20190625
INCREASING
OUR COMMON SPACE
25 JUNE, 2019,
Tuesday, 12th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
Green.
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First reading
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Genesis 13:2,5-18 ©
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Abram settles in the land of Canaan and
builds an altar to the Lord
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Abram was a very rich man, with livestock,
silver and gold. Lot, who was travelling with Abram, had flocks and cattle of
his own, and tents too. The land was not sufficient to accommodate them both at
once, for they had too many possessions to be able to live together. Dispute
broke out between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and those of Lot’s. (The
Canaanites and the Perizzites were then living in the land.) Accordingly Abram
said to Lot, ‘Let there be no dispute between me and you, nor between my herdsmen
and yours, for we are brothers. Is not the whole land open before you? Part
company with me: if you take the left, I will go right; if you take the right,
I will go left.’
Looking
round, Lot saw all the Jordan plain, irrigated everywhere – this was before
the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah – like the garden of the Lord or the
land of Egypt, as far as Zoar. So Lot chose all the Jordan plain for himself
and moved off eastwards. Thus they parted company: Abram settled in the land of
Canaan; Lot settled among the towns of the plain, pitching his tents on the
outskirts of Sodom. Now the people of Sodom were vicious men, great sinners
against the Lord.
The
Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted company with him, ‘Look all round from
where you are towards the north and the south, towards the east and the west.
All the land within sight I will give to you and your descendants for ever. I
will make your descendants like the dust on the ground: when men succeed in
counting the specks of dust on the ground, then they will be able to count your
descendants! Come, travel through the length and breadth of the land, for I
mean to give it to you.’
So
Abram went with his tents to settle at the Oak of Mamre, at Hebron, and there
he built an altar to the Lord.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 14(15):2-5 ©
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The just will live in
the presence of the Lord.
Lord, who shall dwell on your holy
mountain?
He who walks without fault;
he who acts with justice
and speaks the truth from his heart;
he who does not slander with his tongue.
The just will live in
the presence of the Lord.
He who does no wrong to his brother,
who casts no slur on his neighbour,
who holds the godless in disdain,
but honours those who fear the Lord.
The just will live in
the presence of the Lord.
He who keeps his pledge, come what may;
who takes no interest on a loan
and accepts no bribes against the
innocent.
Such a man will stand firm for ever.
The just will live in
the presence of the Lord.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Mt11:25
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed are you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth,
for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom
to mere children.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Jn8:12
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the light of the world, says the
Lord;
anyone who follows me will have the light
of life.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 7:6,12-14 ©
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Treat others as you would like them to
treat you
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Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not give
dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls in front of pigs, or they may
trample them and then turn on you and tear you to pieces.
‘So
always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the meaning of
the Law and the Prophets.
‘Enter
by the narrow gate, since the road that leads to perdition is wide and
spacious, and many take it; but it is a narrow gate and a hard road that leads
to life, and only a few find it.’
INCREASING OUR
COMMON SPACE
In the first reading, we
encounter the threat of division and misunderstanding due to limited land and
opportunities as the community grew.
Indeed, we read that “Abram was a very rich man, with livestock, silver and
gold. Lot, who was travelling with Abram, had flocks and cattle of his
own, and tents too. The land was not sufficient to accommodate them both,
for they had too many possessions to be able to live together.” So the
solution was for them to separate and venture into new ground so that their
peoples could live and expand.
This has always been the
case in the past when nations expanded their territories through conquest
and occupation.
In the ancient world, empires rose and fell through military might.
Today, it is not just in terms of territory but also in terms of trade and
technological power. In the face of globalization, there is a need to go
beyond one’s national frontiers to do business, if the business were to expand.
Powerful nations use economic influence and trade to strengthen their political
and not just economic power over weaker and poorer nations. By so doing,
the smaller nations become subservient and dependent on the economic and
military support of the more powerful and richer countries.
This, too, was
the case of religions as well. In the ancient world, religions were
expanded through might, force and influence. Many religious wars were fought between
religions. Missionaries went abroad to share their faith, believing that
it was good for the people, although sometimes faith was forced upon the people
or coerced through the offering of economic and political power.
This, too, can also happen in our churches as well. Some parishes feel
threatened when their parishioners join Archdiocesan bodies or organizations or
serve in another parish, especially when they are being actively pursued. Then
again, there are some Christian churches that aggressively try to convert the
faithful from another Christian denomination. As a result, there is
unhealthy competition even among church organizations and Christian
denominations.
Such is the attitude of expansion
through occupation and influence. In those days, when the world was still largely
uninhabited, people were illiterate and superstitious, there was a basis for
expansion. The land was vast and opportunities were plenty as people were
still scarce on this earth. Faith was transmitted and shared through proclamation
and works of charity. Sadly, at times, it was done aggressively and coercively
because every religion claimed to have the fullness of truth due to the lack of
contact with other religions and cultures. Ignorance of the values of
such traditions was the cause of aggressive proselytization. Each
country or religion thought that his culture or religion was superior to
others. Again, in ancient days, it was acceptable because society was
homogenous in culture, race and faith. However, this is no
longer the case.
Because of migration and
globalization, the world has become a global village where every city is
becoming more and more cosmopolitan. Today most cities have people from
different nationalities, races, cultures and religions co-existing in the same place.
The old principle of expansion, whether by force, power and power, is no longer
tolerated. It creates hostility, resentment and division. When we
seek to force our culture and faith on others, there is bound to be
division. In the face of secularism, relativism and individualism, it is
becoming more and more difficult to hold common views. Hence, in today’s
world, Abram’s solution to peace in the face of an expanding community by
increasing space through conquest and occupation does not hold water as there
is no longer any space for expansion, be it territorial, religious or cultural,
to conquer.
Instead, we are called
to follow the approach of Jesus, which is to increase our common space rather
than our own private space. Instead of imposing our views on others, we must seek
to understand each other and see what values we hold in common. The more
we recognize what we already have in common, the greater is our unity.
Because we are a single human community, we have more in common than what divides
us. Every one of us desires peace, love, unity and a comfortable life
where there is no poverty. No sane person desires hatred and
division. If we realize that we are united as human beings in many ways,
then it is not just easier to accept differences but to also appreciate our
diversity. So, how, then, do we increase common space among all peoples?
Jesus gave us the golden
rule, “So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the
meaning of the Law and the Prophets.”
This golden rule is not exactly new but has been articulated in different ways
over the centuries by wise men such as Confucius. This rule sums up the
centrality of Christian faith, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your
heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your
strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as
yourself.'” What we desire for ourselves, we must also desire for our
neighbour because they are like us in every way. What we do not like
people to do to us, we should not do to others. It calls for mutual
respect, acceptance, forgiveness and tolerance. Indeed, if everyone follows
this principle, then we will render justice to our fellowmen and compassion as
well to those who are suffering or are not as privileged as us.
Loving our brothers and
sisters is ultimately the true manifestation that we are worshipping the true
God. St John
makes it clear, “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God;
everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not
know God, for God is love.” (1 Jn 4:7f) The psalmist asked, “Lord,
who shall dwell on your holy mountain? He who walks without fault; he who acts
with justice and speaks the truth from his heart; he who does not slander with
his tongue. He who does no wrong to his brother, who casts no slur on his
neighbour, who holds the godless in disdain, but honours those who fear the
Lord. He who keeps his pledge, come what may; who takes no interest on a loan
and accepts no bribes against the innocent. Such a man will stand firm
forever.” Rightly so our response is, “The just will live in the presence
of the Lord.”
Secondly, with respect
to people who disagree with us, Jesus offers us another guideline. “Do not give dogs what is holy; and
do not throw your pearls in front of pigs, or they may trample them and then
turn on you and tear you to pieces.” This is not to say that those who
are not with us are dogs and pigs. What the Lord wants us to realize is
that there will be some people who are not ready to seek the truth or are too
prejudiced by their upbringing, social, religious and cultural conditioning to
accept what we say. So there is no reason for us to force our beliefs and
values on them. We should just learn to accept them even if we disagree
with their values. In any case, we should not allow disagreement on some
values to divide us because again we must seek to collaborate and unite on the
basis of those things that we hold in common.
This is where we must
learn the generosity of Abram.
He told his nephew, “Let there be no dispute between me and you, nor between my
herdsmen and yours, for we are brothers. Is not the whole land open
before you? Part company with me: if you take the left, I will go right;
if you take the right, I will go left.” Abram did not put his interests
and priorities over Lot. Instead, in his magnanimity, he allowed Lot to
choose whatever he liked. And God was fair and just. Lot thought he
chose the best land for himself, not realizing that Sodom was an evil city, for
“the people of Sodom were vicious men, great sinners against the Lord.”
As for Abram, he went to Canaan. And God blessed him saying, “All the
land within sight I will give to you and your descendants for ever. I
will make your descendants like the dust on the ground: when men succeed in
counting the specks of dust on the ground, then they will be able to count your
descendants!” Lot was shortsighted. With those who disagree with
us, we, too, must let them have their ways. At the end of the day, they
will have to live with their moral decisions and suffer or reap the
consequences of their actions.
Finally, on our part, it
does not mean that we have to give up our cherished values. Rather, we seek to be faithful to
what we believe and hold true even in the face of opposition. Jesus
exhorted us, “Enter by the narrow gate, since the road that leads to perdition
is wide and spacious, and many take it; but it is a narrow gate and a hard road
that leads to life, and only a few find it.” We must remain true to our
faith even whilst we seek to strengthen what we have in common, engage in
ongoing dialogue and foster friendship, and tolerate what we do not agree
with. As the Church exhorts us, “Likewise, other religions found
everywhere try to counter the restlessness of the human heart, each in its own
manner, by proposing ‘ways,’ comprising teachings, rules of life, and sacred
rites. The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these
religions. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of
life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from
the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that
Truth which enlightens all men. Indeed, she proclaims, and ever must proclaim
Christ ‘the way, the truth, and the life’ (John 14:6), in whom men may find the fullness
of religious life, in whom God has reconciled all things to Himself.”
(Nostra Aetate, 2)
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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