Scripture Reflection and Prayer : Journeying together

Thursday, 4 November 2021

CONVERTING THE UNCONVERTED

20211105 CONVERTING THE UNCONVERTED

05 November, 2021, Thursday, 31st Week, Ordinary Time

First reading

Romans 15:14-21 ©

My duty is to bring the Good News from God to the pagans

My brothers, I am quite certain that you are full of good intentions, perfectly well instructed and able to advise each other. The reason why I have written to you, and put some things rather strongly, is to refresh your memories, since God has given me this special position. He has appointed me as a priest of Jesus Christ, and I am to carry out my priestly duty by bringing the Good News from God to the pagans, and so make them acceptable as an offering, made holy by the Holy Spirit.

I think I have some reason to be proud of what I, in union with Christ Jesus, have been able to do for God. What I am presuming to speak of, of course, is only what Christ himself has done to win the allegiance of the pagans, using what I have said and done by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thus all the way along, from Jerusalem to Illyricum, I have preached Christ’s Good News to the utmost of my capacity. I have always, however, made it an unbroken rule never to preach where Christ’s name has already been heard. The reason for that was that I had no wish to build on other men’s foundations; on the contrary, my chief concern has been to fulfil the text: Those who have never been told about him will see him, and those who have never heard about him will understand.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 97(98):1-4 ©

The Lord has shown his salvation to the nations.

Sing a new song to the Lord

for he has worked wonders.

His right hand and his holy arm

have brought salvation.

The Lord has shown his salvation to the nations.

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.

The Lord has shown his salvation to the nations.

All the ends of the earth have seen

the salvation of our God.

Shout to the Lord, all the earth,

ring out your joy.

The Lord has shown his salvation to the nations.

Gospel Acclamation

2Co5:19

Alleluia, alleluia!

God in Christ was reconciling the world to himself,

and he has entrusted to us the news that they are reconciled.

Alleluia!

Or:

1Jn2:5

Alleluia, alleluia!

Whenever anyone obeys what Christ has said,

God’s love comes to perfection in him.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 16:1-8 ©

The master praised the dishonest servant

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘There was a rich man and he had a steward denounced to him for being wasteful with his property. He called for the man and said, “What is this I hear about you? Draw me up an account of your stewardship because you are not to be my steward any longer.” Then the steward said to himself, “Now that my master is taking the stewardship from me, what am I to do? Dig? I am not strong enough. Go begging? I should be too ashamed. Ah, I know what I will do to make sure that when I am dismissed from office there will be some to welcome me into their homes.”

Then he called his master’s debtors one by one. To the first he said, “How much do you owe my master?” “One hundred measures of oil” was the reply. The steward said, “Here, take your bond; sit down straight away and write fifty.” To another he said, “And you, sir, how much do you owe?” “One hundred measures of wheat” was the reply. The steward said, “Here, take your bond and write eighty.”

‘The master praised the dishonest steward for his astuteness. For the children of this world are more astute in dealing with their own kind than are the children of light.’

CONVERTING THE UNCONVERTED

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Rom 15:14-21; Ps 98:1-4; Lk 16:1-8]

It is very significant that St Paul “made it an unbroken rule never to preach where Christ’s name has already been heard.” In saying this, we can appreciate that St Paul was a true missionary for Christ. He was clear about his vocation in life, which was to proclaim Christ to the Gentiles. This was what the Lord revealed to Ananias when he was asked to take in Paul. “Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” (Acts 9:15f) St Paul was very focused when he explained why he “had no wish to build on other men’s foundations.” His “chief concern has been to fulfil the text: Those who have never been told about him will see him, and those who have never heard about him will understand.” This is a citation from the Suffering Servant Song. (Isa 52:15)

St Paul’s task was to bring the gospel to those who had not heard of Christ. He wrote to the Corinthians saying, “What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” (1 Cor 3:5f) But once the seed was sown, he would leave it to the elders of the community to continue to grow the faith that he had planted. Like Jesus, St Paul was conscious that he should not stay in one place. The Lord told the apostles who were searching for Him, “‘Let us go on to the neighbouring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.’ And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.” (Mk 1:38f)

Secondly, St Paul was conscious of his priestly duty which he spelt out in missionary terms. “He has appointed me as a priest of Jesus Christ, and I am to carry out my priestly duty by bringing the Good News from God to the pagans, and so make them acceptable as an offering, made holy by the Holy Spirit.” Very often, we tend to make a distinction between the role of a priest to offer sacrifices and worship, and that of being an apostle or a missionary. We think that the work of evangelization is not a priestly work, and that the priestly work is confined to the offering of sacrifices, prayers and worship.

The truth is that evangelization is for the sake of worship and sacrifice; and true worship and sacrifice must lead to the work of evangelization. This is because a priest’s role is to sanctify the people by the power of the Holy Spirit and so make them a perfect offering to the Lord. Earlier on, he urged the Romans, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Rom 12:1-3) Our task is to sanctify the people by announcing to them the Good News of salvation in Christ. Through the offering of themselves in worship and in charity, they are sanctified. Hence, the purpose of evangelization is sanctification, and those sanctified would carry on the proclamation of the Good News.

What are the implications for us? Firstly, we must be careful not to be too parochial-minded. The temptation of those in parishes and organizations is to be so focused on what they are called to do that they forget the larger purpose of their existence, which is to form missionary disciples. When parishes are more concerned with the maintenance of the church and their people, the parish will eventually die because of the lack of new blood and new members to regenerate the community. This is unfortunately what many parishes do, attending to their members, their congregation, but with a narrow view of getting them to contribute to the finance of the church and the operations, but they do not go beyond the call to form disciples for mission.

This does not mean that we can neglect our parishioners. On the contrary, if we intend to send them out for mission, then all the more, we want to train and form them well so that they will be equipped to spread the Good News of Christ. The motivation is not for the sake of maintenance of self-sufficiency but to empower them to be evangelizers and missionaries. This is why, whether a parish is growing or not is not to be measured by the size of the congregation, for that could be situational, but by the growth in the number of baptisms, priestly and religious vocations, full-time workers or volunteers for the Church’s mission and ministry, the number of parishioners attending formation classes, the small faith communities that are formed, and new organizations for outreach to the larger community beyond their parishioners.

Secondly, the truth is that we are not resourceful or adventurous in putting our energy, talents and resources into the spread of the gospel. Maybe out of fear, timidity or diffidence, at most we proclaim the gospel to fellow Catholics who are already members of the church, obviously with varying depth of faith. Of course, like Apollos, we have to nurture the seed that is planted, but we should not be limited to forming them only. There are many outside our fold that needs conversion as well. In the gospel, Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” (Jn 10:14-16) We must venture out and see the larger picture, which is to bring the gospel to everyone beyond our parish, and even beyond our church. This Covid-19 Pandemic has made us realize that the Church can no longer confine herself simply to parishes with clear boundaries. The gospel is preached to all through the digital media and internet, which is accessible by everyone regardless of church, religion, or country. We are living in a trans-border world brought about by mass communication.

The gospel today confronts us to use our talents and resources well. The parable of the dishonest steward is a stark contrast for those who are working for the world and those who are working for God. When it comes to making money and profits, either for the organization that we work for, or for ourselves, we are always creative and resourceful. We give all our energy to what we do and find the most productive and effective means to secure our interests. This was the case of the dishonest steward. He was found to be wanting in managing the property of his employer and was facing termination of his work. Instead of just resigning himself to the eventual dismissal and be out of work, he was crafty enough to plan his exit in such a way that he could not be accused of cheating his master by offering discounts to the master’s debtors. At the same time, he made them feel obligated to him because of his generosity so that they would welcome and help him later when he was out of job. Such was the ingenuity of the dishonest steward that even the master was amazed at his resourcefulness. Even “the master praised the dishonest steward for his astuteness.”

Now, the point of contrast is this, when the Lord remarked, “The children of this world are more astute in dealing with their own kind than are the children of light.” Indeed, when it comes to our spiritual life, our growth in faith, in growing our parishes and in the work of mission, we do not invest the same passion, creativity, proactivity and imagination as those in the world. We keep on doing the same thing over and over again even when lifestyles, aspirations, challenges, and needs of our people have changed. We do not keep up with technology and study to make full use of what the world has provided for us to do outreach, formation and evangelization in a new way. We are not ready to change. When we are so set in our ways, then certainly it is not the fault of God because unlike St Paul who cooperated with God at work in Him through the Holy Spirit. “What I am presuming to speak of, of course, is only what Christ himself has done to win the allegiance of the pagans, using what I have said and done by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Holy Spirit.” We must be bold, and courageous, relying on the power of the Holy Spirit who will assist us as we give ourselves in faith to Him, not just using our own ingenuity but allowing the Spirit to work in us.

DISTINGUISHING THE TRULY BIG PICTURE FROM THE SMALL PICTURE

20211104 DISTINGUISHING THE TRULY BIG PICTURE FROM THE SMALL PICTURE

04 November, 2021, Thursday, 31st Week, Ordinary Time

irst reading

Romans 14:7-12 ©

Each of us must give an account of himself to God

The life and death of each of us has its influence on others; if we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord, so that alive or dead we belong to the Lord. This explains why Christ both died and came to life: it was so that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. This is also why you should never pass judgement on a brother or treat him with contempt, as some of you have done. We shall all have to stand before the judgement seat of God; as scripture says: By my life – it is the Lord who speaks – every knee shall bend before me, and every tongue shall praise God. It is to God, therefore, that each of us must give an account of himself.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 26(27):1,4,13-14 ©

I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.

The Lord is my light and my help;

whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life;

before whom shall I shrink?

I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.

There is one thing I ask of the Lord,

for this I long,

to live in the house of the Lord,

all the days of my life,

to savour the sweetness of the Lord,

to behold his temple.

I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.

I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness

in the land of the living.

Hope in him, hold firm and take heart.

Hope in the Lord!

I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.

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.’

DISTINGUISHING THE TRULY BIG PICTURE FROM THE SMALL PICTURE

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Rom 14:7-12; Ps 27:1,4,13-14; Lk 15:1-10]

There is so much division in the world today, in families, in church, in society and among nations simply because there are those who are only concerned with the big picture and there are those who can only see the small picture. When we adopt extreme positions with respect to the way we see each other, the values we hold, the doctrines and practices we adopt, then we will create tensions and oppositions. To ease tensions and build community, we need to hold both the big and small picture in a dynamic tension.

This was the situation in the Roman community which St Paul was addressing. There were two groups of Christians, those who still felt that they should observe the Jewish practices of ritual purity especially when it came to Kosher food. (Rom 14:1-3) The conservative Jewish Christians felt that eating meat, especially from the market where the meat had been offered to idols, was not right. Instead of allowing themselves to be contaminated, they ate vegetables only. The more liberal Christians felt that in Christ, they were dispensed from the Jewish laws and furthermore, idols in their perspective were not deities. This was not the only issue that divided the community. They were also divided on the observance of sacred days. “Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds.” (Rom 14:5) The Jewish Christians considered the Sabbath to be the most sacred day, for the liberated Christians, every day was sacred if they observed it in that manner.

With respect to partaking of food offered to idols, St Paul already wrote to the Corinthians expressing his views, that in the final analysis it does not matter. (cf 1 Cor 8) Nevertheless, he cautioned those who did eat the meat offered to idols, to be sensitive to those whose conscience were weak. “So by your knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died are destroyed. But when you thus sin against members of your family, and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.” (1 Cor 8:11-13) So too, when it came to the observance of sacred days.

The advice of St Paul with regard to such matters which were of secondary importance to the faith, since it was concerned with practices only, was that each should respect the other person’s way of wanting to honour God. “‘Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. Those who observe the day, observe it in honour of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honour of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honour of the Lord and give thanks to God.” (Rom 14:3,6)

This principle of looking at the big picture instead of the small picture is relevant for us especially in matters of differences in Church doctrines and practices. Whilst it is good to have all Christians observe the same doctrines, we must realize that historical factors and theological presuppositions would cause us to understand doctrines differently. So too for Catholics as well. Whilst it might be good for all Catholics to observe the same practices, we must realize that cultural differences and past experiences would make us view certain practices differently. As St Paul noted, “the life and death of each of us has its influence on others.” We are all influenced by our past and by the present. Those who have gone before us have passed down certain traditions and practices which are deeply ingrained in us. Such matters are not a question of logic but of the heart. Whether we admit it or not, we are moulded by our past experiences, our inherited traditions and by the present.

This is why in matters of doctrines, the Church, especially in our relationship with non-Catholic Christians, needs to dialogue on the basis of the hierarchy of truths. Whilst it would be great that we all agree on the same truths, it is not always possible. Instead of dismissing the values and the goodness of each other’s traditions, we should instead focus on what we have in common, especially on the essential doctrines. “Moreover, in ecumenical dialogue, Catholic theologians standing fast by the teaching of the Church and investigating the divine mysteries with the separated brethren must proceed with love for the truth, with charity, and with humility. When comparing doctrines with one another, they should remember that in Catholic doctrine there exists a ‘hierarchy’ of truths, since they vary in their relation to the fundamental Christian faith.” (Unitatis redintegratio, 11) In other words, we must begin with what we hold in common with regard to the central doctrines of Christian Faith before we can come to agreement with secondary doctrines. We build on what is common among us.

With regard to practices, the Church has always sought to accommodate different liturgical rites and expressions of worship, the solemn Tridentine Mass, or the singing of hymns in the vernacular. Gone were the days when uniformity was the basis for unity. The Church permits the different cultural expressions of worship so long as such expressions do not compromise the doctrines of the Church. In the final analysis, what is important is that people render worship to God and live out the gospel life. It is rather myopic for us to fight over non-essential matters and forget the bigger picture of strengthening our unity in diversity, having a common faith in Christ, and then reaching out to those who do not know Him. This is true also in our relationship with non-Catholic Christians. Instead of wasting our energy attacking each other on our doctrines, we should collaborate with each other to bring as many people to Christ as possible, even if they worship differently from us and do not agree with all our doctrines.

Indeed, the gospel provides us a bigger picture with a small picture. In the parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin, the Lord reminds us that whilst the big picture is important, we must never forget that the biggest picture is concerned with the salvation of the lost, even of one soul. Every soul is important to us so much so that we would have to leave the other ninety-nine sheep to look for the one lost sheep or the one lost coin. We must therefore not sacrifice the loss of even one soul. Everyone is important to the Lord. Indeed, whilst we are exhausting our energy and time quarrelling and squabbling over our liturgical rubrics, hymns and songs to be sung, and liturgical practices or certain Catholic traditions, we forget the biggest picture, that is the loss of Catholics due to hurts and disappointments with the Church and her institutions. If every soul is important to us, we must seek to contain them, accommodate their differences and seek understanding and appreciation through sincere dialogue. We cannot dismiss and cut off those who are not able to accept certain practices of the Church. We need greater tolerance and inclusivity in the Church, realizing that even if we have different views and practices, what is of utmost importance is that we have faith in the Lord and we live a life of charity.

St Paul warns us, “Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own Lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.” (Rom 14:4) Ultimately only God knows our true intentions. Hence, we should “never pass judgement on a brother or treat him with contempt, as some of you have done. We shall all have to stand before the judgement seat of God; as scripture says: By my life – it is the Lord who speaks – every knee shall bend before me, and every tongue shall praise God. It is to God, therefore, that each of us must give an account of himself.”

Indeed, we must always keep the big picture in mind whilst not neglecting the small picture. Both are important. We must have a heart of compassion and tolerance. We must seek to include everyone in our community, respecting the different levels of commitment to the Lord and His Church. At the same time, we must learn to appreciate our diversity and use them to glorify the Lord. Let us not be hasty in our judgment lest we ourselves are judged.

Tuesday, 2 November 2021

PUTTING JESUS FIRST IN OUR RELATIONSHIPS

20211103 PUTTING JESUS FIRST IN OUR RELATIONSHIPS

03 November, 2021, Wednesday, 31st Week, Ordinary Time

First reading

Romans 13:8-10 ©

Your only debt should be the debt of mutual love

Avoid getting into debt, except the debt of mutual love. If you love your fellow men you have carried out your obligations. All the commandments: You shall not commit adultery, you shall not kill, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and so on, are summed up in this single command: You must love your neighbour as yourself. Love is the one thing that cannot hurt your neighbour; that is why it is the answer to every one of the commandments.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 111(112):1-2,4-5,9 ©

Happy the man who takes pity and lends.

Alleluia!

Happy the man who fears the Lord,

who takes delight in all his commands.

His sons will be powerful on earth;

the children of the upright are blessed.

Happy the man who takes pity and lends.

Alleluia!

He is a light in the darkness for the upright:

he is generous, merciful and just.

The good man takes pity and lends,

he conducts his affairs with honour.

Happy the man who takes pity and lends.

Alleluia!

Open-handed, he gives to the poor;

his justice stands firm for ever.

His head will be raised in glory.

Happy the man who takes pity and lends.

Alleluia!

Gospel Acclamation

Ps118:88

Alleluia, alleluia!

Because of your love give me life,

and I will do your will.

Alleluia!

Or:

1P4:14

Alleluia, alleluia!

It is a blessing for you

when they insult you for bearing the name of Christ,

for the Spirit of God rests on you.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 14:25-33 ©

Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple

Great crowds accompanied Jesus on his way and he turned and spoke to them. ‘If any man comes to me without hating his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes and his own life too, he cannot be my disciple. Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

‘And indeed, which of you here, intending to build a tower, would not first sit down and work out the cost to see if he had enough to complete it? Otherwise, if he laid the foundation and then found himself unable to finish the work, the onlookers would all start making fun of him and saying, “Here is a man who started to build and was unable to finish.” Or again, what king marching to war against another king would not first sit down and consider whether with ten thousand men he could stand up to the other who advanced against him with twenty thousand? If not, then while the other king was still a long way off, he would send envoys to sue for peace. So in the same way, none of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions.’

PUTTING JESUS FIRST IN OUR RELATIONSHIPS

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Rom 13:8-10; Ps 112:1-2,4-5,9; Lk 14:25-33 ]

Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem, the place of His passion and glory. And we are told that “Great crowds accompanied Jesus on his way and he turned and spoke to them.” Who was this crowd? Most of them were merely followers and not disciples. They walked with Jesus but this did not necessarily mean that they were committed to the Lord. And this is true for us who are Catholics as well. Many of us are baptized but we are not disciples of the Lord. We fall into the category of followers. We are just members of the Roman Catholic Church. We join in for some activities, events and some programs. But we are not really committed to the Church nor to Christ. We pick and choose those doctrines that we like, those scripture texts that we agree with, and discard those that we do not agree with.

What is the difference between being a follower and a disciple? A follower picks and chooses, a disciple learns by listening and obeying. In the gospel, Jesus said, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock.” (Mt 7:24f) A disciple is one who does not just follow Jesus to Jerusalem and then desert Him when He is in trouble, or when the tide of popularity goes against Him, but he is ready to stand by our Lord and carry the cross after Him like Simon of Cyrene. Jesus emphatically said, “Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”

Hence, those of us who want to be disciples of our Lord must first count the cost of discipleship. Otherwise, the Lord tells us we would be the like the man who planned to build a tower but did not “first sit down and work out the cost to see if he had enough to complete it. Otherwise, if he laid the foundation and then found himself unable to finish the work, the onlookers would all start making fun of him and saying, ‘Here is a man who started to build and was unable to finish.'” This is the mistake of many Catholics. They think baptism is merely about attending a nine-month Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. Once baptized, they can get back to their old way of life, as if it is a seminar that they had completed. On the contrary, the real work of being a Christian comes after baptism when we are tested in our faith, challenged in our beliefs and how we live out the gospel in our daily life, at work, at home and in the community. It means ongoing discipleship, attending worship, spending time in prayer and praying the Word of God, sharing the Word of God with a close circle of friends, being involved in the community’s activities, and doing good.

Secondly, we need to consider the consequences of rejecting our Lord. In the analogy given by our Lord about a king marching to war against another king. Surely, He said, should he not “first sit down and consider whether with ten thousand men he could stand up to the other who advanced against him with twenty thousand? If not, then while the other king was still a long way off, he would send envoys to sue for peace.” Unlike the previous analogy, this person does not have much of a choice. In the former case, he could choose to build a tower or not even start it in the first place. But in this case, if he did not come to a compromise with the more powerful king, he would lose the battle and everything he had. In such a situation, he would be forced to humble himself, and recognize the more powerful king and seek to make peace with him instead of starting a losing battle. The point Jesus was driving at was that He is more powerful and greater than Satan and the world. Knowing that He is the King of Kings, surely, it would be safer for us to surrender ourselves to Him, place ourselves under His divine protection, and work with Him for our happiness, peace and freedom. If we fail to place ourselves under His Lordship, we will ruin our lives, lose our peace and freedom to the Evil One.

Thirdly, we must put Jesus as the first among all our relationships and the centre of our lives. “If any man comes to me without hating his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes and his own life too, he cannot be my disciple.” In asking us to hate our loved ones and ourselves, it is but a Semitic way of underscoring the total allegiance and commitment to Him. He must be the first among all relationships.

Indeed, this is a very important principle as St Paul warns us in his letter to the Romans. “Though they knew God, they did not honour him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools; and they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal human being or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the degrading of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.” (Rom 1:21-25)

All other relationships find their place when we put Jesus at the centre of all our relationships. In other words, when we love Jesus first and above all, every relationship is given its proper measure. We will be able to render the love from Jesus to our parents, spouse, children, siblings and ourselves in the right order without displacing Jesus as the first and centre of all relationships. Without putting the Lord at the centre, we end up worshipping other creatures and making them gods in our lives, seeking to possess them and ending up being slaves to them. And the truth is that although human relationships are important, such relationships cannot work out except when we place them under the Lord’s authority and guidance.

Today’s gospel demand must also be read in the context of the early Church because faith in Jesus often divided the family as well because not all would accept the gospel. Those who became Christians were ostracized by their family and community. They were forced to choose between Christ or their loved ones. A time will come too when we might have to choose between our loved ones, our parents, our children and our fiancé over Christ. A time would come when we have to choose the gospel values over what the world wants to offer us, power, promotion, money and glory. It would be a difficult choice because it means sacrificing the world for Christ. That is why the gospel concludes, “So in the same way, none of you can be my disciples unless he gives up all his possessions.”

The price of discipleship might seem too demanding and beyond us. This is true. On our own strength we cannot. This is why in the first reading, St Paul’s letter to the Romans, wrote, “Love is the answer to every one of the commandments.” Indeed, although St Paul was speaking about fulfilling all the commandments towards our neighbours, the presupposition is that we must first have been loved by our Lord. Discipleship is not a matter of enrolling under a master who trains us in the way of the gospel. Rather, Christian discipleship is one of learning, it is one of loving.

We are called to love our Lord, or rather be loved by our Lord before we can choose Him. St John wrote, “In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.” (1 Jn 4:10-12) Indeed, before St Paul exhorted the Romans on how they should live out their new-found identity as adopted sons and daughters in Christ, St Paul underscored the love of God in Christ Jesus who reconciled us with His Father, and justified us through His death on the cross and then filled us with His love through the giving of the Holy Spirit. Hence, he concluded, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that nothing, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 8:37f) The Holy Spirit brings us to fulfilment.

Monday, 1 November 2021

THE CASE FOR PRAYING FOR THE SOULS IN PURGATORY

20211102 THE CASE FOR PRAYING FOR THE SOULS IN PURGATORY

02 November, 2021, Tuesday, All Souls

Isaiah 25 : 6-9

6 On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of fat things, a feast of wine on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wine on the lees well refined. 7 And he will destroy on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. 8 He will swallow up death for ever, and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth; for the Lord has spoken.

9 It will be said on that day, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”

Responsorial Psalm

The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.

If I should walk in the valley of darkness, no evil would I fear, for you are there with me.

The Lord is my shepherd;

there is nothing I shall want.

Fresh and green are the pastures

where he gives me repose.

Near restful waters he leads me,

to revive my drooping spirit.

The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.

If I should walk in the valley of darkness, no evil would I fear, for you are there with me.

He guides me along the right path;

he is true to his name.

If I should walk in the valley of darkness

no evil would I fear.

You are there with your crook and your staff;

with these you give me comfort.

The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.

If I should walk in the valley of darkness, no evil would I fear, for you are there with me.

You have prepared a banquet for me

in the sight of my foes.

My head you have anointed with oil;

my cup is overflowing.

The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.

If I should walk in the valley of darkness, no evil would I fear, for you are there with me.

Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me

all the days of my life.

In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell

for ever and ever.

The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.

If I should walk in the valley of darkness, no evil would I fear, for you are there with me.

Second reading

Now we have been reconciled by the death of his Son, surely we may count on being saved by the life of his Son

Hope is not deceptive, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given us. We were still helpless when at his appointed moment Christ died for sinful men. It is not easy to die even for a good man – though of course for someone really worthy, a man might be prepared to die – but what proves that God loves us is that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. Having died to make us righteous, is it likely that he would now fail to save us from God’s anger? When we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, we were still enemies; now that we have been reconciled, surely we may count on being saved by the life of his Son? Not merely because we have been reconciled but because we are filled with joyful trust in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have already gained our reconciliation.

Gospel Acclamation

Jn6:39

Alleluia, alleluia!

It is my Father’s will, says the Lord,

that I should lose nothing of all he has given to me,

and that I should raise it up on the last day.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last

When the sixth hour came there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’ which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you deserted me?’ When some of those who stood by heard this, they said, ‘Listen, he is calling on Elijah.’ Someone ran and soaked a sponge in vinegar and, putting it on a reed, gave it him to drink saying; ‘Wait and see if Elijah will come to take him down.’ But Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The centurion, who was standing in front of him, had seen how he had died, and he said, ‘In truth this man was a son of God.’

When the sabbath was over, Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices with which to go and anoint him. And very early in the morning on the first day of the week they went to the tomb, just as the sun was rising.

They had been saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?’ But when they looked they could see that the stone – which was very big – had already been rolled back. On entering the tomb they saw a young man in a white robe seated on the right-hand side, and they were struck with amazement. But he said to them, ‘There is no need for alarm. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified: he has risen, he is not here. See, here is the place where they laid him.’

THE CASE FOR PRAYING FOR THE SOULS IN PURGATORY

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ISAIAH 25:6-9; ROMANS 5:5-11; MARK 15:33-39]

Life is a mystery but death is even more mysterious. We do not know exactly what is on the other side of life after death. For atheists, we are reduced to atoms and return to the earth. There is complete annihilation because there is no life beyond death. Others believe in reincarnation or the transmigration of souls. In the Old Testament, the Israelites believed that upon death, we enter into a stage of a shadowy, lifeless, half-existence which they called “sheol”, regardless whether we have done good or evil. Some non-Catholic Christians believe that upon death, the person “sleeps” and waits for the resurrection on the last day and then is assigned to hell or heaven. As Catholics, we elaborate further what happens to the person who has died and awaiting the resurrection. It is the Catholic teaching that upon death, the soul will be immediately judged and either go to hell, heaven, or purgatory. In other words, Catholic Faith teaches the immortality of the soul and the intermediate state of life.

This doctrine of purgatory is denied by most non-Catholic Christians. The first objection is philosophical. It is claimed that the Catholic Faith has been influenced by a Greek understanding of the human person as body and soul, a dualism not found in the Old Testament. In the latter, the human person is always one, constituted of body and soul. Hence, they deny the existence of a soul without the body. Hence, the person “sleeps” until the resurrection on the last day when the body is raised. It is true that there is no dualism in the human person because we are embodied souls. Nevertheless, there is a distinction. St Paul prays, “May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Th 5:23) Even the Lord said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Mt 10:28) And to the Good Thief who said to the Lord, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom”, He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Lk 23:42f)

The second objection is theological, based on the doctrine of justification by faith and grace alone. The doctrine of purgatory, which suggests that a person has to undergo further purification, gives the impression that salvation is through the merits of the person when salvation is a free gift given to those who have faith. In other words, we cannot earn our salvation. Eternal life is a free gift of God. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God – not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” (Eph 2:8-10) In today’s reading, St Paul reiterated, “Having died to make us righteous, is it likely that he would now fail to save us from God’s anger? When we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, we were still enemies; now that we have been reconciled, surely we may count on being saved by the life of his Son?”

This is also our Catholic belief. We also believe that salvation is a free gift from God given to those who have faith. But faith is not a univocal term, there are degrees of faith. St James underscores this fact when he wrote, “But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe – and shudder.” (Jms 2:18f) As St Paul says, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Phil 2:12f) Even if we have faith, our love for God is not perfect and we are still growing in holiness. St John in no uncertain terms wrote, “What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.” (1 Jn 3:2f) And on the last Judgement, the Lord warned us, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Mt 25:45f)

So the question is, what happens when a person who has some faith in the Lord but is not yet fully committed to Him enough to surrender his life? What happens to someone who loves the Lord but loves the world even more? Isn’t this the case for most of us? How many of us can claim that we love God with our all heart, soul, mind, and strength? How many of us would put our loved ones and even wealth and position aside so that God would be the first and foremost love in our lives? The reality is that, except for the martyrs who gave their life to the Lord in witnessing to Him and some exceptional Christians who truly put the Lord above everything else including their life, security, wealth, and health, for most of us our love for the Lord is neither perfect not pure.

This is why the Church speaks of the doctrine of purgatory. It is that intermediate state where our diminished being, soul, continues to exist and be purified in love and grace. St Paul implied this need for purification when he wrote, ^“the work of each builder will become visible, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done. If what has been built on the foundation survives, the builder will receive a reward. If the work is burned up, the builder will suffer loss; the builder will be saved, but only as through fire.” (1 Cor 3:13-15) Indeed, some might be lost but some might be saved through fire, that is, further purification. St John also made a distinction between mortal and venial sins. “If you see your brother or sister committing what is not a mortal sin, you will ask, and God will give life to such a one – to those whose sin is not mortal. There is sin that is mortal; I do not say that you should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not mortal.” (1 Jn 3:16f)

On this basis, we are called to pray for the souls in purgatory who are undergoing purification not from mortal sins but from the lack of intense and total love for the Lord. The souls in purgatory are already saved but still not fully entered into the life of God. Purgation of their attachment to the world, letting go of their anger, hurts and pride, seeing God as their ultimate cause of happiness, accepting His unconditional love and mercy will help them to embrace God totally. The inability to let go and let God take over is the pain that they suffer, so near to God and yet not fully with Him. Hence, we must give them support by our prayers and our love, especially offering Masses for them. This ability to pray for them is rooted in the doctrine of the communion of saints which we celebrate yesterday. The saints on earth, in heaven and in purgatory are in communion and we can assist each other in our prayer.

However, we must exercise this devotion with great sensitivity, lest it gives a wrong impression of our faith. This was why the Protestants in the Middle Ages reacted so strongly against the doctrine of purgatory because of the abuses in the dispensation of indulgences often connected with donations received. And worse still, indulgences were qualified in terms of days and years when they were meant to be graphic expressions of the intensity of grace given to the souls. We must never give the impression that we can buy graces from God through offering of Masses or donations to the church and the poor, otherwise, only the rich can get to heaven! This is why under the revised rite, the Church has removed indulgences as defined by days, but just classify it as plenary or partial indulgence.

Finally, lest we get carried away by visionaries and seers claiming to see the souls in purgatory suffering great torments under intense fire, let it be made clear that although the doctrine of purgatory is an article of faith, the Church has never defined the nature, the place, and the duration of a soul in purgatory. The Church does not teach that there is fire in purgatory, or in hell, as these are merely earthly images to describe what we do not really know and have seen. So let us be circumspect in exaggerating what purgatory is like.