20240112 THE TENSION BETWEEN SPIRITUAL AND SECULAR AUTHORITY
12 January 2024, Friday, 1st Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
1 Samuel 8:4-7,10-22 © |
The people of Israel demand a king
All the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. ‘Look,’ they said to him ‘you are old, and your sons do not follow your ways. So give us a king to rule over us, like the other nations.’ It displeased Samuel that they should say, ‘Let us have a king to rule us’, so he prayed to the Lord. But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for it is not you they have rejected; they have rejected me from ruling over them.’
All that the Lord had said Samuel repeated to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, ‘These will be the rights of the king who is to reign over you. He will take your sons and assign them to his chariotry and cavalry, and they will run in front of his chariot. He will use them as leaders of a thousand and leaders of fifty; he will make them plough his ploughland and harvest his harvest and make his weapons of war and the gear for his chariots. He will also take your daughters as perfumers, cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields, of your vineyards and olive groves and give them to his officials. He will tithe your crops and vineyards to provide for his eunuchs and his officials. He will take the best of your manservants and maidservants, of your cattle and your donkeys, and make them work for him. He will tithe your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry out on account of the king you have chosen for yourselves, but on that day God will not answer you.’
The people refused to listen to the words of Samuel. They said, ‘No! We want a king, so that we in our turn can be like the other nations; our king shall rule us and be our leader and fight our battles.’ Samuel listened to all that the people had to say and repeated it in the ears of the Lord. The Lord then said to Samuel, ‘Obey their voice and give them a king.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 88(89):16-19 © |
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.
Happy the people who acclaim such a king,
who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face,
who find their joy every day in your name,
who make your justice the source of their bliss.
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.
For you, O Lord, are the glory of their strength;
by your favour it is that our might is exalted;
for our ruler is in the keeping of the Lord;
our king in the keeping of the Holy One of Israel.
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ep1:17,18 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our mind,
so that we can see what hope his call holds for us.
Alleluia!
Or: | Lk7:16 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
A great prophet has appeared among us;
God has visited his people.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 2:1-12 © |
The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins
When Jesus returned to Capernaum, word went round that he was back; and so many people collected that there was no room left, even in front of the door. He was preaching the word to them when some people came bringing him a paralytic carried by four men, but as the crowd made it impossible to get the man to him, they stripped the roof over the place where Jesus was; and when they had made an opening, they lowered the stretcher on which the paralytic lay. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, ‘My child, your sins are forgiven.’ Now some scribes were sitting there, and they thought to themselves, ‘How can this man talk like that? He is blaspheming. Who can forgive sins but God?’ Jesus, inwardly aware that this was what they were thinking, said to them, ‘Why do you have these thoughts in your hearts? Which of these is easier: to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven” or to say, “Get up, pick up your stretcher and walk”? But to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,’ – he turned to the paralytic – ‘I order you: get up, pick up your stretcher, and go off home.’ And the man got up, picked up his stretcher at once and walked out in front of everyone, so that they were all astounded and praised God saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this.’
THE TENSION BETWEEN SPIRITUAL AND SECULAR AUTHORITY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1SM 8:4-7, 10-22; Ps 89:16-19; Mk 2:1-12]
Which form of political power is best for the world today? Is it democracy? Is it authoritarianism? Is it monarchy? Even then, there are various kinds of democracy, namely, parliamentary democracy, presidential democracy and direct democracy. Today, China ridicules the democracy of the West and offers their own interpretation of democracy as a government that protects the people and ensure common wealth for all. In an authoritarian form of government, it can be communist, socialist or absolute monarchy. Vatican State is an absolute monarchy where the Pope rules as sovereign.
Indeed, the truth is that no one form of government is ideal, each has its strengths and weaknesses. This is why different countries adopt different forms of government. Any form of government can lead to abuses. What is important at the end of the day is whether the government will rule fairly and justly, ensure that citizens’ rights are protected, that everyone lives in harmony, wealth is shared by all, and the country makes progress economically and technologically. The State ensures law and order, safety of the country from within and without, and economic prosperity.
What about the moral values of the country? The danger is that more and more governments do not have the courage or the capacity to speak on moral issues as we are living in an age of moral relativism. Taking a position on morality will make them lose votes, as moral issues are polarizing. Hence, they tend to take the cue from the people. Morality today is by consensus, which means moral positions and values will change over time according to the preferences of the people. But that is all a democratic government can do if it does not want to lose votes in the next election. This explains why governments abdicate their position as the moral spokesmen of the people. Laws are enacted to reflect the customary and acceptable norms of the people at a particular period of time. Laws are not absolute.
This was why Samuel was displeased with the people when they asked for a king to rule over them. He was apprehensive that a king, like the rest of the pagan nations, would reject the rule of God over them. Under the leadership of the Judges, the leaders acted on behalf of Yahweh by guiding the people in discerning God’s will. They were prophets who listened to the Word of God and discerned what they should do. God was the only king of Israel and the Lord of Hosts. God showed forth His power not through military might but by His strength. He delivered the Hebrews from the Egyptians by His mighty arm. He conquered Jericho for Joshua without the assistance of the military strength of Israel. This showed clearly that faith is necessary for them to conquer their enemies. It would be God who would fight for them. (Ex 14:14; Dt 1:30; 3:22; 20:4)
Hence, to ask for an earthly king would mean that God’s rule would be displaced. In fact, the earthly king would take over the privileges given to God, such as tithing of land, property, crops, and even manpower. Unlike God who uses these privileges for the common good of the people, the kings would use the resources for themselves, their families, their army, and to maintain the royal institutions. This was what Samuel warned the people. Eventually, they would end up as slaves of the king. “He will take the best of your manservants and maidservants, of your cattle and your donkeys, and make them work for him. He will tithe your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry out on account of the king you have chosen for yourselves, but on that day God will not answer you.” The earthly king or any government is meant to serve the people, protect them and ensure the common good is served. Unfortunately, we have seen enough of corrupt officials who grab power to enrich themselves and their families.
Yet, to be fair to the people, the leadership of the Judges was too unstable and not strong enough to defend them against the foreign enemies like the Philistine. They were not warriors or politicians. Theirs was more a spiritual leadership, which has implication for political and military leadership. However, their moral and spiritual authority was also compromised as they became older. Worst of all, their sons who ruled after them suffered the spiritual and moral decadence of their time. The people no longer listened to Yahweh. As a consequence, they could not discern the will of God properly for the people as well. God understood the changing situation and hence commanded Samuel, “‘Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for it is not you they have rejected; they have rejected me from ruling over them. Obey their voice and give them a king.”
The lesson is clear – without moral, spiritual and political leadership, Israel would fall into the hands of their enemies. It was within this context that they asked for a king to rule them. This king ideally would be a representative of Yahweh. He was anointed by Samuel to succeed him. The people said to Samuel, “We want a king, so that we in our turn can be like the other nations; our king shall rule us and be our leader and fight our battles.” Unfortunately, true to the prophecy of Samuel, the kings of Israel, like other nations, would abuse their power, position and privileges. They were pale shadows of the kingship of Yahweh.
If secular authority loses its moral compass, at least spiritual authority can help to steer the secular leaders and the people to do the right thing. And this is the place of religions and the Church today. We have been given a spiritual authority to form our people in truth and love. This is why Christian education, which includes the study of philosophy, theology and scripture, is important for our people. Without proper catechesis, spiritual and theological formation, we lack the basis to guide the world today, especially secular leaders in making moral and ethical decisions for the good of all; not just for today but the future of humanity. Christian education is indispensable for the formation of conscience, and for those who are Catholic, a deepening of their faith as well. Indeed, forgiving the sins of the paralyzed man first, before asking him to stand up, take up his mat and walk, reminds us that if we are paralyzed morally and spiritually, we cannot stand up for our people and our values.
Consequently, every Catholic must take spiritual and theological formation seriously. Some are called to be full time teachers of the faith, whether as priests, religious or lay people. Others are called to serve in different positions in the Catholic community, guiding those in authority to make decisions and promote values in line with the gospel. We are called to share our faith with each other. The more spiritually grounded we are in knowledge and in personal relationship with the Lord, the more we are attuned to the will of God, and able to offer our insightful contributions to those involved in the process of making decisions for the Church, the country and our community.
The gospel today highlights the importance of sharing our faith with others. We read that there was no room left at the house where He was preaching. Then “some people came bringing him a paralytic carried by four men, but as the crowd made it impossible to get the man to him, they stripped the roof over the place where Jesus was. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, ‘My child, your sins are forgiven.'” Indeed, the Lord was able to heal the man, set him free from his sins and gave him the capacity to stand up and be truly contribute to society. The truth remains that those who are healthy and able to walk sometimes use their abilities for evil instead of good. Let us therefore be reminded that many are seeking for direction in life, to be set free from their blindness, to be able to see and walk again with joy and peace. As St Paul wrote, “But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!'” (Rom 10:14f) Let us, as students and teachers of faith, impart what we have learnt to others and not keep it to ourselves.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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