20240626 CRITERIA FOR DISCERNMENT: SCRIPTURE AND FRUITS
26 June 2024, Wednesday, 12th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
2 Kings 22:8-13,23:1-3 |
The Book of the Law is found in the Temple of the Lord
The high priest Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, ‘I have found the Book of the Law in the Temple of the Lord.’’’ And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, who read it. Shaphan the secretary went to the king and reported to him as follows, ‘Your servants’ he said ‘have melted down the silver which was in the Temple and have handed it over to the masters of works attached to the Temple of the Lord.’ Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, ‘Hilkiah the priest has given me a book’; and Shaphan read it aloud in the king’s presence.
On hearing the contents of the Book of the Law, the king tore his garments, and gave the following order to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Achbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s minister: ‘Go and consult the Lord, on behalf of me and the people, about the contents of this book that has been found. Great indeed must be the anger of the Lord blazing out against us because our ancestors did not obey what this book says by practising everything written in it.’
The king then had all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem summoned to him, and the king went up to the Temple of the Lord with all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, priests, prophets and all the people, of high or low degree. In their hearing he read out everything that was said in the book of the covenant found in the Temple of the Lord. The king stood beside the pillar, and in the presence of the Lord he made a covenant to follow the Lord and keep his commandments and decrees and laws with all his heart and soul, in order to enforce the terms of the covenant as written in that book. All the people gave their allegiance to the covenant.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 118(119):33-37,40 |
Lord, teach me your statutes.
Teach me the demands of your statutes
and I will keep them to the end.
Train me to observe your law,
to keep it with my heart.
Lord, teach me your statutes.
Guide me in the path of your commands;
for there is my delight.
Bend my heart to your will
and not to love of gain.
Lord, teach me your statutes.
Keep my eyes from what is false;
by your word, give me life.
See, I long for your precepts;
then in your justice, give me life.
Lord, teach me your statutes.
Gospel Acclamation | Ps118:18 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Open my eyes, O Lord, that I may consider
the wonders of your law.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn15:4,5 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Make your home in me, as I make mine in you,
says the Lord;
whoever remains in me bears fruit in plenty.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Matthew 7:15-20 |
You will be able to tell them by their fruits
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Beware of false prophets who come to you disguised as sheep but underneath are ravenous wolves. You will be able to tell them by their fruits. Can people pick grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, a sound tree produces good fruit but a rotten tree bad fruit. A sound tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor a rotten tree bear good fruit. Any tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown on the fire. I repeat, you will be able to tell them by their fruits.’
CRITERIA FOR DISCERNMENT: SCRIPTURE AND FRUITS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 Kgs 22:8-13, 23:1-3; MT 7:15-20]
As we come to the end of the Sermon on the Mount, it is necessary to discern how the laws are to be applied in the face of changing situations. Indeed, whilst the principles of the Law have been taught by our Lord, and those contained in the Bible, we are reminded to keep to the Spirit of the Law and not simply to the letter of the law. In this way, we will be able to practise righteousness that is deeper than that of the scribes and the Pharisees. In our times, particularly, there is a radical change in lifestyle due to the impact of mass globalisation, advanced technological and scientific progress. This can be seen in the family and in marriage, in studies or in business, at workplaces or in leisure, and even in the equality and identity of one’s gender. How, then, should the values of life be advocated? How do we discern between helpful adaptation to the changing needs and succumbing to the selfish and individualistic interests of society, which will cause humanity to be more divided, leading to decadence and destruction?
Indeed, there are many modern false prophets today advocating the Church to accept same-sex unions, transgenderism, divorce, abortion, euthanasia, surrogacy, IVF, social egg freezing, and destruction of human embryos for research purposes. These are values that contradict the Church’s consistent moral teachings. Using reason, science, existential circumstances and often emotional blackmail, they try to twist and turn, rationalising scripture texts to justify the new moral laws that appeal to the needs of our people. It is no longer allowing Scripture to be the rule of law, but the desires of humanity to take precedence. Scripture is now subject to what we want, not what God wants. If Scripture does not fit into their humanistic arguments, then it does not apply, or must be interpreted widely to accommodate the whims and fancies of society.
Today, we are called to be true prophets by discerning His holy will for us from a proper reading of the scriptures in all sincerity and docility. It requires that we approach the scripture from the vantage point of God and not from our perspective. We must, as St Paul affirmed the Thessalonians, “We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers.” (1 Th 2:13) When many of Jesus’ disciples left Him because they could not accept His teaching on the real presence of the Eucharist, He asked Peter and the rest of the apostles to make their choice. St Peter declared, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (Jn 6:68) St Paul reminds the Christians, “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16f)
This was what King Josiah did. He led the way for his people to return to God. Firstly, when the Book of the Law was discovered, he had the Word of God read to him. Shaphan the secretary read it aloud in the king’s presence. Listening intently without any prejudice and preconceived ideas is required if we are to understand His will. The danger is that many of us seek to project our views and our wills into the scriptures by seeking those texts that will confirm what they desire. To read the scripture, one must be attuned to the Spirit with a mind and heart that is free. Without real freedom, we will only interpret the scriptures like the devil who cites the scriptures for his purpose when he sought to tempt our Lord in the desert after His forty days fast. Unless we are open to hearing the Will of God, we cannot hear His voice. Alas, today, false prophets are just seeking to justify their selfish desires by rationalizing those texts that contradict their will. They read the Word of God with the intent to justify themselves and their actions, not humbly seeking to listen to His voice.
If we truly hear His word with all docility, then the consequence would be to be struck by the Word. This was the reaction of the King on hearing the contents of the Book of the Law. He “tore his garments, and gave the following order to Hilkiah the priest, ‘Go and consult the Lord, on behalf of me and the people, about the contents of this book that has been found. Great indeed must be the anger of the Lord blazing out against us because our ancestors did not obey what this book says by practising everything written in it.'” He was cut to the heart and showed his sincerity in wanting to pursue the right way to live the covenantal relationship with the Lord. This will happen to us too if we read the Word of God with a humble and docile heart. We remember how when St Peter preached the first homily at Pentecost, the people too “were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, ‘Brothers,’ what should we do?” (Acts 2:37)
The opposite reaction to hearing the Word of God is resentment and anger. Indeed, when the Word of God is preached as it should be today, preachers and teachers are attacked in the social media. Such is the prevalence of the cancel culture at work today. No one can speak the truth openly for fear that they would be seen as being exclusive, judgmental, narrow-minded and lacking compassion. Everything must be spoken in such a way that no one gets offended. We are not allowed to hold different views except those views that liberal society advocates. This is the irony of truth today. Pope Benedict rightly said, today we are ruled by a dictatorship of relativism.
So, how do we help those who cannot agree with the Church’s teaching, especially our fellow Christians? We need to invite them to listen with open hearts and minds to the Word of God anew. We need to help them fall in love with Jesus. At this point of time, we cannot yet impose the teaching of scripture and the Church on them. What is needed is to provide them an ambience of acceptance and love. Then invite them to read and listen with their hearts. This was what the King did. He himself was convinced that the nation must go back to the Law and seek to do God’s will as inscribed in the Law of Moses. So, “the king went up to the Temple of the Lord with all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, priests, prophets and all the people, of high or low degree. In their hearing he read out everything that was said in the book of the covenant found in the Temple of the Lord.”
After which, when all have heard the Word of God together, we can make a common response to the Word of God. “The king stood beside the pillar, and in the presence of the Lord he made a covenant to follow the Lord and keep his commandments and decrees and laws with all his heart and soul, in order to enforce the terms of the covenant as written in that book. All the people gave their allegiance to the covenant.” To hear is to obey. As the psalmist says, “O that today you would listen to his voice! Do not harden your hearts, as on the day in the wilderness, when your ancestors tested me, and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.” (Ps 95:7-9)
In the final analysis, how do we know that we are truly listening to the Word of God and obeying His voice? Jesus gives us a clear guideline in today’s gospel, “Beware of false prophets who come to you disguised as sheep but underneath are ravenous wolves. You will be able to tell them by their fruits. A sound tree produces good fruit but a rotten tree bad fruit.” So we must examine the teachings of today’s religious and world leaders. Do their words, actions, and policies bear good fruits for the people? Not just in terms of economic prosperity, but in the moral values and well-being of the people – stable families, strong and lasting marriages, and the holistic formation of young people who have the desire to go beyond their own selfish needs for the service of others, caring especially for the weak, the marginalised, the sick and the elderly. Do we build a united people and a world where all live in peace and prosperity? Look at the fruits of those who are asking for a liberalization of the gospel values. If we are honest enough, what we see are the fruits of chaos, destruction, family breakdowns, divorces, loss of sexual identity, a hedonistic society. Let us be honest in examining the fruits. Are we true to the scriptures, the Tradition of the Church?
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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