20201026 LIVING AS CHILDREN OF LIGHT
26 October, 2020, Monday, 30th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Green.
First reading |
Ephesians 4:32-5:8 © |
Follow Christ by loving as he loved you
Be friends with one another, and kind, forgiving each other as readily as God forgave you in Christ.
Try, then, to imitate God as children of his that he loves and follow Christ loving as he loved you, giving himself up in our place as a fragrant offering and a sacrifice to God. Among you there must be not even a mention of fornication or impurity in any of its forms, or promiscuity: this would hardly become the saints! There must be no coarseness, or salacious talk and jokes – all this is wrong for you; raise your voices in thanksgiving instead. For you can be quite certain that nobody who actually indulges in fornication or impurity or promiscuity – which is worshipping a false god – can inherit anything of the kingdom of God. Do not let anyone deceive you with empty arguments: it is for this loose living that God’s anger comes down on those who rebel against him. Make sure that you are not included with them. You were darkness once, but now you are light in the Lord; be like children of light.
Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 1:1-4,6 © |
Try to imitate God, as children of his that he loves.
Happy indeed is the man
who follows not the counsel of the wicked;
nor lingers in the way of sinners
nor sits in the company of scorners,
but whose delight is the law of the Lord
and who ponders his law day and night.
Try to imitate God, as children of his that he loves.
He is like a tree that is planted
beside the flowing waters,
that yields its fruit in due season
and whose leaves shall never fade;
and all that he does shall prosper.
Try to imitate God, as children of his that he loves.
Not so are the wicked, not so!
For they like winnowed chaff
shall be driven away by the wind:
for the Lord guards the way of the just
but the way of the wicked leads to doom.
Try to imitate God, as children of his that he loves.
Gospel Acclamation | Jn17:17 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your word is truth, O Lord:
consecrate us in the truth.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 13:10-17 © |
Was it not right to untie this woman's bonds on the sabbath day?
One sabbath day Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who for eighteen years had been possessed by a spirit that left her enfeebled; she was bent double and quite unable to stand upright. When Jesus saw her he called her over and said, ‘Woman, you are rid of your infirmity’ and he laid his hands on her. And at once she straightened up, and she glorified God.
But the synagogue official was indignant because Jesus had healed on the sabbath, and he addressed the people present. ‘There are six days’ he said ‘when work is to be done. Come and be healed on one of those days and not on the sabbath.’ But the Lord answered him. ‘Hypocrites!’ he said ‘Is there one of you who does not untie his ox or his donkey from the manger on the sabbath and take it out for watering? And this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan has held bound these eighteen years – was it not right to untie her bonds on the sabbath day?’ When he said this, all his adversaries were covered with confusion, and all the people were overjoyed at all the wonders he worked.
LIVING AS CHILDREN OF LIGHT
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Ephesians 4:32-5:8; Ps 1:1-4,6; Luke 13:10-17 ]
St Paul wrote, “You were darkness once, but now you are light in the Lord; be like children of light.” As Christians, we are called to be the light of the world and salt of the earth. (cf Mt 5:13f) How does one become the light of the world? We must take direction from the Lord Himself. He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” (Jn 8:12) When He said these words, it was in the context of sin, firstly the sin of the woman who was caught committing adultery and then the sin of the religious leaders who were blind to the truth. (Jn 8:1-11; 9:1-41) Hence, St Paul urges the Christians at Ephesus, “Try, then, to imitate God as children of his that he loves and follow Christ loving as he loved you.”
These two sins are highlighted by St Paul, promiscuity and intellectualism. Both are in truth sins against idolatry, the most dreaded sin in the bible. Sex was often abused as it is now. The sexual drive in man is so strong, almost irresistible because it is in our instinct to procreate. This is why we often hear of sexual sins committed, like infidelity, self-abuse and related sins of unwanted babies and abortion. Worse still, is that in spite of the severity of the laws imposed on sexual crimes like rape, pedophilia, molestation and voyeurism, these crimes continue to increase every day. What is the reason?
St Paul hit the nail on the source of sexual crimes. It is because of a promiscuous lifestyle. St Paul said, “For you can be quite certain that nobody who actually indulges in fornication or impurity or promiscuity – which is worshipping a false god – can inherit anything of the kingdom of God.” This strong message to the Ephesians must be understood in the context of sexual immorality among the Gentiles. It was an accepted reality and part of the culture among the Greeks to tolerate sexual immorality. It was a way of life. Men having mistresses or a few wives was normal and lawful because of the need to fulfill one’s sexual drive. They had Temple prostitutes by the thousands. They even had a Temple dedicated to the goddess of love, Aphrodite.
But this promiscuous lifestyle in the first place is given birth by salacious talk and jokes. Everything in life begins with a thought before it is conceived as an action. When we engage in sexual conversations, we are but planting a seed to make it grow. The more we talk about sex not in an objective and educational manner but in an enticing manner, the pleasures and the fun of it, we arouse our sexual desires. We begin to imagine and our thoughts grow wild. Then we wake up our sexual drive and lust. Before we know it, we are engaged in sex with the other partner. Isn’t this how sex predators groom their victims by talking about sex and by showing each other pornographic materials? St Paul told the Ephesians, “There must be no coarseness, or salacious talk and jokes – all this is wrong for you; raise your voices in thanksgiving instead.” Even sexual jokes are openings for the devil to make us sensationalize and awake our lustful desires.
This is why we must avoid such vain thoughts if we want to keep our mind pure. Instead of indulging in such unhealthy talks and conversations, stirring up our lustful desires, and ending up in sexual activities which we will regret, we should avoid the occasion of sin. It is better, as St Paul said, to “raise your voices in thanksgiving instead.” In other words, we should be talking of those things that make our mind pure and holy. Indeed, St Paul said, “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.” (Phil 4:8f)
Most of all, we must avoid deceptive intellectualization of truths. St Paul advised, “Do not let anyone deceive you with empty arguments: it is for this loose living that God’s anger comes down on those who rebel against him. Make sure that you are not included with them.” There are many so-called wise people who will twist and turn the truths to suit their vain desires. They use intellectual arguments to convince people that there is no such thing as sexual immorality. They argue that it is part of our nature and we should not control our desires but should express it completely so that we can find fulfillment, that abstinence, celibacy and chastity go against our human nature, and that they are instituted by religious fanatics, especially priests.
Indeed, the world uses all kinds of arguments to convince us that marriage is not between a man and a woman only; that gender should not dictate our behavior, that sexual desires must always be satisfied. They use worldly arguments to convince us that abortion is a human right, but not a baby’s right. But if we look at nature, it is very clear who we are, man or woman, and that procreation comes through the marriage between a man and a woman, and not from a test-tube. But the world wants to go against the reality of nature by using philosophical arguments to contradict the truths of nature. Indeed, this is what the world does, seeking arguments to justify all the sexual sins so that we feel justified to commit them. But those of us who have some conscience know deep in our hearts that we are cheating ourselves.
What is important in the final analysis is that we must be life-giving in love. When sex is performed without sincere love and as a life-giving act, we abuse the body and use it as a means of pleasure rather than an expression of love and life. But this is not only confined to sex. This principle applies to every aspect of life, whether in education, entertainment, work, business or religion. Everything we do must be life-giving, contributing to the happiness of others, fostering authentic love, selfless service, relieving suffering, building harmony, strengthening peace by forgiveness and compassion. St Paul exhorts us, “Be friends with one another, and kind, forgiving each other as readily as God forgave you in Christ.”
This is what the Lord wants to underscore in today’s gospel reading. He saw a woman “who for eighteen years had been possessed by a spirit that left her enfeebled; she was bent double and quite unable to stand upright.” His immediate response was to heal her and not allow her to suffer any longer. “He called her over and said, ‘Woman, you are rid of your infirmity’ and he laid his hands on her. And at once she straightened up, and she glorified God.” In contrast, “the synagogue official was indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath.” He ruled, “‘There are six days when work is to be done. Come and be healed on one of those days and not on the Sabbath.’ But the Lord answered him. ‘Hypocrites! Is there one of you who does not untie his ox or his donkey from the manger on the Sabbath and take it out for watering? And this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan has held bound these eighteen years – was it not right to untie her bonds on the Sabbath day?'”
But notice the reaction of the woman and the crowd, “she glorified God” “and all the people were overjoyed at all the wonders he worked.” In other words, the best antidote to sin and the clear measure of what is right or wrong, is when we can truly glorify God in all we do and say; and worship Him in thanksgiving for all that we have done. Praising and thanking God should be the criterion of what we do if we are not too sure whether we are walking the path of light and love. Indeed, as the psalmist says, “Try to imitate God, as children of his that he loves. Happy indeed is the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked; nor lingers in the way of sinners nor sits in the company of scorners, but whose delight is the law of the Lord and who ponders his law day and night. He is like a tree that is planted beside the flowing waters, that yields its fruit in due season and whose leaves shall never fade; and all that he does shall prosper. Not so are the wicked, not so!”
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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