20211108 COMMUNITARIAN DIMENSION OF SIN
08 November, 2021, Monday, 32nd Week, Ordinary Time
First reading | Wisdom 1:1-7 © |
Seek the Lord in simplicity of heart
Love virtue, you who are judges on earth,
let honesty prompt your thinking about the Lord,
seek him in simplicity of heart;
since he is to be found by those who do not put him to the test,
he shows himself to those who do not distrust him.
But selfish intentions divorce from God;
and Omnipotence, put to the test, confounds the foolish.
No, Wisdom will never make its way into a crafty soul
nor stay in a body that is in debt to sin;
the holy spirit of instruction shuns deceit,
it stands aloof from reckless purposes,
is taken aback when iniquity appears.
Wisdom is a spirit, a friend to man,
though she will not pardon the words of a blasphemer,
since God sees into the innermost parts of him,
truly observes his heart,
and listens to his tongue.
The spirit of the Lord, indeed, fills the whole world,
and that which holds all things together knows every word that is said.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 138(139):1-10 © |
Lead me, O Lord, in the path of life eternal.
O Lord, you search me and you know me,
you know my resting and my rising,
you discern my purpose from afar.
You mark when I walk or lie down,
all my ways lie open to you.
Lead me, O Lord, in the path of life eternal.
Before ever a word is on my tongue
you know it, O Lord, through and through.
Behind and before you besiege me,
your hand ever laid upon me.
Too wonderful for me this knowledge,
too high, beyond my reach.
Lead me, O Lord, in the path of life eternal.
O where can I go from your spirit,
or where can I flee from your face?
If I climb the heavens, you are there.
If I lie in the grave, you are there.
Lead me, O Lord, in the path of life eternal.
If I take the wings of the dawn
and dwell at the sea’s furthest end,
even there your hand would lead me,
your right hand would hold me fast.
Lead me, O Lord, in the path of life eternal.
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!
Gospel | Luke 17:1-6 © |
If your brother does wrong, reprove him
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Obstacles are sure to come, but alas for the one who provides them! It would be better for him to be thrown into the Sea with a millstone put round his neck than that he should lead astray a single one of these little ones. Watch yourselves!
If your brother does something wrong, reprove him and, if he is sorry, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times a day and seven times comes back to you and says, “I am sorry,” you must forgive him.’
The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith.’ The Lord replied, ‘Were your faith the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it would obey you.’
COMMUNITARIAN DIMENSION OF SIN
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ WIs 1:1-7; Ps 139:1-10; Lk 17:1-6]
Some Christians live their faith in an exclusive individualistic way. This is of course a by-product of a world that seeks to marginalize and privatize all faith. When faith is taken into the realm of the individual, unrelated to the larger dimension of the community, that faith is between him and God alone. Indeed, surveys have shown that there are an increasing number of people who have opted out of established religions and institutions. They declare themselves to be believers in God but they are not affiliated to any religion. The faith they subscribe to would most likely be a syncretism of religions of sorts. Such faith tends to be individualistic. It is true that even some religions promote faith as a means to enrich the individual, to make him prosperous and successful in life. It is about himself, not about the community and social justice.
The scripture readings today underscore the communitarian dimension of faith. Our faith is not just a relationship between the individual and God but it also has a real impact on the community. Christian faith is not an individualistic faith because we are all members of God’s family. As in every family, we all affect each other, for better or for worse. No man is an island. We have responsibilities towards each other. We are the body of Christ. As St Paul said, “If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it.” (1 Cor 12:26)
A case in point is the scandal a member could cause in the community. The Lord warns His disciples, “Obstacles are sure to come, but alas for the one who provides them! It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone put round his neck than that he should lead astray a single one of these little ones. Watch yourselves!” Indeed, quite often, particularly for those of us who are leaders, teacher, parents or elders, we fail to realize that whatever we do or say have a great impact on those under our charge, or those who look to us for direction. We can influence the young for better or for worse. We can lead them to sin and destroy their innocence or lead them to God and protect their purity. We cannot say that what we are doing is our personal responsibility and decision and has nothing to do with others. Whether we like it or not, we are inter-dependent beings. Many young people have become addicted to sex because they had been molested or introduced to sexual experience before they were mature enough. This is true of other forms of addiction, such as gambling, drinking and cheating.
Of course, scandals can also come in other ways. We can put obstacles to the faith of others around us, especially Catholics whose faith is weak by doing things that are contrary to our faith and beliefs. Going to fortune-tellers, seeking out the help of mediums, praying to the deities of other religions, or even doing things that are strictly speaking not wrong, like eating meat offered to idols or holding joss-sticks as a sign of respect for the dead as in Chinese tradition, can weaken or unsettle those whose faith is weak. St Paul himself understood this possibility and hence he advised, “Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.” (1 Cor 8:13) Not least also, scandals come from leaders and teachers who espouse eccentric behaviour and unorthodox teaching on the faith.
How do we as Christians respond to such scandals in our community? In the face of relativism and individualism, most of us would prefer to keep quiet rather than to pass judgment. Some of us reserve judgement on the scandal others are causing to ourselves. We are afraid of backlash if we make negative comments. At most, we try to evade the real issue by using politically correct language so that no one is slighted and we remain popular with everyone. But the Lord in no uncertain terms says, “If your brother does something wrong, reprove him.” If there is a sin of commission, there is also a sin of omission. For failing to correct our errant brother or sister, we are allowing not just the sin to continue but it will also lead others to follow his or her bad example because we have been silent about it. By so doing, we have shirked our responsibility to bring the person to task so that his sin would not influence others. Of course, this reprove must be done gently and charitably.
But reprove is not to be used as a weapon to destroy the offender or the sinner, as how people in social media do. They want to shame the person and make him lose his dignity in society so that he would never be able to redeem himself. We want to expose the sins of everyone except our own. Perhaps, we think we are so godly and impeccable. Rather, rebuke is only to bring the sinner to consciousness of the gravity of his sin. It is to save the sinner, not to destroy the sinner, contrary to what social media is doing. For this reason, the moment the person repents, the Lord said, “if he is sorry, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times a day and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I am sorry,’ you must forgive him.” We must always be ready to forgive our errant brothers and sisters.
Forgiveness brings about healing of the person and reconciliation with God and the community. Again, this communitarian dimension of faith is strongly emphasized. For the sake of the individual and the community, we must always be tolerant and forgiving towards those who have done us wrong and have repented. We must attempt to reunite them with the community. This, of course, is an unending process because we are all sinners. We are weak and we will fall or cause others to sin because of our negligence. Thus, we must seek forgiveness and render forgiveness all the time.
Such a path could only be taken as the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” Why did the disciples respond in this manner? This is because they knew that it was almost an impossible task not to cause scandals, especially to find the courage to correct others and to forgive. The courage to rebuke and the generosity to forgive is only possible in the context of faith. Without faith in God and in our Lord, we will not be able to find the grace to correct offenders or to forgive those who have caused us or the community harm. Indeed, the Lord’s response was clear, “Were your faith the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” We need faith to help us understand the wisdom of God.
This is what the first reading is inviting us to. We are called to seek wisdom so that we will know how to act with justice and integrity. “Love virtue, you who are judges on earth, let honesty prompt your thinking about the Lord, seek him in simplicity of heart; since he is to be found by those who do not put him to the test.” We need to look at ourselves, our responsibility to the community from God’s point of view so that we become more conscious of what we say or do, rather than always thinking about our individual rights and preferences. Turning to the Lord in sincerity and in childlike trust, we will find the grace to do the right thing.
Also, for those who are confused, seeking the wisdom of God is the only way to resolve the conflicts in our heart. The reason why we are conflicted is because our sins blind us to the truth. Sin and holiness are not compatible. “But selfish intentions divorce from God; and Omnipotence, put to the test, confounds the foolish. No, Wisdom will never make its way into a crafty soul nor stay in a body that is in debt to sin; the holy spirit of instruction shuns deceit, it stands aloof from reckless purposes, is taken aback when iniquity appears.” An increase of faith in Him will help us to abandon sin and learn to trust in Him more and more. Indeed, the Wisdom of God will expose our inner motives, as the author says, “God sees into the innermost parts of him, truly observes his heart, and listens to his tongue.” So, let us seek the Wisdom of God, an increase of faith, of hope and charity.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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