20251215 ARE YOU RUNNING AWAY FROM GOD AND FROM YOURSELF?
15 December 2025, Monday, 3rd Week in Advent
First reading |
Numbers 24:2-7,15-17 |
The oracles of Balaam
Raising his eyes Balaam saw Israel, encamped by tribes; the spirit of God came on him and he declaimed his poem. He said:
‘The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,
the oracle of the man with far-seeing eyes,
the oracle of one who hears the word of God.
He sees what Shaddai makes him see,
receives the divine answer, and his eyes are opened.
How fair are your tents, O Jacob!
How fair your dwellings, Israel!
Like valleys that stretch afar,
like gardens by the banks of a river,
like aloes planted by the Lord,
like cedars beside the waters!
A hero arises from their stock,
he reigns over countless peoples.
His king is greater than Agag,
his majesty is exalted.’
Then Balaam declaimed his poem again. He said:
‘The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,
the oracle of the man with far-seeing eyes,
the oracle of one who hears the word of God,
of one who knows the knowledge of the Most High.
He sees what Shaddai makes him see,
receives the divine answer, and his eyes are opened.
I see him – but not in the present,
I behold him – but not close at hand:
a star from Jacob takes the leadership,
a sceptre arises from Israel.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 24(25):4-6,7a-9 |
Lord, make me know your ways.
Lord, make me know your ways.
Lord, teach me your paths.
Make me walk in your truth, and teach me:
for you are God my saviour.
Lord, make me know your ways.
In you I hope all day long
because of your goodness, O Lord.
Remember your mercy, Lord,
and the love you have shown from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth.
In your love remember me.
Lord, make me know your ways.
The Lord is good and upright.
He shows the path to those who stray,
He guides the humble in the right path,
He teaches his way to the poor.
Lord, make me know your ways.
Gospel Acclamation |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The Lord will come, go out to meet him.
Great is his beginning and his reign will have no end.
Alleluia!
Or: | Ps84:8 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Let us see, O Lord, your mercy
and give us your saving help.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 21:23-27 |
'I will not tell you my authority for acting like this'
Jesus had gone into the Temple and was teaching, when the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him and said, ‘What authority have you for acting like this? And who gave you this authority?’ ‘And I’ replied Jesus ‘will ask you a question, only one; if you tell me the answer to it, I will then tell you my authority for acting like this. John’s baptism: where did it come from: heaven or man?’ And they argued it out this way among themselves, ‘If we say from heaven, he will retort, “Then why did you refuse to believe him?”; but if we say from man, we have the people to fear, for they all hold that John was a prophet.’ So their reply to Jesus was, ‘We do not know.’ And he retorted, ‘Nor will I tell you my authority for acting like this.’
ARE YOU RUNNING AWAY FROM GOD AND FROM YOURSELF?
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [NUM 24:2-7, 15-17; MT 21:23-27]
Right from the beginning of creation, men and women have always wanted to do things their own way. The book of Genesis tells us how Adam and Eve insisted on “becoming like God,” seeking knowledge and life on their own terms. Instead of listening to God, they followed their own voices, prompted and encouraged by the seducer, Satan. We are not very different from our forefathers. Like them, we often try to change God’s plan for us. We resist the script that God has for our lives and instead try to write our own. We make decisions based on our desires and preferences rather than seeking God’s guidance. This is true not only in our secular work and daily life decisions but also in serving God and His people. Many Catholics join Church organisations or ministries based on personal interest rather than responding to what the Lord asks of them. How many truly consult the Lord before committing to Church ministries or voluntary organisations?
The truth is that we often run away from facing the Lord and our true selves. We are not honest about who we are, the talents we possess, the constraints we face, and our selfish desires. We want our will–not God’s–to be done. At the same time, we are reluctant to accept God’s will for us, our place in life, and our role in His plan of creation. We find excuses to pursue our own dreams and happiness. We fail to seek God’s wisdom, trusting ourselves more than Him, wanting to play God. Worse, some go to unscrupulous lengths to achieve their goals, resorting to cheating, manipulation, politicking, or even astrology, charms, and magic, unaware that they are handing themselves over to the power of evil. We only realise the foolishness of our actions when we face the consequences–but even then, we often deny our responsibility, blaming others for our suffering.
This escapist attitude mirrors that of Balak, the king of Moab. When the Israelites gathered near his borders, he feared they would overwhelm his people. Rather than confronting the situation, he sought the help of a Midianite sorcerer to curse Israel and secure victory through magic. Initially, Balaam, the pagan prophet, shared this mindset. Though he knew he must proclaim God’s word, he hoped God might allow him to curse Israel. When Balak’s men came to him, he replied, “You remain here as the others did, so that I may learn what more the Lord may say to me” (Num 22:19), hoping the Lord would change His mind.
Similarly, in the Gospel, the religious leaders refused to submit to John the Baptist–and ultimately to Christ. They lived in self-denial, fearing that their status and reputation would be compromised. They wanted to cling to power at all costs, despite recognising, deep down, that John the Baptist was recognised by all the people as a prophet of God. Yet when questioned by Jesus, they pretended to be ignorant of the truth. Acknowledging John’s authority would also mean acknowledging Jesus’ authority, as John always spoke of himself as the precursor of the Messiah.
The truth is that we cannot find true happiness unless we do the will of God, speak His word, and live according to the life He has allotted to us. Instead of pursuing our own plans, we must align our will with His. Obedience is the key to lasting joy. Balaam realised this: happiness cannot be bought with money. Twice he told Balak’s envoys, “‘Even if Balak gave me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go against the order of Yahweh my God in anything, great or small. Now please stay the night here yourselves, and I will learn what else Yahweh has to tell me'” (Num 22:18-19; 24:13). He also said, “How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the Lord has not denounced?” (Num 23:8). Indeed, we find true happiness only when we follow God’s plan; gold and riches cannot bring lasting joy or peace.
Secondly, Balaam teaches us that God is faithful to His plan. He does not change His mind, and nothing we do can prevent His plan from unfolding. In his second oracle, he said, “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfil?” (Num 23:19). St. Paul echoes this, saying, “If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself” (2 Tim 2:13), and in the letter to the Romans he wrote, “God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable” (Rom 11:29). In his third oracle, Balaam prophesied the coming of a great king: “A hero arises from their stock, he reigns over countless peoples. His king is greater than Agag, his majesty is exalted” (Num 24:7). In the final oracle, he specified this king as coming from Israel: “I see him–but not in the present; I behold him–but not at close hand: a star from Jacob takes the leadership, a sceptre arises from Israel” (Num 24:17).
Thirdly, Balaam shows us that God sees our future, not our past. He looks at what we can become, not what we were. He chose Israel to be a great nation despite humble beginnings. Similarly, John the Baptist lived in poverty, and Jesus was only the son of a carpenter. God chooses ordinary people, without much standing in society, or even in holiness, such as the twelve apostles, to become His leaders and ambassadors to the world. In other words, God works within us to accomplish great things beyond our imagination. He has more confidence in us than we have in ourselves, because we lack confidence in Him!
Fourthly, God also uses pagans to carry out His work. He used Balaam, a soothsayer, to carry out His divine plan and proclaim blessings for His people. He even sent a donkey to teach Balaam the importance of obedience to His word and to not compromise the truth. When Balaam insisted on his own way, the donkey refused to move and was beaten three times. God then enabled the donkey to speak, saying, “‘Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?’ ‘No,’ he said” (Num 22:30). If the donkey could be obedient, why should Balaam not obey God? Are we ready to listen to His voice through the Church, priests, fellow Christians, loved ones, or even strangers–or are we too proud like the religious leaders and Balak?
As we prepare for the coming of Christ to fulfil His plan in us, we must pray for the same Holy Spirit that inspired Balaam to speak and act rightly: “Raising his eyes, Balaam saw Israel encamped by tribes; the spirit of God came on him, and he declaimed his poem” (Num 24:2). Unless we are obedient to the Lord like Jesus and Mary, God cannot fulfil His plan for us. By resisting His ways, we only bring destruction upon ourselves and forfeit the fullness of life He wants to give.
Therefore, we must make time for the Lord and seek His guidance. We need to pray, like the psalmist, for wisdom and understanding: “Teach me your ways, O Lord. Your ways, O Lord, make known to me; teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour.” God can teach us His ways only if we are humble and live upright lives in obedience to Him: “Good and upright is the Lord; thus he shows sinners the way. He guides the humble to justice; he teaches the humble his way.” Without humility and sincerity in seeking truth about ourselves and God, Jesus will say to us, as He did to others, “Nor will I tell you my authority for acting like this.”
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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