20220920 BELONGING TO THE CATHOLIC FAMILY
20 September, 2022, Tuesday, 25th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Proverbs 21:1-6,10-13 © |
On wickedness and virtue
Like flowing water is the heart of the king in the hand of the Lord,
who turns it where he pleases.
A man’s conduct may strike him as upright,
the Lord, however, weighs the heart.
To act virtuously and with justice
is more pleasing to the Lord than sacrifice.
Haughty eye, proud heart,
lamp of the wicked, nothing but sin.
The hardworking man is thoughtful, and all is gain;
too much haste, and all that comes of it is want.
To make a fortune with the help of a lying tongue,
such the idle fantasy of those who look for death.
The wicked man’s soul is intent on evil,
he looks on his neighbour with dislike.
When a mocker is punished, the ignorant man grows wiser,
when a wise man is instructed he acquires more knowledge.
The Just One watches the house of the wicked:
he hurls the wicked to destruction.
He who shuts his ear to the poor man’s cry
shall himself plead and not be heard.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 118(119):1,27,30,34-35,44 © |
Guide me, Lord, in the path of your commands.
They are happy whose life is blameless,
who follow God’s law!
Make me grasp the way of your precepts
and I will muse on your wonders.
Guide me, Lord, in the path of your commands.
I have chosen the way of truth
with your decrees before me.
Train me to observe your law,
to keep it with my heart.
Guide me, Lord, in the path of your commands.
Guide me in the path of your commands;
for there is my delight.
I shall always keep your law
for ever and ever.
Guide me, Lord, in the path of your commands.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ps129:5 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
My soul is waiting for the Lord,
I count on his word.
Alleluia!
Or: | Lk11:28 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Happy are those
who hear the word of God
and keep it.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 8:19-21 © |
'My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God'
The mother and the brothers of Jesus came looking for him, but they could not get to him because of the crowd. He was told, ‘Your mother and brothers are standing outside and want to see you.’ But he said in answer, ‘My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice.’
BELONGING TO THE CATHOLIC FAMILY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [PROVERBS 21:1-6, 10-13; LUKE 8:19-21]
The gospel today is very short and yet very powerful. Jesus goes to the heart of discipleship. In the final analysis, relationship with the Lord is not a matter of being physically related to Him or nominally related. This is what the Lord is warning us today. In His time, the relatives of Jesus, although biologically related to Him, did not know Jesus. They thought He was mad and overboard in His love for God. Hence, they came to seek Him out to bring Him home. This is understandable as they were not the disciples of Jesus. They did not hear Him nor were they with Him, unlike the disciples. So they were outsiders although they were His blood relations. This is how many of us feel towards our own relations. We no longer meet with our relatives, uncles, aunts, nieces, and nephews, unlike in those days when we lived together in the Kampong and spent time together frequently, especially during family celebrations. Nowadays, if we do meet, it is perhaps for a short while during festive occasions or funeral wakes. So if we do not even know our immediate family members well, as everyone is busy with their work and activities, how much less do we know our extended family members!
Obviously, none of us are also His blood relatives. But we act like them because although baptized, we do not have any real relationship with the Lord. He is a stranger to us. We hardly spend time with the Lord. Catholics who hardly pray and read the scriptures cannot be said to be the relations of Jesus. What kind of relationship is that when we hardly communicate with Him? Indeed, this is my fear for our Catholics. We have the quantity, but we do not have the quality. We have so many Catholics but so few are taking their faith seriously. Less than one third are attending our services. Less than 10% are active in Church ministry. I seriously wonder how many Catholics take the trouble to educate themselves in the faith, go for faith formation, either by attending courses or through reading up on the faith; and most of all, spend minimally half an hour a day in quiet prayer and contemplation of the Word of God. Without such a relationship with the Lord, how can one claim that he or she knows the Lord?
In the gospel, Jesus made it clear that spiritual relationship through baptism, even blood relationships, do not qualify us to be His relatives. In no uncertain terms, He said, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice”. Indeed, even the biological motherhood of Mary did not qualify her to be the mother of our Lord. It would be a mistake to think that Mary is so privileged to be the mother of the Saviour without first recognizing that she was first and foremost a woman of grace. She was graced by God right from the start to live a holy life, a life of total dedication in doing the will of God. It was her complete devotion to God’s will and God’s word that made it also possible for her to embrace God’s call to be the mother of the Saviour.
What does it mean to be known as a mother, brother, and sister of our Lord? Suppose you were related to someone great or important, how you feel? Indeed, it would be a great honour, but with it comes the responsibility. We do not want to destroy or harm the reputation of that person. So it is important that we conduct ourselves well because others see us as related to that dignitary. Otherwise we will bring disrepute to that person, or at least to his or her office. So, too, if we call ourselves the mother, brother, and sister of our Lord, then we need to conduct ourselves accordingly. We do not want to bring shame to our family just as we do not want any member of our family to get into crime and bring shame to the family. But isn’t this what we are doing when we do not live as Christians do, when we act contrary to what is expected of a Christian? Many have left the Church or are skeptical of the Catholic faith because of the bad examples of Catholics.
If our Catholics are not living out their Catholic life, it is simply because they are nominal Catholics or just practising Catholics, which means “Sunday Catholics.” Their relationship with the Lord is superficial. It is more one of need and fear; not of love and intimacy. Most Catholics come to church not to praise Him and thank Him but to ask for favours and protection. Many come out of fear and obligation without any love in their hearts. With such a disposition, it is a matter of time when the storms of life will break in and they will leave the Church. This is not surprising because in truth their hearts have already left the Church, waiting for the body to go as well.
Without hearing the Word of God, how could one model himself or herself in the ways of the Lord? How can one put His word into practice unless we have first heard Him? Although we are Catholic, our direction and values are that of the world’s and not from the Bible. The way we live our lives is not much different from that of the world. Such Catholics put the Church to shame, just as some members of our family do when they do evil and scandalous things that put us to shame. Do you want the world to know that your father is a robber, your brother, a rapist, your sister, a swindler? But that is what our spiritual family members, our fellow Catholics are doing to the family of God!
The psalmist reminds us that we can only be happy when we walk the way of the Lord. “They are happy whose life is blameless, who follow God’s law! Make me grasp the way of your precepts and I will muse on your wonders. I have chosen the way of truth with your decrees before me. Train me to observe your law, to keep it with my heart. Guide me in the path of your commands; for there is my delight. I shall always keep your law for ever and ever.” Conversely, the book of Proverbs warns us, “Haughty eye, proud heart, lamp of the wicked, nothing but sin. To make a fortune with the help of a lying tongue, such the idle fantasy of those who look for death. The wicked man’s soul is intent on evil, he looks on his neighbour with dislike. He who shuts his ear to the poor man’s cry shall himself plead and not be heard.”
But how do we hear the Word of God if not through personal prayer and meditation on the Word of God? We need to make time before work or during lunch break to be with the Lord, or at least in the evening when we can quieten ourselves after a long day. Instead of watching TV and doing all the mundane things, we could make time to withdraw and be with the Lord, basking in His presence. With the Lord, we purify our self-awareness and motives as well. The book of Proverbs reminds us, “A man’s conduct may strike him as upright, the Lord, however, weighs the heart. The hardworking man is thoughtful, and all is gain; too much haste, and all that comes of it is want. When a mocker is punished, the ignorant man grows wiser, when a wise man is instructed he acquires more knowledge.” But this is only the first level of coming to a deeper relationship with the Lord. We find the Lord not only in prayer but in the community of faith. Faith is communitarian even if it is personal.
Catholics must also come back to the family of God if we wish to remain true to our Lord. Catholics need Catholic relationships. Do you have a Catholic friend that you could share your faith with? There are many Catholics who do not have a faith relationship with any Catholic. Some do not even have good Catholic friends at work, in school or in personal life. So we can imagine what kind of influence they would be getting. But it is not enough to have friends who happen to be Catholic. We need to have a faith relationship. It is necessary to have some Catholics whom we can share our faith with and our lives in the context of prayer, reflection, and personal testimonies. We need to have mentors around us to help us shore up our faith. Hence, it is important that we find a small community of Catholics that we feel belonged to and can share deeply our faith struggles, joys, and pains with each other. So long as we have someone to share our faith with, we will find strength and consolation to carry on in our faith life. Be a Catholic who is in relationship and fellowship with the members of the Catholic family if we are to grow in relationship with the Lord.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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