20231020 FAITH IN GOD’S LOVE ENABLES US TO BE FAITHFUL TO OURSELVES AND TO CONQUER HYPOCRISY IN OUR LIFE
20 October 2023, Friday, 28th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Romans 4:1-8 © |
Abraham was justified not by his actions but by faith
What shall we say about Abraham, the ancestor from whom we are all descended? If Abraham was justified as a reward for doing something, he would really have had something to boast about, though not in God’s sight because scripture says: Abraham put his faith in God, and this faith was considered as justifying him. If a man has work to show, his wages are not considered as a favour but as his due; but when a man has nothing to show except faith in the one who justifies sinners, then his faith is considered as justifying him. And David says the same: a man is happy if God considers him righteous, irrespective of good deeds:
Happy those whose crimes are forgiven,
whose sins are blotted out;
happy the man whom the Lord considers sinless.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 31(32):1-2,5,11 © |
You are my refuge, O Lord; you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Happy the man whose offence is forgiven,
whose sin is remitted.
O happy the man to whom the Lord
imputes no guilt,
in whose spirit is no guile.
You are my refuge, O Lord; you fill me with the joy of salvation.
But now I have acknowledged my sins;
my guilt I did not hide.
I said: ‘I will confess
my offence to the Lord.’
And you, Lord, have forgiven
the guilt of my sin.
You are my refuge, O Lord; you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Rejoice, rejoice in the Lord,
exult, you just!
O come, ring out your joy,
all you upright of heart.
You are my refuge, O Lord; you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ps18:9 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your words gladden the heart, O Lord,
they give light to the eyes.
Alleluia!
Or: | Ps32:22 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
May your love be upon us, O Lord,
as we place all our hope in you.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 12:1-7 © |
Not one sparrow is forgotten in God's sight
The people had gathered in their thousands so that they were treading on one another. And Jesus began to speak, first of all to his disciples. ‘Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees – that is, their hypocrisy. Everything that is now covered will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear. For this reason, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in hidden places will be proclaimed on the housetops.
‘To you my friends I say: Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. I will tell you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has the power to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Can you not buy five sparrows for two pennies? And yet not one is forgotten in God’s sight. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. There is no need to be afraid: you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows.’
FAITH IN GOD’S LOVE ENABLES US TO BE FAITHFUL TO OURSELVES AND TO CONQUER HYPOCRISY IN OUR LIFE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ROM 4:1-8; LK 12:1-7]
The theme of today’s scripture reading is clear. It concerns hypocrisy. What is hypocrisy if not the lack of courage to be true to oneself? It is to live our lives in such a way that is contaminated by the false exaggeration of what one is not. That is why hypocrisy is comparable to the yeast of the Pharisees. The symbol of yeast presents to us the element of an alien intrusion of falsehood. Furthermore, it contaminates the whole person since it permeates every cell of the person. How, then, do we get out of this hypocritical attitude? Simply this: by realizing the consequences of our hypocritical behaviour.
The irony of hypocrisy is that the real reason why we are hypocritical is because we are fearful of destroying our lives. We are afraid that people might not think well of us. Hypocrites are afraid of losing their reputation, their securities and, most of all, their physical life. Yet, Jesus makes it so clear that what hypocrites try to avoid would be the very thing that will ultimately destroy them. Why?
Firstly, it is a fact that if we fail to live a transparent life, then we cannot live in peace and security. We will always live in fear and anxiety. This is because our words and actions do not correspond with the truth. That being the case, we will always worry whether what we do will one day be exposed. And the probability is that what is hidden will eventually be revealed; and what is said in the dark will be heard in the daylight. The truth will always prevail. It is a matter of time.
Sometimes it can happen that no one will ever find out. Still, even if people do not expose it, we cannot deceive ourselves. We can deceive others but deep within ourselves, we will hate ourselves for putting on masks. We know that we are not what we proclaim to be. And what can be more distressful than to know an ugly secret about ourselves whom we cannot share with anyone. That is why Jesus says that what is hidden will be revealed. It is man’s nature to feel the need to reveal himself, for he is created to share and to love.
Then again, even if some of us can repress our pretences to the extent of being numbed to them, we cannot escape our judgment before God. We cannot hide things from God. That is why God continues to haunt us in our conscience and in our dreams. When we try to dull our conscience, God will speak to us in our dreams. After all, what are dreams if not the repressed desires of our hearts? Some of these desires we hope to fulfil one day; others we repress and deny that we have them.
Not only desires, but dreams always manifest our repressed anger, resentment, bitterness and hatred. That is why we have nightmares, for these are but the expressions of the unhealed hurts and fears in our lives; that our enemies or God will take revenge on us. Hence, on all counts, there will be no peace for one who lives in hypocrisy. In fact, we are already living in hell, or at least in purgatory.
The only way out of this hellish experience is to live an authentic life. We are called to live our lives sincerely and courageously. Indeed, it is better to suffer in our body than in our soul, or in our mind. Physical suffering is nothing compared to mental and spiritual sufferings. The sufferings of the heart can kill us; not just physically but personally. With physical sufferings, we can still be happy; but with spiritual sufferings, we will be surely crushed. It is within this context that we can understand Jesus’ advice, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and can do no more.”
But where can we find courage to live such a life? It is found in our faith in God’s love. Abraham and Jesus could live authentic lives precisely because they trusted in God’s providence and care. Jesus in the gospel speaks of the providential love of God when He compared our lives to the sparrows and the hairs on our heads which are counted by God. Such was Jesus’ utter conviction of His Father’s love that He was able to surrender His life by being faithful to Himself and His mission unto death. Without such a trust, it would be simply impossible to be true to oneself.
This is also true of Abraham. He is considered to be the father of faith and was truly justified before God. This does not mean that Abraham was sinless or that he was perfect. No! He remained a sinner but because he was sincere and true to himself in every way, he is considered by God to be righteous and perfect. God loves a person who is true to himself; aware of his sinfulness and always ready to change himself. Abraham could be true to his calling in life and true to God only because he trusted in God and surrendered his life to God in faith, trust and love.
We, too, are called to live our lives in such a way. Only a life of faith and trust can free us to be ourselves and therefore free for others. So long as we are not free to be ourselves, we cannot be free for others, nor can we set others free. By living in slavery to ourselves and to the world with its expectations, we cannot but place ourselves in hell, which is a symbol of our isolation, not simply from others but from ourselves and God. Only a life of sincerity to the truth, a life of transparency, can grant us true joy, peace and happiness because we are at peace within ourselves, with others, and with God.
Having said that, we face another problem. This is the dilemma between being true to ourselves and the fear of causing scandals. Although we would like to be transparent in our dealings and actions all the time, yet, it is not always possible. This is because sometimes even doing the right thing can cause scandals due to the different levels of maturity, whether spiritual, emotional or intellectual standards of our fellow human beings. Consequently, certain people can get jealous or offended due to the limited ways they see life, love and morality.
And so we are caught in a predicament. If we are faithful to ourselves, others’ faith might be shaken; but if we are not faithful to ourselves, then we will deceive ourselves and others. So it is the tension between fidelity to oneself and the exercise of Christian charity. Paul speak of this matter in the example he gave regarding eating meat offered to idols. According to him, it is not wrong, yet we should not do it because it can cause others to lose faith.
So then, what is the right thing to do? Ultimately, I believe it is a question of prudence and sincerity. On one hand, we cannot always be too concerned about what others think or say. In trying to please everyone, we please no one. Thus we must, as far as possible, be true to ourselves even if sometimes we inevitably cause harm to others. This is so especially if it is a case of doing good works. But if it is a question that simply concerns our personal interests, then I believe we must surrender our personal freedom freely, transcending it out of Christian charity so that the other person’s faith will not be overly shaken. However, this does not mean that we should do nothing to help the other person to grow in maturity if it is within our ability to do so.
Prudence, therefore, is the key to the tension. Nevertheless, in the final analysis, being true to ourselves even in the exercise of prudence is always rooted in sincerity and love. Truth and love need not necessarily be contradictory. In fact, truth and love are complementary. If we are truly truthful, then whatever is done, either for ourselves or for the other person, must be done in love; and if we truly love, we will always be living in the truth.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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