20200609 DARE TO BE DIFFERENT
09 June, 2020, Tuesday, 10th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Green.
First reading
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1 Kings 17:7-16 ©
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The widow gives food to Elijah, and is fed
The stream in the place where Elijah lay hidden dried up, for the country had no rain. And then the word of the Lord came to Elijah, ‘Up and go to Zarephath, a Sidonian town, and stay there. I have ordered a widow there to give you food.’ So he went off to Sidon. And when he reached the city gate, there was a widow gathering sticks; addressing her he said, ‘Please bring me a little water in a vessel for me to drink.’ She was setting off to bring it when he called after her. ‘Please’ he said ‘bring me a scrap of bread in your hand.’ ‘As the Lord your God lives,’ she replied ‘I have no baked bread, but only a handful of meal in a jar and a little oil in a jug; I am just gathering a stick or two to go and prepare this for myself and my son to eat, and then we shall die.’ But Elijah said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, go and do as you have said; but first make a little scone of it for me and bring it to me, and then make some for yourself and for your son. For thus the Lord speaks, the God of Israel:
“Jar of meal shall not be spent,
jug of oil shall not be emptied,
before the day when the Lord sends
rain on the face of the earth.”’
The woman went and did as Elijah told her and they ate the food, she, himself and her son. The jar of meal was not spent nor the jug of oil emptied, just as the Lord had foretold through Elijah.
Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 4:2-5,7-8 ©
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Lift up the light of your face on us, O Lord.
When I call, answer me, O God of justice;
from anguish you released me, have mercy and hear me!
O men, how long will your hearts be closed,
will you love what is futile and seek what is false?
Lift up the light of your face on us, O Lord.
It is the Lord who grants favours to those whom he loves;
the Lord hears me whenever I call him.
Fear him; do not sin: ponder on your bed and be still.
Lift up the light of your face on us, O Lord.
‘What can bring us happiness?’ many say.
Lift up the light of your face on us, O Lord.
You have put into my heart a greater joy
than they have from abundance of corn and new wine.
Lift up the light of your face on us, O Lord.
Gospel Acclamation
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Ph2:15-16
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Alleluia, alleluia!
You will shine in the world like bright stars
because you are offering it the word of life.
Alleluia!
Or:
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Mt5:16
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Your light must shine in the sight of men,
so that, seeing your good works,
they may give the praise to your Father in heaven.
Alleluia!
Gospel
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Matthew 5:13-16 ©
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Your light must shine in the sight of men
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You are the salt of the earth. But if salt becomes tasteless, what can make it salty again? It is good for nothing, and can only be thrown out to be trampled underfoot by men.
‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill-top cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp to put it under a tub; they put it on the lamp-stand where it shines for everyone in the house. In the same way your light must shine in the sight of men, so that, seeing your good works, they may give the praise to your Father in heaven.’
DARE TO BE DIFFERENT
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 KGS 17:7-16; MT 5:13-16 ]
Yesterday’s gospel was on the Eight Beatitudes. In these beatitudes, Jesus presented to us His vision and blueprint for a blessed life. The values that Jesus advocates contradict the values of the world. He ended by warning that disciples of His who seek to live out the beatitudes will face persecution. (cf Mt 5:11f)
How many of us are willing to stand up for Jesus and live a lifestyle in contradiction to the lifestyle promoted by the world? Most of us are afraid to stand out from the world. We are afraid to be different from the rest of the world because we fear ridicule, marginalization, and persecution. We want to be “normal” like everyone else in the world. This is what the world desires of us. The world does not want us to behave differently from them. The world wants us to endorse and imbibe their worldly lifestyle as normal. They want us to be part of them and one with them.
That is why I always say that secularism is the most insidious enemy of our time. It is subtle in destroying the world and humanity. Secularism is promoted as the way to ensure that there will be peace, harmony, and fairness among all peoples; by ensuring that all religions are treated fairly. If this is the real intention, then of course, we should support it. However, the real intention of secularism is not to promote the freedom of religion but freedom from religion. Secularism in the name of religious harmony bans all religious practices and display of religious symbols in public. It tolerates people with religions doing good works and helping others, provided they do not display their faith symbols and never to talk about their religion. This would be considered proselytization. How is it that we are allowed to talk about food, restaurants, movies, clothes, etc? Shouldn’t such topics also be considered “proselytizing” because they give publicity to some products or services?
For this reason, the Lord reminds us that as His disciples we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. We are to change society and not allow society to change us. This is what salt is supposed to do. Salt is for purification, preservation, and for adding flavor to our food. When we want to purify our food or heal our wounds, we use salt to kill the virus and the germs. If we have a sore throat, we gargle with saltwater and it brings healing. But salt is also used for preservation as well. In those days when there was no refrigerator, most foods were preserved with salt so that they could last a long time. Fish, vegetables, and meat when salted can be kept for ages because no bacteria can survive in them. So as a preservative, it is very effective. Finally, salt gives flavor to our food. It makes our food tasty. Without salt, our food will be so bland and tasteless.
When we apply these characteristics of salt into our life as disciples of our Lord, it means that as salt of the earth, we must act as a catalyst to purify the world of sin and evil. To side with the world is to be salted by the world. Instead, we must seek to purge the world of selfishness, self-centeredness, egoism, greed, promiscuity, and licentiousness. It is not enough to rid the world of evil; we must preserve the world from the degeneration of values. We need to protect our young and those who are naïve and vulnerable from being wrongly influenced and indoctrinated with the false values of the world. We can do this by being positive influencers in the lives of others. Disciples of Christ must make a difference in the lives of others by their love, humble service and living an exemplary Christian life. People must feel that we add value to their life, helping them to live life more fully, meaningfully and joyfully. Otherwise, we cannot call ourselves the salt of the earth.
We must also be the light of the world. Jesus said, “A city built on a hill-top cannot be hidden. In the same way, your light must shine in the sight of men, so that, seeing your good works, they may give the praise to your Father in heaven.” Christians must walk in the light, which is to walk in truth, in integrity, and honesty. We are transparent before others. Only those who do evil and dishonorable things, do so in the dark because they are ashamed of their immoral deeds. As Christians, we are called not just to walk in the light so that others can see our good works and give praise to our Father in heaven, we must also enlighten the world as to what is good, true and right. We must show the way to those walking in darkness, seeking hope, meaning, and purpose in life.
The call to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world is not something extra we do as a favour to God. On the contrary, being the salt of the earth and the light of the world is a favour primarily for ourselves and then for others. Jesus asked us, “If salt becomes tasteless, what can make it salty again?” He also said, “No one lights a lamp to put it under a tub; they put it on the lamp-stand where it shines for everyone in the house.” The failure to be an influencer in the lives of others, whether as salt or light will ultimately make us lose our saltiness and dim our light. The truth is that when we do not make use of what we have, we will eventually lose them. When we do not exercise our brains, by doing serious thinking, reflection, planning, and writing, eventually our brain cells will die. When we do not exercise our bodies, our muscles become weak and our organs will malfunction. When we do not make use of our talents, we will eventually lose our skills. So by not spreading our faith and living the gospel life, we will become complacent and eventually lose faith in Jesus and live a life of mediocrity.
However, the most tragic consequence of not witnessing to the Lord and living an exemplary Christian life is being absorbed by the world. Either we change the world or the world will change us. There is no neutrality in faith. If we do not say anything or speak out against evil and injustices, then what is wrong and evil will become the norm of the day. So we must consider carefully the consequences of not being witnesses to the gospel life. Indeed, secularism has seeped into the life of our Catholics. Although many might be going to church, their values are that of the world. Nominal Catholics are baptized pagans. It is a matter of time before their faith turns to indifference and hostility against the Church!
So how can we do this if not by witnessing together as a people! Elijah who was not afraid to stand up against King Ahab and the rest of the Israelites for abandoning Yahweh and the Covenant, was in turn blessed and protected by the Lord. We, too, must not be afraid to be different from the world so that the light of Christ can shine in and through us. We cannot evangelize alone because the world will overcome us when we are alone. However, if we go together as a community, then we become a potent force in the world. It is not so easy for the world to put us down if we stand up together in faith. We must support each other in faith and in love. Unless we are united as brothers and sisters, the world will not take us seriously. Many have left the Church not because we have not witnessed to Christ but because we have more nominal Catholics who are counter-witnesses. By their lives, they tell the world that their faith does not make a difference in their lives.
So, we must be like Elijah and the widow at Zarephath who revealed the face of God to each other. The psalmist inquired, “‘What can bring us happiness?’ many say. Lift up the light of your face on us, O Lord. You have put into my heart a greater joy than they have from abundance of corn and new wine.” Indeed, Elijah showed the face of God to the widow by providing her abundance of water and food and later bringing her son back to life. God also made use of the widow to show His face to Elijah by providing him with water, food and lodging during the time of drought and famine. It was the faith of the widow who gave all she had to Elijah that inspired him to have faith in God who provided for him. Let us, therefore, continue to salt each other and be the light for each other so that none of us will lose hope.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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