[stephenkhoo]

LIVING DEEPLY IN THE LORD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 1 KINGS 18:41-46; MATTHEW 5:20 – 26
http://www.universalis.com/20140612mass.htm

How are you feeling? Some of you might be in the desert like the Israelites, experiencing drought; going through a difficult period where there seems to be no life in us. Many of us live lives of emptiness, without meaning or purpose. Being in the desert is also akin to living in fear and anxiety, just like King Ahab in today’s first reading, caught between his devotion to Yahweh and his wife, Jezebel, who brought the Canaanite deity, Baal, into the country.

Are we not like Ahab, in a dilemma, too often in life? This is particularly true especially for those of us in relationships; already committed to someone, and then another relationship blossoms to the extent that we want to leave the other person. Or, we have to make a strategic decision that affects the people whom we love or else incur the wrath of our enemies.

This is where we need to look deeply into our lives. Instead of putting the blame on others, we must avoid looking for scapegoats. Rather, let us look at ourselves and consider the cause of our troubles and woes. This is what Jesus in the gospel is inviting us to do. He warns us not to be like the Pharisees who lived on the superficial level: “If your virtue goes not deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.”

Have we considered the price of our indecisiveness? The consequences of not putting our life in order will be even more difficult to bear in the long term. This is the risk that Jesus wants us to calculate and weigh carefully, for if we fail to “come to terms with our opponent in good time”, then “he may hand you over to the judge and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison.” Truly, the cost of our follies and shortsightedness might be too high a price to pay. Not only will we get burnt badly and may never be able to heal ourselves, but others, especially our loved ones too, will have to suffer with us. They could be hurt so badly by our actions that they will not be able to forgive us, much less to accept us again. Experience might be the best teacher, but can we afford the exorbitant school fees?

How then can we come to terms with ourselves? We must first and foremost get in touch with our true self. This is no easy feat because the human heart is devious, as the bible tells us. The heart will find all ways to rationalize and justify our actions so that we will never be able to get to the bottom of the truth.

Hence, we must ask ourselves sincerely, why are we so unhappy and confused? If we were to be candid, it is because we know that we are living in sin. Our anger, vindictiveness, forgiveness, hatred and obstinacy are making us unable to experience the peace and joy of the kingdom of God. Until we acknowledge our inner struggles, we cannot ask the Lord to free us and give us integration.

Secondly, we must acknowledge Jesus as the Lord of our lives. The trouble with King Ahab was that he wavered between serving Baal and Yahweh. Divided in his allegiance, he became confused. So we must actively desire to rid every sin from our lives. So long as our feet are standing on two boats, we will eventually sink and be drowned by our false compromises in life.

Thirdly, we must live deeply by living the life of God. This entails that we overcome living a nominal, superficial or ritualistic faith. That was the faith of the Pharisees and the scribes. They were contented with observance of the laws and practices. But they did not have a real personal relationship with the Lord. If our faith is fundamentally an intellectual faith or a ritualistic faith, then be warned that when we face crises in life, we too will surely begin to doubt His love, His presence and even His existence! To live deeply requires that we go beyond the mere observance of the letter of the law to living out the spirit of the law; otherwise we can appear to be self-righteous before God and our fellowmen but always trying to find loopholes to circumvent the law, just like the Jews during the time of Jesus.

Fourthly, to live our faith deeply is to live a virtuous life. Jesus said, “If your virtue goes not deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.” Unfortunately many people believe that a virtuous life means a boring life! There seems to be a separation between life and faith. At times, we give the impression that to be a Christian is to suffer and be hindered from doing all the things the world could do without feeling guilty. But the truth is that a virtuous life is the most liberating life because it is a life that is deeply authentic in love, compassion and mercy.

Fifthly, to live deeply the life of God presumes that we are deeply in communion with Him so that we can in turn be in communion with all men. The gospel underscores the importance of communion and unity. We are dependent on each other. So we must seek every means to make peace with our enemies before we make our offerings to God. God would not be pleased if His children are not on good terms, just as we parents would be sad if our own children are at odds with each other.

But how can we truly live this life of God? Indeed, without His grace, it is impossible. Sharing in the supernatural life of God demands that He provides us the grace and the means. The psalmist rightly declares that it is God who blessed them and made the crops grow, not because of their own strength, or because of the strength of other gods, like what Ahab and many of us think.

So today, we must be like Elijah and turn to God in fervent prayer and with expectant faith, asking Him to pour down rain once again onto our insipid relationship with Him. This rain that we ask for is the Holy Spirit, the love of God that is poured into our hearts. Only through the love of the Holy Spirit, who also reveals to us the truth about ourselves and convicts us of our sins, can give us the wisdom to direct our lives correctly.

Truly if you are about to give up hope in yourself or in another person or in God, today, the Word of God challenges us to go deeper into ourselves, for that is where we will hear His voice. He will enlighten us in the truth and purify us in love. More than that, He will give us the strength and the means to overcome our futile efforts to fight against sin and falsehood. But He can rain down His love for us only provided we are receptive to His blessings which are given to those who open their hearts in prayer and expectant faith. Yes, God is waiting to pour down His Spirit on us, for bondages to sadness and sin can only be broken by a spiritual awakening.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh