CITIZENS OF TWO WORLDS

22 Oct 2017 

Sharing my notes taken @ Church of the Holy Family, Singapore

- Homily by Rev Fr Philip Lai, CSsR

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Referencing today’s Gospel from Matthew 22:15-21, Fr Philip Lai (CSsR) pointed out that as Christians we are citizens of two worlds

• the physical world 
• and the spiritual world, that is the Kingdom of God.

And we have duty both to God and to society.

Many today remove God in the way they live…falling into secularism and relativism.

Fr Lai elaborated that secularism is

• Removing God in the way we live
• Putting human being as the centre of the universe
• Insisting on the right to decide, each personally, what is right and wrong.

Fr Lai cautioned that this is exactly repeating the mistake of Adam who wanted to have absolute authority over their moral actions as well as a to have a divine status.  

The sense of he Sacred, God’s presence is constantly under attack today.

True religion cannot be just a set of prayers or attending mass.  

True religion cannot be separated from what goes on in the rest of our lives.  

Our belonging to God is inseparable to our belonging to the world.  

Our faith in God has to be dynamic, leading to action in our lives, leading to service to others.

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May we be wise to realise the folly of falling into secularism and relativism.

May we steadfastly focus on Jesus as our goal, the ultimate standard for what is right and wrong; for without which we are fast becoming distracted and lost amidst the worlds changing goal posts.

May the Lord have mercy and lead us not to the same mistake made by Adam