Saving faith
I often find it quite interesting whenever people often remark or comment that the God of the Old Testament is very different from the God of the New Testament. This dicthotomy is known as Marcionism and it was condemned as a heresy in the early formation of the church's life.
I was just pondering today on today's readings where God invites all to participate in his salvation plan. I'm not going to qoute scripture and all that here but I do want to take a moment to just reflect on today's reading. God's plan for salvation is for all.
I had to admit it did get me thinking for a while as I was sitting down in the pew. I was hoping the priest would shed some light into the gospel reading but sadly that wasn't the case as he was talking on something else. Anyway that didn't deter me from thinking about it during the "homily".
The aspect it got me thinking was more along the lines of me being a sinner and unworthy of God's favour. Over the last couple of months, though it has been tough on me, God's grace and favour has been upon me. Despite my shortcomings and my failures to live the Christian life, God has been very merciful and generous to this rut. Sometimes I do feel that I am unworthy of God's grace. Afterall aren't we thought that as we reap so we sow? I mean isn't that how we treat our relationships with friends around us? I scratch your back. you scratch mine?
And yet, God, who is known to be all good and all knowing, in his great mercy and generousity grants us blessings, despite us failing to earn it. Despite our empty promises to God, our failed resolutions to be a better son or daughter to God, God in his infiite love is still able to bless us. People often admire those who have big hearts and are able to give lovingly and freely to help others. I think the one who has the biggest heart is God. Cuz despite of our reapeated shortcomings, God is still able to look past our mistakes and come to our aid (Psalm 91). As the foreign woman (Cannanite) begged Jesus repeatedly to heal her daughter, Jesus, moved by compassion and her faith, eventually gave in. Jesus could have easily ignored her. He could have just refused to listen. But the woman's persistant cry and her humility is what saved her daughter's life. (Read Matthew 15)
How many of us are like that? We all have our needs, and we do bring it to God, but how many of us are humble enough to approach our Lord like the foreign Cannanite did? From this gospel's reading, it tells us that our God is one that is full of compassion. Even if we don't deserve it rightfully, God is able to look beyond our justification and reasoning and still bless us by listening to our prayers.
But that doesn't mean we are then allowed to just fall back to our old ways. Miracles are always preceded with conversion. When God touches our lives, how do we respond to Him? Do we just thank Him and revert to our old habits? Or is there a conversion in our hearts. A desire to follow Him because of what He did to us?
The playing field has been levelled
Whenever I return back to Penang for a short break, I always have this habit of checking out my school magazine. I would look and re-look at the old school class photos and glance through my peers and yes, I would also glance at a nerdy looking picture of myself.
I would often think of my failures back in school and questions which challenged my tenacity and intelligence would pierce my conscience.
Why didn’t you work hard back then? Why were you always in a lower grade class at compared to your peers? Why didn’t you take academics seriously back in school?
I thought for the longest time I would be destined for mediocrity. It’s not that I didn’t work hard, but I didn’t work hard enough to get the grades. I would often fall short by just a couple of points to getting “promoted” to a better class. It used to frustrate me for the longest time, and there was a point in my life, I thought I would just be resigned to the fact that this was all I could achieve in school. And I felt small compared to the guys who were in the best classes. No way did I ever think that I would ever be as competitive as them.
Fast forward more than a decade now, and I am still looking through those class photos. I turn to look at the peers who were in the 1st class. I smile to myself.
The playing field has now been levelled.
What I mean by this is I no longer feel less adequate than these guys who once dominated the academic arenas in my school. Soon after high school, I am glad I realized that I had the potential in me all along, and I wasted no time in ensuring I apply myself to the fullest in college and university. I applied myself and I got the grades I desired.
Good grades and a high achievement in university meant my transcripts looked good and it led to more doors being opened. I could finally afford to demand and carve out my own career. I had the opportunity to choose which company I desired to join.
Of course, the rest is history.
Just a couple of weeks back, I bumped into my ex-school mates. One of them was a real smart student. He was a “first-class” boy with a renegade attitude. He seemed unfazed to meet me and so was I. To me, perhaps once upon a time people like him used to be the “kings” of the school. They used to have it all – the brains – the athletic abilities – the bright future – as compared to me. I smiled to myself after that unexpected bump. This time around, I didn’t feel the inadequacy I once felt when I compared myself to these guys back in school.
I felt we were equals, if not me being better than them in my own career and life. My exposure abroad gave me a significantly distinctive advantage in broadening my perspectives and building my confidence. I felt I was ready to take on the world, and ever since then, I have always maintained my high-self esteem.
Indeed, the playing field has already been levelled.
Of Judgement and Mercy
Yesterday at mass I heard a very powerful homily on hudgement and mercy. The priest’s homily was focused on how we tend to “judge” in our daily lives and sometimes by doing this, we get labelled as being “judgemental” or “holier-than-thou” especially in this modern day and age. Society shuns upon people who make such “righteous judgement” on others. Even I myself at many a times have been “accused” of such sentiments by my peers or friends.
For the longest time ever it was a struggle to me. Why a struggle? Because I knew that I wasn’t so much judging about the person rather than the offence or the decision he took. But I could never explain this idea to others because I myself was not fully aware of this thought process.
The priest used the story of Jesus and the adulterar to explain this and I thought it was very poignant. While the pharasies no doubt were right in stoning the woman for the offence she commited, Jesus was able to seperate between individual and the sin. Sure she had a mistake ; she had cheated and it wasn’t like she was “wrongly accused” of doing so. But at the same time while Jesus did admonish her for her sin, he also extended mercy to her by forgiving her and holding no condemnation against her (neither do I condemn you).
That encounter is so prevalent in today’s culture isn’t it? We are told to be loving to the individual, and that if he tell the individual of his/her mistakes, we are being “harsh” or we are being “unfair” or even a “bigot” for that matter. We are accused of being narrow minded and having that “holier than thou” mentality when in actual fact we are just too corward to face facts and be honest with ourselves.
And that’s where mercy and judgement comes in and this is what the Church has always taught throughout history. The Church offers both judgement and mercy provided we are willing to be honest with ourselves and truly ask for repentence and forgiveness. God is not so much interested in punishing us as he is more in restoring us. The judgement is necessary for the purification process to start and without the purification process, how would we ever be better individuals for tomorrow?
So the next time you’re going to pass judgement on someone, remember to always isolate the individual from his/her action. The two are totally different. When you see it from that angle, it will change your perception of things.
