[stephenkhoo]

HOSTILITY AGAINST CHRIST AND HIS GOSPEL
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ EXODUS 32:7-14; JOHN 5:31-47 ]

Since the healing of the paralyzed man at the Sabbath, we read of the growing hostility and opposition against Jesus from the Jewish leaders. Today, Christianity is in many ways under assault from all sides. Externally, the world is opposed to the teachings of the gospel. Those involved in business and in politics find the gospel a nuisance to their aspirations and their pursuits. Internally, many Catholics are not even convinced of the truth of the Word of God, paying lip service to the Bible as an inspired book with God as the author. Much less do they show allegiance to the teachings of the Holy Father and the Magisterium as authoritative teachers and interpreters of the Word of God!

Why are people opposed to the gospel, including so called Catholics and Christians? In the first reading, we read that the people apostatized simply because they were looking for a vacuum to fill their empty lives when Moses left them to go to the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments. Many people seek to fill their emptiness by creating false gods in their lives. Idolatry is the worship of false gods, something that cannot give true happiness and life. In a word, idolatry is a worship of nothingness. Those who worship idols will come to naught. “All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless.” (Is 44:9) “Those who make them will be like them and so will all who trust in them.” (Ps 115:8) Idolatry can come in the form of worship of our spouse, our children, our work, our possessions, power, status and our pleasures in life. These things cannot last and bring us real happiness.

Secondly, like the Jewish leaders, people are opposed to the gospel because of selfish interests. They are afraid to lose their status quo in society. As Jesus remarked, “Besides, I know you too well; you have no love of God in you. I have come in the name of my Father and you refuse to accept me; if someone else comes in his own name you will accept him. How can you believe since you look to one another for approval and are not concerned with the approval that comes from the one God?” People reject the truth of the gospel because their worldly interests and desires are being challenged. Some feel that the gospel is a cause of them losing business in the entertainment world or power in the political and scientific world, especially when the Church condemns certain forms of entertainment or immoral bio-ethical practices and social injustices. When the profits of such people are undermined, they defend their position by aggressively attacking the teachings of the Church and the Bible.

Thirdly, enemies of the Church are those who worship their intelligence. They have deep intellectual pride. They take offence when their views are not accepted. They only believe in themselves and their reasoning. Anything that is opposed to their beliefs or their reasoning is not acceptable. They lack humility to recognize the limits of reason, particularly their own reasoning. In the final analysis, they are not keen to seek the truth but they only want to prove that others are wrong. They want to show themselves to be wise in the world. That is why they go on social media to make sure their views are heard loud and clear; and vehemently defend their position right to the end. As Jesus said, they are seeking for human approval. Jesus came and spoke only for our salvation, out of love for us. He made it clear, “as for human approval, this means nothing to me.” Jesus was not interested in arguing with the Jewish authorities. He knew that such intellectual arguments will go nowhere because there is a lack of sincerity to search for the truth. All they wanted was to prove Jesus wrong. So too, there are many enemies of the Church, within and without, who just want to flaunt their sophisticated arguments, showing themselves to be very intelligent, not to defend the truth but to win an argument.

In the light of such opposition, what must we do? How do we respond to our critics? Firstly, we depend on human witnesses. Jesus appealed to John the Baptist. He said, “Were I to testify on my own behalf, my testimony would not be valid; but there is another witness who can speak on my behalf, and I know that his testimony is valid. You sent messengers to John and he gave his testimony to the truth.” We too need Catholics to be witnesses to Christ. We need courageous Catholics who are willing to stand up for their faith. We need Catholics who are living signs of God’s love and mercy in the world. We are called to be like John the Baptist, by being a light in darkness, not cursing the darkness but simply to be that light. Indeed, “John was a lamp alight and shining and for a time you were content to enjoy the light that he gave.” There is nothing more convincing than Christians witnessing to the truth in their lives by words and deeds. Unfortunately, many of our Catholics are hiding behind the light and not allowing their lamp to shine. As Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” (Mt 5:14-16)

Secondly, we need to rely on the works of Christ. “But my testimony is greater than John’s: the works my Father has given me to carry out, these same works of mine testify that the Father has sent me. Besides, the Father who sent me bears witness to me himself.” Clearly, the best testimony is always in the fruits and works of what a person teaches. What he says is not as important as how he lives his life. In the case of Jesus, we have seen His miracles at work, and His works of mercy, compassion and healing. How do we know the gospel is true if not through the fruits of love that Catholics manifest in their lives? Catholics need to give testimony to Jesus at work in their lives. St Paul wrote, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Phil 2:12b, 13) When we listen to the beautiful testimonies of how God works miracles in the lives of our Catholics, especially when they are transformed, then we know that this God we worship is a living God and the true God.

Thirdly, we need to seek the scriptures to find the Lord. Jesus reprimanded the Jews, “You have never heard his voice, you have never seen his shape, and his word finds no home in you because you do not believe in the one he has sent.” This was because they sought the scriptures to select texts that justified their prejudices. They failed to see that the scriptures point us to Jesus, the truth as proclaimed by Him. We cannot see God but we can see God and hear Him in Jesus. This is what Jesus said, “You study the scriptures, believing that in them you have eternal life; now these same scriptures testify to me and yet you refuse to come to me for life!” In truth, the scriptures point towards Jesus as the fulfillment. He enlightened the disciples at Emmaus, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you – that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” (Lk 24:44) Again at the Transfiguration when Moses and Elijah appeared together with Jesus, we have a reiteration that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Laws as represented by Moses and the eschatological prophet as represented by Elijah. In a word, Jesus is the Word of God in person, because all the Laws and the prophecies are fulfilled in Him. This explains why Jesus said, “Do not imagine that I am going to accuse you before the Father: you place your hopes on Moses, and Moses will be your accuser. If you really believed him, you would believe me too, since it was I that he was writing about but if you refuse to believe what he wrote, how can you believe what I say?”

So today, let us testify for Jesus. Let us be His witnesses and light in the world. Let us search the scriptures, not to look for answers to satisfy our prejudices and preconceived notions, but to allow the scriptures to lead us to Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life. When we allow the Word of God to work in and through us, our lives will be changed. Indeed, “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)