20190107
THE IMPLICATIONS OF
FAITH IN THE INCARNATION
07 JANUARY,
2019, Monday after the Epiphany
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
White.
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First reading
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1 John 3:22-4:6 ©
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The Son of God has come and given us the
power to know the true God
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Whatever we ask God,
we shall receive,
because we keep his commandments
and live the kind of life that he wants.
His commandments are these:
that we believe in the name of his Son
Jesus Christ
and that we love one another
as he told us to.
Whoever keeps his commandments
lives in God and God lives in him.
We know that he lives in us
by the Spirit that he has given us.
It is not every spirit, my dear people,
that you can trust;
test them, to see if they come from God,
there are many false prophets, now, in the
world.
You can tell the spirits that come from
God by this:
every spirit which acknowledges that Jesus
the Christ has come in the flesh
is from God;
but any spirit which will not say this of
Jesus
is not from God,
but is the spirit of Antichrist,
whose coming you were warned about.
Well, now he is here, in the world.
Children,
you have already overcome these false
prophets,
because you are from God and you have in
you
one who is greater than anyone in this
world;
as for them, they are of the world,
and so they speak the language of the
world
and the world listens to them.
But we are children of God,
and those who know God listen to us;
those who are not of God refuse to listen
to us.
This is how we can tell
the spirit of truth from the spirit of
falsehood.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 2:7-8,10-11 ©
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I will give you the
nations for your heritage.
The Lord said to me: ‘You are my Son.
It is I who have begotten you
this day.
Ask and I shall bequeath you the nations,
put the ends of the earth in
your possession.’
I will give you the
nations for your heritage.
Now, O kings, understand,
take warning, rulers of the
earth;
serve the Lord with awe
and trembling, pay him your
homage.
I will give you the
nations for your heritage.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Mt4:16
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The people that lived in darkness
has seen a great light;
on those who dwell in the land and shadow
of death
a light has dawned.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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cf.Mt4:23
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Jesus proclaimed the Good News of the
kingdom
and cured all kinds of diseases among the
people.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Lk4:17
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The Lord has sent me to bring the good
news to the poor,
to proclaim liberty to captives.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Lk7:16
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Alleluia, alleluia!
A great prophet has appeared among us;
God has visited his people.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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cf.1Tim3:16
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Glory to you, O Christ,
proclaimed to the pagans;
glory to you, O Christ,
believed in by the world.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 4:12-17,23-25 ©
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The people that lived in darkness have
seen a great light
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Hearing that John had been arrested, Jesus
went back to Galilee, and leaving Nazareth he went and settled in Capernaum, a
lakeside town on the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali. In this way the prophecy
of Isaiah was to be fulfilled:
‘Land of Zebulun! Land of
Naphtali!
Way of the sea on the
far side of Jordan,
Galilee of the nations!
The people that lived in
darkness has seen a great light;
on those who dwell in
the land and shadow of death
a light has dawned.’
From that moment Jesus began his preaching
with the message, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’
He
went round the whole of Galilee teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the
Good News of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness among
the people. His fame spread throughout Syria, and those who were suffering from
diseases and painful complaints of one kind or another, the possessed,
epileptics, the paralysed, were all brought to him, and he cured them. Large
crowds followed him, coming from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judaea and
Transjordania.
THE IMPLICATIONS OF FAITH IN THE
INCARNATION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ 1 JN 3:22-4:6; MT 4:12-17, 23-25 ]
Very often, we hear
remarks that the Catholic Faith is very ritualistic. This is because we pay great emphasis on
the sacramentals of the Church, especially in the celebration of the
liturgy. We have elaborate ceremonies especially on significant feast day
celebrations. The liturgical rubrics are spelt out clearly so that the
signs and symbols used will convey the reality that is celebrated. There
is the use of liturgical vestments, incense, crucifixes, candles, procession,
holy water, etc besides gestures of bowing, kneeling and genuflecting.
At times, we are seen to
be superstitious as well. This
is because we are very particular whether the rules are followed, especially in
devotional practices, like fulfilling the nine days of Novena or blessing
ourselves with holy water. Our people love to go on pilgrimages, visiting
shrines, praying before statues, offering prayers and petitions, offering
flowers, buying holy pictures and rosaries, lighting candles, wearing religious
medals and believing in indulgences.
Besides the
sacramentals, we have the seven Sacraments of the Church. These Sacraments are important in
the life of a Catholic, especially the Sacraments of Initiation, namely,
Baptism, the Eucharist and Confirmation. Then we also have the Sacrament
of Matrimony, where married couples are called to be the image of Christ’s love
to each other and for humanity. Catholics also frequent the Sacrament of
Reconciliation when they need to have their sins forgiven. When they are
sick, they are given the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. The last
Sacrament is that of Holy Orders to ensure the continuity of priests to serve
the Church.
Because of the emphasis
on sacramentals and Sacraments, some Protestants accuse Catholics of abandoning
the Scriptures and subscribing to man-made traditions. Is this
true? For
the Protestants, their emphasis is on the Scripture as the Word of God.
The rituals are secondary. What is fundamental is the preaching of the
Word of God. Protestant services are basically Word service. Those
mainstream Protestants who have branched out of Catholicism, continue with some
of these traditions, albeit stripping the religious ceremonies of its grandeur
for fear of giving the impression of being overly ritualistic and
superstitious.
What is the basis for
the use of sacramentals and Sacraments? It is based on the incarnation of
our Lord Jesus Christ. This
is what St John wanted to underscore in today’s first reading. The baby
Jesus we adore at Christmas is not just any baby but He is Christ our Lord, the
Saviour of the world. The baby Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary, is truly
man and yet truly God. Our confession of faith in Jesus as the Word made
Flesh is fundamental to our salvation. This is why John insisted on faith
in the incarnation. He wrote, “You can tell the spirits that come from
God by this: every spirit which acknowledges that Jesus the Christ has come in
the flesh is from God; but any spirit which will not say this of Jesus is not
from God, but is the spirit of Antichrist, whose coming you are warned
about.” Jesus is not just from God but He is also from man born of
Mary. Faith in the incarnation means that God has assumed our
humanity and it will be through and in His humanity that we will see the face
of God. In the gospel, Jesus states in no uncertain terms, “Whoever has
seen me has seen the Father. Do you not believe that I am in the Father
and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own;
but the Father who dwells in me does his works.” (Jn 14:9-11) Those who deny the humanity
of Jesus or deny His divinity, as many do, are the false prophets.
Indeed, the purpose of
Jesus’ incarnation is to show us the face of God’s mercy, love and forgiveness. This explains why in His ministry,
Jesus spent most of His time not just preaching but ministering to the sick and
the suffering. In the gospel, we read, “He went round the whole of
Galilee teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom
and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness among the people. His fame spread
throughout Syria, and those who were suffering from diseases and painful
complaints of one kind or another, the possessed, epileptics, the paralysed,
were all brought to him, and he cured them.” He gave the same
instructions to the disciples when it came to preaching the Good News. He
said, “As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come
near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.
You received without payment; give without payment.” (Mt 10:7f)
The only way to convince
people that God loves them is not by mere preaching alone but helping them to
encounter God in a human way.
This means for the sick people, healing; for the oppressed, deliverance; for
the sinner, forgiveness; for the dying, eternal life. This is why Jesus
left the Church the seven sacraments so that every Christian is sustained in
his or her life journey through the graces that come from God in the sacraments.
When we are sick or dying, we turn to the Sacrament for the Anointing of the
Sick. When feel burdened by our sins and we need forgiveness, we
turn to God who speaks through the priests, “I absolve you from all your
sins.” When we are married and starting a new family, we celebrate the
sacrament of Matrimony to give us the strength and renew our love for Him so
that couples could love each other more deeply. Of course, the Eucharist is the
Sacrament par excellence because He is truly present in the bread and wine
given to us so that we might remain in communion with Him and His Church.
The sacraments become
the basis for the use of sacramentals in the Church. As human beings, we need to see, to
touch and feel the presence of God. Again this was what St John wrote,
“We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we
have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands,
concerning the word of life – this life was revealed, and we have seen it
and testify to it.” (1 Jn 1:1f) We cannot see or touch the
Lord physically today. But we can still feel His presence through the use
of statues and medals, signs, symbols, sacred actions. This is not being
superstitious unless we mistake the signs for the reality. They remain
signs and symbols pointing to the reality behind what is manifested, seen or
touch. It is just like the National Flag, a symbol of the nation.
Just as we do not worship the flag when we stand at attention, we do not
worship the symbols. But as human beings, signs and symbols are ways to
help us get in touch with the mind and the spirit.
But faith in the
incarnation is not just the signs and symbols used in the liturgy and worship,
it must be concretized in humble service and generous giving. In assuming flesh, Jesus is
identified with us. He is not ashamed to call us His brothers. (cf Heb 2:11) He is identified with the
least of our brothers and sisters. (cf Mt 25:40) That is why right worship must
lead to right practice, which is the love for our fellowmen. St John
wrote, “Whatever we ask God, we shall receive, because we keep his commandments
and live the kind of life that he wants. His commandments are these: that
we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and that we love one another as
he told us to. Whoever keeps his commandments lives in God and God lives in
him. We know that he lives in us by the Spirit that he has given
us.” If God were to live in us, then this indwelling of God in us
should remind us to reach out to the poor and the suffering. This is why
charity is a corollary principle of authentic worship of God. It is
futile for us to claim that we have the right liturgy and the right way to
worship God but in our lives, we lack charity and compassion for the suffering
and the poor. This is the basis for the social service of the
Church, not primarily humanitarian but spiritual by showing them the face of
God.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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