20211023 ETERNAL DEATH OR ETERNAL LIFE
23 October, 2021, Saturday, 29th Week, Ordinary Time
First reading | Romans 8:1-11 © |
The Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you
The reason why those who are in Christ Jesus are not condemned is that the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. God has done what the Law, because of our unspiritual nature, was unable to do. God dealt with sin by sending his own Son in a body as physical as any sinful body, and in that body God condemned sin. He did this in order that the Law’s just demands might be satisfied in us, who behave not as our unspiritual nature but as the spirit dictates.
The unspiritual are interested only in what is unspiritual, but the spiritual are interested in spiritual things. It is death to limit oneself to what is unspiritual; life and peace can only come with concern for the spiritual. That is because to limit oneself to what is unspiritual is to be at enmity with God: such a limitation never could and never does submit to God’s law. People who are interested only in unspiritual things can never be pleasing to God. Your interests, however, are not in the unspiritual, but in the spiritual, since the Spirit of God has made his home in you. In fact, unless you possessed the Spirit of Christ you would not belong to him. Though your body may be dead it is because of sin, but if Christ is in you then your spirit is life itself because you have been justified; and if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, then he who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to your own mortal bodies through his Spirit living in you.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 23(24):1-6 © |
Such are the men who seek your face, O Lord.
The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness,
the world and all its peoples.
It is he who set it on the seas;
on the waters he made it firm.
Such are the men who seek your face, O Lord.
Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?
Who shall stand in his holy place?
The man with clean hands and pure heart,
who desires not worthless things.
Such are the men who seek your face, O Lord.
He shall receive blessings from the Lord
and reward from the God who saves him.
Such are the men who seek him,
seek the face of the God of Jacob.
Such are the men who seek your face, O Lord.
Gospel Acclamation | Ps144:13 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The Lord is faithful in all his words
and loving in all his deeds.
Alleluia!
Or: | Ezk33:11 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I take pleasure, not in the death of a wicked man,
says the Lord,
but in the turning back of a wicked man
who changes his ways to win life.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 13:1-9 © |
'Leave the fig tree one more year'
Some people arrived and told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with that of their sacrifices. At this he said to them, ‘Do you suppose these Galileans who suffered like that were greater sinners than any other Galileans? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen on whom the tower at Siloam fell and killed them? Do you suppose that they were more guilty than all the other people living in Jerusalem? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did.’
He told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it but found none. He said to the man who looked after the vineyard, “Look here, for three years now I have been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and finding none. Cut it down: why should it be taking up the ground?” “Sir,” the man replied “leave it one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year; if not, then you can cut it down.”’
ETERNAL DEATH OR ETERNAL LIFE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Rom 8:1-11; Psalm 24:1-6; Lk 13:1-9 ]
In the gospel, some people “told Jesus the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with that of their sacrifices.” In response Jesus asked them two questions. “Do you suppose these Galileans who suffered like that were greater sinners than any other Galileans? Or those eighteen on whom the tower at Siloam fell and killed them? Do you suppose that they were more guilty than all the other people living in Jerusalem?” The answer of Jesus was clear, “They were not, I tell you.” However, regardless of the extent of their guilt compared other sinners, the point is that whether we are less guilty or more guilty, we will perish not just in this life but eternally unless we repent.
Indeed, instead of spending time speculating on the sins of others, talking about their failings as most people do, Jesus asks us to examine ourselves instead. Speculating on the sins of others will do us no good unless we are learning from their sins and consequences.
We are asked to choose between living the life of the flesh and the life of the Spirit. “The unspiritual are interested only in what is unspiritual, but the spiritual are interested in spiritual things. It is death to limit oneself to what is unspiritual; life and peace can only come with concern for the spiritual. That is because to limit oneself to what is unspiritual is to be at enmity with God: such a limitation never could and never does submit to God’s law. People who are interested only in unspiritual things can never be pleasing to God.” These two lives are diametrically opposed because one is dominated by the sinful nature and the other is empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Those of us who live the life of the flesh seek worldly things. We are driven by lust, greed, ambition, pleasures, power and fame. They are self-centred and selfish. We allow our sinful nature to take control of our desires. These desires will lead to envy, anger, division, strife, slander, cheating and even murder. Such a person is ultimately consumed and absorbed by the world. On the other hand, a spiritual person is driven by the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. He lives in the presence of God. He is one with Jesus, thinks like Jesus and acts like Jesus because he is sensitive to Jesus’ spirit in him. St Paul wrote, “it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal 2:20) Indeed, either one is drawn closer to the Lord or be led further and further away when the world controls and dominates his lifestyle.
To be led by the sinful nature or the Holy Spirit means to put on a worldly mindset or a spiritual mindset. This is what distinguishes a person who is under the bondage of the flesh and those who are Christians under the power of the Holy Spirit. It boils down to where we focus our energy and concerns in life. Whichever mindset we adopt, will have eternal consequences for us. One brings not just bodily death but eternal death. The other reaps a harvest of peace, joy and love and eternal life. One alienates us from people, the other makes us one with people. One alienates us from God, love and truth, the other unites us with God. So it is a decision that we must make, the fundamental attitude we have towards the world and towards God. If we are disposed to the world, then we will be hostile to God because His values contradict our self-centred values. So either we choose death or life, enmity or peace, emptiness or fulfilment.
Indeed, the parable of the fig tree in the gospel exemplifies these two fundamental attitudes towards life. The fig-tree is an important imagery of God’s blessings. The fig-tree can grow easily everywhere, even when the soil is shallow and poor. So like the fig-tree, God has planted us wherever we are, with different backgrounds and talents. But all of us are given the potential to grow like the fig-tree. The tragedy of life is that instead of using whatever the situation we are in, the talents and opportunities given to us, we abuse them. We are like the fig-tree that did not bear fruit. The unspiritual man lives for himself, taking for granted what has been given to him. He thinks only of his interests. He fails to realize that what he is today is the result of many people in his life, his parents who supported him and raised him up, his teachers, his friends, society and the government for providing the means so that he could be educated and find a good career. The spiritual man is just the opposite. He is grateful for what he has received and having grown and flourished, he gives back to his family, church and society. He lives for others and leaves this world a better place than when he came.
Of course, it does not mean there is no tension in seeking to live a spiritual life. As we read in the last chapter, St Paul speaks of this eternal conflict within us in choosing evil and good. It is an ongoing battle so long as we are on this earth. Even Jesus had to fight against temptations. The truth is that temptation is not a sin until we give in. This is why we need to strengthen ourselves and stay united with the Lord in prayer as He warned us, “Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mt 26:41) But if we sin, then we only need to repent and God will forgive us.
The call to repentance is the message of today’s gospel. We must not take for granted that our life will be secure just because we are young, we are healthy, and we have plenty of money. Indeed, like those who were killed during the time of Jesus, young or old, made no difference. Our life on earth, how long we live and how we die, has been predestined by God. There is no way to escape death regardless of our status, wealth and age in life. This is why the Lord urges us to be prepared at all times. We must repent whilst we still have time because God is patient with us, just as the landowner said to the man who looked after the vineyard when he wanted to cut it down as it was not bearing fruits, “leave it one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year; if not, then you can cut it down.” God is patient and gives us opportunities to repent. He is always giving us chance after chance, grace after grace, waiting for us to come to self-realization. But we are weak and easily tempted by the Devil, the flesh and the world.
However, we must not take God’s patience as weakness. There will be a final call which no one can escape. St Peter warns the Christians, “The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.” (2 Pt 3:9f) The psalmist makes it clear, “Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord? Who shall stand in his holy place? The man with clean hands and pure heart, who desires not worthless things.”
Finally, the question of guilt is yet to be answered. Although it is true that not all individual sufferings are connected with the personal sins of the person, it cannot be said for collective sins committed by society and the nation. As individuals we might not sin but we will surely suffer when society sins as a whole because we are part of society. The degeneration of society will impact us, whether in our tendency to sin because of exposure to a degenerated people or because of the consequences of moral decadence in society, affecting every area of life, marriage, gender, family, business, religion and disorder. An individual might not subscribe to the amoral trends of society, but he will suffer all the same. The guilt upon each individual in relation to society will depend on whether our sin is one of commission or omission. Failure to speak the truth will also cause us to suffer with the rest of society.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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