09-17-2012, 02:20 PM
Monday, 17 September, 2012, 24th Week, Ordinary Time
CONTRADICTION BETWEEN FAITH IN THE EUCHARIST AND CHRISTIAN LIFE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 1 CORINTHIANS 11:17-26, 33; LUKE 7:1-10
The Eucharist is the commemoration of the paschal mystery of Christ; His passion, death and resurrection. As Mother Teresa said, “When we contemplate on the crucifix, we remember how much Christ loved us and died for us. But when we contemplate on the Eucharist, we remember how much Christ still loves us today, here and now.” The Eucharist therefore is not so much a ritual that we celebrate. Rather, it is a celebration of His sacrificial love for us at Calvary so that we too might be inspired to give ourselves up for others and love as He did.
Hence, the Eucharist is called the Sacrament of love. Pope Benedict in his Encyclical, “God is Love” underscores the intrinsic relationship between the Eucharist and the practice of charity. He warns us that “a Eucharist which does not pass over into the concrete practice of love is intrinsically fragmented.” He also wrote, “The Church cannot neglect the service of charity any more than she can neglect the Sacraments and the Word.” The responsorial psalm invites us to join in the self-sacrificing love of Christ by giving ourselves to others. We are exhorted to “Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again … I announced your justice in the vast assembly; I did not restrain my lips, as you, O Lord, know.”
St Paul reiterates this necessity of sharing in Christ’s death and sacrificial love when he told the Corinthians, “Until the Lord comes, therefore, every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are proclaiming his death. So to sum up, my dear brothers, when you meet for the Meal, wait for one another.” He was of course writing in the context of the Christians who were lacking charity for each other. The rich started to have their meals without the poorer Christians so that by the time they arrived, there was nothing left to eat. As a result, the community was divided. It created dissension and sowed the seed of unhappiness. This lack of consideration towards each other was a direct contradiction to the celebration of the Supper of the Lord as it involves not only enacting the ritual, but it also requires them to live out what they celebrate.
But are we any better than them? Thousands of our Catholics receive the Eucharist daily and on Sundays. Do we make ourselves a Eucharist to others? After receiving the Eucharist, we quarrel with fellow Catholics at the parking lot because of our impatience or inconsiderate driving; we are harsh with our parents and our spouse. We gossip and condemn others. We get involved in office politics, manipulating each other to get recognition, promotion and power. We do not give in to each other or help those who are in need. We are reminded once again of St James’ exhortation when he wrote, “Take the case, my brothers, of someone who has never done a single good act but claims that he has faith. Will that faith save him? If one of the brothers or one of the sisters is in need of clothes and has not enough food to live on, and one of you says to them, ‘I wish you well; keep yourself warm and eat plenty’ without giving them these bare necessities of life, then what good is that? Faith is like that: if good works do not go with it, it is quite dead.” (Jms 2:14-16)
This is really a scandal. As a result some do not believe that the Eucharist can give us the grace of God because they see that those who receive Eucharist, even on a daily basis, do not produce the fruits of the graces that the Eucharist is supposed to give us, namely, that of charity. After all, receiving Christ who is truly present in the Eucharist should transform us into His likeness. If the Eucharist is ineffective, then it seems it is more like a superstition than a reality.
In contrast, we are struck by the centurion’s charity, hope and faith. This explains why he is remembered for all time at every Eucharistic celebration. His words of faith spoken to Jesus is now repeated by the Church at every mass when we say before the reception of the Eucharist, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” But his faith in Jesus was not merely trust and confidence in Him. He lived out what Jesus had been teaching. Like the psalmist, he does the will of God. “Sacrifice or oblation you wished not, but ears open to obedience you gave me. Burnt offerings or sin‑offerings you sought not; then said I, ‘Behold I come.’ In the written scroll it is prescribed for me, to do your will, O my God, is my delight, and your law is within my heart!”
Truly, the centurion was a man of charity. His charity is first seen in his concern for his servant who was ill and in danger of death. As a great man, why should he be bothered by just a servant when he has so many? Yet, he humbled himself and took the trouble to dispatch some Jewish elders to ask Jesus to come and heal his servant. He must have been a loving superior and treated his workers and those under him with great respect, compassion and understanding. And he was a pagan, not even a believer of the Jewish religion! Yet, his magnanimity and inclusiveness were known and admired. The Jewish elders hence appealed to Jesus for his servant to be healed. “When they came to Jesus they pleaded earnestly with him. ‘He deserves this of you’ they said ‘because he is friendly towards our people; in fact, he is the one who built the synagogue.’”
In contrast, how do we as employers treat our workers or as superiors treat our subordinates? How many of us are genuinely concerned about the lives of those under our charge? All we want is that they perform well and meet our targets and help us to achieve our goals. We are not much bothered when they are sick or struggling to manage their family responsibilities or their financial difficulties. We see them as tools for our ambition rather than as persons whom we are called to love and nurture so that they too can enjoy the fruits of creation. Again, how many of us Catholics, extend our love to people outside our family? Our charity is limited to those whom we love and those whom we feel we can get something back in return. Do we give freely without reservation and without consideration of what benefits we can get back in return? When we give with motives, we are simply investing in such people because we want them to be obliged to us. Not so for the centurion. His love went beyond people of his own kind to the Jews, the marginalized and the lowly people who were not able to return his favour.
How do we explain the contradiction of Catholics who frequently receive the Eucharist but are living a life that is lacking in true charity?
Firstly, it is due to the lack of faith. Jesus was taken by surprise at the depth of the Centurion’s faith in Him. When Jesus wanted to come to his house to heal the servant, he sent word to Jesus saying, “Give the word and let my servant be cured. For I am under authority myself, and have soldiers under me; and I say to one man: Go, and he goes; to another: Come here, and he comes; to my servant: Do this, and he does it.’ When Jesus heard these words he was astonished at him and, turning round, said to the crowd following him, ‘I tell you, not even in Israel have I found faith like this’.” Do we have this faith in Jesus, a faith that is so confident in Jesus’ healing power to heal and save us from whatever situation we are in? If only we have the faith of the centurion, then that faith in Christ will transform us. Ironically, although we repeat his words at every mass, we are not moved to feel with him and make his act of faith our very own! We are merely parroting and we do not believe that Jesus will heal our souls in our hearts.
How can we grow in faith? Humility! If we find ourselves lacking faith in the Lord, it is because of pride. The lack of disposition to believe is due to the lack of humility. The key to faith is to possess the humility of the centurion. Although he was a senior officer, he did not feel worthy to have Jesus come into his house, knowing that as a pagan, he was contaminated and seen as such by Jews. Rather, he said, “‘Sir, do not put yourself to trouble; because I am not worthy to have you under my roof; and for this same reason I did not presume to come to you myself.” Humility has always been the gateway to faith. With humility, we become conscious of who we are and whom we are addressing. With humility, we recognize our nothingness and unworthiness. Humility disposes us to docility and receptivity of God’s love and healing grace.
For this reason, the beginning of every Eucharistic celebration is prefaced by the Penitential Rite so that we become aware of our sinfulness and in humility, ask for forgiveness and healing. And after communion, the Church invites us to spend some moments in thanksgiving for the Eucharist we have received so that out of gratitude for His love for us, we are empowered to live out the Eucharistic life. Through recognition of one’s sins and awareness of His blessings through thanksgiving, which is what the Eucharist is all about, we are brought to a deeper faith in Him and also concomitantly a deeper love for our fellowmen expressed in a life of compassion, charity and unity.
Written by Rev. Fr. William Goh
Spiritual Director, Catholic Spirituality Centre (CSC)
© All Rights Reserved
CONTRADICTION BETWEEN FAITH IN THE EUCHARIST AND CHRISTIAN LIFE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 1 CORINTHIANS 11:17-26, 33; LUKE 7:1-10
The Eucharist is the commemoration of the paschal mystery of Christ; His passion, death and resurrection. As Mother Teresa said, “When we contemplate on the crucifix, we remember how much Christ loved us and died for us. But when we contemplate on the Eucharist, we remember how much Christ still loves us today, here and now.” The Eucharist therefore is not so much a ritual that we celebrate. Rather, it is a celebration of His sacrificial love for us at Calvary so that we too might be inspired to give ourselves up for others and love as He did.
Hence, the Eucharist is called the Sacrament of love. Pope Benedict in his Encyclical, “God is Love” underscores the intrinsic relationship between the Eucharist and the practice of charity. He warns us that “a Eucharist which does not pass over into the concrete practice of love is intrinsically fragmented.” He also wrote, “The Church cannot neglect the service of charity any more than she can neglect the Sacraments and the Word.” The responsorial psalm invites us to join in the self-sacrificing love of Christ by giving ourselves to others. We are exhorted to “Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again … I announced your justice in the vast assembly; I did not restrain my lips, as you, O Lord, know.”
St Paul reiterates this necessity of sharing in Christ’s death and sacrificial love when he told the Corinthians, “Until the Lord comes, therefore, every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are proclaiming his death. So to sum up, my dear brothers, when you meet for the Meal, wait for one another.” He was of course writing in the context of the Christians who were lacking charity for each other. The rich started to have their meals without the poorer Christians so that by the time they arrived, there was nothing left to eat. As a result, the community was divided. It created dissension and sowed the seed of unhappiness. This lack of consideration towards each other was a direct contradiction to the celebration of the Supper of the Lord as it involves not only enacting the ritual, but it also requires them to live out what they celebrate.
But are we any better than them? Thousands of our Catholics receive the Eucharist daily and on Sundays. Do we make ourselves a Eucharist to others? After receiving the Eucharist, we quarrel with fellow Catholics at the parking lot because of our impatience or inconsiderate driving; we are harsh with our parents and our spouse. We gossip and condemn others. We get involved in office politics, manipulating each other to get recognition, promotion and power. We do not give in to each other or help those who are in need. We are reminded once again of St James’ exhortation when he wrote, “Take the case, my brothers, of someone who has never done a single good act but claims that he has faith. Will that faith save him? If one of the brothers or one of the sisters is in need of clothes and has not enough food to live on, and one of you says to them, ‘I wish you well; keep yourself warm and eat plenty’ without giving them these bare necessities of life, then what good is that? Faith is like that: if good works do not go with it, it is quite dead.” (Jms 2:14-16)
This is really a scandal. As a result some do not believe that the Eucharist can give us the grace of God because they see that those who receive Eucharist, even on a daily basis, do not produce the fruits of the graces that the Eucharist is supposed to give us, namely, that of charity. After all, receiving Christ who is truly present in the Eucharist should transform us into His likeness. If the Eucharist is ineffective, then it seems it is more like a superstition than a reality.
In contrast, we are struck by the centurion’s charity, hope and faith. This explains why he is remembered for all time at every Eucharistic celebration. His words of faith spoken to Jesus is now repeated by the Church at every mass when we say before the reception of the Eucharist, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” But his faith in Jesus was not merely trust and confidence in Him. He lived out what Jesus had been teaching. Like the psalmist, he does the will of God. “Sacrifice or oblation you wished not, but ears open to obedience you gave me. Burnt offerings or sin‑offerings you sought not; then said I, ‘Behold I come.’ In the written scroll it is prescribed for me, to do your will, O my God, is my delight, and your law is within my heart!”
Truly, the centurion was a man of charity. His charity is first seen in his concern for his servant who was ill and in danger of death. As a great man, why should he be bothered by just a servant when he has so many? Yet, he humbled himself and took the trouble to dispatch some Jewish elders to ask Jesus to come and heal his servant. He must have been a loving superior and treated his workers and those under him with great respect, compassion and understanding. And he was a pagan, not even a believer of the Jewish religion! Yet, his magnanimity and inclusiveness were known and admired. The Jewish elders hence appealed to Jesus for his servant to be healed. “When they came to Jesus they pleaded earnestly with him. ‘He deserves this of you’ they said ‘because he is friendly towards our people; in fact, he is the one who built the synagogue.’”
In contrast, how do we as employers treat our workers or as superiors treat our subordinates? How many of us are genuinely concerned about the lives of those under our charge? All we want is that they perform well and meet our targets and help us to achieve our goals. We are not much bothered when they are sick or struggling to manage their family responsibilities or their financial difficulties. We see them as tools for our ambition rather than as persons whom we are called to love and nurture so that they too can enjoy the fruits of creation. Again, how many of us Catholics, extend our love to people outside our family? Our charity is limited to those whom we love and those whom we feel we can get something back in return. Do we give freely without reservation and without consideration of what benefits we can get back in return? When we give with motives, we are simply investing in such people because we want them to be obliged to us. Not so for the centurion. His love went beyond people of his own kind to the Jews, the marginalized and the lowly people who were not able to return his favour.
How do we explain the contradiction of Catholics who frequently receive the Eucharist but are living a life that is lacking in true charity?
Firstly, it is due to the lack of faith. Jesus was taken by surprise at the depth of the Centurion’s faith in Him. When Jesus wanted to come to his house to heal the servant, he sent word to Jesus saying, “Give the word and let my servant be cured. For I am under authority myself, and have soldiers under me; and I say to one man: Go, and he goes; to another: Come here, and he comes; to my servant: Do this, and he does it.’ When Jesus heard these words he was astonished at him and, turning round, said to the crowd following him, ‘I tell you, not even in Israel have I found faith like this’.” Do we have this faith in Jesus, a faith that is so confident in Jesus’ healing power to heal and save us from whatever situation we are in? If only we have the faith of the centurion, then that faith in Christ will transform us. Ironically, although we repeat his words at every mass, we are not moved to feel with him and make his act of faith our very own! We are merely parroting and we do not believe that Jesus will heal our souls in our hearts.
How can we grow in faith? Humility! If we find ourselves lacking faith in the Lord, it is because of pride. The lack of disposition to believe is due to the lack of humility. The key to faith is to possess the humility of the centurion. Although he was a senior officer, he did not feel worthy to have Jesus come into his house, knowing that as a pagan, he was contaminated and seen as such by Jews. Rather, he said, “‘Sir, do not put yourself to trouble; because I am not worthy to have you under my roof; and for this same reason I did not presume to come to you myself.” Humility has always been the gateway to faith. With humility, we become conscious of who we are and whom we are addressing. With humility, we recognize our nothingness and unworthiness. Humility disposes us to docility and receptivity of God’s love and healing grace.
For this reason, the beginning of every Eucharistic celebration is prefaced by the Penitential Rite so that we become aware of our sinfulness and in humility, ask for forgiveness and healing. And after communion, the Church invites us to spend some moments in thanksgiving for the Eucharist we have received so that out of gratitude for His love for us, we are empowered to live out the Eucharistic life. Through recognition of one’s sins and awareness of His blessings through thanksgiving, which is what the Eucharist is all about, we are brought to a deeper faith in Him and also concomitantly a deeper love for our fellowmen expressed in a life of compassion, charity and unity.
Written by Rev. Fr. William Goh
Spiritual Director, Catholic Spirituality Centre (CSC)
© All Rights Reserved