15th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

The first reading paints a picture of the Word of God that is dynamic or animated. God’s Word goes out and never comes back empty handed. This dynamic depiction of God’s Word directs our memory back to the beginning of the Book of Genesis. There we are told that God’s Spirit hovered over the waters. In fact, this dynamic image is somewhat stylised or ritualised in our liturgy as experienced in the penitential rite that we celebrated a while ago: You come in Word and Sacrament to strengthen us in holiness.

The expression might sound a bit dry because we use it all the time so much so that we think nothing of it. Earlier I mentioned “Ritualised and stylised” which for many means being toned down and therefore boring. However we feel about it, it definitely is an expression which simply proclaims the might of God’s Word. But, God’s Word is not a “What” but a “Who”. God’s Word is none other than Christ Himself who comes to us not only as Word but also as Sacrament.

This is where I would like to make a connexion between the Gospel and the First Reading that may draw us into a deeper appreciation of the Sacraments and how we ought to approach them.

The Gospel is rather straight-forward as it describes the different soil conditions that produce different measures of harvest—such a description invites us to take a look at ourselves and to see what label might best apply to us: rocky ground, edge of the pathway, thorns or rich soil. Where do we stand? Labels are good because they allow us to categorise and organise ourselves or people but, the fact is, labelling may not give us the best picture of who we or people are.

We are probably all the soils put together. Even though we might be productive or even outstanding members of society we might have thorns of anxiety choking the life of God in us. Successful people are not always happy. Otherwise, how to explain why celebrities need “highs” from drugs, alcohol or sex to feel high when they are already high up there on pedestals? This is why I think the Gospel might be read through the First Reading. [1] We might be discouraged by the presence of thorns in our lives, [2] we may be lukewarm about our faith—with an attitude that is neither here nor there, [3] we might be dispirited by the poverty of our goodness that no matter how hard we try, we never seem to be good enough. The point is, all of us struggle to be good. Otherwise, we would not be here. Thus, the First Reading invites us in our struggles to be open to God because “His Word goes out and never returns empty, without carrying out His will and succeeding in what it was sent out to do”.

Such is the powerful assurance of the Sower of seeds that at the beginning of Mass, we acknowledge that Christ is both Word and Sacrament. As I said earlier, the First Reading may paint a picture of the Word as powerful and dynamic but these descriptions are adjectives and also redundant. The Word has to be both dynamic and powerful because the Word is Christ Himself. In short, Sacraments are God’s Word in action.

Thus, the Sacraments are not just mere “words”. If they were, then they would become boring. In fact, every Sacrament is the action of Christ Himself. This definition does not say much but we will begin to recognise what this means if we contrast Sacraments with “sacramentals”. According to a definition, a sacramental is anything set apart or blessed by the Church to excite good thoughts and to increase devotion. That is why sacramentals do not confer or give the grace of the Holy Spirit the way that the 7 Sacraments do. In blessing a rosary, a medal, water or a person, by the Church’s prayer they prepare us to receive grace and give us the opportunity to co-operate with grace. Sacraments, on the other hand, are actions of Christ because through them, Christ continues His saving work amongst us. Christ is truly present amongst us. Thus, the difference between the Sacraments and the sacramentals is: Firstly, the Sacraments were instituted or established by Christ whereas the sacramentals are instituted by the Church and secondly, the Sacraments give grace of themselves when we place no obstacle in the way; the sacramentals excite in us pious dispositions, by means of which we may obtain grace.

Now, perhaps, we can begin to appreciate what a Sacrament means. Every Sacrament that we celebrate is Christ Himself who [1] adopts us, [2] feeds us, [3] strengthens us, [4] forgives us, [5] heals us and [6] commissions us. You’d be wondering why only 6 actions of Christ which does not correspond to our 7 Sacraments. Actually, Christ Himself [1] adopts us in Baptism, [2] feeds us in the Eucharist, [3] strengthens us in Confirmation, [4] forgives us in Confession, [5] heals us through Anointing and commissions or sends us to sanctify the world through [6] Marriage or [7] Holy Order. Every sacrament that we celebrate generously and with deep faith will open us to the efficacious or effective action of Christ in our lives. The point of the First Reading is that God’s Word, meaning, Christ’s actions never fail to achieve what they set out to do. Even when we seem to face, feel and experience failure and we are ready to give up hope... the point is never to give up hope even if we feel that we are more rocky patches or thorny ground than fertile soil but continue to trust in the actions of Christ. In fact, the Second Reading acknowledges our groaning or yearning for salvation. The power of God’s Word in the Old Testament is Christ’s actions which are the Sacraments of the Church that we celebrate day in and day out, in and out of season. Alleluia.

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

Last week, the Gospel passage gave us details of the calling of Matthew. This Sunday, the Gospel tells us that Jesus selected the Twelve, amongst whom is the same Matthew from last week’s Gospel. To understand this week’s Gospel, we must read it in the context of the other two readings. In the first reading, God shows his love for the Israelites by choosing them to be his very own people on condition that they hold fast to him. The 2nd Reading shows how loving God is because Christ died for us even though we were still sinners. And finally, the context for the naming of the Twelve is the masses of people whom Christ saw as harassed and dejected like sheep without a shepherd. He was filled with compassion for these people and for that he asked that the disciples pray that God may send more labourers to the harvest field.

The theme that runs through the three readings is simply that God takes the initiatives on our behalf. He formed a covenant with the People of Israel. He lovingly died for sinners. Finally, Christ (1) sees the crowd, (2) summons the Twelve and (3) sends them out to minister to the people on His behalf.

At one level, the call of the Twelve can be interpreted as the call to the vocation of the priesthood because exorcism and curing of diseases belong properly to the ministry of the ordained priesthood. However, at another level, it is less restrictive than what we think. What we observe is that Christ takes the initiative to make us partake in His compassionate love for humanity.
In this enterprise or venture, the choice of the Twelve is an incentive for us to respond to Christ’s call. They were called not because of who they were. The Twelve were ordinary people. Some were fishermen. Two were hot-headed. One of them would betray him, one denied him and one doubted him. Despite their obvious weaknesses, still Christ called them. He did so not because they were clever or capable but because He believed that they could bring His compassion to the world. And through baptism, the ministry of the Twelve becomes ours. No one here is exempted from this ministry.

Every Christian is called because the world needs to hear the good news that they are loved and that they can be loved. Every day, we are bombarded with bad news. Each time I attend a meeting, I come away heavy because of challenges that need to be looked into and solutions that must be found. I suspect that this must be the same for each one of you who has to struggle with work, with home or with school. Now this is even more acute as we struggle to come to terms with inflation and the mounting cost of living. Battle-scarred, we need the assurance that Christ our Lord is concerned for us. He is there for us and He cares for us.

But, for many of us, Christ’s compassion and his redeeming love is not palpably present. Thus, the harvest is great and the labourers are called to make present Christ’s compassion in the Daily struggles of life. Christ said to the Twelve: Do not turn your steps to pagan territory, and do not enter any Samaritan town; go rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. And proclaim that the kingdom of Heaven is near. In other words, Christ’s counsel is meaningful when we consider that charity begins at home.

Where you are, not where you should be but where you are, people are to hear the Good News, people are to experience our help and encounter the compassion of Christ. Today is Father’s Day. The restaurants are laughing their way to the bank. We are told to remember our fathers. Last month we were told to remember our mothers. The point is, it is better to be remembered ordinarily rather to be feted extraordinarily once a year. People need to know that they are loved, not because they can perform, not because they can function but simply because they are loved by God.

Christ’s counsel not to go to pagan territory was not an absolute prohibition. It was a conditional prohibition simply because to announce the Good News everywhere does not really make sense if we cannot first announce it where we are. The call remains. The truth is, we can’t do everything. But, the fact is, we can do something.

10th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

The Call of Matthew serves as a reminder that Jesus loves sinners. But, what does it mean that Jesus loves sinners? Has this phrase lost its currency? The reason I ask this question because we do live the era of “Jesus loves sinners” Christianity. So when I hear “Jesus loves you”, my reaction is “so what”? It may be a case of familiarity that breeds contempt but our loss of appreciation for “Jesus loving sinners” may account for a deficient notion or understanding of discipleship. In other words, not appreciating that Jesus loves sinners makes for poor discipleship.

What is the connexion between being a sinner and discipleship?

If the “Call of Matthew” is a call to discipleship, then discipleship must have a connexion with the knowledge of one’s sins; or better still, awareness of one’s sinfulness. Unless we know that we are sinners, then we cannot fully embrace the call to be a disciple. In the Gospel, we hear the Call of Matthew presented with such simplicity. It was as simple as Matthew just got up and followed Jesus. But, consider this fact: The tax collectors were hated because they were perceived to be collaborators with an occupying force; they were seen to be traitors to their own people. Nothing is more despicable than to have your own people betray you. So, it was to this hated class of people that Jesus said: “I have not come to call the virtuous, but sinners”.

Matthew couldn’t have sat in the customs house day in and day out without feeling the glares or stares of those whom he taxed. He would have been a man acutely aware of his despised state of life. So, when Jesus called, Matthew found a way out of his wretched life. He did not just get up and followed Jesus. He actually left behind a way of life. Discipleship means leaving behind a way of life for another way of life.

Many of us do live wretched lives. If life were not wretched, then explain why we need to be who we are not? If we were that happy with whom we are, then many of the cosmetic companies would be out of commission. But, we are not that concerned with wretched lives coming as they were from having not enough food to eat or not feeling good about ourselves etc. What we are concerned with is that one of the most wretched states in life is to be in sin. For many of us, we suffer the humiliating embarrassment of failure that no matter how hard we try to overcome our sins, we never seem to overcome them. Isn’t that one reason why people fear confession? People despair that they are unable to overcome their habitual sins.

But, look at the life the Saints, notably St Ignatius. His vision of discipleship was founded on his acute awareness of his sinfulness and how Christ had saved him from sin. That knowledge accounts for the Jesuit motto: Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam... for the greater glory of God. He strove for God’s greater glory simply in grateful response for the salvation that he had received. Here is where we part ways with the Saints.

Our contemporary experience of sin is that we believe ourselves to be more or less “integrated”. If we accept that we are more re less “whole”, then we do not really need God. In which case, the result is often a lukewarm response discipleship. Before Mass, I heard confession and was slightly delayed starting Mass. As I was walking towards the central aisle to begin our entrance procession, I made a joke to a group of women: “So many sins lah”... They laughed and one of them replied jokingly, “That’s why we don’t go because we have no sins”. When we have no sins, then our desire to serve may not be far from a notion of doing God or the community a favour. It does not take much to move from “I am volunteering my service” to “doing God a favour”. If one has no sins, or rather no awareness of sin and forgiveness, then it is easy to forget that serving God is a response in thanksgiving to being saved. So, discipleship is not just leaving one state of life for another. A greater awareness of one’s sinfulness leads to a deeper gratitude for God’s salvation and that will bear fruit in giving the best of oneself to God. That is the meaning of ad maiorem Dei gloriam. In this sense, discipleship is an expression of sorrow for one’s sin and gratitude for God’s love. Otherwise, one can be led to a sense that one stands as a disciple before Christ on one’s own merit.

Matthew recognised his wretched sinful life. Thus, he knows that Christ called him not for anything outstanding in him. Perhaps, he would be the last person Christ would call. But, Christ came for sinners, for those who are sick. Many of us are far from this necessary awareness of unworthiness. Our challenge is to grow in the awareness that one is a sinner and unworthy yet called to be an Apostle for Christ, a Disciple of Christ.

A Series of Homilies on Ecclesia De Eucharistia

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Contents include homilies (updated and with latest footnotes) from the:

4th Sunday of Easter Year A

5th Sunday of Easter Year A

6th Sunday of Easter Year A

7th Sunday of Easter Year A

Solemnity of Pentecost Year A

Solemnity of the Blessed Sacrament Year A

Note: Booklet is designed to be printed on both sides of a paper and to be bound with staples

Corpus Christi Year A

Years ago when convenience was not only the rule of life, Corpus Christi was celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday. But, for the sake of convenience, it has been transferred in some places (ours, for instance) to Sunday after the Solemnity of the Blessed Trinity. What is so special about Corpus Christi? Every Sunday is technically “Corpus Christi” since we celebrate the Body and Blood of Christ (By the way, the correct title of the Solemnity is Corpus et Sanguis Christi). The history of this Solemnity can be traced to the devotion of a 13th century nun in Belgium. By the 14th century it became universally observed in the West, that is, within the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church. Even though the history of the Solemnity seems to be of a late development, the theology is not. Consider what the Church Fathers have to say: Ignatius referred to the Eucharist as the “medicine of immortality” (Ephesians 20:2). “Thousands and thousands could be sanctified even through the crumbs from the Eucharistic host”, says St Ephrem the Syrian (Homilies 4.4) and St Thomas considered the Eucharist to be the “greatest of all Sacraments”. Nearer to our time, the theology remains consistent. The Catechism tells us that “the other six sacraments, all the works and ministries of the Church are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it”. The whole spiritual good of the Church, name Christ himself, is contained in the blessed Eucharist (CCC 1324).

Thus, the Solemnity of Corpus Christi reminds us that the invaluable gift of Christ to the Church is not a gift amongst gifts but rather is the gift of Himself. This gift which we celebrate brings us to the task or duty of proclaiming Him as Saviour of the world. Yes, in today’s climate of inter-religious or cultural sensitivity, it does seem arrogant or patronising to speak of Christ as Saviour of the world. But the fact is, whether we like it or not, there is a close bond which we cannot ignore between celebrating the Eucharist and the proclamation of Christ as Saviour of the world.

According to John Paul II, this bond between Eucharist and Proclamation is implied by the actions of Christ in on Calvary. Why? It is because the Sacrifice of Christ on Calvary is not an event of the past which we commemorate [1] but an event which is re-presented to us each time we celebrate Mass. This means that Christ’s Salvation achieved on Calvary must be re-proclaimed to the entire world until He comes again. In that sense, each time the Eucharist is celebrated, the Salvation of Christ is also proclaimed. Thus the Eucharist makes of every Christian a missionary and the Eucharist in solemn procession becomes our public annunciation, public proclamation and public witness that Christ’s sacrifice saves the world.

Now a challenge remains. That Christ is Saviour is personally acceptable. [2] But to publicly proclaim Him is another matter altogether. We live in this “your view is true for you and my view is true for me” world. Within this world, one can have this nagging fear, “What if I or we were wrong”? Ultimately, it is a question of personal and corporate faith which can breach this self-imposed wall of relativism. Who is this Christ and how does his salvation affect me personally and us corporately? Turned the other way around, how do I and we live in such a way that the salvation of Christ is real not only to me but also to the world out there?

At the level of personal faith, in today’s world of uncertainty, the mission to proclaim takes on a rather “personal” note. Here, in terms of personal faith, the message that Christ is Saviour is not really the problem because the problem often lies with the messengers. Somewhere along the road, we, the messengers have not made the connexion between faith in Christ and the way we ought to live our lives. And, mind you, sin is not really the issue here. Rather it is inconsistency which renders the Person of Christ less credible. The theatre of war for Christianity is basically to be fought in the human heart. Our missionary effort must begin with the personal conversion. Many of us are intellectually converted but our hearts remain unconvinced. Or at least, we know a lot about Christ’s message without ever living fully the message.

According to Socrates, a life un-examined is not worth living. Sometimes we do not seem to reflect enough on the implication of faith in Christ. For example: in the context of the local Church’s concern for the increasing number of migrant Catholics, many of us here have maids at home. The way they are treated, you would think that God created a special category of people whose life’s mission is to work 18 hours a day and be screamed at because they are more stupid than we are. How does being made in the image and likeness of God come in here? The list could go on.

At the level of corporate faith, does the Church dare to teach unambiguously? Or do we look at Society at large and then tailor our teachings according to the dictates of society? The recently passed legislation in the UK with regard to human-animal embryo may be an example. Are we the only measure of life or are there laws about us which do not change? A corporate failure to teach Christ clearly has implications for our personal conversion. A Church confused confuses the faithful.

The discrepancies between faith in Christ and the failure to live our faith that we find in our lives often arise from a lack of personal and corporate knowledge of Christ in Word and Sacrament. Our failures or sins often keep us away, feeling as we do, our unworthiness but the truth is our failure should fuel our desire to know him intimately, love him more dearly and to follow him more closely. The Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ is an invitation to walk with the Lord and to accompany Him in the Eucharist as it is the Sacrament of the God who does not leave us to journey alone, but puts Himself at our side and shows us the way. Remember Emmaus when Christ came to walk with the two despondent disciples? Today, let us kneel in adoration of the Lord who first bowed down towards us to save us and give us life. Adoring the Body of Christ means believing that there, in that piece of bread, Christ is truly present. Acknowledging Him is our salvation because He is the only one who can give us strength for the journey.

FOOTNOTE:
[1] The celebration of the Last Supper in the tradition of some Protestant brothers and sisters is basically a memorial service of a past event.
[2] Catholic theology has always distinguished between the “objective redemption” of all men by Christ, and the “subjective redemption” whereby the grace merited by Christ on the Cross actually proves fruitful only in the case of those who cooperate with His grace and achieve salvation.

Solemnity of the Blessed Trinity Year A

Last week, I raised a point that the Church fears no “extravagance” with regard to the celebration of the Eucharist. However, the word itself is problematic. It suggests of “wastage” which is nothing but scandalous especially in the midst of hunger. However, extravagance is definitely relevant to Judas’ concern for the poor. A calculative mentality with regard to God will lead to a calculative mentality with humanity. Loving God with a measure beyond this world allows or opens our heart to embrace the poor with the same generous measure. Furthermore, the idea of “extravagance” is not alien to Pentecost. We are used to thinking of Pentecost as the descent of the Holy Spirit. But the descent of the Holy Spirit actually marks an ascent into the life of the Trinity as it drew the Apostles and consequently the Church into the life and vision of God.

This Sunday, our attention is directed to Mary. JPII believes that when we ponder the mystery of the Eucharist, we are led to take a closer look at Mary. But, according to our Liturgical Calendar, this Sunday is also Trinity Sunday. Hence, how are we to speak of Mary in the context of the Solemnity of Blessed Trinity?

The answer is found in Mary’s “Fiat”, Mary’s “Yes”. When Mary said “Yes” at the Annunciation, her “Yes” at once links her to the Eucharist and the Trinity. How is that so?

Firstly, with regard to the Eucharist, the Gospel may be silent on the subject of Mary’s presence at the Last Supper. However, as she was present with the Apostles in prayer, as they waited for the coming of the Holy Spirit, we can be certain that she would also be present at the celebration of the Eucharist of the first generation of Christians (Acts 2:42). But surprisingly, Mary is linked to the Eucharist not because she was present in those celebrations. Instead, Mary is linked to the Eucharist because her interior disposition allowed her to abandon herself to the mystery of the Eucharist. As a mystery, the Eucharist calls for faith and Mary, in giving herself over totally to God at the Annunciation, made an act of faith. That act of faith earned her the title “Woman of the Eucharist” because she was already living the spirit of the Eucharist even before its Institution at the Last Supper.28 As Woman of the Eucharist, Mary is never far from the actions of Christ. Mary’s “do whatever He tells you” at Cana becomes Christ’s “Do this in memory of me” at the Last Supper. She who leads us to the Son will also lead us to the Blessed Sacrament, the true Body and Blood of her Son.

Secondly, you can also discern that Mary’s Fiat at the Annunciation is at the same time, a “yes” of total abandonment to the mystery of the Blessed Trinity. In saying yes, she believed that Christ whom she conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit was the Son of God the Father. Consequently, there is a profound link between the Fiat of Mary at the Annunciation and the Amen of each Catholic who receives Holy Communion. Mary’s “Yes” brought her into the life of the Trinity. Our “Amen” also draws us into the life of the Trinity.

In trying to live the mystery of the Eucharist, Mary is our Mother as well as our Model. Christ on the Cross at Calvary allowed the future and the past to be brought into the present. Therefore, whatever Christ did would, through the Eucharist, become present to us. He gave John to Mary and so through the Eucharist, we gain a Mother. He gave Mary to John and so in the Eucharist, Mary becomes our model.29 In that way, you can say that Mary always accompanies us in the “Amen” we make at Holy Communion. Mary is ever present in our commitment to be conformed into the image of Christ.

Finally, JPII asks us to look at the Magnificat as it mirrors the praise and thanksgiving of the Eucharist. With Mary, we praise God in the Eucharist through Christ our Saviour, even as we hope for and anticipate “the new heavens” and “the new earth” at the 2nd Coming. But, our desire for a better world is not to be found in programmes. Instead, our vision of a better world begins with the Person of Christ. We are made perfect in knowing, loving and imitating Christ. As Mary leads us to Christ, she will also lead us to find Him in the Eucharist. JPII says: “In the Eucharist, we have Jesus, we have his redemptive sacrifice, we have his resurrection, we have the gift of the Holy Spirit, and we have adoration, obedience and love of the Father”—the Blessed Trinity.

Our eyes are tuned today to Mary our Mother and Model as we endeavour to embrace fully the mystery of the Eucharist and enter the life of the Trinity whom we love and celebrate. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

Pentecost Year A

Last Sunday, my homily brought out the link between the Eucharist and “communion”. The Eucharist expresses and deepens our communion with the Church. This communion with the Church is both invisible and visible. It is invisible because it expresses a unity with the Blessed Trinity and presupposes a life of grace. Every Catholic who wants to receive communion must ensure that he or she receives it in a worthy manner. Thus, there is a link between communion and the sacrament of confession. Even though this relationship between communion and conversion is a matter of one’s conscience, a matter between the person and God, still, the Church has the duty to see that those who manifestly refuse to repent should not be given communion.

The reality that there are less than perfect situations, for example, “excommunication”, actually highlights the visible aspect of communion with the Church which is expressed through the 3 Cs: Creed, Code and Cult. Visible communion with the Church means that one accepts Catholic doctrines, is subject to the Church’s governance and receives the Church’s sacraments. The phrase that best describes this visible communion with the Church is none other than “practising Catholic”.

As a Sacrament of Ecclesial communion, the Eucharist has implications for our ecumenical activities. Since the unity of the Catholic Church with the other ecclesial communities is far from perfect, the Catholic Church is cautious in the matter of intercommunion. Why? Even though we desire visible unity, to short-cut the long and winding road to unity is to pretend that we are one when we are not. Our commitment to the truth cannot allow this kind of falsehood. John Paul II concludes by saying that our observance of the norms governing the reception of Holy Communion is proof and guarantee of our love for (1) Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, (2) for our Protestant brothers and sisters who have a right to our witness to the truth and (3) it shows our love for the cause of unity.

This week, our attention is directed by JPII to the dignity that must accompany our celebration of the Eucharist. With regard to “how much”, we are haunted by an account recorded in the Gospels. As Mary, the sister of Lazarus anointed Christ’s head, Judas asked a question that has echoed throughout the centuries. The enduring question deals with what is ostentatious in the midst of hunger. To be extravagant is a scandal when people are hungry. The usual argument is that God is not bothered by ostentatious showings.

The idea that money is better used for the poor is noble. But, underlying this noble idea is perhaps a mode of thinking which is deceptively calculative and thus, it has far-reaching consequences. An example of calculative thinking is “Euthanasia” (good death). How so? It claims to give a dying person a sense of control over suffering and pain. No one should suffer unnecessarily. But, noble as that may sound, in reality, Euthanasia is a consideration of convenience. [1] We measure the world according to the scale of convenience. [2] But, God is of another world. Pentecost is a reminder of the other realm that we are made for. As much as the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles, the Apostles and thus the Church are drawn up into God. It is only when I am prepared to love God with a measure beyond this world, then I would also be prepared to love you with the same measure. The Sacrifice of Christ must be seen in this light. The idea is not how much money we can save for the poor but rather how much are we ready to do for God. [3] In this respect, JPII reminds us that the honour given to Christ in the Eucharist is tied closely to the mystery of His Person. We are not dealing with just an ordinary man. The way the Last Supper accounts were presented in the Gospels shows how even at an early period, care was given to the celebration of the Eucharist. [4] That’s why JPII declares that the Church fears no extravagance because the expression of her extravagance is directed to God. [5]

We could never do enough for God. Jesus may have been born in a manger. But, His poverty is a revelation of His humility whereas the Wise Men who visited Jesus did not come with poor things. Instead, they came with gold, frankincense and myrrh. What they gave Jesus showed their humility—a humility which says that no matter what we do, we can never outdo the majestic God humbling Himself to become one of us.

Because of the majesty of Christ’s gesture, the Church does not make light or trivialise the Eucharist of her Lord and Master. In fact, if we follow the definition “sacrament”, outward sign of inward grace, then the liturgy—the outward expressions must be adorned and elevated by the use of beautiful things. Icons embody the abiding presence of holiness. Statues are visible reminders of our communion with the saints who are models for our living. Stained glasses bring to life the Gospel and they catechise in pictures. Gregorian chants transport us into a realm beyond the ordinary. [6] The Gothic cathedrals were imposing structures simply because their spires piercing into the sky actually accompany our soaring aspirations for God.

Here we begin to realise that not everything is suitable for the worship of God.[7] It calls for discernment. The word “cacophony” may help us understand what it means to be discerning. Cacophony means harsh discordant mixture of sounds but in Greek, it’s even more graphic because it is derived from “kakka”... meaning faeces or crap. So cacophony means “shitty” sound. [Sorry]. Not every sound is good for our Liturgy. [8]

Thus, JPII proposes a very important ecclesiological principle for discernment. And it is this: the local Church does not exist in isolation from the Universal Church. For example, we belong to the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church and all things being equal, Gregorian chants as being proper to the Roman Liturgy, must hold a pride of place in our Liturgy. The universal character of the Church must be taken into consideration in our process of inculturation or adaptation. In dealing with adaptation, “formality” is sometimes viewed as stifling creativity. In actual fact, formality does not stifle creativity. It prevents impulsiveness and it protects the lay people from the tyrannical whims and fancies of a priest.

In conclusion, nothing that we do can ever outdo what God has done for us. This is the principle for which we try to give God our very best and this is important if we want to address Judas’ concern for the poor. [9] I was at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Assembly yesterday. Our topic was the challenge of ministering to our migrant brothers and sisters. At the end of the meeting the suggestions came in fast and thick: we should organise this, we should produce this or that, etc. in order to educate and encourage our people to be involved in social justice issues. I thought to myself, our parish has so many programmes and yet why is our response at best lukewarm? It dawned on me that the measure of my love for God will be the measure of my love for the world. Not the other way around. How so? One of the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion was overheard saying, “How come you pay your maids so well? They don’t deserve such salary. They will climb over your head”. There is a saying that “familiarity breeds contempt”. In the case of our Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, it is not familiarity but the statement betrays a lack of familiarity. [10] How could anyone who gives Jesus in Holy Communion think this way? Obviously she does not know Jesus enough. Appropriately, JPII used the word “extravagance” for our expressions towards the Eucharist because it stands as an antidote to Judas’ calculative thinking or mentality. To love Jesus is to love the world. To give Jesus the best is to give the world our best. The saints already knew this... May we imitate them in giving their best to Jesus in order to love the world.

FOOTNOTES:
[1] Sometimes, the “suffering” of a patient is acute because it is a reflexion of society’s lack of tolerance for suffering. Think about it. How come people from Third World countries seem to be able to tolerate pain? They are stoical about pain whereas, the more affluent we are, the more intolerant of pain we become and this intolerance may be transmitted as an expectation on those who are suffering... “We actually don’t want you to be around to remind us of pain. So we’ll help you die faster”. Likewise, why is it that “older” people of our generation don’t want to be a nuisance to their children? Is it because we, the “able-bodied” younger generation, have subtly sent a signal that they are a nuisance—a cramp to our lifestyle?
[2] This scale of convenience is also discernible in the relationship between man and woman in marriage.
[3] In fact, the liturgy tells us that there is “Someone” who is worth dying for. Without this “Someone”, I will love you with a measure of this world; a measure “choked” by convenience. But, if love for God is measured other-worldly, then our liturgy must reflect that. Thus, in the context of Judas’ concern for the world, the point is, if you want to save the world or feed the poor, make sure the liturgy remains dignified, sacred and solemn because true worship of God is the only thing that can save the world.
[4] Jesus asked his disciples to go into town to prepare the place for their celebration of the Last Supper.
[5] A way to understand the measure of our extravagance is to look at our sanction or deterrent for a crime. (An interesting aside: for the Church, sanction is not punitive but rather rehabilitative). For example, in the case of rape, the “extent” that we are prepared to impose sanction is the extent we are ready to defend a value. In the case of rape, it is the dignity of the victim. Today, we are harsh when it comes to crime against children because the value of a child’s dignity cannot be measured. (The contradiction that we experience though, is abortion. For many countries, abortion is just a statistic. But, in more affluent countries, the medical fraternity would go to length in order to save a single person. These two approaches to life do not commensurate!). The point is, if we believe that God is the Almighty, then, we must be solemn and noble in our worship. But, the sad truth is, a loss of solemnity is indicative of the loss of faith in the Real Presence, in the sacrificial nature of the Eucharist and also in the spiritual authority of the priestly office. If we truly believe in Jesus’ Real Presence... our attitude would be totally different.
[6] It is true that there is something about music which can be described as “classical” and therefore enduring. For example, according to music enthusiasts, the late 80s and the early 90s could be written off from the era of modern music. It seemed that nothing of value came from that period of “Muzart and synthesised techno-music”.
[7] In our world of political correctness, we are sometimes mistaken by the consideration that just because something is available, then it can be used.
[8] It’s like saying “I love you” but slapping you to proof that I love you. It’s not logical because clearly, some actions are not actions of love but rather actions devoid of love. This suggests the need for discernment and it is important because it touches the whole process of inculturation.
[9] Thinking of the poor may be noble but it could also be a gesture to God that we think nothing of Him.
[10] I wager that Judas asked the question simply not because he cared that much for the poor but because he didn’t know Jesus enough.