The Red Line
Is God someone who takes the fun out of our situation? Two of the three readings of today are indictments of our behaviour, and one prescribes a treatment.
The First Reading (Amos 6: 1.4-7), originally meant for the upper crust of the kingdoms of Judea and Israel,[1] is also a message for all people, whether in Goa or California. In a passage reminiscent of the Woes listed by St Luke, the prophet Amos decries those who only live to eat, drink, and make merry; who ‘lie upon beds of ivory and stretch themselves upon their couches’, and show least concern for their suffering brethren. They are beneficiaries of God’s largesse, yet ‘not grieved over the ruin of Joseph’ (a reference to the ten tribes of Israel with whom Joseph’s name became synonymous).
The Gospel (Lk 16: 19-31) puts it all in a parable that is unique to the Evangelist St Luke. An unnamed rich man who cared for none but himself is tormented in Hell, whereas poor Lazarus (not the one raised to life in John’s Gospel), who was at his mercy on earth, now enjoys the Beatific Vision. It is not an indictment of riches, but of our wretched attitudes. Deposuit potentes: God puts down the mighty from their seats,’[2] or, as Mephistopheles says in Marlowe’s The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus: ‘Fools that will laugh on earth must weep in hell’.
In the midst of it all, the rich man requests God to forewarn his family that Hell is for real: ‘lest they also come into this place of torment’. This was perhaps his only charitable thought, whereas Lazarus (meaning ‘God is my help’ in Hebrew) had the Lord to turn to. Indeed, God is ‘just to those who are oppressed’, ‘who gives bread to the hungry’, ‘who sets prisoners free’, ‘who gives sight to the blind, who raises up those who are bowed down’, ‘who loves the just’, ‘who protects the hungry’, ‘He upholds the widow and orphan but thwarts the path of the wicked’ (cf. today’s Psalm 145: 6-10).
Can God who cares for us be against human enjoyment or amusement? All He asks of us is not to cross the red line between right and wrong. In this sense, every day of our life is a reenactment of the dilemma of the Garden of Eden. Hence, in the Second Reading (1 Tim 6: 11-16) St Paul exhorts us to ‘aim at righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness’—six basic virtues. There is no need for highly wrought theology but for an open heart to understand all of that. Highlighting God’s kingship vis-à-vis the sinful practice of paying tribute to false gods, he urges us to ‘fight the good fight of the faith’ and praise the Lord ‘Who alone has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light.'
In time, we realise that God does not take the fun but the sin out of our situation! He has given us the Scriptures and the Commandments to guide us, and the Sacraments to strengthen and help us to stay within the lines. If we obey, we have everything to gain, if not, everything to lose in the life hereafter. But that’s not all. We have to reach out, show concern for others, and be proactive. Lukewarmness and indifference can be lethal.
Jesus who has said, ‘I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life’ (Jn 14: 6), and ‘I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full’ (Jn 10:10) promises us not temporary but eternal joy as only He can.
Banner: By MOSSOT - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15941723
[1] After the death of king Solomon, the United Kingdom of Israel, whose capital was Jerusalem, was divided into the northern kingdom (Israel) with Samaria as its capital, and the southern kingdom (Judea) with Jerusalem as the capital.
[2] These words belong to the Blessed Virgin’s Magnificat (Lk 1: 46-55).
Desdobrando Goa | Unfolding Goa
Editorial
https://online.fliphtml5.com/bcbho/hzql/#p=1
A nossa minúscula Goa tem o condão de se desdobrar em diversas Goas. Existe a Goa da história e a da contemporaneidade, a Goa geográfica e a dos corações espalhados pelo mundo, a Goa real e a dos nossos sonhos. Há, portanto, diversas Goas. E dentro de cada uma existem engrenagens sociais, económicas, políticas e culturais, sempre a rodar. Quem imagina conhecer as múltiplas Goas vive a fábula indiana dos Cegos e o Elefante.
Todavia, a Revista da Casa de Goa empenha-se por interpretar essas Goas aos leitores. É o caso da presente edição, que começa por falar de Pangim, a poética capital goesa, que dantes teve outros nomes: Nova Goa e Cidade de Goa. O nosso editor associado José Filipe Monteiro conta a interessante história de como, no século XIX, esse modesto bairro da aldeia de Taleigão passou à capital do império português oriental.
Por mera coincidência, outro editor associado, Valentino Viegas, recorda na sua crónica os “doces anos” que viveu em Pangim e em calções percorreu os seus cantos e recantos. E, que maravilha, ficarem de repente, lado a lado, a grande e a pequena história da Índia Portuguesa.
Não é, porém, maravilha a situação que de momento se vive em Goa. Leia-se o artigo intitulado “Será Goa a próxima Ayodhya na Índia?”, de Ivo de Noronha. Goa, aliás, destacada pelo modelo de coexistência pacífica que representa entre as diversas comunidades e pelo seu forte senso de identidade cívica, enfrenta hoje um desafio tão subtil quão insidioso.
Em situações dessas, é tão reconfortante lembrar, como o faz David Pinto, no seu artigo “Globalização em Goa: a contradição asiática”, que essa mesma Goa foi na verdade uma das primeiras sociedades multiculturais e globais de todos os tempos. Acrescenta que, ainda no século XXI, viver em Goa “proporciona uma experiência diferente da de qualquer outra parte da Índia”.
Nota-se esse tipo de pioneirismo na recente nomeação papal do padre jesuíta Richard Anthony D’Souza como Director do Observatório do Vaticano. Prova de como um goês naturalmente se torna cidadão do mundo. Na secção de notícias, damos pormenores dessa honrosa atribuição.
É afinal a sua cultura multissecular que define Goa. Veja-se o caso de Manohar Rai SarDessai, cujo “papel cultural híbrido, ao navegar pelas complexidades da identidade pós-colonial em Goa” é objecto de estudo de Anthony Gomes, no artigo intitulado “Vozes da identidade goesa”. O autor refere-se à literatura mundial que o poeta traduziu para concani; o seu papel no enriquecimento da paisagem literária regional, na promoção do diálogo cultural e na articulação da identidade cultural goesa.
Por sua vez, Júlia Serra foca outro poeta contemporâneo, José Rangel, que reuniu parte da sua obra em Toada da Vida e Outros Poemas. Os seus poemas são de índole diversa: para além do misticismo religioso do Oriente e do dinamismo do Ocidente, há referências a línguas, à procura da identidade, à cultura, à paisagem confrontada com o arranha-céus, à vida nos cabarets; e reflexões sobre o bem e a graça divina, sobre o profano e o religioso, e sobre o amor cantado nas diversas dimensões.
Recuando um pouco, Philomena e Gilbert Lawrence evocam a figura de Luís Vaz de Camões, que em Goa escreveu grande parte d’Os Lusíadas; e traçam paralelos com a vida do eminente Winston Spencer Churchill: foram ambos militares de duas potências coloniais na Ásia.
Ainda hoje continua esse diálogo intercivilizacional iniciado há cinco séculos. Por exemplo, a Fundação Oriente desempenha uma vasta rede de actividades, registadas aqui por Paulo Gomes, seu Delegado em Goa, a oriental Lisboa.
Por outro lado, neste mês, na capital portuguesa, realiza-se LisGoa, um encontro de líderes empresariais de Goa, como destacado no suplemento especial a esta edição.
Não termina ali a panorâmica histórica e cultural de Goa. O conto em concani, ambientado no remoto concelho de Satari, transporta-nos para uma Goa de outrora, dir-se-ia, pré-portuguesa, pois distam muito os costumes desse povo, daqueles que são correntes nas partes cristianizadas de território. “A Árvore de Fruto Amargo”, de Prakash Parienkar, transliterado do concani em caracteres devanagáricos para romanos e traduzido para português pelo editor associado Óscar de Noronha, vai acompanhado também do link do respectivo filme.
Rematamos a apresentação desta edição convidando os leitores à nossa secção de arte. Girish Gujar e Govit Morajkar, respectivamente, em aguarela e pintura, chamam a nossa atenção a dois locais em Goa; o caricaturista Alexyz tece uma crítica aos problemas de Goa contemporânea, enquanto Clarice Vaz e Edgar João apresentam Goa como o eterno idílio.
E não vamos sem registar que na capa desta edição temos a Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Imaculada Conceição, o ex-libris da cidade de Pangim; e na contracapa, o link da Global Goan, nossa Revista parceira, cuja leitura calorosamente recomendamos aos Goanófilos.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Our minuscule Goa has the power to unfold into several Goas. There is the Goa of history and the Goa of contemporary times, the geographical Goa and the Goa of hearts scattered around the world, the real Goa and the Goa of our dreams. There are, therefore, several Goas. And within each of them are social, economic, political and cultural gears that continue to turn. Those who claim to know them all live out the Indian fable of the Blind Men and the Elephant.
Nonetheless, Revista da Casa de Goa strives to interpret these Goas for its readers. The present edition is a case in point. It begins by talking about Panjim, the poetic capital of Goa, which previously had other names: New Goa and City of Goa. Our associate editor José Filipe Monteiro recounts the interesting story of how in the nineteenth century this modest ward of the village of Taleigão grew into the capital of the Portuguese Oriental empire.
Coincidentally, another associate editor, Valentino Viegas, recalls in his column the “sweet years” he spent in Panjim, and in shorts explored its nooks and crannies. And, how wonderful to suddenly see, side by side, the macro and the micro history of Portuguese India.
However, the living situation in Goa is not all that wonderful. Read the article titled ‘Will Goa be India’s next Ayodhya?’, by Ivo de Noronha. In fact, although known as a model of peaceful coexistence among different communities, and for its strong sense of civic identity, Goa faces a challenge that is as subtle as it is insidious.
In situations like these, it is so heartening to recall, as David Pinto does in his article ‘Globalisation in Goa: The Asian contradiction’, that Goa was indeed one of the first multicultural and global societies of all times. He adds that, even in the 21st century, living in Goa ‘provides an experience different from that in any other part of India.’
This type of pioneering spirit shines through Jesuit priest Richard Anthony D'Souza’s recent papal appointment as Director of the Vatican Observatory. A Goan quite naturally becomes a citizen of the world. In the news section we have more details of that honourable selection.
After all, it is Goa’s centuries-old culture that defines it. Look at Manohar Rai SarDessai, whose ‘role as a cultural hybrid navigating the complexities of identity in postcolonial Goa’ is the object of study by Anthony Gomes in his article titled ‘Voices of Goan Identity’. The author refers to the poet’s translations of world literature into Konkani and his role in enriching the regional literary landscape, promoting cultural dialogue, and articulating the Goan cultural identity.
Júlia Serra, for her part, focusses on another contemporary poet, José Rangel, who compiled part of his work in Life’s Refrain and Other Poems. His poems are diverse in nature: in addition to the religious mysticism of the East and the dynamism of the West, there are references to languages, the search for identity, culture, the natural landscape vis-à-vis the skyscrapers, life in cabarets; and reflections on goodness and divine grace, on the profane and the religious, and on love sung in its various dimensions.
Rewinding a little, Philomena and Gilbert Lawrence evoke the figure of Luís Vaz de Camões, who wrote a large part of The Lusiads in Goa, and they draw parallels with the life of the eminent Winston Spencer Churchill: both were soldiers of two colonial powers in Asia.
This inter-civilisational dialogue, which began five centuries ago, is still on. For example, the Orient Foundation engages in a wide range of activities, listed here by Paulo Gomes, their delegate in Goa, the oriental Lisboa.
On the other hand, LisGoa, a meeting of business leaders from Goa, is due to be held in the Portuguese capital this month, as highlighted in the special supplement to this edition.
The historical and cultural overview of Goa does not end there. The short story in Konkani, set in the remote taluka of Satari, transports us to a Goa of yesteryear, one might say, pre-Portuguese, as the people’s customs there are very different from those in the Christianised parts of the land. Prakash Parienkar’s ‘The Bitter-Fruit Tree’, transliterated from Konkani in the Devanagari to the Roman script and translated into Portuguese by associate editor Óscar de Noronha, also carries a link to the respective film.
To conclude our presentation of this edition, we draw our readers’ attention to the art section. Girish Gujar and Govit Morajkar, in watercolour and painting, respectively, put the spotlight on two locales in Goa; cartoonist Alexyz critiques issues of contemporary Goa, while Clarice Vaz and Edgar João present Goa as the eternal idyll.
And we cannot resist pointing out that our cover features the Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, Panjim’s most famous landmark; and our back cover has the link to Global Goan, our partner magazine, a must-read for every Goa-phile.
Tough Choices
Are you astounded by the ways of the world and believe that the corrupt go unscathed? Well, those who imagine they have God in their pockets are sadly mistaken. Not only has God foretold how we humans will evolve, He has numbered the hairs on our head. Most of all, He has listed, and will one day reveal, our acts of commission and omission.
Consider the prophet Amos, who shines in history as a prophet of social justice. He preached in the northern kingdom, which was at once a place of material prosperity and spiritual ruin. With venality on the rise, the rich were getting richer and the poor, poorer.
To make matters worse, there was there was corruption in the religious sphere too: pagan shrines were mushrooming, idolatry was thriving, and the Chosen People showed a sense of superiority. No wonder, the (false) leaders of the people rejected Amos and his fulminations against Israel and her neighbours; his announcements of divine retribution, and finally even the messianic hope he offered.
Today, in the First Reading (Amos 8: 4-7), Amos warns those who ‘trample upon the needy and destroy the poor of the land’. In contemporary terms, that refers to crooks who snatch bread from the tables of simple, credulous citizens, and rather than be sent to jail are sent to Parliament! Amos also warns those who, in the privacy of their homes or institutions, tell lies, bully and beat, exploit and cheat, drink and debauch, and without any qualms of conscience go out and preach.
In contrast, those who trust in God and work for His kingdom have not a care in the world. As the Psalm states, ‘He raises up the lowly from the dust; from the dunghill He lifts up the poor to seat them with princes, with the princes of His own people.’
So far so good. What is unsettling, however, is that in the Gospel (Lk 16: 1-13) Jesus appreciates the shrewd steward’s efforts to provide for his future. Was the Master commending the ‘dishonest steward’? It may seem so, but it is not the steward’s expediency but his decisiveness that Jesus extols. He indicates how ‘the children of this world are wiser in their own generation than the children of light.’
Who can deny that evil is more active than good and the worldly-wise more diligent than the spiritual-minded? That sounds a clarion call to God’s people to turn dynamic and combative! You and I need to show greater enthusiasm for God’s kingdom and go forward together with our united strength. Letting ourselves be ruled by evil doers is the price we pay for our lukewarmness. What use is it to complain thereafter? That is why Jesus wishes to rouse the honest ones from their slumber and call for resolute action.
Look at our country and our state. What does it profit us to complain about our representatives, when it is we who have elected them? We’d found them dishonest in small ways, hadn’t we, but we looked the other way, didn’t we? When we fail to stand on principle and cling to our foundational truths, we are fated to suffer their dishonesty in big ways!
That is the natural consequence of sitting on the fence. It never pays to sacrifice our principles, our doctrine, on the altar of convenience. ‘No servant can serve two masters… you cannot serve both God and mammon.’ If only children of light were faithful to God as those of darkness are faithful to mammon!...
In the Second Reading (1 Tim 2: 1-8), St Paul urges ‘that supplications, prayers, intercession, and thanksgivings be made for all men, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectable in every way.’ This feels so topical, yet eternal, doesn't it? It addresses an issue that people across the board feel deep down, even if some don't admit it.
Finally, as Pope Benedict XVI has said, ‘it is a matter of choosing between selfishness and love, between justice and dishonesty and ultimately, between God and Satan.’[1] That’s our ultimate choice in life.
[1] Pope Benedict XVI, Homily, Suburbicarian Diocese of Velletri-Segni, 23 September 2007 https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day/2025/09/21.html
The Cross: our Badge of Honour
Christianity is full of paradoxes. One of them is the Cross, which has been transformed from a symbol of disgrace into a symbol of honour. In the Roman Empire, dying on the cross was a brutal punishment reserved for slaves and lowly criminals; however, through Jesus Christ’s Passion, Death and Resurrection, it became a symbol of hope and love.
On 14 September, we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. It is a manifold commemoration: that of the discovery of the True Cross by St Helena on her pilgrimage to Jerusalem in the year 326 AD; the dedication of the church of the Holy Sepulchre built by her son, the first Christian Roman Emperor, Constantine the Great, and consecrated on 13 September 335 AD; and the public veneration of the Cross there the following day.
Much later, Emperor Heraclius won back from the Persian Emperor Khosrow II the True Cross that the latter had captured on the occasion of his conquest of Jerusalem in 614 AD. The Byzantine emperor elevated the said Cross at Hagia Sophia, Constantinople, and later brought it to Jerusalem in 629 AD.
Considering the central role of the Cross in the Christian faith, the Sign of the Cross has become a distinctive gesture of devotion. Christian households usually have a crucifix (a cross with the body of Christ on it) hanging on the wall. ‘Exaltação da Cruz’ (Exaltation of the Cross, in Portuguese) is even taken as a baptism name. All of which speaks of how the Cross is exalted above all other symbols in Christianity.
This year, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross falls on a Sunday. This happens on an average once in seven years. Hence, a new set of Readings on the 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time of this year.
In the First Reading (Num 21: 4b-9) we see the punishment meted out to the Israelites who had rebelled against God instead of being grateful to Him for rescuing them from slavery in Egypt. They were bitten by fiery serpents, and perished. So, God instructed Moses to create a bronze serpent figurine and hoist it on a pole or staff; whoever looked upon the bronze serpent, survived.
In reality, the bronze serpent was the prefiguration of the Lord Himself, who would hang on the Cross for our sake centuries later. This is clear from Jesus’ words to Nicodemus in the Gospel text (Jn 3:13-17): ‘No one has gone up to heaven except the One who has come down from Heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.’
The Ascension would not have happened without His Passion, Death, and Resurrection, all of which was an act of loving reparation for the sins of humankind: ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life.’
The Gospel text further states in no uncertain terms that ‘God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.’
St Paul makes this clear in today’s Second Reading (Phil 2: 6-11) when he says that Christ ‘emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, He humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’
Therefore, we must never feel embarrassed by the Cross. In fact, we must put it back where it belongs: in the Catholic educational institutions that have removed it in the name of ‘political correctness’ and in the clinics and hospitals that have replaced it with the Rod of Asclepius.[i] We must bring back the solid crucifix into our ultramodern churches that have fallen for minimalist crucifixes, or the Risen Christ with the cross in the background, or even just the Risen Christ – as though the Crucified Christ were something to be ashamed of.
Finally, today and always, we must make it a point to exalt the Cross in our homes and in society at large. In concrete terms, we must take up our cross and follow Him (cf. Mt 16: 24). The Cross is the ultimate example of love. We must make it a point to exalt the Cross in our hearts: it is our badge of honour.
[i] The Rod of Asclepius symbol is a medical symbol depicting a single snake coiled around a staff or rod, representing healing, medicine, and the Greek god of healing, Asclepius.
Jesus lambasts hypocrisy
The Bible is not a collection of feel-good stories that might give false hope and ultimately disappoint us. It is a collection of books that reveal God’s sincere and longstanding relationship with humankind. The Word became flesh in Jesus, who then refined the teachings of the Old Testament, making them comprehensible to modern man. For its part, the New Testament is a perfect guide for imperfect people like you and me, helping us to live rightly, as Jesus did.
Take the case of the Book of Sirach, from where the First Reading (3: 17-20, 28-29) is taken. Written circa 180 BC, it is the only book of wisdom literature whose author is known by name: Jesus Ben Sirach, a Hellenistic Jewish scribe. It is warmly recommended for its instruction and edification. Its rich, practical teachings are presented in a fatherly and persuasive manner.
Shining as it does by its supernatural motivation, its advice differs from, say, that of Bacon’s Essays, or Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People. So, when Sirach tells you to ‘perform your tasks in meekness; then you will be loved…’, it’s not a manipulative strategy to find acceptance in the world. The words that follow ‘loved’ are important: ‘loved by those whom God accepts.’
In other words, the approach is other-worldly. God’s acceptance or ratification is what matters – an aspect so important to stress upon in an age when ‘anything goes.’ For example, if wanting to pass off as ‘broad-minded’ individuals, elders may fail to reprimand youngsters. Similarly, politicians of all hues bend over backwards to please (and in recent times, even Opposition members have shown much skill in backbends and forward bends). The bend is always on the side their bread is buttered...
As if that wasn’t bad enough, ‘men of God’ have followed suit. And what can be worse than the hypocrisy of the ‘men of God’? Some of them feed off the people’s adulation, while others curry favour with political animals… Just another move, and they’ll have crossed over to the other side and worship false gods. That’s precisely what happened in Goa yesterday (
If we’ve got any self-respect left, our archdiocese ought to feel distressed with the arrival of another edition of the ‘elephantine blunder’ of 2022 https://www.oscardenoronha.com/2022/09/13/elephantine-blunder/
In concrete terms, how can a priest engage in idol worship, imagining it to be some kind of innocuous ‘outreach’? If they argue that ‘those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick’ (Mt 9: 12), for goodness’ sake, where’s the medicine?... When Jesus was invited by shady characters – public sinners – He went, knowing full well that they didn’t have the right intentions. But then, He didn’t jump on the bandwagon; rather, confronting the majority, He announced the Good News straight on. That’s a medicine indeed; if we don’t give out our medicine, we could end up drinking their poison!
In today’s Gospel text (Lk 14: 1, 7-14), Jesus advises us to sit in the lowest place, so that when the host comes, he may say, ‘Friend, go up higher’. This may seem like a tactic to climb the ladder of success in this world, but it’s not! In fact, Jesus wants us to transpose the situation to Heaven. For in God’s eyes, ‘He who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.’ This is a lesson in authentic, not false, humility.
Further on, Jesus exhorts us to love and care especially for the poor, the weak, and the voiceless. By advising the Pharisee to invite people such as these, and not the rich and famous alone, to his dinner or banquet, He teaches a lesson in selflessness and total trust in the eternal reward that awaits us in Heaven: ‘You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.’
None of that is difficult for those who truly believe and trust in the Lord our God. That is also the message of the Second Reading (Heb 12: 18-19, 22-24), which juxtaposes the experience of the old and the new covenants. Whereas formerly God made covenants with His people in the midst of the great theophany of the Sinai (God’s visible manifestation to humankind there), in the latter days God made a covenant in the city of the living God. And where once there was fear, now there is love.
Where, then, is there place for hypocrisy in God's economy? None. In fact, Jesus reserves his harshest condemnation for religious hypocrites, such as the Pharisees. He decries their outward show of righteousness as a "whitewashed tomb" and warns that hypocrites will face severe punishment. Their place, then, could well be Hell.
Who will be saved?
Recently, when Israel began to pound Gaza, in a bid to forcefully occupy it, a quote from Zephaniah 2: 4 came up for discussion: ‘For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up.’ Is the prophecy applicable to the present times?
Gaza is in Palestine; the remaining three cities, in Israel. Israel began its offensive against Gaza last Thursday. Yesterday, Yemen's Houthi forces targeted Ashkelon with drones and missiles. What will happen to Ashdod and Ekron (Tel Miqne), both in Israel? How it will all pan out is anybody’s guess.
Meanwhile, it is curious to note how modern Israel seems keen on rewinding Biblical history in its favour. The country is a far cry from the Biblical Israel. How, then, can they insist on the status quo ante? Canaan was for the Chosen People, an enviable position they lost as a result of disobeying God’s commands down the ages. We Christians, for our part, know that the erstwhile Chosen People’s problems are of their own making…
As the First Reading (Is 66: 18-21) states, the Jewish people had been expected to ‘gather all nations and tongues… that have not heard [God’s] fame or seen [His] glory’. They were enjoined to ‘declare my glory among the nations…’ and bring them ‘as an offering to the Lord, upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem.’ How much of this did the Jewish people do to glorify the true God?
Whereas they failed to acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God, and to go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News, now they line up, like self-proclaimed heirs and beneficiaries who unashamedly gather after a person’s death, to claim the former land of Canaan as their inheritance. Their gods are Baal and Mammon; their instruments of worship, drones and missiles! That’s the measure of their iniquity.
In the Gospel (Lk 13: 22-30), the Son of God, whom God the Father sent to earth as a final act of redemption, stated in no uncertain terms: ‘Many, I tell you, will seek to enter [the kingdom of God] and will not be able.’ This is a word of caution to all who go on with life as if the earth is their final destination: let them not be alarmed when the hour inexorably strikes! At that point, of what use will it be to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ He will retort: ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from; depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity!’
Alas, they will weep and gnash their teeth on seeing Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and be thrust out. Even if pagan nations unite against Jerusalem, God will defeat them and use them for His glory. Thereafter they will share the former privileges of the Jew: ‘Men will come from east and west, and from north and south, and sit at table in the kingdom of God.’ The glorious task of evangelisation will be entrusted to them.
Is Israel, then, fated to perish? My interlocutor pointed out that the Lord says, ‘How can I give you up, Israel? How can I abandon you?... My heart will not let me do it. My love for you is too strong.’ (Hos 11: 8) For sure, we have a most faithful and loving God; He is just and full of mercy. The book’s narrative arc maintains that even if God’s people had deserted the Lord, in the end God’s constant love would prevail and win the nation back to Himself, restoring the relationship. This has been the message of prophets like Jeremiah and Ezekiel, too.
But can the Lord be put to the test? It is futile to think that God being so good will not condemn us definitely. After all, Hell is for the condemned. Why can’t Israel, too, learn a lesson or two from the centuries gone by? They – and we – would do well to take a leaf from the Second Reading (Heb 12: 5-7, 11-13): ‘Have you forgotten the exhortation which addresses you as my sons? … My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord… The Lord disciplines every son whom he receives… For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.’
The kingdom of God belongs to such as these who will let themselves be disciplined by the Lord our God. They will show love; they will be grateful; they will serve and be saved.
The Peace We Seek
A prophet finds no acceptance in his own home or country. It could be so for many reasons, one being that true prophets speak the full truth. They do so to guide, warn, or offer hope. But, as the saying goes, the truth hurts, and the prophets end up alienating people. And if they be rich and powerful people, prophets will soon be at the receiving end of all sorts of punishments. It has been so since times immemorial, and is true even in our world that swears by openness, transparency and democracy.
It is therefore not surprising that the prophet Jeremiah in the First Reading (Jer 38: 4-6, 8-10) suffered what he did at the hands of the powers-that-be. It was the year 588 BC, when the king of Babylon had besieged the holy city of Jerusalem. God’s spokesman, finding it suicidal to resist the enemy, advised the country to surrender. His message, however, was not music to the ears of the political leaders. They first tried to prevent him from being in touch with the people. Then, egged on by the puppet king Zedekiah, they condemned him to death. Zedekiah was fated to be the last king of Judah before its destruction by the Babylonian Empire.
Meanwhile, Ebedmelech the Ethiopian prevailed upon the king to reverse his decision. Accordingly, Jeremiah was lifted out of the miry cistern of Malchiah. Ebedmelech, whose name meant Servant of the King, was evidently a believer in Israel’s God. He was an honourable man, the likes of which are rare. Really, how many men of character like the African who saved Jeremiah can we find in our midst today?
Alas, crisis of character is the bane of our times. There is an undeniable decline in moral principles and ethical behaviour, and a visible erosion of trust in institutions and leaders. Those in power are expected to protect and save, but they turn into predators instead. Their egoism and greed has become the defining characteristic of our days. Was it because we have had it easy for too long that we have even forgotten God our Provider? As Michael Hopf, a US Marine veteran, puts it memorably in his book Those Who Remain: ‘Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.’
‘Strong men’ is obviously what Our Lord wants to make of us when in the Gospel text (Lk 12: 49-53) He declares: ‘I have come to cast fire upon the earth… Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.’ This again is not good news to our generation that is so accustomed to sermons on forgiveness, love and peace alone, not war and retribution.
Could Our Lord ever be wrong? He spoke of ‘division’ in lieu of ‘peace’. Does that seem incompatible with Our Lord’s title of ‘Prince of Peace’? Fr Anton Huonder, Jesuit missiologist, ascetical writer, and renowned preacher of The Spiritual Exercises, states: ‘Certainly, the Saviour wanted to bring peace to men of goodwill, those who submit themselves to the yoke of His law; He wants to give them, not the peace that the world dreams of, but His peace, which the world cannot give.’ Hence, neither at home nor in society should we aim to please everybody, satisfy all tastes, wear a mask, make a pact with error and vice, harmonise irreconcilable dissonances. Instead, we must look for an authentic expression of peace, which is in keeping with God's law.
For that matter, in the world of politics, can we go by the promises of peace made by leaders, be it Trump or Putin, Netanyahu or Khamenei? Look at how ‘Pursuing Peace’ melted down in Alaska yesterday. The peace our statesmen present is not true peace; they neither know nor wish to know how to achieve it. It suits them to pose as ‘pacifists’ whereas all they ever want is personal glory and (maybe) monetary advantages for their country. The late Brazilian Catholic thinker Plínio Corrêa de Oliveira clinched it: ‘Peace [is] a cause much too beautiful, much too just and much too noble to be left in the hands of pacifists.’
To conclude, there is nothing else left for us to do but to ‘run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the Cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.’ That’s the message of the Second Reading (Heb 12: 1-4) today. And there is none else that we can trust but Him who gave Himself up for our salvation.
Jesuit Fr Douglas Rowe’s hymn puts it very heart-warmingly: ‘No one can give to me that peace which my Risen Lord, my Risen King can give’. Indeed, that’s the one and only peace we ought to seek.
Faith conquers all
It is sad how in the world today human reason or knowledge rather than faith in God is generally at the top of the order. Accordingly, people of faith are perceived as weak while those with worldly knowledge are celebrated. People with minds trusting in human agencies strut around as if they have seen it all, done it all. Thankfully, today’s Readings lend us a fresh perspective.
In the First Reading taken from the Book of Wisdom (18: 6-9), the writer refers to the fact that Abraham and his descendants were aware of the night when their people would be freed from slavery in Egypt. That night would mark the ‘deliverance of the righteous and the destruction of their enemies’. But then, did they acquire that knowledge on their own merits? No; it was revealed to them by God, because of their faith in Him.
In whatever we do, whether big or small, we must rely on divine providence; pray, and give thanks at all times. For their part, the Israelites offered sacrifices ‘in secret’, in the privacy of their homes. But that was not all. With one accord they agreed to abide by the divine law and were ready for ‘blessings and dangers’ alike. Life would be less stressful life if we too, as per the Ignatian formula, prayed as if everything depended on God and worked as if everything depended on us. ‘God knows best’ could well be our motto.
It is this type of faith that the Second Reading (Heb 11: 1-2, 8-19) defines as ‘the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.’ That is how our ancestors lived: always trusting in the Lord. That is how Abraham went out and lived in a foreign land, no questions asked; and Sarah, though sterile, received power to conceive. When a sense of adventure and openness is informed by a deep faith, God makes the seemingly impossible possible!
In fact, in chapter 11, the writer revisits the whole of salvation history from the faith perspective. He also introduces us to a number of individuals and events that bear out the power of faith. That is not to say that having faith frees us from trouble, sickness, criticism, attacks, danger, and the like. What it really does is strengthen us in the belief that, no matter what happens, we enjoy the benefit of God’s protection.
Similarly, all that we have prayed for or expected may not happen on earth. After all, we are exiles in this valley of tears. So, it is in Heaven, a ‘better country’, our final destination, that we shall receive our eternal reward. Heaven is the place God has prepared for us, just as He once prepared the Promised Land of Canaan for His Chosen People. Thus, setting our eyes on Heaven is not escapist but realistic; no wonder it ensures health of mind and body.
In that regard, the opening words of the Gospel text (Mt 12: 32-48) carry a hugely refreshing message to our world drowned in anxiety: ‘Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.’ So, let's not to rely on what the world has to offer; let's not to set our hearts on things that do not satisfy! Instead, ‘let your loins be girded and your lamps burning, for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’
The said Gospel chapter has a series of parables on Our Lord’s exhortation to vigilance. We have to wait for the Second Coming, bide our time, and keep the faith. Such advice is ingrained in our religion. Therefore, however learned we may be, or no matter what we have achieved in life, there is nothing comparable to divine power and providence. As A. G. Sertillanges (1863-1948), the redoubtable French Dominican priest, philosopher, and apologist, puts it, ‘Reason ambitions only a world; faith gives it infinity.’ Indeed, faith conquers all.
Banner: https://shorturl.at/PIB5u
Between Jerusalem and Rome
The Readings of the Fourteenth Sunday of the Year especially grab our attention. In the First, we see Isaiah’s colourful imagery involving Jerusalem (Is 66: 10-14); in the Second, we have St Paul’s passionate testimony (Gal 6: 14-18) based on his life experience in the Roman Empire; and in the Third, Jesus exhorts His disciples to travel to the ends of the world (Lk 10: 1-12, 17-20).
With the goings-on in Israel, however, can we legitimately ‘rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her’? Must we love her at all? Regardless of the present conflict in the region (pushed by the modern State of Israel, which is not the biblical Israel), we ought to love Jerusalem as the cradle of Christianity and the city where Our Lord lived, died, and rose. Therefore, the Church favours a two-nation solution to the Israel-Palestine imbroglio and an internationally guaranteed special status for Jerusalem, with access to the holy places guaranteed.
For his part, the Jewish Prophet Isaiah is an integral part of our Christian heritage. His colourful images come alive even for us who have long looked to Rome for spiritual inspiration. Rome is the centre of the Catholic Church, the seat of the Papacy, and the location of Vatican City, an independent city-state, albeit surrounded by the city of Rome. The Church prays for the conversion of Israel, specifically for the Jewish people to acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Messiah. All this makes the reference to Jerusalem all the more significant.
Of course, with Jesus, it became clear that salvation is not the preserve of the Jewish people. No doubt, it was first proclaimed to them. Jesus spoke first to the Twelve (see Lk 9), and then to the Seventy-two. Knowing that the Jewish officialdom would not take forward the divine mission, Jesus empowered His disciples to do so.[1] They went before Him to several places and ‘returned with joy’. And then, not only did Peter go to Rome and Paul journey through the Roman Empire, but Thomas came as far as India and died there.
A fragment of today’s Gospel text rings in the ear of every Christian: ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few.’ He set them out ‘as lambs amid wolves’, anticipating trials and tribulations in a hostile world. Yet, He bid them to ‘carry no purse, no bag, no sandals, and to salute none along the way.’ They were not to waste time in elaborate greetings, so typical of Oriental cultures, but to focus on announcing the Good News without delay.
Furthermore, the disciples were to eat, drink, and accept accommodation as provided to them, ‘for the labourer deserves his wages’; but they were not to have great expectations or make demands. God would sustain them. They had to reach out to the sick physically and spiritually, giving them the hope of eternal salvation. Divine Master gave His disciples practical tips, management skills infused with psychological and spiritual principles! It is no wonder that Vatican diplomacy possesses unique strengths and commands respect.
St Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, who witnessed crises in the communities he tended and overcame them, concludes his Letter to the Galatians as follows: ‘I do not wish to take pride in anything except in the Cross of Christ Jesus our Lord.’ So, it is not circumcision or uncircumcision but the Cross of Christ that matters for our salvation. This is a big eye-opener. We ought not to sacrifice the truth of the Gospel to materialistic values and goals, something that even those in authority sometimes do. We must hold steadfast to the divine message.
So, whether in Jerusalem, in Rome, or at home, we must strive to be true disciples of Christ, the salt of the earth and light of the world.
[1] How many did Jesus commission? Some codices say 70, others 72; both figures are correct, as they represent the pagan communities (70 in the Hebrew text, 72 in the Greek) mentioned in Genesis 10. St Luke is the only Evangelist who mentions this number, suggesting that Jesus would not limit Himself to the twelve tribes of Israel (denoted by the Apostles) but would reach out to all communities and nations.
Models of faith and courage
Today, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. The Readings for the Vigil Mass[1] and the Day Mass are different, thus helping us to explore various facets of the feast and enjoy a richer liturgical experience. The Vigil Mass provides a broad overview, while the Day Mass offers specific insights into the lives and teachings of the two foundational figures of the early Church.
The Day Mass delves into the lives and ministries of the twin saints. In the First Reading (Acts 12:1-11), we see Herod’s persecution of the fledgling church. This was Herod Agrippa I, who ruled as king over Judea. He was the grandson of Herod the Great, who was on the throne when Jesus was born, and a nephew of the tetrarch of Galilee and Perea, Herod Antipas, who beheaded St John the Baptist.
Here, Herod is seen persecuting the early Christians, executing Zebedee’s son James the Great, and imprisoning Peter. But, miracle of miracles, the angel of the Lord visited Peter in jail and walked him out. The city’s iron gate opened to them of its own accord, and with Peter now in a safe zone, the angel left him without ado. All along, Peter thought he was seeing a vision, until he exclaimed: ‘Now I am sure that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.’
The day’s Reading ends here, but the story continues with Peter meeting his fellow men huddled in prayer at the house of St Mark the Evangelist. He described to them how the Lord had brought him out. The angel’s intervention had been a direct response to the church’s fervent prayers for Peter's release. He requested them to inform James, a leader in the Jerusalem church. Then Peter departed and went to another place. And when day came, there was no small stir among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. A frustrated Herod ordered that the soldiers be put to death and died shortly thereafter, struck by an angel for accepting praise as a god.
While all this is believed to have happened in the year 44 AD, a decade or so after Our Lord’s Ascension, the Gospel text (Mt 16:13-19 covers a much earlier, ground-breaking episode in Peter’s life: his profession of faith. When Jesus posed the question, ‘Who do men say that the Son of man is?’, to Peter, He was unmistakably ‘Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Recognising that his answer came by inspiration from God the Father, Jesus answered: ‘And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.’
Words of great import. They conferred primacy upon the son of Jonas, and set on him His Church, a name mentioned for the first time. Simon, the weak mortal of flesh and blood, was now destined to brave all assaults of Hell. Jesus assured him of the same stability that He gave to His Church, transmitting the privileges of Peter to his successors seated in the Chair of Infallibility and holding in their hands the Keys of supreme authority. They would give laws and guide kings and peoples, pastors and their flocks in the path of salvation; they would open and shut the gates of the celestial Kingdom.[2]
But these splendours were not free of troubles. Peter, the first Pope, endured persecution for the sake of the Church. Similarly, St Paul had his share of struggle and pain. But both persevered to the end. Hence, St Paul’s exhorted his people to preach the Word of God in and out of season, foreseeing that ‘the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their likings, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths’ (2 Tim 4: 3-4).
How true, especially in our days, when ‘sound teaching’ is sometimes scorned for its directness. So, we go about our petty lives feeling just listless and complacent, if not revolted. But then, to keep up with the Joneses, we might find ourselves a cosy nook and turn to teachers who will whisper sweet nothings and never ruffle feathers. And as if these false teachers weren’t bad enough, we might even ‘wander into myths.’ These are now part of New Age movements that the Church cautions us against.
The Apostle to the Gentiles in the Second Reading (2 Tim 4: 6-8, 17-18), after speaking of his impending martyrdom, famously says: ‘I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.’ He can legitimately hope that the Lord will award the crown of righteousness to him and to all who have waited for His appearing.
All of which brings into sharp focus a psalm for deliverance from trouble (34:2-9), which the afflicted will hear and be glad. It invites us to trust in the Lord at all times, to look to Him and be radiant, to taste and see that He is good! It comforts the afflicted to know that ‘the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and delivers them.’ Hence, happy is the man who takes refuge in the Lord. Like St Peter and St Paul, we too must strive to be models of such faith and courage.
Banner: The Virgin and Child with Saints Peter and Paul, by Girolamo Figino
[1] Acts 3:1-10 (Peter and John healing a crippled beggar); Psalm 19:2-3, 4-5 (Their message goes out through all the earth); Galatians 1:11-20 (Paul's conversion and preaching); John 21:17 (Jesus asks Peter if he loves him); John 21:15-19 (Jesus reinstates Peter).
[2] Cf. l’Abbé C. Fouard, Jesus Christ the Son of God (Goa: Don Bosco, 1960), p. 258.