20190427
INCREDULITY
AND OBSTINACY
27 APRIL, 2019,
Easter Saturday
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
White.
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First reading
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Acts 4:13-21 ©
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We cannot promise to stop proclaiming
what we have seen and heard
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The rulers, elders and scribes were
astonished at the assurance shown by Peter and John, considering they were
uneducated laymen; and they recognised them as associates of Jesus; but when
they saw the man who had been cured standing by their side, they could find no
answer. So they ordered them to stand outside while the Sanhedrin had a private
discussion. ‘What are we going to do with these men?’ they asked. ‘It is
obvious to everybody in Jerusalem that a miracle has been worked through them
in public, and we cannot deny it. But to stop the whole thing spreading any
further among the people, let us caution them never to speak to anyone in this
name again.’
So
they called them in and gave them a warning on no account to make statements or
to teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John retorted, ‘You must judge
whether in God’s eyes it is right to listen to you and not to God. We cannot
promise to stop proclaiming what we have seen and heard.’ The court repeated
the warnings and then released them; they could not think of any way to punish
them, since all the people were giving glory to God for what had happened.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 117(118):1,14-21 ©
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I will thank you, Lord,
for you have given answer.
or
Alleluia, alleluia,
alleluia!
Give thanks to the Lord for he is good,
for his love has no end.
The Lord is my strength and my song;
he was my saviour.
There are shouts of joy and victory
in the tents of the just.
I will thank you, Lord,
for you have given answer.
or
Alleluia, alleluia,
alleluia!
The Lord’s right hand has triumphed;
his right hand raised me up.
I shall not die, I shall live
and recount his deeds.
I was punished, I was punished by the
Lord,
but not doomed to die.
I will thank you, Lord,
for you have given answer.
or
Alleluia, alleluia,
alleluia!
Open to me the gates of holiness:
I will enter and give thanks.
This is the Lord’s own gate
where the just may enter.
I will thank you for you have answered
and you are my saviour.
I will thank you, Lord,
for you have given answer.
or
Alleluia, alleluia,
alleluia!
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Sequence
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Christians, to the Paschal Victim
offer sacrifice and praise.
The sheep are ransomed by the Lamb;
and Christ, the undefiled,
hath sinners to his Father reconciled.
Death with life contended:
combat strangely ended!
Life’s own Champion, slain,
yet lives to reign.
Tell us, Mary:
say what thou didst see
upon the way.
The tomb the Living did enclose;
I saw Christ’s glory as he rose!
The angels there attesting;
shroud with grave-clothes resting.
Christ, my hope, has risen:
he goes before you into Galilee.
That Christ is truly risen
from the dead we know.
Victorious king, thy mercy show!
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Gospel Acclamation
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Ps117:24
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Alleluia, alleluia!
This day was made by the Lord:
we rejoice and are glad.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Mark 16:9-15 ©
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Go out to the whole world and proclaim
the Good News
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Having risen in the morning on the first
day of the week, Jesus appeared first to Mary of Magdala from whom he had cast
out seven devils. She then went to those who had been his companions, and who
were mourning and in tears, and told them. But they did not believe her when
they heard her say that he was alive and that she had seen him.
After
this, he showed himself under another form to two of them as they were on their
way into the country. These went back and told the others, who did not believe
them either.
Lastly,
he showed himself to the Eleven themselves while they were at table. He
reproached them for their incredulity and obstinacy, because they had refused
to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. And he said to them, ‘Go
out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation.’
INCREDULITY AND
OBSTINACY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ ACTS 4:13-21; PS 118:1,14-21; MARK 16:9-15 ]
At the end of the
gospel, Jesus commanded His apostles, “Go out to the whole world; proclaim the
Good News to all creation.” This is the mandate given to all baptized Christians,
to proclaim the Good News of salvation in Christ to the whole of humanity. This
good news we are called to proclaim is God’s unconditional love and mercy for
us in Christ and our invitation to share in His life and love, not just on this
earth but also in heaven. With Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life,
we know our purpose in life, how we should live and where our final destiny
is. Most of all, we know for certain that love and life will triumph over
hatred and death.
But this proclamation is
often met with resistance.
Right from the outset of the early Church, those who heard the Good News about
Jesus were not receptive to it. We read how “Jesus appeared first to Mary
of Magdala from whom he had cast out seven devils. She then went to those who
had been his companions, and who were mourning and in tears, and told them. But
they did not believe her when they heard her say that he was alive and that she
had seen him. After this, he showed himself under another form to two of
them as they were on their way into the country. These went back and told the
others, who did not believe them either. Lastly, he showed himself to the
Eleven themselves while they were at table. He reproached them for their
incredulity and obstinacy, because they had refused to believe those who had
seen him after he had risen.” And in the first reading, the rulers,
elders and scribes “caution(ed) them never to speak to anyone in this name
again.”
More so today in the
face of relativism, religious pluralism and secularism, the proclamation of
Christ as the Saviour of the world is often met with opposition. There are so many views coming from
different presuppositions or without any foundational principles in their
arguments, but purely on subjective reasoning, so much so it is difficult to
convince people of the truth about Jesus and His resurrection. More than
ever, Christians are no longer allowed to proclaim that Christ is the unique
savior of all humanity. At most, He could be said to be one of the great
prophets of humanity, but not more.
We can appreciate why
our listeners are incredulous.
It is not wrong to be cautious in accepting everything that someone says.
In fact, if the gospel had shown otherwise, that the disciples and the apostles
readily believed without ascertaining the claims and investigating the
testimonies, then Christianity could be reduced to another superstitious
religion. Indeed, the initial doubts of the disciples, including the
Eleven apostles, strengthened faith in the authenticity of the resurrection.
To believe without
verifying would be irresponsible. Today, we have all kinds of reports of sightings of
Jesus, Mary and the Saints. Many people testify to the healing of their
physical and emotional ailments through the intercession of the saints and the
power of our Lord. But does it mean that all such testimonies are
true? Some could be merely hallucinations and some are even hoaxes
created by bogus evangelists to make money from credulous people. So we
need to ensure the credibility of our beliefs. Indeed, this is what
theology is all about. It is a systematic explanation of our faith and
belief. It tries to show the reasonableness of what we believe and the
intelligibility of our claims. Although faith is not reasoned, yet, faith
does not contradict reason but goes beyond the limits of reason. So
it is important, as St Peter tells us, that we should “in your hearts sanctify
Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from
you an accounting for the hope that is in you.” (1 Pt 3:15)
Being incredulous is
different from being obstinate. The incredulity that the Lord condemns is
associated not so much with caution but with obstinacy. “He reproached them for their
incredulity and obstinacy, because they had refused to believe those who had
seen him after he had risen.” To be obstinate means that our minds
are already fixed and we have no intention of hearing others out or willing to
change our way of thinking. This was the case of those who refused to
believe when they heard the testimonies of those who saw the Lord.
In the first place, the
culture we are in can prevent us from being receptive to the truth. We are told that when the women
reported to the disciples, they refused to believe. There was this
cultural rejection of women’s testimonies as valid. There was a great
distrust of women’s testimonies, perhaps because many of them were
homemakers. This was, of course, the result of a social system of
patriarchy that accorded males power and dominance in political and moral
authority. That cultural mindset hindered them from accepting the
testimonies of women. This is true today, not so much because of the
Patriarchal system but because of science. The world today demands
empirical proofs for our claims. But most of all, it is the culture of
relativism, secularism and individualism that makes it more difficult for our
contemporaries to believe in Christ.
Secondly, it is the fear
of losing our status and our position in society that leads us to obstinacy. The Jewish leaders saw the miracle
which no one could dispute. “When they saw the man, who had been cured standing
by their side, they could find no answer.” Furthermore, they were
“astonished at the assurance shown by Peter and John, considering they were
uneducated laymen.” What changed them if not the fact that they were “associates
of Jesus.” Instead of sincerely searching for an explanation and finding
out the truth of how this man was healed, they were more afraid of losing their
political and religious position. They were afraid of having to admit
their mistake of putting an innocent man to death, or worse still, someone who
was from God. Their pride forbade them to seek the truth. Instead,
they wanted to silence the truth and cover-up by ignoring the facts. They
ordered the apostles never to speak in His name again. Yet they could not
do anything to them for fear of the crowds who were praising God for the
miracle. “The court repeated the warnings and then released them; they
could not think of any way to punish them, since all the people were giving
glory to God for what had happened.” Instead of focusing on the truth of
what Peter and John claimed, that the healing was done through Jesus whom they
had crucified and killed and now rose from the dead, they were finding ways to
evade the truth of the matter.
Today, many Catholics
are afraid to stand up for their faith and beliefs because of the fear of being
ridiculed. Catholics
in the face of moral positions prefer to take sides with the world and its
values in order to find acceptance in society. They are afraid that if
they were to take the side of Jesus and the Church, they would be ridiculed and
even marginalized, thereby compromising their popularity with the world, and
also their chances for promotion. Indeed, many Catholics are
counter-witness to their faith. Instead of seeking to explain and clarify
to the world the Church teachings on moral issues and helping the world to come
to know the truth of what love entails, they prefer to take the side of the
world’s position, which is rooted in selfishness, individualism, convenience
and pleasure. Few Catholics are willing to risk their prospects in
their job, in politics, in corporate life for their faith.
Today, the scripture
readings are not asking us to merely believe without reason. Rather, we must begin with the
disposition of faith. This means a sincere desire to know what is right
and true without any prejudice or fear of losing our personal interests and
benefits. Theology is faith seeking further understanding. Faith
requires openness to the facts presented to us. Faith is never fearful of
the truth and therefore is always open to dialogue with reason.
Only that faith will enable us to encounter the Lord deeply, like the apostles
and the disciples who said, “You must judge whether in God’s eyes it is right
to listen to you and not to God. We cannot promise to stop proclaiming what we
have seen and heard.” Once we have encountered the Risen Lord we cannot
stop proclaiming Him to the whole world.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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