Scripture Reflection and Prayer : Journeying together: July 2022

Sunday, 31 July 2022

FINDING STRENGTH FROM THE EUCHARIST TO KEEP US AS TRUE PROPHETS

20220801 FINDING STRENGTH FROM THE EUCHARIST TO KEEP US AS TRUE PROPHETS

01 August, 2022, Monday, 18th Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

Jeremiah 28:1-17 ©

Jeremiah and the lying prophet Hananiah

At the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah in the fifth month of the fourth year, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, a Gibeonite, spoke as follows to Jeremiah in the Temple of the Lord in the presence of the priests and of all the people. ‘The Lord, the God of Israel, says this, “I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. In two years’ time I will bring back all the vessels of the Temple of the Lord which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon carried off from this place and took to Babylon. And I will also bring back Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles of Judah who have gone to Babylon – it is the Lord who speaks. Yes, I am going to break the yoke of the king of Babylon.”’

The prophet Jeremiah then replied to the prophet Hananiah in front of the priests and all the people there in the Temple of the Lord. ‘I hope so’ the prophet Jeremiah said. ‘May the Lord do so. May he fulfil the words that you have prophesied and bring the vessels of the Temple of the Lord and all the exiles back to this place from Babylon. Listen carefully, however, to this word that I am now going to say for you and all the people to hear: From remote times, the prophets who preceded you and me prophesied war, famine and plague for many countries and for great kingdoms; but the prophet who prophesies peace can only be recognised as one truly sent by the Lord when his word comes true.’

The prophet Hananiah then took the yoke off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it. In front of all the people Hananiah then said, ‘The Lord says this, “This is how, two years hence, I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and take it off the necks of all the nations.”’ At this, the prophet Jeremiah went away.

After the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke which he had taken off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah the word of the Lord was addressed to Jeremiah, ‘Go to Hananiah and tell him this, “The Lord says this: You can break wooden yokes? Right, I will make them iron yokes instead! For the Lord Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this: An iron yoke is what I now lay on the necks of all these nations to subject them to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. They will be subject to him; I have even given him the wild animals.”’

The prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah, ‘Listen carefully, Hananiah: the Lord has not sent you; and thanks to you this people are now relying on what is false. Hence – the Lord says this, “I am going to throw you off the face of the earth: you are going to die this year since you have preached apostasy from the Lord.”’

The prophet Hananiah died the same year, in the seventh month.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 118(119):29,43,79-80,95,102 ©

Lord, teach me your statutes.

Keep me from the way of error

and teach me your law.

Do not take the word of truth from my mouth

for I trust in your decrees.

Lord, teach me your statutes.

Let your faithful turn to me,

those who know your will.

Let my heart be blameless in your statutes

lest I be ashamed.

Lord, teach me your statutes.

Though the wicked lie in wait to destroy me

yet I ponder your will.

I have not turned from your decrees;

you yourself have taught me.

Lord, teach me your statutes.

Gospel Acclamation

Jn14:6

Alleluia, alleluia!

I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord;

No one can come to the Father except through me.

Alleluia!

Or:

Mt4:4

Alleluia, alleluia!

Man does not live on bread alone,

but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 14:13-21 ©

The feeding of the five thousand

When Jesus received the news of John the Baptist’s death he withdrew by boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves. But the people heard of this and, leaving the towns, went after him on foot. So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them and healed their sick.

When evening came, the disciples went to him and said, ‘This is a lonely place, and the time has slipped by; so send the people away, and they can go to the villages to buy themselves some food.’ Jesus replied, ‘There is no need for them to go: give them something to eat yourselves.’ But they answered ‘All we have with us is five loaves and two fish.’ ‘Bring them here to me’ he said. He gave orders that the people were to sit down on the grass; then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven and said the blessing. And breaking the loaves handed them to his disciples who gave them to the crowds. They all ate as much as they wanted, and they collected the scraps remaining; twelve baskets full. Those who ate numbered about five thousand men, to say nothing of women and children.

FINDING STRENGTH FROM THE EUCHARIST TO KEEP US AS TRUE PROPHETS

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [JER 28:1-17; MT 14:13-21]

We do not mind being prophets of good news. We are all so desperate for peace at all costs. We want to be accepted by people and be loved by all. We want to be known as nice people, amiable and agreeable. As a result, very few of us dare to speak the truth even when we know that the truth must be spoken. At most we will try to give some hints, hoping that those concerned might come to realize what we really want to tell them. We are afraid that if we say things that are disagreeable to the ears of our listeners, they would no longer like us or see us as their friends and they might even marginalize us. This was precisely the way the false prophets in the Old Testament acted. Hananiah prophesied victory and peace for the kingdom. He said all that the people and the King were so desperate to hear. Instead of telling them what God wanted them to hear, he told them of things that were to their liking.

In contrast, we have the prophet Jeremiah who was alone in proclaiming the Word of God as it should be spoken. He spoke against all the false prophets, the King and the people’s expectations. Jeremiah was brutally honest in his message. Whilst he wished that the words of the Prophet Hananiah were true, he knew that this was not the message from God. So he told them the plain truth, which of course did not sit well with his people. Instead of welcoming the truth of his message, he was condemned, persecuted and castigated as a traitor and a wet blanket.

Indeed, how many of us can be as courageous as the prophet Jeremiah to speak the truth with such boldness even when all others are against us? Most of us would succumb under pressure and at the first sign of hostility we would cave in and submit to the popular wishes of the group even if we know from the depths of our heart that this is not the truth or what the Lord is asking of us. Such tendency to gain cheap popularity and acceptance is very common, whether in politics, in the office or even in Church. Whether we are dealing with individuals or at meetings, we dare not speak the truth frankly for fear of losing favour with our friends.

It is important that we make a distinction between being negative and speaking the truth. Being positive does not mean that we compromise the truth. To be positive on the contrary, is to look at the whole situation in perspective and highlighting the good aspects of a particular situation whilst not denying the negative aspects as well. Being true does not require us to be negative in outlook. In fact, to be true is a positive thing, for by speaking the truth, we can also help a person or the group to face the problem squarely and find positive means to deal with the situation rather than to suppress it and pretend that it does not exist.

How, then, can we find the fortitude to be faithful to the truth that the Lord has planted in our minds and hearts? Jesus shows us the way in today’s gospel. We read that “when Jesus received the news of John the Baptist’s death he withdrew by boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves.” The death of His cousin, John the Baptist, surely must have affected Jesus greatly. Not only was He sad and distressed at the loss of John the Baptist whom He commended as a great prophet, but He knew that that would likely be his fate as well, since all prophets in the Old Testament were killed and martyred. It was in such a bewildered mood that He became pensive and needed some time to calm His thoughts and heart. Hence, the need to withdraw to a lonely place so that He could pray to His Father and find enlightenment, encouragement and strength.

Yes, if we are confused, insecure and fearful of our future even though we know we are doing the right thing, like Jesus, we need to withdraw to a lonely place to pray. In our solitude, the Lord will speak to our hearts and give us the conviction and the grace to be true to our beliefs and to His Word. Hence, if there are moments when we are tempted to seek false compromises and make uneasy alliances with evil, let us quieten ourselves before the Lord and listen to the prompting of His Holy Spirit. Only in the desert, can we hear the voice of God clearly. Without withdrawing we can only hear the voice of our fear and that of the world speaking to us loudly.

To listen to the Lord requires that we follow the psalmist in deepening our love for the Word of God. Truly, if we are troubled and lack courage in speaking the truth, we must, with the psalmist, ask the Lord to teach us His statutes and to remove us “from the way of falsehood” and instead pay heed to His decrees and ordinances. So being grounded in the Word of God, listening attentively to His Word, is the first step in finding courage to remain true to what we believe. St Paul reminded Timothy, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16-17)

But for us Catholics, we are truly privileged, for besides the Word of God, we have the Eucharist to give us the personal presence of Jesus. The multiplication of loaves in today’s gospel miracle is an anticipation of the Eucharist that the Lord would give to the Church at the Last Supper. Jesus, who is the Word of God, is also the Bread of Life. Just as He multiplied the five loaves and two fish to feed the five thousand, so too through the Eucharist, He now makes Himself present to us all in the form of bread and wine. By adoring and receiving the Eucharist, we remember His passion, death and resurrection. Contemplating on His love for us on the cross and the power of His resurrection, we no longer need to fear the possible rejection by our fellowmen. With the assurance of Christ’s love for us and confident that we too will share in His victory over sin and death, we can with faith surrender ourselves and our lives to Jesus.

Today, we also take consolation that Jesus will be with us in our trials and difficulties. He will respond to our prayers for help when we are disheartened and downhearted. For even in His sadness, He put aside His pain and attended to the sick and the people who were hungry for the Word of God and His love. We can also be confident that Jesus will stand by us whenever we need Him. Learning from Jesus, we must also selflessly put aside our need for comfort and acceptance by people. Instead, like Jesus, let us serve the people of God with selflessness.

Most of all, we can rest assure that with Jesus, there is nothing we cannot do. He will accomplish His work in us. Just as He made use of the meager food that was given to Him to feed the multitude, so too, by offering Him all that we have, He will use us mightily to proclaim the Good News which is the Word of God in its entirety, the Word that sets people free from falsehood, sin and evil so that they can share in the freedom and truth of God’s kingdom.

THE VANITY OF LIFE

20220731 THE VANITY OF LIFE

31 July, 2022, Sunday, 18th Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

Ecclesiastes 1:2,2:21-23 ©

Vanity of vanities; all is vanity

Vanity of vanities, the Preacher says. Vanity of vanities. All is vanity!

For so it is that a man who has laboured wisely, skilfully and successfully must leave what is his own to someone who has not toiled for it at all. This, too, is vanity and great injustice; for what does he gain for all the toil and strain that he has undergone under the sun? What of all his laborious days, his cares of office, his restless nights? This, too, is vanity.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 89(90):3-6,12-14,17 ©

O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.

You turn men back to dust

and say: ‘Go back, sons of men.’

To your eyes a thousand years

are like yesterday, come and gone,

no more than a watch in the night.

O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.

You sweep men away like a dream,

like the grass which springs up in the morning.

In the morning it springs up and flowers:

by evening it withers and fades.

O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.

Make us know the shortness of our life

that we may gain wisdom of heart.

Lord, relent! Is your anger for ever?

Show pity to your servants.

O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.

In the morning, fill us with your love;

we shall exult and rejoice all our days.

Let the favour of the Lord be upon us:

give success to the work of our hands.

O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.

Second reading

Colossians 3:1-5,9-11 ©

You must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is

Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ, you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is, sitting at God’s right hand. Let your thoughts be on heavenly things, not on the things that are on the earth, because you have died, and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God. But when Christ is revealed – and he is your life – you too will be revealed in all your glory with him.

That is why you must kill everything in you that belongs only to earthly life: fornication, impurity, guilty passion, evil desires and especially greed, which is the same thing as worshipping a false god; and never tell each other lies. You have stripped off your old behaviour with your old self, and you have put on a new self which will progress towards true knowledge the more it is renewed in the image of its creator; and in that image there is no room for distinction between Greek and Jew, between the circumcised or the uncircumcised, or between barbarian and Scythian, slave and free man. There is only Christ: he is everything and he is in everything.

Gospel Acclamation

Jn17:17

Alleluia, alleluia!

Your word is truth, O Lord:

consecrate us in the truth.

Alleluia!

Or:

Mt5:3

Alleluia, alleluia!

How happy are the poor in spirit:

theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 12:13-21 ©

Fool! This very night your soul will be demanded of you

A man in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Master, tell my brother to give me a share of our inheritance.’ ‘My friend,’ he replied, ‘who appointed me your judge, or the arbitrator of your claims?’ Then he said to them, ‘Watch, and be on your guard against avarice of any kind, for a man’s life is not made secure by what he owns, even when he has more than he needs.’

Then he told them a parable: ‘There was once a rich man who, having had a good harvest from his land, thought to himself, “What am I to do? I have not enough room to store my crops.” Then he said, “This is what I will do: I will pull down my barns and build bigger ones, and store all my grain and my goods in them, and I will say to my soul: My soul, you have plenty of good things laid by for many years to come; take things easy, eat, drink, have a good time.” But God said to him, “Fool! This very night the demand will be made for your soul; and this hoard of yours, whose will it be then?” So it is when a man stores up treasure for himself in place of making himself rich in the sight of God.’

THE VANITY OF LIFE

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Eccl 1:2; 2:21-23; Ps 90 OR Ps 95; Col 3:1-5,9-11; Lk 12:13-21]

When the author from the book of Ecclesiastes expressed that life and everything else is vanity, what does he really mean? The word “vanity” is likened to the “mist.” It comes and goes. It does not last, just like the mist which will disappear into thin air.

So when we use the word, “vanity”, in the first place, it could refer to a craving for pleasure, riches, power and fame. The truth is that such things do not last. Pleasures last as long as we are not tired of whatever we are enjoying. But there is always a saturation point, after which, what is enjoyable becomes distasteful and mediocre. Then we have to look for new food to taste, new wine to drink, new places to visit, new forms of entertainment. The wealth that we accumulate will have to be let go eventually because we cannot even bring a single cent to the next world. Whatever wealth we have will be given away when we die, often to undeserving people. Power also cannot last. Those in power often live in fear that they will lose it. At any rate, at some point in time, because of health and age, we will have to let go of our office and all its power. Finally, fame is the most transient and unstable of all because people’s opinions change like the weather. One day they will worship us, the next day they will condemn us, just like what happened to Jesus in the gospel. So for those who seek fame, just know that the higher we climb the heavier the fall.

Indeed, if our life’s purpose is to just to acquire pleasure, wealth, power and fame, we are going to be very disappointed when we actually possess them all. Because often such things take time to acquire, many of us spend our entire life chasing after these things, believing that we will find security and happiness. Unfortunately, when we really arrive, we feel disillusioned. We are no happier than those without great wealth, without power and fame. In fact, wealth can become a burden as we have to protect it and grow it; fame becomes a form of slavery because we lose our privacy, power becomes our enemy because there are many who desire to take power away from us. We have many competitors and detractors.

But this is not what vanity is all about. Vanity need not be the illusory and transient things of this world, but it has to do with purpose and meaning. The preacher said, “For so it is that a man who has laboured wisely, skilfully and successfully must leave what is his own to someone who has not toiled for it at all. This, too, is vanity and great injustice; for what does he gain for all the toil and strain that he has undergone under the sun? What of all his laborious days, his cares of office, his restless nights? This, too, is vanity.” He is asking the question of meaning. For all that we do, all the achievements we made, what is the end result? What we strive to build tirelessly over the years are destroyed by the next generation. The wealth and empire we established will be dismantled by the next generation. So looking at history, seeing the rise and fall of monarchy, nations, empires, organizations and companies, we know that we will share the same fate. This is the question of the preacher. Have our efforts therefore been expanded in vain? In other words, for nothing.

This is where we must pray with the psalmist and enter into his wisdom. “Make us know the shortness of our life that we may gain wisdom of heart. Lord, relent! Is your anger for ever? Show pity to your servants. In the morning, fill us with your love; we shall exult and rejoice all our days. Let the favour of the Lord be upon us: give us success to the work of our hands.”

Today, we are reminded not to repeat the same mistake of the rich and successful farmer in the gospel. In truth, the farmer did nothing wrong. He was rich because he worked hard and was blessed with a good harvest. It was right for him to build bigger barns to store all the grain and goods. Isn’t that what we also hope to do? Many of us work hard and hope to get rich quickly in the early years of our life so that we do not have to work so hard in our later years. In fact, if we could be successful by the time we reach our early forties and have more than enough in our nest egg to last us through our old age, we will want to retire early.

The question is, what do we do after retirement? What do we do when we have made enough for ourselves and even for our children to last us through till we die? This was the mistake of the rich man. He said, “‘My soul, you have plenty of good things laid by for many years to come; take things easy, eat, drink, have a good time.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This very night the demand will be made for your soul; and this hoard of yours, whose will it be then?'” The tragedy of the rich man was that he lived for himself. He did not live for others. He was concerned about his security, his needs, his enjoyment, his pleasure. But he was blind to the needs of others, to his social responsibility to the community.

Because he sought to find happiness living for himself, he was doomed to misery. This is the warning of our Lord. The more we seek to be rich, powerful and famous for ourselves, the poorer, the more insecure we become. This is because we focus on ourselves. But if we focus on others, how to help them, how to empower them and how to make this world a better place, then we will not be too worried about how rich, how powerful or famous we are. Our energy will be directed towards enabling others and losing ourselves for them. As the Lord tells us in the gospel, “For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?” (Mt 16:25f)

Indeed, Jesus considers our obsession and attachment to the world as greed. The man who asked Jesus to tell his brother to give him his share of his inheritance was apparently doing so as a matter of justice and fair play. Yet the Lord said, “My friend, who appointed me your judge, or the arbitrator of your claims?’ Then he said to them, ‘Watch, and be on your guard against avarice of any kind, for a man’s life is not made secure by what he owns, even when he has more than he needs.” The fact remains that whilst we might think happiness is attained if there is justice, yet, getting justice alone cannot give us happiness. Rather, it is the man who has a big heart, the man who is not attached to what is his, but shares and gives away generously to others, who is truly liberated and happy. He will not fight over such material things because his happiness and security does not depend on them. He is at peace with himself even when cheated of his rights. This is because he seeks for greater things.

What are these greater things we should seek? St Paul gives us the advice. “Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ, you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is, sitting at God’s right hand. Let your thoughts be on heavenly things, not on the things that are on the earth, because you have died, and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God. But when Christ is revealed – and he is your life – you too will be revealed in all your glory with him.” We should seek Christ and His kingdom. This is why anything that contradicts the life of the kingdom should be put aside. “You must kill everything in you that belongs only to earthly life: fornication, impurity, guilty passion, evil desires and especially greed, which is the same thing as worshipping a false god; and never tell each other lies.”

In other words, we must put on our new identity in Christ, which is to live the life of Christ, a life of love and service. St Paul wrote, “You have stripped off your old behaviour with your old self, and you have put on a new self which will progress towards true knowledge the more it is renewed in the image of its creator.” Indeed, the ultimate goal of life is to be formed in Christ’s image and likeness. It is to live a life for others regardless of our position in life. It does not matter who we are, how rich or how powerful we are. All that matters is that we give up our life for others, expending ourselves, our wealth, talents, power and position for the greater good of society and our fellowmen, for the greater glory of God. This is the meaning and purpose of life. Such a life is never lived in vain. The measure of how successful we are in life is not our position, wealth and power or our achievements but how we have given ourselves, emptied ourselves in love and humility for the good of our fellowmen. This is success.

Saturday, 30 July 2022

SELF-SERVING LEADERSHIP

20220730 SELF-SERVING LEADERSHIP

30 July, 2022, Saturday, 17th Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

Jeremiah 26:11-16,24 ©

'This man has spoken to us in the name of the Lord'

The priests and prophets addressed the officials and all the people, ‘This man deserves to die, since he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears.’

Jeremiah, however, replied to the people as follows:

‘The Lord himself sent me to say all the things you have heard against this Temple and this city. So now amend your behaviour and actions, listen to the voice of the Lord your God: if you do, he will relent and not bring down on you the disaster he has pronounced against you. For myself, I am as you see in your hands. Do whatever you please or think right with me. But be sure of this, that if you put me to death, you will be bringing innocent blood on yourselves, on this city and on its citizens, since the Lord has truly sent me to you to say all these words in your hearing.’

The officials and all the people then said to the priests and prophets, ‘This man does not deserve to die: he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.’

Jeremiah had a protector in Ahikam son of Shaphan, so he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 68(69):15-16,30-31,33-34 ©

In your great love, answer me, O God.

Rescue me from sinking in the mud;

save me from my foes.

Save me from the waters of the deep

lest the waves overwhelm me.

Do not let the deep engulf me

nor death close its mouth on me.

In your great love, answer me, O God.

As for me in my poverty and pain

let your help, O God, lift me up.

I will praise God’s name with a song;

I will glorify him with thanksgiving.

In your great love, answer me, O God.

The poor when they see it will be glad

and God-seeking hearts will revive;

for the Lord listens to the needy

and does not spurn his servants in their chains.

In your great love, answer me, O God.

Gospel Acclamation

cf.Lk8:15

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessed are those who,

with a noble and generous heart,

take the word of God to themselves

and yield a harvest through their perseverance.

Alleluia!

Or:

Mt5:10

Alleluia, alleluia!

Happy those who are persecuted

in the cause of right,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 14:1-12 ©

The beheading of John the Baptist

Herod the tetrarch heard about the reputation of Jesus, and said to his court, ‘This is John the Baptist himself; he has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.’

Now it was Herod who had arrested John, chained him up and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. For John had told him, ‘It is against the Law for you to have her.’ He had wanted to kill him but was afraid of the people, who regarded John as a prophet. Then, during the celebrations for Herod’s birthday, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company, and so delighted Herod that he promised on oath to give her anything she asked. Prompted by her mother she said, ‘Give me John the Baptist’s head, here, on a dish.’ The king was distressed but, thinking of the oaths he had sworn and of his guests, he ordered it to be given her, and sent and had John beheaded in the prison. The head was brought in on a dish and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. John’s disciples came and took the body and buried it; then they went off to tell Jesus.

SELF-SERVING LEADERSHIP

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [JER 26:11-16,24; MT 14:1-12]

It is never easy to be a true prophet of God. We will always face opposition, even in ministry, because of jealousy and selfishness. We are certain to be persecuted and hated. The people who wanted to put Jeremiah to death were not even the rulers and the people whom Jeremiah condemned, but the priests and false prophets who opposed the truth. This is true for us all. The people who oppose us often come from our own ranks and organization. It is not the people that oppose us but those whose interests are compromised. Even the Holy Father has his critics within the Curia and among Catholics who are not happy with his attempts to change the structure of the Church.

This happens mainly due to four reasons: jealousy and insecurity; pride and selfish interests. King Herod was afraid of John the Baptist because he had become too popular. He was afraid that the people might follow John instead. He could start a revolution and Herod could lose his power and authority. So he had John arrested and put in prison. Yet he knew that he was a man of God. And because of the people, he did not dare to kill him. He was a thorn in his flesh. Indeed, all of us get jealous easily when others are perceived to be better than us. More so if you are a leader and you know that they are better than you. Your position becomes threatened.

For Herodias, her ego was also affected. John the Baptist had exposed her sin of adultery thus making her lose face. She became vindictive. She wanted that thorn to be removed so that she could continue to live in grace and not in disgrace. She wanted to live in dignity but in truth she was deceiving herself. This is a delusion. This is true for us all. We do not like people to tell us of our sins. We do not like to be reminded of our imperfections. That is why some people do not want to go for confession. Their pride and fear of shame prevent them. We do not mind criticizing ourselves, but we take offence when others criticize us. Herod too was a slave to his pride when he did not retract the promise he made to Herodias’ daughter. A promise to do evil is invalid. Yet, to show his power, he saw through this evil deed.

For the prophets and priests, they too had vested interests. They would lose their position and privileges if the people start to believe in Jeremiah. We all want security in life. We want to live comfortable lives and be freed from those who control us. Some of us are not willing to step down from office because we are used to the privileges that come with the office. We are afraid that we cannot live without them. So we are not willing to give up our power. Even in the Church, we cling on to power. I always wonder why some people are not willing to step down from office when there are younger and better people who can do a more effective job. My constant conviction is that the best man or woman should do the job. But in truth, we all cling on to power, not for service but for ourselves. Of course, in the name of service, we do not give up our power. The day we are no longer in office, we will cease to enjoy special treatment, including the bishop! But service is not about us!

Jealousy and pride, insecurity and self-interests will lead to more evil, including vindictiveness and killing. That was what happened to the prophets, priests and Herodias and Herod. They would do anything to get rid of the irritant even when they knew he was speaking the truth. They would even step so low as to use innocent people to condemn the prophet. They sought to use the rulers and the people to put Jeremiah to death. Herodias made use of her innocent daughter to display herself so that she could ask her to request for the head of John the Baptist. Politicians and weak governments would do everything to eliminate their opponents, regardless how good and talented they may be for the country.

What about us? Do we want to follow the same path? Do we use innocent people, especially the young to fulfill our ambitions and selfish needs? Do we seek death and murder at least in our minds? If we do, then we will never find peace, like Herod. He lived in guilt and fear for the rest of his life for he knew that he had done wrong. He could not reconcile with his sin of adultery and murder. He had hallucinations of John the Baptist appearing. Guilt will kill us in the end. This explains why sins have a punishment of their own. When there is guilt, there can be no peace.

The truth is that our conscience cannot be silenced. Don’t pretend or try to suppress the truth. Even the uneducated common people know what is right and wrong. That is why the collective conscience of the people rejected the priests and prophets’ demand to execute Jeremiah. The sensus fidei must be trusted, especially when authorities are corrupt and blind. As authorities, we must be alert to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and be receptive to the ground as well.

We are called to be like John the Baptist and Jeremiah. Let our lives be our defense if our words fail us. We need to be true to ourselves and do the right thing, not the popular thing. We must have the courage even to speak the truth against the powerful people when they are wrong!

But speak the truth with charity. Truth must be spoken in love and with love. This is the litmus test of truth. If we speak out of anger and resentment, most likely there is no truth in it but self-interest and revenge. We speak only because there is no self-gain but purely out of love and for the love and good of others. Jeremiah defended himself as follows, “The Lord himself sent me to say all the things you have heard against this Temple and this city. So now amend your behaviour and actions, listen to the voice of the Lord your God: if you do, he will relent and not bring down on you the disaster he has pronounced against you.”

However, before you can claim to speak the truth and not do so as an excuse to ventilate your own hang ups, make sure you have prayed and listened clearly to the Word of God. This was what Jeremiah and John the Baptist did. If we have not listened to His word, we only have the voice without the content. So to find the courage to proclaim the truth, we must first listen. Having heard the word of God for ourselves, we can then proclaim the truth with confidence and without fear. Jeremiah could surrender his fate to God. “For myself, I am as you see in your hands. Do whatever you please or think right with me. But be sure of this, that if you put me to death, you will be bringing innocent blood on yourselves, on this city and on its citizens, since the Lord has truly sent me to you to say all these words in your hearing.”

Thursday, 28 July 2022

A DEFICIENT BUT GENUINE FAITH

20220729 A DEFICIENT BUT GENUINE FAITH

29 July, 2022, Friday, Ss Martha, Mary and Lazarus

First reading

1 John 4:7-16 ©

Let us love one another, since love comes from God

My dear people,

let us love one another

since love comes from God

and everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.

Anyone who fails to love can never have known God,

because God is love.

God’s love for us was revealed

when God sent into the world his only Son

so that we could have life through him;

this is the love I mean:

not our love for God,

but God’s love for us when he sent his Son

to be the sacrifice that takes our sins away.

My dear people,

since God has loved us so much,

we too should love one another.

No one has ever seen God;

but as long as we love one another

God will live in us

and his love will be complete in us.

We can know that we are living in him

and he is living in us

because he lets us share his Spirit.

We ourselves saw and we testify

that the Father sent his Son

as saviour of the world.

If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,

God lives in him, and he in God.

We ourselves have known and put our faith in

God’s love towards ourselves.

God is love

and anyone who lives in love lives in God,

and God lives in him.

Responsorial Psalm

I will bless the Lord at all times.