08-13-2013, 04:08 PM
Scripture Reflections
13 August 2013, Tuesday,19th Week, Ordinary Time
RATIONALISM IS THE RESULT OF A SHALLOW RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: Dt 31:1-8; Mt 18:1-5; 10:12-14
We cannot but be struck by the confidence and faith demonstrated by Moses with regard to his military plans for Israel. Moses was totally assured that the Lord would destroy his enemies for him and hand them over to Israel. With confidence, he told Joshua, his military commander, “Be strong, stand firm, have no fear of them, no terror, for the Lord your God is going with you; he will not fail you or desert you. The Lord himself will lead you; he will be with you; he will not fail you or desert you. Have no fear, do not be disheartened by anything.” How many of us would share the same confidence and courage of Moses when we embark on our projects in our ministry? Are we so confident that the Lord will help us in our undertakings, or more often than not we are always anxious, worried and unsure of whether we will be able to accomplish our work and mission?
Of course, some of us might react negatively to Moses’ confidence in the Lord. Perhaps, he was too simplistic in his faith and naïve. Was he a fideist? The truth is that Moses’ confidence in the Lord is not based on some subjective consideration or his whims and fancies but is rooted in his relationship with the Lord. In the first place, we know that God always speaks to Moses as a friend. Moses was truly intimate in his relationship with the Lord. Without a deep relationship, we cannot know a person enough to surrender our lives and security to that person. So if Moses could surrender his life to the Lord, it was because he knew God well enough.
Secondly, Moses had seen and witnessed the power of the Lord in his life. The past wonders that God worked in Egypt and at the Exodus clearly demonstrated to him that God is the mighty warrior. There is nothing the Lord cannot do. Without such significant experiences of God in our lives, we have no basis to ground the present and the future. Without returning to some events in the past, we cannot speak of the future. The past interprets the present and the present guarantees the future. Hence, our past encounters with the Lord are important to sustain our memory of God’s love and power. If we celebrate the mass as a memorial, it is in order that the sacrifice of Christ could be made available to us once again.
Thirdly, through such spectacular events, Moses knew that the Lord is always faithful to His promises. Moses could rely on the fidelity of the Lord because God has always shown Himself true to His promises. We too can continue to trust in the Lord only because past experiences have taught us that Yahweh is reliable and trustworthy. Based on such assurances, Yahweh could strengthen Joshua saying, “Be strong, stand firm; you are going with this people into the land the Lord swore to their fathers he would give them; you are to give it into their possession.”
Finally, if Moses could be so positive of the Lord’s divine assistance, it was because Moses was sincere in doing the will of God. He was not trying to fulfill his own ambition or plan. Rather, he was conscious that he was fulfilling the mission of God. So long as we work for God, then such work knows no failure. Human beings judge something to be a success or failure, but for God everything is always a success if we follow His divine will. If we are working for our own ambition and our own interests, then we would not be able to have the same confidence that the Lord will help us. But if we work for God without vested interests of our own, then we know that the Lord will work and achieve His plans through us according to His will.
Today, the danger is that we do not believe in God and His grace. We trust in ourselves more than we trust in God. Our faith in God is just only lip service, not from the heart. We are not like the little children in the gospel, the icon of faith and trust. Quite often, because of the study of psychology, sociology, philosophy; empirical and technological sciences, man has reduced the Sacred and the Mystery of God into logic. The God of explanation has taken over the God of mystery. We have given up faith for reason alone.
Hence, in the gospel, Jesus invites us to give primacy to the importance of faith and trust. He asked, “‘who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Taking the child in front of them, he said, “I tell you solemnly, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. And so, the one who makes himself as little as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Yes, we must learn to trust in God like the little child who surrenders his life to the care of his parents. Only then, can we deepen our relationship with the Lord. Without trust, we cannot build our relationship with Jesus. And without that relationship, how can we be confident that God will be faithful to His promises and us?
What is even more tragic is that our personal lack of faith in God who works in our lives not only impedes the effectiveness of our ministry but we also weaken and even destroy that simple faith of our people. Quite often, we trust more in our power, intelligence and skills than in the power of the Lord. We rely more on science, logic, and human skills than on God. We are skeptical of miracles, healings, etc. We reduce the administration and functioning of the Church to that of a business corporation run by professionals, using secular and worldly techniques. Conversion becomes more a technique rather than rooted in faith and in a personal relationship with the Lord.
Sometimes, we tend to convey this lack of faith in God’s power and intervention in the way we speak about God and the doctrines of Christianity. Instead of inspiring faith in God, we explain everything so logically and scientifically that even questions of faith and doctrines of the Church are being placed in question. On many occasions, those who have a responsibility to impart faith to those under their charge unwittingly sow seeds of doubt in the faith of our fellow Catholics; whether it is faith in the Church, in the Magisterium, in the Pope or even in doctrines, like the real presence of our Lord in the Eucharist, in the resurrection, heaven, hell, purgatory and confession. All these happen because the way we speak of God and our faith is not rooted in our own relationship with the Lord but in some theories and hypotheses. Obviously, any teaching or exposition of Catholic doctrines that weakens or disturbs the faith of our fellow Christians cannot be from the Holy Spirit.
Hence, Jesus warns us “See that you never despise any of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven are continually in the presence of my Father in heaven.” We must be careful that we do not destroy the faith of our brothers and sisters, especially the young, whether in age or in spiritual life. That is why if we lack faith of our own, the least we can do is to teach what the Church teaches and not some opinions of theologians or ours that are contrary to the faith.
Ironically, our simple lay faithful believe more in the power of prayer than some of us who are supposedly more intellectually grounded in our faith. They are the ones who testify to us the power of God at work in their lives. Perhaps, for this reason, Jesus also said, “Similarly, it is never the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.” God answers their prayers because of their faith in His power and miracles. If we are lacking faith in the power of God, besides intensifying our prayer life, let us listen to the wonders God is working in the lives of our fellow Christians as we reach out to them in service and humility. Through them, the Lord might reveal His face and His power to us.
Let us pray for the gift of faith so that we can carry out our Christian responsibility and vocation, not as if we are the ones doing and achieving success for the Lord but merely as His instruments. We must never forget that He is the One who will act in us and through us. This is what it means to act in the name of Jesus. Only with that confidence and faith, can we act and speak authoritatively because we know that whatever we do, we do for the glory of God and in the name of our Lord.
13 August 2013, Tuesday,19th Week, Ordinary Time
RATIONALISM IS THE RESULT OF A SHALLOW RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: Dt 31:1-8; Mt 18:1-5; 10:12-14
We cannot but be struck by the confidence and faith demonstrated by Moses with regard to his military plans for Israel. Moses was totally assured that the Lord would destroy his enemies for him and hand them over to Israel. With confidence, he told Joshua, his military commander, “Be strong, stand firm, have no fear of them, no terror, for the Lord your God is going with you; he will not fail you or desert you. The Lord himself will lead you; he will be with you; he will not fail you or desert you. Have no fear, do not be disheartened by anything.” How many of us would share the same confidence and courage of Moses when we embark on our projects in our ministry? Are we so confident that the Lord will help us in our undertakings, or more often than not we are always anxious, worried and unsure of whether we will be able to accomplish our work and mission?
Of course, some of us might react negatively to Moses’ confidence in the Lord. Perhaps, he was too simplistic in his faith and naïve. Was he a fideist? The truth is that Moses’ confidence in the Lord is not based on some subjective consideration or his whims and fancies but is rooted in his relationship with the Lord. In the first place, we know that God always speaks to Moses as a friend. Moses was truly intimate in his relationship with the Lord. Without a deep relationship, we cannot know a person enough to surrender our lives and security to that person. So if Moses could surrender his life to the Lord, it was because he knew God well enough.
Secondly, Moses had seen and witnessed the power of the Lord in his life. The past wonders that God worked in Egypt and at the Exodus clearly demonstrated to him that God is the mighty warrior. There is nothing the Lord cannot do. Without such significant experiences of God in our lives, we have no basis to ground the present and the future. Without returning to some events in the past, we cannot speak of the future. The past interprets the present and the present guarantees the future. Hence, our past encounters with the Lord are important to sustain our memory of God’s love and power. If we celebrate the mass as a memorial, it is in order that the sacrifice of Christ could be made available to us once again.
Thirdly, through such spectacular events, Moses knew that the Lord is always faithful to His promises. Moses could rely on the fidelity of the Lord because God has always shown Himself true to His promises. We too can continue to trust in the Lord only because past experiences have taught us that Yahweh is reliable and trustworthy. Based on such assurances, Yahweh could strengthen Joshua saying, “Be strong, stand firm; you are going with this people into the land the Lord swore to their fathers he would give them; you are to give it into their possession.”
Finally, if Moses could be so positive of the Lord’s divine assistance, it was because Moses was sincere in doing the will of God. He was not trying to fulfill his own ambition or plan. Rather, he was conscious that he was fulfilling the mission of God. So long as we work for God, then such work knows no failure. Human beings judge something to be a success or failure, but for God everything is always a success if we follow His divine will. If we are working for our own ambition and our own interests, then we would not be able to have the same confidence that the Lord will help us. But if we work for God without vested interests of our own, then we know that the Lord will work and achieve His plans through us according to His will.
Today, the danger is that we do not believe in God and His grace. We trust in ourselves more than we trust in God. Our faith in God is just only lip service, not from the heart. We are not like the little children in the gospel, the icon of faith and trust. Quite often, because of the study of psychology, sociology, philosophy; empirical and technological sciences, man has reduced the Sacred and the Mystery of God into logic. The God of explanation has taken over the God of mystery. We have given up faith for reason alone.
Hence, in the gospel, Jesus invites us to give primacy to the importance of faith and trust. He asked, “‘who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Taking the child in front of them, he said, “I tell you solemnly, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. And so, the one who makes himself as little as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Yes, we must learn to trust in God like the little child who surrenders his life to the care of his parents. Only then, can we deepen our relationship with the Lord. Without trust, we cannot build our relationship with Jesus. And without that relationship, how can we be confident that God will be faithful to His promises and us?
What is even more tragic is that our personal lack of faith in God who works in our lives not only impedes the effectiveness of our ministry but we also weaken and even destroy that simple faith of our people. Quite often, we trust more in our power, intelligence and skills than in the power of the Lord. We rely more on science, logic, and human skills than on God. We are skeptical of miracles, healings, etc. We reduce the administration and functioning of the Church to that of a business corporation run by professionals, using secular and worldly techniques. Conversion becomes more a technique rather than rooted in faith and in a personal relationship with the Lord.
Sometimes, we tend to convey this lack of faith in God’s power and intervention in the way we speak about God and the doctrines of Christianity. Instead of inspiring faith in God, we explain everything so logically and scientifically that even questions of faith and doctrines of the Church are being placed in question. On many occasions, those who have a responsibility to impart faith to those under their charge unwittingly sow seeds of doubt in the faith of our fellow Catholics; whether it is faith in the Church, in the Magisterium, in the Pope or even in doctrines, like the real presence of our Lord in the Eucharist, in the resurrection, heaven, hell, purgatory and confession. All these happen because the way we speak of God and our faith is not rooted in our own relationship with the Lord but in some theories and hypotheses. Obviously, any teaching or exposition of Catholic doctrines that weakens or disturbs the faith of our fellow Christians cannot be from the Holy Spirit.
Hence, Jesus warns us “See that you never despise any of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven are continually in the presence of my Father in heaven.” We must be careful that we do not destroy the faith of our brothers and sisters, especially the young, whether in age or in spiritual life. That is why if we lack faith of our own, the least we can do is to teach what the Church teaches and not some opinions of theologians or ours that are contrary to the faith.
Ironically, our simple lay faithful believe more in the power of prayer than some of us who are supposedly more intellectually grounded in our faith. They are the ones who testify to us the power of God at work in their lives. Perhaps, for this reason, Jesus also said, “Similarly, it is never the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.” God answers their prayers because of their faith in His power and miracles. If we are lacking faith in the power of God, besides intensifying our prayer life, let us listen to the wonders God is working in the lives of our fellow Christians as we reach out to them in service and humility. Through them, the Lord might reveal His face and His power to us.
Let us pray for the gift of faith so that we can carry out our Christian responsibility and vocation, not as if we are the ones doing and achieving success for the Lord but merely as His instruments. We must never forget that He is the One who will act in us and through us. This is what it means to act in the name of Jesus. Only with that confidence and faith, can we act and speak authoritatively because we know that whatever we do, we do for the glory of God and in the name of our Lord.