20250314 ASSUMING PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR LIFE
14 March 2025,Friday, 1st Week of Lent
First reading |
Ezekiel 18:21-28 |
I prefer to see the wicked man renounce his wickedness and live
Thus says the Lord:
‘If the wicked man renounces all the sins he has committed, respects my laws and is law-abiding and honest, he will certainly live; he will not die. All the sins he committed will be forgotten from then on; he shall live because of the integrity he has practised. What! Am I likely to take pleasure in the death of a wicked man – it is the Lord who speaks – and not prefer to see him renounce his wickedness and live?
‘But if the upright man renounces his integrity, commits sin, copies the wicked man and practises every kind of filth, is he to live? All the integrity he has practised shall be forgotten from then on; but this is because he himself has broken faith and committed sin, and for this he shall die. But you object, “What the Lord does is unjust.” Listen, you House of Israel: is what I do unjust? Is it not what you do that is unjust? When the upright man renounces his integrity to commit sin and dies because of this, he dies because of the evil that he himself has committed. When the sinner renounces sin to become law-abiding and honest, he deserves to live. He has chosen to renounce all his previous sins; he shall certainly live; he shall not die.’
Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 129(130) |
If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt, Lord, who would survive?
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord,
Lord, hear my voice!
O let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleading.
If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt, Lord, who would survive?
If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt,
Lord, who would survive?
But with you is found forgiveness:
for this we revere you.
If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt, Lord, who would survive?
My soul is waiting for the Lord.
I count on his word.
My soul is longing for the Lord
more than watchman for daybreak.
(Let the watchman count on daybreak
and Israel on the Lord.)
If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt, Lord, who would survive?
Because with the Lord there is mercy
and fullness of redemption,
Israel indeed he will redeem
from all its iniquity.
If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt, Lord, who would survive?
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Amos5:14 |
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
Seek good and not evil so that you may live,
and that the Lord God of hosts may really be with you.
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
Or: | Ezk18:31 |
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
Shake off all your sins – it is the Lord who speaks –
and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
Gospel | Matthew 5:20-26 |
Anyone who is angry with his brother will answer for it
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If your virtue goes no deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.
‘You have learnt how it was said to our ancestors: You must not kill; and if anyone does kill he must answer for it before the court. But I say this to you: anyone who is angry with his brother will answer for it before the court; if a man calls his brother “Fool” he will answer for it before the Sanhedrin; and if a man calls him “Renegade” he will answer for it in hell fire. So then, if you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering. Come to terms with your opponent in good time while you are still on the way to the court with him, or he may hand you over to the judge and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. I tell you solemnly, you will not get out till you have paid the last penny.’
ASSUMING PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR LIFE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [EZEKIEL 18:21-28; PS 130:1-8; MT 5:20-26]
It is in the DNA of every human person to desire to live, which is more than merely existing. We want to live the fullness of life – having the basic needs, luxury where possible, and most of all, good friends to share our life with. Having good health and good friends with meaningful contribution to society, especially the poor and vulnerable, make us happy. However, fullness of life demands that we are also in relationship with God, observing His laws and commandments, which not only give us proper direction in life but also fulfillment and completeness because our soul desires for God our creator.
So, what causes us to die, even if it is not a biological death? A spiritual death is equally distressing. The first reading makes it clear that it is due to our sins. It does not matter whether we have been good or bad before. Judgment is now, the present, not the past. Simply because happiness is to live in the present. It is not what we had done in the past but what we are doing now that determines our happiness. The past, no matter how beautiful, are but memories. But one does not live in the past. This is why, we cannot appeal to our past good deeds to justify the evils we do today.
It is within this context of personal responsibility that the Lord told the people of Israel. “If the wicked man renounces all the sins he has committed, respects my laws and is law-abiding and honest, he will certainly live; he will not die. All the sins he committed will be forgotten from then on; he shall live because of the integrity he has practiced. What! Am I likely to take pleasure in the death of a wicked man – it is the Lord who speaks – and not prefer to see him renounce his wickedness and live?” God who is the Eternal Present is concerned with our happiness here and now.
The truth is that sin causes us to be unhappy, to be miserable and to be fearful and suspicious of others. Sin makes us greedy, dishonest and unjust to our fellowmen. This is why the Lord said, “But if the upright man renounces his integrity, commits sin, copies the wicked man and practices every kind of filth, is he to live? All the integrity he has practiced shall be forgotten from then on; but this is because he himself has broken faith and committed sin, and for this he shall die.”
So, the only way to be happy is to live a life of grace and holiness. However, there are some who apparently are striving to live a life of holiness and still cannot find life. This was particularly true of the religious leaders during the time of Jesus. They were apparently keeping the laws. In that sense, they were “law-abiding and honest.” In fact, they followed the laws literally and meticulously. In the gospel, Jesus cited some of these laws. “You have learnt how it was said to our ancestors: You must not kill, and if anyone does kill he must answer for it before the court.” They were concerned only with violence and killing. But does it mean that using harsh words to hurt our fellowmen, or making presumptuous judgment on others is acceptable?
If we just reduce morality and justice to this level only, the Lord warns us, “If your virtue goes no deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.” Indeed, we need to go beyond the mere observance of the letter of the law and seek the spirit of the law. In Jesus’ understanding, anything that unsettles us, makes us vindictive whether in thought or in action, will not only hamper our happiness in life but it will also cause further hurt to others. Any root of sin is as bad as a full-blown sin. What is small will eventually become big. Hence, the Lord said, “I say this to you: anyone who is angry with his brother will answer for it before the court; if a man calls his brother ‘Fool’ he will answer for it before the Sanhedrin, and if a man calls him ‘Renegade’, he will answer for it in hell fire.”
So, before our anger leads beyond mere harsh words and negative thoughts and finally to violence and killing, it is more important that we halt the negative process. We must seek peace within ourselves, and most of all forgiveness of our errant brothers and sisters. Unless we seek forgiveness, evil thoughts will lead to uncharitable words and eventually to murder and killing. The Lord warns us, “Come to terms with your opponent in good time while you are still on the way to the court with him, or he may hand you over to the judge and judge to the officer and you will be thrown into prison. I tell you solemnly, you will not get out till you have paid the last penny.” We must therefore settle the quarrel peaceably whilst we still have time and not wait until there is no turning back. If we do not make up while there is still hope and opportunity, we may never find it again. And the cost of not forgiving and reconciling will be too great to bear. We might find ourselves hurting each other even more. So, it is wiser for us to redeem the situation whilst we still care before it is really too late and then we will find ourselves bearing the consequences, more than we are ready to carry.
Furthermore, our prayers will not be worthy before God if we come before Him full of hatred and anger for our brothers and sisters. If we are not at peace with ourselves and with our brothers and sisters, we will be too ashamed to come before God who is our Father. No parent would be happy to see their children fighting among themselves. The best way to please the heavenly Father is to love, care and be united among ourselves. For this reason, the Lord exhorted us, “So then, if you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering.” Indeed, before we come to God and offer him our gifts, the greatest gift we can offer to Him is our union with our brothers and sisters.
So, if we want our virtue to be deeper than merely satisfying the laws, we must have a heart of charity and mercy like our heavenly Father. God does not consider the wrongs we have done in the past. He forgives us completely the moment we turn away from sin. All He wants is that we live in truth and grace. This is why He said, “When the upright man renounces his integrity to commit sin and dies because of this, he dies because of the evil that he himself has committed. When the sinner renounces sin to become law-abiding and honest, he deserves to live. He has chosen to renounce all his previous sins, he shall certainly live; he shall not die.” The day we die to our sins, is the day we rise to a new life. By this promise of God, we too must seek to imitate His compassion and forgiveness.
God desires us to be reconciled with Him and with our brothers and sisters. Knowing how weak and sinful we are, we must therefore turn to God ourselves for healing and forgiveness. Like the psalmist, we must pray, “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord, Lord, hear my voice! O let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleading. If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt, Lord, who would survive? But with you is found forgiveness: for this we revere you.” God is ever ready to forgive us. Only He can deliver us from our sins. As the psalmist declares, “Because with the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption, Israel indeed he will redeem from all its iniquity.”
Hence, during this time of Lent, let us keep watch before the Lord in prayer, searching our hearts and asking the Lord where we need to grow deeper in our spiritual life, in our virtues. “My soul is waiting for the Lord. I count on his word. My soul is longing for the Lord more than watchman for daybreak. (Let the watchman count on daybreak and Israel on the Lord.)” We must search for the motive of what we do and not simply be contented with fulfilling the laws of God and of the Church. For example, it is not enough to observe fasting unless we are fasting for the right motive, not to slim down for vanity’s sake but for discipline and to identify ourselves with the poor and hungry and our own hunger for God. So too, when it comes to prayer, we should not say prayers for the sake of praying, but we must pray with the heart and not just with our lips. Finally, in giving alms, we must do so not to make ourselves feel great about our generosity but truly sharing in God’s joy of loving and serving. We have nothing to boast about ourselves, for all we have come from Him alone.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment