20191107
ACCEPTING
OUR DIFFERENCES
07 NOVEMBER,
2019, Thursday, 31st Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
Green.
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First reading
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Romans 14:7-12 ©
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The life and death of each of us has its
influence on others; if we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die
for the Lord, so that alive or dead we belong to the Lord. This explains why
Christ both died and came to life: it was so that he might be Lord both of the
dead and of the living. This is also why you should never pass judgement on a
brother or treat him with contempt, as some of you have done. We shall all have
to stand before the judgement seat of God; as scripture says: By my
life – it is the Lord who speaks – every knee shall bend before me,
and every tongue shall praise God. It is to God, therefore, that each
of us must give an account of himself.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 26(27):1,4,13-14 ©
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I am sure I shall see
the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
The Lord is my light and my help;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
before whom shall I shrink?
I am sure I shall see
the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
There is one thing I ask of the Lord,
for this I long,
to live in the house of the Lord,
all the days of my life,
to savour the sweetness of the Lord,
to behold his temple.
I am sure I shall see
the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness
in the land of the living.
Hope in him, hold firm and take heart.
Hope in the Lord!
I am sure I shall see
the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
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Gospel Acclamation
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cf.Ps129:5
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Alleluia, alleluia!
My soul is waiting for the Lord,
I count on his word.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Mt11:28
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Come to me, all you who labour and are
overburdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 15:1-10 ©
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The tax collectors and the sinners were
all seeking the company of Jesus to hear what he had to say, and the Pharisees
and the scribes complained. ‘This man’ they said ‘welcomes sinners and eats
with them.’ So he spoke this parable to them:
‘What
man among you with a hundred sheep, losing one, would not leave the ninety-nine
in the wilderness and go after the missing one till he found it? And when he
found it, would he not joyfully take it on his shoulders and then, when he got
home, call together his friends and neighbours? “Rejoice with me,” he would say
“I have found my sheep that was lost.” In the same way, I tell you, there will
be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine
virtuous men who have no need of repentance.
‘Or
again, what woman with ten drachmas would not, if she lost one, light a lamp
and sweep out the house and search thoroughly till she found it? And then, when
she had found it, call together her friends and neighbours? “Rejoice with me,”
she would say “I have found the drachma I lost.” In the same way, I tell you,
there is rejoicing among the angels of God over one repentant sinner.’
ACCEPTING OUR
DIFFERENCES
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Rom 14:7-12; Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14; Lk 15:1-10 ]
The Catholic Church has
more 1.2 billion members spread
across practically every nation. They come from all races, all cultures,
speaking different languages. They comprise ordinary people, the poor,
the rich and those who hold special offices in the land. As such, we can
see the diversity of the Catholic Church. This explains why the Church is
called Catholic and not Christian. As individuals, we are Christians, but
as Church we are Catholic because we all belong to the Universal Church of
Christ, the One, Holy, Catholic Church that we profess in the Creed.
The diversity of the
Church also means that there will be differences in culture, in expression, in
the levels of faith and practices. Unfortunately, the unity of the Church is
often misinterpreted as uniformity. In matters of faith and doctrines,
there certainly must be unity. As St Augustine said, “In essentials,
unity; in non-essentials, diversity; in all things, charity.”
Consequently, beyond the essentials, we must allow plurality and diversity of
expression and practices. Trying to enforce one discipline and culture
for all would be at the disservice of the Catholicity of the Church. The
richness of the Catholic Church is that her oneness is founded on the diverse
contributions of the members who come from different backgrounds.
Indeed, what the Church
today needs is greater acceptance and tolerance of differences instead of
seeking to impose one practice for all. This happens often in our churches where there
are those who lobby for things to be done one way, and another who insist on
doing them another way. We spend so much time squabbling over liturgical
practices as if they are a matter of life and death. We disagree on how
the church is managed and how organizations are run. Some cannot accept
the cultural devotions of other communities and seek to impose their own
spirituality on others. We lack sensitivity and respect for the cultures,
spirituality and expression of faith of others.
This was the context of
St Paul’s letter in today’s scripture readings. The early Christians were bickering among
themselves over what was the right thing and what was considered orthodox
Christianity. Many of the Christians were converts from
paganism. They used to worship idols and offered sacrifices to them.
Now that they were converted to the Christian faith, the idea of consuming food
offered to idols was abhorrent to them as it reminded them of what they used to
do. For those among the Jewish converts who never worshipped idols, they
had no issue consuming such foods offered to idols as to them idols were
considered to be powerless objects. So those who ate meat offered to
idols thought that those who did not eat were too naïve and scrupulous.
But those who saw the others eat were scandalized. This situation reminds
me of the controversy that the Peranakan Mass evoked during Chinese New Year
just a couple of years ago. Those who were in favour of the Peranakan
Tradition and culture wanted to celebrate the New Year mass with all the
trappings of the Chinese Traditions incorporated into the mass. Those who
were converts from the Chinese religions were staunchly against the
incorporation as some had paid a heavy price to get rid of them in order to
accept Jesus. Asking them to embrace their previous practices was tantamount
to making them go back to where they started before they were baptized into the
faith.
For this reason, St Paul
urged them to accept their differences and respect each other. Those who are strong in their faith should
not scandalize those who are weak. Those who are weak in their faith
should not condemn those who think differently from them. This is what St
Paul said about judging. We are all at different levels of spirituality
and faith. Some understand more than others. Some, because of cultural
influences would have reservations and might feel uncomfortable with such
practices. Indeed, there are many Catholics who were converted from
religions that forbid the consumption of beef. After becoming Catholic,
some continue the practice of not taking beef. But such differences
do not affect the unity of faith. They are non-essentials and we
can accommodate each other’s personal preferences, customs and
differences. Hence, St Paul wrote, “This is also why you should never
pass judgement on a brother or treat him with contempt, as some of you have
done.” Instead of passing judgment on others, we should respect each
other’s conscience. Ultimately, God is our judge. “We shall all
have to stand before the judgement seat of God; as scripture says: By my life –
it is the Lord who speaks – every knee shall bend before me, and every tongue
shall praise God. It is to God, therefore, that each of us must give an
account of himself.”
What ultimately matters
is that we all seek to live for the Lord and to serve Him, in life or in death. St Paul wrote, “The life and death
of each of us has its influence on others; if we live, we live for the Lord;
and if we die, we die for the Lord, so that alive or dead we belong to the
Lord. This explains why Christ both died and came to life, it was so that
he might be Lord both of the dead and the living.” In the final analysis,
salvation is not by the laws but faith in Jesus Christ. The laws are
meant to help us to live harmoniously and to guide us in expressing our common
faith to others.
That was the way Jesus
dealt with sinners as well.
In the gospel, we hear from the outset that “the tax collectors and the sinners
were all seeking the company of Jesus to hear what he had to say, and the
Pharisees and the scribes complained. ‘This man’ they said ‘welcomes sinners
and eats with them.'” It was notable that Jesus did not exclude the
sinners and tax-collectors simply because they did not live a righteous life or
in accordance with the laws. Instead of marginalizing them, Jesus chose
to eat and drink with them. He accepted them at the level where they
were. It was Jesus’ inclusive love for them that attracted them to seek
the company of our Lord. Jesus showed them the love and mercy of God.
Instead of God waiting for sinners to return home, God went out in search of
sinners to bring them back. This is the beauty of the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ.
This does not mean that
Jesus condoned their way of life, but He understood and felt with them in their
struggles. He allowed them
to make the change when they were convinced of God’s love and mercy for
them. Jesus was only harsh in His words with the religious leaders
because they were self-righteous. But with sinners, Jesus was always
gentle and compassionate because He knew they were hurt and needed tender
loving encouragement. He was patient with them and continued to love them
as they were. His only desire was that they return to God. His wish
for them was that they once again, “see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the
living. There is one thing I ask of the Lord, for this I
long, to live in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life, to savour the
sweetness of the Lord, to behold his temple. Hope in him, hold firm and
take heart. Hope in the Lord!” The return of one lost coin or one
lost sheep brings great joy to God because He loves each and every one of us
uniquely and individually as His very own.
So, too, this is the way
of Pope Francis in his pastoral approach in welcoming sinners back to Church. He asks us to avoid legalism and
instead look at every person in his or her own unique situation. We
cannot interpret the laws without taking into account the peculiar
situations. The laws must be interpreted in the right spirit.
So in accepting sinners into our Church, even when their lives are irregular
and in opposition to the Church, we must continue to love them and accept them
for their love for Christ. They know their limitations and constraints in
living out fully the life of the gospel. But this calls for grace.
Instead of making such sinners feel unworthy, we should make them feel welcome
and loved so that in the process, they will come to discover the fullness of
the gospel and be given the grace to live it accordingly. Indeed, we must
accept that life is never neat and things cannot always be put into fixed
compartments. We must accept the mystery of life and cherish our
differences, allowing each one of us to grow according to our comfortable pace
and time.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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