20240901 LIVING OUT OUR FAITH AUTHENTICALLY
01 September 2024, Sunday, 22nd Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Deuteronomy 4:1-2,6-8 |
Observe these laws and customs, that you may have life
Moses said to the people: ‘Now, Israel, take notice of the laws and customs that I teach you today, and observe them, that you may have life and may enter and take possession of the land that the Lord the God of your fathers is giving you. You must add nothing to what I command you, and take nothing from it, but keep the commandments of the Lord your God just as I lay them down for you. Keep them, observe them, and they will demonstrate to the peoples your wisdom and understanding. When they come to know of all these laws they will exclaim, “No other people is as wise and prudent as this great nation.” And indeed, what great nation is there that has its gods so near as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call to him? And what great nation is there that has laws and customs to match this whole Law that I put before you today?’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 14(15):2-5 |
The just will live in the presence of the Lord.
Lord, who shall dwell on your holy mountain?
He who walks without fault;
he who acts with justice
and speaks the truth from his heart;
he who does not slander with his tongue.
The just will live in the presence of the Lord.
He who does no wrong to his brother,
who casts no slur on his neighbour,
who holds the godless in disdain,
but honours those who fear the Lord.
The just will live in the presence of the Lord.
He who keeps his pledge, come what may;
who takes no interest on a loan
and accepts no bribes against the innocent.
Such a man will stand firm for ever.
The just will live in the presence of the Lord.
Second reading |
James 1:17-18,21-22,27 |
Accept and submit to the word
It is all that is good, everything that is perfect, which is given us from above; it comes down from the Father of all light; with him there is no such thing as alteration, no shadow of a change. By his own choice he made us his children by the message of the truth so that we should be a sort of first-fruits of all that he had created.
Accept and submit to the word which has been planted in you and can save your souls. But you must do what the word tells you, and not just listen to it and deceive yourselves.
Pure, unspoilt religion, in the eyes of God our Father is this: coming to the help of orphans and widows when they need it, and keeping oneself uncontaminated by the world.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Jn6:63,68 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life;
you have the message of eternal life.
Alleluia!
Or: | James1:18 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
By his own choice the Father made us his children
by the message of the truth,
so that we should be a sort of first-fruits
of all that he created.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23 |
You put aside the commandment of God, to cling to human traditions
The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered round Jesus, and they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with unclean hands, that is, without washing them. For the Pharisees, and the Jews in general, follow the tradition of the elders and never eat without washing their arms as far as the elbow; and on returning from the market place they never eat without first sprinkling themselves. There are also many other observances which have been handed down to them concerning the washing of cups and pots and bronze dishes. So these Pharisees and scribes asked him, ‘Why do your disciples not respect the tradition of the elders but eat their food with unclean hands?’ He answered, ‘It was of you hypocrites that Isaiah so rightly prophesied in this passage of scripture:
This people honours me only with lip-service,
while their hearts are far from me.
The worship they offer me is worthless,
the doctrines they teach are only human regulations.
You put aside the commandment of God to cling to human traditions.’ He called the people to him again and said, ‘Listen to me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that goes into a man from outside can make him unclean; it is the things that come out of a man that make him unclean. For it is from within, from men’s hearts, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within and make a man unclean.’
LIVING OUT OUR FAITH AUTHENTICALLY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Dt 4:1-2,6-8; Ps 15; Jas 1:17-18,21-22,27; Mk 7:1-8,14-15,21-23]
There is a real difference between subscribing to a religion and to a Faith. Religions are concerned with beliefs, practices and rituals. It is about performance, including external performances, adopting the right practices. No personal commitment is required, no personal change of life is demanded. One can worship a particular deity and continue to live a sinful and selfish life, so long as the deities are appeased with the necessary offerings. There is no real relationship between what or who we worship, and how we live. In other words, ethics do not necessarily flow from worship.
Faith is concerned with relationships, with God and with one’s fellowmen. There is no dichotomy between worship and ethics. Faith in God is more than worshipping Him in rituals and offerings, but an invitation to be in relationship with Him so that one can share in His life and love. Faith in God requires a personal commitment, not just in terms of intimacy and personal knowledge but also in the way one lives one’s life. Faith must be expressed in daily life, and one’s life must be an expression of God. Most of all, it is expressed in one’s relationship with others. St James wrote, “It is all that is good, everything that is perfect, which is given us from above; it comes down from the Father of all light; with him there is no such thing as alteration, no shadow of a change. By his own choice he made us his children by the message of the truth so that we should be a sort of first-fruits of all that he had created.”
This was why the Lord reprimanded the Pharisees and the scribes. They were not all together wrong in the way they lived out their faith. In fact, they took the commandments of Moses seriously, as prescribed in the Law. In the first reading, Moses instructed the people, “Now, Israel, take notice of the laws and customs that I teach you today, and observe them, that you may have life and may enter and take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers is giving you. You must add nothing to what I command you, and take nothing from it, but keep the commandments of the Lord your God just as I lay them down for you.” This is certainly more than a personal commitment to the Lord and His Law. In that sense, they should be commended. This is the case too of some of our Catholics. They take the laws of the Church seriously and some of them do observe them strictly.
Unfortunately, as the Lord said, “it was of you hypocrites that Isaiah so rightly prophesied in this passage of scripture: this people honours me only with lip-service, while their hearts are far from me.” This was because they were observing them externally, and for the wrong reasons. They were more concerned with not just keeping the Law but the Oral tradition as well, that is, the Scribal laws extrapolated from the Mosaic Laws for their specific applications in their daily life. For example, we read of their hygiene laws. “For the Pharisees, and the Jews in general, follow the tradition of the elders and never eat without washing their arms as far as the elbow; and on returning from the market place they never eat without first sprinkling themselves. There are also many other observances which have been handed down to them concerning the washing of cups and pots and bronze dishes.”
Worse still was that their hearts were not purified and their lives were not lived in integrity, charity and compassion. A faith that is not translated into a life of integrity, honesty and compassion would contradict their so-called observance of the laws, since all laws are meant to help us to relate with God authentically, and to live a life of honesty and charity towards our neighbours. Love of God and of neighbour cannot be separated. This is why St James wrote, “Pure, unspoilt religion, in the eyes of God our Father is this: coming to the help of orphans and widows when they need it, and keeping oneself uncontaminated by the world.”
Christian Faith, therefore, is more than just worshipping God or observing the commandments, but it is to live a life of holiness spelt out in terms of purity of heart and mind in the way we deal with our brothers and sisters. It is to live a life of goodness and kindness. Jesus said to the people, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that goes into a man from outside can make him unclean; it is the things that come out of a man that make him unclean. For it is from within, from men’s hearts, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within and make a man unclean.”
Secondly, it means to live a life of integrity. The psalmist asks, “Lord, who shall dwell on your holy mountain? He who walks without fault; he who acts with justice and speaks the truth from his heart. He who does no wrong to his brother, who casts no slur on his neighbour, who holds the godless in disdain, but honours those who fear the Lord. He who keeps his pledge, come what may; who takes no interest on a loan and accepts no bribes against the innocent. Such a man will stand firm forever.” It is to live a just life and a life of compassion. Unless our faith is seen in the way we deal with our brothers and sisters as God deals with us, we cannot be said to have known God, since we are not living like His children, as St James said.
So how, then, we can live a life of holiness? We must always live consciously in the presence of God. This is our response to the responsorial psalm, “The just will live in the presence of the Lord.” Walking and living consciously in the presence of God is the key to living an authentic Christian life. This clearly means that we think and feel with the Lord. We are guided by His Word and His life. We take direction from Him and seek to imitate Him in all that we do. We seek to glorify Him alone and do everything for His glory and for the salvation of our brothers and sisters.
And what better way to remind us of God’s presence and to imprint His word in us than to take the Word of God seriously in our spiritual life! We must be convinced that the Word of God is truly the Wisdom of God, His truth and His love. Indeed, Moses said to His people, “Keep them, observe them, and they will demonstrate to the peoples your wisdom and understanding. When they come to know of all these laws they will exclaim, ‘No other people is as wise and prudent as this great nation.’ And indeed, what great nation is there that has its gods so near as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call to him? And what great nation is there that has laws and customs to match this whole Law that I put before you today?” This means that we truly accept the Word of God as God’s word, not some human thinking, as St Paul reminds the Thessalonians, “We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers.” (1 Th 2:13) We must not seek to change it to adapt to the world. Moses warned the people, “You must add nothing to what I command you, and take nothing from it, but keep the commandments of the Lord your God just as I lay them down for you.” St James said, “Accept and submit to the word which has been planted in you and can save your souls.”
Secondly, laws given by God are good and wise to protect the people. Unfortunately, it has become a burden, a routine, and the spirit is lost, as was the history of Israel. We must make a distinction between the Law of God and the customary and oral laws. Tradition, that means the principles of the laws, cannot change, but secondary traditions can change with time and situation. We should therefore not attempt to rewrite the gospel just because we do not agree with what is written. This calls for a real understanding of the Word of God, through internalizing. We must read the Word of God with docility and faith, then deepening our understanding through reflection and memory. Finally, as St James tells us, “you must do what the word tells you, and not just listen to it and deceive yourselves.” In the final analysis, it is obedience to the Word of God in faith that will see us through in life, ensuring that our faith in God is a living faith by a life of witnessing, a life charity and truth. When we live an enlightened life, people will see that our faith in God makes us joyful and loving people.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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