20181111
AUTHENTICITY IN FAITH
WHEN SYMBOL BECOMES THE REALITY
11 NOVEMBER,
2018, Sunday, 32nd Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
Green.
|
First reading
|
|
1 Kings 17:10-16 ©
|
|
'Jar of meal shall not be spent, jug of
oil shall not be emptied'
|
Elijah the Prophet went off to Sidon. And
when he reached the city gate, there was a widow gathering sticks; addressing
her he said, ‘Please bring me a little water in a vessel for me to drink.’ She
was setting off to bring it when he called after her. ‘Please’ he said ‘bring
me a scrap of bread in your hand.’ ‘As the Lord your God lives,’ she replied ‘I
have no baked bread, but only a handful of meal in a jar and a little oil in a
jug; I am just gathering a stick or two to go and prepare this for myself and
my son to eat, and then we shall die.’ But Elijah said to her, ‘Do not be
afraid, go and do as you have said; but first make a little scone of it for me
and bring it to me, and then make some for yourself and for your son. For thus
the Lord speaks, the God of Israel:
“Jar of meal shall not be spent,
jug of oil shall not be emptied,
before the day when the Lord sends
rain on the face of the earth.”’
The woman went and did as Elijah told her
and they ate the food, she, himself and her son. The jar of meal was not spent
nor the jug of oil emptied, just as the Lord had foretold through Elijah.
|
Responsorial Psalm
|
|
Psalm 145(146):7-10 ©
|
My soul, give praise to
the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
It is the Lord who keeps faith for ever,
who is just to those who are
oppressed.
It is he who gives bread to the hungry,
the Lord, who sets prisoners
free.
My soul, give praise to
the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
It is the Lord who gives sight to the
blind,
who raises up those who are
bowed down.
It is the Lord who loves the just,
the Lord, who protects the
stranger.
My soul, give praise to
the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
The Lord upholds the widow and orphan
but thwarts the path of the
wicked.
The Lord will reign for ever,
Zion’s God, from age to age.
My soul, give praise to
the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
|
Second reading
|
Hebrews 9:24-28 ©
|
|
Christ, our high priest, has done away
with sin by sacrificing himself
|
It is not as though Christ had entered a
man-made sanctuary which was only modelled on the real one; but it was heaven
itself, so that he could appear in the actual presence of God on our behalf.
And he does not have to offer himself again and again, like the high priest
going into the sanctuary year after year with the blood that is not his own, or
else he would have had to suffer over and over again since the world began.
Instead of that, he has made his appearance once and for all, now at the end of
the last age, to do away with sin by sacrificing himself. Since men only die
once, and after that comes judgement, so Christ, too, offers himself only once
to take the faults of many on himself, and when he appears a second time, it
will not be to deal with sin but to reward with salvation those who are waiting
for him.
|
Gospel Acclamation
|
Rv2:10
|
Alleluia, alleluia!
Even if you have to die, says the Lord,
keep faithful, and I will give you
the crown of life.
Alleluia!
|
Or:
|
Mt5:3
|
Alleluia, alleluia!
How happy are the poor in spirit:
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Alleluia!
|
Gospel
|
Mark 12:38-44 ©
|
|
This poor widow has put in more than all
|
In his teaching Jesus said, ‘Beware of the
scribes who like to walk about in long robes, to be greeted obsequiously in the
market squares, to take the front seats in the synagogues and the places of
honour at banquets; these are the men who swallow the property of widows, while
making a show of lengthy prayers. The more severe will be the sentence they
receive.’
He
sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the
treasury, and many of the rich put in a great deal. A poor widow came and put
in two small coins, the equivalent of a penny. Then he called his disciples and
said to them, ‘I tell you solemnly, this poor widow has put more in than all
who have contributed to the treasury; for they have all put in money they had
over, but she from the little she had has put in everything she possessed, all
she had to live on.’
AUTHENTICITY IN FAITH WHEN SYMBOL
BECOMES THE REALITY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 KGS 17:10-16; PS 145:7-10; HEB 9:24-28; MK 12:38-44 ]
Are we what we say and
do? Does our life
reflect our teaching? Do we live out what our faith expresses? This is
particularly true when it comes to the celebration of rituals and observances
of the customs in our Catholic life, whether it is the celebration of the
sacraments, the mass particularly, the external signs of faith, like
genuflecting, making the sign of the cross, abstaining meat on Fridays,
etc. All these are external signs, but are they truly expressive of
our interior faith? Is there a dichotomy between what we say and perform
in our rituals and customs as Catholics and how we relate to God and our
fellowmen in love and devotion? Are we authentic in our life of faith?
In the gospel, Jesus was
critical of the religious leaders of the day who lacked authenticity in their
faith. The problem was
that what the religious leaders said and did were not a true reflection of who
they were. He warned them saying, “Beware of the scribes who like to walk about
in long robes, to be greeted obsequiously in the market squares, to take the
front seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at banquets.”
These words are also directed at the religious leaders of our day. Pope Francis
always warns us from falling into the temptation of spiritual worldliness,
where religious leaders are more concerned about securing power, influence,
ambition, popularity, recognition, living a luxurious life and having more
wealth. They are not primarily concerned with leading people to God and
leading a life of charity and forgiveness. Instead, as the Lord would
say, these are the men who swallow the property of widows.
The Lord warns those
religious leaders who live such a hypocritical life. “The more severe
will be the sentence they receive.” When their lifestyle is exposed or seen by
others as hypocritical, the scandal caused to the community is enormous.
Many Catholics have left the faith because of the example of religious
leaders. They themselves will also be conflicted in their own lives as
their conscience will not let them be at peace. At the end of the day it
is not what we preach but how we live our life in simplicity, in faith, charity
and forgiveness that counts.
This lack of
authenticity in a life of faith is not confined to religious leaders. In fact, none of us is exempted.
Many of us who are apparently active in church, attend mass regularly,
take part in Catholic activities, and assume positions in church organizations,
also live a double life. We look good for others to see but in our hidden
life, we are tyrants, dictators, nasty, ambitious, power crazy and live a
sinful life of addictions, greed and lust. If it were true that
scandalous Catholic leaders put off others who want to join the faith, it is
true of every Catholic as well. Living an inauthentic Catholic life will
not bring us the peace and joy the Lord wants to give us.
What does it mean to
live an authentic Christian life? It means that what is symbolized becomes a
reality as well in our lives, even if it is not the fullness of this
manifestation. The
second reading today compares the temporary and imperfect sacrifice offered by
the priests of the Old Covenant and Christ our High Priest who offered Himself
as a living sacrifice to convict us of our sins and the mercy of God the
Father. Indeed, the author reminds us, “it is not as though Christ has
entered a man-made sanctuary which was only modelled on the real one; but it
was heaven itself, so that he could appear in the actual presence of God on our
behalf. And he does not have to offer himself again and again, like the high
priest going into the sanctuary year after year with the blood that is not his
own, or else he would have had to suffer over and over again since the world
began.”
Clearly then, what we have
now on this earth is an imperfect representation of the kingdom life. In
addition, what is even more encouraging is that Christ is the one who has
carried our sins in Him and gained for us direct access to God. “Instead of that, he has made his appearance
only once to take the faults of many on himself, and when he appears a second
time, it will not be to deal with sin but to reward with salvation those who
are waiting for him.” In Jesus, we do not simply see a symbol but
the reality symbolized. In Jesus, we see the face and mercy of God in
person. Jesus told Philip, “to see me is to see the Father” and the works
He did were from the Father. Whatever the Father does, He would do
because as He said, “the Father and I are one.” Our celebration of
His death on the cross in the Sacrifice of the Mass is not just merely an empty
symbol but a real participation in the death and resurrection of our Lord as we
enter into His Spirit at His passion.
This was the case of the
woman in today’s gospel.
Without any fanfare or attempt to bring attention to herself, she acted out her
faith in God through the giving of a penny into the collection box of the
Temple. On two counts, she showed us what faith is all about.
Firstly, the widows in those days were deprived of financial support,
especially if they had no children. They were one of the most vulnerable
peoples in those days. Secondly, as the Lord observed, “from the little
she had has put in everything she possessed, all she had to live on.” She
gave her life completely into the hands of God. She trusted that God
somehow would provide for her the next day. Our poverty makes us humble
and not to rely too much on our efforts alone.
This made Jesus remark,
“I tell you solemnly, this poor widow has put more in than all who have
contributed to the treasury; for they have all put in money they had over.” Her act of giving the mite
was but an expression of her entire being and her love, devotion and trust in
God. Indeed, for most of us, we contribute what we do not need, not what we
need for ourselves. So even if you give a large sum of money compared to
someone else, it is not the amount you give eventually but the extent of your
generosity of heart. The greater we are willing to deprive ourselves for
the greater good of others and for the glory of God, the more we are identified
with God in His generosity. In fact, Jesus gave all, His entire life for
the service of God and of His fellowmen. St Paul wrote to the
Corinthians, “For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty
you might become rich.” (2 Cor 8:9)
This was the same for
the poor widow and her son in the first reading. She was suffering from hunger
because of the famine. But when Elijah asked her for water and bread, she
willingly acceded to his request. Like the poor widow in the gospel, she
gave all she had. She replied, “I have no baked bread, but only a handful
of meal in a jar and a little oil in a jug; I am just gathering a stick or two
to go and prepare this for myself and my son to eat, and then we shall die.”
Indeed, what is
significant about today’s scripture readings is that God will reward those who
are authentic in their faith.
God will not disappoint us. We need not fear the future because it is in
God’s hands. For being so generous to Elijah, the prophet provided her
food by asking the Lord to multiply the food for her each day. He too
would raise her son who fell ill and died back to life. As the psalmist
says, “It is the Lord who keeps faith for ever, who is just to those who are
oppressed. It is he who gives bread to the hungry, the Lord, who sets prisoners
free. It is the Lord who gives sight to the blind, who raises up those who are
bowed down, the Lord, who protects the stranger and upholds the widow and
orphan.” God who we worship is an amazing, surprising and loving
God.
Our identity as
Catholics must be seen not simply through our worship in signs and symbols. We must go beyond symbols celebrated
in our rituals, but we must make concrete the symbols we use for our
faith. Our greatest symbol and sign of course is the Eucharist, because
the Lord is completely identical to the bread and wine consecrated during mass
as He offered Himself perfectly to the Father, bringing us to Him. We too
must therefore live out the mass and the Eucharist we receive by being a
sacrificial love and victim to save others, to glory God and to restore life to
wholeness.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment