[stephenkhoo]

Scripture Reflection
16 January 2014, Thursday, 1st Week, Ordinary Time
FAITH AND SUPERSTITION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 1 SM 4:1-11; PS 44: 10-11, 14-15, 24-25; MK 1:40-45
http://www.universalis.com/20140116/mass.htm



The theme of today’s scripture readings focuses on the question of faith and superstition. Where do we draw the line between faith and superstition? In the gospel, we have the incident of the faith of the leper who pleaded with Jesus to cure him. In the first reading, we also read of a similar act of faith when the Israelites placed their trust in the Ark of the Covenant. Of course, we know the consequences. The leper was cured whereas the Israelites suffered an even greater defeat. To make matters worse, even the Ark was captured by the Philistines. The question we want to ask is: why is it that the faith of the Israelites did not bring them the victory they had expected, whereas the leper got what he wanted?

The truth is, the Israelites’ so-called faith was grounded in superstition rather than faith in God. When they were defeated the first time by the Philistines, they attributed it to the fact that they did not have the Ark with them. They were not courageous enough to admit that their failure was due to their inexperience, their lack of proper equipment and training. What was worse, they made the Ark the object of their hope in gaining victory in battle. Their reliance was on the Ark to do everything for them. In other words, they expected God to do the whole battle for them. By having the Ark in the battlefield, they thought they could twist the arm of God to act for them. Such kind of faith borders on superstition more than anything else.

The healing of the leper on the other hand, shows the kind of faith that is truly liberating. It shows that true faith requires an act of courage. For the leper to approach Jesus, it would have meant that he had to break the law, as lepers were considered to be unclean and therefore must keep a distance from normal people. But the faith of the leper gave him the courage to come to Jesus and plead with him for healing. So faith requires courage.

Secondly, the action of the leper tells us that we should place our faith in a person, not in a thing. Unlike the Israelites who superstitiously relied on the Ark instead of God, whose presence is symbolized by the Ark, the leper sought the person of Jesus. In other words, it was his personal encounter with Jesus that healed him. This emphasis on a personal encounter is further highlighted by Jesus who touched him – something again prohibited by the law. In stretching out His hand to touch him, Jesus enabled the leper, who has been alienated from society, to experience the personal love of God, thus restoring him to the community again.

We must thus always avoid the temptation of substituting a personal relationship with God with mere religious objects of devotion or even the slavish observance of rituals. On the other hand, we must not go to extreme and reject all such observances as they have their value when employed consciously. Thus, Jesus knew that unless the man sees the priest for the ritual cleansing, he could not be given a certificate of good health and be reconciled with the community.

Thirdly, the faith of the leper was one of trust and openness, not one of arm-twisting. He did not demand that Jesus heal him. Yet, he had confidence enough to believe that Jesus would want to heal him. However, he left that option to Jesus, when he said: “If you want to, you can cure me.” An authentic faith is therefore an expectant hope and trust in God. It is not a demand of Him who must act according to our whims and fancies. This was precisely what the Israelites attempted to do. They expected God to work according to their plans simply because they had the Ark. In so doing, they were actually making God their servant, rather than making themselves the servants of God.

Fourthly, true faith requires our human co-operation and humility. God only helps those who help themselves. Like the leper, we need to ask in humility. Only that kind of prayer will be answered. After asking, we must start doing. This was what the leper did. He immediately showed himself to the priest and performed the required offerings for his healing. Thus, we must avoid the mistake of the Israelites. Instead of looking at their own inefficiency and lack of training, they made God their scapegoat for their defeat. Faith does not mean that we do nothing on our side. No, it means that we do all that we can so that God’s grace can work through and in us.

Let us pray that we cultivate a true faith, a faith that is courageous, open, trusting and personal. Only this kind of faith truly liberates us and heals us. We must avoid a superstitious relationship with God lest we manipulate Him and create Him into our own image, satisfying our selfish fancies