us happy. Great joy is
ours when we bring joy to the joyless and the hopeless. Looking at their
smiling faces and grateful hearts fill us with the joy of God that money cannot
buy.
So in the final
analysis, we should not be seeking justice and our rights but the justice and
rights of the really poor. Otherwise,
our desire for justice springs from greed, wanting to have more and more.
It comes from attachment to what we have, even when we do not really need
them. It comes from selfishness because we only think of our needs and
security. The only justice that is permitted is for those who are not
given the basic sustenance in life. If we have food and shelter and a
bed, we can be happy wherever we are. We do not need much to be
happy. To have more is no guarantee of happiness. Rather, it
is when we are loving, caring, making use of our time and talents to help and
serve others, that we find happiness. In giving things to others and our
time, we receive love and joy in return.
This is the way God
regards us who are sinners through and through. In the first reading, St Paul wrote, “You
were dead, through the crimes and the sins in which you used to live when you
were following the way of this world, obeying the ruler who governs the air,
the spirit who is at work in the rebellious. We all were among them too
in the past, living sensual lives, ruled entirely by our own physical desires
and our own ideas; so that by nature we were as much under God’s anger as the
rest of the world.” However, in spite of our sinfulness and
deserving of God’s punishment, the justice of God is not to take revenge on us
or to exact from us what we deserve. Rather, “God loved us with so much
love that he was generous with his mercy: when we were dead through our sins,
he brought us to life with Christ – it is through grace that you have been
saved – and raised us up with him and gave us a place with him in heaven, in
Christ Jesus.”
The truth is that none
of us are worthy before God. We cannot save ourselves by our own merits. It is not the good works we do or
anything we could do to earn our salvation. Rather, St Paul wrote, “it is
by grace that you have been saved through faith; not by anything of your own,
but by a gift from God; not by anything that you have done, so that nobody can
claim the credit. We are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to
live the good life as from the beginning he had meant us to live
it.” God saved us in Christ. Through Christ, we know that we
are loved and forgiven. Through Christ, we know we are God’s masterpiece.
Through Christ, we know that the way to fullness of life is through death to
sin. Through Christ, we are given the capacity to live the authentic life
He has shown to us.
We could do this only
because God has shown “for all ages to come, through his goodness towards us in
Christ Jesus, how infinitely rich he is in grace.” If we live a good life now, it is not
because we can earn our salvation but because we are grateful for the grace, we
have received. When we realize how unworthy we are and how undeserving we
are of His mercy and love, we will desire to show our love in return by loving
Him and loving our brothers and sisters. This is true not just of God’s
mercy in forgiving us our sins but also in every area of life. If only we
are grateful for the gifts we have received, our wealth, talents and health, we
would not abuse them but use them for the good of our fellowmen and for the
greater glory of God. We will not keep them for ourselves, since we have
received from God freely. As Jesus in the gospel says, “Heal
the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without
pay, give without pay.” (Mt 10:8)
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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