20211116 SENDING WRONG SIGNALS
16 November, 2021, Tuesday, 33rd Week, Ordinary Time
First reading |
2 Maccabees 6:18-31 © |
'I will make a good death, eagerly and generously, for the holy laws'
Eleazar, one of the foremost teachers of the Law, a man already advanced in years and of most noble appearance, was being forced to open his mouth wide to swallow pig’s flesh. But he, resolving to die with honour rather than to live disgraced, went to the block of his own accord, spitting the stuff out, the plain duty of anyone with the courage to reject what it is not lawful to taste, even from a natural tenderness for his own life. Those in charge of the impious banquet, because of their long-standing friendship with him, took him aside and privately urged him to have meat brought of a kind he could properly use, prepared by himself, and only pretend to eat the portions of sacrificial meat as prescribed by the king; this action would enable him to escape death, by availing himself of an act of kindness prompted by their long friendship. But having taken a noble decision worthy of his years and the dignity of his great age and the well earned distinction of his grey hairs, worthy too of his impeccable conduct from boyhood, and above all of the holy legislation established by God himself, he publicly stated his convictions, telling them to send him at once to Hades. ‘Such pretence’ he said ‘does not square with our time of life; many young people would suppose that Eleazar at the age of ninety had conformed to the foreigners’ way of life, and because I had played this part for the sake of a paltry brief spell of life might themselves be led astray on my account; I should only bring defilement and disgrace on my old age. Even though for the moment I avoid execution by man, I can never, living or dead, elude the grasp of the Almighty. Therefore if I am man enough to quit this life here and now I shall prove myself worthy of my old age, and I shall have left the young a noble example of how to make a good death, eagerly and generously, for the venerable and holy laws.’
With these words he went straight to the block. His escorts, so recently well disposed towards him, turned against him after this declaration, which they regarded as sheer madness. Just before he died under the blows, he groaned aloud and said, ‘The Lord whose knowledge is holy sees clearly that, though I might have escaped death, whatever agonies of body I now endure under this bludgeoning, in my soul I am glad to suffer, because of the awe which he inspires in me.’
This was how he died, leaving his death as an example of nobility and a record of virtue not only for the young but for the great majority of the nation.
Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 3:2-7 © |
The Lord upholds me.
How many are my foes, O Lord!
How many are rising up against me!
How many are saying about me:
‘There is no help for him in God.’
The Lord upholds me.
But you, Lord, are a shield about me,
my glory, who lift up my head.
I cry aloud to the Lord.
He answers from his holy mountain.
The Lord upholds me.
I lie down to rest and I sleep.
I wake, for the Lord upholds me.
I will not fear even thousands of people
who are ranged on every side against me.
The Lord upholds me.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ps129:5 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
My soul is waiting for the Lord,
I count on his word.
Alleluia!
Or: | 1Jn4:10 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
God so loved us that he sent his Son
to be the sacrifice that takes our sins away.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 19:1-10 © |
Salvation comes to the house of Zacchaeus
Jesus entered Jericho and was going through the town when a man whose name was Zacchaeus made his appearance: he was one of the senior tax collectors and a wealthy man. He was anxious to see what kind of man Jesus was, but he was too short and could not see him for the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus who was to pass that way. When Jesus reached the spot he looked up and spoke to him: ‘Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I must stay at your house today.’ And he hurried down and welcomed him joyfully. They all complained when they saw what was happening. ‘He has gone to stay at a sinner’s house’ they said. But Zacchaeus stood his ground and said to the Lord, ‘Look, sir, I am going to give half my property to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody I will pay him back four times the amount.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek out and save what was lost.’
SENDING WRONG SIGNALS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 MC 6:18-31; Ps 3:2-7; Lk 19:1-10]
In the first reading from the Book of Maccabees, we read of the fidelity of Eleazar, a teacher of the Law, to his faith. He would not deny his faith when he was “forced to open his mouth wide to swallow pig’s flesh. But he, resolving to die with honour rather than to live disgraced, went to the block of his own accord, spitting the stuff out.” How many of us would be ready to stand up for our faith at the risk of our lives? There are not many martyrs for the faith today. Most of us are fair-weather friends of our Lord. If being Catholic gives us a good name, a great reputation, and acceptance by people around us, we have no qualms declaring that we are Catholics. But if it becomes a disadvantage for us, we risk losing support from our people, customers, bosses and civil authorities, we will remain at most anonymous Catholics. Indeed, we cannot imagine ourselves to have the same courage as Eleazar to be ready to suffer for our faith, much less to die for Christ.
Even if we might not be ready to die for our faith, perhaps many of us would choose the way of compromise. Again, that was the temptation of Eleazar. “Those in charge of the impious banquet, because of their long-standing friendship with him, took him aside and privately urged him to have meat brought of a kind he could properly use, prepared by himself, and only pretend to eat the portions of sacrificial meat as prescribed by the king; this action would enable him to escape death, by availing himself of an act of kindness prompted by their long friendship.” But Eleazar was firm about not compromising his faith in the God of Israel. He replied, “Such pretence does not square with our time of life; many young people would suppose that Eleazar at the age of ninety had conformed to the foreigners’ way of life, and because I had played this part for the sake of a paltry brief spell of life might themselves be led astray on my account; I should only bring defilement and disgrace on my old age.”
Indeed, for most of us, we would choose the way of compromise with the world. We are afraid to be isolated or marginalized by the world. We want to feel respectable by society and accepted by all. We are not willing to lose our position in society and in the world. We are more concerned about how people see us than how God sees us. So we compromise our faith and say that Jesus is only one of the ways to salvation. He is not the Saviour of the world. There are many other saviours. It does not matter which religion you subscribe to. All are the same. Many roads lead to the same path. In this way, people will be more acceptable of us.
Compromising our faith is one of the root causes for the lack of evangelical and missionary zeal. The zeal of our early missionaries is lost today because we no longer are deeply convinced that Christ is the Saviour of the world, the Way, the Truth and the Life. If Christ is no longer the unique Saviour, the Son of God, it does not matter whether others come to know Jesus. He is reduced to just another good man, a wise man for some, or a misguided martyr. That being the case, we should just leave people as they are, let them believe whatever they believe, since all roads lead to heaven. The doctrines of salvation in Christ alone who died for our sins and reconciles us with God has no real bearing for us.
Some even go further to show that they are inclusive in faith by participating in the rituals of other religions. After all, it is the same thing, we reason. There are many ways to God. We fall into syncretism. We have created our own religion from the religions of others, choosing what we like to believe and do. Or else some would say, I do all these things but I do not really believe in them, it is just an external symbol of my respect and consideration for their religion. But I truly believe in Jesus Christ. Is compromising our beliefs and practices an aid to religious harmony, or a lack of respect for the beliefs of other religions, especially our own? In trying to please everyone, we please no one.
Indeed, we send out the wrong signals to our own Catholics and those of other religions as to what we really believe. The truth is that every religion is unique and whilst the objectives could be common in many religions, the beliefs and practices differ. When we do not respect the sacred character of the rites of other religions and treat them as if they are on the same level as ours, or any religion for that matter, we do great injustice to those who take their faith seriously. And for those who are Catholics or still weak in their faith, they are confused as to what our Faith truly believes.
We must be clear that having respect for others’ faith is not the same thing as subscribing to their beliefs and practices. We must always hold the faith of others with deep respect and reverence because that is the way they encounter the Sacred. Through these practices, they find supernatural assistance and consolation. It is not for us to judge them or to condemn them. But this does not mean that we need to sacrifice our beliefs, values and practices just to accommodate them. It is more honest to agree to disagree respectfully. Of course, in areas where we can cooperate, especially in works of mercy, promoting common values, we should work together with other religions. We must see the positive good in other religions but we should not be afraid to share the uniqueness of our own faith.
At the end of the day, faith is a gift from God. It is not about coercion and proselytization. It is about sharing our faith and conviction with those who wish to hear Him. There will be some who are searching deeply or finding life empty and meaningless. There will be others who are just nominal believers in their faith because it is a cultural faith passed on to them, but they find no meaning in it. It is our duty to share that faith and invite them to come to know the Lord. But if we are hardly convinced that Jesus is Lord and God and therefore different from other religions, then why should they be concerned about knowing Jesus Christ? Faith breeds faith. The best attraction is when we are people of faith and conviction, seen in humility and love. It is joyful people who are alive and filled with love that can attract others to the faith. Evangelization is through attraction and joy.
In the gospel, did Jesus give the wrong signal, as accused by others? It was bad enough that He welcomed Zacchaeus, a senior tax collector and a wealthy man. Could the Lord be giving the impression that it did not matter how we live our lives since He accepted the tax-collector, the most hated Jew in the Kingdom? But Jesus saw the bigger picture. He was going to bring about the conversion of Zacchaeus. He was not compromising His beliefs or values. On the contrary, He wanted Zacchaeus to feel loved, accepted and healed. Indeed, when the Lord said, to Zacchaeus, “Come down here. Hurry, because I must stay at your house today”, we are told “he hurried down and welcomed him joyfully. They all complained when they saw what was happening. ‘He has gone to stay at a sinner’s house’ they said.”
But Jesus proved them wrong because the man was redeemed and saved. “Zacchaeus stood his ground and said to the Lord, ‘Look, sir, I am going to give half my property to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody I will pay them back four times the amount.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek out and save what was lost.'” Jesus was sending the right signal to the tax-collectors that God loves them all the same. He understood their struggles and their fears of losing wealth and security. But once loved and accepted by God, all their fears would be removed. That was what happened to Zacchaeus.
Let us then strengthen our faith in the Lord. Eleazar was ready for execution because he said, “The Lord whose knowledge is holy sees clearly that, though I might have escaped death, whatever agonies of body I now endure under this bludgeoning, in my soul I am glad to suffer, because of the awe which he inspires in me.” Unless our faith in Jesus is firm, we cannot be an example of faith to the young, and our fellow Catholics, or inspire anyone to believe in Jesus.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment