20250711 LIVING ON GOD’S ASSURANCE
11 July 2025, Friday, 14th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Genesis 46:1-7,28-30 |
'I can die, now that I have seen you alive'
Israel left Canaan with his possessions, and reached Beersheba. There he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. God spoke to Israel in a vision at night, ‘Jacob, Jacob’, he said. ‘I am here’, he replied. ‘I am God, the God of your father’, he continued. ‘Do not be afraid of going down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there. I myself will go down to Egypt with you. I myself will bring you back again, and Joseph’s hand shall close your eyes.’ Then Jacob left Beersheba. Israel’s sons conveyed their father Jacob, their little children and their wives in the waggons Pharaoh had sent to fetch him.
Taking their livestock and all that they had acquired in the land of Canaan, they went to Egypt, Jacob and all his family with him: his sons and his grandsons, his daughters and his grand-daughters, in a word, all his children he took with him to Egypt.
Israel sent Judah ahead to Joseph, so that the latter might present himself to him in Goshen. When they arrived in the land of Goshen, Joseph had his chariot made ready and went up to meet his father Israel in Goshen. As soon as he appeared he threw his arms round his neck and for a long time wept on his shoulder. Israel said to Joseph, ‘Now I can die, now that I have seen you again, and seen you still alive.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 36(37):3-4,18-19,27-28,39-40 |
The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
If you trust in the Lord and do good,
then you will live in the land and be secure.
If you find your delight in the Lord,
he will grant your heart’s desire.
The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
He protects the lives of the upright,
their heritage will last for ever.
They shall not be put to shame in evil days,
in time of famine their food shall not fail.
The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Then turn away from evil and do good
and you shall have a home for ever;
for the Lord loves justice
and will never forsake his friends.
The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
The salvation of the just comes from the Lord,
their stronghold in time of distress.
The Lord helps them and delivers them
and saves them: for their refuge is in him.
The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Gospel Acclamation | 1P1:25 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The word of the Lord remains for ever:
What is this word?
It is the Good News that has been brought to you.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn16:13,14:26 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
When the Spirit of truth comes
he will lead you to the complete truth,
and he will remind you of all I have said to you.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 10:16-23 |
The Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you
Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: ‘Remember, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; so be cunning as serpents and yet as harmless as doves.
‘Beware of men: they will hand you over to sanhedrins and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the pagans. But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to speak or what to say; what you are to say will be given to you when the time comes; because it is not you who will be speaking; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you. ‘Brother will betray brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all men on account of my name; but the man who stands firm to the end will be saved. If they persecute you in one town, take refuge in the next; and if they persecute you in that, take refuge in another. I tell you solemnly, you will not have gone the round of the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.’
LIVING ON GOD’S ASSURANCE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Gn 46:1-7. 28-30; Ps 37:3-4,18-19,27-28,39-40; Mt 10:16-23]
This life is unpredictable. We live in uncertainty, as pilgrims on this earth. Indeed, we should plan our life as much as we can. Not to plan would be irresponsible. But as the saying goes, “Man proposes, God disposes.” We cannot be certain that our health will always be good simply because we exercise daily or maintain a healthy diet. We can be struck down by an unforeseen illness, or even a terminal one. And even if it does not happen to us, it could happen to one of our loved ones – so we must care for them. Our financial situation is not always secure – the economy can turn for the worse because of global disorder, war and natural disasters.
So, after doing all that we can do to plan for ourselves and our future, we must remember that we can only walk by faith, not always by sight. This was what the Lord told Jacob, who had to leave Canaan with all his possessions to Egypt. He may have wondered whether God was still being faithful to His promise, since God had revealed that Canaan was to be the promised land. But God has His own timing to deliver that land to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They had to learn to trust in Him and wait for His time, not theirs.
Likewise, we too must learn patience in awaiting the fulfilment of God’s promises. Perhaps God’s plan is not is not for us to see its fulfilment in our lifetime, but for future generations. We should not be too bothered about when or how His promise will come about. Our task is simply to cooperate with God.
This was what the Lord said to Jacob when he hesitated to accept Joseph’s invitation to migrate to Egypt and live there. To allay his fears, “God spoke to Israel in a vision at night, ‘Jacob, Jacob,’ he said. ‘I am here,’ he replied. ‘I am God, the God of your father,’ he continued. ‘Do not be afraid of going down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there. I myself will go down to Egypt with you. I myself will bring you back again, and Joseph’s hand shall close your eyes.'” God renewed His promise to Jacob that He intended to make his family a great nation. How this would be realized was certainly beyond their imagination, as they were still a small family. In hindsight, none of them could have foreseen that they would sojourn in Egypt for four hundred years, during which the Hebrews would grow significantly in number. Four hundred years is a long time – consider that Singapore as a nation is only 60 years old, and yet it already feels like a century!
But what is even more important are the words of assurance that God would go to Egypt with him. Indeed, the God for Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is a trek God. He is like a nomad – always travelling with His people. This is why He is called the Emmanuel, ‘God with us’. He does not ask us to travel a road He has not been on. Indeed, the God of our Fathers is a God who journeyed with them through all their trials and difficulties in life. He walked beside them and supported them along the way. He even allowed them to make mistakes – and then revealed His power by showing that not even our failures can thwart His plan for humanity.
Knowing that God is with us in our journey of life is what gives us strength and courage. We all feel consoled and inspired when we pray Psalm 23, My Shepherd is the Lord. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff – they comfort me.” (Ps 23:1-4) Throughout the history of Israel, God continually assured those He had appointed that He would be with them – whether it was Moses, Joshua, the Judges or the Prophets. God never leaves His anointed one alone to fend for themselves. He journeys with them and helps them fulfill the mission He has entrusted to them. These are the comforting words of God that sustain us, especially when the trials before us are great. When we know that God is with us, we can persevere to the end.
This was the same message that the Lord gave to His apostles, for they too would face trials in their mission. Firstly, He warned them about what lay ahead of them. When sending the Twelve on mission, He said, “‘Remember, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; so be cunning as serpents and yet as harmless as doves. ‘Beware of men: they will hand you over to Sanhedrin and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the pagans.”
Indeed, as apostles and disciples of Christ, we must understand that the Christian life is never meant to be easy. We must expect challenges and opposition. If Jesus Himself was not exempt from suffering, why should we be? Truly, whenever the Gospel is preached, the Gospel of love is met with the hatred and selfishness of men; the Gospel of life is opposed by those who promote killing and violence, with no regard for the innocent, the vulnerable and the weak.
Yet, just as in the Old Testament, the Lord assures His apostles – and us – of His presence in times of trials. “But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to speak or what to say; what you are to say will be given to you when the time comes; because it is not you who will be speaking; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking on you.” Truly, we must be docile to the Word of God with us. We must speak with the deep conviction that God has placed His words in our hearts and on our lips. Like St Peter before the Sanhedrin, we must proclaim what we have seen and heard: “Whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; for we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19f) When we are receptive to the Lord, He will tell us what to say. So long as we speak sincerely from our hearts, we should not fear. As St Peter advised, “Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and 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.” (2 Pt 3:14-16)
We must therefore stand firm at all times. We must not be surprised that even our loved ones will hate us because we speak the truth, which they are not happy to hear. As the Lord said, “‘Brother will betray brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all men on account of my name; but the man who stands firm to the end will be saved.” We must keep our conscience clear before the Lord and before men. We can be confident that the Lord will stand by us and He will vindicate us, if not in this life, at least in the next life. The responsorial psalm reminds us, “If you trust in the Lord and do good, then you will live in the land and be secure. If you find your delight in the Lord, he will grant your heart’s desire. He protects the lives of the upright, their heritage will last for ever. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord, their stronghold in time of distress. The Lord helps them and delivers them and saves them: for their refuge is in him.”
This does not mean, however, that we must be gung-ho and fight every situation. We must assess the battles before us with prudence. Always picking quarrels with everyone who disagrees with us is neither wise nor fruitful. Instead, we must discern how to respond effectively to every challenge in our lives. The Lord advises His apostles, “If they persecute you in one town, take refuge in the next; and if they persecute you in that, take refuge in another. I tell you solemnly, you will have gone the round of the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.” When we read the Acts of the Apostles, we see how the early Christians took the advice of our Lord seriously. Instead of fighting with their opponents, they fled during the time of persecution. “That day a severe persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria. Saul was ravaging the church by entering house after house; dragging off both men and women, he committed them to prison. Now those who were scattered went from place to place, proclaiming the word.” (Acts 8:1,3,4) Indeed, we must always act for the greater good of the Gospel, patiently awaiting God’s time to bring about conversion.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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