20190612
TRUTH
IS SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE
12 JUNE, 2019,
Wednesday, 10th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
Green.
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First reading
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2 Corinthians 3:4-11 ©
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The new covenant is a covenant of the
Spirit
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Before God, we are confident of this
through Christ: not that we are qualified in ourselves to claim anything as our
own work: all our qualifications come from God. He is the one who has given us
the qualifications to be the administrators of this new covenant, which is not
a covenant of written letters but of the Spirit: the written letters bring
death, but the Spirit gives life. Now if the administering of death, in the
written letters engraved on stones, was accompanied by such a brightness that
the Israelites could not bear looking at the face of Moses, though it was a
brightness that faded, then how much greater will be the brightness that
surrounds the administering of the Spirit! For if there was any splendour in
administering condemnation, there must be very much greater splendour in
administering justification. In fact, compared with this greater splendour, the
thing that used to have such splendour now seems to have none; and if what was
so temporary had any splendour, there must be much more in what is going to
last for ever.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 98(99):5-9 ©
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You are holy, O Lord our
God.
Exalt the Lord our God;
bow down before Zion, his
footstool.
He the Lord is holy.
You are holy, O Lord our
God.
Among his priests were Aaron and Moses,
among those who invoked his
name was Samuel.
They invoked the Lord and he
answered.
You are holy, O Lord our
God.
To them he spoke in the pillar of cloud.
They did his will; they kept
the law,
which he, the Lord, had given.
You are holy, O Lord our
God.
O Lord our God, you answered them.
For them you were a God who
forgives;
yet you punished all their
offences.
You are holy, O Lord our
God.
Exalt the Lord our God;
bow down before his holy
mountain
for the Lord our God is holy.
You are holy, O Lord our
God.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Ps118:27
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Make me grasp the way of your precepts,
and I will muse on your wonders.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Ps24:4,5
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Teach me your paths, my God,
make me walk in your truth.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 5:17-19 ©
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I have not come to abolish the Law and
the Prophets but to complete them
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Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not
imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to
abolish but to complete them. I tell you solemnly, till heaven and earth
disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, shall disappear from the Law
until its purpose is achieved. Therefore, the man who infringes even one of the
least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be
considered the least in the kingdom of heaven; but the man who keeps them and
teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven.’
TRUTH IS
SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 Cor 3:4-11; Ps 99:5-9; Mt 5:17-19]
In the history of
humanity, moral, doctrinal, political, economic and social positions have swung
from one extreme to the other. Until the 18th century, most held
absolutist views on many things, not just religious but also in other areas of
life. But over the last two centuries, particularly the last 50 years,
relativism seems to be the position that many holds today.
Relativism leads to
pragmatism because values and customs are ever changing. No one can say he has the truth
because, in relativism, truth is relative. Relativism has serious
implications in the way we look at the world and its issues. What was not
held to be right in those days is no longer deemed to be wrong or
irrelevant. Even those who hold positions on anything today hold them
only for a time. Indeed, it is difficult to gather any real consensus on
anything today.
The impact of relativism
on faith is humanism.
Until the 18th century, atheism was considered a crime.
Everyone had to be a believer in God. Today, it seems to be a crime and
if not, certainly frowned upon to say that we are believers of some religion
because it implies that we are superstitious, silly, fanatical and
illogical. That is why, the novelty today is to say, we are
“free-thinkers.” Moving faith to atheism, the world at this stage is
coming to the heart of idolatry; the worship of self, often seen in the claim
for absolute freedom to do whatever one likes, self-aggrandizement and egotism.
Indeed, relativism leads
to individualism and an over exaggerated understanding of freedom that leads to
abuses. The
world has moved from slavery to democracy, defining the freedom of the
individual, but this has unwittingly led to lawlessness where everyone in the
name of freedom chooses to do what he likes, even when the rights and
sensitivities of others around him or her are violated and trampled upon.
Individualism is the opposite spectrum of what society then promoted –
communalism. So, from communalism to communism, we are now tending
towards a gross misunderstanding of democracy and freedom. Hence, the
world now has problems dealing with fake news, hate speech and the like.
The most important
impact of relativism is on morality. Whereas
in those days things were seen to be clearly right or wrong, today, moral
principles are blurred. At one time, promiscuity, infidelity and
cohabitation were clearly condemned and seen as wrong. Today, the world
advocates divorce and cohabitation. Marriage is no longer seen as sacred
and vows are no longer taken seriously. Of course, other related issues
such as transgender and same-sex relationship, which were disavowed since the
beginning of the human race, are now upheld as a norm.
So where is the
truth? Are the laws of God absolute and to be obeyed without question?
In the gospel, Jesus
spoke about fidelity to the laws even though ironically He broke many of the
Jewish laws, including the Sabbath as was practiced. Jesus said,
“Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I
have come not to abolish but to complete them. I tell you solemnly, till
heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, shall disappear
from the Law until its purpose is achieved.” But how could these words
match the life and conduct of Jesus? There seems to be a
contradiction. Yet this was not the case. Jesus was not just
speaking about fulfilling the external observance of the Laws. To fulfill
the laws perfectly, the motives, understanding and intentions must also be
right. If we are observing the laws blindly and slavishly, we are in
truth not fulfilling the laws rightly.
Jesus came to perfect
the laws in that He wants us to obey them but with love and in total allegiance
to God, not so much to simply observe the laws. So whilst it is true that Jesus broke some
of the Jewish laws, He did not break them out of spite, indulgence to oneself
or rebellion but He did so for a greater good, for the love of God and His
fellowmen. Laws are not meant to restrict the life and happiness of a
person but to guard and protect his happiness, which is related to others’
happiness. Laws help to govern the community to act charitably,
responsibly and sensitively towards each other. So when Jesus said He had
come to fulfill the laws perfectly, it was truly so because Jesus showed
sincerity, honesty and commitment to the work of love, compassion and
mercy. Thus Jesus remarked, “Therefore the man who infringes even one of
the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be
considered the least in the kingdom of heaven; but the man who keeps them and
teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven.”
However, the teachings
of Jesus on the importance of the laws seem to be discredited by Paul in the
first reading.
He seems to be denigrating the laws of the Old Covenant and instead spoke of
the Spirit in the New Covenant. He wrote, “He is the one who has given us
the qualifications to be the administrators of this new covenant, which is not
a covenant of written letters but of the Spirit: the written letters bring
death, but the Spirit gives life.” But if we read the intent of his letter,
this is not really the case. Paul was also not against the laws because
they still served as guidelines to right living and relationship, but they were
powerless because they were set on stones and tablets.
So, whilst recognizing
the beauty and goodness of the laws, Paul spoke of a higher and more powerful principle
to help us to live the law of love.
He said, “Now if the administering of death, in the written letters engraved on
stones, was accompanied by such a brightness that the Israelites could not bear
looking at the face of Moses, though it was a brightness that faded, then how
much greater will be the brightness that surrounds the administering of the
Spirit!” The point is that the laws can only bring death because it condemns
us. We are not justified by the laws and we remain powerless in fulfilling
the laws.
Instead, Paul offered a
richer and more effective way of finding salvation and justification through the Spirit of the Lord
Jesus, which is the Spirit of love that lives in us. This is the only
principle that could make it possible for us to live in the Spirit of the Laws.
He said, “For if there was any splendour in administering condemnation, there
must be very much greater splendour in administering justification. In
fact, compared with the greater splendour, the thing that used to have such
splendour now seems to have none; and if what was so temporary had any
splendour, there must be much more in what is going to last for ever.”
What can we surmise from
this reflection on the extreme positions that people hold with respect to
faith, morality, political, social and economic constructs? In life, we
must respect that in all things there is continuity. But it cannot be a simple
continuity. Growth means sometimes taking a leap. On the other
hand, growth cannot be something that underscores discontinuity. If that
were the case, it can no longer be considered as growth but an entirely new
reality. So the truth, while we hold to be absolute, can grow in terms of
understanding and application. But it cannot be something in contradiction
to what has been held as absolute.
This is how the Church
advances in doctrines, morality and in worship through research and study,
reflection and prayers. “This
tradition which comes from the Apostles develop in the Church with the help of
the Holy Spirit. For there is a growth in the understanding of the realities
and the words which have been handed down. This happens through the
contemplation and study made by believers, who treasure these things in their
hearts (see Luke, 2:19, 51) through a penetrating understanding of the
spiritual realities which they experience, and through the preaching of those
who have received through Episcopal succession the sure gift of truth. For as
the centuries succeed one another, the Church constantly moves forward toward
the fullness of divine truth until the words of God reach their complete
fulfillment in her.” (Dei Verbum 8b)
So whether it is with
regard to the celebration of the liturgy, Latin or vernacular, Vatican II’s
updating of the church and its doctrines, moral doctrines, etc, we must ensure
that whatever we decide is a development of truths that we have received. We must view all the different
positions in context, understand the principles underlying the views, and seek
the truth together in love and charity. It is a journey that we need to
take together in total openness to the Spirit, the dynamic force who is leading
the Church to grow from strength to strength. Indeed, the truth often
lies somewhere in the middle of extreme positions. We need to contain
what is old and accommodate what is new. This has been the guideline
given to us by the Lord. “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for
the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his
treasure what is new and what is old.” (Mt 13:52)
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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