[stephenkhoo]

REDISCOVERING THE JOY OF THE GOSPEL
SCRIPTURE READINGS: Deut 4:1-2.6-8; Ps 15:2-3, 3-4, 4-5; Jas 1:17-18.21-22.27; Mk 7:1-8.14-15.21-23

Are you proud of your faith?  Are you happy to be identified as a Catholic?  Or are you one of the cloistered Catholics who dare not let the world know that you are a Catholic. This is because being is a Catholic does not make you look cool.   We prefer to be known by our titles and the positions we hold in life.   In truth, to be known as a Catholic might be disadvantageous in some jobs and even a hindrance to one’s career path.  So many Catholics holding positions in society are unknown.   They are the closet or cloistered Catholics.

If you are not a cloistered Catholic, then perhaps you could be a skin-deep Catholic.  A skin-deep Catholic is one whose faith does not affect his life at all.   His faith does not influence his values or his moral life.  His lifestyle is worldly and his faith does not come to play in decision-making, personal or business.   He lives his life as if he were a pagan or an atheist.  He is only a Catholic perhaps during Sunday mass.

Then there are scrupulous, legalistic Catholics.   To them, salvation is by good works and observance of the laws.  They do not believe in the grace of God.  Like the scribes and the Pharisees, they are more concerned about keeping the laws and getting a place in heaven than in a personal relationship with God or with their fellowmen.  Their whole purpose of religion is to avoid breaking the laws or face condemnation and perdition.  They are legalists and over scrupulous, like what we read in today’s gospel about the ablution requirements of the Jews.

The next category is the robotic Catholics.   These are Catholics who take faith like a culture.  They have been programmed into it since young.  They are doing what the Church asks of them without understanding or conviction.  They are contented with mere practices and performance.  Externally, they appear to be good Catholics and devout.  But Jesus would say to them, “This people honours me only with lip-service, while their hearts are far from me. The worship they offer me is worthless, the doctrines they teach are only human regulations. You put aside the commandment of God to cling to human traditions.”  When we observe the traditions blindly, we become routine Catholics.  The heart is not there; only the body.

Finally, we have the superstitious Catholics whose religion is born out of fear.   They are easily sensationalized.  They chase after prophecies and apparitions.  They imagine all kinds of things about hell and the next life.  So they seek to prevent misfortune by indulging in certain devotional practices, treating holy water and medals as if they were charms.  Their faith does not lie in the power of God but in the sacramentals themselves.  For such Catholics, their lives are always full of fear and anxiety.  They have not been liberated by Christ or believe that Christ has conquered sin, death and Satan.

Why are many Catholics in such a state in their faith?  This is because they have not encountered the kerygma, that is, the Good News of God’s unconditional love and mercy in Christ’s passion, death and resurrection.  Consequently, they have not fallen in love with God.  The mercy and love of God remains at most an idea, nice theology but they are merely words and doctrines, not an experience.  When there is no relationship, there is no passion and excitement.  We will be excited only when there is a personal relationship involved.  The only way to engage people is to sync with their minds and hearts.  When there is a meeting of minds and hearts, then there is union and compassion.

Unlike the Israelites in the first reading, who were proud of their faith, we are not.  What was their secret?  They knew their identity and they knew who God was.  Having encountered the power and mercy of God liberating them from the slavery of Egypt and giving them the Promised Land, they believed in the God of Moses.  Through Moses, they knew their identity as the People of God.  They knew that they had a special relationship with God sealed in the Covenant signed at Mount Sinai.  They knew that God was their Lord and it was Him alone that they served and depended on.

Because they knew the Lord, they also treasured every word that comes from the mouth of God.  They accepted the commandments; not as regulations imposed on them, but they understood the commandments as the Wisdom of God to help them to live a life of harmony and peace.  The laws were meant to keep them from falling into evil. Today, people no longer trust in the inspired Word of God.  They take things into their own hands.  They change the laws to suit themselves rather than live a life based on the truth.  People seek to change the laws of marriage, the protection of innocent life, babies and elderly.

Indeed, nations are destroying themselves because they have replaced the laws of God with the pragmatic and self-centered materialistic needs of man. Hence, if we do not wish to walk that path of perdition and the destruction of our fabric of society, which is marriage and the family, we must not be short-sighted.  We must not think that what is happening in the world has nothing to do with us. We must rediscover the beauty of our faith.  This was why the Year of Faith was promulgated by Pope Emeritus Benedict in 2012.  We need once again to appreciate the beauty of the gospel.  What is the Good News we have inherited if not that God loves us in Jesus and has forgiven us all our sins.  He has reconciled us with God.  He has shown us the way to salvation.  Indeed, we are a new creation and our dignity is one of sonship and daughtership in Christ.  How wonderful to know our true dignity as God’s children.  How great it is to encounter God in our lives and enjoy intimacy with Him in prayer.

Today, we are called to be true to our identity.  We are called to live a life of holiness in the presence of the Lord.  We are called to live a life of integrity, that is, our lives must express the faith we have in Christ.  There cannot be a dichotomy between faith and life. Indeed, “he who keeps his pledge, come what may; who takes no interest on a loan and accepts no bribes against the innocent. Such a man will stand firm forever.”

We are called to share the joy of loving and serving.  Christian joy is to share the joy and love of Christ with others.  True joy for a Christian is in humble service, giving hope to those who are hopeless and light to those in darkness.  “Lord, who shall dwell on your holy mountain? He who walks without fault; he who acts with justice and speaks the truth from his heart. He who does no wrong to his brother, who casts no slur on his neighbour, who holds the godless in disdain, but honours those who fear the Lord.”

Finally our confidence and freedom is our faith in God who is a faithful God.  We can trust Him like the Israelites in His divine providence and wisdom.  St James wrote, “It is all that is good, everything that is perfect, which is given us from above; it comes down from the Father of all light; with him there is no such thing as alteration, no shadow of a change.

So, how can we rediscover the joy of the gospel?  We need to have a personal encounter with Him like the Israelites in Exodus.  This encounter takes place through a renewed love for the Scriptures, the Word of God.  St James urges us, “Accept and submit to the word which has been planted in you and can save your souls. But you must do what the word tells you, and not just listen to it and deceive yourselves.”   Only a prayerful reading of the scripture in faith can lead us to repent and encounter the Wisdom of the Lord.

Secondly, we experience His love especially through an intense and fervent celebration of the Eucharist and the Sacrament of reconciliation.  If we prepare ourselves well for these celebrations, the possibility of tasting the goodness and sweetness of the Lord is there.  Through active participation in the Eucharist and a sincere and contrite confession, we will be set free from what prevents us from seeing and encountering His divine presence, love and mercy.

Thirdly, we need to encounter His personal love also in the Christian community, especially through our small Christian community, neighbourhood and cell groups.  By sharing our faith with each other regularly and from our hearts, we help to form each other in faith, edifying and strengthening each other.  Through mutual support, the love of Christ and His presence become real in our hearts and in our lives.  In this way, we become the Body of Christ and are proud to belong to His Church and His body.  Only with such a faith can we remain strong in love and hope