Scripture Reflection and Prayer : Journeying together

Sunday, 4 February 2024

DOMESTICATING THE PRESENCE OF GOD

20240205 DOMESTICATING THE PRESENCE OF GOD

05 February 2024, Monday, 5th Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

1 Kings 8:1-7,9-13 ©

The Ark of the Covenant is brought into the Temple

Solomon called the elders of Israel together in Jerusalem to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord up from the Citadel of David, which is Zion. All the men of Israel assembled round King Solomon in the month of Ethanim, at the time of the feast (that is, the seventh month), and the priests took up the ark and the Tent of Meeting with all the sacred vessels that were in it. In the presence of the ark, King Solomon and all Israel sacrificed sheep and oxen, countless, innumerable. The priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, in the Debir of the Temple, that is, in the Holy of Holies, under the cherubs’ wings. For there where the ark was placed the cherubs spread out their wings and sheltered the ark and its shafts. There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets Moses had placed in it at Horeb, the tablets of the covenant which the Lord had made with the Israelites when they came out of the land of Egypt; they are still there today.

Now when the priests came out of the sanctuary, the cloud filled the Temple of the Lord, and because of the cloud the priests could no longer perform their duties: the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s Temple.

Then Solomon said:

‘The Lord has chosen to dwell in the thick cloud.

Yes, I have built you a dwelling,

a place for you to live in for ever.’

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 131(132):6-10 ©

Go up, Lord, to the place of your rest!

At Ephrata we heard of the ark;

we found it in the plains of Yearim.

‘Let us go to the place of his dwelling;

let us go to kneel at his footstool.’

Go up, Lord, to the place of your rest!

Go up, Lord, to the place of your rest,

you and the ark of your strength.

Your priests shall be clothed with holiness;

your faithful shall ring out their joy.

For the sake of David your servant

do not reject your anointed.

Go up, Lord, to the place of your rest!

Gospel Acclamation

Jn8:12

Alleluia, alleluia!

I am the light of the world, says the Lord;

anyone who follows me will have the light of life.

Alleluia!

Or:

cf.Mt4:23

Alleluia, alleluia!

Jesus proclaimed the Good News of the kingdom

and cured all kinds of sickness among the people.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Mark 6:53-56 ©

All those who touched him were cured

Having made the crossing, Jesus and his disciples came to land at Gennesaret and tied up. No sooner had they stepped out of the boat than people recognised him, and started hurrying all through the countryside and brought the sick on stretchers to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, to village, or town, or farm, they laid down the sick in the open spaces, begging him to let them touch even the fringe of his cloak. And all those who touched him were cured.

DOMESTICATING THE PRESENCE OF GOD

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1KGS 8:1-7,9-13; Psalm 132:6-10; Mark 6:53-56]

In the first reading, we read of the completion of the Temple of Jerusalem, the brainchild of King David but which was left to King Solomon to finish the task. There was great rejoicing in Israel as “Solomon called the elders of Israel to together in Jerusalem to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord up from the Citadel of David, which Zion.” The Ark of the Covenant had special significance for the people of Israel. The Ark housed the two tablets containing the Ten Commandments God gave to Moses. It was important to the Israelites because it represented the presence of God for the people of Israel.

In all religions, signs and symbols are always used. Every religion would have their symbols to signify God’s presence. For Christians, the Bible is considered the sacred book of God. For Catholics, besides the bible, we have the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, which is the real presence of Christ. The tabernacle is to us what the Ark was to the Israelites. Instead of housing the Two Tablets of the Decalogue, literally, the Ten Words or Laws, we have Christ, who is the Word of God made flesh in the Eucharist. We, too, have great devotion to the Eucharist, whom we recognize as the presence of God par excellence.

The necessity of signs and symbols to represent the presence of God is due to the fact that we are not pure spirits. We need to see, smell, hear, feel and touch. The medium of communication is through the human body. This is the basis for the incarnation. God assumes our humanity so that through Christ, we can come to know the Father. Jesus is for us the presence of God in person. This accounts for Jesus’ claim that to see Him is to see the Father. For this same reason, the Lord instructed His disciples to heal the sick. “So they set of to preach repentance; and they cast out many devils, and anointed many sick people with oil and cured them.” (Mk 6:13) Such use of natural objects concurs with the first reading when God made His presence felt through the clouds, through the things of nature.

However, there is always the temptation to domesticate God. As in the days of old, symbols and signs which were meant to mediate the presence of God were often taken as the ends in themselves. When that happens, we fall into superstition. This was the case of the Israelites. Unfortunately, this is true of some Catholics as well, who are more concerned with sacramentals, rubrics and the externals of the liturgical celebrations than with the meaning that has been intended. What we need to emphasize is how we encounter God through the sacramentals, gestures and actions. We read in the gospel that all those who “touch even the fringe of his cloak. And all those who touched him were cured.” Would we say that this is pure superstition? The use of sacramentals like holy water, oil, crucifix are not to be considered as superstitious practices so long as such elements and objects are connected with God or with Christ. The power of such sacramentals is not dependent on the things in themselves, but by the promise of Christ through His Church that He would act through such objects so that people could feel His presence and love Him more deeply and tangibly.

Of course, it would be ideal if we have the faith of the Centurion who said, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; therefore I did not presume to come to you. But only speak the word, and let my servant be healed.” (Lk 7:7) But few have this simple faith as Jesus noted.

For this reason, God, knowing our weakness, was reluctant to have the Temple built for Him. When David wanted to build the Temple, the Lord instructed the Prophet Nathan, “Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord, ‘Are you the one to build me a house to live in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built me a house of cedar?'” Indeed, God is a trek God, a nomadic God who moves with His people. He does not stay in a place like human beings. He does not want to be tied down to a particular location or an object. This God wants to be with His people, journeying with them in all their activities and life. This is the beginning of the domestication of God.

So after 480 years since they left Egypt, a Temple for which He did not ask to be built was constructed for Him. In truth, the Temple was more for the people than for God. In the New Testament, we find that, again, the Lord wanted to be present in His people; not so much in the Temple. Jesus told the Samaritan, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (Jn 4:21-24) St Paul wrote, “What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, ‘I will live in them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (2 Cor 6:16)

In Vatican Council teaching on Sacred Liturgy, the Fathers speak of the different ways Christ is present in His Church in the liturgy, especially in His ministers and the People of God. “To accomplish so great a work, Christ is always present in His Church, especially in her liturgical celebrations. He is present in the sacrifice of the Mass, not only in the person of His minister, ‘the same now offering, through the ministry of priests, who formerly offered himself on the cross’, but especially under the Eucharistic species. By His power He is present in the sacraments, so that when a man baptizes it is really Christ Himself who baptizes. He is present in His word, since it is He Himself who speaks when the holy scriptures are read in the Church. He is present, lastly, when the Church prays and sings, for He promised: “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18:20).” Christ indeed always associates the Church with Himself in this great work wherein God is perfectly glorified and men are sanctified. The Church is His beloved Bride who calls to her Lord, and through Him offers worship to the Eternal Father. Rightly, then, the liturgy is considered as an exercise of the priestly office of Jesus Christ.

In the liturgy the sanctification of the man is signified by signs perceptible to the senses, and is effected in a way which corresponds with each of these signs; in the liturgy the whole public worship is performed by the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, that is, by the Head and His members. From this it follows that every liturgical celebration, because it is an action of Christ the priest and of His Body which is the Church, is a sacred action surpassing all others; no other action of the Church can equal its efficacy by the same title and to the same degree.”

In the gospel today, Jesus mediates the presence of God through His works of healing and compassion for the poor. People “brought the sick on stretchers to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, to village, or town, or farm, they laid down the sick in the open spaces.” In Jesus, they saw the presence of God. Christ was the mercy and compassion of God for them. He is the fulfilment of the prophecy of Zechariah. He is the visitation of the Lord. “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel. He has visited His people and redeemed them.” (Lk 1:68)

We, too, who worship the Lord in the Temple and receive Him in the sacraments, are called to do likewise. We must become what we receive. Having received Christ, we must be Christ to others in the way we live our lives, the way we speak, the way we serve, the way we look at others. Only when our lives and our very being also become the very presence of God’s love and mercy, could we then say that we have not allowed ourselves to fall into the temptation of domesticating God, but we have allowed Him to live and dwell in us, making us living stones of His Holy Temple.

Saturday, 3 February 2024

THE MEANING OF LIFE IS FOUND IN OUR VOCATION TO LOVE AND SERVE

20240204 THE MEANING OF LIFE IS FOUND IN OUR VOCATION TO LOVE AND SERVE

04 February 2024, Sunday, 5th Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

Job 7:1-4,6-7 ©

My life is but a breath

Job began to speak:

Is not man’s life on earth nothing more than pressed service,

his time no better than hired drudgery?

Like the slave, sighing for the shade,

or the workman with no thought but his wages,

months of delusion I have assigned to me,

nothing for my own but nights of grief.

Lying in bed I wonder, ‘When will it be day?’

Risen I think, ‘How slowly evening comes!’

Restlessly I fret till twilight falls.

Swifter than a weaver’s shuttle my days have passed,

and vanished, leaving no hope behind.

Remember that my life is but a breath,

and that my eyes will never again see joy.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 146(147):1-6 ©

Praise the Lord who heals the broken-hearted.

Alleluia!

Praise the Lord for he is good;

sing to our God for he is loving:

to him our praise is due.

Praise the Lord who heals the broken-hearted.

Alleluia!

The Lord builds up Jerusalem

and brings back Israel’s exiles,

he heals the broken-hearted,

he binds up all their wounds.

He fixes the number of the stars;

he calls each one by its name.

Praise the Lord who heals the broken-hearted.

Alleluia!

Our Lord is great and almighty;

his wisdom can never be measured.

The Lord raises the lowly;

he humbles the wicked to the dust.

Praise the Lord who heals the broken-hearted.

Alleluia!

Second reading

1 Corinthians 9:16-19,22-23 ©

I should be punished if I did not preach the Gospel

I do not boast of preaching the gospel, since it is a duty which has been laid on me; I should be punished if I did not preach it! If I had chosen this work myself, I might have been paid for it, but as I have not, it is a responsibility which has been put into my hands. Do you know what my reward is? It is this: in my preaching, to be able to offer the Good News free, and not insist on the rights which the gospel gives me.

So though I am not a slave of any man I have made myself the slave of everyone so as to win as many as I could. For the weak I made myself weak: I made myself all things to all men in order to save some at any cost; and I still do this, for the sake of the gospel, to have a share in its blessings.

Gospel Acclamation

Jn8:12

Alleluia, alleluia!

I am the light of the world, says the Lord;

anyone who follows me will have the light of life.

Alleluia!

Or:

Mt8:17

Alleluia, alleluia!

He took our sicknesses away,

and carried our diseases for us.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Mark 1:29-39 ©

He cast out devils and cured many who were suffering from disease

On leaving the synagogue, Jesus went with James and John straight to the house of Simon and Andrew. Now Simon’s mother-in-law had gone to bed with fever, and they told him about her straightaway. He went to her, took her by the hand and helped her up. And the fever left her and she began to wait on them.

That evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were sick and those who were possessed by devils. The whole town came crowding round the door, and he cured many who were suffering from diseases of one kind or another; he also cast out many devils, but he would not allow them to speak, because they knew who he was.

In the morning, long before dawn, he got up and left the house, and went off to a lonely place and prayed there. Simon and his companions set out in search of him, and when they found him they said, ‘Everybody is looking for you.’ He answered, ‘Let us go elsewhere, to the neighbouring country towns, so that I can preach there too, because that is why I came.’ And he went all through Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out devils.

THE MEANING OF LIFE IS FOUND IN OUR VOCATION TO LOVE AND SERVE

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [JOB 7:1-4, 6-7; 1 COR 9:16-19, 22-23; MK 1:29-39]

When Job remarked, “Is not man’s life on earth nothing more than pressed service, his time no better than hired drudgery? Like the slave, sighing for the shade, or the workman with no thought but his wages”, isn’t it true that he was but expressing the frustrations and disappointments with life of many people? Isn’t it true that for many of us, life is a real boredom because it is simply going through the routine of work, eat, sleep and play?

Yes, life does not seem to have meaning. Making a living and making money alone cannot bring us life. Eating and recreation alone cannot give us fulfilment in life. That is why many of us drift through life, living on the superficial level, the level of animals. We wake up each day not knowing what to do next. We are so bored and so we want to get back to bed. But when we are in bed, we cannot sleep. We have no vision or direction. Thus Job sighed, “Lying in bed I wonder, when will it be day? Risen I think, how slowly evening comes! Restlessly I fret till twilight falls.” Such is the irony of life.

The good news is that God wants to raise us up and give us meaning. The liturgy invites us to be open to God who comes to give us a sense of direction and purpose, especially when we lose connection with ourselves. Like Job who prayed in his disillusionment, we too must pray from the depth of our hearts, “Remember that my life is but a breath, and that my eyes will never again see joy.” This prayer, made with confidence will be heard. How can this be a reality?

If we were to recover our meaning in life, then we must look to Jesus and St Paul. For in them, they show us that the meaning of life is not to be found in work itself but in having a vocation. Both readings from the New Testament impress upon us that Jesus and St Paul, because they were people who had a vocation and mission, were also people who lived lives of joy, enthusiasm, dynamism, commitment and meaning. In fact, so vibrant were their lives that they did not even have time to think about their own needs.

What, then, is the difference between work and vocation? It is work when we are only concerned about earning a living for ourselves. If work is seen purely as a means to be remunerated so that one can acquire more wealth, power, status and recognition, then it becomes drudgery. One might satisfy one’s physical needs but not one’s spiritual and personal needs. He is not working for a higher goal in life.

The truth is that because our goal is finite, the happiness we attain, if at all, falls short of what we are seeking in our spirit. We are not doing something that we like or is meaningful. Our spirit longs for something greater. We know that we are meant for something more. Hence, we have to confront ourselves by asking the fundamental question: are we seeking security or meaning? Security can be provided to some extent by having money, power etc. Even then, there is no real security.

To live well we must live for meaning. Not just meaning, but the higher the meaning, the more alive we become. When there is meaning and purpose, no sacrifices would be too difficult. With meaning, we can forget about our security. That is why Jesus, the apostles, and many missionaries could leave everything behind for the higher values of life. This is because their meaning is their security. So long as there is meaning, there is real security. Where can this meaning be found? When we search the vocation and mission that God has given to us in life!

What is a vocation? A vocation implies a calling in the depth of our being to do something for the good of humankind. This calling is translated as possessing a sense of mission. St Paul certainly felt a deep calling from within to proclaim the Good News. So a vocation speaks of an imperative within us, urging us to do something for the good of others. This calling comes from within, not from without; not drawn out by people but stirs up from within by God who places that desire in our hearts. A vocation, therefore, always implies a commitment, not out of duty, but with a sense of mission, like Jesus.

Secondly a vocation implies that we are given a transcendent calling. A vocation is our calling from God to serve His people. It is an invitation from the Lord to each one of us to have a sense of service to others around us. A vocation goes beyond earning money or seeking for power or for things. But we work basically for the service of love. Of course, the labourer is worthy of his hire. But money becomes only a means for us to live a decent life, but not a luxurious life. Happiness cannot come from money and luxury, but meaningful service to people. In this way, our work becomes our meaning. It is a direct encounter of God in the work; not indirect, as in our career. In fact, the remuneration becomes secondary to what we are doing.

Thirdly, we know it is a vocation when do everything with freedom. So freedom for love must be complemented by freedom in love. When it is a vocation, it is chosen freely. It must be a choice to serve, not out of obligation or compulsion, but out of conviction and love.

When a service is done in freedom and in love, we choose to become all things to all men because losing ourselves, we learn to empathize with them. Such service makes us free to feel with others because we have forgotten about ourselves.

Finally, a vocation is primarily a response to the love of God for us. Without this prior experience, the divine call would not be stirred up within us. When Simon’s mother-in-law was healed, “she began to wait on them.” When God touches us, we respond with love in service because of our gratitude. Thus, Peter’s mother-in-law began to wait on Jesus. Only when we are conscious of God’s love and blessings for us, will we begin to use our good health and other resources for the good of others. The reason why some of us do not have the capacity to reach out in love and service to others is because we are not grateful for what we have. The lack of gratitude boils down to the fact that we have not received, or are not aware of, the love of God for us. Only grateful people can love because when they realize how they have been loved unconditionally in spite of their nothingness, they, too, want to share that love in the same way with those who are not deserving of love.

And what is empowering in such love is that the effects of such outward- looking attitude makes us forget about ourselves. We begin to focus on others more and more. If we are always thinking about our needs and ourselves, it is because, like a sick person, we tend to be inward-looking and thinking of our pain. But when we begin to reach out, we forget about our own problems, or at least see them in perspective. So service is the way to bring us out of our problems and misery. It adds meaning and challenge to our lives.

Today, let us find inspiration and encouragement from the lives of Jesus and St Paul. The gospel today shows us what a life of vocation entails. We can see that the life of Jesus was surely interesting and fulfilling. This, too, was the kind of life that St Paul lived. He lived a life that was totally dependent on the Lord. He was always a man of mission, with a sense of urgency in him. In fact, St Paul compares our mission and goal to runners taking part in the race. “So that is how I run, not without a clear goal; and how I box, not wasting blows on air. I punish my body and bring it under control, to avoid any risk that, having acted as herald for others, I myself may be disqualified.”

Not only must we have a goal; we must find a mission in life, a vocation that helps us to live beyond this world, or for ourselves. Unless we live for God and for others, we cannot find true meaning because we fail to go beyond ourselves. Yes, without a sense of mission or vocation in life, everything loses its meaning and connection. By choosing to live our life as a vocation with a sense of mission, then our lives become integrated, wholesome and purposeful. Such a life is always inspiring, liberating and meaningful.

THE WISDOM OF INTER-FAITH MARRIAGES

20240203 THE WISDOM OF INTER-FAITH MARRIAGES

03 February 2024, Saturday, 4th Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

1 Kings 3:4-13 ©

Solomon chooses the gift of wisdom

King Solomon went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, since that was the greatest of the high places – Solomon offered a thousand holocausts on that altar. At Gibeon the Lord appeared in a dream to Solomon during the night. God said, ‘Ask what you would like me to give you.’ Solomon replied, ‘You showed great kindness to your servant David, my father, when he lived his life before you in faithfulness and justice and integrity of heart; you have continued this great kindness to him by allowing a son of his to sit on his throne today. Now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in succession to David my father. But I am a very young man, unskilled in leadership. Your servant finds himself in the midst of this people of yours that you have chosen, a people so many its number cannot be counted or reckoned. Give your servant a heart to understand how to discern between good and evil, for who could govern this people of yours that is so great?’ It pleased the Lord that Solomon should have asked for this. ‘Since you have asked for this’ the Lord said ‘and not asked for long life for yourself or riches or the lives of your enemies, but have asked for a discerning judgement for yourself, here and now I do what you ask. I give you a heart wise and shrewd as none before you has had and none will have after you. What you have not asked I shall give you too: such riches and glory as no other king ever had.’

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 118(119):9-14 ©

Lord, teach me your statutes.

How shall the young remain sinless?

By obeying your word.

I have sought you with all my heart;

let me not stray from your commands.

Lord, teach me your statutes.

I treasure your promise in my heart

lest I sin against you.

Blessed are you, O Lord;

teach me your statutes.

Lord, teach me your statutes.

With my tongue I have recounted

the decrees of your lips.

I rejoiced to do your will

as though all riches were mine.

Lord, teach me your statutes.

Gospel Acclamation

Jn10:27

Alleluia, alleluia!

The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,

says the Lord,

I know them and they follow me.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Mark 6:30-34 ©

They were like sheep without a shepherd

The apostles rejoined Jesus and told him all they had done and taught. Then he said to them, ‘You must come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while’; for there were so many coming and going that the apostles had no time even to eat. So they went off in a boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves. But people saw them going, and many could guess where; and from every town they all hurried to the place on foot and reached it before them. So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he set himself to teach them at some length.

THE WISDOM OF INTER-FAITH MARRIAGES

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1KGS 3:4-13; MK 6:30-34]

We are living in the age of globalization. One of the phenomena of globalization is the increasing contact between peoples of different faiths and cultures. With closer and more intimate contact because of migration and mass communication, there is also an increasing number of inter-cultural marriages and even inter-faith marriages. Of course, inter-faith marriages and inter-cultural marriages are not new. During the time of King Solomon there were already inter-faith and inter-cultural marriages. The first line in today’s first reading is very telling. It reads, “Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt; he took Pharaoh’s daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had finished building his own house and the house of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem.” (1 Kg 3:1) Because the liturgy wants us to focus on the Wisdom of Solomon, this verse was omitted. Yet, we know that the cause of Solomon’s downfall was the fact that he brought many foreign wives into his kingdom. As a consequence, the faith was weakened and adulterated, resulting in the gradual loss of values, bringing about disunity within the country. It would be wise of us, therefore, to reflect on the wisdom of inter-faith marriages.

Positively, inter-faith and inter-cultural marriages can foster unity through mutual appreciation of each other’s religious beliefs and cultures. Indeed, in the ancient world, alliances between countries were forged through marriage. Marriage diplomacy was used to resolve quarrels and the lack of trust between peoples of two nations. So, too, on the personal level, inter-faith and inter-cultural marriages can also lead to a deep appreciation of each other’s religion, practices and cultures. When viewed positively, knowing the other person’s faith can challenge and purify one’s own faith as well, enriching our faith and cultural traditions. It helps to widen one’s view of life, to see beyond our narrow confines and even to adopt what is true and good for our own faith and culture.

So, in principle, inter-faith and inter-cultural marriages are not necessarily negative. But in practice, the challenges are many, and often insurmountable. What are these challenges?

Firstly, inter-faith marriages impact on one’s culture. Faith is not born from a vacuum. All religions, even if they profess to be transcendent, are historical. The founders of each religion came from a particular culture and people. For this reason, in importing the faith of a particular religion, there is always the concomitant acceptance of the culture of that religion. This explains why the Christian Faith, although hailing from Middle East, is seen as a Western faith because it is clothed in western culture, particularly European culture. Islam is very much influenced by Arabic culture. Hinduism comes with Indian culture. This can be quite a challenge in itself as, for some, it means having to give up some aspects of their cultural practices.

Secondly, faith is not just cultural, but it is expressed through culture. Christian faith tends to express itself through the symbols of the western world. We are then faced with the difficulty and challenge of distinguishing what is faith and what is culture. Whilst faith must be one in truth and love, how we express this faith can be done according to one’s culture. This is where the question of legitimate and illegitimate importation of culture into the faith comes in. Legitimate inculturation is when we inject Christian faith, doctrines and values into existing cultural practices, signs and symbols, giving them a Christian meaning. Quite often, it means changing the meaning altogether. Illegitimate inculturation is when we inject non-Christian doctrines, values and meaning into the Christian faith. In other words, we import not just the cultural symbols and signs but also non-Christian beliefs and values as well, at times, contrary to our faith.

The third challenge that inter-faith couples will face is the purity of the faith. Can one remain true to his or her beliefs and not compromise his or her allegiance? In theory, it is possible but in practice, over time, the pristine faith that is passed on to us would be blurred and confused. Quite often, instead of appreciating each other’s faith, we end up evolving a hybrid religion which is basically syncretism, taking some doctrines and practices and values of the other religion. This results in adulteration of the faith. What is worshipped and believed is eventually confused. As a consequence, the person’s faith is eventually weakened, and in most cases, it is lost.

The fourth challenge of inter-faith couples is the difficulty of having common and shared values. It is extremely difficult for marriages to remain united in love, and strong, when couples do not have shared values, especially moral and ethical values. As it is, even couples of the same faith often disagree on the way moral values and principles are to be applied concretely in each situation e.g. raising and disciplining of children. Because moral and ethical values have their foundation in doctrinal beliefs, e.g. the unity and indissolubility of marriage as in the bible, disagreement in doctrines would also impact on how we view morality. Understandably, those without Christian foundation could accept divorce, abortion, same-sex union and even euthanasia. To build a family without strong moral foundation and common values would be very difficult as differences of views would lead to quarrels, misunderstandings and lack of trust, resulting in each going his or her own way.

The fifth challenge is the confusion created among the children. When parents are of different faiths, children will be torn as to whose church, or temple, or mosque they should attend. It would also be very heart-breaking to know that one of the parents is not around when they go for worship together. Faith, we know, is more than logic and understanding. Faith is more than doctrines but a personal encounter with God. So, without this personal encounter with God because of the dichotomy between faith and life in their family, such a situation will lead to apathy. Worse still, if parents were to argue and fight over their beliefs with each other, the children will be totally bewildered because at that age, they would not be able to understand both intellectually or on the level of personal faith. This would bring about division in the family.

In the light of these challenges, the Church’s preference is for couples to share a common faith in Christ. Otherwise, preserving the unity of the family in love and truth would be very daunting. Much less still, is whether one can be truly faithful to his or her faith without impacting the other, or causing an obstacle in the relationship. Understandably, in some religions, believers may not marry a person of another faith unless that person is converted. In the Catholic Church, we act in a pastoral manner because we are also aware that compelling a person to convert to the faith for the sake of marriage might not work anyway. He or she will simply be a nominal Catholic and it will cause the spouse and the children to experience the feeling of a baptized pagan living with them, which is not much different from an inter-faith marriage. Thus, the Church provides a way out for couples who really want to marry a person of another faith through a special dispensation which we call “convalidation.”

In the final analysis, couples must decide who and what is most important to them in their lives. If it is God and their faith, then they would place God above all things. As the Book of Deuteronomy reminds us, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” (Dt 6:4f) The question the gospel is confronting us is, whether we truly believe that Jesus is our Good Shepherd, the Way, the Truth and the Life. If we truly have faith in Him and search for Him as the people did, then we will choose Him above everything and everyone else. But if our love for Christ is weak, then we choose personal relationship with our loved ones over Him. The reality is that it is very difficult to have Christ and yet compromise your faith beliefs and values.

In this sense, the irony of King Solomon is that whilst he had the wisdom that God had given him to govern his people, he did not have the wisdom to manage his household. There is always this disconnect between professional life and personal life. Many professionals are doing a great job in their corporate life, but their personal life is often in a mess. And when our personal life is in disorder, our professional and public life will ultimately suffer in the long run.

It would therefore be wise for us to learn from King Solomon, that having wisdom and all the other gifts of God is not enough to make us happy in life. We need the wisdom of God to be applied to our personal life. Like the apostles who were tired out after a long journey proclaiming the Good News in words and deeds, we, too, must listen to Jesus “to come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while.” We need to think through what are those things that really matter in life. As Jesus tells us in the gospel, work for food that endures to eternal life. (cf Jn 6:27) We must ask ourselves, is faith the most important thing in life to ensure that our family is united in love and truth, and that our children are brought up as God-fearing people who live lives of integrity, love and generosity? But before we can ask all these, we need to be connected with God in prayer, meditation, contemplation and intimacy. Unless we feel His love for us, we cannot love Him and put Him first in our lives, nor will we entrust our lives and happiness to Him.

Friday, 2 February 2024

CONSECRATING OUR PEOPLE

20240202 CONSECRATING OUR PEOPLE

02 February 2024, Friday, The Presentation of the Lord

First reading

The Lord you are seeking will suddenly enter his Temple

The Lord God says this: Look, I am going to send my messenger to prepare a way before me. And the Lord you are seeking will suddenly enter his Temple; and the angel of the covenant whom you are longing for, yes, he is coming, says the Lord of Hosts. Who will be able to resist the day of his coming? Who will remain standing when he appears? For he is like the refiner’s fire and the fullers’ alkali. He will take his seat as refiner and purifier; he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and then they will make the offering to the Lord as it should be made. The offering of Judah and Jerusalem will then be welcomed by the Lord as in former days, as in the years of old.

Responsorial Psalm