INTEGRITY OF FASTING

20220304 INTEGRITY OF FASTING

 

 

04 March, 2022, Friday after Ash Wednesday

First reading

Isaiah 58:1-9 ©

The sort of fast that pleases me

Thus says the Lord:

Shout for all you are worth,

  raise your voice like a trumpet.

Proclaim their faults to my people,

  their sins to the House of Jacob.

They seek me day after day,

  they long to know my ways,

like a nation that wants to act with integrity

  and not ignore the law of its God.

They ask me for laws that are just,

  they long for God to draw near:

‘Why should we fast if you never see it,

  why do penance if you never notice?’

Look, you do business on your fast-days,

  you oppress all your workmen;

look, you quarrel and squabble when you fast

  and strike the poor man with your fist.

Fasting like yours today

  will never make your voice heard on high.

Is that the sort of fast that pleases me,

  a truly penitential day for men?

Hanging your head like a reed,

  lying down on sackcloth and ashes?

Is that what you call fasting,

  a day acceptable to the Lord?

Is not this the sort of fast that pleases me

 – it is the Lord who speaks –

to break unjust fetters and

  undo the thongs of the yoke,

to let the oppressed go free,

  and break every yoke,

to share your bread with the hungry,

  and shelter the homeless poor,

to clothe the man you see to be naked

  and not turn from your own kin?

Then will your light shine like the dawn

  and your wound be quickly healed over.

Your integrity will go before you

  and the glory of the Lord behind you.

Cry, and the Lord will answer;

  call, and he will say, ‘I am here.’

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Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 50(51):3-6,18-19 ©

A humbled, contrite heart, O God, you will not spurn.

Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.

  In your compassion blot out my offence.

O wash me more and more from my guilt

  and cleanse me from my sin.

A humbled, contrite heart, O God, you will not spurn.

My offences truly I know them;

  my sin is always before me

Against you, you alone, have I sinned;

  what is evil in your sight I have done.

A humbled, contrite heart, O God, you will not spurn.

For in sacrifice you take no delight,

  burnt offering from me you would refuse,

my sacrifice, a contrite spirit.

  A humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn.

A humbled, contrite heart, O God, you will not spurn.

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Gospel Acclamation

cf.Ps129:5,7

Glory and praise to you, O Christ!

My soul is waiting for the Lord,

I count on his word,

because with the Lord there is mercy

and fullness of redemption.

Glory and praise to you, O Christ!

Or:	cf.Amos5:14

Glory and praise to you, O Christ!

Seek good and not evil so that you may live,

and that the Lord God of hosts may really be with you.

Glory and praise to you, O Christ!

---

Gospel

Matthew 9:14-15 ©

When the bridegroom is taken from them, then they will fast

John’s disciples came to Jesus and said, ‘Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?’ Jesus replied, ‘Surely the bridegroom’s attendants would never think of mourning as long as the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come for the bridegroom to be taken away from them, and then they will fast.’

 

INTEGRITY OF FASTING

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SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ISAIAH 58:1-9; PS 51:3-6,18-19; MATTHEW 9:14-15]

Today, being Friday after Ash Wednesday, it is appropriate for the liturgy to provide the right perspective to one of the three pillars of spiritual exercises during the Season of Lent, namely, fasting.  It must be noted that the spiritual value of fasting is not just confined to Christianity, or even Judaism, but in most religions as well.  Even those promoting healthy lifestyle recommend periodical fast.  Often, we are called to fast from some kind of food and drinks as these are not good for the body.  Many without religion fast for vanity reasons. This explains why different people fast for different reasons.

Many of us try to circumvent the law of fasting.  We can become legalistic, more concerned about fulfilling the law than the actual spirit of fasting. Catholics particularly, at one time when abstinence from meat was a universal law, would squabble over what kind of meat one may not consume.  For instance, may we eat frog meat as they are amphibious creatures, or turtle meat, as they live on both land and water even though they are reptiles?   What about condiments that come from animals?  Or for that matter, the one hour of Eucharistic fast before receiving communion – when do we count the hour, from the time Mass begins or from the time of reception of the Eucharist?  Then again, if we cannot take meat, we can indulge in seafood.  So even though the fast is observed, the spirit of the fast might not be observed.  The law is not broken but it does not mean that we have truly observed the spirit of the law.

Consequently, to reap the spiritual benefits of fasting, it is important that we fast with the right motive.  Otherwise, we can be fasting as the Church law requires of us or encourages to do, but with worldly motives, more for our physical health and image rather than for our spiritual growth.  This is only apparent fasting.  This was what the Israelites were doing.  Their fasting was merely an external show.  The prophet Isaiah reprimanded them, “Fasting like yours today will never make your voice heard on high. Is that the sort of fast that pleases me, a truly penitential day for men? Hanging your head like a reed, lying down on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call fasting, a day acceptable to the Lord?”

In reply to John’s disciples who “came to Jesus and said, ‘why is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?’ Jesus replied, ‘Surely the bridegroom’s attendants would never think of mourning as long as the bridegroom is still with them?”  From this text, it seems that Jesus was telling us there is no need to fast.  In some aspects it is true because we do not fast out of a habit that we have developed over the years, for example, not eating meat on Fridays, or because we can prove to others how very disciplined we are, and how much self-control we have.

So when do we fast?  We fast, as the Lord tells us, when “the bridegroom (is) to be taken away from them and then they will fast.”  What is the symbol of the bridegroom?  It is a symbol of joy, love and celebration.  In the time of the Jews, many were very poor.  And for once in their life, they were treated like kings and queens on their wedding day.  The bridegroom was to provide food and wine for their guests.  There would be fun and laughter, singing and rejoicing for a week.   So the Lord was saying that when it is a time of joy and celebration, fasting is not appropriate.  It lacks integrity and consistency.  When it is a time to celebrate, we celebrate.  It is for this reason that many Bishops conferences dispensed Catholics from abstaining from meat on Fridays of the Year except Ash Wednesday and Good Friday so that they could still observe some other forms of penance and continue with their celebration when the food includes meat.  

Fasting becomes a necessity when we have lost the bridegroom in our lives.  In this case, the bridegroom could be the Lord Himself.  When we have lost our Lord by our sins or negligence in our relationship with Him, then indeed, the bridegroom has been taken away from us.  In such a situation, it would be right to begin a fast so that we can enter into a disposition of prayer and reflection.  We can search our hearts deeply and listen more attentively when we keep ourselves from noisy celebrations and distractions in the world.  By fasting, we prepare ourselves interiorly to yearn for the Lord.  This is why the Church encourages us to fast during this Season of Lent so that we can renew our relationship with the Lord, as over the year, our hearts could have grown cold, indifferent or lukewarm.  So in the season of Lent, fasting together with prayers help us to engage the Lord once again.

Fasting is also necessary when we have lost the joy of living.  When the bridegroom is taken away, it means we have no joy, passion or enthusiasm for life.  This happens when we live a life of sin and guilt.  Sin always takes away our joy, happiness and peace.  Those who live in sin cannot find real peace in their lives.  They might look happy externally, but they know that their hearts are not at rest.  They try to suppress their conscience but their conscience keeps haunting them.   Indeed, those who have become rich through ill-gotten gains, those who have betrayed their loved ones for other relationships, those who are vindictive, cannot forgive those who have hurt them, cannot find peace.  Some demand that their enemies be punished so that they can find closure when justice is done.  In truth, real closure requires forgiveness and not revenge.

Fasting is necessary also when we are alienated from the poor and the suffering.  It means that we have lost our empathy for the suffering.  A person without compassion is no longer human.  God is all compassion and mercy.  He feels with us and for us.  Compassion is the manifestation of love and when acted out, we call it mercy.  When we are absorbed in ourselves, in our pleasures and ambition, lacking compassion for those who are suffering, life becomes empty.  This is why those who are compassionate feel great joy when they reach out to those who are deprived or suffering.  No amount of money can bring the personal joy of touching the heart of someone in need, whether through material assistance or just bringing a smile and giving a word of encouragement.  It is when we fast, that we learn to identity with the poor and the suffering.  When we know what hunger is like or what it is to be without accommodation, we would not waste food and we would want to assist that those who have no food or accommodation.  Indeed, one of the things that the Church has done is to provide shelter for the homeless.  If you go for a walk in the early morning hours, it is sad to see so many are sleeping in the park, on the benches, in the field, HDB void decks or wherever they can find a place.  Many have no homes to live in, or are driven out of their homes because they cannot get along with each other.

How should we observe the Lenten fast?  We must fast with integrity.  This means the objectives must be clear.  The prophet Isaiah exposed the Jews’ hypocrisy of fasting when he said, “Look, you do business on your fast days, you oppress all your workmen; look, you quarrel and squabble when you fast and strike the poor man with your fist.”  That kind of fasting will not draw us closer to God or to our fellowmen.  That kind of fast without integrity, continuing to ignore the law of God will not bring us peace.  So what kind of fast will pleased the Lord?  “It is the Lord who speaks – to break unjust fetters and undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and break every yoke, to share your bread with the hungry, and shelter the homeless poor, to clothe the man you see to be naked and not turn from your own kin?”

When we fast with integrity, observing the spirit of the fast, the Prophet says, “Then will your light shine like the dawn and your wound be quickly healed over. Your integrity will go before you and the glory of the Lord behind you. Cry, and the Lord will answer; call, and he will say, ‘I am here.'”  Truly, fasting in the right spirit should make us humble, more conscious of our sins, sincerely repentant for the injury we have caused to others, especially our loved ones, more earnest in wanting to correct our faults, and greater compassion to reach out to those who are suffering.  By healing and tending to the wounds of others, we heal our own wounds, by filling the lives of the poor and lonely with love, we find love ourselves.

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

A DECISION OF FAITH

20220303 A DECISION OF FAITH

 

 

03 March, 2022, Thursday after Ash Wednesday

First reading

Deuteronomy 30:15-20 ©

I set before you today life or death, blessing or curse

Moses said to the people: ‘See, today I set before you life and prosperity, death and disaster. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I enjoin on you today, if you love the Lord your God and follow his ways, if you keep his commandments, his laws, his customs, you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you are entering to make your own. But if your heart strays, if you refuse to listen, if you let yourself be drawn into worshipping other gods and serving them, I tell you today, you will most certainly perish; you will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today: I set before you life or death, blessing or curse. Choose life, then, so that you and your descendants may live, in the love of the Lord your God, obeying his voice, clinging to him; for in this your life consists, and on this depends your long stay in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob he would give them.’

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Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 1:1-4,6 ©

Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.

Happy indeed is the man

  who follows not the counsel of the wicked;

nor lingers in the way of sinners

  nor sits in the company of scorners,

but whose delight is the law of the Lord

  and who ponders his law day and night.

Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.

He is like a tree that is planted

  beside the flowing waters,

that yields its fruit in due season

  and whose leaves shall never fade;

  and all that he does shall prosper.

Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.

Not so are the wicked, not so!

For they like winnowed chaff

  shall be driven away by the wind:

for the Lord guards the way of the just

  but the way of the wicked leads to doom.

Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.

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Gospel Acclamation

Ps50:12,14

Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!

A pure heart create for me, O God,

and give me again the joy of your help.

Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!

Or:

Mt4:17

Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!

Repent, says the Lord,

for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.

Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!

---

Gospel

Luke 9:22-25 ©

Whoever loses his life for my sake will save it

Jesus said to his disciples:

  ‘The Son of Man is destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and to be put to death, and to be raised up on the third day.’

  Then to all he said:

  ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, that man will save it. What gain, then, is it for a man to have won the whole world and to have lost or ruined his very self?’

 

A DECISION OF FAITH

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SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Dt 30:15-20; Ps 1:1-4,6; Lk 9:22-25 ]

In both readings today, we are called to decide for life or for death.  Obviously, no one wants to choose death in the fullest sense of the term.  Not only do we not want to die but we want to live our life to the fullest, finding happiness and joy in what we are doing, especially in the relationships we have formed.  Hence Moses’ invitation to his people to choose “life and prosperity” or “death and disaster” is a redundant command.  So too our Lord’s invitation as well.  It is obvious what people will choose.   However, it is not so obvious that we can agree on what happiness entails, and how we can get there.  The goal and the means are in dispute.

Is happiness just a matter of prolonging one’s life and being blessed with wealth and security?  We know that happiness is not reducible to being prosperous or even having good health and security in life.  There are many who are doing well in their business, are wealthy, living in luxury and even enjoying good health, yet they are not happy at all.  They are always anxious about tomorrow, about their wealth, fighting with their opponents and those who seek to acquire their wealth.  Having a good life as the world portrays is no guarantee for happiness.   This is why the Lord said, “What gain, then, is it for a man to have the whole world and to have lost or ruined his very self?”

Moses warned his people about seeking false gods.  “But if your heart strays, if you refuse to listen, if you let yourself be drawn into worshipping other gods and serving them, I tell you today, you will most certainly perish; you will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.”  What are these false gods?  Idolatry is more than worshipping statues.  Rather, it is to worship an illusion.  Precisely, these statues and idols are empty and void of reality.  As the psalmist says, “the idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; they have eyes, but they do not see; they have ears, but they do not hear, and there is no breath in their mouths. Those who make them and all who trust them shall become like them.”  (Ps 135:15-18)

These false gods also express itself in possessions.  The Lord reminds us in the gospel, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.”  (Mt 6:19f) And the Lord told us the story of the rich farmer who said, “‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’  But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.” (Lk 12:17-21)

So happiness is about finding fulfilment, meaning and purpose.  Of course, being materially sufficient is necessary for a comfortable living although that does not equate with happiness.  We are all afraid of suffering discomfort, hunger or physically.  Yet, having a comfortable material life has its limitations.  There is a saturation point as to how much we can consume or use.  When our material and physical needs are met we will find life dissatisfying.  This is because we are human beings with a soul and a heart.  We look for love and relationships; and we seek truth and meaning in what we do.  We are not merely animals who are satisfied with food. Even animals like dogs seek for love and attention as well.  Happiness seeks what is real and lasting.  We will never be contented with passing things in life.  We seek for what is eternal and good.   

What, then, are these if not as the Lord said, being rich towards God?  In other words, we are rich in love, joy, peace, generosity, goodness, kindness, compassion and freedom. The reverse is equally true when we are full of “impurity, licentiousness, enmity, strive, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy and drunkenness”. St Paul warns us, “those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Gal 5:18-21) In the words of our Lord, “‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me.  For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, that man will save it.”  It is when we learn self-denial and are ready to give up our lives for the service and love of others, unconditionally and selflessly, that we can find true life, meaning and purpose.  We will experience a joy and freedom that the world cannot give.  

Indeed, when Moses told the people, “If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I enjoin on you today, if you love the Lord your God and follow his ways, if you keep his commandments, his laws, his customs, you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you are entering to make your own”, he was simply giving them the guidelines to harmonious living.  The commandments given by God through Moses were supposed to help the people to live as a covenanted community, caring for each other, ensuring justice and care for the poor, widowed and orphans.  The commandments were not meant to constrain them from living a full life.  They were the means by which happiness would be experienced as a shared happiness with our brothers and sisters.  No one would be too rich and no one would be too poor.  All are taken care of as the People of God.

But this decision to accept the self-denial demanded by our Lord or the commandments given by God through Moses presupposes we trust in God.  Do we trust Him enough to believe wholeheartedly that this is the way to find life?  The psalmist says, “Happy indeed is the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked; nor lingers in the way of sinners nor sits in the company of scorners, but whose delight is the law of the Lord and who ponders his law day and night.  He is like a tree that is planted beside the flowing waters, that yields its fruit in due season and whose leaves shall never fade; and all that he does shall prosper.  Not so are the wicked, not so!  For they like winnowed chaff shall be driven away by the wind for the Lord guards the way of the just but the way of the wicked leads to doom.”

The truth is that many of us would not be able to accept God’s way to fullness of life.  This is the context of today’s gospel.  Peter had just confessed in Jesus as the Messiah of God.  Jesus then “sternly ordered and commanded them not to tell anyone, saying, “The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”  (Lk 9:21f) Of course, Peter rejected this possibility.  And this also explains why Jesus instructed them not to tell others He is the Messiah of God because the people would have a wrong understanding and expectations of the Messiah they were seeking.  They were looking for a political and triumphalist Messiah.

But God’s way was to have His Son suffer and die on the cross.  It is the way of suffering and death to self for love of others.  It calls for self-sacrifice, servanthood and putting oneself as the ransom to set others free to love and serve.  So unless we are able to see things from the perspective of God, trust in His wisdom and in His commandments, we will not be able to find life.  Many of us would reject the way of God because His way does not agree with ours.  This is why the world rejects the gospel and the beatitudes, the blueprint to a blessed life.  The world seeks glory, recognition and riches.  But the way of God is the way of self-emptying, the way of self-sacrifice, the way of humility.   It is the way of losing ourselves to find life.  It is the way of the cross.  Indeed, as the Lord said, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it.  For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”  (Mt 7:13f) “Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord”, is our response.   Will we trust His wisdom, His laws and His ways?  It is a radical decision of faith.

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

 

COME BACK TO ME WITH ALL YOUR HEART

20220302 COME BACK TO ME WITH ALL YOUR HEART

 

 

02 March, 2022, Ash Wednesday

First reading

Joel 2:12-18 ©

Let your hearts be broken, not your garments torn

‘Now, now – it is the Lord who speaks –

come back to me with all your heart,

fasting, weeping, mourning.’

Let your hearts be broken, not your garments torn,

turn to the Lord your God again,

for he is all tenderness and compassion,

slow to anger, rich in graciousness,

and ready to relent.

Who knows if he will not turn again, will not relent,

will not leave a blessing as he passes,

oblation and libation

for the Lord your God?

Sound the trumpet in Zion!

Order a fast,

proclaim a solemn assembly,

call the people together,

summon the community,

assemble the elders,

gather the children,

even the infants at the breast.

Let the bridegroom leave his bedroom

and the bride her alcove.

Between vestibule and altar let the priests,

the ministers of the Lord, lament.

Let them say,

‘Spare your people, Lord!

Do not make your heritage a thing of shame,

a byword for the nations.

Why should it be said among the nations,

“Where is their God?”’

Then the Lord, jealous on behalf of his land,

took pity on his people.

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Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 50(51):3-6,12-14,17 ©

Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.

  In your compassion blot out my offence.

O wash me more and more from my guilt

  and cleanse me from my sin.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.

My offences truly I know them;

  my sin is always before me

Against you, you alone, have I sinned;

  what is evil in your sight I have done.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.

A pure heart create for me, O God,

  put a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me away from your presence,

  nor deprive me of your holy spirit.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Give me again the joy of your help;

  with a spirit of fervour sustain me,

O Lord, open my lips

  and my mouth shall declare your praise.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.

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Second reading

2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2 ©

Be reconciled to God

We are ambassadors for Christ; it is as though God were appealing through us, and the appeal that we make in Christ’s name is: be reconciled to God. For our sake God made the sinless one into sin, so that in him we might become the goodness of God. As his fellow workers, we beg you once again not to neglect the grace of God that you have received. For he says: At the favourable time, I have listened to you; on the day of salvation I came to your help. Well, now is the favourable time; this is the day of salvation.

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Gospel Acclamation

Ps50:12,14

Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!

A pure heart create for me, O God,

and give me again the joy of your help.

Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!

Or:

cf.Ps94:8

Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!

Harden not your hearts today,

but listen to the voice of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!

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Gospel

Matthew 6:1-6,16-18 ©

Your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Be careful not to parade your good deeds before men to attract their notice; by doing this you will lose all reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give alms, do not have it trumpeted before you; this is what the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win men’s admiration. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right is doing; your almsgiving must be secret, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.

  ‘And when you pray, do not imitate the hypocrites: they love to say their prayers standing up in the synagogues and at the street corners for people to see them; I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you pray, go to your private room and, when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.

  ‘When you fast do not put on a gloomy look as the hypocrites do: they pull long faces to let men know they are fasting. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that no one will know you are fasting except your Father who sees all that is done in secret; and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.’

 

COME BACK TO ME WITH ALL YOUR HEART

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SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Joel 2:12-18; Ps 51:3-6,12-14,17; 2 Cor 5:20-6:2; Mt 6:1-6, 16-18]

Prophet Joel said, “Now, now – it is the Lord who speaks – come back to me with all your heart, fasting, weeping, mourning.” It is the same invitation that was given to the Prodigal Son in the gospel.  The prophet said, “turn to the Lord your God again, for he is all tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in graciousness, and ready to relent. Who knows if he will not turn again, will not relent, will not leave a blessing as he passes, oblation and libation for the Lord your God?”  The context of the appeal was so that Israel would not suffer the punishment of God and be destroyed by their enemies.  There was still time to make amends.  We do not have to go through the same predicament of the Prodigal Son who was reduced to a destitute and a slave before he came to realization that what he was going through was on account of his sins of infidelity and estrangement from his father.

Indeed, this is the invitation of God to the entire people of God, the religious leaders and the laity.  This call to conversion, a change of heart, is directed at us as individuals and as a community of sinners because the consequences of sin do not just affect the individual but the entire community as well.  This explains why Joel called the religious leaders to, “Sound a trumpet in Zion! Order a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly, call the people together, summon the community, assemble the elders, gather the children, even the infants at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his bedroom and the bride her alcove.”  Everyone is called to repentance, even the bridal couples were not exempted from repentance.  The call to conversion is critical and is given priority over personal and social celebrations. 

This call to conversion is directed firstly at the religious leaders, whether clerical, consecrated persons or lay leaders because of the scandals they can cause to the entire community.  This is particularly so in the Catholic Church where many of us priests and religious have failed our people, not just in the way we conduct ourselves as ministers of the gospel and the Eucharist but in our personal life.  Our sins have caused the Church, our people to suffer shame and embarrassment; and some have left the Church, disillusioned at how our priests and religious behaved, not like Jesus whom they are called to represent, as St Paul himself said, “we are ambassadors for Christ.”  To be ambassadors for Christ means to represent Him physically and personally.

However, corporate, community and political leaders are not exempted from the call to repentance because by their actions, decisions and examples, they could either inspire the young people or make them copy their bad examples.  Leaders in every aspect of life in society have tremendous influence in society.  Alas, we wonder whether our leaders, especially in the entertainment world and the political world, are leading our people to perdition through the destruction of family life, confusion of genders, economic disparity, and provoking unease in the world through threats of war simply because of narrow political and national interests.

Of course, it is easy to blame our leaders and society for the situation we are in today.  It is easy to make others our scapegoat for our failures.  This was the case of Adam and Eve when they sinned against God.  Eve blamed the Devil for tricking her and Adam laid the blame on Eve for giving him the fruit to eat.  (Gn 3:12f) Rather, we must take responsibility as well because we have the power to resist and can do what is right and good.  We need not succumb to the pressure of society.  It all depends whom we want to follow.  Whatever decision we make will affect us and society.  Whilst it is true that man is a product of society, we must never forget that society is the product of man as well. Jesus could change the entire culture, so, too, many religious leaders as well.  We must therefore never resign ourselves to the situation and cop out.  This is why the Holy Father also called for the Synodal process so that everyone can own the responsibility of putting the Church back on track.

But this call to repentance must be from the heart as the prophet said, “Let your hearts be broken not your garments torn.”  It must be a heartfelt and contrite turning to the Lord, not a formal and external repentance.  Conversion must begin from a broken heart.  Conversion can only take place when we see the depth of our misery because of what our sins have done to us and to our brothers and sisters.  Without a broken heart, there will be no radical conversion.  For this reason, the prophet Joel commanded the priests to shake off their indifferent attitude and perfunctory performance of the rituals and the sacrifices.  Rather, from the depth of their contrite heart, “between vestibule and altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, lament. Let them say, ‘Spare your people, Lord! Do not make your heritage a thing of shame, a byword for the nations, “Where is their God?”‘ Then the Lord, jealous on behalf of his land, took pity on his people.”

This is what the Lord is reminding us as well in the gospel.  In endorsing the three pillars of spiritual exercises as recommended in Judaism, Jesus cautions that we should not practise them in an external manner to gain the attention of people. Rather, we should do so out of a true expression of our love and gratitude to God for His generosity and mercy towards us.  What is central is not what we do but that through our good works, almsgiving, penance and prayers, we strengthen our relationship with God our Father, come to a greater self-awareness of our motives in what we do and the gravity of our sins; and most of all, cultivate compassion, charity and forgiveness towards our brothers and sisters who are suffering either in hunger or wounded in relationships.

The real reward that comes from prayers, penance and almsgiving is not to be recognized by the world for how pious we are, how disciplined we are, or how generous we are.  Rather, it is our intimate union with God, sharing in His life, love and compassion.  Hence, the Lord said, “when you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right is doing; your almsgiving must be secret, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.  When you pray go to your private room and, when you have shut the door, pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.  When you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that no one will know you are fasting except your Father who sees all that is done in secret; and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.”

Yet, the fundamental cause for our desire for repentance and conversion must be a response to the grace and mercy of God.  It is not our work but the work of God in us. St Paul tells us, “For our sake God made the sinless one into sin, so that in him we might become the goodness of God.”  Our conversion is a grateful response to the grace of God given to us in Christ.  It is Christ who reveals to us His Father’s mercy for us through His vicarious death for our salvation.  Jesus the Son of God became man to assume our human nature and to share in our human weakness.  He too faced the same temptations, and even more intensely than anyone of us.  He offered Himself as the sacrificial victim, a blameless holocaust, for the atonement of our sins to render the justice of God before man. This is why St Paul says, Jesus was made sin for us so that we can be reconciled with God.

Consequently, St Paul wrote, “It is as though God were appealing through us, and the appeal that we make in Christ’s name is: be reconciled to God.  As his fellow workers, we beg you once again not to neglect the grace of God that you have received. For he says: At the favourable time, I have listened to you; on the day of salvation I came to your help. Well, now is the favourable time; this is the day of salvation.”  We have received His grace, the grace of baptism or the grace to desire baptism for our catechumens.  Let us, as St Paul reminds us, not to receive the grace of God in vain.  As we begin the Season of Lent, we are in the beginning of Spring.  To prepare for the feast of Easter, the Feast of New Life, St Paul urges us, “Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch, as you really are unleavened. For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us celebrate the festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”  (1 Cor 5:7f) The psalmist says, “A pure heart create for me, O God.”

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