20250312 NEUTRALITY LEADS TO POSTPONEMENT
12 March 2025, Wednesday, 1st Week of Lent
First reading | Jonah 3:1-10 |
The Ninevites repent, and God spares them
The word of the Lord was addressed to Jonah: ‘Up!’ he said ‘Go to Nineveh, the great city, and preach to them as I told you to.’ Jonah set out and went to Nineveh in obedience to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was a city great beyond compare: it took three days to cross it. Jonah went on into the city, making a day’s journey. He preached in these words, ‘Only forty days more and Nineveh is going to be destroyed.’ And the people of Nineveh believed in God; they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least. The news reached the king of Nineveh, who rose from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth and sat down in ashes. A proclamation was then promulgated throughout Nineveh, by decree of the king and his ministers, as follows: ‘Men and beasts, herds and flocks, are to taste nothing; they must not eat, they must not drink water. All are to put on sackcloth and call on God with all their might; and let everyone renounce his evil behaviour and the wicked things he has done. Who knows if God will not change his mind and relent, if he will not renounce his burning wrath, so that we do not perish?’ God saw their efforts to renounce their evil behaviour, and God relented: he did not inflict on them the disaster which he had threatened.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 50(51):3-4,12-13,18-19 |
A humbled, contrite heart, O God, you will not spurn.
Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.
In your compassion blot out my offence.
O wash me more and more from my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.
A humbled, contrite heart, O God, you will not spurn.
A pure heart create for me, O God,
put a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
nor deprive me of your holy spirit.
A humbled, contrite heart, O God, you will not spurn.
For in sacrifice you take no delight,
burnt offering from me you would refuse,
my sacrifice, a contrite spirit.
A humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn.
A humbled, contrite heart, O God, you will not spurn.
Gospel Acclamation | Ezk33:11 |
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
I take pleasure, not in the death of a wicked man
– it is the Lord who speaks –
but in the turning back of a wicked man
who changes his ways to win life.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
Or: | Joel2:12-13 |
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
Now, now – it is the Lord who speaks –
come back to me with all your heart,
for I am all tenderness and compassion.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
Gospel | Luke 11:29-32 |
As Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be a sign
The crowds got even bigger, and Jesus addressed them:
‘This is a wicked generation; it is asking for a sign. The only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. On Judgement day the Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here. On Judgement day the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation and condemn it, because when Jonah preached they repented; and there is something greater than Jonah here.’
NEUTRALITY LEADS TO POSTPONEMENT
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Jonah 3:1-10; Ps 51:3-4,12-13,18-19; Luke 11:29-32]
It is popular in our day to be neutral. The relativistic culture today values non-partisanship. We are discouraged from passing judgment on anything, lest we be labelled as intolerant, narrow-minded, judgmental and divisive. This is particularly true with respect to morals. Many cultures, especially those influenced by the West, generally regard religious views as private – one may not air one’s religious views in secular spaces, as if religion is such a private matter to be practiced only within the compound of churches and temples or in the home. We cannot remain silent on the fundamental beliefs which we see as universal truths simply because we fear that we might offend others who might not agree with us. Neutrality, or even using politically correct language to express our fundamental beliefs is therefore not always a good thing. Indeed, Jesus in this entire chapter of Luke, confronts us to make a choice for Him and to stand up for Him. The reality is that the presence of Jesus forces a choice. Before Truth, we cannot be neutral. There is no half-truth because either it is true or it is not.
This is a failure to see that religious values influence a person’s outlook on life more than anything else, even education. Provided, of course, that we are speaking about a real believer whose faith and life are not dichotomized. What and how we think, what centres our lives, what defines our values and character is very much dependent on what we see as the fundamental values of life. A faith believer and an agnostic will see life and values differently. Consequently, just as people are permitted to share their political and moral convictions on many matters in the secular place, why can’t we who are convinced of the truth and universal values of our religion share our views in public space? We are of course not talking about imposing our faith or values on others. But surely we can take a stand in public over whom we believe and what we believe!
This is the context of today’s scripture readings. We cannot remain silent on the fundamental beliefs which we see as universal truths simply because we fear that we might offend others who might not agree with us. Neutrality, or even using politically correct language to express our fundamental beliefs is therefore not always a good thing. Indeed, Jesus in this entire chapter of Luke, confronts us to make a choice for Him and to stand up for Him. The reality is that the presence of Jesus forces a choice. Before Truth, we cannot be neutral. There is no half-truth because either it is true or it is not.
Otherwise, we will be like the man who had the spirit cast out of him. Because he was negligent in filling up his house with the presence of God after being exorcised, another demon more powerful brings seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they take up residence there. Hence, the man’s condition is made worse than before. If grace frees us, we must use that opportunity to grow in grace further. Neutrality is emptiness, a void that would eventually be filled by other things. When we do not respond to the grace of God, what is an opportunity becomes a tragedy.
Jesus is asking us for a response. He has given us His blessings and provided us opportunities to recognize His presence in our lives. He has cast out the evil spirits. He has performed miracles. And when “a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!” (Lk 11:28f) This is a warning in itself that if we do not respond to the Word of God, we will suffer the consequence. Richness and fullness of life are not a matter of biological or social connection, but a consequence of living a life of grace in accordance with the Word of God. (cf Lk 8:19-21). So the choice is ours, do we want to receive a blessing or a curse?
In today’s gospel, Jesus gave us another warning and an exhortation. “The crowds got even bigger and Jesus addressed them. ‘This is a wicked generation; it is asking for a sign. The only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.'” They were always asking for a sign. Indeed, history today is always seeking endlessly for sign after sign. Jesus labelled this as a wicked generation especially in the light of the signs that He had already given. Our Lord insists that no sign will come beside what Jonah and Solomon had provided. It is not wrong to ask for a sign but to keep on postponing our conversion from one sign to another shows that we are not ready to take the leap of faith. We keep on postponing not because there is no sign but because we are afraid, indifferent, or simply not taking the signs seriously. This is truly a tragedy for many people. They have seen the symptoms of their bodily weakness and they have seen how others suffered because they never learnt from the lessons of others. Yet, they defer taking a radical decision to do the right thing. Jesus then turns to history as he issues a warning about the endless pursuit of signs (Lk 11:29-32).
Our Lord insists that no sign will come beside what Jonah and Solomon have provided. When Jesus used the example of Jonah, we must not immediately conclude that the sign of Jonah refers to the resurrection of our Lord. Rather, in the context of Luke’s placement of the text, the sign means that Jesus is greater than Jonah’s preaching of repentance. “On Judgement day the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation and condemn it, because when Jonah preached they repented; and there is something greater than Jonah here.” In the first reading, when Jonah preached, we read how the people of Nineveh believed in the Word of God and in the preaching of Jonah. He said, “Only forty days more and Nineveh is going to be destroyed. The people of Nineveh believed in God; they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least. The news reached the king of Nineveh, who rose from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth and sat down in ashes. A proclamation was then promulgated throughout Nineveh to ask everyone to fast and repent of their sins.” And we read, “God saw their efforts to renounce their evil behaviour. And God relented: he did not inflict on them the disaster which he threatened.” The analogy is this. Jesus does not just preach the Word of God. He is the Word of God in person. A response is all the more needed here and now. Looking for more signs is not the way to proceed because the Ninevites did not ask for any sign to believe in Jonah. It is time for them to decide and not to sit on the fence.
Similarly, in the example of the Queen of Sheba, the Lord says, “On Judgement day the Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here.” When Solomon was king, the Queen of Sheba recognized his wisdom and came from afar to benefit from him. But Jesus was before them and they were still asking for signs. He is the Wisdom of God and they did not recognize Him.
Receptivity, therefore, is the final point of Jesus’ message. We must be careful what we want to see and how we see. No one is so blind than one who cannot see the light before Him. Hence, St Luke placed the pericope of the parable of the light immediately after the example of Jonah and the Queen of the South. He said, “Your eye is the lamp of your body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light; but if it is not healthy, your body is full of darkness. Therefore, consider whether the light in you is not darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be as full of light as when a lamp gives you light with its rays.” (Lk 11:34-36) Christ came to show us the way. He is our guide only when His word is received. If we do not receive Him and His words, then we live in darkness.
Clearly, the Lord wants to teach us that privilege comes with responsibility. God has given us His blessings. God has given us His grace. He has given us the Word of God, the Sacraments, the Church to guide us to the fullness of life. But it all depends whether we want to respond with faith and conviction, with humility and trust, like the Ninevites and the Queen of the South who made the sacrifice of travelling all the way to see King Solomon. The Church is hardly 15 minutes away from our home, the bible is on our table, and we have many opportunities to grow in faith through courses and retreats, but what has been our response?
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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