[stephenkhoo]

DESTROYING THE CHURCH THROUGH COMPROMISES

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ ACTS 9:31 – 42; PS 115:12-17; JOHN 6:60 – 69 ]

We can empathize with the Jews after listening to Jesus’ discourse on the Bread of life. Eating His body and drinking His blood was something unthinkable for the Jews, for life is sacred and it belongs to God alone. The book of Leviticus prohibits the consumption of the blood of anyone, not even animals, much less a human being. The Lord said, “I will set my face against that person who eats blood, and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood.” (Lev 17:10 cf 11-14) It was certainly against their culture and deep-seated religious beliefs to accept this teaching from Jesus. They could accept many things Jesus said, even though it was difficult, but this discourse on the reality of His body and blood was just too scandalous even to mention. Hence, we read, “After hearing Jesus, many of his followers said, ‘This is intolerable language. How could anyone accept it?’ Jesus was aware that his followers were complaining about it and said, ‘Does this upset you?’”

The truth is that the teachings of Jesus is not as difficult to understand as it is to accept. The doctrines of Christian faith, such as the incarnation, the resurrection and the efficacy of the sacraments, are difficult to accept. The moral teachings of Christ are even more intimidating. He asked us to go beyond human reasoning like forgiveness, loving our enemies, the indissolubility of marriage, going the extra mile in serving the people. In today’s time, it is the definition of marriage between man and woman, the constitution of a family, bioethics governing stem cell research that involves the destruction of embryos, surrogate motherhood, in vitro fertilization and abortion. Many of our contemporaries find the Church backward, intolerant and demand that we change our doctrines to suit their wishes so that they can feel more accepted in the Church. They want the Church to compromise and declare that what was wrong is now right today.

So it is not surprising that many are walking out of the Church today. Logically they cannot accept the arguments of the Church with regard to moral issues. Science has many different views and people cannot agree on any issue today. Indeed, it is sad that many with same-sex orientation have left the Church, so too the divorcees, because they cannot accept the Church’s teaching regarding their state of life. So people leave the Church for different reasons. Most leave because they cannot accept the teachings of Christ and the scriptures. Well, what can we do? Even Jesus could not do anything. They are free to reject the Lord or to embrace Him in faith. He said, “But there are some of you who do not believe.’ For Jesus knew from the outset those who did not believe, and who it was that would betray him.”

Indeed, in the final analysis, it is not so much whether we agree on the teachings of Christ and His Church, as to whether we have faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God. St Peter’s faith was firm even though others were scandalized. When the Lord queried the Twelve, “‘What about you, do you want to go away too?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘Lord, who shall we go to? You have the message of eternal life, and we believe; we know that you are the Holy One of God.’” It is faith in Christ that determines our acceptance of His teachings. Peter’s loyalty was based on his love and commitment to the Lord. For Peter, Jesus was everything and so there was no question of finding another one other than the Lord. There were many things he could not understand but Peter knew the Lord and he trusted Him. Faith therefore goes beyond logic. Faith demands a personal relationship. For the love of someone, we would die for that person, regardless how much we do not understand him or her. When we love, we are faithful to the person, regardless how much we disagree with what he or she does. Love helps us to accept the person, forgive the person, understand the person. This is why we cannot rationalize when a person falls in love, either with God or with another person. No amount of logic can change the person’s mind because the heart is with the other.

Hence, faith needs the grace of God, just like love. We fall in love without reason. This is what the Lord says, “’This is why I told you that no one could come to me unless the Father allows him’. After this, many of his disciples left him and stopped going with him.” The truth is that the Lord is drawing us to Him in many ways. The question is whether we are docile, humble and receptive to His grace that is given to us. There are signs of His identity as the Son of the Living God.

The primary sign is the resurrection of our Lord. This fact is attested by more than 500 of the disciples of Christ who had seen Him after His death. St Paul wrote, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.” (1 Cor 15:3-8) This is the ultimate claim of Jesus because no one can rise from the dead, least of all, a sinner and a condemned criminal. This glorification of Himself after His death was foreshadowed by the Lord when He challenged them, “What if you should see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before?” Both the resurrection and the ascension portray the glorification of Jesus and His return to His former glory, which is that of the Eternal Son of the Father, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity.

But for us who have not seen Him personally, there is still another way to verify His resurrection through the miracles that the early Church performed in the name of Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, we read of St Peter performing two miracles in the first reading. He healed Aeneas of his paralysis. He was “bedridden for eight years. Peter said to him, ‘Aeneas, Jesus Christ cures you: get up and fold up your sleeping mat’. Aeneas got up immediately; everybody who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they were all converted to the Lord.” It is significant that Peter never said, “I heal you or simply get up!” But he healed in the name of the Risen Lord and in the power of the Holy Spirit. This too was the usual way the apostles worked miracles, always in Jesus’ name and not on their own strength. So, too, in the raising of Dorcas. We read that “Peter sent them all out of the room and knelt down and prayed. Then he turned to the dead woman and said, ‘Tabitha, stand up’. She opened her eyes, looked at Peter and sat up. Peter helped her to her feet, then he called in the saints and widows and showed them she was alive.” All miracles are performed through prayers invoking the name of the Risen Lord and the power of the Holy Spirit. When we give ourselves to the Lord and believe in His power, He can do great things in and through us.

Consequently, being renewed in the Holy Spirit is another concrete way of encountering the Risen Lord, for Jesus said, “It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh has nothing to offer. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” Indeed, that was how the early Church grew. We read that “the churches throughout Judaea, Galilee and Samaria were now left in peace, building themselves up, living in the fear of the Lord, and filled with the consolation of the Holy Spirit.” We too must rely on the power of God and the grace of the Holy Spirit. Living “in the fear of the Lord”, that is living a righteous life and in reverence for His name is the way by which we can stand firm in the midst of changing times and false compromises in the truths. We must not fall into the trap of the dictatorship of relativism but hold fast to the teachings of our Lord found in the scriptures and taught by the Church’s magisterium.

This is the only adequate response to such a great love that the Lord has shown to us. With the psalmist we say, “How can I repay the Lord for his goodness to me? The cup of salvation I will raise; I will call on the Lord’s name. My vows to the Lord I will fulfil before all his people. O precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful. Your servant, Lord, your servant am I; you have loosened my bonds. A thanksgiving sacrifice I make; I will call on the Lord’s name.” Our thanksgiving sacrifice is to be faithful to His Word till the end.