THE REAL ENEMIES OF THE CHURCH

20160101 THE REAL ENEMIES OF THE CHURCH

Readings at Mass

Colour: White.

First reading

1 John 2:22-28 ©

The man who denies that Jesus is the Christ –

he is the liar,

he is Antichrist;

and he is denying the Father as well as the Son,

because no one who has the Father can deny the Son,

and to acknowledge the Son is to have the Father as well.

Keep alive in yourselves what you were taught in the beginning:

as long as what you were taught in the beginning is alive in you,

you will live in the Son

and in the Father;

and what is promised to you by his own promise

is eternal life.

This is all that I am writing to you about the people who are trying to lead you astray.

But you have not lost the anointing that he gave you,

and you do not need anyone to teach you;

the anointing he gave teaches you everything;

you are anointed with truth, not with a lie,

and as it has taught you, so you must stay in him.

Live in Christ, then, my children,

so that if he appears, we may have full confidence,

and not turn from him in shame

at his coming.

Psalm

Psalm 97:1-4 ©

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Sing a new song to the Lord

  for he has worked wonders.

His right hand and his holy arm

  have brought salvation.

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

The Lord has made known his salvation;

  has shown his justice to the nations.

He has remembered his truth and love

  for the house of Israel.

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

All the ends of the earth have seen

  the salvation of our God.

Shout to the Lord, all the earth,

  ring out your joy.

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Gospel Acclamation

Jn1:14,12

Alleluia, alleluia!

The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.

To all who received him he gave power to become children of God.

Alleluia!

Or

Heb1:1-2

Alleluia, alleluia!

At various times in the past

and in various different ways,

God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets;

but in our own time, the last days,

he has spoken to us through his Son.

Alleluia!

Or

Alleluia, alleluia!

A hallowed day has dawned upon us.

Come, you nations, worship the Lord,

for today a great light has shone down upon the earth.

Alleluia!

Gospel

John 1:19-28 ©

This is how John appeared as a witness. When the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ he not only declared, but he declared quite openly, ‘I am not the Christ.’ ‘Well then,’ they asked ‘are you Elijah?’ ‘I am not’ he said. ‘Are you the Prophet?’ He answered, ‘No.’ So they said to him, ‘Who are you? We must take back an answer to those who sent us. What have you to say about yourself?’ So John said, ‘I am, as Isaiah prophesied:

a voice that cries in the wilderness:

Make a straight way for the Lord.’

Now these men had been sent by the Pharisees, and they put this further question to him, ‘Why are you baptising if you are not the Christ, and not Elijah, and not the prophet?’ John replied, ‘I baptise with water; but there stands among you – unknown to you – the one who is coming after me; and I am not fit to undo his sandal-strap.’ This happened at Bethany, on the far side of the Jordan, where John was baptising.

THE REAL ENEMIES OF THE CHURCH

SCRIPTURE READINGS: 1 JOHN 2:22-28; JOHN 1:19-28

It is significant that St John in the first reading wrote of the anti-Christs in the last day to come, not as enemies from without but enemies from within!  Indeed, the real enemies of the Church are not those who oppose us from without.  They cannot do us harm so long as we stand united in faith, love and unity.   The real problem is that not only is Christianity divided but even within the Catholic Church there are so-called ‘good’ Catholics claiming to be the messiah of the Church but who are causing much confusion, disunity and division. St John wrote, “I am writing to you about the people who are trying to lead you astray.” 

Indeed, we are faced with two groups of anti-Christ within the Church.  There are the fundamentalist Catholics and Christians as well, who claim to have the purity of the faith.  They are intolerant of others who do not belong to their group.   Their views are not only conservative but narrow and exclusive.   They are not open to the legitimate growth of doctrines and traditions of the Church.   They fail to realize that doctrines and traditions grow with time but always in continuity with the deposit of faith.  They would even attack the legitimate authorities of the Church and accuse them of heresy and infidelity to the apostolic faith.  Unfortunately, today we have so much public criticism of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, not by non-Catholics, but by our own faithful, deriding and insinuating that he is the anti-Christ prophesied by some seers.

On the other hand, we have the other extreme group of Catholics who are liberal to the extent that they adulterate the Catholic Faith.   They are even more destructive in a very subtle manner.   They bring in all kinds of scientific theories, modern psychology, exotic religions, and impose them on the Catholic Faith.   This is illegitimate inculturation.  Their point of departure of faith is not from their personal faith in Christ or the faith of the apostles.  They seek to transform the Catholic Faith into another faith all together, through syncretism of sciences and other religions, so much so that we have a faith that contains half-truths and half-lies.  That is why it is so difficult to distinguish between what is authentically Catholic, rooted in the Catholic Tradition and scriptures, and a corruption of the apostolic faith.

The irony is that those who are confusing the faith of our naïve and simple Catholics are the theologians, philosophers, scientists and the intellectuals.  Their arguments are based on reason, not on faith.   Their hypothesis and novel theories often sound logical and attractive, and this accounts for their many followers and supporters.  Quite often, intellectual pride springs from the need to be popular and accepted.  We want to do things in a spectacular way to get attention, publicity and recognition.

This is so unlike John the Baptist in today’s gospel.  When asked repeatedly whether he was the Messiah, Elijah or the prophet promised by Moses, without hesitation and in absolute terms, he said, “I am not!   He did not seek to be popular or to be different for the sake of being different.   He was uncompromising in being true to God and the mission that God gave to him.  On the contrary, he said, “I baptise with water; but there stands among you –   unknown to you – the one who is coming after me; and I am not fit to undo his sandal strap.”   John the Baptist knew who he was and there was no need to pretend otherwise.  He could have deceived the crowd who were thinking that he was the Messiah or the prophet or Elijah.  Instead, he was contented to say, ‘I am, as Isaiah prophesied: a voice that cries in the wilderness.”   He could have confused the people who were waiting for the Messiah but he did not take advantage of the opportunity. 

The truth is that these detractors do not have a real personal faith in Christ.  They do not know Jesus.   They do not know Christ.   Their faith is a pure intellectual faith.  Their theology is based simply on human speculation and reason.  It is rationalistic in approach.  Without a personal encounter with the Lord, without a real love for the Word of God, without being in union with Christ, rooted in Him, and a living and intimate relationship with Him, such theological reflections are pure speculation.  They have nothing to do with Jesus the Christ. but some figment of their imagination.  This is what the scriptures are saying.  They are not in Christ!  St John wrote, “Live in Christ, then, my children, so that if he appears, we may have full confidence, and not turn from him in shame at his coming.”

What does it mean to live in Christ?  It means that we must be in union with Him as the Head of the Church and with His body.   We know that we are in Christ only when we are in union with the Church.  That is why we must return to the apostolic faith.  St John urges us, “Keep alive in yourselves what you were taught in the beginning: as long as what you were taught in the beginning is alive in you, you will live in the Son and in the Father; and what is promised to you by his own promise is eternal life.”   Indeed, we must be watchful of novelties and alien ideas and theories that are subtly introduced into the faith of the Church. We must always check whether such theories are consistent with the faith passed on to us.

This apostolic faith is preserved in the Church which we call, “the deposit of faith” found in scripture and tradition, guided by the authoritative teachers of the Church, the Holy Father in union with the College of Bishops, the successors of the apostles. Although all Catholics are anointed in the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth is present in a special way, an infallible manner, in the teaching of the magisterium.  This is the sure way that the authentic faith is preserved in the Church.  This is what St John wrote, “But you have not lost the anointing that he gave you, and you do not need anyone to teach you; the anointing he gave teaches you everything; you are anointed with truth, not with a lie, and as it has taught you, so you must stay in him.”  St Paul also wrote, “If I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth.” (1 Tim 3:15)  This is all the more necessary because in this digital age, there is so much information on cyberspace, and with the culture of relativism, many are no longer able to discern what truth is as everyone is claiming to know the truth.

As Catholics, we only submit to the teaching of the Holy Father and the Magisterium because they are given the gift of infallibility, being anointed in the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth.  We do not submit to the theologians unless they are teaching in union with the Magisterium.  Those so called theologians who teach contrary to the faith as taught by the Magisterium are the new anti-Christs as they cause confusion, skepticism, loss of faith and division within the Church. They are not at the service of the Church but they are for themselves.

So the question we need to ask ourselves today is:  Do we truly know Christ in the flesh?  Have we encountered Him personally?   What knowledge do we have of Jesus and the Church?  What is the fundamental criterion of our faith in Christ?  St John wrote, “The man who denies that Jesus is the Christ – he is the liar; he is Antichrist; and he is denying the Father as well as the Son, because no one who has the Father can deny the Son, and to acknowledge the Son is to have the Father as well.”  Is this what we truly believe in our hearts and in our minds?  Are we truly convinced that He is the Son of God and the Son of Man?  Anything less than that will lead to all kinds of heresy.  That is why, the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God was celebrated yesterday, for our confession in  Mary as the Mother of God implies our confession in Christ who is the second person of the Holy Trinity, who is both God and man, without confusion, admixture, separation and division.  Our faith is in Jesus who is one divine person who is truly God and truly man. 

Thus, it is critical that our Catholics have no excuse for being ignorant about their faith, the doctrines of the Church and not cultivating a personal relationship with the Lord that is rooted in contemplation of the scriptures.  Unless we know Christ both personally and doctrinally, we will only give our own version of Christ and mislead those under our charge and our care.   Church leaders, lay or clerical, or religious, must always be forming themselves in the faith, for growth in faith is an ongoing process.  Formation does not stop after Confirmation, or after RCIA, or after seminary studies.  This is the reason why we inaugurated the Catholic Theological Institute of Singapore because we want every Catholic to be well formed in the authentic teaching of the Magisterium and not some books or courses that many read, unwittingly not knowing that such teachings are contrary to the faith of the Church.  Of course, the study of theology and scriptures does not end with the passing of exams or earning academic degrees, but it must lead to a deeper prayer life and intimacy with the Lord. 

In the final analysis, how do we know that we are not the traitors of Christ in our Church?  When we are in union with Christ and His Church, especially the Holy Father and the Bishops!   If we are not in communion with the Church, it is unlikely we are in communion with Christ since He is the Head of the Church.  He is the one who sent us the Holy Spirit and guaranteed that He will be with the Church until the end of time (cf Mt 28:20) and that no gates of hell will be able overcome it.  “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.” (Mt 16:18)

Consequently, we are doing a disfavor to the Church when we publicly criticize the Holy Father and Church authorities in public.  It only brings more division and disorder.  We allow our enemies to see our weaknesses and they will take advantage of our internal division. Calling the Holy Father, the anti-Christ, will not serve the purpose of the Church.   To deny his authority is to deny the Vicar appointed by Christ Himself.  They will lose credibility and not be able to lead the Church in unity.  Publicly deriding Church leaders will only cause more division.  It shows a lack of charity because truth must always be spoken in charity.   When charity is lacking, there is no truth, but only revenge and vindictiveness.

Truly, what counts at the end is not whether we are fundamentalists, progressives or moderates, but whether we are living the life of charity and love in Christ.  True faith will be manifested in right living, in truth and in love.  It will be shown in humility, gentleness, tolerance, forgiveness, mercy and compassion.  (Cf Gal 5:22)   True faith will lead to a deeper love of our Lord and a firm conviction of Him as our savior.  True faith will enable us always to live in faith, hope and love. Without faith, we will only live for ourselves and without hope in eternal life.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved

SEEKING A FRESH BEGINNING FOR A GOOD END

20151231 SEEKING A FRESH BEGINNING FOR A GOOD END

Readings at Mass

Colour: White.

First reading

1 John 2:18-21 ©

Children, these are the last days;

you were told that an Antichrist must come,

and now several antichrists have already appeared;

we know from this that these are the last days.

Those rivals of Christ came out of our own number, but they had never really belonged;

if they had belonged, they would have stayed with us;

but they left us, to prove that not one of them

ever belonged to us.

But you have been anointed by the Holy One,

and have all received the knowledge.

It is not because you do not know the truth that I am writing to you

but rather because you know it already

and know that no lie can come from the truth.

Psalm

Psalm 95:1-2,11-13 ©

Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad.

O sing a new song to the Lord,

  sing to the Lord all the earth.

  O sing to the Lord, bless his name.

Proclaim his help day by day,

Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad.

Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad,

  let the sea and all within it thunder praise,

let the land and all it bears rejoice,

  all the trees of the wood shout for joy

at the presence of the Lord for he comes,

  he comes to rule the earth.

Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad.

With justice he will rule the world,

  he will judge the peoples with his truth.

Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia!

A hallowed day has dawned upon us.

Come, you nations, worship the Lord,

for today a great light has shone down upon the earth.

Alleluia!

Or

Jn1:14,12

Alleluia, alleluia!

The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.

To all who received him he gave power to become children of God.

Alleluia!

Gospel

John 1:1-18 ©

In the beginning was the Word:

and the Word was with God

and the Word was God.

He was with God in the beginning.

Through him all things came to be,

not one thing had its being but through him.

All that came to be had life in him

and that life was the light of men,

a light that shines in the dark,

a light that darkness could not overpower.

A man came, sent by God.

His name was John.

He came as a witness,

as a witness to speak for the light,

so that everyone might believe through him.

He was not the light,

only a witness to speak for the light.

The Word was the true light

that enlightens all men;

and he was coming into the world.

He was in the world

that had its being through him,

and the world did not know him.

He came to his own domain

and his own people did not accept him.

But to all who did accept him

he gave power to become children of God,

to all who believe in the name of him

who was born not out of human stock

or urge of the flesh

or will of man

but of God himself.

The Word was made flesh,

he lived among us,

and we saw his glory,

the glory that is his as the only Son of the Father,

full of grace and truth.

John appears as his witness. He proclaims:

‘This is the one of whom I said:

He who comes after me ranks before me

because he existed before me.’

Indeed, from his fullness we have, all of us, received –

yes, grace in return for grace,

since, though the Law was given through Moses,

grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ.

No one has ever seen God;

it is the only Son, who is nearest to the Father’s heart,

who has made him known.

SEEKING A FRESH BEGINNING FOR A GOOD END

SCRIPTURE READINGS: 1 JOHN 2:18-21; JOHN 1:1-18

We are in the 7^th day of the Octave in Christmas.  Today is also the last day of the Calendar year.  Hence, the first reading speaks of the “last days.”  Of course for St John, he was referring to the last days of the world.  Then, many thought that the world was coming to an end and that preceding the end of the world would be the coming of the anti-Christ.  Hence, St John in his days, like St Paul, initially thought the Second Coming of Christ was near.  Hence, he wrote, “Children, these are the last days; you were told that an Antichrist must come, and now several antichrists have already appeared; we know from this that these are the last days.”   Of course, we know from hindsight that the last days remain unpredictable.   We do not know when the world would come to an end.

In fact, St John lived to a ripe old age and later spoke of the coming of Christ, not so much at the end of time but in the sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist.   This also accounts for his emphasis not just on future eschatology, that is, the Second Coming, but on a realized eschatology, His present coming in our lives. Hence, instead of speculating about the end of the world, it is more important for us to consider the last day of this calendar year and to look back at how much we have drifted from Christ and failed to realize His presence already in our midst, especially with the fact of His incarnation.

In some sense, we could be numbered among the anti-Christs because we too could be among those Christians in the early Church that have betrayed Christ.  “Those rivals of Christ came out of our own number, but they had never really belonged; if they had belonged, they would have stayed with us; but they left us, to prove that not one of them ever belonged to us.”  Indeed, although baptized, many of us have failed to walk in the light or in the truth.  By our sins and counter-witness, we have shown ourselves to be traitors of Christ and His Church.  This is because, as St John wrote, we never really belonged to Christ.

Consequently, before we end the year, we must take stock of our lives.   We must acknowledge our sins and mistakes so that we can start afresh tomorrow as we begin the New Calendar year.  It is not that we do not know the truth but simply because we refuse to walk in the light.  We have therefore no excuse.   St John said, “But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and have all received the knowledge. It is not because you do not know the truth that I am writing to you but rather because you know it already and know that no lie can come from the truth.”   It would be truly sad to be considered among those condemned by the Lord.  St John said, “The Word was the true light that enlightens all men; and he was coming into the world. He was in the world that had its being through him, and the world did not know him. He came to his own domain and his own people did not accept him.”

If we want to have a fresh start for the New Year, then we must turn to Christ who is not just the Omega, the End, but the Alpha, the beginning.  This is what St John wrote, “In the beginning was the Word: and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things came to be, not one thing had its being but through him. All that came to be had life in him and that life was the light of men, a light that shines in the dark, a light that darkness could not overpower.”  A fresh start is important so that our end is certain.  If we want to be included among those who are with Christ, we need to follow Christ, the light that has come to enlighten all men.   It is to Christ, therefore, that we must take direction.  Hence, the Western Calendar begins with Christ.  It must be noted that the Gregorian calendar, which is the reformed Julian calendar, used by the world today is in the context of the Christian Era, “Anno Domini”, that is, in the year of our Lord.  So we are entering into 2016 in the year of our Lord.

Rightly so, the birth of Christ signifies the new beginning for the human race.  With the coming of Christ, all of us are given adoption in Christ.  St John wrote, “But to all who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to all who believe in the name of him who was born not out of human stock or urge of the flesh or will of man but of God himself.”  With Christ’s coming, we too can now walk in the light and share in the life of God.  Jesus who is the light gives us the power to become children of God.   Only in Christ, can we truly become children of God because Christ shows us what it means to be a son of God through His total obedience to the Father’s will.  Indeed, “The Word was made flesh, he lived among us, and we saw his glory, the glory that is his as the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.”  Through Christ, we receive the fullness of grace and truth.

Most of all, through Christ, we come to know the heart of the Father’s love.  “No one has ever seen God; it is only the Son, who is nearest to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.”  In Christ, we know for certain who God is, and the heart and mind of the Father.  We can therefore with confidence trust in our heavenly Father as revealed by Christ, knowing that He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and ours as well.  Within this context of Christ’s revelation of the Father, we know what our end will be like.  We know that when we reach our end, we too will receive the fullness of grace and truth and share in the Father’s life in heaven.   Our end is therefore clear and certain.  So it is only right that since we are on the last day and waiting to begin not just a new day but a new year, we must reaffirm our union with the Lord.  We must come to Jesus to begin a new year and a new life.

Having received Christ’s light, if we want to grow in perfection in Christian life, then like John the Baptist, we are called to be witnesses to the Light.  We received the light, not for ourselves but also for others.  We have a responsibility to lead all men and women into the fullness of truth and life, like John the Baptist.  “A man came, sent by God. His name was John. He came as a witness, as a witness to speak for the light, so that everyone might believe through him. He was not the light, only a witness to speak for the light.”   Like John the Baptist, we are called to announce Christ to the world.  We are not the Light but just a witness to the Light.  Our task is to lead others to know the Lord personally.  Accordingly, as we begin a New Year, we must strive to lead our loved ones and all those who are searching for life and purpose to know the Lord personally.   We must be Christ’s witness, to be that voice that encourages people to walk with the Lord as their friend and salvation.

But for this to be realized, we must be with Jesus and with His Church.  We cannot be walking alone, believing in our own doctrines.   To walk in the truth demands that we are in communion with Christ and His Church!  Precisely, those during the time of St John, although Christian, were following their own misguided beliefs and were not part of the Christian community.  When we are not in communion with the Church and her leaders, we will walk in darkness and learn the wrong doctrines and teachings as many, even today, are misled by some misguided church leaders.   Are we then truly members of Christ’s Church or have we gone on our own ways?  To belong to Christ, goes beyond being with the Church, it also means that we are always in intimacy with the Lord in the celebration of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, and the sacrament of Reconciliation.  Above all, we must be steeped in the Word of God through daily meditation of the Word of God, contemplation as individuals and sharing the Word with our fellow brothers and sisters in small group sharing.  We must contemplate on the heart of God in the face of His Son at His humble birth in the manger, the compassion of Christ during His earthly ministry and especially in His death on the cross and in His resurrection.

In this way, we are always ready for the end because we have a right start in Christ.  Our relationship with Christ will help us to do the right thing, make the right choices in life, having the right spirit of discernment.  Most of all, the meaning of life is found when we live for a purpose, for service and love and not for ourselves.   In Christ and through Him, we walk in light and in truth towards God as we journey in faith each day in the New Year.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Rese