20240918 IMPERFECT KNOWLEDGE IS OVERCOME BY PERFECT LOVE
First reading |
1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13 |
The supremacy of charity
Be ambitious for the higher gifts. And I am going to show you a way that is better than any of them.
If I have all the eloquence of men or of angels, but speak without love, I am simply a gong booming or a cymbal clashing. If I have the gift of prophecy, understanding all the mysteries there are, and knowing everything, and if I have faith in all its fullness, to move mountains, but without love, then I am nothing at all. If I give away all that I possess, piece by piece, and if I even let them take my body to burn it, but am without love, it will do me no good whatever.
Love is always patient and kind; it is never jealous; love is never boastful or conceited; it is never rude or selfish; it does not take offence, and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people’s sins but delights in the truth; it is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes.
Love does not come to an end. But if there are gifts of prophecy, the time will come when they must fail; or the gift of languages, it will not continue for ever; and knowledge – for this, too, the time will come when it must fail. For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophesying is imperfect; but once perfection comes, all imperfect things will disappear. When I was a child, I used to talk like a child, and think like a child, and argue like a child, but now I am a man, all childish ways are put behind me. Now we are seeing a dim reflection in a mirror; but then we shall be seeing face to face. The knowledge that I have now is imperfect; but then I shall know as fully as I am known.
In short, there are three things that last: faith, hope and love; and the greatest of these is love.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 32(33):2-5,12,22 |
Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.
Give thanks to the Lord upon the harp,
with a ten-stringed lute sing him songs.
O sing him a song that is new,
play loudly, with all your skill.
Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.
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.
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.
May your love be upon us, O Lord,
as we place all our hope in you.
Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.1Th2:13 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Accept God’s message for what it really is:
God’s message, and not some human thinking.
Alleluia!
Or: | cf.Jn6:63,68 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life;
you have the message of eternal life.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 7:31-35 |
'We played the pipes, and you wouldn't dance'
Jesus said to the people:
‘What description can I find for the men of this generation? What are they like? They are like children shouting to one another while they sit in the market-place:
‘“We played the pipes for you,
and you wouldn’t dance;
we sang dirges,
and you wouldn’t cry.”
‘For John the Baptist comes, not eating bread, not drinking wine, and you say, “He is possessed.” The Son of Man comes, eating and drinking, and you say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” Yet Wisdom has been proved right by all her children.’
18 September 2024, Wednesday, 24th Week in Ordinary Time
IMPERFECT KNOWLEDGE IS OVERCOME BY PERFECT LOVE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 COR 12:31-13:13; LUKE 7:31-35]
In the gospel, when the Lord lamented at the fickle-mindedness of the people in responding to God’s invitation, we can identify with them. Many of us are so confused by the world today. The diarrhoea of information we receive from the Internet and social media makes it extremely difficult for us to know truth from falsehoods. Our world view is coloured in many ways by our culture, by the historical and religious context, by our education and friends. That is why the world has become so polarized that people cannot agree on what is right or true or what is good. This is even more real in the world of politics today, where democracy is put to the test. Sometimes one begins to wonder whether democracy unites or divides the people, especially in the name of free speech. No one knows for sure what is true or false; and when people are diametrically opposed in ideology and values. How do we hold the people together when our values are so different?
So, we can appreciate the confusion during the time of our Lord as to who is the true prophet. He said, “‘For John the Baptist comes, not eating bread, not drinking wine, and you say, “He is possessed.” The Son of Man comes, eating and drinking, and you say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” It is difficult in truth to make a judgment and when we do, it is often reflective of our perspective of things and situations. So too, the Church is also divided on many issues, whether it is being true to the perennial teachings of the scriptures or whether we should reinterpret the biblical texts in such a way as to accommodate the current thinking of the modern world and their lifestyles. Those who insist on being “John the Baptist”, that is, the way of discipline, austerity, penance and strict obedience to the Word of God, are condemned as being conservative and outdated. On the other hand, those who desire to make the Faith more acceptable by the modern man and woman would want to make it less strict and rigid. They want the Church to be more inclusive and therefore make apparent compromises on doctrines and morals.
So much so for those of us who are moderate, we do not know what would be the right thing to do. We are neither here nor there. We do not belong to either camp. For such people, the danger is that we do not know where to stand as well. Our foundation is shaky because it is not built on rock but on sand. The irony of those who hold extremist positions is that they are building their ideology on rock, in the sense that there is no way to convert them once they hold on to a certain position. It can also be dangerous because one can be radicalized and become very hostile and violent. So where do we stand for those who are moderate? Are we changing our goal posts so often that we cannot give ourselves wholeheartedly to what we know for certain is true and right?
As a consequence, like the children in the market place, we have become indifferent or sceptical to the Word of God. Many today are not only sceptical of politicians but also of religious leaders. Some have lost faith in institutions and they view those in institutions with great mistrust and suspicion. This is understandable because those in charge of institutions have failed them, be they in politics or in religion. We read of many scandals where politicians and religious leaders use their trusted position to enrich themselves or to manipulate the lives of others. This is why, even when religious leaders announce the message of salvation, some are sceptical. Whether it is a message of good news or a call to repentance, it falls on deaf ears. “We played the pipes for you, and you wouldn’t dance; we sang dirges, and you wouldn’t cry.”
Today, when we read the first reading, we are consoled by St Paul’s words of wisdom that everything on earth is imperfect, including knowledge and prophecy. “But if there are gifts of prophecy, the time will come when they must fail; or the gift of languages, it will not continue forever; and knowledge – for this too, the time will come when it must fail. For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophesying is imperfect; but once perfection comes, all imperfect things will disappear.” How true are these words because nothing is perfect on this earth. Prophecy, languages and knowledge is incomplete. This is why we need to keep on clarifying our position. What is perceived clearly in one epoch is unclear in another because the context has changed and the presuppositions as well. Indeed, as St Paul wrote, “When I was a child, I used to talk like a child, and think like a child, and argue like a child, but now I am a man, all childish ways are put behind me. Now we are seeing a dim reflection in a mirror; but then we shall be seeing face to face. The knowledge that I have now is imperfect; but then I shall know as fully as I am known.”
Even the Church recognizes the development of doctrines and a deepening of the scriptures after saying that with the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord. “The Christian dispensation, therefore, as the new and definitive covenant, will never pass away and we now await no further new public revelation before the glorious manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ (see 1 Tim. 6:14 and Tit. 2:13).” (Dei Verbum 4) In Dei Verbum No 8, she said, “This tradition which comes from the Apostles develops in the Church with the help of the Holy Spirit. For there is a growth in the understanding of the realities and the words which have been handed down. For as the centuries succeed one another, the Church constantly moves forward toward the fullness of divine truth until the words of God reach their complete fulfilment in her.” Then again, we must hold in tension both statements; on one hand, the truth has been revealed definitively and on the other hand, we need to deepen our understanding of the gospel. On one hand, we say the deposits of faith cannot change, but on the other hand, we need to reformulate the doctrines, applying them to our time, but in continuity with the Tradition handed down. This tension will continue to exist in our Church insofar as there are differences in how much we can modify the doctrines which we held to be irreformable except in expression and the progress we can make in deepening our understanding of them.
So, what can we do to resolve the conundrum? It can only be resolved in love. St Paul urges us. “Be ambitious for the higher gifts. And I am going to show you a way that is better than any of them. If I have all the eloquence of men or of angels, but speak without love, I am simply a gong booming or a cymbal clashing. If I have the gift of prophecy, understanding all the mysteries there are, and knowing everything, and if I have faith in all its fullness, to move mountains, but without love, then I am nothing at all. If I give away all that I possess, piece by piece, and if I even let them take my body to burn it, but am without love, it will do me no good whatever.” Without love, we will fight each other to death. Without love, in our sincere desire to keep the gospel and be true to the gospel, we will destroy each other.
So, in our disagreement about doctrinal issues and pastoral practices, we must remember the words of St Paul on what love entails. “Love is always patient and kind; it is never jealous; love is never boastful or conceited; it is never rude or selfish; it does not take offence, and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people’s sins but delights in the truth; it is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes.” We can disagree but we need to be charitable in our words and actions. Very often in meetings even in church meetings, members can use very harsh words to put down those who disagree with them; or superiors use their authority to silence those who have alternative voices. Humility and sensitivity are necessary virtues to keep the peace, and most of all to ensure that in all things we do, we act with love and in love.
Indeed, let us never forget that “Love does not come to an end. There are three things that last: faith, hope and love; and the greatest of these is love.” Even if we have faith and hope, without love we are nothing. Only love triumphs. So, in our confusion, disagreement, differences, let us allow love to triumph over hatred and divisions. Let us suffer patiently and wait patiently for God to enlighten us in truth. Let our love be supported by our common faith in Him and our love for Him. Like the apostles, because we love Christ, then we want to stay united in love for His sake because He prayed that we all may be one.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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