20240705 BEING A WELCOMING AND INCLUSIVE CHURCH
05 July 2024, Friday, 13th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Amos 8:4-6,9-12 |
A famine not of bread, but of hearing the word of the Lord
Listen to this, you who trample on the needy
and try to suppress the poor people of the country,
you who say, ‘When will New Moon be over
so that we can sell our corn,
and sabbath, so that we can market our wheat?
Then by lowering the bushel, raising the shekel,
by swindling and tampering with the scales,
we can buy up the poor for money,
and the needy for a pair of sandals,
and get a price even for the sweepings of the wheat.’
That day – it is the Lord who speaks –
I will make the sun go down at noon,
and darken the earth in broad daylight.
I am going to turn your feasts into funerals,
all your singing into lamentation;
I will have your loins all in sackcloth,
your heads all shaved.
I will make it a mourning like the mourning for an only son,
as long as it lasts it will be like a day of bitterness.
See what days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks –
days when I will bring famine on the country,
a famine not of bread, a drought not of water,
but of hearing the word of the Lord.
They will stagger from sea to sea,
wander from north to east,
seeking the word of the Lord
and failing to find it.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 118(119):2,10,20,30,40,131 |
Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
They are happy who do his will,
seeking him with all their hearts,
I have sought you with all my heart;
let me not stray from your commands.
Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
My soul is ever consumed
as I long for your decrees.
I have chosen the way of truth
with your decrees before me.
Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
See, I long for your precepts;
then in your justice, give me life.
I open my mouth and I sigh
as I yearn for your commands.
Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Gospel Acclamation | Ps24:4,5 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Teach me your paths, my God,
make me walk in your truth.
Alleluia!
Or: | Mt11:28 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Matthew 9:9-13 |
It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick
As Jesus was walking on, he saw a man named Matthew sitting by the customs house, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him.
While he was at dinner in the house it happened that a number of tax collectors and sinners came to sit at the table with Jesus and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your master eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ When he heard this he replied, ‘It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. Go and learn the meaning of the words: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice. And indeed I did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners.’
BEING A WELCOMING AND INCLUSIVE CHURCH
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [AMOS 8:4-6,9-12; MATTHEW 9:9-13]
Today’s scripture readings share a similar concern, namely, the call for mercy rather than rituals and sacrifice. It is not that rendering sacrifices and observing the rituals are not important. But these are means to an end, namely, to help us to grow closer to God by expressing our love and devotion to Him through the offering of sacrifices, worship and by observing the rituals. But the ultimate goal of such sacrifices and devotions is that we acquire the heart of God, which is the heart of mercy and compassion. External worship and practices cannot take the place of a heart that is after the heart of Christ and His Father. In truth, God does not need our sacrifices, more so animal holocausts, as if these could satisfy Him. What He wants is our heart and our devotion to Him.
Indeed, the people during the time of the prophet Amos were living a life where faith is dichotomized from a life of integrity and charity. The prophet denounced their hypocritical lifestyle – cheating in business, manipulating and overcharging the poor for their selfish interests; “Listen to this, you who trample on the needy and try to suppress the poor people of the country, you who say, ‘When will New Moon be over so that we can sell our corn, and sabbath, so that we can market our wheat? Then by lowering the bushel, raising the shekel, by swindling and tampering with the scales, we can buy up the poor for money, and the needy for a pair of sandals, and get a price even for the sweepings of the wheat.'”
As a consequence, the Lord said through the prophet, “I am going to turn your feasts into funerals, all your singing into lamentation; I will have your loins all in sackcloth, your heads all shaved. I will make it a mourning like the mourning for an only son, as long as it lasts it will be like a day of bitterness.” Indeed, for the sins of injustice, oppression and dishonesty, they would be punished. God does not need our sacrifices; rather, it is we who need to sacrifice to God to remind us that He is the Lord of our lives and all we are and our blessings come from Him.
However, whereas in the first reading, sinners are condemned and cursed; in the gospel, sinners are loved by God. There seems to be a contradiction in the gospel. Apparently, the Pharisees who kept the Law are reprimanded for their allegiance to the Law of Moses. They kept the Law so meticulously that they sought to clarify how the Law of Moses were to be applied in every concrete situation, so much so that observance of the law became such a cumbersome process. In contradiction, the sinners were given special considerations by the Lord. He even ate and drank with them at table, a custom considered taboo in those days to be found in the company of reprobates and sinners. In this instance, Jesus seems to be extremely welcoming towards them, especially to the tax-collectors who were the most hated of people by fellow Jews because of their betrayal in working for the Romans, their enemies, and charging fellow Jews exorbitant taxes. Theirs was the most despised trade.
Indeed, Jesus even called Matthew, the tax-collector, to be one of His apostles. “As Jesus was walking on from there he saw a man named Matthew sitting by the customs house, and he said to him, ‘Follow me’. And he got up and followed him.” It must have been a scandal not just to those who saw Matthew following Jesus as one of His disciples, but among the disciples themselves they must surely be scandalised and wary of him. We can be certain that some of them would have avoided speaking with Matthew as they regarded him as an enemy and traitor of the Jews. Hence, we should not be surprised that the Pharisees were unsettled and said to His disciples, “Why does your master eat with tax collectors and sinners?” In their mind, the action of Jesus did not square with His profession of being a teacher of religion. He was certainly creating a scandal. Jesus was welcoming sinners instead of ostracizing them.
The response of Jesus was sharp and clear. “It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. Go and learn the meaning of the words: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice. And indeed, I did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners.” Jesus’ compassion for sinners and making them feel welcomed and loved must not be misunderstood as if He condoned sins. His eating and drinking with sinners were an attempt to reach out to them so that they could be converted. Indeed, in the eyes of Jesus, sinners are sick and they need the spiritual doctor to attend to them. Jesus was not saying that He accepted them as they were and they could continue with their sinful way of life. Rather, He did not want them to be driven further away as they already were, but to reach out to them, to allow them to experience God’s mercy and compassion.
This is why we must be careful that even whilst we speak of a Church of mercy and compassion, and inclusive and welcoming of sinners, even those with same-sex orientation and those who are transgender, there is no question of us endorsing their lifestyles, simply because they contradict the teaching of the scripture and the gospel. To welcome them and to say that their lifestyle is acceptable to the Church is a lie. This was certainly not how Jesus regarded sinners. Whilst He did not condemn them, He never told them that it is fine for them to continue with their sinful lifestyles. To the adulterous woman, the Lord said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.” (Jn 8:11) Like St Matthew, they must leave their old state of life and exchange it for a life of Christ. Jesus in fact reiterated this when He declared, “Go and learn the meaning of the words: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice. And indeed I did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners.” If we say that those whose lifestyle contradicts the Church’s teaching can continue with their lifestyle, then clearly, we are not calling sinners but the virtuous.
Indeed, we must be clear of our objective in reaching out to sinners whose moral positions are at odds with the Church, whether we are speaking about abortion, euthanasia, transgender, same-sex union, social egg freezing and IVF. These are all presented as personal rights and for the good of the person. Whilst some might advocate them in good faith and have good intentions, we cannot positively advocate a moral act that is good only for the person but violates the rights of others, especially the innocent unborn babies or the common good of society. The end does not justify the means. Whatever we do, our actions must be in line with the Word of God. In our response we say, “Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” The psalmist says, “They are happy who do his will, seeking him with all their hearts, I have sought you with all my heart; let me not stray from your commands. My soul is ever consumed as I long for your decrees. I have chosen the way of truth with your decrees before me.”
Hence, on one hand, we must not cut off sinners from the community, but on the other hand, we must not deal deceitfully with them and mislead them into thinking that their way of life is acceptable to God. We would be false prophets, causing them to fall further into sin and making them lose their salvation. We should exercise compassion, not be judgmental or ostracize them. Rather, we should seek to understand their predicament and help them to know Jesus and His gospel, enlighten them in the truth and encourage them to walk the way of the gospel. By leading them to Jesus and falling in love with Him, they will be more receptive to the teachings of Christ even if they are difficult to accept. This is true in the case of Matthew and his friends. They were all keen to listen to Jesus because He showed them His genuine love for them, and offered them a fuller life. This is what we must seek to do when we reach out to sinners.
In other words, to be a welcoming Church means to break down all barriers that make sinners feel unwelcome, despised or marginalized. Without being judgmental or having a superiority complex over them, we must be genuinely struggling for perfection and on the way to holiness ourselves. We have not yet arrived and so we invite other sinners to join us in our pilgrimage to greater holiness. Together, supporting each other, we will eventually come to the fullness of truth and charity. Holiness, therefore, is a process and we need to accompany those who have difficulties fulfilling the demands of the gospel. This is what it means to be an inclusive and welcoming community for all who seek the Lord. In this way, we remain true to the demands of the gospel, without the need to distort the truths of the gospel or make false compromises and yet be true to ourselves according to the stage of holiness we are in.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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