[stephenkhoo]

Scripture Reflections
02 May, 2012, Fourth Wednesday of Easter
THE WORD OF GOD AS THE NORM OF SELF-JUDGMENT
SCRIPTURE READINGS: ACTS 12:24-13:5; JN 12:44-50

The first reading tells us that the Word of the Lord continued to spread and increase in the early Church. This growth testifies to the power of the Word of God. Indeed, we Christians have great respect and reverence for the Word of God. We believe that the Word of God, the Scripture, is inspired by the Holy Spirit with God as the Divine Author. However, Christianity is not the only religion that claims that her Scripture is inspired. Other religions have their scriptures as well, which they also regard as inspired. They too have high regard for their scriptures and they have been used as the guide to life.

So, what then is the fundamental difference between our reverence for the Word of God compared to those of non-Christian religions? There are some fundamental differences. Firstly, Christians’ devotion to the Word of God extends beyond the scriptures. It is true that the bible is the norm above all norms for Christians. But Catholics see the Word of God not as a dead book but a living word which requires Tradition and the Christian community to make it come alive. Hence, the Word of God for Christians ultimately is not even the bible but Jesus Himself, who is the Word of God made flesh. In reading the bible, Christians are not simply confronted with the Word of God, that is, the words of God through some writings or even some proclamation. Nay, Christians are concretely confronted with the person of Christ contained in the scriptures, which become alive when proclaimed in faith. In truth, Christians do not worship the Bible but we worship Christ who is symbolized in the Gospel which we proclaim at every mass. We reverence the bible because it contains the inspired Word of God.

This truth has serious implications for us. If the Word incarnated in Jesus is so effective in transforming our lives, it is because man now encounters God in person. Not only does he encounter God in person but his relationship with Jesus will affect the way he sees himself. What this means is that if we are simply confronted with the words of God, we can avoid thinking or hearing the words that are proclaimed. We can even rationally justify our doubts over the words spoken. But when we meet the Incarnated Word in person, our lives would be changed because we “see” Him and He is real to us.

This is what the gospel is saying. In Jesus, the Father has spoken in person. This is what Jesus is telling us. ’Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in the one who sent me, and whoever sees me, sees the one who sent me.” He is the Word of the Father in person, for as Jesus claims, “For what I have spoken does not come from myself; no, what I was to say, what I had to speak, was commanded by the Father who sent me, and I know that his commands mean eternal life. And therefore what the Father has told me is what I speak.” By making this claim, Jesus is identifying Himself as God. He does not simply speak the Word of God but He is the word of God.

Once we reckon this, it means that whenever we encounter Jesus, we cannot but judge ourselves. Before the presence of Jesus, there is no escape from the necessity of making self-judgment. Why? Because we know that in our daily life, if we do not see someone, we can avoid thinking of him. As the idiom says, “Out of sight, out of mind!” But if we see the person every day, then we cannot but be reminded to think of that person and to remember what the person has done or said. We can forget what we read in books and even the scriptures, but when we are confronted with a good and holy person, we are either inspired or feel ashamed before him or her.

Similarly, in our relationship with Jesus, we are forced to judge ourselves in the light of His life. Jesus now becomes the norm of how life should be lived. Jesus did not simply teach us how we should live but He Himself lived the very teaching He imparted to us. Those of us who have encountered the Person of Jesus and His words can no longer pretend that we do not know how we should live our lives. Because the words of Jesus and His very life become the judge of how we live our lives. Isn’t this what St Paul felt when he wrote, “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” (2 Cor 5:14f)

For this reason, Jesus tells us in the gospel that He is the Light. He comes not to condemn us, rather to save us. “I, the light, have come into the world, so that whoever believes in me need not stay in the dark anymore.” Jesus is our Good Shepherd leading us to green pastures. He is the way, the truth and the life. He is the Gate to the sheepfold. He has come to set us free from darkness.

Conversely, the failure to respond to the Word of God will bring about our self-destruction and self-condemnation. God however is not the One who condemns us as He is all merciful. He seeks to love and to draw us to His kingdom. But we will condemn ourselves for not submitting to the Word and for rejecting Jesus in our lives. Jesus made it clear, “If anyone hears my words and does not keep them faithfully, it is not I who shall condemn him, since I have come not to condemn the world, but to save the world: he who rejects me and refuses my words has his judge already: the word itself that I have spoken will be his judge on the last day.”

How is this so? If Jesus is the light, then He is the norm and criterion of how we should live our lives. It follows then that the moment we reject the Light, when we do not live the life of Jesus, then we have already condemned ourselves to a less authentic and fulfilling life. The truth is that a person who does not live an honest and authentic life will hurt himself more than anybody else. The failure to be true to ourselves and to God who speaks within us will eventually lead us to ruin. There is no need for God to condemn us nor is there a need for us to condemn others who do not live in the truth. Ultimately, those who do not live in the light will only condemn themselves to live a guilty and miserable life. The Devil who is our accuser will condemn us day and night. The book of Revelation says, “For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.” (Rev 12:10)

But if we become more and more identified with Christ, then eternal life is ours. A life lived in fidelity to the Word always brings about true liberation and freedom and peace. Truly, the real Christian calling is not simply to listen to the word of God but to configure our lives in Christ. Christ is truly a liberated man because He is faithful to Himself even unto death, faithful to His identity as the Son of God and His humanity as the Son of Man. Being truly God and truly Man, Jesus lives a life of fidelity. We too can only find peace of mind, freedom from guilt, fear of our enemies and most of all, the horror of death, if we are true to God and to our calling in life.

It behooves us therefore that we should not be contented to read the scriptures, especially for mere knowledge and information. Rather, we must read the scriptures in a spiritual way by adopting an attitude of faith and reverence, believing that God is speaking to us through His holy Word. Reading the scriptures must be done in a spirit of humility and prayer. This was how the primitive Church prayed and listened to the Word of God. We read that “One day while they were offering worship to the Lord and keeping a fast, the Holy Spirit said, ‘I want Barabas and Saul set apart for the work to which I have called them.’ So it was that after fasting and prayer they laid their hands on them and sent them off.”

St Luke noted that “these two, sent on their mission by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and from there sailed to Cyprus. They landed at Salamis and proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. John acted as their assistant.” It is significant that the Church grew in strength and in numbers only because the early Christians had deep faith in Christ and a conscious relationship with the Holy Spirit. As a result, they could surrender themselves completely to the Word of God. They had no doubt that Jesus is the Word of God and the Light of the world.

Are we so convinced like them that we would do everything to proclaim Him as the light and spread the Word of God to enlighten all men in order to bring them to the fullness of the light and the truth? This is what is required of us as St Paul said, “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men — the testimony given in its proper time. And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle. (1 Tim 2:3-6) Unless we have a personal encounter with the Lord through the Word of God and in the Holy Spirit, we will not be able to share the same conviction of the early Christians in the work of evangelization.