[stephenkhoo]

Tuesday, 14 February, 2012, 6th Week in Ordinary Time, Cycle 2
SENTIRE CUM ECCLESIA
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 1 CORINTHIANS 3:9-17; LUKE 19:1-10

Today is Valentine’s Day. It is a day when couples in love affirm and renew their love for each other. It is important that couples do not take each other for granted. Such a celebration is meaningful insofar as it provides the occasion for couples to express their love for each other for quite often, love is not expressed in words or in actions. It is also a beautiful occasion for couples to relive the romance of love between them, for love is not merely a commitment to some obligation but truly a celebration. What greater joy can one have than to find someone whom we can share our mind, heart, thoughts and feelings and our body? So for married couples, often when love is not expressed emotionally, the joy of love can die. We need more than just knowing that someone loves us but we also need to feel the love that is given to us.

Today is also the anniversary of the Dedication of the Good Shepherd Cathedral, which is the mother church of the diocese, just as St John Lateran Basilica is the mother church of all the churches in the world. For this reason, all the parishes in the Archdiocese in Singapore celebrate and rejoice with the Archbishop and the Church in Singapore in celebrating the Dedication of the mother church of the diocese. The Cathedral represents the seat of unity in the person of the Bishop who is the head of the Church appointed by Christ, not chosen by men. As we celebrate this feast, we are reminded to show our solidarity with the Bishop, the priests and all Catholics in Singapore so that together we can be truly a sign of communion in love and mission.

The Church however is not merely a building but a person, or rather a person of persons. We are called to love the local Church as the mother of us all. It is through the Church that we were given New Life through baptism. The Church as our mother, nurtures, strengthens and feeds us with the Word of God and most of all, the Eucharist, the Bread of life and the Body and blood of Christ. Through the ordained ministers in the Church, we grow in union with the Lord through the celebration of the sacraments and also through the proclamation of the Word of God. What Ezekiel says of the Temple of Jerusalem giving life to all creatures is applicable to the Church as well. As mother she communicates life and love. “Wherever the river flows, all living creatures teeming in it will live. Fish will be very plentiful, for wherever the water goes it brings health, and life teems wherever the river flows. Along the river, on either bank, will grow every kind of fruit tree with leaves that never wither and fruit that never fails; they will bear new fruit every month, because this water comes from the sanctuary.” (Ez 47:8-9)

As such, we are called to love the Church by feeling with her, thinking with her and praying with her. This is what it means by Sentire cum Ecclesia. Loving the Church, unlike Valentine’s, is more than just being sentimental, but it is an invitation to be identified with her in mind and heart. We must therefore try to understand the teachings of the Church and the direction of the diocese so that we can move in tandem with everyone. That is why it is so important that all of us must take our direction from the Bishop instead of setting our own directions. Otherwise, regardless how noble and good our intentions are, we can cause confusion and division in the Church, which would destroy the Church as the sign of communion and unity. As the Bishop is the Father of the diocese, we must give him reverence and respect, making ourselves available for his service in serving the Church of Christ. We must also seek to love our priests. They are human and imperfect, but all the same, they have responded to God’s call to serve His people. To love the Church is to also love all of us fellow Christians in the Body of Christ. As St Paul tells us, we are the Temple of the Holy Spirit. “Didn’t you realize that you were God’s temple and that the Spirit of God was living among you?” (1 Cor 3:16)

Sentire Cum Ecclesia also demands that we all play our part in the building of the Church. St Paul reminds us that we are God’s building. He exhorts us to work together to build the Temple of God. “Everyone doing the building must work carefully. For the foundation, nobody can lay any other than the one which has already been laid, that is Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor 3:10) Furthermore, St Paul says, “On this foundation, different people may build in gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay or straw but each person’s handiwork will be shown for what it is. The Day which dawns in fire will make it clear and the fire itself will test the quality of each person’s work.” (1 Cor 3:11-12) Each of us must therefore consider what kind of services we are offering to build the Temple of God. If we love the Church, we would want to give the best to make the Church a place of exquisite beauty, both in the building and its people, so that God is glorified in the same way we make our house a beautiful home to live in. In fact, we beautify our houses much more than we adorn the House of God. It is almost akin David who lived in the palace while the Lord lived in the tent. Gone are those days when men and women would give their best to build a church that is worthy to give glory to God. Even some non-Christian places of worship are even more dignified and grand compared to our churches.

But it is not easy to love the Church because on one hand the head, our Lord Jesus Christ, is holy but the members are still imperfect. We are sinners striving to become saints. Even our Church leaders are imperfect and because of their weaknesses, often cause grief to those whom they lead, just as parents too fail in their responsibility towards their children, or at least are lacking in love and in showing good examples. The most painful thing is to be wounded by our Church leaders because of their lack of compassion and arrogance. Of course, this too is applicable to those of us who are parents or leaders. Those under our care who love us most are also hurt by us when we reject them. Because priests are configured in Christ by the Sacrament of Holy Orders, they are seen as the representatives of God. Their sins and scandals hurt the people of God more than any other persons. Fellow Church members also hurt us by their sins. Even within the Church we see the ugly side of Catholics who are competitive, insecure, power crazy, manipulative and hungry for honour, recognition and appreciation.

As we celebrate the Dedication of the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, we are reminded of the importance of compassion that would be required for us to love, pray and think with the Church. In the gospel, Jesus our Good Shepherd never gave up on the weak and the most incorrigible and despised sinners like the tax-collectors. He would go for the lost sheep who are marginalized and rejected by the people, such as Zacchaeus. At the heart of this call to love the Church is the virtue of compassion. We need to cultivate the heart of Christ, a heart of compassion, for it is when we share a common passion for Christ, for the gospel, and are identified with each other in our struggles and weaknesses that we can accept and forgive each other for our failings. Without compassion, we become judgmental, self-righteous, having a holier than thou attitude. Only with a compassionate heart like that of Jesus the Good Shepherd, can we show more graciousness, respect, love and consideration of each other’s sensitivities. Only when there is compassion, will we look for the weak, the marginalized and those without a voice in the Church.

Finally, we must remember that the Church is Catholic, which means universal. Everyone must have a place in the Church. Every person’s culture and preferences must be respected. Unity is not uniformity but harmony in diversity. Whenever individuals or groups try to impose their preferences or theological stance on others, it causes disunity and division. The Catholic Church is big enough to accommodate people of different cultures, rites and theological positions, so long as we are one in leadership, doctrine and in worship. Today the Church needs leaders and members to be more embracing of people who worship differently or adopt more conservative practices in liturgy, devotions and moral lifestyles than them. The Church must be hospitable and give everyone a place where they can feel at home, loved, accepted and appreciated for their unique contribution to the catholicity of the Church of Christ.

Let us therefore take heed as St Peter tells us to come to the Lord who is the living stone, “so that you too, the holy priesthood that offers the spiritual sacrifices which Jesus Christ has made acceptable to God, may be living stones making a spiritual house.” (1 Pt 2:5) Only by coming to Christ, who is the cornerstone of the Church, can our local Church make progress in strengthening our Churches, our people’s faith and love for Christ, which in the final analysis is measured by the Church’s commitment to the poor and the work of evangelization. St Peter wrote, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a people set apart to sing the praises of God who called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Pt 2;9) When fervor in the proclamation of the Good News to the poor is lacking, whether in works of charity or in direct proclamation of the Word of God, we know that the Church has not come to Christ, the Living Stone.