500th Anniversary of the Reformation

In this parish there will be, tomorrow, a symposium on the effects of the Reformation with speakers from the Catholic and Lutheran communities leading us. Many people still struggle to deal with the theological questions of the history and prefer to focus on things like the corruption of the papacy and the sale of indulgences. At a theological level the issue is fundamentally that of mediation. The Protestant ideas of sola scriptura, sola fide and sola gratia downplay, if not excluding altogether, the actions of human beings in cooperating with God's saving plan. Martin Luther saw salvation and redemption as an opus Dei - the work of God.This, ultimately, has serious implications for our faith. I like Yves Congar's comment on this issue:

"But if neither the human race as such, nor the Church, nor Our Lady has any active part in the work of salvation the question cannot but occur what of the cooperation of Christ's human nature? If we disagree about the Church and Our Lady for the same reason as we do about the idea of a pure opus Dei in which God alone is active in the work of salvation, this third problem must be faced. Are we not also in disagreement about the part played by Christ's humanity in the same work? [...] For if salvation is wholly an opus Dei, the sole act of God, what becomes of the part played by Christ's humanity itself, since our own part, and the parts of Our Lady and the Church are held to have no place. God, according to Luther, does our work in us. Faith, the one thing that should respond to us to God's action is, in his view, itself the work of God."

The danger of such a theology, therefore, lies in a denial of Christ's humanity and bodiliness. That is a heresy called Docetism. The work of salvation is spiritualised to such an extent that we are in danger of being captured by subjectivism and newer forms of gnosticism - the secret knowledge of the Scriptures frees us from sinful material reality and elevates us to the spiritual realms far away from the messiness of the material world. God can also become so distant and inaccessible that he is no longer Abba - Father. We turn in on ourselves, as a result, and our faith becomes a projection of our own needs and desires rather than the objective revelation of God's love for us in Christ Jesus and the hope of a resurrection of the body.

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Looking at the three controversies in the Gospel of Matthew we can see that prior to today's Gospel there was the question of paying taxes then the issue of the Resurrection followed by the present topic of the Law. Next, there would be the Messiah, although this is omitted in our lectionary for Year A, as is the gospel on the dispute with the Sadducees. All of these were controversial to the various parties present at the time of Jesus and thus required a response from him and his followers as they proclaimed the Gospel. Jesus is remarkably concise in what he says and uses the Torah to great effect. He does not try to evade the issue at point nor does he engage in extended moralizing. His attitude and method serves for us today as we need to defend the faith and articulate the Good News to a hardened and often cynical world: "Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do so with reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God's will, than to suffer for doing evil." (1 Peter 3: 15-18)

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

In the background of today's Gospel is the Scripture where God says, when making humans: "Let us make mankind in our own image." (Gen 1: 26) Jesus asks those trying to trap him over taxes: "Whose head is this, and whose title." (Mtt 22: 20) His riposte to his antagonists: "Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's" (Mtt 22: 21) means that the money belongs to the emperor while everything else, which bears the stamp of the triune Creator (as St Augustine would put it the vestigia Trinitatis) belongs to God. Of late the New Zealand government, along with others around the world, has seen fit to extend its power beyond that of taxes to "redefine" marriage. From where do they get their authority? Time will tell as to whether the "emperor" indeed has the power to change the nature of the human person: "But from the beginning of creation 'God made them male and female' " (Mk 10: 6) or whether, on this occasion as on others, the emperor has no clothes.

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The death of the Catholic Church has been predicted many times. Nevertheless, even over the centuries religious faith has waxed and waned along with changes in society. For instance, the Eighteenth Century was very skeptical while the nineteenth was a time of great religious revival. In the media we often get told that the churches are empty. Well, mine is not! It may not be filled with the young, the rich or the trendy but it is certainly not empty. The people we tend to find there are the lowly, the humble and the anonymous. The Gospel today is true, not only for its time, but for today: "The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find into the wedding banquet." (Mtt 22: 8-9) The Lord will not eat alone. The banquet that is the Mass has been set by him at the Last Supper and he invites all nations and peoples to receive of his hospitality. Despite this, we still need to be attentive that our response is not one of entitlement as shown by the man who did not have a wedding robe. The Lord may be generous but he is not a fool. It should not be a surprise, however, that those who attend the Eucharist are a minority: "For many are called, but few are chosen." (Mtt 22: 14)

   

27th Week in Ordinary Time

Each of the Gospels for the last three weeks has had a sting in the tail. First there was "So the last will be first and the first will be last" (Mtt 20: 16), then "For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him" (Mtt 21: 32) and this week, "Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom." (Mtt 21: 43) These are all clear warnings against presumption and entitlement that can mean disciples fall away and yield to sin. Being a Christian means being ever attentive to the challenge of the Gospel and not considering that we have fulfilled our redemption before arriving at our true destination: "For  here we have no lasting city, but we are looking for the city that is to come." (Heb 13: 14) This means we have to put up with trials and tribulations trusting in the hope that is given us in Christ Jesus. We cannot let our initial "yes" become a subsequent "no" through our behaviour that not only imperils our souls but causes scandal to others: "See to it that no one becomes like Esau, an immoral and godless person, who sold his birthright for a single meal. You know that later, when he wanted to inherit the blessing he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, even though he sought the blessing with tears." (Heb 12: 16-17)