20201105 THE PROCESS OF CONVERSION
05 November, 2020, Thursday, 31st Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Green.
First reading |
Philippians 3:3-8 © |
I was faultless according to the Law; but without knowing Christ I was nothing
We are the real people of the circumcision, we who worship in accordance with the Spirit of God; we have our own glory from Christ Jesus without having to rely on a physical operation. If it came to relying on physical evidence, I should be fully qualified myself. Take any man who thinks he can rely on what is physical: I am even better qualified. I was born of the race of Israel and of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrew parents, and I was circumcised when I was eight days old. As for the Law, I was a Pharisee; as for working for religion, I was a persecutor of the Church; as far as the Law can make you perfect, I was faultless. But because of Christ, I have come to consider all these advantages that I had as disadvantages. Not only that, but I believe nothing can happen that will outweigh the supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 104(105):2-7 © |
Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
or
Alleluia!
O sing to the Lord, sing his praise;
tell all his wonderful works!
Be proud of his holy name,
let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
or
Alleluia!
Consider the Lord and his strength;
constantly seek his face.
Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, the judgements he spoke.
Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
or
Alleluia!
O children of Abraham, his servant,
O sons of the Jacob he chose.
He, the Lord, is our God:
his judgements prevail in all the earth.
Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ps129:5 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
My soul is waiting for the Lord,
I count on his word.
Alleluia!
Or: | Mt11:28 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 15:1-10 © |
There will be rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner
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.’
THE PROCESS OF CONVERSION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ PHILIPPIANS 3:3-8; PS 105:2-7; LUKE 15:1-10]
Repentance and conversion must begin with the acknowledgement of the reality of the human condition which is sin. There can be no conversion unless we admit that we are sinners needing repentance and reconciliation with God. This was the biggest obstacle of the Jewish leaders. When they saw Jesus eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners, the Pharisees and the scribes complained. “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” As far as they were concerned, they were righteous. They did not need conversion because they had kept the Law meticulously. It was the case of Paul in today’s first reading as well. Before his conversion, he too was a self-righteous Jew. He said, “As for the Law, I was a Pharisee; as for working for religion, I was a persecutor of the Church; as far as the Law can make you perfect, I was faultless.”
Even the self-righteous who obeyed the Law were great sinners because like the Jewish leaders, they condemned and looked down on those who broke the Law. They were judgmental of them and cut off all communion with them. Instead of trying to reach out to them, they considered these people as lost and not worth saving. This was how the Jews saw sinners in the days of Jesus. They were included among the Gentiles who were destined to be condemned. They wanted no association with them in anyway lest they defiled themselves ritually. Their greatest sin was pride, self-righteousness, judgmentalism and the lack of mercy and compassion.
In contrast, Jesus, a truly holy man, a man of God, sought to be with tax-collectors and sinners. Unlike most of us, priests and religious included, we wait for lost souls to turn to us for help before we rescue them. Jesus as a true shepherd took the initiative to reach out to them. He made the first move by extending His friendship to sinners. Instead of ostracizing them, He walked with them and ate with them as a sign of acceptance. It is a clear reminder that when it comes to conversion, it is not the work of man reaching out to God. Rather, it is God who takes the initiative to reach out to us. This is what both parables in the gospel try to underscore. It was the shepherd who went out seeking for the stray sheep, and the woman who searched for the lost coin.
As far as God is concerned, even when we sin, we remain always His children. We are created in His image and likeness. By our sins, we might have tarnished our likeness to Him but our image cannot be erased. We continue to share in His intellect and will. We are free creatures. We belong to Him. This is why God does not stop loving us even when we reject Him and fall into sin. It is just like parents loving their children. No matter what their children do, even when they have sinned grievously against them, they will always forgive them and welcome them home. And every child, even the recalcitrant one, is precious to the parents. When they suffer because of their foolishness, their parents suffer with them. So they will try to do all in their power to help them because they cannot stop loving them since they belong to them. So too, we belong to God and God does not stop loving us even when we stop loving Him.
Indeed, Jesus reveals to us the heart of God for each one of us. Each of us is a unique individual before God. Although we might all look like sheep, yet every sheep is personally known and loved by the shepherd. In the eyes of God, He does not see us a digit among so many. We are not just a number but we are irreplaceable before Him. When a sheep is lost, the shepherd could just leave the lost sheep to stray, be killed and eaten by wild animals. After all, what is one sheep among so many? Isn’t this the way we all feel as Catholics? Before Covid-19, our churches were packed to the brim every Sunday for masses. So, when young people, those who are disillusioned with the Church, the sick and the hurt leave the Church, do we bother to reach out to them? The truth is that we treat them as just another number. But God loves each one of us individually and personally.
Next, we are told of the joy of being found. The shepherd who found the lost sheep would “joyfully take it on his shoulders.” Imagine the joy of the frightened sheep that was lost! It was all alone facing the dangers of the wild. Those of us who have dogs will understand what it means to lose a sheep. When we lose our dog, we will be all worried for the dog because we know that it would be looking for its master. We worry that left on its own, it may not know how to find food and survive, whether it would be attacked by other stray dogs. And have you noticed the joy of the dog when it is reunited with its master again? Its joy is so overwhelming because it wants to belong to its master. So, too, when the sheep is found, it is now even closer to the shepherd because he carries it on his shoulder!
Then there is also the joy of finding the lost sheep. “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.” This joy is so great that is incomparable to the comfort of having the other ninety-nine that were not lost. It is not because the others who are safe are not important, but that the one who needed to be saved is the one that needed the attention most. We are called to attend to the weakest member of the community. The sign of a gracious society is when the weak members are loved most.
The great rejoicing is not just that of the shepherd or God who found the lost sheep, but we are told that the whole community in heaven rejoices as well. Jesus said, “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing among the angels of God over one repentant sinner.” Do we find this happening in our parishes when strayed Catholics return back to the fold? Does the community rejoice whenever lapsed Catholics rediscover their faith? Unfortunately, many of us are oblivious to what is happening to our community because we are so absorbed in ourselves. When we hear conversion stories, do we give praise to God? Indeed, the weakness of the Church is that we do not celebrate conversion stories. We need to share more of these stories so that not only those who have left the Church can be inspired but even the so-called nominal and active Catholics will be able to rejoice with them. And as the psalmist says, “Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice. O sing to the Lord, sing his praise; tell all his wonderful works! Be proud of his holy name, let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice. Consider the Lord and his strength; constantly seek his face. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, the judgements he spoke.”
Reconciliation, therefore, is also the work of the community. It is not just the work of one person. In some churches, they have a group called Landings. This organization is basically a ministry that encourages Catholics in parishes and communities to reach out to those Catholics who have lost their faith in God or the Church. Through the Landings Program, returning Catholics could slowly renew their faith in a welcoming and non-judgmental way. With a community journeying with them and through the sharing of faith stories, returning Catholics find healing and reconciliation. Just as the RCIA for the non-Catholics requires the community to journey with them, so, too, in the work of reconciliation.
For us today, St Paul is the exemplar of what a conversion story looks like. St Paul was a great rabbi, pharisee and a persecutor of the Church. “But because of Christ, I have come to consider all the advantages that I had as disadvantages. Not only that, but I believe nothing can happen that will outweigh the supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” When we find Jesus and experience His mercy, we will be transformed radically. The experience of being loved and accepted made him a great apostle to other sinners.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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