Wednesday 31 July 2019

ARE CATHOLICS IDOL WORSHIPPERS?

20190801 ARE CATHOLICS IDOL WORSHIPPERS?


01 AUGUST, 2019, Thursday, 17th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: White.
These are the readings for the feria

First reading
Exodus 40:16-21,34-38 ©

The tabernacle is set up
Moses did exactly as the Lord had directed him. The tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month in the second year. Moses erected the tabernacle. He fixed the sockets for it, put up its frames, put its crossbars in position, set up its posts. He spread the tent over the tabernacle and on top of this the covering for the tent, as the Lord had directed Moses. He took the Testimony and placed it inside the ark. He set the shafts to the ark and placed the throne of mercy on it. He brought the ark into the tabernacle and put the screening veil in place; thus he screened the ark of the Lord, as the Lord had directed Moses.
  The cloud covered the Tent of Meeting and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because of the cloud that rested on it and because of the glory of the Lord that filled the tabernacle.
  At every stage of their journey, whenever the cloud rose from the tabernacle the sons of Israel would resume their march. If the cloud did not rise, they waited and would not march until it did. For the cloud of the Lord rested on the tabernacle by day, and a fire shone within the cloud by night, for all the House of Israel to see. And so it was for every stage of their journey.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 83(84):3-6,8,11 ©
How lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord, God of hosts.
My soul is longing and yearning,
  is yearning for the courts of the Lord.
My heart and my soul ring out their joy
  to God, the living God.
How lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord, God of hosts.
The sparrow herself finds a home
  and the swallow a nest for her brood;
she lays her young by your altars,
  Lord of hosts, my king and my God.
How lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord, God of hosts.
They are happy, who dwell in your house,
  for ever singing your praise.
They walk with ever-growing strength,
  they will see the God of gods in Zion.
How lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord, God of hosts.
One day within your courts
  is better than a thousand elsewhere.
The threshold of the house of God
  I prefer to the dwellings of the wicked.
How lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord, God of hosts.

Gospel Acclamation
Jn15:15
Alleluia, alleluia!
I call you friends, says the Lord,
because I have made known to you
everything I have learnt from my Father.
Alleluia!
Or:
cf.Ac16:14
Alleluia, alleluia!
Open our heart, O Lord,
to accept the words of your Son.
Alleluia!

Gospel
Matthew 13:47-53 ©

The fishermen collect the good fish and throw away those that are no use
Jesus said to the crowds: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea that brings in a haul of all kinds. When it is full, the fishermen haul it ashore; then, sitting down, they collect the good ones in a basket and throw away those that are no use. This is how it will be at the end of time: the angels will appear and separate the wicked from the just to throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.
  ‘Have you understood all this?’ They said, ‘Yes.’ And he said to them, ‘Well then, every scribe who becomes a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out from his storeroom things both new and old.’

ARE CATHOLICS IDOL WORSHIPPERS?

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [  Ex 40:16-2134-38Ps 84:3-6,8,11Mt 13:47-53 ]
Catholics are often accused of not being faithful to the bible and branded as idol worshippers.  This is because of the rich sacramentals, icons, images and symbols that we use for our worship, devotion and liturgy.  Are we breaking the first commandment as some accuse us of?  What does the first commandment forbid?  “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God.”  (Ex 20:3f)
If that were so, it would seem contradictory that Moses, having punished the Israelites for making the golden calf, ordered the construction of a Tabernacle to house the Ark where the Ten Commandments were kept and where they could offer burnt offerings.  (cf Ex 35-40)  This Tent of Meeting would become the sacred place where God was present in a very special way. “The cloud covered the Tent of Meeting and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.  Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because of the cloud that rested on it and because of the glory of the Lord that filled the tabernacle.”   Not only was it the Sacred Presence of God, we read that the Tabernacle accompanied and guided them along their journey.  “At every stage of their journey, whenever the cloud rose from the tabernacle the sons of Israel would resume their march.  If the cloud did not rise, they waited and would not march until it did.  For the cloud of the Lord rested on the tabernacle by day, and a fire shone within the cloud by night, for all the House of Israel to see.  And so it was for every stage of their journey.”
The truth remains that in spite of the anger that God and Moses felt with the people who made the golden calf, there was still the human need to remember the presence of God.  That was what Aaron said to Moses. “Let not the anger of my Lord burn hot; you know the people, that they are set on evil. For they said to me, ‘Make us gods who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.'”  (Ex 32:22f)  Human beings are not pure spirit and we need tangible things to see and feel to help us feel the closeness of God and of our loved ones.  Human beings need signs, symbols and things to convey the deeper reality of their experiences.   We need sacred symbols.  Hence, since time immemorial, shrines have been constructed so that God could be remembered and worshipped.
This explains why the Tabernacle was replaced 500 years later by the Temple built by King Solomon.  Jesus Himself would visit the Temple yearly for worship.  The Temple was most sacred to the Israelites and the Jews.  In their history, the destruction and desecration of the Temple was considered the most heinous crimes that could be committed.  The Maccabean brothers died to purify the Temple as we read in the book of Maccabees.  It was one of the charges against Jesus when he was brought to trial before the High Priest. (cf Mt 26:61)  In years to come, the Torah was considered the most holy book of the Jews.  The psalmist felt the presence of God in the Temple.  He said, “How lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord, God of hosts.  My soul is longing and yearning, is yearning for the courts of the Lord. They are happy, who dwell in your house, forever singing your praise.  They walk with ever-growing strength, they will see the God of gods in Zion. One day within your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. The threshold of the house of God I prefer to the dwellings of the wicked.”  So we cannot deny the need of human beings to create symbols and things to remind them of God’s presence.
Thus, in the Catholic Church, we make use of many signs and symbols to mediate God’s presence so that people could be led to contemplate on the greatness and splendor of God.  Just like in the Old Testament where Moses ordered the people to establish an elaborate liturgy with the intricate vestments and sacred vessels to enhance the awesomeness of God’s presence, so does the Church as well in her liturgy.  No one can deny that such sacramentals employed by the Church enrich and bring out the liturgical celebration and help the worshippers to experience interiorly what they express externally.
This is where there is a thin line between idolatry and sacramentals.  Idolatry is to make an image and worship it as a god.  To render homage to something that is of the earth, created by God who is the source of everything is to deny that there is only one God. This is what the first commandment seeks to emphasize, that God is One.  There is also the historical context where the pagan neighbours of the Israelites worshipped many other gods that they had carved for themselves.  To worship a thing as if it is a god is to worship an illusion and to worship nothingness.  In other words, idols are not real.  As the psalm says, “Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat. Those who make them are like them; so are all who trust in them.”  (Ps 115:4-8)
Sacramentals are different.  They are instituted by the Church.  They are not identified with the reality but put us in a right disposition to receive God’s grace.  Sacramentals “are sacred signs which bear a resemblance to the sacraments. They signify effects, particularly of a spiritual nature, which are obtained through the intercession of the Church. By them, men are disposed to receive the chief effect of the sacraments, and various occasions in life are rendered holy” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 1667). They are firstly not carved images of God who is pure Spirit, but they are images of people and things that we have seen, for example, the image of the cross, the crucifix, our Lord, Mary and the Saints.   These images help us to focus our eyes on God.  Catholics do not identify the sacred things as the reality itself but as means by which God works so that we can experience tangibly His presence, as in the Temple or the Ark of the Covenant which the Israelites brought with them to win battles against their enemies.
At its highest level, the Church uses Sacraments instituted by Christ which are outward signs that give grace to those who receive them worthily.  The Eucharist is par excellence of the presence of Christ because He transformed bread and wine to be His body and blood.  Another sacrament is the Sacrament of the Sick. Even Jesus asked the disciples to use oil to heal the sick.  “And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them.”  (Mk 6:13)  St James exhorted the Christians to do the same.  “Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.”  (Jms 5:14)
Of course, these are means to the end, which is to experience God’s healing grace and His presence.  As Jesus told the Samaritan woman, it is not which mountain we should worship “but true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (Jn 4:23f)  In other words, it is the motive, the intention and the disposition of the heart and mind that matters.  The externals are merely means for us to create the right disposition for us to encounter God.  They are necessary means because human beings need to communicate and encounter reality through the incarnational means.  Sacraments and sacramentals are based on the Incarnation of our Lord.  God became man so that we can see Him as Jesus told Philip, “He who has seen me has seen the Father.’  (Jn 14:9)
The gospel puts everything in perspective.  In the parable of the dragnet, Jesus speaks about the need to sort out what is good and what is bad.  In the same way, we need to be vigilant with regard to the use of sacramentals, that popular piety does not fall into superstition but means to encounter God and the sacred.  The Church has this grave responsibility to ensure that they are used rightly.  “Manifestations of popular piety are subject to the jurisdiction of the local Ordinary. It is for him to regulate such manifestations, to encourage them as a means of assisting the faithful in living the Christian life, and to purify and evangelize them where necessary. He is also to ensure that they do not substitute for the Liturgy nor become part of the liturgical celebrations.”  (CDF, Directory On Popular Piety, no 21)
Indeed, Jesus encourages us to appreciate the past traditions and yet be open to new developments as well because faith is dynamic and circumstances are changing.  If the Church were to just insist on past traditions, we would be out of sync with the world.  When our symbols cannot mediate God’s presence anymore, we would have dead symbols which are useless and superstitious.  But we must be careful not to throw out all old traditions because they have much to teach us and are of use to us in our faith.  Truly, “every scribe who becomes a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out from his storeroom things both new and old.”

Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved



Tuesday 30 July 2019

RADIATING THE PRESENCE OF GOD

20190731 RADIATING THE PRESENCE OF GOD


31 JULY, 2019, Wednesday, 17th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: White.
These are the readings for the feria

First reading
Exodus 34:29-35 ©

Moses passes on to the people the orders given by the Lord
When Moses came down from the mountain of Sinai – as he came down from the mountain, Moses had the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands – he did not know that the skin on his face was radiant after speaking with the Lord. And when Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, the skin on his face shone so much that they would not venture near him. But Moses called to them, and Aaron with all the leaders of the community came back to him; and he spoke to them. Then all the sons of Israel came closer, and he passed on to them all the orders that the Lord had given him on the mountain of Sinai. And when Moses had finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. Whenever he went into the Lord’s presence to speak with him, Moses would remove the veil until he came out again. And when he came out, he would tell the sons of Israel what he had been ordered to pass on to them, and the sons of Israel would see the face of Moses radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he returned to speak with the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 98(99):5-7,9 ©
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.
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.

Gospel Acclamation
Ps118:105
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your word is a lamp for my steps
and a light for my path.
Alleluia!
Or:
Jn15:15
Alleluia, alleluia!
I call you friends, says the Lord,
because I have made known to you
everything I have learnt from my Father.
Alleluia!

Gospel
Matthew 13:44-46 ©

He sells everything he owns and buys the field
Jesus said to the crowds: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which someone has found; he hides it again, goes off happy, sells everything he owns and buys the field.
  ‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls; when he finds one of great value he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it.’

RADIATING THE PRESENCE OF GOD

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [  Ex 34:29-35Ps 99:5-7,9Mt 13:44-46 ]
In the first reading, we read how the skin on Moses’ face was so “radiant after speaking with the Lord”, so much so “that they would not venture near him.”   Indeed, Moses must have been so transformed in likeness to God that the sons of Israel were unsure whether it was safe to approach Moses. In his radiance, the people could see the glory of God in Moses.  Hence, in the presence of God, one is filled with awe and reverence.
Not only did Moses radiate the presence of God but he also brought the Word of God.  We are told that when he came down from the mountain, he “had the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands” and “all the sons of Israel came closer, and he passed on to them all the orders that the Lord had given him on the mountain of Sinai.”  This became the pattern of his relationship with God and his people. He became the mediator. Earlier on, Moses played the role of intercessor, asking God for pardon for the sins of his people.  But beyond an intercessory role, Moses was the prophet that brought the Word of God to his people.  “Whenever he went into the Lord’s presence to speak with him, Moses would remove the veil until he come out again.  And when he came out, he would tell the sons of Israel what he had been ordered to pass on to them, and the sons of Israel would see the face of Moses radiant.  Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he returned to speak with the Lord.”
What was the secret of Moses in fulfilling his role as the mediator of God, radiating His presence and giving His word to the people?  Clearly, it was because of Moses’ intimacy with the Lord.  God spoke to “Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.”  (Ex 33:11) The Lord said to Moses, “I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.”  (Ex 33:12)   Indeed, it was because of Moses’ closeness with the Lord that he was able to share His heart and His mind.  He was one with God in His love for the people.  He felt for his people as God felt for them.  Only a man who knows God can reveal His thoughts and His heart to the people.  It was at the mountain that God spoke to Moses and revealed His thoughts in the commandments.
Indeed, this was said of Jesus as well.  “No one has ever seen God; only the Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known.”  (Jn 1:18)  In His last testament, Jesus said, “O righteous Father, the world has not known thee, but I have known thee; and these know that thou hast sent me. I made known to them thy name, and I will make it known, that the love with which thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.”  (Jn 17:25f)  Truly, Jesus Himself said “All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” (Mt 11:27)  Other than Moses, no one has seen God and known God as Jesus did.
The secret of Jesus’ intimacy with His Father was the same as that of Moses.  He would spend time in prayer with His Father.  After a long day’s ministry, He would retire in prayer.  “And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up into the hills by himself to pray.”  (Mt 14:23)  “And in the morning, a great while before day, he rose and went out to a lonely place, and there he prayed.”  (Mk 1:35)  And before important decisions, He would pray.  “In these days he went out into the hills to pray; and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called his disciples, and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles.”  (Lk 6:12f)   Jesus knew that He must first receive the love from His Father and hear from Him before He could be transformed in love and be able to transmit all that He heard from His Father to us.  Jesus was fully aware that He had come to reveal His love for us.  All that He said and did were to reveal the Father’s love and mercy.
In this sense, Moses and the Lord shared the experience of finding the greatest treasure in life, which is intimacy with the Father.  It is the love of the Father that kept them focused on their mission.  Both parables of the hidden treasure and the fine pearls speak of this great discovery.  If only we know the treasure we have, then we, too, would be elated.  A person who finds such a treasure will have a radical transformation and make radical decisions.  Moses left everything for God to deliver His people because He found the treasure at the Burning Bush.  There Moses found God as the compassionate and merciful one.  Jesus at His baptism also experienced the overwhelming love of His Father, which was the beginning of His mission.  If we want to commit ourselves to the service of God, we, too, must find the treasure of our life, which is to be with God, sharing in His love and in His life.  This was the same experience of St Paul when he wrote, “For it is the God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us.” (2 Cor 4:6f)
Secondly, the parables of the hidden treasure and fine pearl tell us that when we find such a treasure, we must give up everything to buy it.  Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which someone has found; he hides it again, goes off happy, sells everything he owns and buys the field.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls; when he finds one of great value he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it.”   There is a price to be paid for what we desire.  We must give all our heart to what we value in this life.  If God is the greatest treasure in our lives, then we must not allow other things and people to take us away from Him.  This is what Jesus said, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;  and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me.  Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” (Mt 10:37-39)  In other words, we must put Jesus at the center of our lives, and in all that we do or say, be guided by Him alone.
How, then, can we find this treasure in our lives today?  How can we discover that God is the greatest treasure of our life?  The gospel tells us that we can find this treasure in the ordinariness of our daily life.  The lesson of the first parable tells us that he found it whilst working in the field.  He discovered the treasure not so much by chance but because he was going on about his daily chores and duties.  We, too, if we are diligent in carrying out our responsibilities well will meet God and find Him in our daily tasks.  St Theresa of the Child Jesus reminds us that holiness is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.  God is found in prayer and in silence but also as we fulfill the tasks He appoints for us to do each day, in our chores at home, in the office and in helping our brothers and sisters.
Secondly, we can find this treasure if we desire it.  We must also search for it.  Unlike in the first parable, the man in the second parable found the treasure by chance. He actively went in search of the fine pearl.  We, too, must work with grace by seeking for the ultimate treasure in our life.  For some people, God comes to them in ways beyond their expectations.  For some, God wants them to find Him through study, prayer, and research.  We must make ourselves available to the different ways that the Lord wants to touch us, by going for retreats, reading spiritual books or making time for personal prayer.  It is not enough to say that God is far from me, if we do not make ourselves available to Him.  It is necessary that we find the will of God for ourselves so that we can give ourselves fully to Him and His will.
Regardless whether we find the treasure by chance or by hard work, when we find it, we will find absolute joy in life.  We will find our fulfillment.  In our joy, in our radical transformation as we give up everything to the Lord, we will find great freedom and peace.  Only in that peace and joy can we radiate what we have received.  Only in the joy and peace of the Lord can we be His messengers of peace and joy; and be radiant with His love wherever we go and whoever we meet.  Indeed, Pope Francis reminds us that to be missionaries of the Good News, we must first receive the good news of joy ourselves.  Pope Francis wrote, “I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day. No one should think that this invitation is not meant for him or her, since ‘no one is excluded from the joy brought by the Lord.'”  (EG 3)

Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved