20201024 BUILDING UP THE INDIVIDUAL BY BUILDING UP THE CHURCH
24 October, 2020, Saturday, 29th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Green.
First reading |
Ephesians 4:7-16 © |
By grace, we shall not be children any longer
Each one of us has been given his own share of grace, given as Christ allotted it. It was said that he would:
When he ascended to the height, he captured prisoners,
he gave gifts to men.
When it says, ‘he ascended’, what can it mean if not that he descended right down to the lower regions of the earth? The one who rose higher than all the heavens to fill all things is none other than the one who descended. And to some, his gift was that they should be apostles; to some, prophets; to some, evangelists; to some, pastors and teachers; so that the saints together make a unity in the work of service, building up the body of Christ. In this way we are all to come to unity in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God, until we become the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself.
Then we shall not be children any longer, or tossed one way and another and carried along by every wind of doctrine, at the mercy of all the tricks men play and their cleverness in practising deceit. If we live by the truth and in love, we shall grow in all ways into Christ, who is the head by whom the whole body is fitted and joined together, every joint adding its own strength, for each separate part to work according to its function. So the body grows until it has built itself up, in love.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 121(122):1-5 © |
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
I rejoiced when I heard them say:
‘Let us go to God’s house.’
And now our feet are standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
Jerusalem is built as a city
strongly compact.
It is there that the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord.
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
For Israel’s law it is,
there to praise the Lord’s name.
There were set the thrones of judgement
of the house of David.
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
Gospel Acclamation | Ps144:13 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The Lord is faithful in all his words
and loving in all his deeds.
Alleluia!
Or: | Ezk33:11 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I take pleasure, not in the death of a wicked man,
says the Lord,
but in the turning back of a wicked man
who changes his ways to win life.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 13:1-9 © |
'Leave the fig tree one more year'
Some people arrived and told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with that of their sacrifices. At this he said to them, ‘Do you suppose these Galileans who suffered like that were greater sinners than any other Galileans? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen on whom the tower at Siloam fell and killed them? Do you suppose that they were more guilty than all the other people living in Jerusalem? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did.’
He told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it but found none. He said to the man who looked after the vineyard, “Look here, for three years now I have been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and finding none. Cut it down: why should it be taking up the ground?” “Sir,” the man replied “leave it one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year; if not, then you can cut it down.”’
BUILDING UP THE INDIVIDUAL BY BUILDING UP THE CHURCH
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ EPHESIANS 4:7-16; PS 122:1-5; LUKE 13:1-9 ]
We all like to engage in vain abstract speculation. This was the case of the Jews when they asked Jesus about the cruel death the Galileans suffered under Pilate or those who died when the Tower of Siloam fell on them. Those who died under Pilate most probably were revolutionaries against the Roman authorities. Those who died at the tower were those Jews who cooperated with Pilate in building a water-duct system for Jerusalem. Regardless, the Jews associated suffering and death with one’s sins. The fact that they suffered such cruel and untimely death would imply that God punished them for their sins.
However, Jesus avoided such speculation on the cause of their death. The truth is that we will all have to die eventually, due to different reasons, illnesses, accidents, poverty or old age. Instead of speculating the reasons why some die earlier than others, or why some suffer tragic accidents and others die a peaceful death, more importantly, they should consider their own eventual death. Hence, the Lord in His reply made it clear that they were not greater sinners or more guilty. “They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did.” What is more important is that lest we suffer their fate, or come to our end, we must repent or else perish like them.
Yet, whilst in the final analysis the decision to repent is dependent on the individual, we are also aware that the individual is very much influenced by society and the world. St Paul wrote, we are “tossed one way and another and carried along by every wind of doctrine, at the mercy of all the tricks men play and their cleverness in practising deceit.” Indeed, the individual is formed and shaped by his/her environment, the people that he/she interacts with, those who form or nurture him/her, the culture and values that he/she is brought up with and the ambience of faith or the lack of faith in the person’s life. More than ever, our young people are shaped by social media and the internet. The school of formation is no longer at home as parents have less and less influence over them, especially when both are busy at work and with their own social programs. The Church too, has less influence over them because many are in secular schools where God is absent in their lives; and they are not allowed to discuss religion in public. In fact, the real problem today is not so much that our students will be fanatical over their religions and cause division in schools. Rather, they are totally disinterested in religions, especially when religions, if taught at all in school, is reduced to mere cold and abstract information.
This was why the Lord, after warning the people about their individual responsibility to seek repentance from their sins and wayward life, underscored the importance of the community as well. The individual is influenced by the larger community. The parable of the fig planted in the vineyard and was found to be barren represents Israel as a nation. They were not receptive to the Word of God and most of all, to Christ. The Lord had spent three years tilling the vineyard but they were uncooperative. This was the state of Israel. Yet, we are told that God is all merciful. When the owner of the vineyard asked the “man who looked after the vineyard, ‘Look here, for three years now I have been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and finding none. Cut it down: why should it be taking up the ground?’ ‘Sir,’ the man replied ‘leave it one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year; if not, then you can cut it down.'” Such is the patience of God. God is willing to give us time to repent. God is willing to wait for the nations to turn back to Him. He has been waiting all these years. Alas, there is also a final day of judgment. When nations refuse to repent of their pride, arrogance and rely on their ingenuity, on science and technology, they will face the inevitable judgment of God.
The signs are already there as the Lord warned us in yesterday’s gospel. We see moral decadence everywhere. God has been so marginalized in the world that He is absent. Values of faithful love, self-sacrifice, humility and forgiveness are replaced by superficial relationships, self-centeredness, pride and revenge. Values of lasting marriage and family are replaced by transient marriages and fragmented families. We see this not only on the individual level but also in world affairs where nations try to curb the growth of other nations just to protect their own narrow nationalistic interests. From globalization we are moving backwards to protectionist policies due to fear and selfishness. Every country is for itself, failing to realize that there is only one world and one people. The success of every country is dependent on the success of others. Unfortunately, it is sad to see the world going backwards, all in the name of national interests. They want to protect their own nation at the expense of others.
St Paul’s letter on the need for us to build the body of Christ is the key to building the larger world. As Church, we have all been given the gifts to contribute to the building of the Church. “Each one of us has been given his own share of grace, given as Christ allotted it. It was said that he would: When he ascended to the height, he captured prisoners, he gave gifts to men.” Christ’s death followed by His resurrection and ascension demonstrated His victory over sin. After conquering His enemies, instead of taking gifts and tributes from His captives, as what most conquerors do, Jesus as the conqueror distributed gifts to us all. Christ has won victory over our enemies and we all belong to our Lord.
As the Lord, He provides us the gifts to build up His Church, which is His body. “And to some, his gift was that they should be apostles; to some, prophets; to some, evangelists; to some, pastors and teachers; so that the saints together make a unity in the work of service, building up the body of Christ.” To build up the Church, like a human body, we need to have different talents and gifts. The Church needs apostles to oversee the unity of the Church and to safeguard the flock of Christ. But the Church also needs prophets to call the people of God to repentance and be proactive in dealing with the changing trends of our times. We also need evangelists to give hope to our people in their struggles, to spread the Good News of our Lord. We need pastors to minister to the individuals in their needs and struggles. Finally, we need teachers to form our people in faith and morals, guiding them in the gospel life.
“In this way we are all to come to unity in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God, until we become the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself.” As Church, therefore, we need to grow to become more like Christ so that Christ can live in us and through us. Obviously, the individual cannot grow alone by himself or herself. He or she needs the Church, the entire community to journey with. We must reiterate that the individual and the community are closely and intrinsically related. The community can become robust only if the individuals are robust. But the individual can become strong only if the community support is strong. So this is why both must contribute to each other. “If we live by the truth and in love, we shall grow in all ways into Christ, who is the head by whom the whole body is fitted and joined together, every joint adding its own strength, for each separate part to work according to its function. So the body grows until it has built itself up, in love.”
What is said for the Church is equally true for the nation and the world today. We must promote unity among our peoples in our country, harmony and cooperation among all countries in the world. We must fight against the tendency to individualism and protectionism. Instead, we must promote greater communication among all communities in our country, among the different religions, increase dialogue and cooperation, especially in social and humanitarian works. On the level of international relationships, we must encourage governments to look beyond national interests and recognize their responsibility to engage the rest of the world, offering aid especially to those poorer countries. In this way, we build a community of love in the world and we will be able to sustain growth and development for the good of all. Progress and prosperity belong to all nations because the planet is for all.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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