20241124 PROCLAIMING CHARITY IN TRUTH WITH CHARITY
First reading | Daniel 7:13-14 |
I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man
I gazed into the visions of the night.
And I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven,
one like a son of man.
He came to the one of great age
and was led into his presence.
On him was conferred sovereignty,
glory and kingship,
and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants.
His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty
which shall never pass away,
nor will his empire ever be destroyed.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 92(93):1-2,5 |
The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed.
The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed;
the Lord has robed himself with might,
he has girded himself with power.
The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed.
The world you made firm, not to be moved;
your throne has stood firm from of old.
From all eternity, O Lord, you are.
The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed.
Truly your decrees are to be trusted.
Holiness is fitting to your house,
O Lord, until the end of time.
The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed.
Second reading |
Apocalypse 1:5-8 |
Jesus Christ has made us a line of kings and priests
Grace and peace to you from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the First-Born from the dead, the Ruler of the kings of the earth. He loves us and has washed away our sins with his blood, and made us a line of kings, priests to serve his God and Father; to him, then, be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen. It is he who is coming on the clouds; everyone will see him, even those who pierced him, and all the races of the earth will mourn over him. This is the truth. Amen. ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega’ says the Lord God, who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.
Gospel Acclamation | Mk11:10 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessings on the coming kingdom of our father David!
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 18:33-37 |
Yes, I am a king
‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ Pilate asked. Jesus replied, ‘Do you ask this of your own accord, or have others spoken to you about me?’ Pilate answered, ‘Am I a Jew? It is your own people and the chief priests who have handed you over to me: what have you done?’ Jesus replied, ‘Mine is not a kingdom of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my men would have fought to prevent my being surrendered to the Jews. But my kingdom is not of this kind.’ ‘So you are a king then?’ said Pilate. ‘It is you who say it’ answered Jesus. ‘Yes, I am a king. I was born for this, I came into the world for this: to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.’
24 November 2024, Sunday, Christ the King
PROCLAIMING CHARITY IN TRUTH WITH CHARITY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ Dan 7:13-14; Ps 93:1-2,5; Rev 1:5-8; John 18:33-37]
We all know that love is the meaning of life. We are all created for love, namely love of God, of our neighbour and ourselves. Jesus taught us the greatest commandment, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: 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 12:30f) Indeed, the heart of God is love. Again, we read in the first letter of John’s gospel, “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him.” (1 Jn 4:7-9)
However, this word “love” is very much abused in the world today because everyone is invoking the name of love in whatever they do. In the name of love of oneself, or even of the unborn baby, we abort the child because the parents are not ready for that child, and they do not want the child to suffer in the world. In the name of love, we promote euthanasia, because we have compassion not just for those suffering but so that the caregivers can be set free from the burden of loving and caring for them. In the name of love, we promote IVF so that we can have a child at all costs, even at the expense of the many human embryos we destroy in the process. In the name of love, we promote same-sex marriage and adoption of babies by same-sex couples. In the name of love, countless wars are fought each day with thousands of lives lost. In the name of love, we allow people to consume drugs that destroy their mental and bodily well-being. And the list goes on and on. All in the name of love.
This is why charity needs truth, otherwise charity is grossly misconstrued and devoid of meaning. Charity must be rooted in the light of truth. Charity cannot be detached from ethics and morality. Only in truth, can charity be authentic in its practice. Without truth, charity is reduced to mere sentimentality and subjective emotions. It is an empty word and interpreted arbitrarily to suit the selfishness of the individual, resulting in abuse and distortion. It falls prey to relativistic opinions to the point where charity is actually selfishness and there is no truth in love.
It is within this context that we are called to reflect on this critical and necessary relationship between love and truth. Charity needs to be confirmed by the light of truth and guided by truth. Only when charity is founded on truth, can it bring true love, unity and communion among men and women. No one desires a love that is merely a pretence. We seek true and lasting love. Indeed, love without truth would be just nice sentiments which can change, depending on one’s feelings and moods. One cannot build any real relationship or real sharing of oneself when a relationship is founded on lies and untruth. However, this truth must also be proclaimed in love if it were to be accepted and embraced. St Paul in his letter to the Ephesians wrote, “But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.” (Eph 4:15f)
On the Feast of Christ the King, the scripture readings invite us to look at our Lord who is truth and love in person to understand how love must be founded on truth and how truth in love must be proclaimed. When the Lord was brought before Pilate, He was supposed to be on trial, but it was Pilate and the Jewish leaders and the people that were really on trial. Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus replied, “Do you ask this of your own accord, or have others spoken to you about me?” Indeed, Pilate as the governor was not interested in rendering justice to Jesus. Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? It is your own people and the chief priests who have handed you over to me: what have you done?” He was taking up the case because of pressure from the Jewish leaders and the people. He knew they had no case against Jesus. He was not truthful to himself. So the Lord challenged him further to examine the truth about himself. Jesus replied, ‘Mine is not a kingdom of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my men would have fought to prevent my being surrendered to the Jews. But my kingdom is not of this kind.’ ‘So you are a king then?’ said Pilate. ‘It is you who say it’ answered Jesus. ‘Yes, I am a king. I was born for this, I came into the world for this: to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.’
The question to us all as well, is where do we stand on the side of truth? Where do we stand with regard to our commitment to truth? For us, Christians, Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Jesus who is the Son of God by His very life, being, words and deeds demonstrates to us what charity in truth is all about. The teachings of our Lord reveal to us the truth about life, love, compassion and forgiveness. It is about integrity to the commandments of the Lord, but at the same time, truth must truly promote love. It is about self-sacrifice, simplicity, sharing, caring, forgiving, and welcoming. Do we truly believe in the Word of God, and the teaching of Christ? Or do we make compromises and distort the Word of God to suit our personal and selfish preferences? If it were the case, then we are no better than Pilate who tried to avoid taking a stand on the side of truth to protect his personal interests, his popularity, his position and his power.
If truth is meant to protect charity, then truth must be proclaimed with charity. The Lord shows us the way of innocent suffering. Some of us when speaking the truth, do it without charity, so much so that the truth is not heard. If truth is meant to protect charity, then truth must be proclaimed with charity. Jesus always spoke with truth and with charity. He was patient and non-judgmental towards sinners, whether it was the woman caught in adultery or the tax-collectors. When the Jewish officials evicted Him from the synagogue, He did not resist but brought the gospel to the crowd, preaching at the hillside, on the boat and in deserted land. Jesus in the face of His enemies did not seek revenge or violence. He even instructed Peter to put back his sword when He was arrested at the garden of Gethsemane. The Lord did not resist arrest, and allowed His enemies the upper hand. Even when challenged by the onlookers and the Jewish leaders to come down from the cross to prove His claims, Jesus was silent. When He was scourged and put to death, He willingly submitted to the cross.
By so doing, Christ not only proclaimed the truth but did it with charity. Although He was the King as He revealed Himself to be, He did not reign with a sceptre in His hand or on a throne, but with a reed and the cross. He did not conquer us by power and might, or threats and coercion, but He sought to win over our hearts and minds by His gentleness, mercy, compassion and love. In Him, Love and Truth meet, especially at His passion on the cross. Christ teaches us what is true love and what sacrifices it entails in such love. True love springs from justice and mercy. By His death on the cross, Jesus defeated the world of sin, hatred and selfishness through love. Indeed, as the book of Revelation declares, “Jesus Christ is the faithful witness, the First-born from the dead, the Ruler of the kings of the earth. He loves us and has washed away our sins with his blood, and made us a line of kings, priests to serve his God and Father; to him, then, be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.”
Today, when we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King, we must enthrone Jesus in our hearts so that we allow the truth and love of Christ to reign in our lives. We can be sure that if our lives are founded on Him, we will reign with Him. “On him was conferred sovereignty, glory and kingship, and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants. His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty which shall never pass away, nor will his empire ever be destroyed.” We must allow His love to penetrate every area of our life. Jesus must be the king of our hearts. We must allow Jesus full control over lives. We must submit to His kingdom values and His Word. Finally, let us follow Him by living our life in humble service and in truth. In this way, we establish Christ’s kingdom in all of creation.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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