20241107 THE REAL PEOPLE OF THE CIRCUMCISION
First reading |
Philippians 3:3-8 |
I was faultless according to the Law; but without knowing Christ I was nothing
We are the real people of the circumcision, we who worship in accordance with the Spirit of God; we have our own glory from Christ Jesus without having to rely on a physical operation. If it came to relying on physical evidence, I should be fully qualified myself. Take any man who thinks he can rely on what is physical: I am even better qualified. I was born of the race of Israel and of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrew parents, and I was circumcised when I was eight days old. As for the Law, I was a Pharisee; as for working for religion, I was a persecutor of the Church; as far as the Law can make you perfect, I was faultless. But because of Christ, I have come to consider all these advantages that I had as disadvantages. Not only that, but I believe nothing can happen that will outweigh the supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 104(105):2-7 |
Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
or
Alleluia!
O sing to the Lord, sing his praise;
tell all his wonderful works!
Be proud of his holy name,
let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
or
Alleluia!
Consider the Lord and his strength;
constantly seek his face.
Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, the judgements he spoke.
Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
or
Alleluia!
O children of Abraham, his servant,
O sons of the Jacob he chose.
He, the Lord, is our God:
his judgements prevail in all the earth.
Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ps129:5 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
My soul is waiting for the Lord,
I count on his word.
Alleluia!
Or: | Mt11:28 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 15:1-10 |
There will be rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner
The tax collectors and the sinners were all seeking the company of Jesus to hear what he had to say, and the Pharisees and the scribes complained. ‘This man’ they said ‘welcomes sinners and eats with them.’ So he spoke this parable to them:
‘What man among you with a hundred sheep, losing one, would not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the missing one till he found it? And when he found it, would he not joyfully take it on his shoulders and then, when he got home, call together his friends and neighbours? “Rejoice with me,” he would say “I have found my sheep that was lost.” In the same way, I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine virtuous men who have no need of repentance.
‘Or again, what woman with ten drachmas would not, if she lost one, light a lamp and sweep out the house and search thoroughly till she found it? And then, when she had found it, call together her friends and neighbours? “Rejoice with me,” she would say “I have found the drachma I lost.” In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing among the angels of God over one repentant sinner.’
07 November 2024, Thursday, 31st Week in Ordinary Time
THE REAL PEOPLE OF THE CIRCUMCISION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [PHILIPPIANS 3:3-8; PS 105:2-7; LUKE 15:1-10]
The authority of Paul was questioned by the Jewish Christians in Philippi because he advocated salvation through faith in Christ without the necessity of observing the Law of Moses. To underscore his authority in speaking this way, he began by asserting that he was not someone who spoke as if from outside of the Jewish Tradition for he himself was raised up as a Jew by birth and by upbringing. He was circumcised like other male Jews. Furthermore, he could trace his origin to the tribe of Benjamin where Saul the first King of David came from. He was even a Pharisee, which meant that he kept the Law meticulously and no one could fault him for breaking the Law. Most of all, he was zealous for the Jewish Faith and thus he persecuted all those Jews who became Christians.
But all these became redundant when he encountered the Lord’s mercy and love. The Lord showed Himself as the Risen Lord, identified with His people who were persecuted by him. And in spite of what Paul had done, the Lord chose him to be His apostle to the gentiles. He was the most unqualified person for this work but Christ qualified him. In his letter to Timothy, he shared, “I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the foremost. But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience, making me an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life.” (1 Tim 1:12-16)
In the gospel, we see how Jesus was truly a man of mercy and compassion. He spoke in the name of God and He acted in God’s name. His mission was to reveal the mercy of God for all. So we read that “the tax collectors and the sinners were all seeking the company of Jesus to hear what he had to say, and the Pharisees and the scribes complained. ‘This man’ they said ‘welcomes sinners and eats with them.’ So he spoke this parable to them.” For the Jews, we cannot associate with sinners, or worse still, to eat with those who were not members of the Chosen People of God. The Jews considered Gentiles as unclean and therefore to eat with them would make them ritually unclean. So sinners and Gentiles were to be avoided. Clearly, salvation must be earned in the minds of the Jews. Unless we are good enough, God will not accept us. Salvation therefore is not from God but from ourselves. We have to make ourselves perfect before God can accept us. If that were the case, why do we need God, or even a Messiah, since we can save ourselves?
To illustrate that salvation is given to all and God loves everyone without exception, Jesus told us two parables in today’s gospel. The first parable speaks of the lost sheep. Christ compared the lost soul, the sinner to that of a lost sheep. He said, “What man among you with a hundred sheep, losing one, would not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the missing one till he found it?” If it is true in ordinary life, that every sheep is important to the shepherd, how much more is a human soul important to God! Jesus, therefore, is like the Good Shepherd that came as He said, not for the healthy but the sick. “I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance.” (Lk 5:32) He too came for Paul who was then called Saul. Jesus came for everyone regardless of who we are. No one is insignificant for the Lord to save. He came for everyone, including the tax-collectors and prostitutes.
Indeed, saving us gives Him the greatest joy. “And when he found it, would he not joyfully take it on his shoulders and then, when he got home, call together his friends and neighbours? ‘Rejoice with me,’ he would say ‘I have found my sheep that was Lost.’ In the same way, I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine virtuous men who have no need of repentance.” God rejoices when we repent. But repentance is not for God but for us. When we repent, we come back to our senses, like the Prodigal Son who was living among the pigs. When we repent, God gives us back our sonship and daughtership. God only wants our happiness and salvation. God has no joy in punishing or shaming us. This is why God is very pleased when we respond to His call to repentance.
For Paul, this experience of God’s mercy in Christ informs him that salvation is not through the observance of the laws. God came to save us as sinners in Christ Jesus. “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person – though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:6-8) As a consequence, Paul concluded that we cannot save ourselves by good works or by observance of the Law. Rather, we are saved by placing our faith in His love and mercy in Christ. Thus, he said, “because of Christ, I have come to consider all the advantages that I had as disadvantages. Not only that, but I believe nothing can happen that will outweigh the supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”
Accordingly, he argued that those who accept Christ, “are the real people of the circumcision, we who worship in accordance with the Spirit of God; we have our own glory from Christ Jesus without having to rely on a physical operation.” Whereas for the Jews, circumcision makes them a member of the chosen race with the accompanying laws that one must observe in being a member of Israel. Paul said, in Christ, who forgives us our sins, we are made members of the Chosen People of God through grace. Hence, Christians no longer have to observe the Law as they were meant to guide the people of Israel until the time when the Messiah came. Circumcision and the Law were means to guide the people to walk together in unity and love; and it was transitional. With the coming of Christ, His passion, death and resurrection, we can belong to the People of God through baptism, because we share in His Spirit, and thus, received a spirit of adoption, “When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ – if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.” (Rom 8:15-17) For this reason, converts to Christianity no longer need to abide by the Jewish Law because Christ is the fulfilment of the Law.
So today, like the woman who lost the coin, we should “light a lamp and sweep out the house and search thoroughly” till we find it. We must spare no effort in enlightening our minds and hearts, so that we can hear the Word of God with docility and repent with a contrite heart. Christ has come to enlighten us because He is the light of the Word. He has come to sweep away all our sins and cast out all evil spirits from our hearts. Consequently, with attentiveness, we must search our conscience thoroughly so that we can sincerely repent of our sins. The real problem is, today, it is not just sinners who know themselves as such who need repentance. There are many Catholics, priests and religious included, who are just like the scribes and Pharisees who do not think that they need repentance. They think so highly of themselves, are blind to their faults and sins, especially that of judgmentalism. The parables are precisely addressed to them and therefore to us, so called “good Catholics”, because we think we do not need forgiveness unlike sinners in the world. This is far from the truth. We ourselves must first repent and receive forgiveness.
When we do, we give great joy to God, like the woman who found the coin, “call(ed) together her friends and neighbours. ‘Rejoice with me,’ she would say ‘I have found the drachma I lost.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing among the angels of God over one repentant sinner.” When we truly repent of our sins and recognize that we are among those whom Christ came to save, we will in turn be like St Paul and go about recounting His mercy for us and how that mercy is also for the rest of the world, especially those who think that they are lost.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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