20210226 RADICAL CHOICE FOR LIFE
26 February, 2021, Friday, 1st Week of Lent
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Violet.
First reading |
Ezekiel 18:21-28 © |
I prefer to see the wicked man renounce his wickedness and live
Thus says the Lord:
‘If the wicked man renounces all the sins he has committed, respects my laws and is law-abiding and honest, he will certainly live; he will not die. All the sins he committed will be forgotten from then on; he shall live because of the integrity he has practised. What! Am I likely to take pleasure in the death of a wicked man – it is the Lord who speaks – and not prefer to see him renounce his wickedness and live?
‘But if the upright man renounces his integrity, commits sin, copies the wicked man and practises every kind of filth, is he to live? All the integrity he has practised shall be forgotten from then on; but this is because he himself has broken faith and committed sin, and for this he shall die. But you object, “What the Lord does is unjust.” Listen, you House of Israel: is what I do unjust? Is it not what you do that is unjust? When the upright man renounces his integrity to commit sin and dies because of this, he dies because of the evil that he himself has committed. When the sinner renounces sin to become law-abiding and honest, he deserves to live. He has chosen to renounce all his previous sins; he shall certainly live; he shall not die.’
Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 129(130) © |
If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt, Lord, who would survive?
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord,
Lord, hear my voice!
O let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleading.
If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt, Lord, who would survive?
If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt,
Lord, who would survive?
But with you is found forgiveness:
for this we revere you.
If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt, Lord, who would survive?
My soul is waiting for the Lord.
I count on his word.
My soul is longing for the Lord
more than watchman for daybreak.
(Let the watchman count on daybreak
and Israel on the Lord.)
If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt, Lord, who would survive?
Because with the Lord there is mercy
and fullness of redemption,
Israel indeed he will redeem
from all its iniquity.
If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt, Lord, who would survive?
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Amos5:14 |
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
Seek good and not evil so that you may live,
and that the Lord God of hosts may really be with you.
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
Or: | Ezk18:31 |
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
Shake off all your sins – it is the Lord who speaks –
and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
Gospel | Matthew 5:20-26 © |
Anyone who is angry with his brother will answer for it
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If your virtue goes no deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.
‘You have learnt how it was said to our ancestors: You must not kill; and if anyone does kill he must answer for it before the court. But I say this to you: anyone who is angry with his brother will answer for it before the court; if a man calls his brother “Fool” he will answer for it before the Sanhedrin; and if a man calls him “Renegade” he will answer for it in hell fire. So then, if you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering. Come to terms with your opponent in good time while you are still on the way to the court with him, or he may hand you over to the judge and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. I tell you solemnly, you will not get out till you have paid the last penny.’
RADICAL CHOICE FOR LIFE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [EZEKIEL 18:21-28; PS 130:1-8; MT 5:20-26 ]
Today, in the light of a so-called democratic world, where relativism prevails, the emphasis is on freedom to choose. This was precisely the temptation of Adam and Eve. They too were tempted by the Devil to eat from the Tree of knowledge and evil so that their eyes could be opened and be free to choose what they want in life. But this freedom to choose today has led to untold and unimaginable abuses. The freedom to choose is not just a matter of political choices but includes everything in life, often in an exaggerated manner.
Freedom is promoted as an absolute right even at the expense of the safety of the common good. So many are insisting on the freedom to not wear masks during the Covid-19 pandemic even in public spaces. Women demand freedom to own their own body and so the right to decide whether a baby in her womb should live or die. Human beings today also demand the right to determine whether they want to live or die. Even when it concerns one’s beliefs, one must be free to embrace not just any religion, even Satanism or a cult that is anti-social and anti-institutional. So freedom extends even to immorality, consumption of drugs, spreading lies and untruths, insulting people’s reputation in the social media and even making fun of people’s religious beliefs and sacred symbols.
The consequences of making wrong choices will lead to death. This is the warning of both scripture readings. This was the case of the Israelites. For rebelling against the Lord and breaking the Covenant repeatedly, and practicing idolatry, they were exiled to Babylon. Many died in the process of fighting with the Babylonians. The whole nation unfortunately was punished, regardless of who had done wrong. Punishment sometimes is collective, as in a nation, a tribe or a family. When a member does wrong, the whole family suffers. This is true even in a church or organization. When there is a corruption or a scandal committed by a member, the entire church or organization is put to shame and questioned. This is not fair, we say, but the truth remains that we are a people and we are in solidarity in sin, in suffering and in prosperity as well.
But not all choices have damaging effects on the entire community. There are many choices we make in life that will affect us directly and the impact will be felt more by the individual than the entire community. This is the context of today’s reading from the prophet Ezekiel. We cannot relegate all responsibility for our conduct to the community. There is also individual responsibility as well. In the final analysis, we are responsible for our own crimes and not the crimes of the rest of the family, or those of previous generations, although one might suffer the consequences of their sins. But we are not held responsible. When a good man suffers because of the sins of others, he is not personally responsible for the crime. Just as in the case of our Lord when He was without sin but made sin for us all. (cf 2 Cor 5:21)
Regardless, the point is whether we want to make a radical choice for life or for death. Moral choice ultimately is a choice for life or death, which is more than simply physical life or mortal death. On the very explicit level, it refers to a judicial sentencing of one who is convicted of an offence. More often than not, it could be the consequence of revenge and killing because of anger and resentment. But it could also mean that we do not find happiness in life because we harbor anger in us because of envy, refusal to forgive and live a life of guilt and fear of retaliation by those whom we have hurt. When we live a selfish life, we cannot find happiness either in this life or in the next life. Our choices will determine our end. If we do evil, we will reap evil. If we do good, we will reap goodness. (cf Gal 6:8f)
Yet the good news is that none of us need blame our present on the past, whether of ourselves or of the generations before us. We can choose to change. Human freedom means that we can make the best even out of evil. As Paul said in Romans, “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” (Rom 8:28) So we are not condemned to our past. It is unfortunate that there are those who like to find scapegoats for their present woes. We can make a real change. Ezekiel wants us to know that we are not predestined to be that way. We are all predestined to share in the life of Christ. St Paul wrote, “He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.” (Eph 1:4-6) So our wicked past or foolish mistakes are forgiven the moment we decide to repent.
But this freedom also works the other way. If the righteous abandon a righteous life, the past cannot guarantee his future. Good works in the past do not absolve one from paying the consequences of his sins. If he chooses the path of the sinner, he too will bear the consequences as well, regardless of the good he has done. Therefore, we must stay focus all the time and we cannot allow evil to triumph over us. We cannot, as some do, rest on the merits of their forefathers or the good deeds he had done. God will judge us here and now, where our heart is. Every action, good or bad, becomes a habit and will form our heart to be good or evil. So we have the power to make things right or make a mess out of our lives.
This is why we cannot be complacent in our spiritual life. Often, the righteous can become complacent in their spiritual life since they think they are protected from evil. But we can never be certain. St Peter warns us to be on guard against falling from grace, “Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour.” (1 Pt 5:8) Baptism is not a spiritual insurance policy that works without our cooperation. Just as wicked people like the Good Thief have repented and turned back to God, so too good people have fallen from grace, like Peter and the apostles. We can either repent or resent, like the Good and the Bad thief who hung with Jesus on the cross. It is tragic that there are people like the Bad Thief whose hearts have been so soiled by the world and possessed by evil that even at the end of their life they would not forgive or let go, but continue to rebel and reject the grace of God. This is already a foretaste of hell.
In the gospel Jesus warns us just as He warned His disciples, that if their “virtue goes no deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees” they would never get into the kingdom of heaven. God judges our hearts, not just our actions. This is what the Lord is teaching us. It is not what we do but why we do what we do. Whether it is with regard to anger, adultery, divorce, oath-taking, it is the motive that counts, not merely the external actions. He said, “if you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering.” So we can even act the way society expects of us, but this does not mean that we are righteous because we could be doing it so that we will not suffer rejection by society. Some are moral not because they want to, or it is the right thing to do, but because they want to look good by people. We need to purify our hearts and our minds.
Hence, the Lord is advising us that whilst we have the time, let us make peace with God, with our fellowmen and with ourselves. “Come to terms with your opponent in good time while you are still on the way to the court with him, or he may hand you over to the judge and judge to the officer and you will be thrown into prison. I tell you solemnly, you will not get out till you have paid the last penny.” So long as we are alive, we can still repent and change our way of life to the way of Christ. It is never too late. Even the Good Thief had a chance to enter the Kingdom upon his death. However, we might not be too sure whether our hearts will be hardened like the Bad Thief who continued to resist God. We must turn over a new leaf now.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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