20211104 DISTINGUISHING THE TRULY BIG PICTURE FROM THE SMALL PICTURE
04 November, 2021, Thursday, 31st Week, Ordinary Time
irst reading | Romans 14:7-12 © |
Each of us must give an account of himself to God
The life and death of each of us has its influence on others; if we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord, so that alive or dead we belong to the Lord. This explains why Christ both died and came to life: it was so that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. This is also why you should never pass judgement on a brother or treat him with contempt, as some of you have done. We shall all have to stand before the judgement seat of God; as scripture says: By my life – it is the Lord who speaks – every knee shall bend before me, and every tongue shall praise God. It is to God, therefore, that each of us must give an account of himself.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 26(27):1,4,13-14 © |
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
The Lord is my light and my help;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
before whom shall I shrink?
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
There is one thing I ask of the Lord,
for this I long,
to live in the house of the Lord,
all the days of my life,
to savour the sweetness of the Lord,
to behold his temple.
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness
in the land of the living.
Hope in him, hold firm and take heart.
Hope in the Lord!
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ps129:5 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
My soul is waiting for the Lord,
I count on his word.
Alleluia!
Or: | Mt11:28 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 15:1-10 © |
There will be rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner
The tax collectors and the sinners were all seeking the company of Jesus to hear what he had to say, and the Pharisees and the scribes complained. ‘This man’ they said ‘welcomes sinners and eats with them.’ So he spoke this parable to them:
‘What man among you with a hundred sheep, losing one, would not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the missing one till he found it? And when he found it, would he not joyfully take it on his shoulders and then, when he got home, call together his friends and neighbours? “Rejoice with me,” he would say “I have found my sheep that was lost.” In the same way, I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine virtuous men who have no need of repentance.
‘Or again, what woman with ten drachmas would not, if she lost one, light a lamp and sweep out the house and search thoroughly till she found it? And then, when she had found it, call together her friends and neighbours? “Rejoice with me,” she would say “I have found the drachma I lost.” In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing among the angels of God over one repentant sinner.’
DISTINGUISHING THE TRULY BIG PICTURE FROM THE SMALL PICTURE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Rom 14:7-12; Ps 27:1,4,13-14; Lk 15:1-10]
There is so much division in the world today, in families, in church, in society and among nations simply because there are those who are only concerned with the big picture and there are those who can only see the small picture. When we adopt extreme positions with respect to the way we see each other, the values we hold, the doctrines and practices we adopt, then we will create tensions and oppositions. To ease tensions and build community, we need to hold both the big and small picture in a dynamic tension.
This was the situation in the Roman community which St Paul was addressing. There were two groups of Christians, those who still felt that they should observe the Jewish practices of ritual purity especially when it came to Kosher food. (Rom 14:1-3) The conservative Jewish Christians felt that eating meat, especially from the market where the meat had been offered to idols, was not right. Instead of allowing themselves to be contaminated, they ate vegetables only. The more liberal Christians felt that in Christ, they were dispensed from the Jewish laws and furthermore, idols in their perspective were not deities. This was not the only issue that divided the community. They were also divided on the observance of sacred days. “Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds.” (Rom 14:5) The Jewish Christians considered the Sabbath to be the most sacred day, for the liberated Christians, every day was sacred if they observed it in that manner.
With respect to partaking of food offered to idols, St Paul already wrote to the Corinthians expressing his views, that in the final analysis it does not matter. (cf 1 Cor 8) Nevertheless, he cautioned those who did eat the meat offered to idols, to be sensitive to those whose conscience were weak. “So by your knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died are destroyed. But when you thus sin against members of your family, and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 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 8:11-13) So too, when it came to the observance of sacred days.
The advice of St Paul with regard to such matters which were of secondary importance to the faith, since it was concerned with practices only, was that each should respect the other person’s way of wanting to honour God. “‘Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. Those who observe the day, observe it in honour of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honour of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honour of the Lord and give thanks to God.” (Rom 14:3,6)
This principle of looking at the big picture instead of the small picture is relevant for us especially in matters of differences in Church doctrines and practices. Whilst it is good to have all Christians observe the same doctrines, we must realize that historical factors and theological presuppositions would cause us to understand doctrines differently. So too for Catholics as well. Whilst it might be good for all Catholics to observe the same practices, we must realize that cultural differences and past experiences would make us view certain practices differently. As St Paul noted, “the life and death of each of us has its influence on others.” We are all influenced by our past and by the present. Those who have gone before us have passed down certain traditions and practices which are deeply ingrained in us. Such matters are not a question of logic but of the heart. Whether we admit it or not, we are moulded by our past experiences, our inherited traditions and by the present.
This is why in matters of doctrines, the Church, especially in our relationship with non-Catholic Christians, needs to dialogue on the basis of the hierarchy of truths. Whilst it would be great that we all agree on the same truths, it is not always possible. Instead of dismissing the values and the goodness of each other’s traditions, we should instead focus on what we have in common, especially on the essential doctrines. “Moreover, in ecumenical dialogue, Catholic theologians standing fast by the teaching of the Church and investigating the divine mysteries with the separated brethren must proceed with love for the truth, with charity, and with humility. When comparing doctrines with one another, they should remember that in Catholic doctrine there exists a ‘hierarchy’ of truths, since they vary in their relation to the fundamental Christian faith.” (Unitatis redintegratio, 11) In other words, we must begin with what we hold in common with regard to the central doctrines of Christian Faith before we can come to agreement with secondary doctrines. We build on what is common among us.
With regard to practices, the Church has always sought to accommodate different liturgical rites and expressions of worship, the solemn Tridentine Mass, or the singing of hymns in the vernacular. Gone were the days when uniformity was the basis for unity. The Church permits the different cultural expressions of worship so long as such expressions do not compromise the doctrines of the Church. In the final analysis, what is important is that people render worship to God and live out the gospel life. It is rather myopic for us to fight over non-essential matters and forget the bigger picture of strengthening our unity in diversity, having a common faith in Christ, and then reaching out to those who do not know Him. This is true also in our relationship with non-Catholic Christians. Instead of wasting our energy attacking each other on our doctrines, we should collaborate with each other to bring as many people to Christ as possible, even if they worship differently from us and do not agree with all our doctrines.
Indeed, the gospel provides us a bigger picture with a small picture. In the parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin, the Lord reminds us that whilst the big picture is important, we must never forget that the biggest picture is concerned with the salvation of the lost, even of one soul. Every soul is important to us so much so that we would have to leave the other ninety-nine sheep to look for the one lost sheep or the one lost coin. We must therefore not sacrifice the loss of even one soul. Everyone is important to the Lord. Indeed, whilst we are exhausting our energy and time quarrelling and squabbling over our liturgical rubrics, hymns and songs to be sung, and liturgical practices or certain Catholic traditions, we forget the biggest picture, that is the loss of Catholics due to hurts and disappointments with the Church and her institutions. If every soul is important to us, we must seek to contain them, accommodate their differences and seek understanding and appreciation through sincere dialogue. We cannot dismiss and cut off those who are not able to accept certain practices of the Church. We need greater tolerance and inclusivity in the Church, realizing that even if we have different views and practices, what is of utmost importance is that we have faith in the Lord and we live a life of charity.
St Paul warns us, “Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own Lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.” (Rom 14:4) Ultimately only God knows our true intentions. Hence, we should “never pass judgement on a brother or treat him with contempt, as some of you have done. We shall all have to stand before the judgement seat of God; as scripture says: By my life – it is the Lord who speaks – every knee shall bend before me, and every tongue shall praise God. It is to God, therefore, that each of us must give an account of himself.”
Indeed, we must always keep the big picture in mind whilst not neglecting the small picture. Both are important. We must have a heart of compassion and tolerance. We must seek to include everyone in our community, respecting the different levels of commitment to the Lord and His Church. At the same time, we must learn to appreciate our diversity and use them to glorify the Lord. Let us not be hasty in our judgment lest we ourselves are judged.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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