Scripture Reflection and Prayer : Journeying together

Tuesday, 3 September 2024

INFANTS IN CHRIST

20240904 INFANTS IN CHRIST

04 September 2024, Wednesday, 22nd Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

1 Corinthians 3:1-9

Neither the planter nor the waterer matters, only God, who makes things grow

Brothers, I myself was unable to speak to you as people of the Spirit: I treated you as sensual men, still infants in Christ. What I fed you with was milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it; and indeed, you are still not ready for it since you are still unspiritual. Isn’t that obvious from all the jealousy and wrangling that there is among you, from the way that you go on behaving like ordinary people? What could be more unspiritual than your slogans, ‘I am for Paul’ and ‘I am for Apollos’?

After all, what is Apollos and what is Paul? They are servants who brought the faith to you. Even the different ways in which they brought it were assigned to them by the Lord. I did the planting, Apollos did the watering, but God made things grow. Neither the planter nor the waterer matters: only God, who makes things grow. It is all one who does the planting and who does the watering, and each will duly be paid according to his share in the work. We are fellow workers with God; you are God’s farm, God’s building.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 32(33):12-15,20-21

Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.

They are happy, whose God is the Lord,

the people he has chosen as his own.

From the heavens the Lord looks forth,

he sees all the children of men.

Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.

From the place where he dwells he gazes

on all the dwellers on the earth;

he who shapes the hearts of them all;

and considers all their deeds.

Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.

Our soul is waiting for the Lord.

The Lord is our help and our shield.

In him do our hearts find joy.

We trust in his holy name.

Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.

Gospel Acclamation

1P1:25

Alleluia, alleluia!

The word of the Lord remains for ever:

What is this word?

It is the Good News that has been brought to you.

Alleluia!

Or:

Lk4:17

Alleluia, alleluia!

The Lord has sent me to bring the good news to the poor,

to proclaim liberty to captives.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 4:38-44

He would not allow them to speak because they knew he was the Christ

Leaving the synagogue, Jesus went to Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever and they asked him to do something for her. Leaning over her he rebuked the fever and it left her. And she immediately got up and began to wait on them.

At sunset all those who had friends suffering from diseases of one kind or another brought them to him, and laying his hands on each he cured them. Devils too came out of many people, howling, ‘You are the Son of God.’ But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak because they knew that he was the Christ.

When daylight came he left the house and made his way to a lonely place. The crowds went to look for him, and when they had caught up with him they wanted to prevent him leaving them, but he answered, ‘I must proclaim the Good News of the kingdom of God to the other towns too, because that is what I was sent to do.’ And he continued his preaching in the synagogues of Judaea.

INFANTS IN CHRIST

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 CORINTHIANS 3:1-9; LUKE 4:38-44]

One of the common complaints and disappointment of our Catholics is the failure of priests, religious and their own fellow Catholics to live up to their faith in Christ. As a result, many are disillusioned with their faith, their church and community. They feel betrayed that their priests or religious did not display humility or compassion when they are in need. They cannot accept that fellow parishioners and ministry members are rude, inconsiderate, boastful and self-serving. This is why many are hurt by the Church. Some became so disillusioned with the sinfulness of the Church that they left.

What these people fail to recognize is that the Church is a community of sinners seeking to become saints. It is a hospital where people with all kinds of illnesses are seeking healing. The Church is a house of mercy where people seek solace, comfort and assistance. As the Lord said, “I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance.” (Lk 5:32) So the truth is that we are all at different levels of spiritual growth and depth, including priests and religious. Of course, for priests and religious, we expect them to be more exemplary in their Christian conduct. But the reality is that they too are human beings who came from different backgrounds. Some have made greater progress in spiritual life, whereas others have been tempted by the world because they have not made time for prayer. Sometimes the lack of spiritual life could be due to the many demands made on them in their ministry – often, too many social engagements which they feel obliged to attend. Hence, they also become nasty, impatient, angry, proud, arrogant and self-serving. If this is true for priests and religious, how much more our lay people who are so involved in worldly affairs, family life and community engagements!

This was what happened to the Christians in Corinth. We should not be surprised that the Church has never been perfect since the day it was established. It would be too idealistic to think that every Christian community is loving and caring. There will always be imperfections in any community because the members are not all of the same spiritual depth and holiness. Even the primitive church which we read in the Acts of the Apostles was apparently so caring and sharing, but it did not last long. There was Ananias and his wife who sold a piece of their property but “they kept back some of the proceeds and brought only a part and laid it at the apostles’ feet.” He was reprimanded for lying to the Holy Spirit and he fell down and died. (Acts 5:1-5) Then later on, we read how the Greek-speaking Christians found fault with the Jewish-speaking Christians because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. (Acts 6:1f) Indeed, St Paul had to contend with competitiveness, slander, false accusation, jealousy, parochial-mindedness, selfishness, etc. in every Christian community.

The reason is clear, as St Paul mentioned in the first reading – such Christians are still growing in spirituality in Christ. He said, “I treated you as sensual men, still infants in Christ. What I fed you with was milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it; and indeed, you are still not ready for it since you are still un-spiritual. Isn’t that obvious from all the jealousy and wrangling that there is among you, from the way that you go on behaving like ordinary people? What could be more unspiritual than your slogans, “I am for Paul” and “I am for Apollos”? Indeed, we cannot expect infants in Christ to behave like adult Christians. So many of us who are baptized are still infants; having only drunk milk, not solid food. Many of us think that having graduated from RCIA makes us adults in faith, which is sacramentally true, but unfortunately for most of us, our faith is weak and shallow. Many of our newly baptized, including our young people who are newly confirmed, are still very weak in faith. Faced with difficulties and challenges, they succumb to the temptations of the world and act like them.

So let us not be surprised that even in Church among active church members and clergy, there will be politics because some of us are very insecure and hyper- sensitive. We react to situations negatively because of the Old Adam in us. Like the early Christians in Corinth, we form factions. We divide the Church. We champion certain organizations and people that we like. We seek power and control. We want privileges. Indeed, we see unhealthy competition among church organizations for power, fame, privileges and positions.

We fail to see ourselves as one Church and that we are all fellow workers in God’s kingdom. We fail to realize that all of us, regardless which position we hold in the church, are assigned by God to perform a role for the body of Christ. Any success is due to the Lord alone and not our hard work. There is nothing for us to boast about. We should be humble that we are just doing the work of God. This was what St Paul wrote, “After all, what is Apollos and what is Paul? They are servants who brought the faith to you. Even the different ways in which they brought it were assigned to them by the Lord. It is all one who does the planting and who does the watering, and each will duly be paid according to his share in the work. We are fellow workers with God; you are God’s farm, God’s building.”

In today’s gospel, unlike the early Christians, Jesus was active in the ministry and inclusive in His mission. He came for His people. He preached in the Synagogue. He healed Simon’s mother-in-law when she was suffering from a high fever. He made Himself available to all who needed healing of one kind or another. “At sunset all those who had friends suffering from diseases of one kind or another brought them to him, and laying his hands on each he cured them.” He even exorcised those who were possessed by evil spirits. “Devils too came out of many people, howling, ‘You are the Son of God’. But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak because they knew that he was the Christ.”

He was tempted like many of us to build our own kingdom. We read that “when daylight came he left the house and made his way to a lonely place. The crowds went to look for him, and when they had caught up with him they wanted to prevent him leaving them.” Truly, many of us who serve in organizations are unwilling to move on and let others take over from us. We are afraid to lose our position and influence. We are not willing to mentor others and to allow new blood to take over our place. We think we are indispensable and the best. In truth, we are insecure; we think that success is due to our hard work. We forget what St Paul told the Christians, “I did the planting, Apollos did the watering, but God made things grow. Neither the planter nor the waterer matters: only God, who makes things grow.”

But Jesus was not narrow-minded or parochial-minded. He would not allow politics and people to control Him and delimit His mission. So He told them in no uncertain terms, “‘I must proclaim the Good News of the kingdom of God to the other towns too, because that is what I was sent to do’. And he continued his preaching in the synagogues of Judaea.” Jesus remained focused in His mission. Even when He was fruitful and successful, He did not stay in one place to bask in His glory and fame. St Paul, imitating our Lord, also refused to build his own kingdom. He wrote to the Romans, “In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to boast of my work for God. For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to win obedience from the Gentiles, by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God. Thus I make it my ambition to proclaim the good news, not where Christ has already been named, so that I do not build on someone else’s foundation.” (Rom 16:17-20)

What is the secret for us to grow in Christian holiness? There is no other way except to follow Jesus and make our way to a lonely place to pray early in the morning before daylight. We must spend time with God in prayer, in contemplation of His love and mercy, meditating on the Word of God and examining ourselves, our motives and our life daily so that we can become more conscious of our thinking and feeling. Unless our hearts and minds are one with the Lord, we cannot be truly His ministers and be effective in our Christian ministry. Let us therefore desire to feed on solid spiritual food and not be contented with mere milk.

Monday, 2 September 2024

TEACHING AUTHORITATIVELY IN THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT

20240903 TEACHING AUTHORITATIVELY IN THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT

03 September 2024, Tuesday, 22nd Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

1 Corinthians 2:10-16

The Spirit reaches even the depths of God

The Spirit reaches the depths of everything, even the depths of God. After all, the depths of a man can only be known by his own spirit, not by any other man, and in the same way the depths of God can only be known by the Spirit of God. Now instead of the spirit of the world, we have received the Spirit that comes from God, to teach us to understand the gifts that he has given us. Therefore we teach, not in the way in which philosophy is taught, but in the way that the Spirit teaches us: we teach spiritual things spiritually. An unspiritual person is one who does not accept anything of the Spirit of God: he sees it all as nonsense; it is beyond his understanding because it can only be understood by means of the Spirit. A spiritual man, on the other hand, is able to judge the value of everything, and his own value is not to be judged by other men. As scripture says: Who can know the mind of the Lord, so who can teach him? But we are those who have the mind of Christ.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 144(145):8-14

The Lord is just in all his ways.

The Lord is kind and full of compassion,

slow to anger, abounding in love.

How good is the Lord to all,

compassionate to all his creatures.

The Lord is just in all his ways.

All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord,

and your friends shall repeat their blessing.

They shall speak of the glory of your reign

and declare your might, O God,

to make known to men your mighty deeds

and the glorious splendour of your reign.

The Lord is just in all his ways.

Yours is an everlasting kingdom;

your rule lasts from age to age.

The Lord is faithful in all his words

and loving in all his deeds.

The Lord supports all who fall

and raises all who are bowed down.

The Lord is just in all his ways.

Gospel Acclamation

Heb4:12

Alleluia, alleluia!

The word of God is something alive and active:

it can judge secret emotions and thoughts.

Alleluia!

Or:

Lk7:16

Alleluia, alleluia!

A great prophet has appeared among us;

God has visited his people.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 4:31-37

'I know who you are: the Holy One of God'

Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath. And his teaching made a deep impression on them because he spoke with authority.

In the synagogue there was a man who was possessed by the spirit of an unclean devil, and it shouted at the top of its voice, ‘Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God.’ But Jesus said sharply, ‘Be quiet! Come out of him!’ And the devil, throwing the man down in front of everyone, went out of him without hurting him at all. Astonishment seized them and they were all saying to one another, ‘What teaching! He gives orders to unclean spirits with authority and power and they come out.’ And reports of him went all through the surrounding countryside.

TEACHING AUTHORITATIVELY IN THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 CORINTHIANS 2:10-16; LUKE 4:31-37]

Why is it that many people cannot accept the Catholic Faith in spite of our intelligible explanations of why Christ is the Son of God and that the Church was founded by Him? We can explain all the doctrines and moral teachings of the Church, and many would reject our claims. Even many of our Catholics cannot accept certain aspects of the Church’s teaching on morals and doctrines. They would just disregard what they disagree with in their faith life. This is true even when sharing religious experiences. They are sceptical about the testimonies of God-encounters, healing miracles and radical spiritual experiences.

When people cannot accept what we teach and share about our faith and religious experiences, understandably, they are disinterested observers. Quite a number are “outstanding Catholics” because they do not even enter the church to participate in the service. A faith encounter requires docility, openness and receptivity. It entails that we are willing to take the risk of believing and then later on to verify what we believe after the experience. When we look at something from outside, we cannot enter into the experience of those who are open to God in a relationship. This is what St Paul is trying to explain in today’s first reading. “An unspiritual person is one who does not accept anything of the Spirit of God: he sees it all as nonsense; it is beyond his understanding because it can only be understood by means of the Spirit.”

In any human relationship, especially when a person falls in love with another person, such experiences and relationships cannot be understood logically. Why do I love this person is not a question that can be explained in a logical manner? Reason cannot explain why we love a person. It is a matter of the heart. It is not just about reason but about experiencing the entire person – the mind, heart, soul, emotions and will. Love demands a total giving and receiving of the entire person, both for the recipient and the giver.

Likewise, in a chosen vocation or hobby. There are many things in life that cannot be explained logically or in financial terms. Matters of the heart, taste, aesthetics and passion are not logical. Fulfilling one’s passion might not be profitable monetarily. Service to people and nation might not pay well. Being a priest or religious demands hard work, self-sacrifice and generosity. Still, people choose to follow their heart instead of following the cold reasoning of the world and society. Some have chosen love over career, glory and position in life.

So too, in our relationship with God. St Paul writes, “The Spirit reaches the depths of everything, even the depths of God. After all, the depths of a man, and in the same way the depths of God can only be known by the Spirit of God.” Without the heart of God and the mind of God, we cannot understand His nature, His identity, and His divine plan for us. Unless we enter the mind and heart of a person, we cannot see from his or her perspective. This is so true in counselling, when the patient seeks empathy. A good counsellor is one who can get under the skin of the counselee to feel with him or her.

Therefore, to understand the things of God we need to acquire His Spirit. “Now instead of the spirit of the world, we have received the Spirit that comes from God, to teach us to understand the gifts that he has given us. Hence, we teach not in the way in which philosophy is taught, but in the way that the Spirit teaches us: we teach spiritual things spiritually.” When we have God’s Spirit, we have the same mind and heart of Christ. We see life from His perspective and enter into His Spirit, sharing His love for His Father and us.

This explains why St Paul wrote, “A spiritual man, on the other hand, is able to judge the value of everything, and his own value is not to be judged by other men.” Experiences in life determine how we look at life. We cannot argue with someone over an experience just as we cannot reason with a person why he is in love with someone. What’s more when it is an experience of God and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. “As scripture says: Who can know the mind of the Lord, so who can teach him? But we are those who have the mind of Christ.” Of course, it does not mean to say that we must accept anyone who claims that God is speaking to him or her. We have guidelines for discernment of the spirits. Still, in the final analysis, when something or an experience is morally right, we just have to give the person the benefit of the doubt.

Jesus in the gospel demonstrated the power of the Spirit. He was just baptised in the Spirit and He was led by the Spirit into the desert to score His first victory over the Devil’s temptations. (cf Mt 4:1-11) He was anointed by the Spirit when He began His ministry, citing the Suffering Servant from Isaiah. (cf Lk 4:16-20) He spoke from the heart of God, from His inner conviction and experience of His Father’s love. “Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves.” (Jn 14:10f) He knew the nature of God and His divine plans because He was one with Him. Jesus said to Nicodemus, “If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.” (Jn 3:12f) This was what St Paul meant when he wrote, “the depths of God can only be known by the Spirit of God.”

Consequently, we can appreciate why Jesus’ “teaching made a deep impression on them because he spoke with authority.” He did not speak from His head or give a theological discourse. He was not propagating an ideology or even a philosophy. He spoke from His heart, His personal experience of God whom He called, “Abba, Father.” In fact, Jesus, unlike the Rabbis, never attended any theological school. He learnt everything from His heavenly Father. That explains why His style of preaching and teaching differed from the Rabbinic school because He taught from His own encounter with His Father’s love. His examples were concrete, personal, down to earth, from everyday life.

That Jesus completed His mission in the power of the Holy Spirit is also manifested in His sensitivity to the presence of the Evil Spirit. We read that “in the synagogue there was a man who was possessed by the spirit of an unclean devil, and it shouted at the top of its voice, ‘Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God.'” He could read the evil and subtle intentions of the unclean spirit in revealing His identity. So “Jesus said sharply, ‘Be quiet! Come out of him!’ And the devil throwing the man down in front of everyone, went out of him without hurting him at all.” Jesus knew His identity and authority that the Father gave to Him over unclean spirits. “Astonishment seized them and they were all saying to one another, ‘What teaching! He gives orders to unclean spirits with authority and power and they come out.’ And reports of him went all through the surrounding countryside.”

Today, we need to be filled with the same Spirit of Jesus, sharing His mind and heart so that we too can preach with personal authority and power to cast out evils from society. Often, we pray for deliverance and healing without faith and conviction of the Father’s love and authority. We do not have the faith of the psalmist in today’s responsorial psalm. Let us teach not just from books and study but also from our personal relationship with the Lord and our intimacy with Him. We only have to ask for the Holy Spirit and the Father will give to us. (cf Lk 11:13) Only with the Holy Spirit, can we act with and in Jesus.

Sunday, 1 September 2024

PROCLAMATION IN FAITH INSPIRES FAITH

20240902 PROCLAMATION IN FAITH INSPIRES FAITH

02 September 2024, Monday, 22nd Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

1 Corinthians 2:1-5

The only knowledge I claimed was of the crucified Christ

When I came to you, brothers, it was not with any show of oratory or philosophy, but simply to tell you what God had guaranteed. During my stay with you, the only knowledge I claimed to have was about Jesus, and only about him as the crucified Christ. Far from relying on any power of my own, I came among you in great ‘fear and trembling’ and in my speeches and the sermons that I gave, there were none of the arguments that belong to philosophy; only a demonstration of the power of the Spirit. And I did this so that your faith should not depend on human philosophy but on the power of God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 118(119):97-102

Lord, how I love your law!

Lord, how I love your law!

It is ever in my mind.

Your command makes me wiser than my foes;

for it is mine for ever.

Lord, how I love your law!

I have more insight than all who teach me

for I ponder your will.

I have more understanding than the old

for I keep your precepts.

Lord, how I love your law!

I turn my feet from evil paths

to obey your word.

I have not turned from your decrees;

you yourself have taught me.

Lord, how I love your law!

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:

Lk4:18

Alleluia, alleluia!

The Lord has sent me to bring the good news to the poor,

to proclaim liberty to captives.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 4:16-30

'This text is being fulfilled today, even as you listen'

Jesus came to Nazara, where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day as he usually did. He stood up to read and they handed him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll he found the place where it is written:

The spirit of the Lord has been given to me,

for he has anointed me.

He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor,

to proclaim liberty to captives

and to the blind new sight,

to set the downtrodden free,

to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour.

He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the assistant and sat down. And all eyes in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to speak to them, ‘This text is being fulfilled today even as you listen.’ And he won the approval of all, and they were astonished by the gracious words that came from his lips. They said, ‘This is Joseph’s son, surely?’

But he replied, ‘No doubt you will quote me the saying, “Physician, heal yourself” and tell me, “We have heard all that happened in Capernaum, do the same here in your own countryside.”’

And he went on, ‘I tell you solemnly, no prophet is ever accepted in his own country.

‘There were many widows in Israel, I can assure you, in Elijah’s day, when heaven remained shut for three years and six months and a great famine raged throughout the land, but Elijah was not sent to any one of these: he was sent to a widow at Zarephath, a Sidonian town. And in the prophet Elisha’s time there were many lepers in Israel, but none of these was cured, except the Syrian, Naaman.’

When they heard this everyone in the synagogue was enraged. They sprang to their feet and hustled him out of the town; and they took him up to the brow of the hill their town was built on, intending to throw him down the cliff, but he slipped through the crowd and walked away.

PROCLAMATION IN FAITH INSPIRES FAITH

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 COR 2:1-5; LK 4:16-30]

How do people come to faith in Christ? In an age of rationalism and science, people are looking for logical proofs and empirical evidence before they believe. In some quarters of religion, believers seek to prove that their religion is the true religion. Among Christians, Catholics often seek to prove to non-believers that Christianity is the true faith, and to non-Catholic Christians, that they are the true Church of Christ. We come up with all kinds of arguments and syllogism to show the truth of our faith claims. We engage in apologetics, hoping to convince the atheists or adherents of other faiths that our religion is the true religion.

However, the truth is that faith is a personal relationship and a personal conviction. It is not reducible to reason. God cannot be proven, otherwise no faith is needed. For those who have faith, no proofs are necessary. For those who have no faith, no proofs would suffice. The author of Hebrews wrote, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval.” (cf Heb 11:1-3)

Faith in God is analogous to any human relationship, especially in marriage. All relationships are based on mutual trust and faith in each other’s love. No one can prove or guarantee that our friend or spouse would always love us faithfully and forever. They can make promises but we all know many of these promises are empty promises. How many so-called loving marriages have been destroyed by infidelity? So it is in faith that we learn to trust a person’s declaration of love for us. We have no proof. The person might show his love for us now through acts of love by buying gifts and helping us and listening to us. But there is no guarantee that he will still be loving after marriage, and for the next 20, 30 or 50 years of married life. So why do we still make an act of faith in the person when no fool proofs can be given to anyone? Love knows the reason that reason does not know.

Christianity is rooted in faith, in a personal relationship with God. It is not a system of intellectual arguments to prove that our faith is true. St Paul says this clearly in today’s first reading. “Brothers, when I came to you, it was not with any show of oratory or philosophy, but simply to tell you what God had guaranteed. During my stay with you, the only knowledge I claimed to have was about Jesus, and only about him as the crucified Christ.” St Paul was not seeking to prove or to argue that Jesus is the Son of God. Rather, he was sharing his personal encounter with the Lord. What changed him radically was his conversion experience at Damascus when the Lord appeared to him. Without this personal encounter with the Lord, there could be no mission. Paul was ready to die for Christ only because he knew Him personally. (Acts 9:4f) St Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal 2:19f) St Paul’s conversion was based on a personal encounter, not on philosophy. (cf 1 Tim 1:12-14)

This is true for the Lord Himself as well. Christ did not receive His calling to proclaim the Good News because of reasoning. He received His calling from His intimacy with the Father from young, and which climaxed at His baptism. From childhood He was rooted in His personal relationship with His Father. At the temple, He said to His parents, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Lk 2:49) And at His baptism, He heard the voice of the Father affirming His Sonship when the voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” (Mt 3:17) It is His intimacy with the Father that was the basis of His mission. In John’s gospel, Jesus said, “The Father and I are one.” (cf Jn 10:30,37f)

For this reason, at the beginning of His ministry, Jesus could make the prophecy of Isaiah about the Suffering Servant His own. His citation of the Suffering Servant was His identification with His conviction that God is love and mercy. “The spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for he has anointed me. He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor, and to proclaim liberty to captives and to the blind new sight, to set the downtrodden free, to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour.” Again, in John’s gospel, Jesus remarked, “Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. The Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing; and he will show him greater works than these, so that you will be astonished.” (Jn 5:19f)

His citation of Elijah’s ministry again shows that it was not reason but the encounter with God’s love and mercy in the miracles worked by him that brought faith. He said “There were many widows in Israel, I can assure you, in Elijah’s day when heaven remained shut for three years and six months and a great famine raged throughout the land, but Elijah was not sent to anyone of these: he was sent to a widow at Zarephath, a Sidonian town. And in the prophet Elisha’s time there were many lepers in Israel, but none of these was cured, except the Syrian, Naaman.” It was faith in God working through Elijah that the widow was fed and Naaman was healed.

Thus, we must take the advice of St Paul seriously in the work of evangelization and proclamation of the gospel. “Far from relying on any power of my speeches and the sermons that I gave, there were none of the arguments that belong to philosophy; only a demonstration of the power of the Spirit. And I did this so that your faith should not depend on human philosophy but on the power of God.” It is not apologetics and proofs that will convict people about Christ and the Church. Rather, it is the witness of His personal love and mercy for us in our lives. It is through personal testimonies of what the Lord has done for us in our lives and how He continues to speak to us through the Word of God and how we encounter Him deeply in the sacraments and in the intimacy of prayers. Most of all, it is our sharing of the miraculous healings and deep religious experiences we have of Him that will edify the faith of others.

Pope Benedict in His encyclical “God is Love” succinctly wrote, “Saint John also offers a kind of summary of the Christian life: ‘We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us’. (1 Jn 4:16)) We have come to believe in God’s love: in these words the Christian can express the fundamental decision of his life. Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction. Saint John’s Gospel describes that event in these words: ‘God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should … have eternal life’ (3:16). (Deus caritas est, 1) Conversion is not the result of appreciation of Christian morality or brilliant insights but due to a personal experience of His love and mercy.

Hence, the way to bring people to Christ is through faith, not reason. This does not mean that reason has no part to play in the growth of faith. Instead of understanding to believe, we should take the path of believing to understand. Understand to believe will take a long time and we may never reach the goal of faith. We cannot prove or convince someone unless the person is already receptive and docile to faith in Jesus. But until that happens there is no faith. We can study about love, but if we are not ready to take the plunge to love, nothing will happen. This love is just in the head, it is not real and not transforming. It is an ideology. We must fall in love with Jesus, surrender to His love and mercy if we are to know His love and His power. So we need people who have encountered the Lord personally to testify to the real and transforming power of His love and mercy. We do not need great theologians but people who have fallen in love with God and encountered Him to bring conversion into the lives of those who do not know Him.

With faith as the starting point, we can then follow with the study of scripture and theology. Study is necessary for the individual Christian to deepen and mature in His faith. The intellectual discourse of the faith is not to prove that Christ is true but to show the credibility of our beliefs and the reasonableness of our faith. This is to eradicate a mythological, superstitious or fundamentalist approach to Faith. The study of scripture and theology is to help Christians and those enquirers find reasons to take the leap of faith. In most instances, those who join our churches have already been inspired by faith believers to register for RCIA. Through the study of Christianity, their already incipient faith is strengthened.

LIVING OUT OUR FAITH AUTHENTICALLY

20240901 LIVING OUT OUR FAITH AUTHENTICALLY

01 September 2024, Sunday, 22nd Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

Deuteronomy 4:1-2,6-8

Observe these laws and customs, that you may have life

Moses said to the people: ‘Now, Israel, take notice of the laws and customs that I teach you today, and observe them, that you may have life and may enter and take possession of the land that the Lord the God of your fathers is giving you. You must add nothing to what I command you, and take nothing from it, but keep the commandments of the Lord your God just as I lay them down for you. Keep them, observe them, and they will demonstrate to the peoples your wisdom and understanding. When they come to know of all these laws they will exclaim, “No other people is as wise and prudent as this great nation.” And indeed, what great nation is there that has its gods so near as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call to him? And what great nation is there that has laws and customs to match this whole Law that I put before you today?’

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 14(15):2-5

The just will live in the presence of the Lord.

Lord, who shall dwell on your holy mountain?

He who walks without fault;

he who acts with justice

and speaks the truth from his heart;

he who does not slander with his tongue.

The just will live in the presence of the Lord.

He who does no wrong to his brother,

who casts no slur on his neighbour,

who holds the godless in disdain,

but honours those who fear the Lord.

The just will live in the presence of the Lord.

He who keeps his pledge, come what may;

who takes no interest on a loan

and accepts no bribes against the innocent.

Such a man will stand firm for ever.

The just will live in the presence of the Lord.

Second reading

James 1:17-18,21-22,27

Accept and submit to the word

It is all that is good, everything that is perfect, which is given us from above; it comes down from the Father of all light; with him there is no such thing as alteration, no shadow of a change. By his own choice he made us his children by the message of the truth so that we should be a sort of first-fruits of all that he had created.

Accept and submit to the word which has been planted in you and can save your souls. But you must do what the word tells you, and not just listen to it and deceive yourselves.

Pure, unspoilt religion, in the eyes of God our Father is this: coming to the help of orphans and widows when they need it, and keeping oneself uncontaminated by the world.

Gospel Acclamation

cf.Jn6:63,68

Alleluia, alleluia!

Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life;

you have the message of eternal life.

Alleluia!

Or:

James1:18

Alleluia, alleluia!

By his own choice the Father made us his children

by the message of the truth,

so that we should be a sort of first-fruits

of all that he created.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23

You put aside the commandment of God, to cling to human traditions

The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered round Jesus, and they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with unclean hands, that is, without washing them. For the Pharisees, and the Jews in general, follow the tradition of the elders and never eat without washing their arms as far as the elbow; and on returning from the market place they never eat without first sprinkling themselves. There are also many other observances which have been handed down to them concerning the washing of cups and pots and bronze dishes. So these Pharisees and scribes asked him, ‘Why do your disciples not respect the tradition of the elders but eat their food with unclean hands?’ He answered, ‘It was of you hypocrites that Isaiah so rightly prophesied in this passage of scripture:

This people honours me only with lip-service,

while their hearts are far from me.

The worship they offer me is worthless,

the doctrines they teach are only human regulations.

You put aside the commandment of God to cling to human traditions.’ He called the people to him again and said, ‘Listen to me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that goes into a man from outside can make him unclean; it is the things that come out of a man that make him unclean. For it is from within, from men’s hearts, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within and make a man unclean.’

LIVING OUT OUR FAITH AUTHENTICALLY

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Dt 4:1-2,6-8; Ps 15; Jas 1:17-18,21-22,27; Mk 7:1-8,14-15,21-23]

There is a real difference between subscribing to a religion and to a Faith. Religions are concerned with beliefs, practices and rituals. It is about performance, including external performances, adopting the right practices. No personal commitment is required, no personal change of life is demanded. One can worship a particular deity and continue to live a sinful and selfish life, so long as the deities are appeased with the necessary offerings. There is no real relationship between what or who we worship, and how we live. In other words, ethics do not necessarily flow from worship.

Faith is concerned with relationships, with God and with one’s fellowmen. There is no dichotomy between worship and ethics. Faith in God is more than worshipping Him in rituals and offerings, but an invitation to be in relationship with Him so that one can share in His life and love. Faith in God requires a personal commitment, not just in terms of intimacy and personal knowledge but also in the way one lives one’s life. Faith must be expressed in daily life, and one’s life must be an expression of God. Most of all, it is expressed in one’s relationship with others. St James wrote, “It is all that is good, everything that is perfect, which is given us from above; it comes down from the Father of all light; with him there is no such thing as alteration, no shadow of a change. By his own choice he made us his children by the message of the truth so that we should be a sort of first-fruits of all that he had created.”

This was why the Lord reprimanded the Pharisees and the scribes. They were not all together wrong in the way they lived out their faith. In fact, they took the commandments of Moses seriously, as prescribed in the Law. In the first reading, Moses instructed the people, “Now, Israel, take notice of the laws and customs that I teach you today, and observe them, that you may have life and may enter and take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers is giving you. You must add nothing to what I command you, and take nothing from it, but keep the commandments of the Lord your God just as I lay them down for you.” This is certainly more than a personal commitment to the Lord and His Law. In that sense, they should be commended. This is the case too of some of our Catholics. They take the laws of the Church seriously and some of them do observe them strictly.

Unfortunately, as the Lord said, “it was of you hypocrites that Isaiah so rightly prophesied in this passage of scripture: this people honours me only with lip-service, while their hearts are far from me.” This was because they were observing them externally, and for the wrong reasons. They were more concerned with not just keeping the Law but the Oral tradition as well, that is, the Scribal laws extrapolated from the Mosaic Laws for their specific applications in their daily life. For example, we read of their hygiene laws. “For the Pharisees, and the Jews in general, follow the tradition of the elders and never eat without washing their arms as far as the elbow; and on returning from the market place they never eat without first sprinkling themselves. There are also many other observances which have been handed down to them concerning the washing of cups and pots and bronze dishes.”

Worse still was that their hearts were not purified and their lives were not lived in integrity, charity and compassion. A faith that is not translated into a life of integrity, honesty and compassion would contradict their so-called observance of the laws, since all laws are meant to help us to relate with God authentically, and to live a life of honesty and charity towards our neighbours. Love of God and of neighbour cannot be separated. This is why St James wrote, “Pure, unspoilt religion, in the eyes of God our Father is this: coming to the help of orphans and widows when they need it, and keeping oneself uncontaminated by the world.”

Christian Faith, therefore, is more than just worshipping God or observing the commandments, but it is to live a life of holiness spelt out in terms of purity of heart and mind in the way we deal with our brothers and sisters. It is to live a life of goodness and kindness. Jesus said to the people, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that goes into a man from outside can make him unclean; it is the things that come out of a man that make him unclean. For it is from within, from men’s hearts, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within and make a man unclean.”

Secondly, it means to live a life of integrity. The psalmist asks, “Lord, who shall dwell on your holy mountain? He who walks without fault; he who acts with justice and speaks the truth from his heart. He who does no wrong to his brother, who casts no slur on his neighbour, who holds the godless in disdain, but honours those who fear the Lord. He who keeps his pledge, come what may; who takes no interest on a loan and accepts no bribes against the innocent. Such a man will stand firm forever.” It is to live a just life and a life of compassion. Unless our faith is seen in the way we deal with our brothers and sisters as God deals with us, we cannot be said to have known God, since we are not living like His children, as St James said.

So how, then, we can live a life of holiness? We must always live consciously in the presence of God. This is our response to the responsorial psalm, “The just will live in the presence of the Lord.” Walking and living consciously in the presence of God is the key to living an authentic Christian life. This clearly means that we think and feel with the Lord. We are guided by His Word and His life. We take direction from Him and seek to imitate Him in all that we do. We seek to glorify Him alone and do everything for His glory and for the salvation of our brothers and sisters.

And what better way to remind us of God’s presence and to imprint His word in us than to take the Word of God seriously in our spiritual life! We must be convinced that the Word of God is truly the Wisdom of God, His truth and His love. Indeed, Moses said to His people, “Keep them, observe them, and they will demonstrate to the peoples your wisdom and understanding. When they come to know of all these laws they will exclaim, ‘No other people is as wise and prudent as this great nation.’ And indeed, what great nation is there that has its gods so near as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call to him? And what great nation is there that has laws and customs to match this whole Law that I put before you today?” This means that we truly accept the Word of God as God’s word, not some human thinking, as St Paul reminds the Thessalonians, “We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers.” (1 Th 2:13) We must not seek to change it to adapt to the world. Moses warned the people, “You must add nothing to what I command you, and take nothing from it, but keep the commandments of the Lord your God just as I lay them down for you.” St James said, “Accept and submit to the word which has been planted in you and can save your souls.”

Secondly, laws given by God are good and wise to protect the people. Unfortunately, it has become a burden, a routine, and the spirit is lost, as was the history of Israel. We must make a distinction between the Law of God and the customary and oral laws. Tradition, that means the principles of the laws, cannot change, but secondary traditions can change with time and situation. We should therefore not attempt to rewrite the gospel just because we do not agree with what is written. This calls for a real understanding of the Word of God, through internalizing. We must read the Word of God with docility and faith, then deepening our understanding through reflection and memory. Finally, as St James tells us, “you must do what the word tells you, and not just listen to it and deceive yourselves.” In the final analysis, it is obedience to the Word of God in faith that will see us through in life, ensuring that our faith in God is a living faith by a life of witnessing, a life charity and truth. When we live an enlightened life, people will see that our faith in God makes us joyful and loving people.