20240826 LEGALISM THE CAUSE FOR THE LOSS OF FAITH
26 August 2024, Monday, 21st Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
2 Thessalonians 1:1-5,11-12 |
We thank God for your faith and your love
From Paul, Silvanus and Timothy, to the Church in Thessalonika which is in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ; wishing you grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We feel we must be continually thanking God for you, brothers; quite rightly, because your faith is growing so wonderfully and the love that you have for one another never stops increasing; and among the churches of God we can take special pride in you for your constancy and faith under all the persecutions and troubles you have to bear. It all shows that God’s judgement is just, and the purpose of it is that you may be found worthy of the kingdom of God; it is for the sake of this that you are suffering now.
Knowing this, we pray continually that our God will make you worthy of his call, and by his power fulfil all your desires for goodness and complete all that you have been doing through faith; because in this way the name of our Lord Jesus Christ will be glorified in you and you in him, by the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 95(96):1-5 |
Proclaim the wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.
O sing a new song to the Lord,
sing to the Lord all the earth.
O sing to the Lord, bless his name.
Proclaim the wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.
Proclaim his help day by day,
tell among the nations his glory
and his wonders among all the peoples.
Proclaim the wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.
The Lord is great and worthy of praise,
to be feared above all gods;
the gods of the heathens are naught.
Proclaim the wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.
Gospel Acclamation | Jn17:17 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your word is truth, O Lord:
consecrate us in the truth.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn10:27 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,
says the Lord,
I know them and they follow me.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 23:13-22 |
Alas for you, blind guides!
Jesus said: ‘Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who shut up the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces, neither going in yourselves nor allowing others to go in who want to.
‘Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who travel over sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when you have him you make him twice as fit for hell as you are.
‘Alas for you, blind guides! You who say, “If a man swears by the Temple, it has no force; but if a man swears by the gold of the Temple, he is bound.” Fools and blind! For which is of greater worth, the gold or the Temple that makes the gold sacred? Or else, “If a man swears by the altar it has no force; but if a man swears by the offering that is on the altar, he is bound.” You blind men! For which is of greater worth, the offering or the altar that makes the offering sacred? Therefore, when a man swears by the altar he is swearing by that and by everything on it. And when a man swears by the Temple he is swearing by that and by the One who dwells in it. And when a man swears by heaven he is swearing by the throne of God and by the One who is seated there.’
LEGALISM THE CAUSE FOR THE LOSS OF FAITH
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 THESSALONIANS 1:1-5, 11-12; MATTHEW 23:13-22]
In the first reading, we read of St Paul’s warm and encouraging letter to the early Christians in Thessalonica. St Paul began the letter by affirming them in the progress they had made in Christian life. “We feel we must be continually thanking God for you, brothers; quite rightly, because your faith is growing so wonderfully and the love that you have for one another never stops increasing; and among the churches of god we can take special pride in you for your constancy and faith under all the persecutions and troubles you have to bear.” St Paul first praised them for their growing faith.
Their maturity in faith was seen firstly in the love that they had for each other. Indeed, the sign of faith is always the expression of love. St John wrote, “let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 Jn 4:7f) Jesus in the gospel said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (Jn 13:34f) He reiterated this when He said, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit – fruit that will last -and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.” (Jn 15:16f) St Paul, writing to the Galatians, made it clear, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” (Gal 5:6)
Secondly, their strong faith was manifested in the capacity to remain firm in their allegiance to Christ in spite of the persecutions and oppositions they faced. Being able to endure and suffer for our faith and beliefs is the hallmark of a tested faith. It is easy to love Christ in good times. True love is always seen in the trials of life. This is particularly true in relationships, especially in marriage. When things are good, it does not take much sacrifice to love. It is only when things are trying, then love requires us to die to ourselves and to suffer for the love of another. St Peter wrote to the Christians, “In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Pt 1:6-9)
Unfortunately, many Catholics have gone back to the laws like the early Christians. This is disastrous for the Catholic Faith. Truly, many Catholics in their mind think that salvation is by good works and not by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. They think that salvation is simply doing good, living righteously, earning merits to get to heaven. That is why many Catholics live in fear of the final judgement, about being punished and sent to hell. They are over scrupulous of their sins and actions. St Paul reprimanded the Christians, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.” (Gal 1:6f) He made it clear, “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So, we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.” (Gal 2:15f)
Legalism is the strength and also the weakness of the Catholic Church. Laws are certainly needed in any institution to safeguard justice and charity because not all members are strong enough to love like Christ. They need structures and guidelines to help them to live out the gospel life. But an over emphasis on obedience and observance of the laws reduces faith to a moral system, the efficacy of some rituals and an impersonal and cold institution without a soul. This is how many Catholics feel about the Church. The institutions of the Church lead to legalism in the way we practice our faith. It is a list of dos and don’ts. The individual is not taken seriously but all are seen collectively. We do not treat our people as persons who have their feelings and unique struggles. All are judged by the laws without exception. Punishment is meted without taking into consideration the specific circumstances. The letter of the law is followed but not the spirit. There is no compassion, sensitivity and sympathy to their pain.
This is precisely the condemnation of Jesus in the gospel with regard to the way the Pharisees and the scribes lived out their faith. He called them “hypocrites!” Why? Firstly, the meticulous observance of the laws is almost impossible for anyone to truly observe them in fact and in spirit. Tradition has it that the Pharisees had developed a system of 613 commandments, of which 365 are negative commands and 248 are positive laws. But if you think this is already too many, the Church has 1752 Canon laws for us to observe and obey. These laws do not include the liturgical laws and laws dealing with governance in specific areas. In truth, how could anyone truly claim that he or she has observed all the laws or even know what they are! Hence, the Lord said, “You who shut up the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces, neither going in yourselves nor allowing others to go in who want to.”
Secondly, when we fall into legalism, we become self-righteous. There are many Catholics who lack compassion for fellow Catholics who are weak, struggling in their sins and trying to walk the gospel way of life. The so-called upright Catholics are judgemental of others’ behaviour and conduct. They make themselves the judge of others, how they live their lives and practise their faith. Often, they make presumptuous judgements, slander people, gossip and spread fake news. Such self-righteous Catholics often break up families, communities and discourage sincere Catholics from coming to church because of their sins. Instead of welcoming them, understanding them, affirming and journeying with them, we ostracize them, especially those who have same-sex orientation, are divorced and remarried, have a criminal record, etc. Hence, Jesus warns us, “Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who travel over sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when you have him you make him twice as fit for hell as you are.”
Thirdly, when we are legalistic, we are manipulative of the laws. Instead of seeking to be true to the spirit of the laws, we are simply concerned about the external performance. We find ways to circumvent the laws by giving all kinds of excuses. This was what the Lord said to the religious leaders regarding the validity of an oath taken by the gold of the Temple or the Temple itself. He said to them, “You blind men! For which is of greater worth, the offering or the altar that makes the offering sacred? Therefore, when a man swears by the altar he is swearing by that and by everything on it. And when a man swears by heaven he is swearing by the throne of God and by the One who is seated there.” We lack sincerity!
Indeed, at the end of the day, it is not the legalistic and ritualistic observance of the laws that will save us. Rather, it is our faith in God’s love and that we are justified in Christ. In no uncertain terms, St Paul declared, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” (Gal 2:20f) St Paul also wrote, “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.” (Rom 13:8)
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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