16 May 2024 – Triduum Day 2 (Novena Day 7), – Thursday, 7th Week of Easter

by Fr Paul Kee, CSsR

I want to tell you now that I am very angry with all of you. Why you laugh? I am angry, very angry. Yesterday’s homily was 45 minutes long. Nobody stopped me at 20 minutes. And therefore I am angry with you.

Anyway, I have taken precautions today. I have cut down some not very important parts of my homily and I told Deacon Andrew  if he is starting to fall asleep during the homily to ring the church bell, to wake me up, okay?

But he’s got a better idea. He said at the Oscar presentations, the Academy Awards, when the person is giving the thanksgiving speech is too long, what happens? The orchestra will start playing music. Okay? So, organist get ready ah? Play something that you like so that I will shut up.

So today’s homily is on the theme of INCLUSIVITY and the Gospel that you just heard, where Jesus said: Father may they all be one as I am one in You and You are in me.

Okay? In the pray of Jesus, He wants to include (inclusivity) include everyone. He wants everyone to be saved. He wants everyone to go to heaven. He wants everyone to be one in God.

So today’s Gospel Reading is a beautiful Reading about INCLUSIVITY. Now you may ask does inclusivity include people who are not baptised? I think in the prayer of Jesus today, he includes them also. Okay? 

And in the documents of the Vatican II documents, Nostra Aetate, we have wonderful words there by the Fathers of the Vatican II Council where it is said that we include everyone, we respect people of different religions because what they are trying to do is they are trying their best to follow their conscience, to be good people and also to be saved like the rest of us.

Okay. David, I am ready to start now. I know you are looking at the script.

I would like to tell you a story. The story is called The Gathering Circle.

In the heart of a bustling city, like the one you see on the screen, where people of myriad backgrounds intersect, there lay a quaint park. Nestled amidst towering skyscrapers, it was a haven where the spirit of inclusivity thrived.

One sunny afternoon as golden rays filtered through the leaves of the trees, a diverse group of individuals found themselves drawn to this park. Each carried their unique stories and experiences but today, they were united by a common purpose. One purpose. To celebrate their differences and embrace their shared humanity.

At the centre of the park, like Stonehenge in England, at the centre of the park stood a large stone circle, symbol of unity and togetherness. It was here that the group decided together, forming a diverse mosaic of cultures, ages and identities. Seated on the lush green grass, they began to share their tales, their stories, their experiences, their wisdom.

There was Maria, a spirited young artist from Brazil, whose vibrant paintings spoke of her love for her homeland. Next to her was Abdul, an elderly storyteller from Morocco, whose tales wove together the traits of tradition and modernity. Close by was Mei Ling. Mei Ling is a shy but determined student from China who dreamt of bridging cultural divides through her passion for language. And beside her was Miquel. Miquel, a jovial chef from Mexico, whose culinary creations transcended borders, bringing people together one dish at a time.

So as these wonderful people at the park exchanged stories and laughter, they discovered the beauty in their differences and diversity because they all came from different countries, they came from different backgrounds. They even had different education. The richness of different languages, the melodies of various accents and the kaleidoscope of traditions that painted, painted their lives.

But amidst the celebration, they also recognised the challenges they faced, the prejudices that lingered, the barriers that divided them and the injustices that persisted. And yet, in the circle of their solidarity, their communion, they found strength and resilience.

Together, they pledged to stand as allies to champion each others’ voices, to champion each others’ rights. To speak, to assert themselves and to build a world where everybody is included and valued. No one is to be isolated or excluded. For they understood that true inclusivity was not merely tolerance, grudging tolerance, but a celebration of the mosaic of humanity.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm glow over the park, the gathering came to a happy end. But the spirit of inclusivity lingered on, woven into the fabric of the park and etched in the hearts of those who had shared in these moments of connection and bonding.

And so the circle remained, a testament to the power of diversity, the beauty of unity and the enduring promise of a world where everyone, without any exception, everyone is welcome. The hospitality is meant for everybody.

So, question: What is inclusivity?

Inclusivity involves creating connected communities. Creating connected communities. I love this definition of inclusivity.

And society is where everyone feels valued, everyone feels respected and everyone feels included.

Valued, Respected, Included, Connected Communities.

You see, inclusivity strives to create a sense of belonging and acceptance, to go anywhere and feel like we are a member of a family, a loving family, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, ability, religion or any kind of human characteristic.

I would like to move on now to the Parable. I promised you yesterday that Parables point to the vision of God, the golden thread that connects Inclusivity, Care and Unity.

This story, we are all familiar with. And it can give us another understanding and perspective of what Inclusivity entails. The story is challenging. At first sight, it does not seem very challenging but as we go deeper into the Parable, we see that it is challenging and provokes us to question our thinking, our actions, our priorities, and even our expectations.

Parables yank us out of our comfort zone, like open heart surgery sometimes, you know. I think. It is, of course, the story of The Good Samaritan. Familiar, right? The Good Samaritan?

The story of The Good Samaritan or the Parable is found in the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 10, Verses 25-37. It is one of the most well-known Parables told by Jesus. Hospitals are named after Samaritans. The Samaritans of Singapore, for example, is the same as the Befrienders, you know, in Malaysia. Samaritan is a wonderful word. It means one who saves, one who helps, one who heals. 

The Parable of The Good Samaritan begins with the conversation between Jesus and an expert in the Jewish law who stands up to test Jesus by asking Jesus:
Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? What must I do to gain salvation?

In response, Jesus asked the expert in the law, the lawyer and the expert in the law answers correctly, summarising the two greatest commandments:
To love God with all of one’s heart, soul, strength and mind and to love one’s neighbour as oneself.

Two answers.

And speaking to justify himself, the man then asked Jesus:
Who? Who is my neighbour? Tell me.

Jesus does not answer the question directly but tells this wonderful story.

A Jewish man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho. He was attacked by robbers. The robbers took all his money and valuables, stripped him off his clothes, beat him up, went away and leaving him half dead. And then they threw this poor man into a ditch. A longkang. A drain, monsoon drain, maybe.

A priest happened to be going down the same road. (Not me, I was born much later). A priest happened to be going down the road and when he sees the injured man in the ditch, bleeding, crying for help, he passed on the other side.

“Don’t bother me. Don’t dirty my clothes with your blood. I am going over to the other side.”

Another kind of priest called a Levite. When he came into the place and saw the injured man in the ditch, he too passed on the other side.

But a Samaritan, hah, a Samaritan, and in the time of Jesus, Samaritans are sworn enemies of the Jews. The Jews disliked them because they are unclean and not allowed to worship in the temple in Jerusalem. Only pure Jews (is there such a thing as a pure Jew?) is allowed to worship in the temple. Samaritans are barred from the temple. They are the enemy.

The Samaritan saw the Jew in the ditch and began to help him. Bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine which is supposed to be like a disinfectant, put the injured man on his own donkey, brought the injured man to the inn and took care of him.

And he told the innkeeper: “I will give you some money. When I come back and if you need some more money, I will give you. Look after this poor man. And when I return, I will reimburse you any extra expense you may have incurred.”

Jesus concludes the Parable by asking the expert in the law which of the three, the Priest, the Levite or the Samaritan proved to be a neighbour. Because the lawyer asked who is my neighbour, right? 

Of course, the answer is obvious and the law expert acknowledges that it was the Samaritan who showed mercy. And then Jesus instruct the lawyer: Go and do the same. Help your neighbour.

The Parable of The Good Samaritan, and we are taught this in Sunday School, Catechism Class or some of you may go for instruction in the RCIA, illustrates the importance of compassion, kindness and love for one’s neighbour. It challenges traditional notions of who qualifies as a neighbour, emphasising that the acts of mercy and care should extend beyond social, cultural or religious boundaries.

The Samaritan, traditionally regarded as an enemy by the Jews, exemplifies selfless love and compassion, highlighting the universal call to love and serve others. Traditionally we are called, when challenged, to be like and emulate The Good Samaritan, right? To be a Good Samaritan to everyone. We are called to help everyone. 

And notice in our Catechism, in our teaching and most of our preaching, we are always told to focus on being The Good Samaritan. But you know something? Nobody pays attention to the man in the ditch.

Let me explain.

What if we were the one beaten, robbed, stripped of our money and clothing, humiliated and thrown into the ditch, would any of us, including me, would anyone of us allow our enemy to help us?

Would any of us allow somebody we see approaching us, and we know this is the enemy, help us?

Will we think kindly of the enemy or person we dislike approaching us to offer help and assistance? Now the Jew would know that the guy coming is the enemy, the Samaritan, the way he dresses, maybe headgear also. One look and you know this is the enemy, the Samaritan.

Or would we suspect looking at the Samaritan, the enemy, coming to perhaps not help us but to rob us and beat us up some more? Because he is the enemy.

Would we allow that person to touch us? To bandage our wounds? To help us? To carry us, put on the donkey and go to an inn?

My dear friends, inclusivity involves trusting others. That is the key.

Trusting others, even those we call our enemies, even those who dislike us, even those we dislike, even those we call ‘Enemy‘.

According to the textbook definition, exclusivity (which is the opposite of inclusivity), exclusivity refers to the state of being limited to certain people or being nice to certain people or groups.

While inclusivity refers to the practice of policy of providing equal access and opportunity to everyone, regardless of differences, regardless of race, regardless of religion, regardless of gender, whatever. 

So the Parable of The Good Samaritan challenges us and provokes us, our thinking and our actions, to be inclusive in our attitude towards everyone. To rid ourselves of hatred, dislike and prejudice.

And maybe that person has done a lot of harm to us. We want to avoid that person. Can we at least be civil to that person? The least that we can do is to be civil to that person and that too is part of inclusivity.

Organist, is it time to play something?

Deacon Andrew, is it time to ring the church bell?

I have come to the end.

The ending of my homily today is I think a very powerful quote from Pope Francis. And he said this in one of his latest Apostolic Exhortations called Evangelii Gaudium, which means The Joy of the Gospel. Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel).

I know it is very small. I will read it:

Every Christian and every community must discern the path that the Lord points out, but all of us are asked to obey His call to go forth from our own comfort zone in order to reach the peripheries, the boundaries, in need of the light of the Gospel.

This quote reflects Pope Francis’ call for all of us, the church community, to reach out beyond traditional boundaries and embrace those at the margins, at the peripheries, embodying the spirit of inclusivity. Okay?

Summary statement:

Inclusivity involves trusting others,
Even those people we call our enemies;
Even those people we dislike;
Even those people who dislike us;
and those people who call us the ‘Enemy’.

And even if we want to avoid them, we can at least make an effort to be civil to them.

You know something?

We cannot like everybody and I am sure in your life, as in mine, there are people who dislike us. I don’t know for what reason. Maybe because I am losing my hair. Maybe because I look Chinese (I am Chinese by the way). Maybe because I tend to preach long sermons. I don’t know. I don’t know why they dislike me but you know something?

I have come to the realisation, after a lot of soul searching, that they may not like me, or I may not like them, but I can still love them. And how do I love them?

Not buying them char siew pao every day for breakfast or being nice to them, overly nice to them.

I may not like them, they may not like me but I can love them by praying for them. By praying for them, I can show my love for them.

And when I say I pray for them, it is not about changing them. You cannot change anybody. You can only change yourself. So I pray for them so that I can change. I can change to maybe love them more? To be civil to them? Or maybe, if a miracle happens and my prayers are answered, I begin to like them and they begin to like me.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Click to live-stream Mass on 16 May 2024