20240920 TEMPTATION OF CHRISTOLOGICAL REDUCTIONISM
First reading |
1 Corinthians 15:12-20 |
If Christ has not been raised, your belief is useless
Now if Christ raised from the dead is what has been preached, how can some of you be saying that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, Christ himself cannot have been raised, and if Christ has not been raised then our preaching is useless and your believing it is useless; indeed, we are shown up as witnesses who have committed perjury before God, because we swore in evidence before God that he had raised Christ to life. For if the dead are not raised, Christ has not been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, you are still in your sins. And what is more serious, all who have died in Christ have perished. If our hope in Christ has been for this life only, we are the most unfortunate of all people.
But Christ has in fact been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 16(17):1,6-8,15 |
I shall be filled, when I awake, with the sight of your glory, O Lord.
Lord, hear a cause that is just,
pay heed to my cry.
Turn your ear to my prayer:
no deceit is on my lips.
I shall be filled, when I awake, with the sight of your glory, O Lord.
I am here and I call, you will hear me, O God.
Turn your ear to me; hear my words.
Display your great love, you whose right hand saves
your friends from those who rebel against them.
I shall be filled, when I awake, with the sight of your glory, O Lord.
Guard me as the apple of your eye.
Hide me in the shadow of your wings
As for me, in my justice I shall see your face
and be filled, when I awake, with the sight of your glory.
I shall be filled, when I awake, with the sight of your glory, O Lord.
Gospel Acclamation | Ps94:8 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Harden not your hearts today,
but listen to the voice of the Lord.
Alleluia!
Or: | Mt11:25 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed are you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth,
for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom
to mere children.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 8:1-3 |
The women who accompanied Jesus
Jesus made his way through towns and villages preaching, and proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom of God. With him went the Twelve, as well as certain women who had been cured of evil spirits and ailments: Mary surnamed the Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, Susanna, and several others who provided for them out of their own resources.
20 September 2024, Friday, 24th Week in Ordinary Time
TEMPTATION OF CHRISTOLOGICAL REDUCTIONISM
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 COR 15:12-20; LUKE 8:1-3]
There are two fundamental trends in the world today that are influencing Christians to abandon the gospel they have received, namely, “that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures.” (1 Cor 15:3f) When we forget the centrality of this kerygma, we will also lose our faith in Christ as the Messiah, the Saviour, the Son of the Living God. Why are Christians abandoning, or at least weakening in their faith in Christ as the Son of God and the One who redeems us from our sins?
Firstly, the pressure comes from the secular and atheistic world. In the eyes of the world, there is no question of us submitting to a higher being other than ourselves. Humanity believes that they are the only specie on this earth that can decide for itself. We have the power to conquer the universe and there is no such thing as God or life after death because we are all made of matter. Upon death, we will return to the earth and new life will be formed from our dissipated molecules. So there is only one life to live, which is this earthly life. Happiness is to live this life fully, which means different approaches for different people. For some it is through work, fame, power, wealth and pleasure. For others it is through service of our brothers and sisters. Regardless, living life to the fullest is what life on this earth is all about.
When we see life only for this world and in this world, then faith in Christ or in any religious founder is to make them models of authentic living. So Christ is seen as one among the other great religious founders, such as Buddha, Confucius, Lao Tzu or Prophet Mohammad. They show us the way to live a life of peace, joy, contentment and happiness by living harmoniously with God and with others. But the world would not subscribe to their teachings on life after this world, or life after death. Insofar as religious leaders are concerned, humanists see them at most as people who have chosen a lifestyle that could bring peace and happiness.
This is how many people today, outside of the Christian Faith, and sadly even among Christians, see Jesus – only as a model and teacher of how one should live his or her life. They see the gospel and the Bible as words of wisdom and inspiration that could guide their life. But they are not infallible; not even the Word of God. They read them as we read any inspirational book. They hope that by following Jesus’ lifestyle and teaching, they can attain peace and joy in this life, learning how to detach from the worldly pursuits of life, and living a life of love and sharing. But St Paul made it clear – if we reduce our faith in Christ to merely the Jesus of Nazareth, then he quipped, “If our hope in Christ has been for this life only, we are the most unfortunate of all people.”
Secondly, Christians face the pressure of confessing their faith in Christ as the Son of God, the Way, the Truth and the Life, the one mediator between God and man, in the face of inter-religious dialogue. To make this claim today would make us look triumphalist and lacking sincere respect for people of other faith. So we are now forced to say that Jesus is one among the rest of the religious founders, and our faith is one among many faiths. All faith will lead to God and all religions are true and good. To make the claim of supremacy of Christ would be considered arrogant and divisive. So when faced with such social and religious pressures, today, politics seek to be secular and neutral in their beliefs. Politicians fight shy of making known to others their faith, and surely not to express their faith in public, even if they want to thank God for the blessings they, or the nation, have received. We are to be secular in our language and there should be nothing said of God lest we are frowned upon.
However, when we do that, we become counter-witnesses of our faith. Being secular in public service does not mean that we have to be a-religious. We are a religious person just as a person cannot be dissociated with his or her race and gender. We are what we are today because of upbringing in faith, education and culture. Indeed, we might be in the government and belong to a political party, but we cannot disown our faith, race and gender. What is important is that we are impartial to all, regardless of race and religion, when it comes to the implementation of public policy. But subscribing to a faith does not make a government minister, member of parliament, a congressman, a president, or a civil servant less good. In fact, it should make us better, and a higher standard of service is required of us because we must be both exemplary as Christians and as civil servants. After all, as St Paul reminds us, “Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your master.” (Col 3:23) So being religious does not make us less a true civil servant, politician, or corporate leader. This is because our goal is not just an earthly ambition.
We serve the nation and our people, or in any position in society, not for ourselves but for God who is the Father of all and our Lord and master. Indeed, no longer do we work for men but for God. This is because we know that we have been blessed by God. We have been saved by His mercy and love. This was true in the case of the women who looked after Jesus. The gospel shows how people who have been touched by the Lord surrender their lives and resources to assist Him. “Jesus made his way through towns and villages preaching, and proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom of God. With him went the Twelve, as well as certain women who had been cured of evil spirits and ailments: Mary surnamed the Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, Susanna, and several others who provided for them out of their own resources.” We no longer live for ourselves, as St Paul said. “For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.” (2 Cor 5:14f)
We can do this only because we believe in the resurrection of Christ, for in Him we have overcome the fear of death, and by so doing overcome sin. St Paul wrote, “We will not all die, but we will all be changed. For this perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality. ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labour is not in vain.” (cf 1 Cor 15:51-58) It is ultimately faith in the resurrection of Christ that can sustain us in our commitment to Him. When we believe in our heart that Christ is risen, then we would no longer live simply for this life.
So central is our belief in the resurrection that St Paul wrote, “Now if Christ raised from the dead is what has been preached, how can some of you be saying that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, Christ himself cannot have been raised, and if Christ has not been raised then our preaching is useless and your believing it is useless; indeed, we are shown up as witnesses who have committed perjury before God.” So in the final analysis, whether we are able to commit ourselves to Christ and live out the gospel in confidence depends on whether we truly believe in the Risen Lord and have encountered Him in our lives. If St Paul and the early Christians could commit themselves to the Lord, it was because they saw the Risen Lord. (1 Cor 15:1-3)
With the confession of faith in the Risen Christ, we know for certain that death has been overcome and that we do not just live for this world but for the life that is to come. We know for certain that this is just a pilgrimage on earth, as St Paul said, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself.” (Phil 3:20f)
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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