20210608 CHARACTER ASSASINATION
08 June, 2021, Tuesday, 10th Week, Ordinary Time
First reading |
2 Corinthians 1:18-22 © |
God himself has anointed us and given us his Spirit
I swear by God’s truth, there is no Yes and No about what we say to you. The Son of God, the Christ Jesus that we proclaimed among you – I mean Silvanus and Timothy and I – was never Yes and No: with him it was always Yes, and however many the promises God made, the Yes to them all is in him. That is why it is ‘through him’ that we answer Amen to the praise of God. Remember it is God himself who assures us all, and you, of our standing in Christ, and has anointed us, marking us with his seal and giving us the pledge, the Spirit, that we carry in our hearts.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 118(119):129-133,135 © |
Let your face shine on your servant.
Your will is wonderful indeed;
therefore I obey it.
The unfolding of your word gives light
and teaches the simple.
Let your face shine on your servant.
I open my mouth and I sigh
as I yearn for your commands.
Turn and show me your mercy;
show justice to your friends.
Let your face shine on your servant.
Let my steps be guided by your promise;
let no evil rule me.
Let your face shine on your servant
and teach me your decrees.
Let your face shine on your servant.
Gospel Acclamation | Ph2:15-16 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
You will shine in the world like bright stars
because you are offering it the word of life.
Alleluia!
Or: | Mt5:16 |
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 | Matthew 5:13-16 © |
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.’
CHARACTER ASSASINATION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 COR 1:18-22; Ps 119:129-133,135; Mt 5:13-16 ]
The measure of a man’s words is determined fundamentally by the man himself, his character and his integrity. But knowing the person would take some time. That is why we rely on the person’s office and academic qualifications in determining the veracity of what is said. It is presumed that just because the person holds the office, he has professional integrity, and is the most qualified to lead the organization. The office is often supported by his past track record, academic and professional qualification. Hence, even if we do not know the person personally, we can rely on external criteria.
Unfortunately, just the authority of the office and the professional qualifications alone are not sufficient to gain the trust and confidence of people. Today, we have many in politics, in business and even in religion being exposed for their lack of integrity and dishonesty in their dealings. Many have been charged with money laundering, cheating and lying. This is why today, the sad reality is that most people no longer trust the institutions, because those who lead them lack integrity.
Indeed, the best strategy to demolish a person’s testimony, arguments and plans is to destroy the person’s character. Even in a court of law, when evidence is dependent on the testimony of witnesses alone, what is to be established is not just whether the testimony of the witness is consistent with the rest of the facts in the case but whether he or she is reliable and trustworthy. So what lawyers would do is to insinuate or even show that the witness is not trustworthy by demolishing the person’s character. At times, they dig up past mistakes and offences of the witness just to show that the witness’ testimony cannot be trusted. Sometimes, it need not be a serious dishonest act that the person had committed, like using a postage stamp from the office for his personal use. Those who seek to tarnish the person’s character only has to show that since the person cannot be trusted in small things, surely he cannot be trusted in big things. Isn’t this what the Lord also said, “He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and he who is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will entrust to you the true riches?” (Lk 16:10f)
This was what the opponents of Paul in Corinth sought to do. They wanted to destroy the credibility of Paul by questioning his integrity. If they could demonstrate that Paul was not a man of his word, then certainly, he could not be trusted with the Word of God. And so, there was no need to listen to him. They highlighted the incident when he rescinded on his promise to visit them. His cancelled visit was perceived as a lack of integrity and therefore he was unreliable. He could not be trusted to keep his promises. What they failed to see was that the reason why Paul changed his plans was because he ascertained that the time was not opportune as they were hostile and unwelcoming, just as they did to one of the messengers that he sent to them before him.
St Paul defended his integrity by appealing to the integrity of Christ and their loyalty to Him. He wrote, “I swear by God’s truth, there is no Yes and No about what we say to you. The Son of God, the Christ Jesus that we proclaimed among you – I mean Silvanus and Timothy and I – was never Yes and No: with him it was always Yes, and however many the promises God made, the Yes to them all is in him.” Just as our Lord was a man of integrity. The scribe praised the Lord as one who is true and fear no man because He does “not regard the position of men, but truly teach the way of God.” (Mk 12:14)
Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the scriptures and God’s divine plan for humanity. We can trust in God only because God had fulfilled His promise in Christ. God loves us so much that He sent us His only Son to die for us and to give us His Spirit. Jesus is the personal guarantee of the promises of God. In Him, we can be certain that God would also be faithful to us because Jesus is the guarantee of God’s fidelity to us as proclaimed and prophesied by the prophets in the Old Testament. From Christ’s integrity, Paul established his integrity, since all that he said were done in Christ. His decision to go to Corinth or not was not dictated by his convenience or personal whim and fancies but by his mission and the message he was called to preach. In other words, it was God, not people or programs, or self-interest or favoritism that determined his schedule.
In defending his integrity, Paul mentioned that his authority to proclaim Him came from his being commissioned by the Lord. “Remember it is God himself who assures us all, and you, of our standing in Christ, and has anointed us marking us with his seal and giving us the pledge, the Spirit, that we carry in our hearts.” God’s faithfulness was manifested in His giving the Christians the anointing of the Holy Spirit, especially on the leaders. The Spirit that dwelled in their hearts was the pledge that God’s promises would be fulfilled. It was the Holy Spirit that equipped them to do His work. Therefore, Paul asserted that they were faithful to God’s promises in Christ and sought to be true to His word and His message. “That is why it is ‘through him’ that we answer Amen to the praise of God.” Paul’s Amen was therefore not just to God’s faithfulness in Christ, but he also declared his faithfulness to keep his promises in and through Christ.
It is within this context that the gospel fits nicely with the message of today’s first reading on integrity and fidelity to the truth. “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.” As Christians we are called to be the salt of the earth, to purify the world of evil and sin by maintaining high standards in morality, in walking in truth and in love. We have a responsibility to preserve the morality of society, otherwise without morality and ethical principles, humanity will fall into decadence because of a selfish and self-centered life. It will lead to a lack of trust, causing suspicion, resentment and division. And we do this by bringing flavor to the world when we live a life of true freedom, joy, love and peace among ourselves and with others. Christians must add flavor to life by our contribution to the progress of humanity through our work, formation, education and service to all, especially the poor, the marginalized and the vulnerable.
We are also honoured to be called “the light of the world.” Jesus said in no uncertain terms, “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.” We are called to be like Jesus who is the Light of the world. We are called to shine before men so that, seeing our good works, they may give praise to our Father in heaven. We do not draw people to ourselves, but we want to draw people to the Lord. As light, we must show the way for people to walk in truth and love. As light, we guide them and enlighten them in the journey of life. As light, we must be present not just in our churches but in the world through our activities and our involvement with the world in establishing the reign of God in men’s hearts.
But to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, we ourselves must first be lighted up and be salted with Christ and the Word of God. The salt and light do not come from us but from God. We are not the source but only the channel of purity and truth in the world. This is why we need to be like Paul, who founded his integrity and his fidelity in the mission entrusted to him in Christ. We must always look to the Lord for strength, direction and guidance if we are to be His witnesses in the world. Otherwise, if we just rely on our own strength, we will become bland and tasteless as we give ourselves out each day. We need to refill ourselves with the joy of the gospel so that we can remain joyful always.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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