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PROCLAIMING THE TRUTH IN THE WORLD TODAY - stephenkhoo - 05-21-2012 11:57 AM
PROCLAIMING THE TRUTH IN THE WORLD TODAY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: ACTS 1:15-17, 20-26; 1 JN 4:11-16; JN 17:11-19
This world we live in is indeed a harsh place. Of course, compared to many countries in the world where violence and wars ravage, Singaporeis blessed with peace and prosperity. Yet, even in a stable country like Singapore, we cannot say that we have eradicated all kinds of violence, injustices and selfish attitudes in our own homes, offices and environment. Affluent countries, such as ours, are plagued by individualistic values which are subtly promoted by the mass media.
This concern has been voiced many times by the public, especially people in authority, parents, educators and government leaders, when they lament that the social media, TV and movies, implicitly flaunt certain social values deemed ‘unhealthy’ in our society as being ‘acceptable’ norms. Indeed, the government is very much aware that Singaporeans should not only succeed economically, but that we also need to look into the ethical, aesthetic and spiritual needs of our people. Otherwise, what we get is an ugly Singaporean, often parodied as one who is ‘kiasu’, self-centered, calculative, materialistic and lacking in civil consciousness. As Christians we, who have been consecrated in the truth, are called to proclaim the truth. What are the pre-requisites for proclaiming the truth?
Firstly, it presupposes that we know what the truth is. In a world where there are so many ideologies and values that are being promoted by the mass media, it has become very difficult not to be influenced by them. The truth is that many of us do not know where the truth lies today. We have become muddled headed. But the heart of the problem is not really a question of Catholic values, Buddhist values or even worldly values. The crux of the question is whether those values that we adopt in our lives are really setting us free and making us authentic, self-integrated and fulfilled people. In other words, we are concerned about the truth of the values that the world is offering us. Do these values guarantee that we live authentic lives?
Secondly, we have to ask ourselves who and what are the norms of Truth? For us Christians, Jesus is the norm of truth and He expressed this truth by His life of unconditional love and service. Perhaps the most important criterion of determining the truth of our values is that what we do in life must make us into more loving people. In the second reading, John tells us clearly, that “God is love and anyone who lives in love lives in God, and God lives in him. “ This is what Jesus meant when He prayed: “Keep those you have given me true to your name.” To be true to the name means to say that we reflect the life of God in us. It is to be like God. St John tells us that “we can know that we are living in him and he is living in us because he lets us share his Spirit.”
Consequently, what is needed for us Catholics today is to re-examine the values we hold against the values of the gospel. We need to be purified by the Word. Yes, purification in St John is not effected by blood of sacrifices or by rituals, but by His Word. The only way we can be protected by the false and illusory values of the world is when we take refuge in the Word of Jesus which frees us from pernicious ignorance. To remain true to our Christian values is to be consecrated in the truth. It is a value system that is not dictated by the prevailing spirit of the age or the trends of society, but based on the unchanging gospel message.
But how many of us are imbued with the gospel message? How many of us are truly searching for the truth in our lives? The fact is that some of us have stopped searching for truth. We are blindly following the crowd. We do not have the guts to stand on our own feet even when we know that everybody is going the wrong way. Someone once said, the fact is that half the world is drowning and the other half is swimming in the wrong direction. Our whole life must be this constant searching for truth because the world very often makes us confused over our values. Therefore, again and again, we have to consider what this world is offering us and whether they are true. We can know this only by comparing them with Christ’s message and the truth proclaimed by Him.
If Christianity has lost its influence in society today, it could only be because we have not consecrated ourselves to the truth as Jesus wants us to. The fact is that many of us are not convinced of the values of the gospel. We might have heard of them but we are not that convinced that they are really good for us. And if we ourselves are not convinced of how life should be lived, how can we proclaim our message convincingly to others?
Thirdly, if we want to proclaim the truth, we must live the truth ourselves. Unfortunately, we Catholics, who are supposedly the enlightened ones, have not escaped the snares of social pressure. Sometimes it is difficult to see any difference between the values adopted by us and those of the world. Like everybody else, we are status and brand conscious. We hanker after material wealth at all cost, even if it requires us to use unethical means to be successful. Recently, when I visited a family, I saw the irony of the whole situation: the son was wearing a pair of branded shoes costing a few hundred dollars while the father himself was wearing a pair costing only a few tens of dollars. And while his children travel by cab, he takes the bus. Perhaps, our children are not to be blamed because we adults have, by our example and subtle messaging, conveyed to them the importance of wealth, prestige and glory.
To live the truth means that we make the presence of Jesus felt in our lives. Yes, as Christians we are called to be like the apostles, to be witnesses to the resurrection. To be a witness to the resurrection is not a mere confession of our belief in the resurrection of Christ but to live lives that are truly liberated from all earthly slavery. It is to live a life of love. No amount of confession of Jesus by our lips can convince anyone if they are not matched by our lives.
Of course living the truth is not easy. It becomes more difficult especially when our own fellow Catholics let us down. Quite often, we have to stand up to our faith alone. We are not united in our mission – the mission of truth and love. Jesus presents the ideal in the gospel, “That they may be one even as we are one. “ The unity of the Father and the Son is our model. The Johannine letters are products of the harsh reality. Christians then were hurting one another, as they still do today. This makes our mission doubly difficult. Not only do we not support each other in living in the truth but we have become counter-witnesses to the Truth of Jesus in us. In spite of this, we do take hope. For Jesus in the gospel has confidence that we can do it, like the apostles, despite our sinfulness, weakness and frailness. If we place our lives in His hands, He will equip us with the qualities of mind, heart and character which are necessary for the task. We need only to be united in love with God. We will be victorious over evil in the end.
Yes, we are sent into the world to change it and not be changed by it. It is for this that we are consecrated by our baptism and commissioned by our confirmation. Like the apostles of today, we too are sent to face the challenges of the future; not to run away from its problems of poverty and oppression, but to plunge into them and improve the lot of God’s people. Not to turn away from the world’s injustices and violence, but to turn toward them and remove them. Not to turn our backs on its abortions and drug addictions, but to confront them and eliminate them. Not to allow the world to use the mass media to their advantage but we must be critical and weary of the messages being communicated to us. Our task is not to condemn the world for its sins, but to save it; not to be indoctrinated by the world but to expose its false values.