Scripture Reflection and Prayer : Journeying together: August 2024

Friday 30 August 2024

ENCOUNTERING THE KERYGMA PRECEDES OBEDIENCE IN FAITH

20240830 ENCOUNTERING THE KERYGMA PRECEDES OBEDIENCE IN FAITH

30 August 2024, Friday, 21st Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

1 Corinthians 1:17-25

We preach a crucified Christ, the power and wisdom of God

Christ did not send me to baptise, but to preach the Good News, and not to preach that in the terms of philosophy in which the crucifixion of Christ cannot be expressed. The language of the cross may be illogical to those who are not on the way to salvation, but those of us who are on the way see it as God’s power to save. As scripture says: I shall destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing all the learning of the learned. Where are the philosophers now? Where are the scribes? Where are any of our thinkers today? Do you see now how God has shown up the foolishness of human wisdom? If it was God’s wisdom that human wisdom should not know God, it was because God wanted to save those who have faith through the foolishness of the message that we preach. And so, while the Jews demand miracles and the Greeks look for wisdom, here are we preaching a crucified Christ; to the Jews an obstacle that they cannot get over, to the pagans madness, but to those who have been called, whether they are Jews or Greeks, a Christ who is the power and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 32(33):1-2,4-5,10-11

The Lord fills the earth with his love.

Ring out your joy to the Lord, O you just;

for praise is fitting for loyal hearts.

Give thanks to the Lord upon the harp,

with a ten-stringed lute sing him songs.

The Lord fills the earth with his love.

For the word of the Lord is faithful

and all his works to be trusted.

The Lord loves justice and right

and fills the earth with his love.

The Lord fills the earth with his love.

He frustrates the designs of the nations,

he defeats the plans of the peoples.

His own designs shall stand for ever,

the plans of his heart from age to age.

The Lord fills the earth with his love.

Gospel Acclamation

cf.Ps129:5

Alleluia, alleluia!

My soul is waiting for the Lord,

I count on his word.

Alleluia!

Or:

Lk21:36

Alleluia, alleluia!

Stay awake, praying at all times

for the strength to stand with confidence

before the Son of Man.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 25:1-13

The wise and foolish virgins

Jesus told this parable to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of heaven will be like this: Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were sensible: the foolish ones did take their lamps, but they brought no oil, whereas the sensible ones took flasks of oil as well as their lamps. The bridegroom was late, and they all grew drowsy and fell asleep. But at midnight there was a cry, “The bridegroom is here! Go out and meet him.” At this, all those bridesmaids woke up and trimmed their lamps, and the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, “Give us some of your oil: our lamps are going out.” But they replied, “There may not be enough for us and for you; you had better go to those who sell it and buy some for yourselves.” They had gone off to buy it when the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding hall and the door was closed. The other bridesmaids arrived later. “Lord, Lord,” they said “open the door for us.” But he replied, “I tell you solemnly, I do not know you.” So stay awake, because you do not know either the day or the hour.’

ENCOUNTERING THE KERYGMA PRECEDES OBEDIENCE IN FAITH

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 Cor 1:17-25; Psalm 33:1-2,4-5,10-11; Mt 25:1-13]

The fundamental conversion experience of St Paul is his encounter with the Crucified Christ. He was on the way to Damascus when the Lord appeared to Him and said, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:4) We are not too clear what vision he saw, as it was beyond description. In his letter to the Corinthians, he wrote, “I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven – whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows. And I know that such a person – whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows – was caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat.” (2 Cor 12:2-4)

The more he meditated on the mercy of God in Christ crucified, the more he came to appreciate the wisdom of God. He made it clear the gospel which he came to proclaim was not “in the terms of philosophy in which the crucifixion of Christ cannot be expressed. The language of the cross may be illogical to those who are not on the way to salvation, but those of us who are on the way see it as God’s power to save.” The conviction of God’s wisdom revealed in the Crucified Christ was his constant testimony. In his letter to the Galatians, he wrote, “the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal 2:20) And in his letter to the Philippians, he wrote, “I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” (Phil 3:8,10,11)

But how can the death of Christ save us? It is illogical to think that Christ’s passion and death can save the world. The wisdom of the world thinks that power and knowledge will triumph. “And so, while the Jews demanded miracles and the Greeks look for wisdom, here are we preaching a crucified Christ; to the Jews an obstacle that they cannot get over, to the pagans, madness, but to those who have been called, whether they are Jews or Greeks, a Christ who is the power and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.” This is the greatest miracle and wisdom in human history. No one in his logical thinking would ever think that God would save us through the death of His Son. This is madness and contradicts reason.

However, God knows better than us. His ways are beyond human imagination or reasoning. “As scripture says: I shall destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing all the learning of the learned. Where are the philosophers now? Where are the scribes? Where are any of our thinkers today? Do you see now how God has shown up the foolishness of human wisdom?” God reveals His love and mercy for us in the death of His Son on the cross. He reveals His power by raising Him from the dead. This economy of salvation is incomparable to all other religions. Other religions teach us about virtues and how to live a life of love, compassion and unity but no religion ever claimed that their founder was put to a cruel death and rose again. If we, Christians, make this profession of faith in Christ crucified it is because of the testimonies of the early Christians. And those who surrender in faith to this proclamation, have experience the crucified and risen Lord in their own lives.

Consequently, the gospel cannot be proclaimed in terms of philosophy. We cannot bring a person to Christ through intellectual arguments alone. The way to accept Christ ultimately lies in faith. And faith is a response to divine revelation in Christ and through the scriptures. If there is any logic in Christian faith, it is an internal logic of its own, in the sense that from the scriptures, one can show in an intelligible way that faith in Christ is in accordance with the revealed Word of God throughout the centuries; and that Christ is the fulfilment of the Old Testament. In this sense, Christian Faith is considered reasonable but not reasoned.

Indeed, in the New Testament, both in the gospel and in the letters, faith is underscored. Jesus demanded that His disciples have faith in Him. Those who have faith in Him open themselves to the power of God at work in them. Faith is a pre-requisite for healing – whether it is the healing of the lepers, the blind man, the Centurion’s servant, the Synagogue official’s daughter, the woman with haemorrhage, or the Canaanite Syrophoenician woman. When He went back to His hometown, the evangelist noted, “he did not do many deeds of power there, because of their unbelief.” (Mt 13:58)

This emphasis on faith in Jesus is a theme in John’s gospel. The gospel concluded with the unbelief of Thomas. Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” (Jn 20:27-29) Then John concluded his gospel by summing up the purpose of his writing. “Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.” (Jn 20″30f)

St Paul in his letter to the Romans emphasised the importance of being justified by faith in Christ. Like John, he began his letter by outlining his purpose, which is a call to obedience of faith. “The gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name.” (Rom 1:3-5) The heart of his letter was his doctrine of justification by faith. “Since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith.” (Rom 3:23f) Like John the evangelist, he also concluded with an appeal for obedience of faith to the gospel. “Now to God who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the Gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen.” (Rom 16:25-27)

Consequently, we can appreciate why St Paul said, “Christ did not send me to baptise, but to preach the Good News.” Although St Paul baptized as well, his focus was on preaching the Kerygma, the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord. Baptism is secondary to the proclamation. It is a consequence of faith in the Kerygma. This is why, evangelization must always precede the celebration of the sacraments. There is a real danger today that these two dimensions of faith are separated or we forget the primacy of the Kerygma. Faith in the gospel is evoked through the proclamation of the Kerygma. Without an experience of the Kerygma, there can be no true celebration of the sacraments because the sacraments are means by which we enter into the Kerygma.

So we must avoid the tendency to sacramentalize our young people without their first having encountered the Kerygma. Unless they have received the Good News, the sacraments do not make sense. So it is important that the Kerygma be preached before they are sacramentalized. Once sacramentalized, catechesis continues so that they can deepen their understanding of the sacraments that they received. In other words, they must be evangelized before being sacramentalized. Indeed, following today’s parable of the bridesmaid, we must always be prepared to receive our Lord. Such preparation requires a personal commitment. One cannot borrow the oil of faith from another. This was the mistake of the five foolish bridesmaids. It was not that they overslept, but they did not bring enough oil with them. So too, we need to encounter the Lord deeply so that we can welcome Him in the celebration of the sacraments. Encountering the Lord makes it possible for us to render obedience in faith.

GRATITUDE AND FAITHFULNESS

20240831 GRATITUDE AND FAITHFULNESS

31 August 2024, Saturday, 21st Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

1 Corinthians 1:26-31

God chose what is foolish by human reckoning, to shame the wise

Take yourselves for instance, brothers, at the time when you were called: how many of you were wise in the ordinary sense of the word, how many were influential people, or came from noble families? No, it was to shame the wise that God chose what is foolish by human reckoning, and to shame what is strong that he chose what is weak by human reckoning; those whom the world thinks common and contemptible are the ones that God has chosen – those who are nothing at all to show up those who are everything. The human race has nothing to boast about to God, but you, God has made members of Christ Jesus and by God’s doing he has become our wisdom, and our virtue, and our holiness, and our freedom. As scripture says: if anyone wants to boast, let him boast about the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 32(33):12-13,18-21

Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.

They are happy, whose God is the Lord,

the people he has chosen as his own.

From the heavens the Lord looks forth,

he sees all the children of men.

Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.

The Lord looks on those who revere him,

on those who hope in his love,

to rescue their souls from death,

to keep them alive in famine.

Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.

Our soul is waiting for the Lord.

The Lord is our help and our shield.

In him do our hearts find joy.

We trust in his holy name.

Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.

Gospel Acclamation

Ph2:15-16

Alleluia, alleluia!

You will shine in the world like bright stars

because you are offering it the word of life.

Alleluia!

Or:

Jn13:34

Alleluia, alleluia!

I give you a new commandment:

love one another just as I have loved you,

says the Lord.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 25:14-30

You have been faithful in small things: come and join in your master's happiness

Jesus spoke this parable to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of Heaven is like a man on his way abroad who summoned his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to a third one; each in proportion to his ability. Then he set out.

‘The man who had received the five talents promptly went and traded with them and made five more. The man who had received two made two more in the same way. But the man who had received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

‘Now a long time after, the master of those servants came back and went through his accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents came forward bringing five more. “Sir,” he said “you entrusted me with five talents; here are five more that I have made.”

‘His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have shown you can be faithful in small things, I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master’s happiness.”

‘Next the man with the two talents came forward. “Sir,” he said “you entrusted me with two talents; here are two more that I have made.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have shown you can be faithful in small things, I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master’s happiness.”

‘Last came forward the man who had the one talent. “Sir,” said he “I had heard you were a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered; so I was afraid, and I went off and hid your talent in the ground. Here it is; it was yours, you have it back.” But his master answered him, “You wicked and lazy servant! So you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered? Well then, you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have recovered my capital with interest. So now, take the talent from him and give it to the man who has the five talents. For to everyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away. As for this good-for-nothing servant, throw him out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.”’

GRATITUDE AND FAITHFULNESS

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 CORINTHIANS 1:26-31; MATTHEW 25: 14-30]

The scripture readings today focus on the theme of gratitude and faithfulness. In the gospel, we read how the master “on his way abroad summoned his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to a third one; each in proportion to his ability.” Indeed, God has given us all different talents and in differing amounts. He has a plan for each one of us to find fulfillment in life by making full use of our talents for the building of God’s kingdom. God is sovereign in bestowing upon us talents for our personal growth and for the service of the community. Each one of us has been given specific roles in life according to our vocation. We have also been blessed with resources, such as intellectual or aesthetic capacity, professional skills, inter-personal relationships, and personal traits.

All these are given as needed for us to fulfill our vocation in life. Hence, we must not be envious of others who have been given more talents than us, or other talents that we do not have. Happiness in life is when we live our life to our full potential. It is not a matter of what we have – riches, beauty, intellectual capacity -but how we make full use of the talents given to us for our growth as we give ourselves for the service of God and others. This is why we should be contented with what the Lord has blessed us with, and consider how best to use them well for His greater glory and for our personal growth in love and in charity. If we are not endowed with the gifts that others have, it is because they are not necessary for our happiness.

Gratitude, therefore, must be our first response to God’s gift. We must not think that these gifts are ours because we worked hard for them, or because we deserve them. Otherwise pride and an entitlement mentality will wreck our lives. When we think we are so good and that we have achieved so much by our strength, we become proud and arrogant. We will assume a superiority complex, look down on others and be full of self-importance. St Paul reminds us when he challenged the egoistic Christians in Corinthians for attributing all glory to themselves, “Take yourselves, brothers, at the time when you were called: how many of you were wise in the ordinary sense of the word, how many were influential people, or came from noble families?”

Gratitude is even greater when we, in humility, recognize our unworthiness and inability to achieve our goals on our own. When we remember our humble beginnings, or that of our parents who provided us the opportunities and resources to excel in life, we should be filled with wonder, admiration and gratitude at the way God works in our lives. St Paul made it clear when he said, “No, it was to shame the wise that God chose what is foolish by human reckoning, and to shame what is strong that he chose what is weak by human reckoning; those whom the world thinks common and contemptible are the ones that God has chosen – those who are nothing at all to show up those who are everything.” God works wonders in our lives as He did with the apostles who were uneducated. He used them mightily to proclaim His gospel and worked signs of power through them. They were able to heal the sick and even miraculously escape from persecution.

This is why, we have nothing to boast about ourselves except God alone. “The human race has nothing to boast about to God, but you, God has made members of Christ Jesus and by God’s doing he has become our wisdom, and our virtue, and our holiness, and our freedom. As scripture says: if anyone wants to boast, let him boast about the Lord.” Truly, we must recognize that who we are today and what we have accomplished is truly the work of grace and the generosity of His bounty. In Christ’s passion and death, God raised Him to new life. This is why Christ is our wisdom. In His death, the world thought that His mission was a failure, but it was God’s plan to humble the so-called wisdom of the world. God works through us when we are not able to do anything except to surrender to Him. Indeed, because of this, Jesus, as St Paul wrote, is “our wisdom, and our virtue, and our holiness, and our freedom.”

The second response to God’s gift is faithfulness. When we are truly appreciative of the gifts of God, we will use them well, both for ourselves and for others around us. We do not keep these gifts only for ourselves but use them to glorify the Lord. This was the case of the first two servants who were entrusted with five and two talents respectively. When the master returned, the man who had received the five talents came forward bringing five more. “Sir, you entrusted me with five talents; here are five more that I have made.” The second man also said, “Sir, you entrusted me with two talents; here are two more that I have made.” To both of them, the master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have shown you can be faithful in small things, I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master’s happiness.”

The reward of faithfulness is growth. Because both servants were diligent and used their resources to invest the talents they were entrusted with, they reaped a hundred per cent of what they were given. As a consequence, the master entrusted them with more responsibilities because by giving themselves to doing well in small things, they could now manage bigger responsibilities. The rule of life is that those who have more will be given more. When we are faithful with what we have, we will be given more to manage because we have shown that we are reliable and responsible. Indeed, workers should never envy fellow workers who are promoted because if they do their job well, they will eventually be recognized by their superiors. When we love, our capacity to love will grow more and more. When we use our talents to serve, whether in teaching, singing, writing, we will become better each day.

On the contrary, if we are like that lazy servant who took the one talent and buried it, we will lose whatever little we have. The third servant perhaps thought that one talent is not worth much and therefore did not bother to do anything with it. Often, we do not cherish the gifts the Lord has given to us. When we see others having better gifts, we will think less of ours. If only we give ourselves to whatever we have and develop them, we will grow as much as others. We will find fulfillment. Laziness is a sign that we are not grateful for what we have received. When people receive gifts and privileges and do not use them, it shows that they do not appreciate them. The Lord warned us, “Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you.” (Mt 7:6)

Indeed, we are without excuse. The lazy servant when questioned why he did not take the risk of investing the money, said, “I have heard you were a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered; so I was afraid, and I went off and hid your talent in the ground.” When his master heard his lame excuses, he condemned the servant by the very words that he used. “So you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered? Well then, you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return, I would have recovered my capital with interest.” The lazy servant contradicted himself, for if he truly believed the master was a hard man, he would have worked hard with the talent given to him.

As a consequence, that little he had was also taken away. The master ordered, “So now, take the talent from him and give it to the man who has five talents. For to everyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away. As for this good-for-nothing servant, throw him out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.” We, too, must also be grateful for what we have received in life, and be faithful to God by using them for the building of His household, unlike the religious leaders during His time, who fossilized the teachings of God.

Wednesday 28 August 2024

TRAGEDY OF A DEAD CONSCIENCE

20240829 TRAGEDY OF A DEAD CONSCIENCE

29 August 2024, Thursday, The Beheading of St John the Baptist

First reading

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

You have been enriched in many ways in Christ

I, Paul, appointed by God to be an apostle, together with brother Sosthenes, send greetings to the church of God in Corinth, to the holy people of Jesus Christ, who are called to take their place among all the saints everywhere who pray to our Lord Jesus Christ; for he is their Lord no less than ours. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ send you grace and peace.

I never stop thanking God for all the graces you have received through Jesus Christ. I thank him that you have been enriched in so many ways, especially in your teachers and preachers; the witness to Christ has indeed been strong among you so that you will not be without any of the gifts of the Spirit while you are waiting for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed; and he will keep you steady and without blame until the last day, the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, because God by calling you has joined you to his Son, Jesus Christ; and God is faithful.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 144(145):2-7

I will bless your name for ever, O Lord.

I will bless you day after day

and praise your name for ever.

The Lord is great, highly to be praised,

his greatness cannot be measured.

I will bless your name for ever, O Lord.

Age to age shall proclaim your works,

shall declare your mighty deeds,

shall speak of your splendour and glory,

tell the tale of your wonderful works.

I will bless your name for ever, O Lord.

They will speak of your terrible deeds,

recount your greatness and might.

They will recall your abundant goodness;

age to age shall ring out your justice.

I will bless your name for ever, O Lord.

Gospel Acclamation

Mt5:10

Alleluia, alleluia!

Happy those who are persecuted

in the cause of right,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Alleluia!

The following reading is proper to the memorial, and must be used even if you have otherwise chosen to use the ferial readings.

Gospel

Mark 6:17-29

The beheading of John the Baptist

Herod sent to have John arrested, and had him chained up in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife whom he had married. For John had told Herod, ‘It is against the law for you to have your brother’s wife.’ As for Herodias, she was furious with him and wanted to kill him; but she was not able to, because Herod was afraid of John, knowing him to be a good and holy man, and gave him his protection. When he had heard him speak he was greatly perplexed, and yet he liked to listen to him.

An opportunity came on Herod’s birthday when he gave a banquet for the nobles of his court, for his army officers and for the leading figures in Galilee. When the daughter of this same Herodias came in and danced, she delighted Herod and his guests; so the king said to the girl, ‘Ask me anything you like and I will give it you.’ And he swore her an oath, ‘I will give you anything you ask, even half my kingdom.’ She went out and said to her mother, ‘What shall I ask for?’ She replied, ‘The head of John the Baptist.’ The girl hurried straight back to the king and made her request, ‘I want you to give me John the Baptist’s head, here and now, on a dish.’ The king was deeply distressed but, thinking of the oaths he had sworn and of his guests, he was reluctant to break his word to her. So the king at once sent one of the bodyguard with orders to bring John’s head. The man went off and beheaded him in prison; then he brought the head on a dish and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. When John’s disciples heard about this, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

TRAGEDY OF A DEAD CONSCIENCE

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [JEREMIAH 1:17-19; MARK 6:17-29 ]

There is no greater tragedy in humanity than one that has lost its soul. Indeed, when we look at humanity today, instead of becoming more civilized and morally upright, an over exaggerated notion of human freedom has resulted in a humanity that no longer has a conscience over what is right and wrong. This is promoted by the world which champions moral relativism and individualism, where the choice of the individual’s rights overrides the rights of the common good. There is no consensus on truth and morality, and humanity appears to have lost its conscience.

The prophet Jeremiah was called to awaken the conscience of his people. He was forewarned at the beginning of his ministry that his efforts would be futile because the people would not repent of their sins and rebel against God. All the same, Jeremiah was called to proclaim the truth and be the conscience of the nation. We can be sure that such a calling was an unenviable task. His mission was to warn the people of the threat of invasion by Babylon and exile unless they repented. “Brace yourself for action. Stand up and tell them all I command you. Do not be dismayed at their presence, or in their presence I will make you dismayed.” He was not just a prophet of doom but his mission was doomed to fail. He was fiercely opposed, not just by the people but by the court officials and temple priests as well. He was arrested for treason and dumped in a well, surviving on one loaf of bread a day.

It was an extremely daunting and lonely task because even his loved ones abandoned him. He was hated by his own family who wanted him dead because he was deemed unpatriotic for asking the people to surrender to Babylon to avoid disaster. He brought shame to his family. (cf Jer 11:19) “All my close friends are watching for me to stumble. ‘Perhaps he can be enticed, and we can prevail against him, and take our revenge on him.'” (Jer 20:10) In carrying out this task, Jeremiah underwent much inner struggles and self-doubt about what he was asked to do. He even cursed the day of his birth. (Jer 20:14,17f)

But he remained steadfast in his calling and was faithful to the Word of God even when the whole nation was against him and misunderstood him as an agent of Babylon. He foresaw the disaster ahead of Judah and he remained true to his word. Indeed, the Lord had already warned him of his suffering but at the same time, God was true to His word in protecting him and eventually vindicated him. “I, for my part, today will make you into a fortified city, a pillar of iron, and a wall of bronze to comfort all this land: the kings of Judah its princes, its priests and the country people. They will fight against you but shall not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you – it is the Lord who speaks.”

Today, when we celebrate the memorial of the Beheading of John the Baptist, we are reminded how Jeremiah foreshadowed what John the Baptist had to pay for the price of truth as he also sought to awaken the conscience of His people, particularly King Herod. He was a man true to himself and true to the Word of God. Like Jeremiah, he lived a difficult life, a life of austerity and penance in the silence of the desert, hearing attentively to the Word of God. Without fear or favour, he called the people to repentance, including the religious leaders. (Lk 3:1-10; Mt 3:7) He was not cowed into silence even with King Herod and Herodias when he called them out for committing adultery. Without mincing his words, he reprimanded Herod saying, “It is against the law for you to have your brother’s wife.”

This courageous act of testimony to the truth caused him his life. Herodias “was furious with him and wanted to kill him.” Herodias had no conscience. She was blinded by her selfish desire and pride. This made her vindictive, and her hatred for him was so deep, she plotted to dispose of John the Baptist for good. Her evil heart was comparable to Queen Jezebel, the evil wife of King Ahab, the evil king in Israel. The Queen manipulated King Ahab’s weak temperament by conniving to kill Naboth for his vineyard. So too, Herodias conceived a devious plan to force the hand of King Herod to have John the Baptist executed by taking advantage of his weakness – lust. She had her beautiful daughter dance before him on his birthday and he was so delighted that he offered her anything she wanted. She then asked her daughter to demand for the head of John the Baptist on a plate, and Herod fell right into her trap.

Things come to this stage only because we fail to take care of our conscience when it is still sensitive. Herod was a weak man, and like most men, tempted to the sin of the flesh. He was also indecisive. On one hand, his conscience was stirred by the preaching of John the Baptist. “Herod was afraid of John, knowing him to be a good and holy man, and gave him his protection. When he had heard him speak he was greatly perplexed, and yet he liked to listen to him.” He is just like many of us when our conscience is still alive but weak. We go to Church every Sunday and we feel guilty after hearing the homily. We want to change but the moment we leave the church; Satan gets the better of us. We find ourselves too weak to resist temptation. But deep in our hearts we know that we are not doing the right thing.

The danger for those of us whose conscience is weak, but still capable of being stirred by the Word of God, is that over time, we may stray too far to come back to God. By resisting the Word of God, our conscience will be violated by further temptations. This was the case of Herod. He had no intention to execute John the Baptist, but because of his weakened conscience, further dulled by intoxication by wine, and an ego boosted by the presence of his guests, he made a rash promise to his daughter which he found difficult to retract, even though such a request was evil. Indeed, we are told that his conscience was conflicted. “The king was deeply distressed, but thinking of the oaths he had sworn and his guests, he was reluctant to break his word to her.” This word “distress” meant he was in genuine grief. The other only time Mark used this word to describe someone in distress was when Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane. (Mk 14:34) So we can imagine the pain that Herod felt because he knew that John was truly a good and holy man but he had been deceived by Herodias, or rather, he allowed himself to fall victim to her ploy. Cumbered with his pride and ego, and afraid that he would be laughed at if he broke his promise, he “at once sent one of the bodyguards with orders to bring John’s head.”

And so we become dead to our conscience. Herod was no longer able to distinguish between right and wrong, between honouring a request that is good and not evil. We read later in Luke’s gospel that at the trial of Jesus, he wanted to see Jesus only to have Him amuse him. (Lk 23:8-11) There was no longer any trace of conscience or respect for the holy man when earlier on, we are told that he felt guilty when he heard about Jesus, who reminded him of how he killed John the Baptist. (Mk 6:14-16) This is a reminder for us all that if we do not guard our conscience, we will come to a stage when we are totally desensitized and unable to hear His word any more. We saw what happened at the Olympic games, when a so-called Christian country made a parody of the Eucharist before the world. There is no conscience or respect for the Sacred, or the faith of 2.4 billion believers. What can we say of Christianity in Europe today and of the future!

That this episode is sandwiched between the Mission of the Twelve (Mk 6:6-13) and the return of the Twelve who were invited to spend time with Jesus to reflect on their mission (Mk 6:3-32), is a warning to the disciples of the Lord that the proclamation of the Good News will be met with resistance by people and we will have to suffer in sharing the Word of God. Even our loved ones will hate us and marginalize us, not to say of the world and our colleagues, because we are not one of them. We will be pressurized into succumbing to their worldly values because we are afraid to be unpopular, like King Herod. And this happens when our conscience is dead. Let us therefore keep our conscience alive by filling our minds with the Word of God.

Monday 26 August 2024

DISTINGUISHING SACRED TRADITION FROM SACRED TRADITIONS

20240827 DISTINGUISHING SACRED TRADITION FROM SACRED TRADITIONS

27 August 2024, Tuesday, 21st Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

2 Thessalonians 2:1-3,14-17

Stand firm and keep the traditions we have taught you

To turn, brothers, to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we shall all be gathered round him: please do not get excited too soon or alarmed by any prediction or rumour or any letter claiming to come from us, implying that the Day of the Lord has already arrived. Never let anyone deceive you in this way.

Through the Good News that we brought God called you to this so that you should share the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Stand firm, then, brothers, and keep the traditions that we taught you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. May our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father who has given us his love and, through his grace, such inexhaustible comfort and such sure hope, comfort you and strengthen you in everything good that you do or say.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 95(96):10-13

The Lord comes to rule the earth.

Proclaim to the nations: ‘God is king.’

The world he made firm in its place;

he will judge the peoples in fairness.

The Lord comes to rule the earth.

Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad,

let the sea and all within it thunder praise,

let the land and all it bears rejoice,

all the trees of the wood shout for joy

at the presence of the Lord for he comes,

he comes to rule the earth.

The Lord comes to rule the earth.

With justice he will rule the world,

he will judge the peoples with his truth.

The Lord comes to rule the earth.

Gospel Acclamation

cf.Ac16:14

Alleluia, alleluia!

Open our heart, O Lord,

to accept the words of your Son.

Alleluia!

Or:

Heb4:12

Alleluia, alleluia!

The word of God is something alive and active:

it can judge secret emotions and thoughts.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 23:23-26

Clean the inside of the cup first, so that the outside may become clean

Jesus said: ‘Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who pay your tithe of mint and dill and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the Law – justice, mercy, good faith! These you should have practised, without neglecting the others. You blind guides! Straining out gnats and swallowing camels!

‘Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who clean the outside of cup and dish and leave the inside full of extortion and intemperance. Blind Pharisee! Clean the inside of cup and dish first so that the outside may become clean as well.’

DISTINGUISHING SACRED TRADITION FROM SACRED TRADITIONS

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 THESSALONIANS 2:1-3, 14-17; MATTHEW 23:23-26]

In the first reading, St Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, “Stand firm, then, brothers, and keep the traditions that we taught you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.” On one hand, St Paul urged the early Christians to hold on to both the oral and written traditions that they had received from their leaders and the Christian community so that they could remain true to their faith. It is for this reason that the Church has many traditions that have been passed down over the centuries, which we continue to keep them.

On the other hand, in the gospel, Jesus seems to discard the traditions of the Jews. He criticized them for upholding such traditions. This is a similar situation when Catholics are accused of keeping the traditions that are not found in the scriptures. We are often chided for keeping man-made traditions. As Jesus said in the gospel, “You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.” (Mk 7:8) Is this true? Jesus further added, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition!” (Mk 7:9) Surely this cannot not be the case of the Church! On the contrary, we keep the traditions so that we can truly keep the commandment of God.

What is the crux of this divergence? It is the failure to understand what Sacred Tradition is. The latter refers to the transmission of the content of the gospel, that is, the salvific reality as mediated to us in Christ Jesus. The gospel is neither just the written word nor the oral testimonies and practices of Christians over the ages, but the person of Jesus Christ. Transmitting the gospel is more than just transmitting the Words of Jesus but to transmit the person of Jesus, His words and deeds, His entire being. It is for this reason that St John wrote at the end of the gospel, “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.” (Jn 20:30f) Through oral and written traditions, therefore, we transmit the entire person of our Lord. This is what St Paul sought to do when he reminded the Christians to keep the traditions taught to them by word or by mouth.

Second, it is a failure to make a distinction between Sacred Tradition and Sacred Traditions. The first is singular and the second is plural. When we refer to the traditions of the Church, we are not referring to the gospel, which belongs to Sacred Tradition. Traditions are the means, whether through words, customs or practices, by which we seek to express the Gospel, that is, the person of Jesus in our worship and our daily life. Such traditions would include the various liturgical seasons of the Church, the numerous practices such as making the Sign of the Cross, fasting, abstinence from meat, devotions to the saints, pilgrimages, etc. Such traditions are not compulsory or essential or intrinsic to the faith but are means to help Catholics to appreciate Jesus more in their life, experience Him and to grow in union with Him.

Third, we must never forget that human beings cannot live without traditions. We are human beings and we express ourselves through words, signs and practices. Culture is the expression of the values of the community. So, our faith in God would be expressed according to our cultural symbols of love, reverence and piety. For the Easterners, we bow and kneel as a sign of respect, whereas for the Westerners, they stand in attention. Easterners use joss sticks whereas westerners use incense to express our prayers rising to God. Every human institution, including the different religions and Christian communities, would have their own peculiar traditions. Doing away with traditions is to make religion into an abstract reality. As human beings, we need to express and experience our faith and love concretely through signs.

Fourth, the Church always recognizes that there is a hierarchy of truth and values. Whilst we must maintain that all revealed truths come from God and must be believed with the same faith, yet some doctrines are more central to the faith. The core of our faith is faith in the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Trinity. The summary of the core beliefs of Catholic Faith is found in the Creed. Thus, Second Vatican Council declares, “in Catholic doctrine there exists an order or a ‘hierarchy’ of truths, since they vary in their relation to the foundation of the Christian faith” (Decree on Ecumenism, 11). This holds true as much for the dogmas of faith, including her moral teaching. What is important is to uphold those doctrines that lead us to a true knowledge of Christ. St Paul was clear about the purpose of His preaching. He said, “Through the Good News that we brought God called you so that you should share the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Consequently, Jesus was not against the Jewish customs as such. Their customs were useful to help them keep the Mosaic Covenant. They were means to help them to love God and to love their fellowmen. Jesus made it clear that the heart of religion is “‘… the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mk 12:29-31) This is what the Lord meant when He said, “Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who pay your tithe of mint and dill and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the Law – justice, mercy, good faith! These you should have practised, without neglecting the others. You blind guides! Straining out gnats and swallowing camels!” Indeed, many of us argue and fight over the rubrics, the customs and practices that have been passed down to us and which we observe so meticulously but neglect the weightier things of faith which is love of God, mercy, justice and compassion for our fellowmen. If our faith does not lead us to love God in our neighbours, then we have missed the whole point of faith. St John wrote, “The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.” (1 Jn 4:21)

We must be careful that we do not merely perform the rituals or observe the letter of the laws, particularly the small traditions, the customs and practices and forget the more essential dimensions of our faith which is to love God and neighbour. Whatever we do, we must be led to a deeper relationship with God. Praying and reading the scriptures is to enable us to know Jesus better and to understand Christ from the perspective of Christians who through the ages have come to know Him. The Scriptures are the content and summary of faith. But the scriptures are dead unless it is interpreted by the Christian community for their times. This is true also of customs and practices. Unfortunately, many Catholics practice them without relating to the fundamental truth which is Jesus. When customs and practices are detached from the ultimate goal of where we intend the customs to lead us, then we have missed the point all together. We end up being superstitious, ritualistic and legalistic.

This same principle should be applied particularly in our relationships with not just other non-Catholic Christians but also with people of other faiths and even among ourselves. According to the level of faith we share, we must proceed from what is essential and core to religion and then move further up to more specific beliefs, before we can even come to a common agreement of customs and practices. With non-Christian religions and even secularists and humanists, we must begin on the level of love, compassion, justice and charity. When we are in agreement of these basic aspirations, then we can move on to share the basis of what drives us to live a life of integrity, justice and compassion. This is where the question of religious motivations and beliefs could then be shared. To help others to understand how we believe in the Sacred, God or the Ultimate in life, it behoves us to learn to appreciate each other’s customs and practices which are meant to enhance our faith in God and our devotion to Him. Indeed, at the end of the day, there is only one truth and that truth is authentic love of God and our fellowmen.