20190412
VINDICATING
OUR CAUSE
12 APRIL, 2019,
Friday, 5th Week in Lent
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
Violet.
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He has delivered the soul of the needy
from the hands of evil men
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First reading
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Jeremiah 20:10-13 ©
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Jeremiah said:
I hear so many disparaging me,
‘“Terror from every side!”
Denounce him! Let us denounce him!’
All those who used to be my friends
watched for my downfall,
‘Perhaps he will be seduced into error.
Then we will master him
and take our revenge!’
But the Lord is at my side, a mighty hero;
my opponents will stumble, mastered,
confounded by their failure;
everlasting, unforgettable disgrace will
be theirs.
But you, O Lord of Hosts, you who probe
with justice,
who scrutinise the loins and heart,
let me see the vengeance you will take on
them,
for I have committed my cause to you.
Sing to the Lord,
praise the Lord,
for he has delivered the soul of the needy
from the hands of evil men.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 17(18):2-7 ©
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In my anguish I called
to the Lord, and he heard my voice.
I love you, Lord, my strength,
my rock, my fortress, my
saviour.
My God is the rock where I take refuge;
my shield, my mighty help, my
stronghold.
The Lord is worthy of all praise,
when I call I am saved from my
foes.
In my anguish I called
to the Lord, and he heard my voice.
The waves of death rose about me;
the torrents of destruction
assailed me;
the snares of the grave entangled me;
the traps of death confronted
me.
In my anguish I called
to the Lord, and he heard my voice.
In my anguish I called to the Lord;
I cried to God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came to his ears.
In my anguish I called
to the Lord, and he heard my voice.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Mt4:17
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Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word
of God!
Repent, says the Lord,
for the kingdom of heaven is close at
hand.
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word
of God!
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Gospel
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John 10:31-42 ©
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They wanted to stone Jesus, but he eluded
them
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The Jews fetched stones to stone him, so
Jesus said to them, ‘I have done many good works for you to see, works from my
Father; for which of these are you stoning me?’ The Jews answered him, ‘We are
not stoning you for doing a good work but for blasphemy: you are only a man and
you claim to be God.’ Jesus answered:
‘Is it not written in your Law:
I said, you are gods?
So the Law uses the word gods
of those to whom the word of God was
addressed,
and scripture cannot be rejected.
Yet you say to someone the Father has
consecrated and sent into the world,
“You are blaspheming,”
because he says, “I am the son of God.”
If I am not doing my Father’s work,
there is no need to believe me;
but if I am doing it,
then even if you refuse to believe in me,
at least believe in the work I do;
then you will know for sure
that the Father is in me and I am in the
Father.’
They wanted to arrest him then, but he
eluded them.
He
went back again to the far side of the Jordan to stay in the district where
John had once been baptising. Many people who came to him there said, ‘John
gave no signs, but all he said about this man was true’; and many of them
believed in him.
VINDICATING OUR
CAUSE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ JER 20:10-13; PS 18:2-7; JN 10:31-42 ]
We spend much time
debating with those who do not share our faith in Christ. We try to argue with agnostics and
humanists about the existence of God. We seek to prove to others that
Christ is the Son of God. However, the truth is that these arguments
seldom convince skeptics that what we believe is true. There are as many
arguments for and against whatever we stand for in life. This was what
happened to Jeremiah in the first reading and Jesus in the gospel. The
people did not believe what they said, or the claims they made.
Indeed, in the final
analysis, words alone cannot change lives unless our words match our
actions. This
was what the Lord said to the people. “I have done many good works for
you to see, works from my Father; for which of these are you stoning me?”
Clearly, for Jesus, the only way to verify the truth of His words and claims
was by the works that He produced. He said, “If I am not doing my
Father’s work, there is no need to believe me, at least believe in the work I
do; then you will know for sure that the Father is in me and I am in the
Father.” Therefore, Jesus was not asking the people to believe
because of His words. The proclamation of God’s kingdom and His identity was
not just His words but His works as well. In fact, His works themselves are the
message of Jesus.
However, more than just
a message, His works identify Jesus as the Son of God. When the Jews said to Him, “We are not
stoning you for doing a good work but for blasphemy: you are only a man and you
claim to be God.” Yet, the axiom of life is that doing flows from
being. We can doubt a person’s words and claims, but it is more difficult
to doubt the life and the works of the person. The proof of a person’s
claims is verified by the life that he or she lives. Indeed, this is how
we distinguish a true prophet from a false prophet, a teacher of God from a
false teacher. We must be wary of so-called prophets, preachers and
teachers who use their eloquence to impress and deceive people through their
theatrics. What we must do is to look at their lifestyle. Do they
live by what they preach? Are they convinced of the values that they
teach to others and live them in their own life?
For Jesus, whether He
was God or otherwise, what is critical is that His very life exuded the
presence of God.
He said, “Is it not written in your Law: I said, you are gods? So the Law used
the word gods of those to whom the word of God was addressed, and scripture
cannot be rejected. Yet you say to someone the Father has consecrated and sent
into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because he says, ‘I am the Son of
God.'” The scriptures often called rulers, leaders and prophets, “sons of
God” or ‘gods”. Quoting from the psalm, the Lord said, “I say, ‘You are
gods, children of the Most High, all of you.'” (Ps 82:6) And to Moses, God appointed
Aaron to help him by his spokesman. “You shall speak to him and put
the words in his mouth; and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and
will teach you what you shall do. He indeed shall speak for you to the
people; he shall serve as a mouth for you, and you shall serve as God for
him.” (Ex 4:15f)
Indeed, the whole life
of Jesus was a manifestation of the presence and power of God in His very
being. “They had come to
hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with
unclean spirits were cured. And all in the crowd were trying to touch
him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.” (Lk 6:18f) Then, when Jesus healed the widow’s
son at Naim, “Fear seized all of them; and they glorified God, saying, ‘A great
prophet has risen among us!’ and ‘God has looked favorably on his
people!'” (Lk 7:16) “Now when the
centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he
said, ‘Truly this man was God’s Son!'” (Mk 15:39) Indeed, from beginning to end,
Jesus’ divine presence was recognized or at least intuited. He was more
than just a man but God in Him.
This, too, was the case
of Jeremiah. He was rejected
by his own fellowmen and even his friends, for the message he proclaimed from
the Lord. He lamented: “I hear so many disparaging me, ‘Terror from
every side!’ Denounce him! Let us denounce him!’ All those who used to be my
friends watched for my downfall, ‘Perhaps he will be seduced into error. Then
we will master him and take our revenge!'” The false prophets accused him
of discouraging the people with his prophecies of doom for the people,
especially the impending destruction and captivity. They accused him of treason
when he was truly patriotic and cared for the nation more than anyone else.
Yet, Jeremiah knew that
words alone could not convict them of their sins or the truth. Hence, he
left everything in the hands of God. He said, “But the Lord is at my side, a
mighty hero; my opponents will stumble, mastered, confounded by their failure;
everlasting, unforgettable disgrace will be theirs.” Jeremiah had done
his part in proclaiming what the Lord asked him to do. Beyond that, he
did not take the matter into his own hands. He left the rest for God to unfold
the truth to them. He knew that ultimately the justice of God will
prevail. Confidently, he said, “But you, Lord of hosts, you who probe
with justice, who scrutinise the loins and heart, let me see the vengeance you
will take on them, for I have committed my cause to you. Sing to the Lord,
praise the Lord, for he has delivered the soul of the needy from the hands of
evil men.”
Truly, God vindicated
Jeremiah when the people of Israel were exiled to Babylon. The last king of Judah, Zedekiah,
did not keep his contract of loyalty to the King of Babylon. Ignoring
Jeremiah’s warnings, he secretly entered into an alliance with Egypt to
overthrow King Nebuchadnezzar. As a result, the Babylonian army crushed
the revolt. Many of the king’s sons and princes were slain and Zedekiah’s
eyes were put out, and he was led by chains to Babylon. Such was the
tragic end for Judah who refused to hear the repeated call to repentance and to
surrender. But Jeremiah also gave them hope as well. He
prophesied their return to Israel. God would make a new covenant with
them. “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their
hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer
shall they teach one another, or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord, for
they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says
the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no
more.” (Jer 31:33f)
We too must show
ourselves to be true prophets and mediators of God’s presence to others. Today, our faith is being put in question,
not because what we say is not true but because of the scandals among Church
leaders and members. We are counter-witnessing to the gospel we
proclaim. We are not living our lives in such a way that brings glory to
God and honour to Him. On the contrary, we dishonour Him by living a life
that is contrary to the gospel. Decadence has once again entered the
Church. We are re-entering an era which the Church in the Middle Ages
went through. The Church was then corrupt, especially its leaders.
Today, we are not much different and it appears that it will get worse if the
Church does not respond to the call to repentance and conversion, particularly
the leaders of the Church. We need another Jeremiah to bring the Church
to self-awareness of her own sins, of complacency and immorality.
Therefore, before we enter into the darkness of the Middle Ages, we still have
an opportunity to arrest the decadence in the Church and restore the holiness
of God. We must once again consecrate ourselves to the Father just as
Jesus did.
And how can we do this
if not by going back to the scriptures. Jesus made it clear. He
said, “Scripture cannot be rejected.”
Catholics must not rely on the arguments from the world based on reason alone
without faith. We must rest our faith on the Word of God which is the
means to guide us. “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful
for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in
righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient,
equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16f) If we argue for same-sex
union, abortion, euthanasia, etc, we only have to turn to the scriptures for
direction and see whether our propositions are in line with the Word of
God. Otherwise, it is not from God.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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