20211015 THE CHRISTIAN FORM OF HYPOCRISY
15 October, 2021, Friday, 28th Week, Ordinary Time
First reading | Romans 4:1-8 © |
Abraham was justified not by his actions but by faith
What shall we say about Abraham, the ancestor from whom we are all descended? If Abraham was justified as a reward for doing something, he would really have had something to boast about, though not in God’s sight because scripture says: Abraham put his faith in God, and this faith was considered as justifying him. If a man has work to show, his wages are not considered as a favour but as his due; but when a man has nothing to show except faith in the one who justifies sinners, then his faith is considered as justifying him. And David says the same: a man is happy if God considers him righteous, irrespective of good deeds:
Happy those whose crimes are forgiven,
whose sins are blotted out;
happy the man whom the Lord considers sinless.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 31(32):1-2,5,11 © |
You are my refuge, O Lord; you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Happy the man whose offence is forgiven,
whose sin is remitted.
O happy the man to whom the Lord
imputes no guilt,
in whose spirit is no guile.
You are my refuge, O Lord; you fill me with the joy of salvation.
But now I have acknowledged my sins;
my guilt I did not hide.
I said: ‘I will confess
my offence to the Lord.’
And you, Lord, have forgiven
the guilt of my sin.
You are my refuge, O Lord; you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Rejoice, rejoice in the Lord,
exult, you just!
O come, ring out your joy,
all you upright of heart.
You are my refuge, O Lord; you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ps18:9 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your words gladden the heart, O Lord,
they give light to the eyes.
Alleluia!
Or: | Ps32:22 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
May your love be upon us, O Lord,
as we place all our hope in you.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 12:1-7 © |
Not one sparrow is forgotten in God's sight
The people had gathered in their thousands so that they were treading on one another. And Jesus began to speak, first of all to his disciples. ‘Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees – that is, their hypocrisy. Everything that is now covered will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear. For this reason, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in hidden places will be proclaimed on the housetops.
‘To you my friends I say: Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. I will tell you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has the power to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Can you not buy five sparrows for two pennies? And yet not one is forgotten in God’s sight. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. There is no need to be afraid: you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows.’
THE CHRISTIAN FORM OF HYPOCRISY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Rom 4:1-8; Ps 32:1-2,5,11; Lk 12:1-7 ]
In the gospel, Jesus condemned the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. He warned the disciples, “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees – that is, their hypocrisy.” What prompted Jesus to make this remark was His growing popularity when “the people had gathered in their thousands so that they were treading on one another.” Jesus was warning His disciples not to fall into cheap popularity like the Pharisees who were observing the laws meticulously just to impress people with their holiness when they were finding loopholes to circumvent the laws themselves. All they sought was attention, recognition and popularity. But their hearts were far from God and there was a lack of integrity and charity in their lives.
However, before we commend ourselves as being better than them, the truth is that many of us are not much different from the Pharisees. In fact, our hypocrisy is even more subtle than theirs and it gives the impression that we are true Christians because we believe and hold firmly to the doctrine that unlike the Jews who believed that justification was through observance of the laws, we claim that it is by faith alone and by grace alone in Christ. Sola fide and sola gratia is the maxim of the Reformed Christians as taught by Martin Luther. Whilst Catholics also hold on to this doctrine of sola fide and sola gratia, there are qualifications and nuances in the way we interpret this doctrine. The real danger in a simplistic understanding of this doctrine will lead to what a famous German Theologian, Bonhoeffer said, “the danger of cheap grace”, grace without any cost. This doctrine of Sola Fide and Sola Gratia, when interpreted in a very narrow manner, has brought ruin to the lives of reformers because it ended up in the abuse of the grace of God. They started correctly but some ended badly.
But right from the outset, we must hold on to the doctrine of sola fide and sola gratia even as Catholics. This doctrine is expounded extensively in St Paul’s letter to the Romans. In today’s first reading, St Paul cited two examples to substantiate his doctrine of justification by faith and grace alone. This was important especially to the Jews who had long been holding on to the believe that fidelity to the laws is the way to win salvation of our souls. St Paul taught that salvation is a pure gift given by God and received through faith in Christ.
In the first instance, he cited the case of Abraham. “What shall we say about Abraham, the ancestor from whom we are all descended? If Abraham was justified as a reward for doing something, he would really have had something to boast about, though not in God’s sight because scripture says: Abraham put his faith in God, and this faith was considered as justifying him.” The laws came long after Abraham, about 450 years later. Surely Abraham was considered just, not because he observed the laws. Rather, it was because of his faith in God who called him out of Ur, the land of the Chaldeans, to Canaan, the Promised Land. He left his homeland and kinsmen in faith “when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going.” (Heb 11:8) “By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old – and Sarah herself was barren–because he considered him faithful who had promised.” (Heb 11:11)
Secondly, he cited the case of King David. He was chosen by God to be the King of Israel. Although David had faith in God, he was not always faithful to the commandments of God. In fact, he broke all the three commandments against his neighbour, first by coveting Bathsheba, secondly by committing adultery with her and thirdly, to cover his shameful deed, he had her husband, Uriah, killed in the thick of a battle. However, he was repentant and God forgave him his sins and justified him. This is the context of what St Paul meant when he said, “If a man has work to show, his wages are not considered as a favour but as his due; but when a man has nothing to show except faith in the one who justifies sinners, then his faith is considered as justifying him.” Then citing Psalm 32, St Paul wrote, “David says the same: a man is happy if God considered him righteous, irrespective of good deeds: Happy those whose crimes are forgiven, whose sins are blotted out; happy the man whom the Lord considers sinless.”
Justifying the wicked is something inconceivable for we all demand justice. Clearly therefore, those who are blessed are not those who have earned their rewards but those who sinned and are forgiven, and God does not hold their sins against them. In declaring “innocent” those who are really not in themselves innocent, God is granting us a status which we do not deserve. This is the heart of the good news. God accepts us as we are and gives us a new status if we accept His love and mercy in faith. But this is the slippery road that has led to the fall and ruin of many Christians. It is true that God justifies us when we have faith in Him. We do not earn our new status as God’s sons and daughters. It is purely a gift from God. If we accept this new status, then our being and our lives will also be transformed because we would be so grateful for this undeserving love and mercy that we will want to prove ourselves worthy of His love; not to earn His love since it is already given, but to show our love for Him and our gratitude.
In other words, if we claim that we are justified by faith in God’s love and mercy, then we will not only believe in His forgiveness but also in all that He asks us to do. Faith means trust. We show our faith in God by the actions that we take. Although Abraham was justified by faith in God’s promise, he did not sit idly waiting for things to happen. He obeyed God and moved out of Ur to the land he was not even sure where it was. So faith is not just an intellectual or emotional acceptance of God’s grace and mercy. It must be matched by action. We must be ready to live out what has been given to us, our new adoption as God’s sons and daughters.
Indeed, whether our faith in God is just lip service or not, God will reveal the sincerity of our heart as Jesus said, “Everything that is now covered will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear. For this reason, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in hidden places will be proclaimed on the housetops.” Like the Pharisees, we cannot hide our hearts from the Lord. He knows whether we sincerely have faith in Him or merely just an external confession of faith in Him.
Indeed, Jesus warns us that if we are not careful, if we behave hypocritically, afraid of what man will say about us, compromising our faith in Him and our values, we would be cast into hell. This is why the Lord said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. I will tell you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has the power to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.” Fearing the Lord should not make us relate to God in a servile manner, as if He is waiting to punish us. Rather, to fear is to have reverence for Him and His power to save us from our enemies, especially those of us who are persecuted for standing up for Him. As the Lord assured us, “Can you not buy five sparrows for two pennies? And yet not one is forgotten in God’s sight. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. There is no need to be afraid: you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows.”
Nevertheless, if we sin in spite of our attempts to live the gospel life, then St John assures us, “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 Jn 2:1f) Being a Christian does not mean that we are perfect. Precisely, we must continue with the struggle to be true to our identity as God’s children with the help of God’s grace. We need to continue in Christian discipleship. But if we fail at times, Christ is always waiting to forgive us. Christ has given to the Church the sacrament of reconciliation, so that we might be able to find continued healing and guidance in living the life of grace.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment