20220208 SPIRITUALITY WITHOUT RELIGION
08 February, 2022, Tuesday, Week 5 in Ordinary Time
First reading |
1 Kings 8:22-23,27-30 © |
'Listen to the prayer your servant makes in this place'
In the presence of the whole assembly of Israel, Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord and, stretching out his hands towards heaven, said, ‘O Lord, God of Israel, not in heaven above nor on earth beneath is there such a God as you, true to your covenant and your kindness towards your servants when they walk wholeheartedly in your way. Yet will God really live with men on the earth? Why, the heavens and their own heavens cannot contain you. How much less this house that I have built! Listen to the prayer and entreaty of your servant, O Lord my God; listen to the cry and to the prayer your servant makes to you today. Day and night let your eyes watch over this house, over this place of which you have said, “My name shall be there.” Listen to the prayer that your servant will offer in this place.
‘Hear the entreaty of your servant and of Israel your people as they pray in this place. From heaven where your dwelling is, hear; and, as you hear, forgive.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 83(84):3-5,10-11 © |
How lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord, God of hosts.
My soul is longing and yearning,
is yearning for the courts of the Lord.
My heart and my soul ring out their joy
to God, the living God.
How lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord, God of hosts.
The sparrow herself finds a home
and the swallow a nest for her brood;
she lays her young by your altars,
Lord of hosts, my king and my God.
How lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord, God of hosts.
They are happy, who dwell in your house,
for ever singing your praise.
Turn your eyes, O God, our shield,
look on the face of your anointed.
How lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord, God of hosts.
One day within your courts
is better than a thousand elsewhere.
The threshold of the house of God
I prefer to the dwellings of the wicked.
How lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord, God of hosts.
Gospel Acclamation | Ps118:24 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Train me, Lord, to observe your law,
to keep it with my heart.
Alleluia!
Or: | Ps118:36,29 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Bend my heart to your will, O Lord,
and teach me your law.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 7:1-13 © |
You get round the commandment of God to preserve your own tradition
The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered round Jesus, and they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with unclean hands, that is, without washing them. For the Pharisees, and the Jews in general, follow the tradition of the elders and never eat without washing their arms as far as the elbow; and on returning from the market place they never eat without first sprinkling themselves. There are also many other observances which have been handed down to them concerning the washing of cups and pots and bronze dishes. So these Pharisees and scribes asked him, ‘Why do your disciples not respect the tradition of the elders but eat their food with unclean hands?’ He answered, ‘It was of you hypocrites that Isaiah so rightly prophesied in this passage of scripture:
This people honours me only with lip-service,
while their hearts are far from me.
The worship they offer me is worthless,
the doctrines they teach are only human regulations.
You put aside the commandment of God to cling to human traditions.’ And he said to them, ‘How ingeniously you get round the commandment of God in order to preserve your own tradition! For Moses said: Do your duty to your father and your mother, and, Anyone who curses father or mother must be put to death. But you say, “If a man says to his father or mother: Anything I have that I might have used to help you is Corban (that is, dedicated to God), then he is forbidden from that moment to do anything for his father or mother.” In this way you make God’s word null and void for the sake of your tradition which you have handed down. And you do many other things like this.’
SPIRITUALITY WITHOUT RELIGION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 Kgs 8:22-23, 27-30; Ps 84:3-5,10-11; Mk 7:1-13 ]
A growing number of adults today no longer identify themselves with any religion. When asked to identify their religion, they proudly declare themselves as “None.” Many have not found the right religion and so they are unaffiliated. This does not mean that they do not believe in God. Rather, they do not subscribe to any religion. In other words, they feel that religion is important to them but they do not identify with any particular religious tradition. Most of them believe in God or a Universal Spirit. Some even believe in a personal God. A certain percentage might drop in for some religious services occasionally. Many actually do pray, especially for blessings on their relationships, work, business, family and health.
So the question the scripture readings pose to us is, can we separate spirituality from religion? Can we believe in God in some ways and live a spiritual life without identifying with any religion? To the “Nones”, it seems possible. They have lost confidence in religions. They do not want to be under the control of any rules or regulations. They want to be free from traditions, rituals and obligations. They can choose what they like to believe or not believe. They feel free in this way. It appears to be the best of both worlds. One is connected to God and yet not obligated to any religious traditions. Indeed, there is a growing number of such people. In truth, real atheists are very few. Most, even if they declare to be without a religion, have some personal belief in God in some ways.
Indeed, the scripture readings today seem to discount the importance of religious traditions. Jesus was always breaking the traditions and the customary laws of the Jews. His disciples did not fast like the disciples of John the Baptist and the Pharisees. (Mk 2:18-22) His disciples plucked heads of grain on the Sabbath when they were hungry. (Mk 2:23-28) He broke the Sabbath Law when He healed the man with a withered hand in the Synagogue on the Sabbath. (Mk 3:1-6) He fed the 5000 with five loaves and two fish. (Mk 6:35-44) This was the immediate context of today’s gospel when they accused Jesus and His disciples of eating without washing their hands! Of course, this is ridiculous because we cannot expect people to find water to wash their hands in the wilderness!
That was why for Jesus observance of such man-made traditions runs contradictory to the spirit of these traditions. Whilst such traditions have their purpose, they must be applied judiciously. Not all traditions are useless. In fact, if we go back to the origin of these traditions, they spring from good intentions. This is why human beings and society, regardless of state or religion, create traditions to express our values and meanings. But when such traditions are blindly followed, it loses its purpose and become a mere routine, done out of custom and sometimes even superstition. The Lord challenged and confronted the Jewish leaders saying, “It was of you hypocrites that Isaiah so rightly prophesied in this passage of scripture: This people honours me only with lip-service, while their hearts are far from me. The worship they offer me is worthless, the doctrines they teach are only human regulations. You put aside the commandments of God to cling to human traditions.”
So does it mean that we can therefore do without traditions, which means all the practices, rituals and what has been passed down to us by our religion? Indeed, the word, “tradition” is translated from the Latin word, “traditio” meaning what has been handed down and the act of handing down. If a separation between beliefs and traditions is possible, then we can speak of a spirituality without religion. But the truth is that all our beliefs in God and experiences of Him come from some or one of the religious traditions.
Those who separate religion from spirituality have failed to realize that what they have done is to pick and choose parts of the traditions that come to them. So although they say they do not belong to any particular religious traditions, their faith, spirituality and values come from one or a few of these. Would that be dangerous in that one creates his or her own faith, a figment of his or her fancy and imagination? In the end, they are simply worshipping themselves and creating their own gods.
What is needed is to be more judicious in the way we apply the practices and customs of the religion. Today, in the first reading, King Solomon shows us the way. Notice how he prayed to God when the Temple was dedicated. He admitted that God did not need the Temple as such. He said, “Lord God of Israel, not in heaven above nor on earth beneath is there such a God as you, true to your covenant and your kindness towards your servants when they walk wholeheartedly in your way. Yet will God really live with men on the earth? Why, the heavens and their own heavens cannot contain you. How much less this house that I have built!” Indeed, God is the Lord of heaven and earth, nothing can contain Him because He contains everything in Him. God does not need any Temple. He is living among men and in the whole of creation.
Yet, God in His condescension, accepted the Temple not for His sake but for ours. He did not want the Temple but since David and Solomon wanted to build for Him, He granted them their request. It was David and Solomon and the people that needed the Temple. It was their way to recognize His presence and be assured of His divine protection. That was why Solomon said to the Lord, “Listen to the prayer and entreaty of your servant, Lord my God; listen to the cry and to the prayer your servant makes to you today. Day and night let your eyes watch over this house, over this place of which you have said, ‘My name shall be there.’ Listen to the prayer that your servant will offer in this place. ‘Hear the entreaty of your servant and of Israel your people as they pray in this place. From heaven where your dwelling is, hear; and as you hear, forgive.” Indeed, they needed the Temple so that the people could gather together and worship Him, and remember that He was hearing their prayers.
This is where they would find strength to go through their daily life as the psalmist says, “My soul is longing and yearning, is yearning for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my soul ring out their joy to God, the living God. The sparrow herself finds a home and the swallow a nest for her brood; she lays her young by your altars, Lord of hosts, my king and my God. They are happy, who dwell in your house, forever singing your praise. Turn your eyes, O God, our shield, look on the face of your anointed. One day within your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. The threshold of the house of God I prefer to the dwellings of the wicked.” For us too, we find strength when we go to the Adoration Room or the church where we can feel the presence of the Sacred or when we receive the Eucharist.
However, at the same time, we must not think that God is found only in the Temple and in the Sacraments. He is present in man and in our daily life. He is the Emmanuel, God who is with us. The reason for us to go to church, listen to the Word of God, the teaching of the Church, is so that we can understand Him better, deepen our faith in Him and then seek Him in daily life. If we listen to the traditions of the Church, observe the customs and practices, it is because these are means for us to encounter the Lord as our ancestors of old did. At the same time, we should make a distinction between divine traditions as instituted and ordained by God and our Lord, and those by man and by the Church. Those customs and traditions established by the Church can change and should change with the times, but not the divine institutions as God is the legislator. In the final analysis, authentic spirituality and the right traditions practised together in truth give us faith.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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