Monday, 29 July 2024

MAKING RIGHT CHOICES IN LIFE

20240730 MAKING RIGHT CHOICES IN LIFE

 

 

30 July 2024, Tuesday, 17th Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

Jeremiah 14:17-22

We confess our wickedness; you, God, are our hope

The Lord said to me:

Say this word to the people:

‘Tears flood my eyes

night and day, unceasingly,

since a crushing blow falls on the daughter of my people,

a most grievous injury.

If I go into the countryside,

there lie men killed by the sword;

if I go into the city,

I see people sick with hunger;

even prophets and priests

plough the land: they are at their wit’s end.’

‘Have you rejected Judah altogether?

Does your very soul revolt at Zion?

Why have you struck us down without hope of cure?

We were hoping for peace – no good came of it!

For the moment of cure – nothing but terror!

Lord, we do confess our wickedness

and our fathers’ guilt:

we have indeed sinned against you.

For your name’s sake do not reject us,

do not dishonour the throne of your glory.

Remember us; do not break your covenant with us.

Can any of the pagan Nothings make it rain?

Can the heavens produce showers?

No, it is you, Lord.

O our God, you are our hope,

since it is you who do all this.’


Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 78(79):8-9,11,13

Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.

Do not hold the guilt of our fathers against us.

  Let your compassion hasten to meet us;

  we are left in the depths of distress.

Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.

O God our saviour, come to our help.

  Come for the sake of the glory of your name.

O Lord our God, forgive us our sins;

  rescue us for the sake of your name.

Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.

Let the groans of the prisoners come before you;

  let your strong arm reprieve those condemned to die.

But we, your people, the flock of your pasture,

  will give you thanks for ever and ever.

  We will tell your praise from age to age.

Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.


Gospel Acclamation

1P1:25

Alleluia, alleluia!

The word of the Lord remains for ever:

What is this word?

It is the Good News that has been brought to you.

Alleluia!

Or:

Alleluia, alleluia!

The seed is the word of God, Christ the sower;

whoever finds this seed will remain for ever.

Alleluia!


Gospel

Matthew 13:36-43

As the darnel is gathered up and burnt, so it will be at the end of time

Leaving the crowds, Jesus went to the house; and his disciples came to him and said, ‘Explain the parable about the darnel in the field to us.’ He said in reply, ‘The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world; the good seed is the subjects of the kingdom; the darnel, the subjects of the evil one; the enemy who sowed them, the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; the reapers are the angels. Well then, just as the darnel is gathered up and burnt in the fire, so it will be at the end of time. The Son of Man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that provoke offences and all who do evil, and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then the virtuous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Listen, anyone who has ears!’

 

MAKING RIGHT CHOICES IN LIFE


SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Jer 14:17-22Ps 79:8-9,11,13Mt 13:36-43]

It is a fact that the world is evil.  There is so much sin and sufferings caused by the sins of injustice, violence and killing.  We have no control over the power of evil in this world.  The devil is at work in the hearts of men, tempting them to sin: pride, greed, lust and gluttony manifested in the pursuit of power, wealth and status.  So we are always living with the weeds of this world.  There is no escape.  This is what the parable of the Darnel wants to remind us.  Let us not seek to remove the weeds from our lives.  It is impossible.  So long as we live in this world, the weeds are here to stay, not just in others but also in ourselves.  Before we condemn others as evil and bad, let us also remember that the weeds are also in us as well.  We have our own sins.

But this is only one side of the picture.  The world is not that bad as some people portray it to be.  Even in the face of evil, there are many good people in this world with a kind, generous and magnanimous heart.  They might be believers and they might not even subscribe to any religion. They do good works quietly, living a righteous life and seek to do good for society and humanity.  But we too are basically good people when we look at ourselves.  We are not that bad as we might see ourselves.   Often, we only focus on our weaknesses and sins, exaggerating them out of proportion, making us hate ourselves even more.   This will only keep us from loving others.  Of course we are not saints either.  Even the most wicked man has much goodness in him.  People are wicked or unkind only because they have been wounded and they are merely reacting out of their fears and wounds.

So what do we do?  Do we resign ourselves to the reality of sin and be overwhelmed by it?  Do we join them instead of doing what we can to accept the situation of sin, make the best of it and learn from it, and overcome it with goodness?  We must look at sin in the right perspective.  No doubt sin is evil and we must overcome it.   But we must not allow sin to make us feel hopeless and defeated.  This is a sure way to be under the slavery of sin.  So how can we see the role of sin in a Christian way?  Let us not forget the words of St Paul, “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”  (Rom 8:28)

How do we make sin work for our good? Firstly, the presence of sin must be seen as a test and a means of purification for us in our growth in holiness.  St Paul wrote, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.  For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.  We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.”  (Rom 8:18-23) Indeed, our sufferings will make us desire to be set free by living the life of the Spirit, the life of grace.  God allows us to suffer so that we can grow out of ourselves, look beyond this world to the glory of heaven.  That is why God allows sufferings, old age, pain, sickness, so that we know that our real happiness is in heaven.   “But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.  He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself.”  (Phil 3:20f)

Secondly, through suffering caused by sins or even natural evils, we grow in our interior life.  It is through the trials of life, especially when we face injustices, sufferings and privation, that we learn how to depend on God, value the greater things of life, such as love, compassion, kindness and fraternity.   Therefore, St Paul says, “So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.  For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.”  (2 Cor 4:16-18) Without going through the trials of life, we will not be able to grow in grace and in love.   So we must thank God for the sufferings that come our way.  They are graces for growth, not obstacles for life and love.

This was the case of the Israelites during the time of Jeremiah.  They were suffering the consequences of their sins.  Their lives were immoral, corrupt and evil.  They worshipped false gods and betrayed the covenant.  As a sign of God’s judgement on them, the prophet understood that the famine and drought they were going through were ways in which God wanted the people to know that without Him, they could do nothing.  They had become arrogant, self-reliant and self-sufficient.  But when under attack from natural calamities and their enemies, they were stripped to nothing.  This was the sorrow of the prophet when he said, “Tears flood my eyes night and day, unceasingly, since a crushing blow falls on the daughter of my people, a most grievous injury. If I go into the countryside, there lie men killed by the sword; if I go into the city, I see people sick with hunger; even prophets and priests plough the land: they are at their wit’s end.”

But through their suffering, Jeremiah led them to repentance by turning to God in humility.  This calls for a recognition of their hopelessness and wickedness.  They turned to God saying, “Have you rejected Judah altogether? Does your very soul revolt at Zion? Why have you struck us down without hope of cure? We were hoping for peace – no good came of it! For the moment of cure – nothing but terror!  Lord, we do confess our wickedness and our father’s guilt: we have sinned against you.”  So through their suffering, many of us come to realize our nothingness, especially those of us who are influential, powerful, with money and resources.  In the face of a terminal illness or a rare disease or a threatened pregnancy, we have no one to turn to except the mercy of God alone!

Thirdly, through our sufferings, we will remember the mercy and love of God.   Appealing to God’s covenant means that we become conscious once again of our dignity and our privileged place as God’s chosen people.  It is with this confidence that we can pray with faith as well.   The prophet prayed, “For your name’s sake do not reject us, do not dishonour the throne of your glory.  Remember us; do not break your covenant with us. Can any of the pagan Nothings make it rain? Can the heavens produce showers? No, it is you Lord our God, you are our hope, since it is you who do all this.”  So too the psalmist prayed in such a manner by appealing to the fidelity of God to His covenant.  “Do not hold the guilt of our fathers against us. Let your compassion hasten to meet us; we are left in the depths of distress.  O God our saviour, come to our help.  Come for the sake of the glory of your name. O Lord our God, forgive us our sins; rescue us for the sake of your name.”

So, we should not be too bothered with the weeds around us.  At the same time, we should not be simply thinking of judgement at the end of our life here on earth.  The truth is that the judgement of God is taking place at every moment in our lives.   Jesus said, “Well then, just as the darnel is gathered up and burnt in the fire, so it will be at the end of time.  The Son of Man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that provoke offences and all who do evil, and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.”  Whenever we sin, we will have a foretaste of the punishment of our sins.  This punishment is the purifying fire that God permits in our lives.

Conversely, if we live good lives, then we are already enjoying heaven on earth as a foretaste because we have transcended the suffering of evil.  Jesus said, “Then the virtuous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.”   In the final analysis, whether the weeds are in our favour or not, it is a question of choices that we make.  Even when we make wrong choices, it is never too late.  Use the mistakes and the sufferings that come from them as the means for us to repent, grow and be purified.  For this reason, God does not remove the weeds from our lives completely, lest we become proud and self-reliant. The master replied, “No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”  (Mt 13:28-30)


Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved. 

HOSPITALITY AND FRIENDSHIP

20240729 HOSPITALITY AND FRIENDSHIP

 

 

29 July 2024, Monday, Sts 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

Psalm 33(34):2-11

I will bless the Lord at all times.

or

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

I will bless the Lord at all times,

  his praise always on my lips;

in the Lord my soul shall make its boast.

  The humble shall hear and be glad.

I will bless the Lord at all times.

or

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Glorify the Lord with me.

  Together let us praise his name.

I sought the Lord and he answered me;

  from all my terrors he set me free.

I will bless the Lord at all times.

or

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Look towards him and be radiant;

  let your faces not be abashed.

This poor man called, the Lord heard him

  and rescued him from all his distress.

I will bless the Lord at all times.

or

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

The angel of the Lord is encamped

  around those who revere him, to rescue them.

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

  He is happy who seeks refuge in him.

I will bless the Lord at all times.

or

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Revere the Lord, you his saints.

  They lack nothing, those who revere him.

Strong lions suffer want and go hungry

  but those who seek the Lord lack no blessing.

I will bless the Lord at all times.

or

Taste and see that the Lord is good.


Gospel Acclamation

Jn8:12

Alleluia, alleluia!

I am the light of the world, says the Lord;

anyone who follows me will have the light of life.

Alleluia!


Gospel

John 11:19-27

I am the resurrection and the life

Many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to sympathise with them over their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus had come she went to meet him. Mary remained sitting in the house. Martha said to Jesus, ‘If you had been here, my brother would not have died, but I know that, even now, whatever you ask of God, he will grant you.’ ‘Your brother’ said Jesus to her ‘will rise again.’ Martha said, ‘I know he will rise again at the resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus said:

‘I am the resurrection and the life.

If anyone believes in me, even though he dies he will live,

and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.

Do you believe this?’

‘Yes, Lord,’ she said ‘I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who was to come into this world.’

 

 

HOSPITALITY AND FRIENDSHIP


SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 JOHN 4:7-16JOHN 11:19-27 OR Lk 10:38-42]

One of the most human aspects of Jesus was His capacity to have friends.  We read in the gospel that Jesus was very close to Lazarus, Mary and Martha.  When Lazarus was dying, Mary and Martha sent a message to our Lord, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” (Jn 11:30).  And when Lazarus died, Jesus called him His friend.  He told the apostles, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.”  (Jn 11:11) It is significant that at a time of weariness on His way to Jerusalem, he would stop by to stay in the house of Martha and Mary.  Clearly, from the gospel, we can see the intimate friendship they had from the way they spoke with Him.

Mary “sat down at the Lord’s feet and listened to him speaking.”  She was attentive to the Lord, paying attention to what He was saying, feeling and thinking.  Jesus felt the need to be understood and the desire to share perhaps His anxieties over His passion.  Jesus, being human, knew the importance of friendship, of confiding in His friends.  Indeed, we all need mutual encouragement, attentive listening, and feeling with and for each other.  We can be sure that Mary was all attentive and all ears as she listened to our Lord.   For Mary, at this point, she gave her whole heart and attention to the Lord and nothing else could take her away from Him.  This gave the Lord joy and encouragement.  He felt loved and understood by her.

Indeed, true hospitality is more than welcoming a person to one’s house.  It is the reception we give to the person that is even more important.  We all have this experience of feeling abandoned when we visit someone at home.   Instead of spending time conversing with us, they either leave us alone with the television, or make us watch television with them.  Surely we have a television set in our own home.  When we visit a home, we want to get to know the occupants better.  We seek to converse and share our pains, sorrows, joys, questions, etc.  Only through fraternal sharing, will we get to know each other better, hence the deeper the sharing, the deeper the reflections, the more meaningful the conversation, the more enriching the friendship.  Of course, sometimes, such conversations might take a more light-hearted form such as jokes, laughter, singing and fun, especially during celebration.  

However, for Martha, her way to make Jesus feel loved and welcome was to attend to His needs.  She was busy preparing food and making the place comfortable for Him.  This is also an important aspect of showing hospitality.  I am sure we all feel very honoured when people take the trouble to prepare food for us and make the place comfortable for us if we are staying in their home.   Those of us in the kitchen will appreciate that preparing food takes many hours of labour of love, thinking about what to cook, going to the market, shopping for groceries, cooking and cleaning up after the meal.   So we can appreciate why Martha was a bit annoyed that Mary was sitting before our Lord whilst she was left to do all the chores herself.  She complained, “Lord, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself? Please tell her to help me.”  I am sure we will feel that way if we were Martha trying to get things done for our guests.

However, this complaint of Martha also shows their familiarity with Jesus.  Even if family members have differences, we would not allow our guests to know of our disagreement.  We do not wash our dirty linen in public.  The fact that Martha could openly complain to our Lord about Mary implies that they were very at ease with our Lord.  They knew Him well and the Lord must have been to their house many times before in His travels.  Martha was frank and open enough to let Jesus know her feelings, her frustrations and resentment at seeing Mary seemingly enjoying the better part of the hospitality service whilst she was left to do the grunt work.  Indeed, the Lord did confirm her perception when He said, “Martha, Martha, you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary who has chosen the better part; it is not to be taken from her.”   It was a choice that Mary and Martha made, not the Lord.

Was the Lord wrong in recognizing Mary over Martha?  The Lord was not siding with Mary over Martha.  It was Martha who failed to sense the need of Jesus.  In her view, she must make the place suitable for our Lord and prepare Him a good meal.  That was the way she knew how to show her love and hospitality.  However, the Lord was not so hungry as he was pensive, and felt the need to talk and to share His life with His close friends.  This is an important lesson for us in providing hospitality.  We must know our guests well enough to give them what they truly desire.  Very often, friends gather not so much for the food but just to be together to share their life.  Of course, there are other occasions when they want to celebrate and make merry, then food becomes an important aspect of the celebration.

Being hospitable to our guests requires us to be sensitive, like Mary to the needs of our Lord.  She sensed that our Lord simply wanted her company and was not so much concerned with the other mundane needs.  For hospitality, we must understand our guests well enough to make them feel welcome.  Hosts normally would try to find out what their guests like so that they can prepare for their visit.  Otherwise we might impose what we like on our guests, presuming that they like what we like.   The more we know the person, the easier it is to serve the person.  This is true as well in buying gifts.  When we do not know the person well enough, often the gifts we give are not well appreciated because what we give is not what they like or need, but what we would like to receive ourselves.

In the final analysis, true hospitality is to strengthen the bonds of friendship.  There are many times during my home visitations when I feel like I have wasted my time and that of the host’s, because I left feeling like I have not come to know them a bit better, or that they have come to know me more.  They might have given me good food and displayed their culinary skills.  But beyond impressing me with their beautiful house and good food, I felt empty and hungry as my heart was not touched and my mind unenlightened.   True friendship is about sharing life, love and joy.

From human friendship, we can learn to apply this same principle to our relationship with God.  We can learn from Mary the importance of having a contemplative heart.  The highest form of prayer is contemplative prayer when two hearts beat as one.   Contemplative prayer requires us to focus our eyes and our heart on the Lord.  It does not require us to speak much but simply to feel with the Lord and for the Lord.  Of course, contemplative prayer cannot be artificially simulated as some forms of meditation seek to do.  Rather, it is preceded by vocal, discursive and affective prayer.  To arrive at contemplation, one must first listen to the Word of God, dwell on it and transform insights and ideas into feelings of love and intimacy. Only when we have arrived at silence, does contemplation commence!  It is a natural movement from one level to another.

The fruit of contemplative prayer is love in action. St Teresa of Calcutta once said, “The fruit of silence is prayer. The fruit of prayer is faith. The fruit of faith is love. The fruit of love is service. The fruit of service is peace.”  If we want our service to be genuine and motivated by pure love for God and our fellowmen, not by some kind of ideology or a need to make use of people to find our sense of usefulness and meaning, then our actions must be motivated by the love of God in us.  This is what St John reminds us, “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.”  Only when we are loved by God can we love like Him. “God has loved us so much, we too should love one another. God will live in us and his love will be complete in us.”


Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved. 

Friday, 26 July 2024

THE CHURCH A REFUGE FOR SINNERS

20240727 THE CHURCH A REFUGE FOR SINNERS

 

 

27 July 2024, Saturday, 16th Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

Jeremiah 7:1-11

Reform your behaviour and I will stay here with you, says the Lord

The word that was addressed to Jeremiah by the Lord:

  ‘Go and stand at the gate of the Temple of the Lord and there proclaim this message. Say, “Listen to the word of the Lord, all you men of Judah who come in by these gates to worship the Lord. The Lord Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this: Amend your behaviour and your actions and I will stay with you here in this place. Put no trust in delusive words like these: This is the sanctuary of the Lord, the sanctuary of the Lord, the sanctuary of the Lord! But if you do amend your behaviour and your actions, if you treat each other fairly, if you do not exploit the stranger, the orphan and the widow (if you do not shed innocent blood in this place), and if you do not follow alien gods, to your own ruin, then here in this place I will stay with you, in the land that long ago I gave to your fathers for ever. Yet here you are, trusting in delusive words, to no purpose! Steal, would you, murder, commit adultery, perjure yourselves, burn incense to Baal, follow alien gods that you do not know? – and then come presenting yourselves in this Temple that bears my name, saying: Now we are safe – safe to go on committing all these abominations! Do you take this Temple that bears my name for a robbers’ den? I, at any rate, am not blind – it is the Lord who speaks.”’


Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 83(84):3-6,8,11

How lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord, God of hosts.

My soul is longing and yearning,

  is yearning for the courts of the Lord.

My heart and my soul ring out their joy

  to God, the living God.

How lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord, God of hosts.

The sparrow herself finds a home

  and the swallow a nest for her brood;

she lays her young by your altars,

  Lord of hosts, my king and my God.

How lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord, God of hosts.

They are happy, who dwell in your house,

  for ever singing your praise.

They walk with ever-growing strength,

  they will see the God of gods in Zion.

How lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord, God of hosts.

One day within your courts

  is better than a thousand elsewhere.

The threshold of the house of God

  I prefer to the dwellings of the wicked.

How lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord, God of hosts.


Gospel Acclamation

Heb4:12

Alleluia, alleluia!

The word of God is something alive and active:

it can judge secret emotions and thoughts.

Alleluia!

Or:

Jm1:21

Alleluia, alleluia!

Accept and submit to the word

which has been planted in you

and can save your souls.

Alleluia!


Gospel

Matthew 13:24-30

Let them both grow till the harvest

Jesus put another parable before the crowds: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everybody was asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off. When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, the darnel appeared as well. The owner’s servants went to him and said, “Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? If so, where does the darnel come from?” “Some enemy has done this” he answered. And the servants said, “Do you want us to go and weed it out?” But he said, “No, because when you weed out the darnel you might pull up the wheat with it. Let them both grow till the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers: First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn.”’

 

THE CHURCH A REFUGE FOR SINNERS


SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Jer 7:1-11Mt 13:24-30]

Many of us hold this erroneous idea that the Church is already the Kingdom of God, where God’s rule of love and justice has been established in the hearts of all Christians.  Consequently, they are easily scandalized and become disillusioned when they see the failures in the lives of their fellow Christians and, worst still, when they hear of the scandals committed by Church leaders, clerical, religious or lay.  In their understanding, all Christians must be loving, caring, forgiving, righteous and holy people.

Of course, we know that this is not the reality.  Those who advocate such a view must first begin with themselves to see how good, holy and righteous a Christian he or she is.  In the gospel, Jesus reminds us, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”  (Mt 7:1f) Again, Jesus said, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone.”  (Jn 8:7) Either we are blind to our own sins or are so self-righteous that we cannot see that we are part of the sinfulness in the community of Christ’s Church.

Indeed, Vatican II in the “Constitution of the Church” describes the Church as the budding of the Kingdom of God but is not yet identified with it.  “When Jesus, who had suffered the death of the cross for mankind, had risen, He appeared as the one constituted as Lord, Christ and eternal Priest, and He poured out on His disciples the Spirit promised by the Father.  From this source the Church, equipped with the gifts of its Founder and faithfully guarding His precepts of charity, humility and self-sacrifice, receives the mission to proclaim and to spread among all peoples the Kingdom of Christ and of God and to be, on earth, the initial budding forth of that kingdom. While it slowly grows, the Church strains toward the completed Kingdom and, with all its strength, hopes and desires to be united in glory with its King.”  (Lumen Gentium, 5)

So we should expect the Church in the present time to be a pilgrim Church where it is comprised of sinners seeking to become saints.  All of us are in various stages of spiritual growth in the Church.  There are those who are not yet baptized but are still searching for the truth.  Those who are newly baptized are still immature in the faith – they are still learning how to be good Catholics.  There are the old Catholics who have lost their zeal because of routine and negligence in the practice of their faith.  There are those who are superstitious and keep the faith out of fear for their well-being and the judgement to come.  Many are living a double life; on one hand, sincerely wanting to follow the gospel way of life, but on the other hand are tempted and torn by the daily pressures and challenges of life.  Many more are carrying the old wounds of their past lives and cannot let go.  They remain prisoners of the Old Adam.  Of course, there are also many who have sought to live a holy and righteous life, but they also know that they are far from the Seventh Castle of St Teresa of Avila.  As Jesus said, “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”  (Jn 15:2)

This is what the scripture readings seek to highlight to us.  This is what the Lord wants to teach us in the parable of the Wheat and the Darnel.  “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.  While everybody was asleep, his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off.  When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, the darnel appeared as well.”

So what should we do? Believers in the Church must address this question, “Do you want us to weed it out?”  The answer of our Lord is clear.  “No, because when you weed out the darnel you might pull up the wheat with it.  Let them both grow until the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers:  First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn.”  In other words, we must allow good and evil to co-exist in this world.  This is the arena in which both sinners are brought to repentance and the good are purified further in love and holiness.  If we were to get rid of sinners, we would hamper their conversion and the deepening of the faith of those who are seeking to be faithful to Christ.

The truth is that we are all rough diamonds.  We need to rub against each other in order to be polished.  So, too, in life it is in the interaction of good and evil that both sides are converted.  It is the ongoing tension, the battle between good and evil that is played out all the time, both within the heart of each individual and in society.   Only when we relate with each other can the true character of a person come to light. Whether we are humble, tolerant, forgiving, accommodating, sensitive, generous, positive and inclusive is revealed when we are challenged in daily life situations.   If we only live with people who share our values and views, life is certainly more comfortable, but we will never stretch ourselves to the fullest.  Whether we like it or not, growth is only possible in trials.

This explains why God does not remove all evil from society and from the Church.  God permits Satan to tempt men so that we will have the opportunity to purify ourselves and grow in humility, self-awareness and in love.  In tempting us, the devil is unwittingly cooperating with God in purifying the love of His people for Him.   So we too must see the weaknesses and sinfulness of our fellow Christians as occasions for us to be purified in love and in grace.  Instead of looking at their sins, as many often do and end up being judgmental, we should instead be looking at our own sins and, most of all, the grace and mercy of God for us all, His patience and forgiveness.

There is a story of someone who complained to the pastor and told him that she was leaving the Church.  The pastor was silent and then asked, “Why?”  She answered, because she was irritated and annoyed by the behaviour of the church members.  They are talking in church, using their digital devices, gossiping, etc.  Then the pastor told her if it were possible, to hold two glasses full of water and walk round the church without spilling the water.  When she returned, the pastor asked her, “Did you see anyone using the digital devices or hear people gossiping?”  She said, “No, I was too absorbed trying not to spill the water.”  Then the pastor told her, “You should do the same as well.  Instead of looking at others, you should be focusing on God.  If you are absorbed in worshipping the Lord, then we won’t be distracted by what others do.  We are here to look at God and not at others!”

Indeed, rather than focusing on the sins of the Church, we must focus on God’s mercy and His gracious love for His people, in forgiving us, in tolerating us, and in accepting us, unworthy as we are in our meagre and weak attempts to be true to Him.  We must bear with the presence of evil and sin in our community and in society.  It is God’s grace that will change us.  We should take heart that His grace is working, often imperceptibly, in our lives.

However, this does not mean we do nothing.  We must also cooperate with His grace.  We must not fall into the same mistake of the Israelites in the first reading.  They were committing all kinds of sins, theft, murder, adultery, idolatry but took comfort that God would surely protect them because God’s presence in the Temple of Jerusalem would shield them from all harm.  This was what Jeremiah was trying to debunk from the thoughts of the Judeans.  “Put no trust in delusive words like these: This is the sanctuary of the Lord, the sanctuary of the Lord, the sanctuary of the Lord! Now we are safe – safe to go on committing all these abominations! Do you take this Temple that bears my name for a robbers’ den?”

Jeremiah warned the people as he warns us all about being superstitious in our faith.  Just by relying on some sacred objects, whether it is a temple, church, holy picture, scapular or holy water will not save us from harm unless we are sincerely repentant and desire to live the life of Christ.  We are to heed the words of Jeremiah, “If you do amend your behaviour and your actions, if you treat each other fairly, if you do not exploit the stranger, the orphan and the widow, (if you do not shed innocent blood in this place), and if you do not follow alien gods, to your own ruin, then here in this place I will stay with you, in the land that long ago I gave to your father forever.”  Just because we are baptized does not mean that we are saved, unless we live out our baptismal promises.

So let us not be deceived by such delusions and false teachings of the world.  We must be alert to what wheat is and what darnel is.  They look alike but there is a world of difference.  So too, let us keep our eyes open and be discerning in what is happening in our lives and in the world today so that we will not be deluded in making choices in life.  We must always check the fruits of what we do and what the world proposes.  This is the only way to tell whether they are wheat or darnel.   As Jesus said, “By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?  Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.”  (Mt 7:16f) Let us not be discouraged when we see sins in our community, but let each one of us show the way by living an exemplary life so that we can overcome evil with good by edifying each other in the gospel life.


Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.