LEADING OTHERS INTO THE TRUTH PRESUPPOSES OUR ABILITY TO FACE THE TRUTH ABOUT OURSELVES

20151015 LEADING OTHERS INTO THE TRUTH PRESUPPOSES OUR ABILITY TO FACE THE TRUTH ABOUT OURSELVES

Readings at Mass

First reading

Romans 3:21-30 ©

God’s justice that was made known through the Law and the Prophets has now been revealed outside the Law, since it is the same justice of God that comes through faith to everyone, Jew and pagan alike, who believes in Jesus Christ. Both Jew and pagan sinned and forfeited God’s glory, and both are justified through the free gift of his grace by being redeemed in Christ Jesus who was appointed by God to sacrifice his life so as to win reconciliation through faith. In this way God makes his justice known; first, for the past, when sins went unpunished because he held his hand, then, for the present age, by showing positively that he is just, and that he justifies everyone who believes in Jesus.

  So what becomes of our boasts? There is no room for them. What sort of law excludes them? The sort of law that tells us what to do? On the contrary, it is the law of faith, since, as we see it, a man is justified by faith and not by doing something the Law tells him to do. Is God the God of Jews alone and not of the pagans too? Of the pagans too, most certainly, since there is only one God.

Psalm

Psalm 129:1-6 ©

With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.

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.

With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.

If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt,

  Lord, who would survive?

But with you is found forgiveness:

  for this we revere you.

With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.

My soul is waiting for the Lord.

  I count on his word.

My soul is longing for the Lord

  more than watchman for daybreak.

With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.

Gospel Acclamation

Ps110:7,8

Alleluia, alleluia!

Your precepts, O Lord, are all of them sure;

they stand firm for ever and ever.

Alleluia!

Or

Jn14:6

Alleluia, alleluia!

I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord;

No one can come to the Father except through me.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 11:47-54 ©

Jesus said:

  ‘Alas for you who build the tombs of the prophets, the men your ancestors killed! In this way you both witness what your ancestors did and approve it; they did the killing, you do the building.

  ‘And that is why the Wisdom of God said, “I will send them prophets and apostles; some they will slaughter and persecute, so that this generation will have to answer for every prophet’s blood that has been shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was murdered between the altar and the sanctuary.” Yes, I tell you, this generation will have to answer for it all.

  ‘Alas for you lawyers who have taken away the key of knowledge! You have not gone in yourselves, and have prevented others going in who wanted to.’

  When he left the house, the scribes and the Pharisees began a furious attack on him and tried to force answers from him on innumerable questions, setting traps to catch him out in something he might say.

LEADING OTHERS INTO THE TRUTH PRESUPPOSES OUR ABILITY TO FACE THE TRUTH ABOUT OURSELVES

SCRIPTURE READINGS:ROM 3:21-30; LK 11:47-54

We all know very well that confronting oneself is one of the most painful things in life.   Many of us just cannot accept the truth about ourselves.  That is why, even in listening, we only listen to those whose ideas agree with ours, not whether they are true or not; or when we argue, we are concerned about protecting our opinions more than whether our views are right or wrong.  This is basically the attitude of the scribes and Pharisees that Jesus had to contend with.  But if it is simply this, then there is still something that can be done about it.  However, our ego is so conniving that even when we are defensive of ourselves, we do it in such a subtle manner, so much so that we cheat ourselves without even realizing we are doing so.

And how do we do it?  By covering up our real motives in what we do.  This was what Jesus was condemning the Pharisees for in today’s gospel.  They persecuted the prophets when they were alive, and only gave them the due respect when they were dead.  Isn’t it strange that this is so true in our lives?  We only show gratitude to people who have left us, or who have died; but not those who are still present with us.  And what is the reason if not simply because the dead is less of a threat to us and we can interpret them the way we want to; but for those who are alive, we fear having to confront them.   And so we cover our guilt by building tombs, or giving thanks and gratitude to those who have left us.  This is but another way of avoiding having to confront the truth about ourselves.

But the danger is this – so long as we do not face the truth about ourselves, we can never be truly liberated.  A person who destroys his enemies does not necessarily mean that he is at peace even if all his enemies were dead, because the real battle is the battle that goes on within his heart.  The point is that his heart is still evil, selfish and insecure.  That problem is not resolved and will resurface in other ways at other times.

That is why those of us who have unresolved problems in our lives should not build tombs over them by pretending that they do not exist and focus on something else that is more pleasing.  For example, some of us might have problems with regards to our prayer life.  We excuse ourselves by saying that our work is our prayer. Or when we have difficulties with our studies, or are too lazy to do so, we cover up our sloth by getting involved in church activities.  Or some of us may have no personal experience and relationship with God, and so we deny this inadequacy by appearing to be theologically knowledgeable and competent.  Then again, some of us might have issues with authority and loneliness; instead of confronting them and transcending them, we might be tempted to push the issues aside, suppress them and try to believe that we are not bothered or affected by them.  The fact is that whatever personal problems and hang-ups we do not transcend, sooner or later, we will have to face them.   What is not dealt with now will come back to haunt us, unleashing its full consequences on our lives.

But what is even more harmful for those of us who are superiors or leaders is that we unknowingly allow our hang-ups and repressed fears and anger to determine the way we deal with those under our charge.   One cannot be a master if one has not grown in discipleship.  Only one who has learnt to master himself and transcended his own personal struggles could be a mentor and be of real service to others.  For the blind leading the blind will both fall into the ditch.  Unless we have overcome our own personal struggles or at least are conscious that we are struggling with them, we cannot help others in their own struggles.  Instead, Jesus warns us that we would be taking away the key of knowledge from them.  We will mislead them and prevent them from finding the truth since we ourselves have not even resolved our own problems.  Indeed, if we have not personally found God in our own lives, how can we possibly lead others to Him?

Perhaps the greatest tragedy that can happen to us leaders, parents and formators is when we who are called to be teachers of truth and love find ourselves hardly knowing God in our lives; and we cover this inadequacy or shortcoming by activities, performances, appearing holy and knowledgeable, while deep inside us, we know that we are hollow – merely empty vessels.

Today, we have one person, St Paul, who is our exemplar of one who has transcended his fears.  St Paul went through much to find God in Jesus Christ in his life.  He realized through the hard way that God is found not in achievements and slavish obedience to the laws, but faith in the goodness of God and openness to His providence.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh

Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore

© All Rights Reserved

HOW TO AVOID BEING JUDGEMENTAL

20151014 HOW TO AVOID BEING JUDGEMENTAL

Readings at Mass

First reading

Romans 2:1-11 ©

No matter who you are, if you pass judgement you have no excuse. In judging others you condemn yourself, since you behave no differently from those you judge. We know that God condemns that sort of behaviour impartially: and when you judge those who behave like this while you are doing exactly the same, do you think you will escape God’s judgement? Or are you abusing his abundant goodness, patience and toleration, not realising that this goodness of God is meant to lead you to repentance? Your stubborn refusal to repent is only adding to the anger God will have towards you on that day of anger when his just judgements will be made known. He will repay each one as his works deserve. For those who sought renown and honour and immortality by always doing good there will be eternal life; for the unsubmissive who refused to take truth for their guide and took depravity instead, there will be anger and fury. Pain and suffering will come to every human being who employs himself in evil – Jews first, but Greeks as well; renown, honour and peace will come to everyone who does good – Jews first, but Greeks as well. God has no favourites.

Psalm

Psalm 61:2-3,6-7,9 ©

Lord, you repay each man according to his deeds.

In God alone is my soul at rest;

  my help comes from him.

He alone is my rock, my stronghold,

  my fortress: I stand firm.

Lord, you repay each man according to his deeds.

In God alone be at rest, my soul;

  for my hope comes from him.

He alone is my rock, my stronghold,

  my fortress: I stand firm.

Lord, you repay each man according to his deeds.

Take refuge in God, all you people.

  Trust him at all times.

Pour out your hearts before him

  for God is our refuge.

Lord, you repay each man according to his deeds.

Gospel Acclamation

cf.Ps26:11

Alleluia, alleluia!

Instruct me, Lord, in your way;

on an even path lead me.

Alleluia!

Or

Jn10:27

Alleluia, alleluia!

The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,

says the Lord,

I know them and they follow me.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 11:42-46 ©

The Lord said to the Pharisees:

  ‘Alas for you Pharisees! You who pay your tithe of mint and rue and all sorts of garden herbs and overlook justice and the love of God! These you should have practised, without leaving the others undone. Alas for you Pharisees who like taking the seats of honour in the synagogues and being greeted obsequiously in the market squares! Alas for you, because you are like the unmarked tombs that men walk on without knowing it!

  A lawyer then spoke up. ‘Master,’ he said ‘when you speak like this you insult us too.’

  ‘Alas for you lawyers also,’ he replied ‘because you load on men burdens that are unendurable, burdens that you yourselves do not move a finger to lift.’

HOW TO AVOID BEING JUDGEMENTAL

SCRIPTURE READINGS: ROM 2:1-11; LK 11:42-46

There is this innate tendency in us to pass judgment on others.   We are self-appointed judges with respect to people’s actions and intentions.  Not only do we condemn them but we also marginalize them.  This precisely was the attitude of the so called pious Jews that St Paul sought to enlighten. The irony of it all is that the very mistakes that we see in others are also in us.  We commit not just the sins we condemn in others but more often than not, our sins are even more grievous than theirs.  St Paul himself also warns us, “No matter who you are, if you pass judgment you have no excuse.  In judging others you condemn yourself, since you behave no differently from those you judge.  We know that God condemns that sort of behaviour impartially: and when you judge those who behave like this while you are doing exactly the same, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?” Why, then, are we so blind to our own faults and so quick to pass judgment on others’ actions and even suggest the motives for what they do?

The truth is that we suffer from the sin of pride.  A proud person cannot see his mistakes clearly.  He is too absorbed in looking at the faults of others that he has no time to examine his own.  He takes it upon himself to scrutinize what others are saying and doing.  When we are only looking outward but not inward, we will not know our true selves or even our motives.  This was the same attitude that Jesus condemned in the gospel.  The Jewish religious leaders prided themselves for observing the Law.  Since they considered themselves to be impeccable in their observance, their pride led them to find fault with those who did not, so they felt that they were better than the rest.

We must also realize that often our own faults colour our judgment of others.  Jesus warns us that we should examine ourselves first before we judge others.  More often than not, we are living in sin whilst seeking to correct others.  We allow our fears and desires to blind us to the sins in our lives.  As Jesus warned the Pharisees, “who like taking the seats of honour in the synagogues and being greeted obsequiously in the market squares! Alas for you, because you are like the unmarked tombs that men walk on without knowing it!”  In saying that they are unmarked tombs, Jesus was saying that religious leaders who seem to know all that is right and wrong often themselves do not live according to what they know and teach.  The lay people unknowingly get contaminated by their sins, just like those Jews who walked on the unmarked tombs and got contaminated.  This warning applies to us all, whether we are religious leaders or otherwise.  So long as we fail to live a holy life, our sins will affect the people whom we come into contact with.  It is not enough to know or teach the right things, but we must be true to ourselves and live accordingly.

However, the worst thing about pride is that we become defensive, like the religious leaders who told Jesus, “Master, when you speak like this you insult us too.”  Instead of searching our hearts in humility to see whether what Jesus said is true, we become defensive.  That is why the most difficult people to correct or advise are those who think they know so much about their faith and God, so much so they feel they have nothing more to learn from others.  Those of us who are active in Church or hold important positions would feel insulted to have someone tell us that we do not know God or the truth about ourselves.  Instead of being open to the truth that others might reveal about ourselves, we become defensive.  St Paul has this to say to such people, “Or are you abusing his abundant goodness, patience and toleration, not realising that this goodness of God is meant to lead you to repentance? Your stubborn refusal to repent is only adding to the anger God will have towards you on that day of anger when his just judgments will be made known.”

Does it mean that we cannot judge at all?  We cannot avoid making judgments in life.  But what we must avoid is falling into the mistake of the Jewish leaders where the whole basis for their judgment was based on the external.  They were more concerned with the ‘what’, rather than the ‘why’ of what one does.  Only when judgment is based on external performance, can assessment be done and comparisons made.  Yet, the value of an action is not solely dependent on how it is carried out, but the motive for doing it.  We can do many things for the wrong reasons, even though externally they are apparently good and noble deeds.  God, however, does not look at our external appearances but our heart.  He looks for our intentions, not simply our actions.  At the end of the day, it is the heart that counts.

Consequently, the judgment that one must seek is not the external works but the interior heart.  We must be concerned with the spirit of our actions. This is what Jesus is saying in the gospel when He reprimanded the Jewish religious leaders. He did not condemn them as persons, but for the wrong attitudes towards the observance of the Law.  Indeed, He confronted them saying, “Alas for you Pharisees! You who pay your tithe of mint and rue and all sorts of garden herbs and overlook justice and the love of God!”

Like them, we are more concerned with the practices rather than a living faith.  Many Catholics are more worried whether they do penance on Fridays or even fulfilling their Sunday obligation.  But in performing such rituals, they have merely complied with the letter of the law without necessarily having observed the spirit of the law.  By refraining from eating meat, they still continue with a lavish meal instead of practicing self denial.  Although they fulfill their Sunday obligation, they are merely “attending” mass with their bodily presence, but they do not take part in worship.  Worst of all, they go to church for worship, yet in their very lives they have no respect for their fellowmen.  They continue to cheat and sin against charity.  They treat their loved ones, friends and workers and domestic helpers without respect and dignity. Even Church organizations are more anxious about their members’ performance and attendance rather than whether the organization is helping them grow in faith for the Lord, in charity and living a fuller Christian life. Do we treat our members as functionaries to perform a task rather than as our brothers and sisters in Christ?

This does not mean that the laws are unimportant, but besides observing the customs and rituals, we must not forget the bigger picture, which is the love of God and of man.  The customs and laws are means to protect us in our love for God and man.  They are guidelines and are important insofar as they are necessary to achieve the ends.  But they are secondary to the ultimate purpose.  So what we should be concerned with are the essentials and not be overly slavish to the non-essentials.  We must remember what Jesus said with respect to such practices, “these you should have practised, without leaving the others undone.”

In the light of what has been said, it is therefore important that we do not pass rash judgment on the intentions of people’s actions.  The most we can do, like Jesus, is to condemn attitudes and actions that are objectively wrong.  But with regard to the motives of people, we must leave the judgment to God, since we cannot read their hearts and we are not fully aware of how much they are struggling to be true to themselves and the gospel; neither are we aware of the circumstances that compelled them to do or say certain things.  St Paul tells us that we must leave the judgment to God who alone can read the intentions of our hearts.  In being presumptuous, not only do we commit the sin against charity but we condemn ourselves.  Like the psalmist, we must leave judgment to God.  We join him praying thus, “Lord, you give back to everyone according to his works. Only in God is my soul at rest; from him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be disturbed at all”.  At any rate, St Paul says God “will repay each one as his works deserve.  For those who sought renown and honour and immortality by always doing good there will be eternal life; for the unsubmissive who refused to take truth for their guide and took depravity instead, there will be anger and fury.  Pain and suffering will come to every human being who employs himself in evil – Jews first, but Greeks as well; renown, honour and peace will come to everyone who does good – Jews first, but Greeks as well.” Hence, we cannot think that just because we are Christians, we are judged differently from the rest of humanity, since God has no favourites.

In the final analysis, it behooves us who teach the law and the truth to ask ourselves whether we are living what we teach.  Otherwise we are placing burdens on others, as Jesus remarked, “Alas for you lawyers also because you load on men burdens that are unendurable, burdens that you yourselves do not move a finger to lift.”  By adding and multiplying laws and rules, they were making it impossible for the people to observe all of them.  It is important that we do not impose more than is necessary for people to love God and humanity.  More so when we ourselves are not walking the talk, we cannot expect others to do the same.  Indeed, to be credible, we ourselves must be exemplars in the love of God and neighbour. Parents, teachers and leaders must be living examples of those who not only observe the laws but the spirit as well.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh

Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore

© All Rights Reserved

IDOLATRY AS THE WORSHIP OF SELF

20151013 IDOLATRY AS THE WORSHIP OF SELF

Readings at Mass

First reading

Romans 1:16-25 ©

I am not ashamed of the Good News: it is the power of God saving all who have faith – Jews first, but Greeks as well – since this is what reveals the justice of God to us: it shows how faith leads to faith, or as scripture says: The upright man finds life through faith.

  The anger of God is being revealed from heaven against all the impiety and depravity of men who keep truth imprisoned in their wickedness. For what can be known about God is perfectly plain to them since God himself has made it plain. Ever since God created the world his everlasting power and deity – however invisible – have been there for the mind to see in the things he has made. That is why such people are without excuse: they knew God and yet refused to honour him as God or to thank him; instead, they made nonsense out of logic and their empty minds were darkened. The more they called themselves philosophers, the more stupid they grew, until they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for a worthless imitation, for the image of mortal man, of birds, of quadrupeds and reptiles. That is why God left them to their filthy enjoyments and the practices with which they dishonour their own bodies, since they have given up divine truth for a lie and have worshipped and served creatures instead of the creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen!

Psalm

Psalm 18:2-5 ©

The heavens proclaim the glory of God.

The heavens proclaim the glory of God,

  and the firmament shows forth the work of his hands.

Day unto day takes up the story

  and night unto night makes known the message.

The heavens proclaim the glory of God.

No speech, no word, no voice is heard

  yet their span extends through all the earth,

  their words to the utmost bounds of the world.

The heavens proclaim the glory of God.

Gospel Acclamation

Ps118:135

Alleluia, alleluia!

Let your face shine on your servant,

and teach me your decrees.

Alleluia!

Or

Heb4:12

Alleluia, alleluia!

The word of God is something alive and active:

it can judge secret emotions and thoughts.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 11:37-41 ©

Jesus had just finished speaking when a Pharisee invited him to dine at his house. He went in and sat down at the table. The Pharisee saw this and was surprised that he had not first washed before the meal. But the Lord said to him, ‘Oh, you Pharisees! You clean the outside of cup and plate, while inside yourselves you are filled with extortion and wickedness. Fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside too? Instead, give alms from what you have and then indeed everything will be clean for you.’

IDOLATRY AS THE WORSHIP OF SELF

SCRIPTURE READINGS: Rom 1:16-25; Lk 11:37-41

In ancient days, idolatry was simply seen as the making of images of gods and worshipping them. It is important to understand the rationale for condemning the making of images of gods, or even God, in the bible.  How can worship of statues made of clay harm us? Indeed, the danger of carving images of God lies in that so often the end product is no more than the projection of our selfish aspirations.  When we make God according to our image, the purity and truth about God becomes compromised. The consequence is that by worshipping such idols, we end up worshipping ourselves.  In other words, we have created God in our image.  God is nothing else but a projection of the desires of men.  Indeed, St Paul in the first reading remarked that the Gentiles “exchanged the glory of the immortal God for a worthless imitation, for the image of mortal man, of birds, of quadrupeds and reptiles.”

Today idolatry has not only taken a new twist but has even gone beyond that of simply making images.  In the name of self-respect and love of self, which is consistent with our society’s preoccupation with individualism, hedonism, materialism and narcissism, we make gods of ourselves.  This is what St Paul wrote, “The anger of God is being revealed from heaven against all the impiety and depravity of men who keep the truth imprisoned in their wickedness.”

Heresy, it is said, is half-truth and half lie.  If many of us have embraced the current values system, it is because we have not been discerning.  We worship ourselves under the pretext of love.  We confuse individualism with individuality.  It is true that today there is a need to underscore the individuality and the uniqueness of every person.  Christianity exalts the dignity and fundamental freedom of every human person.  For this reason, the Church protects human rights and speaks for every person, regardless of race, language or religion, especially those who are oppressed, the marginalized and those that do not have a voice, such as the unborn babies.  But to overemphasize the rights of the individual at the expense of the community would lead to a lack of balance.  Freedom of the individual cannot be exercised at the expense of the rights of the community.  Otherwise, we give an exaggerated regard to the individual, making him a god. When such individualistic behaviour takes place, it will destroy the fabric of society, because everyone is for himself.  Individualism is the cause of division in the world today because the consequence of individualism is relativism, where no one can agree on any common values to be held by all.

Similarly, hedonism and materialism also have some truth.  We are called to love ourselves and to love creation.  We are not to despise what we have.  Creation, as we read in the first reading, is the manifestation of God.  Through creation, we can come to know God.  St Paul clearly said, “For what can be known about God is perfectly plain to them since God himself has made it plain.  Ever since God created the world his everlasting power and deity – however invisible – have been there for the mind to see in the things he has made.”  So creation is beautiful and good.  The psalmist declares, “The heavens proclaim the glory of God.”  But where do we draw the line between self-indulgence and a proper appreciation of God’s gift in creation?  Appreciation of God’s creation is different from worshipping its creatures.  Whilst we must take care of our bodies, it can be done in an exaggerated manner. So today, people are spending an inordinate amount of money to dress well, even going for cosmetic surgery and makeover, eating the best foods so that they can live long and healthy lives. Do all these lead to narcissism?  The climax of such narcissism is the present attempt of man to clone himself.  Have we not revived the old temptation of Adam of wanting to be like God?

The worship of self is most clearly demonstrated in the sin of lust.  From love of things, we are led to the love of the flesh, where the body becomes a thing for us to enjoy rather than an expression of one’s dignity and an instrument of love.  The sin of lust is a perverted love of self, as St Paul understands it, “That is why God left them to their filthy enjoyments and the practices with which they dishonour their own bodies, since they have given up divine truth for a lie and have worshipped and served creatures instead of the creator.”

The height of idolatry is that man today takes pride in himself and desires to be worshipped.  He desires popularity and acceptance.  His dignity and happiness is dependent on how many people know him or agree with him.  He is desperate for publicity and affirmation.  Some use Tweets and Facebook, not so much for social contact, but to publicize themselves and their views, hoping that many will think highly of them.  We are more concerned with the impressions we create and our reputation, rather than our character.  We are becoming very superficial in the way we live our lives.  It is all about popularity and making ourselves attractive.  No one is bothered about the inside of the person.

In the final analysis, the root of all sins, in St Paul’s assessment, originates from the sin of impiety when God is not acknowledged as the Lord.  “They knew God and yet refused to honour him as God or to thank him; instead, they made nonsense out of logic and their empty minds were darkened.” When man supplants the place of God, it leads to all kinds of sins, for man becomes the norm of all values.  Without God, man in his blindness and selfishness, sees everything from his desires and needs.  He is completely absorbed in himself, as if he is the be all and end all of all that is.  Everything and everyone exists for his pleasure, for him to use and abuse.  Consequently, atheism, agnosticism and secularism have resulted in a world that is individualistic, materialistic and hedonistic.

Isn’t this what Jesus is warning us as well when He challenged the Pharisees to go beyond what is external?  Jesus said to them, “You clean the outside of cup and plate, while inside yourselves you are filled with extortion and wickedness.”  Indeed, they were more concerned about what the public thought of them.  But their hearts were far from godly.  They were proud, arrogant, judgmental and self-seeking.  Hence, Jesus advised them, “Give alms from what you have and then indeed everything will be clean for you.”  This is because if they were to reach out to the poor and the suffering, they would grow in compassion and sensitivity for others.

The capacity to do everything for love would determine whether what we do is truly for the Lord.  If not, then we have made an idol of ourselves.  Likewise, whether in worship or in service, we too must ask if we are truly loving God and our neighbour, or ourselves.  Some of us are faithful to prayer and worship, but never translate our love for God into love for humanity.

Indeed, it is important for us to ask what it is that motivates us in our ministry.  Why are we so concerned about whether our projects are successful?  Why are we envious of those who perform better than us in the ministry?  Why are we overly worried as to whether people think well of us?  We are more concerned with observing the rituals, the rites, the music and the way we worship, rather than whether we are worshipping in faith and in love.  Similarly, for those serving in Church, are we more concerned with helping those who come for our services to worship meaningfully and prayerfully, or are we more anxious about the number of people who come and what they think of us?  Sometimes, Church choirs can forget that their role is to lead people to pray with their heart, soul and strength, and focus instead on putting up a performance for people to enjoy, listen and watch.  Lay volunteers must ask whether they are serving God or serving man and the Church leaders.  Do we help out in the community for the sake of love and service, or simply to get into the good books of our Church leaders?  If what we do spring from insecurity, then we are bordering on idolatry.

How can we have that capacity to love selflessly?  St Paul tells us that we must found our ministry on our faith in the love of God for us in Jesus.  This “is the power of God saving all who have faith.”  This is the Good News He has come to proclaim.  St Paul says, faith leads to faith and “the upright man finds life through faith.” Only with the assurance that God loves us unconditionally and faithfully, can we live our lives in security and peace.  This is the Good News that St Paul preached.  We are not saved by observance of the law but by faith in the love of God made visible in the passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ.  So only faith in His love can heal us of our insecurity, our low self-esteem and our failures, because we know that regardless of our sinfulness, the Lord loves us no less, or rather, even more, because He knows we are hurting ourselves.  Only the love of God poured into our hearts in the Holy Spirit can purify the inside of us, removing the sinful areas and sins in our lives.  Let us in faith therefore cling not to the world or what the world thinks of us but rather, what God thinks of us.

What we need to do in order to be filled with His love is to surrender our hearts to Him.  This is what St Teresa of Avila exhorts us when she wrote, “In my opinion, if I had understood as I do now that in this little palace of my soul dwelt so great a King, I would not have left Him alone so often. I would have remained with Him at times and striven more so as not to be so unclean.  We should give ourselves to Him with complete determination, and we should empty the soul in such a way that He can store things there or take them away as though it were His own property. And since His Majesty has the rights of ownership, let us not oppose Him. And since He doesn’t force our will, He takes what we give Him; but He doesn’t give Himself completely until we give ourselves completely.” (Way of Perfection, ch.28)

Written by The Most Rev William Goh

Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore

© All Rights Reserved