20181008
THE ORIGINAL GOSPEL IS
GOD’S UNCONDITIONAL LOVE AND MERCY
08 OCTOBER,
2018, Monday, 27th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
Green.
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First reading
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Galatians 1:6-12 ©
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The Good News I preached is not a human
message but from Jesus Christ
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I am astonished at the promptness with
which you have turned away from the one who called you and have decided to
follow a different version of the Good News. Not that there can be more than
one Good News; it is merely that some troublemakers among you want to change
the Good News of Christ; and let me warn you that if anyone preaches a version
of the Good News different from the one we have already preached to you,
whether it be ourselves or an angel from heaven, he is to be condemned. I am
only repeating what we told you before: if anyone preaches a version of the
Good News different from the one you have already heard, he is to be condemned.
So now whom am I trying to please – man, or God? Would you say it is men’s
approval I am looking for? If I still wanted that, I should not be what I
am – a servant of Christ.
The
fact is, brothers, and I want you to realise this, the Good News I preached is
not a human message that I was given by men, it is something I learnt only
through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm
110(111):1-2,7-10 ©
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The Lord keeps his
covenant ever in mind.
or
Alleluia!
I will thank the Lord with all my heart
in the meeting of the just and
their assembly.
Great are the works of the Lord,
to be pondered by all who love
them.
The Lord keeps his
covenant ever in mind.
or
Alleluia!
His works are justice and truth,
his precepts are all of them
sure,
standing firm for ever and ever;
they are made in uprightness
and truth.
The Lord keeps his
covenant ever in mind.
or
Alleluia!
He has sent deliverance to his people
and established his covenant
for ever.
Holy his name, to be feared.
His praise shall last for
ever!
The Lord keeps his
covenant ever in mind.
or
Alleluia!
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Gospel Acclamation
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cf.Jn6:63,68
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are
life;
you have the message of eternal life.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Jn13:34
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I give you a new commandment:
love one another just as I have loved you,
says the Lord.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 10:25-37 ©
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The good Samaritan
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There was a lawyer who, to disconcert
Jesus, stood up and said to him, ‘Master, what must I do to inherit eternal
life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? What do you read there?’ He
replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your
soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as
yourself.’ ‘You have answered right,’ said Jesus ‘do this and life is yours.’
But
the man was anxious to justify himself and said to Jesus, ‘And who is my
neighbour?’ Jesus replied, ‘A man was once on his way down from Jerusalem to
Jericho and fell into the hands of brigands; they took all he had, beat him and
then made off, leaving him half dead. Now a priest happened to be travelling
down the same road, but when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. In
the same way a Levite who came to the place saw him, and passed by on the other
side. But a Samaritan traveller who came upon him was moved with compassion
when he saw him. He went up and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on
them. He then lifted him on to his own mount, carried him to the inn and looked
after him. Next day, he took out two denarii and handed them to the innkeeper.
“Look after him,” he said “and on my way back I will make good any extra
expense you have.” Which of these three, do you think, proved himself a
neighbour to the man who fell into the brigands‘ hands?’ ‘The one who took pity
on him’ he replied. Jesus said to him, ‘Go, and do the same yourself.’
THE ORIGINAL GOSPEL IS GOD’S
UNCONDITIONAL LOVE AND MERCY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ GAL 1:6-12; LUKE 10:25-37 ]
One of the greatest downsides of
established churches, particularly the Catholic Church, is that the institution
can become an obstacle to the Good News. Whilst every human organization
needs institution to perpetuate its identity and beliefs, institutionalization
can also hinder the power of the Good News because of bureaucracy and routine.
This was surely the case of the Galatians. St Paul reprimanded them
saying, “I am astonished at the promptness with which you have turned away from
the one who called you and have decided to follow a different version of the
Good News. Not that there can be more than one Good News; it is merely
that some troublemakers among you want to change the Good News of
Christ.” The Gospel was preached to them but instead of living by the
freedom the Gospel gave them, they were tempted to return to Judaic practices,
especially the observance of the Law of Moses and the rituals.
Indeed, the primary meaning of the
Good News which St Paul preached is the unconditional love and
mercy of God in Jesus Christ. This Good News, as St Paul reiterates,
“is not a human message that I was given by men, it is something I learnt only
through a revelation of Jesus Christ”. Indeed, the basis for conversion
and rejoicing in the early Church is the concrete experience of the love and
mercy of God in Christ. That we are saved from condemnation for our sins
is not by our merits but purely by salvation through the gracious gift of God’s
mercy and love received by faith. Salvation is by faith alone and not from
anything else.
Consequently, St Paul was alarmed when
some Jewish Christians tried to mislead the Christian converts in Galatians by imposing
on them Jewish customs and traditions. For St Paul, this was
tantamount to changing the Gospel to another version that is based on laws
rather than on the grace and mercy of God. To forget the prior love and
mercy of God and reduce the Christian life to one of simply obeying laws for St
Paul is to return to the old way of life. The truth is that salvation is
neither found through observance of the laws in the Jewish religion nor with a
particular ethnicity. Salvation is not found through observance of the
laws. lf that were the case, there would be no real freedom. What
the Law does is to serve as a guide to an examination of our conscience and so
indicate to us what we need to be forgiven for. Laws can only reveal to
us our sinfulness and misery but cannot save us. Only Christ can make us
right with God through His death and resurrection.
The gospel passage of
today seems to contradict this truth, as
Jesus apparently agreed that obedience to the law is the way to eternal life
when He answered the lawyer by asking him, “What is written in the Law? What do
you read there?’ He replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your
heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and
your neighbour as yourself.’ ‘You have answered right,’ said Jesus ‘do this and
life is yours.'” It appears that love of God and neighbour is a
command. In itself, this is true.
Indeed, the scribe had the answer
to where eternal life could be found. He knew the truth that
love of God and neighbour is an inseparable bond, as Pope Benedict in his first
encyclical, “God is Love” tells us. Yet, this bond can be lived out only
when we have a prior experience of God’s unconditional love. Otherwise it
is impossible to live out these two commandments. This explains why
the scribe needed to justify himself and he tried to evade this truth by
asking, “Who is my neighbour?” He knew the way but he did not have the power or
the capacity to love his neighbour. Hence, Jesus told him the parable of
the Good Samaritan. Having understood who his neighbour was did not
mean that the scribe could now love as he should.
The truth is that the parable of
the Good Samaritan must be understood in the context of one who has
already experienced the love of God. The command to love God and
neighbour is not so much an external law, but an inner law that comes from
within one who has experienced the love of God. So it is not so
much an obligation, but a love that springs from one’s personal encounter with
God as an event and as a person. Such love is given in freedom, not as a
duty but because we see Christ in others. Unfortunately, the scribe had
not yet recognized Christ as the Good Samaritan.
We, too, can fall into
this same predicament of the Galatians and the scribes. We know the way to eternal
life. We have studied theology and scriptures. We know the laws in
the bible and that of the Church. We know all the moral laws, of what we
can or cannot do. Yet, we find that to maintain the bond between the love of
God and neighbour is an almost impossible task. Like them, we have not
yet come to realize that only the love of Christ in us can urge us on.
Undoubtedly, many of us have chosen to serve in Church, or help the
vulnerable in our midst because we have had a conversion experience or a
personal encounter with the Lord. But over the years, we have forgotten
the love of God for us. We forget this personal revelation given to
us. Instead, we reduce our Christian life to one of fulfilling the
laws. This explains why the initial zeal of serving the Church dies off
after some time, because we have forgotten the gospel and rely on the laws
instead. We are serving the Church now more out of duty, obligation and
commitment rather than out of love. This is true also in marital
life. Although it is true that love is not mere emotions alone but a
commitment, one cannot live out this commitment purely out of duty without any
experience of love. Only love can give us the capacity to endure to the
end.
The scripture readings challenge us to
reexamine the basis of our Christian identity. Are we still excited about
the Lord? Do we get passionate when someone asks us about our faith,
especially our relationship with Christ? Are we treating life as part of
our vocation and an expression of our love for God and the Church, or are we
simply waiting to live out our life span? We must do
everything out of love for God, whether we live as children, parent,
spouse, colleague, friend or as a religious. Indeed we must always bear
in mind what St Paul extolled, “So now whom am I trying to please – man, or
God? Would you say it is men’s approval I am looking for? If I still wanted
that, I should not be what I am – a servant of Christ.”
Hence we must return to our prior
experience of God’s unconditional love for us, the basis of the Good
News that St Paul preached. Indeed the gospel exemplifies this truth in
the story of the Good Samaritan. The Good News of God’s love is given to
all, even to our enemies. It is not curtailed by laws which prevented the
priest and Levite from coming to the assistance of the injured man. Jesus
the Good Samaritan comes for everyone who is in need, injured or
helpless. Jesus was truly a free person who was not limited by the laws,
otherwise, he would not have been able to reach out to sinners and those
marginalized by the Laws. Jesus who appreciates the Father’s love comes
to extend His Father’s love to all, irrespective of the situation they are
in. With the love of God in our hearts, we will have the compassion and
strength to continue loving despite encountering rejection and even injustice.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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