20210913 CHURCH IN THE MODERN WORLD
13 September, 2021, Monday, 24th Week, Ordinary Time
First reading | 1 Timothy 2:1-8 © |
Pray for everyone to God, who wants everyone to be saved
My advice is that, first of all, there should be prayers offered for everyone – petitions, intercessions and thanksgiving – and especially for kings and others in authority, so that we may be able to live religious and reverent lives in peace and quiet. To do this is right, and will please God our saviour: he wants everyone to be saved and reach full knowledge of the truth. For there is only one God, and there is only one mediator between God and mankind, himself a man, Christ Jesus, who sacrificed himself as a ransom for them all. He is the evidence of this, sent at the appointed time, and I have been named a herald and apostle of it and – I am telling the truth and no lie – a teacher of the faith and the truth to the pagans.
In every place, then, I want the men to lift their hands up reverently in prayer, with no anger or argument.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 27(28):2,7-9 © |
Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard my cry.
Hear the voice of my pleading
as I call for help,
as I lift up my hands in prayer
to your holy place.
Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard my cry.
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts.
I was helped, my heart rejoices
and I praise him with my song.
Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard my cry.
The Lord is the strength of his people,
a fortress where his anointed find salvation.
Save your people; bless Israel your heritage.
Be their shepherd and carry them for ever.
Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard my cry.
Gospel Acclamation | Ps118:27 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Make me grasp the way of your precepts,
and I will muse on your wonders.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn3:16 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son:
everyone who believes in him has eternal life.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 7:1-10 © |
Give the word, and my servant will be healed
When Jesus had come to the end of all he wanted the people to hear, he went into Capernaum. A centurion there had a servant, a favourite of his, who was sick and near death. Having heard about Jesus he sent some Jewish elders to him to ask him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus they pleaded earnestly with him. ‘He deserves this of you’ they said ‘because he is friendly towards our people; in fact, he is the one who built the synagogue.’ So Jesus went with them, and was not very far from the house when the centurion sent word to him by some friends: ‘Sir,’ he said ‘do not put yourself to trouble; because I am not worthy to have you under my roof; and for this same reason I did not presume to come to you myself; but give the word and let my servant be cured. For I am under authority myself, and have soldiers under me; and I say to one man: Go, and he goes; to another: Come here, and he comes; to my servant: Do this, and he does it.’ When Jesus heard these words he was astonished at him and, turning round, said to the crowd following him, ‘I tell you, not even in Israel have I found faith like this.’ And when the messengers got back to the house they found the servant in perfect health.
CHURCH IN THE MODERN WORLD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 TIm 2:1-8; Ps 28:2,7-9; Lk 7:1-10 ]
Being Church today is very different from those who lived before the 18th Century, where people were homogenous and were religions as well. But in the world of the 20th century, with advancement in science, technology and communication, globalization and migration, the world has become a village. People are so connected and whatever is said or done will be known in a matter of minutes. Society has become more cosmopolitan, made up of diverse races, cultures and religions and those without religions. At the same time, society has become more secular in the name of neutrality towards all religions. But it has indirectly also promoted the absence of the sacred in public space leading to a vacuum in the religious life of people.
How, then, does the Church relate with the modern world? How do we continue to hold on to our belief in Christ? St Paul says, “there is only one God, and there is only one mediator between God and mankind, himself a man, Christ Jesus, who sacrificed himself as a ransom for them all.” Not all believe in one God as there are many who are polytheists, who worship spirits and deities. Many more are atheists, agnostics or humanists, believing that there is nothing beyond this earth. All power lies in the hands of humanity and there is nothing we cannot do. Lesser still would believe that Jesus is the only mediator between God and man. The Christian belief that Jesus is the Saviour of the world or the Way, the Truth and the Life in the view of non-believers, smacks of a superiority complex.
Indeed, we are living in a very precarious and fragile world, where any unintended words or actions could cause negative reactions, violence and even killing. Racial and religious differences, if not properly handled, can cause immense sufferings to everyone and destroy the peace and harmony of society. This is why the Church, in spite of her faith in Christ as the One mediator between God and man, the Saviour of the World because of His death and resurrection, must be sensitive and humble in our approach to those who differ from us. We cannot practise our faith or evangelize using the same methods of our forefathers in the early Church or the medieval period. Then, society was different as everything was self-contained. Then, people were uneducated and unsophisticated. Family life was basic and simple. The father went out to work and brought back the food, the mother looked after the children. Life was centred around the family, the village and the community. All had the same culture and the same faith. So it was easier to promote unity and community living.
The starting point for us in regarding non-Christians is that they are all loved by God. St Paul said, “To do this is right, and will please God our saviour: he wants everyone to be saved and reach full knowledge of the truth.” No one is excluded from salvation, even those who do not know Him explicitly. In the gospel, Jesus showed His care not just for His fellow Jews but even for the Gentiles. The Good News excludes no one, and is offered to all. Regardless of our position in life, high or low status, our race, language or religion, saint or sinner, the gospel is directed at us all. For those who do not know God explicitly, the Church believes that by following their conscience, which is an implicit acknowledgement of Christ as the Word of God, they could be saved. (Lumen Gentium 16) At any rate, the Church “rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men. Indeed, she proclaims, and ever must proclaim Christ ‘the way, the truth, and the life’ (Jn 14:6), in whom men may find the fullness of religious life, in whom God has reconciled all things to Himself.” (Nostra Aetate, 2)
The scripture readings today provide us good guidelines in living out our faith in today’s world. Firstly, St Paul tells us “there should be prayers offered for everyone – petitions, intercessions and thanksgiving.” Before, we even talk about evangelization, we must pray. We do not pray for ourselves but for all of humanity. As Christians, we could bring our petitions directly to God our Father through our Lord Jesus Christ. But we must also intercede for those who do not know Him. Intercession for those who do not know how to pray is very important as it helps us to be focused as a community on those with whom we are in solidarity. And finally, we should always thank God for the good things that are happening in our community, regardless of who contributes and makes it happen. Giving thanks to God is a sign of gratitude and also hope for greater things to come. Not everything is perfect but our minds must be positive to whichever church, organization, community or nation we belong to. Unless we are positive and hopeful that things will get better, we will be negative towards whatever we see, and the people we engage with. When we are positive towards people, we will also gain their support and receptivity. This was the case of the Centurion in the gospel in his attitude towards the Jews. He was friendly and supportive towards their needs.
Secondly, we must be in good relationship with political and civil authorities. St Paul urges the community to pray “especially for kings and others in authority, so that we may be able to live religious and reverent lives in peace and quiet.” Indeed, religions should not be at odds with political and civil authority. The legitimate government of the day must be respected and accorded obedience. They are responsible for law and order, and the common good of everyone. This is why religions must pray for those holding political and civil authority. It is immaterial whether they are believers or not. What is important is that they are doing what is good for everyone. We must pray that they will be blessed with wisdom, foresight, fortitude and knowledge to govern the people wisely, promoting peace and unity, building a gracious society. Even when some governments oppress the Church and religions, all the more we must pray for them. We must remember that when St Paul was exhorting the Christians to pray for those in political authority, he was referring to the Roman Emperor and his officers. However, as a Catholic community, we do not practise partisan politics. We remain neutral and our task as Church is to cooperate with the government in their efforts to promote what is good for the country. As individuals, Catholics should be involved in politics for the good of the people. They should articulate their opinions and help the government to find the right policies that are good for our people and fair to all, irrespective of race, culture and religions.
Thirdly, political and civil authorities should support those in religions without practicing discrimination and favouritism towards any particular group. The mistake of some secular governments is that in their endeavour to remain impartial, they over-react to some religious fanatics by being hostile towards religions in general. Whilst a secular government might be good to ensure harmony among religions when it becomes hostile to religions, it becomes an enemy instead. We must take a page from the centurion. Although, he was a gentile and a government official, most likely of King Herod, he was favourable towards the Jews and even went to the extent of using his position, wealth and influence to help them build the synagogue. He was friendly to the people and won them over as their friend. He might not be a Jew but it did not matter. He gave them his support in whatever ways he could. So much so, when the Centurion’s servant was ill and dying, he asked the help of the Jewish elders to implore Jesus to come and heal his servant. “When they came to Jesus they pleaded earnestly with him. ‘He deserves this of you.”
Finally, he was culturally and religiously sensitive. He knew that he was a gentile and it was not right for a gentile to interact with Jews, especially a holy man. So instead of coming to Jesus personally, he sent the Jewish elders to make a request to Jesus out of respect for Him. Again, when he heard that Jesus was near his house, he quickly sent word to Jesus through his friends, “Sir do not put yourself to trouble; because I am not worthy to have you under my roof; and for this same reason I did not presume to come to you myself; but give the word and let my servant be cured.” He was aware that a Jew could not enter the house of a gentile without being made ritually unclean. It is this cultural and religious sensitivity that we need to exercise in our relationship with people of other faiths or cultures. We should learn to respect others’ beliefs and sensitivities. To do so shows our sincere love for them and also our humility as well. In this way, we promote inter-religious dialogue and harmony, hoping that all will come to the fulness of truth in Christ Jesus.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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