Faith

Monday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time C-2

Entrance Antiphon Ps 130 (129):3‑4 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But with you is found forgiveness, O God of Israel.

Collect May your grace, O Lord, we pray, at all times go before us and follow after and make us always determined to carry out good works. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Scripture today: Galatians 4:22-24.26-27.31-5:1; Psalm 112; Luke 11:29-32

While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here. At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.” (Luke 11:29-32)

Faith One of the great gains in the modern religious scene is the respect for the religious convictions of others that is now prevalent. It is perceived as important for general education that students be introduced to an understanding of religions very different from their own. On its part, the Catholic Church from its early centuries has seen positive features in the religious thought of other peoples. Several of the early Fathers of the Church taught that “seeds of the Word” had been implanted in the thought of the pagan peoples. The thinking of many of the Alexandrian Fathers greatly influenced the Anglican Newman in his teaching on a universal Revelation, that there is a form of inspiration or divine guidance given to great thinkers and religious teachers beyond the pale of God’s chosen people. As well as this, there has been a renewed appreciation of the right of freedom in religious belief, such that we all recognize that we must respect those who sincerely differ from us even in fundamentals of belief. However, for these and other reasons we can easily pass on to thinking that whatever a person thinks and believes in the realm of religion is legitimate if sincerely held, and indeed, morally commendable if sincerely held. All that counts for moral legitimacy is sincerity. If a person sincerely thinks that Christ is not God, that he was a mere man, that he did not rise from the dead, then these “opinions” are no more than opinions. They have no greater significance in respect to one’s moral state than any other mere opinion. It is all ultimately a matter of opinion, and the only decider of moral worth is sincerity, whatever be the opinion sincerely held. But now, let us notice what our Lord has to say of the people who did not accept him and his claims in faith. He called them an evil generation. They were not merely of a mistaken opinion about him. Indeed, our Lord does not merely condemn them for their refusal to believe him. He condemns them for demanding signs from him that would prove his credentials to their satisfaction. They were an evil generation, asking for a sign.

Our Lord’s severe strictures suggest that faith in him and recognition of his person and prerogatives involve far more than a mere intellectual consideration of the issues. One needs to have a certain moral probity also — and our Lord is saying here that those to whom he was referring lacked just this. They were heading for condemnation because their lack of faith in him was culpable, and even certain pagans will condemn them — the queen of the South who recognized the wisdom of Solomon, and the people of Nineveh who accepted the preaching of Jonah. He is implying that it is even within the capacity of the pagan to recognize his greatness, let alone the chosen people of Israel with all their historical preparation for the coming of the Messiah. Our Lord does not here say that every person who lacks faith in him or who refuses faith in him will be condemned — he is speaking of those here who were demanding a sign as proof of his credentials. His denunciation is directed to a specific audience, just as others of his denunciations had specific audiences in mind. For instance, he called the scribes and Pharisees frauds (hypocrites) and (because of this,) blind guides. But he was not accusing all the Pharisees of this. He had at least one disciple among them — Nicodemus (and probably others) — who showed his colours at Christ’s burial. Joseph of Arimathea was also a leader among the Jews. The point, though, is that our Lord’s critique of the lack of faith of at least many shows that faith in Jesus Christ is a sign of moral goodness and a cause of it. Its lack can be a sign of a lack of moral goodness and, accordingly, can bring condemnation. Indeed, just before he ascended into heaven, our Lord told the Twelve to go to the whole world and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them and teaching them to observe all his commands. Then he warns that those who believe will be saved, and those who do not will be condemned. Of course, the Church teaches that this must be a truly culpable and knowing rejection of the faith, but it shows that faith is an act of the will, a personal choice, for which, like all other moral choices, one will be held to account. Lack of faith is not just a mere innocent viewpoint.

Faith in Jesus Christ is perhaps the highest of moral acts, having in it the seed of the most glorious results. On one occasion a young man asked our Lord what he must do to inherit eternal life. Keep the commandments, was our Lord’s reply. I have kept them since my youth, the man replied. At this our Lord looked on him with love, and said — if you wish to be perfect, sell all and come, follow me. If you wish to be good, keep the commandments, but if you wish to seek perfection, believe and follow me. Faith in Jesus Christ is, then, the foundation of a life that is heading for perfection.

(E.J.Tyler)

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A Second Reflection: (Luke 11:29-32)

Knowing the Person of Our Lord Our Lord condemned those who were demanding from him a sign to prove his credentials: "This is an evil generation; it is asking for a sign. The only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah" (Luke 11: 29). As a matter of fact, he would point repeatedly to the "works" and miracles that he did, and after his resurrection his apostles would refer to his "mighty works". Nevertheless, it is clear from the passage just mentioned that our Lord regarded himself as manifesting in his very person, in his preaching and wisdom all that his hearers and viewers needed to be convinced, were their hearts rightly disposed. The Queen of the South "came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here." Let us apply our Lord's strictures to ourselves. If our hearts are right, merely getting to know our Lord will lead to personal conviction about him.

We get to know our Lord by spending real time in prayer and meditating in faith on his very person. We ought spend regular quality time daily with our Lord in the Gospel settings and scenes, learning more and more of his heart. Come to me, he said, learn of me, for I am meek and humble of heart. It is by coming to him and learning of him that we will come to love him, believe in him, and follow him.

(E.J.Tyler)

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