20251216 SHAME IS OVERCOME BY REPENTANCE AND NEW LIFE
16 December 2025, Tuesday, 3rd Week in Advent
First reading |
Zephaniah 3:1-2,9-13 |
All peoples shall invoke the Lord's name and serve him
Trouble is coming to the rebellious, the defiled,
the tyrannical city!
She would never listen to the call,
would never learn the lesson;
she has never trusted in the Lord,
never drawn near to her God.
Yes, I will then give the peoples lips that are clean,
so that all may invoke the name of the Lord
and serve him under the same yoke.
From beyond the banks of the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants
will bring me offerings.
When that day comes
you need feel no shame for all the misdeeds
you have committed against me,
for I will remove your proud boasters
from your midst;
and you will cease to strut
on my holy mountain.
In your midst I will leave
a humble and lowly people,
and those who are left in Israel will seek refuge in the name of the Lord.
They will do no wrong,
will tell no lies;
and the perjured tongue will no longer
be found in their mouths.
But they will be able to graze and rest
with no one to disturb them.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 33(34):2-3,6-7,16,18-19,23 |
This poor man called; the Lord heard him.
I will bless the Lord at all times,
his praise always on my lips;
in the Lord my soul shall make its boast.
The humble shall hear and be glad.
This poor man called; the Lord heard him.
Look towards him and be radiant;
let your faces not be abashed.
This poor man called, the Lord heard him
and rescued him from all his distress.
This poor man called; the Lord heard him.
The Lord turns his face against the wicked
to destroy their remembrance from the earth.
The just call and the Lord hears
and rescues them in all their distress.
This poor man called; the Lord heard him.
The Lord is close to the broken-hearted;
those whose spirit is crushed he will save.
The Lord ransoms the souls of his servants.
Those who hide in him shall not be condemned.
This poor man called; the Lord heard him.
Gospel Acclamation |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Look, the Lord will come to save his people.
Blessed those who are ready to meet him.
Alleluia!
Or: |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Come, Lord! Do not delay.
Forgive the sins of your people.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 21:28-32 |
Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you
Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people, ‘What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He went and said to the first, “My boy, you go and work in the vineyard today.” He answered, “I will not go,” but afterwards thought better of it and went. The man then went and said the same thing to the second who answered, “Certainly, sir,” but did not go. Which of the two did the father’s will?’ ‘The first’ they said. Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you solemnly, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you, a pattern of true righteousness, but you did not believe him, and yet the tax collectors and prostitutes did. Even after seeing that, you refused to think better of it and believe in him.’
SHAME IS OVERCOME BY REPENTANCE AND NEW LIFE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ZEPH 3:1-2,9-13; MATTHEW 21:28-32]
One of the most painful experiences in life is shame. The feeling of shame is peculiar to human beings because of pride and our sense of dignity. We feel shame because of our failures in life. Shame is often impressed upon us when we do something wrong or act against the decorum of the culture of the day. Shame also comes about because of our sins against God and our fellow human beings. Shame occurs when our nakedness is exposed, literally or otherwise. It makes us vulnerable and exposed to the world as we truly are.
The truth is that human beings possess a deep sense of dignity. We want to be loved, admired, and respected. Honour is something we treasure so that we can walk uprightly. Many people would even die for their honour and for the honour of their family or country. When a person is shamed, he finds it difficult to face the world. Anyone burdened by shame tends to hide from society. A criminal who has just been released feels ashamed to meet friends and especially relatives. This feeling is intensified when someone who was once famous, powerful, or wealthy is reduced to poverty or scorn in the eyes of the world. When negative things are published about us in newspapers or uploaded onto the internet, we also feel humiliated. That is why, when we have done something wrong, we instinctively avoid the glare of publicity.
What is worse is that the world does not forgive and constantly reminds us of our shame. This is a fact of life. In the eyes of the world, once you are convicted of wrongdoing, you are forever branded a criminal; once an adulterer, always an adulterer. Those who have watched the musical Les Misérables will understand how ex-offenders are rejected by society. In spite of having served their sentences, the labels “criminal” or “cheat” remain stamped on their foreheads. People shy away from former offenders and look at them with contempt. The world judges people by what they have done in the past rather than by who they are today or what they can become in the future. It condemns them until death for the offences they have committed, offering little mercy or forgiveness. This was also how the religious leaders treated sinners during the time of Jesus. Sinners were ostracized and treated with contempt, especially prostitutes and tax collectors. They were despised and rejected as outcasts. No one wanted to associate with them for fear of being contaminated or frowned upon for befriending sinners. They were treated worse than some people suffering from infectious diseases today.
Consequently, we can empathize with the Israelites in the first reading. We can imagine the shame they bore. They were once a powerful and prosperous kingdom under King David and King Solomon. Many nations had heard of them; even the Queen of Sheba travelled to hear Solomon’s wisdom. However, over time, the kingdom was divided, weakened, and eventually conquered by more powerful nations such as Assyria and Babylon. With the Temple destroyed, the kingdom lost, and the people exiled to Babylon under foreign rule, they lost all sense of dignity. It was the most shameful period of their history, not unlike the time when they were slaves in Egypt.
What was the cause of this downfall? It was their rebellion against God. Despite repeated warnings, they refused to listen. They were stubborn and misled by false prophets. They were unable to foresee the dangers ahead. They remained defiant and unrepentant.
But the good news is that the Lord takes away our shame. Love keeps no record of wrongs. The psalmist declares, “Look towards him and be radiant; let your faces not be abashed. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him and rescued him from all his distress. The Lord is close to the broken-hearted; those whose spirit is crushed he will save. The Lord ransoms the souls of his servants; those who hide in him shall not be condemned.” The Lord also says, “When that day comes, you need feel no shame for all the misdeeds you have committed against me, for I will remove your proud boasters from your midst.”
Indeed, this promise is fulfilled in Christ. He comes as our Redeemer to restore our dignity. He came for sinners and was branded “a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (cf. Lk 7:34). In God’s eyes, we are always His beloved. He never stops loving us, and He always forgives. “Who is a God like thee, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion upon us, he will tread our iniquities under foot. Thou wilt cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” (Micah 7:18f)
But how does the Lord take away our shame? First, He allows us to undergo a process of purification. As the prophet Hosea says, “Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces, but he will heal us; he has injured us, but he will bind up our wounds” (Hos 6:1). If the Lord allows us to sink into the mud, it is because He intends to raise us up. However, this can only happen when we learn humility and are awaken to the truth. Thus the prophet says, “In your midst I will leave a humble and lowly people, and those who are left in Israel will seek refuge in the name of the Lord. They will do no wrong, will tell no lies; and the perjured tongue will no longer be found in their mouths. But they will be able to graze and rest with no one to disturb them.” The time of exile, therefore, was a necessary stage of awakening. Likewise, we should not view periods of punishment or isolation–whether in prison or in our own inner prisons of loneliness, shame, and pain–as punishment from God, but a time to rebuild ourselves.
Secondly, the Lord desires our repentance. This is all He asks of us. He does not punish out of vindictiveness or revenge, but purely out of love. “For they disciplined us for a short time at their pleasure, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (Heb 12:10f) For this reason, Jesus commended the so-called outcasts when He remarked, “I tell you solemnly, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you.” Though they had sinned against the Lord and messed up their lives, they were most ready to repent when they heard the call to conversion and encountered the love and mercy of God. They were like the first son who answered, “‘I will not go’ but afterwards thought better of it and went.” Such people find salvation because they choose to live the life of Christ, the life of the kingdom.
The real challenge today, however, is helping those who appear converted and holy to become aware of their sins and their true selves, so that they may feel ashamed of their hypocrisy and truly repent. These are often the outwardly pious religious leaders and active members of the Church. They know much about the faith, study theology and are supposedly familiar with the Scriptures. They attend retreats and seminars and hold leadership roles in many church organisations and committees. In the eyes of the world, they are respected and admired as good Catholics. Yet many are not true to themselves. Their spirituality is superficial; their hearts are far from God. What they do is often for appearances. They are far from what they profess and even further from what they teach or preach. For such people, there is no real conversion, and thus they do not truly live the life of the Kingdom. That is what Jesus told the Jewish leaders: “For John came to you, a pattern of true righteousness, but you did not believe him, and yet the tax collectors and prostitutes did. Even after seeing that, you refused to think better of it and believe in him.” They resemble the second son who said, “Certainly, sir,” but did not go.
So what is our decision today–to remain prisoners of our shame or to be set free to praise God? As we draw nearer to Christmas, we must ask ourselves whether we are ready to welcome the King of Peace into our hearts. Are we prepared to listen to the prophets, examine ourselves honestly, stand naked before the Lord, and confess our sins so that our shame may be taken away once and for all? Hidden shame cripples us because we know we are living a double life. We are not free. Only those freed from shame, from their past, and sins can truly boast of their past mistakes and what God has done for them today, making them a new creation. If we allow shame to control our lives, then we remain slaves of the past, of the future and we remain slaves. With the psalmist, let us pray: “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall always be on my lips. In the Lord my soul shall make its boast; the humble shall hear and be glad.”
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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