[stephenkhoo]

Scripture Reflections
Monday, 31 October, 2011, 31st Ordinary Week, Cycle 1
NO EXCLUSIVITY IN GOD’S KINGDOM AS GOD’S GIFTS AND CHOICE ARE IRREVOCABLE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: Rom 11:29-36; Lk 14:12-14

A superficial reading of today’s gospel might give the impression that Jesus is teaching us how we can avoid social engagements, secure contacts with influential people or even make use of the poor to secure a place in heaven for ourselves. No, the crux of today’s gospel message is that all of us are invited to the Kingdom of God. For when God invites us to the kingdom, He invites not only the rich and the Jews, the chosen people of God, relatives and friends, but also the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind who represent the outcasts, the marginalized and the gentiles. In a nutshell, the kingdom of God has no exclusivity.

This is an important message for all of us, as some of us might feel that we are superior to others simply because we are Christians or we belong to some religious organizations. This was the attitude of the Jews during the time of Jesus. They despised the gentiles for they considered themselves the chosen people of God, and therefore they had special privileges over the non-Jews. As Catholics, we too might also feel that we are better than others, and that we are the only ones who deserve to go to heaven. Lest we become smug and self-righteous, thinking that we are the only privileged ones, the scripture readings help us to understand that God is the Father of us all. “Have we not all one Father? Did not one God create us?”(Mal 2:10)

Conversely, we might feel that we have no hope because we are sinners and we are struggling with our sinfulness. No matter how we try, we fall back into sin, especially the seven capital sins. We think we are damned and holiness is beyond our reach. Perhaps this hopelessness is not only experienced on the individual level, but also on the level of the community. When we look at the sinfulness of the community we belong to, we might feel that we are cursed. There are so many scandals and sins prevailing even in the Christian community that sometimes, we wonder whether there is any hope of building a true Christian community. There are so many broken and wounded people, not only in the world but also in the supposedly Christian community we are in. Sadly, even within the Christian community, we have bickering, politicking, false accusation, envy, competition, vindictiveness, lies, and even slander. If we are not careful, we can become skeptical and jaded, and we give up hope of any conversion for ourselves or the rest of the members of the community.

St Paul too faced a similar challenge. He had to explain the situation of the salvation of the Jews. Since they rejected the gospel, they seemed to be condemned to damnation. This would be tragic as they were supposedly the chosen people of God? Has God revoked His choice and promises? Of course not! He wrote, “God never takes back his gifts or revokes his choice.” St Paul underscores his argument that the Jews would also be saved according to the wisdom of God’s plan. The reason underpinning St Paul’s belief is rooted in the fact that God’s gifts are irrevocable. So the Jews remain as God’s chosen people. God wants to save us all. As we have seen earlier, St Paul said, “But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!” (Rom 5:15)

In the history of salvation, the wisdom of God’s plan could accommodate the rejection of the gospel by the Jews. God’s plan did not go astray because of their disobedience. On the contrary, God demonstrated His wisdom and power for He used their very disobedience to further His divine plan. For as St Paul said, ‘Just as you changed from being disobedient to God, and now enjoy mercy because of their disobedience, so those who are disobedient now – and only because of the mercy shown to you – will also enjoy mercy eventually.”

Indeed, the wisdom of God is beyond comprehension. Hence, he exclaimed, “How rich are the depths of God – how deep his wisdom and knowledge – and how impossible to penetrate his motives or understand his methods! Who could ever know the mind of the Lord? Who could ever be his counsellor? Who could ever give him anything or lend him anything? All that exists comes from him; all is by him and for him. To him be glory for ever! Amen.” Since all things come from Him, God who is the Lord of history knows everything. His plan would be accomplished for humanity. We can never imagine the depth of God’s love for us and His mercy on us poor sinners. This is because we are not merciful even to ourselves, much less with others. But God’s plan is simply too profound for us to grasp. He “has imprisoned all men in their own disobedience only to show mercy to all mankind.”

This idea of God’s wisdom and mercy for us should give us encouragement, especially for those of us who are struggling with our sinfulness, or the sinfulness of humanity and the community we are in. Instead of giving up hope at the sinful situation of humanity, especially the community we belong to or with ourselves, because we do not appear to be winning the struggle against sin and temptation in our own lives, it behooves us to realize that there is always a relationship between sin and grace. More importantly, we must remember that grace is also at work even in sin. In other words, just as the disobedience of the Jews led to obedience for the Christians, our sins could also be the cause of the conversion of others. Our sins can teach others not to imitate our bad examples and suffer the consequences of our sins. Our mistakes can serve as a warning to others. Conversely, our holiness can also inspire others to imitate us. So whether it is our sin or good witnessing, we can help others to grow in holiness. God will be victorious in the end. Grace will triumph. “For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.” (Rom 5:17)

How can we triumph over sin through grace? Like the psalmist, we need to pray for God’s strength and grace. “Lord, in your great love, answer me. But I am afflicted and in pain; let your saving help, O God, protect me. I will praise the name of God in song, and I will glorify him with thanksgiving. See, you lowly ones, and be glad; you who seek God, may your hearts revive! For the Lord hears the poor, and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.”

It is within this context that we are called to exercise mercy for sinners and the marginalized. The mercy that we are called to extend must spring from a pure motive. This is brought out in the parable of the social invites. In ordinary life, we invite people or accept an invitation for a meal for different reasons. Some want to be associated with the rich and influential so that they can leverage on such connections for their own benefit. Some simply want to feel great to be among important people. But just as there are selfish motives for inviting the rich and powerful, there are also self-centered motives for inviting the poor. Some want to feel great and generous. They feel that they are good people and expect to earn the praise of others. Such intentions are less than noble. Jesus is certainly not suggesting that we should not ask our friends, brothers, relations or rich neighbours for meals because we fear they will reciprocate the gesture and hence take up our time or mar our merit in inviting them. Otherwise, no Christian should hold any party of any sort for his loved ones and friends!

Hence it is not a matter of inviting the rich or the poor. This is not the point of today’s gospel message. The truth is that we are called to welcome everyone to the kingdom. It would be not in line with the gospel if we only mix with good people in our community and avoid the difficult ones. Conversely, we must not think that we are holy and are spiritually superior when we are among those who are struggling with their spiritual life. We must realize that by our good examples, we can inspire the weaker members of the community; and that by their sinfulness, they too make us grow in love, compassion and tolerance for the weak. So we are both rich and poor at the same time.

The crux of today’s lesson is responding to the mercy of God, which we have received ourselves. Because we realize that all we have are gifts from God, so we too want to give them back to God. So if we invite the poor, it is because we identify with them for we were just like them. Knowing what it means to be in want, we help and reach out to them. There is no hidden motive. We want to give them the same blessings we have received without measure and conditions. Similarly, with respect to sinners and non-Christians and especially those members of our community who are weak, we reach out to them not out of condescension but out of compassion. It is because we love them and we could identify with them, not because we think highly of ourselves. In this way, they too might find Christ in us. And we can hope that one day, God in His mercy will save us all. And this hope is not misplaced for St Paul himself shares this hope when he reassures us that “just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.” (Rom 5:18)