20200505 A CHURCH THAT GOES OUT
05 May, 2020, Tuesday, 4th Week of Easter
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: White.
First reading
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Acts 11:19-26 ©
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They started preaching to the Greeks, proclaiming the Lord Jesus
Those who had escaped during the persecution that happened because of Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, but they usually proclaimed the message only to Jews. Some of them, however, who came from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch where they started preaching to the Greeks, proclaiming the Good News of the Lord Jesus to them as well. The Lord helped them, and a great number believed and were converted to the Lord.
The church in Jerusalem heard about this and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. There he could see for himself that God had given grace, and this pleased him, and he urged them all to remain faithful to the Lord with heartfelt devotion; for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and with faith. And a large number of people were won over to the Lord.
Barnabas then left for Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him he brought him to Antioch. As things turned out they were to live together in that church a whole year, instructing a large number of people. It was at Antioch that the disciples were first called ‘Christians.’
Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 86(87) ©
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O praise the Lord, all you nations!
or
Alleluia!
On the holy mountain is his city
cherished by the Lord.
The Lord prefers the gates of Zion
to all Jacob’s dwellings.
Of you are told glorious things,
O city of God!
O praise the Lord, all you nations!
or
Alleluia!
‘Babylon and Egypt I will count
among those who know me;
Philistia, Tyre, Ethiopia,
these will be her children
and Zion shall be called “Mother”
for all shall be her children.’
O praise the Lord, all you nations!
or
Alleluia!
It is he, the Lord Most High,
who gives each his place.
In his register of peoples he writes:
‘These are her children,’
and while they dance they will sing:
‘In you all find their home.’
O praise the Lord, all you nations!
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation
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Jn10:27
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,
says the Lord,
I know them and they follow me.
Alleluia!
Gospel
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John 10:22-30 ©
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The Father and I are one
It was the time when the feast of Dedication was being celebrated in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the Temple walking up and down in the Portico of Solomon. The Jews gathered round him and said, ‘How much longer are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.’ Jesus replied:
‘I have told you, but you do not believe.
The works I do in my Father’s name are my witness;
but you do not believe,
because you are no sheep of mine.
The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice;
I know them and they follow me.
I give them eternal life;
they will never be lost
and no one will ever steal them from me.
The Father who gave them to me is greater than anyone,
and no one can steal from the Father.
The Father and I are one.’
A CHURCH THAT GOES OUT
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ Acts 11:19-26; Ps 87:1-7; John 10:22-30 ]
The greatest danger of the Catholic Church is that of being fossilized. The Catholic Church is more than 2000 years old. Singapore will only be 55 years old this year in August. If we think 55 years is a long time, what do you think of the Church that is 2000 years old? Indeed, it is awesome to know that the Catholic Church has a tradition of 2000 years. And we are still in existence with more than 1.3 billion members. In spite of setbacks due to scandals, we are still strong. Yet, like any established organization, there is the temptation to complacency and routine.
This was the same struggle with Judaism during the time of Jesus. Like the Catholic Church, Judaism by the time of Jesus also had a 2000-year tradition since the Exodus under the leadership of Moses. The laws given by Moses were taught and upheld religiously by the faithful Jews. Those who were more meticulous in observing the laws were called the Pharisees, which meant the “separated ones.” The Jews understandably saw the need to preserve their religious and cultural tradition. After all, race, culture and religion were deeply intertwined. As a result, they became inward-looking, defensive of their religion, race and culture, excluding everyone else. In wanting to be exclusive, they became fossilized as the only way they could expand was to reproduce among themselves. At the same time, they cut themselves off from the rest of humanity.
However, the truth is that the Jews were the Chosen People of God, not just for themselves but for the sake of humanity. They forgot that their role was to bring all people into the true knowledge of God. Isaiah prophesied, “I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.” (Isa 42:6f)
But this cannot be realized except with a new Covenant in Christ. The Old Covenant was between God and the Israelites. The New Covenant is between God and all of humanity. At the Last Supper, the Lord said, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.” (Mk 14:24) Christ, then, is the fulfillment of Judaism. He completes what Moses prophesied, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet.” (Dt 18:15) He is the New Moses that gives us the Living Water, the Holy Spirit; the Manna from heaven, the Bread of Life, the One who walks on the water and saves us from the storms of life by calming the waters. Indeed, He is the Messiah, the Son of God. This is what the Lord claims today in the gospel. When the Jews asked Him, “How much longer are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus replied, “The works I do in my Father’s name are my witness. The Father who gave them to me is greater than anyone, and no one can steal from the Father. The Father and I are one.”
But they could not accept because their minds were already fixated. The Lord remarked, “but you do not believe, because you are no sheep of mine.” It is significant that the Lord said these words at the Feast of Dedication. This feast celebrates the restoration of the Temple that was desecrated by Antiochus Epiphanes in 170 B.C. More than 80,000 Jews perished because of their faith. It was a capital crime to possess a copy of the law or circumcise their children. The Temple chambers were converted into brothels and Antiochus turned the great altar into an altar dedicated to Olympian Zeus. It was Judas Maccabeus that won the fight against them and expelled them. So, the Feast of the Dedication of the Temple was a memorial of the Purification of the Temple. Christ now has come as the Light of the world.
Jesus came precisely to restore the New Temple of God. Jesus told the Jews at the Temple, “‘Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!’ His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for your house will consume me.’ The Jews then said to him, ‘What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.'” (Jn 2:16-19) He is the Temple of God because in Him, God dwells fully. This is because, as He said, “The Father and I are one.” He is one with God. Only He can reveal to us who our Father is and can reconcile us with Him. In Christ, therefore, all of us are called to be One body. St Paul wrote, “In Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.” (Gal 3:26-29)
But this was the same challenge that the early Jewish Christians faced. They were actually Jews who believed that Christ was the fulfilment of the promises made to Abraham and therefore completes Judaism. Unfortunately, they still thought that to be saved, one must be a Jew and belong to Judaism. This means that all the practices of Judaism must be carried out over and above faith in Jesus as the promised Messiah since the New Covenant is a continuity of the Old Covenant. So they were really “Christian Jews” not “Jewish Christians.” In other words, they were first and foremost Jews and then Christians. Hence, to be a Christian, one must first be a Jew. This, of course, would exclude all the Gentiles.
However, thanks to the Holy Spirit, their mindset was gradually broadened. They came to realize that being a Christian was more important than being a Jew. One can be a Jewish Christian, a Chinese Christian, an Indian Christian. Being a Christian is not identified with a culture or a race or a nationality. We are identified with Christ. We read that “it was at Antioch that the disciples were first called ‘Christians’.” This is because all can be disciples of Jesus without being a Jew. Hence, we not only call ourselves, Christians but “Catholics”, meaning, universal.
This was the consequence of the early Church reaching out. Initially, they only preached the gospel to the Jews because it was thought that they were the Chosen People of God. But the Holy Spirit pushed them to preach the gospel beyond the Jews. Philip went to Samaria to preach to the half-Jews since they intermarried with the pagans. Next, the Holy Spirit prepared Peter to welcome Cornelius into the faith. He was not a Jew but he was a God-fearing man. Then with the persecution, the gospel was preached to the Gentiles. Those who had escaped “travelled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, but they usually proclaimed the message only to Jews. Some of them, however, who came from Cyprus and Cyrene went to Antioch where they started preaching to the Greeks, proclaiming the Good News of the Lord Jesus to them as well. The Lord helped them, and a great number believed and were converted to the Lord.” This was the beginning of Christianity becoming a world-wide religion.
What is the great lesson for us as Church today? We must go beyond ourselves. The Church cannot be a refuge for insecure people who gather together day after day, week after week like a small conclave taking care of herself and each other. Rather, the Church must be missionary-minded. To survive, we must grow. To grow we must intentionally reach out beyond our narrow confines. We are called to bring the gospel to all the nations. We should be proactive and make the necessary changes to the structure and traditions of the Church whenever possible and as necessary. Of course, the Big Tradition of the Christian Faith cannot be changed. Those doctrines are non-negotiable. But many things we do in the Church, governance, means of catechesis and evangelization, devotional practices and even liturgical practices must change to meet the new challenges of our time. If we are fearful of reaching out and just want to close in on ourselves, we will find the Catholic Faith becoming irrelevant in the world. Perhaps we should thank God that the Church is now being persecuted again because it serves to purify and strengthen our Catholics, wake us up from our complacency and force us to listen to His voice anew. May we be renewed and purified once again.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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