20150605 THE QUESTION TO ALL QUESTIONS
Readings at Mass
First reading
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Tobit 11:5-17 ©
|
Anna was sitting,
watching the road by which her son would come. She was sure at once it must be
he and said to the father, ‘Here comes your son, with his companion.’
Raphael
said to Tobias before he reached his father, ‘I give you my word that your
father’s eyes will open. You must put the fish’s gall to his eyes; the medicine
will smart and will draw a filmy white skin off his eyes. And your father will
be able to see and look on the light.’
The
mother ran forward and threw her arms round her son’s neck. ‘Now I can die,’
she said ‘I have seen you again.’ And she wept. Tobit rose to his feet and
stumbled across the courtyard through the door. Tobias came on towards him (he
had the fish’s gall in his hand). He blew into his eyes and said, steadying
him, ‘Take courage, father!’ With this he applied the medicine, left it there a
while, then with both hands peeled away a filmy skin from the corners of his
eyes. Then his father fell on his neck and wept. He exclaimed, ‘I can see, my
son, the light of my eyes!’ And he said:
‘Blessed be God!
Blessed be his great
name!
Blessed be all his
holy angels!
Blessed be his great
name for evermore!
For he had scourged
me
and now has had pity
on me
and I see my son
Tobias.’
Tobias went into the
house, and with a loud voice joyfully blessed God. Then he told his father
everything: how his journey had been successful and he had brought the silver
back; how he had married Sarah, the daughter of Raguel; how she was following
him now, close behind, and could not be far from the gates of Nineveh.
Tobit set
off to the gates of Nineveh to meet his daughter-in-law, giving joyful praise
to God as he went. When the people of Nineveh saw him walking without a guide
and stepping forward as briskly as of old, they were astonished. Tobit
described to them how God had taken pity on him and had opened his eyes. Then
Tobit met Sarah, the bride of his son Tobias, and blessed her in these words,
‘Welcome, daughter! Blessed be your God for sending you to us, my daughter.
Blessings on your father, blessings on my son Tobias, blessings on yourself, my
daughter. Welcome now to your own house in joyfulness and in blessedness. Come
in, my daughter.’ He held a feast that day for all the Jews of Nineveh.
Psalm
|
Psalm 145:2,7-10
©
|
My soul, give
praise to the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
My soul, give praise
to the Lord:
I will
praise the Lord all my days,
make
music to my God while I live.
My soul, give
praise to the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
It is the Lord who
keeps faith for ever,
who is
just to those who are oppressed.
It is he who gives
bread to the hungry,
the Lord,
who sets prisoners free,
My soul, give praise
to the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
It is the Lord who
gives sight to the blind,
who
raises up those who are bowed down,
the Lord, who
protects the stranger
and
upholds the widow and orphan.
My soul, give
praise to the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
It is the Lord who
loves the just
but
thwarts the path of the wicked.
The Lord will reign
for ever,
Zion’s
God, from age to age.
My soul, give
praise to the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel
Acclamation
|
cf.Ps18:9
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Your words gladden
the heart, O Lord,
they give light to
the eyes.
Alleluia!
Or
|
Jn14:23
|
Alleluia, alleluia!
If anyone loves me he
will keep my word,
and my Father will
love him,
and we shall come to
him.
Alleluia!
Gospel
|
Mark 12:35-37 ©
|
While teaching in the
Temple, Jesus said, ‘How can the scribes maintain that the Christ is the son of
David? David himself, moved by the Holy Spirit, said:
The Lord said to my
Lord:
Sit at my right hand
and I will put your
enemies
under your feet.
David
himself calls him Lord, in what way then can he be his son?’ And the great
majority of the people heard this with delight.
THE
QUESTION TO ALL QUESTIONS
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: Tb 11:5-17;
Ps 145:2,7-10; Mk 12:35-37
We have
many questions concerning the mysteries of life and death. Where we come
from? Who we are? Why is there suffering? Why is life so
unfair? Why do others have more than me? How is it that I am
born with a disadvantage? Why are others more intelligent than me or have
a better material life than me? Why is there sickness and death?
What happens after death? When these questions are not answered, we
become even more confused. For those of us who are suffering, we become
bitter with life, resentful of others, angry with ourselves and God.
Yet,
the truth remains that there is only one question at the end of the day.
It is the question of God. The answer to this question is the key to all
other questions. Indeed, in the gospel we read in Mark chapter 12, the
Jewish leaders had all kinds of questions, some to trick Jesus. They
asked Him about the propriety of paying taxes to Caesar instead of to
God. They queried Him regarding the resurrection and the nature of life
after death; and they asked about the greatest of all commandments.
Today, we see Jesus being on the offensive rather than on the defensive.
He pointedly asked them the identity of the Messiah as foretold in the
scriptures. He said, “How can the scribes maintain that the Christ is the
son of David? David, himself, moved by the Holy Spirit, said: ‘The Lord
said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand and I will put your enemies under your
feet.’ David himself calls him Lord, in what way then can he be his
son?” In asking this question, Jesus brought them to the heart of all
questions. Until they could answer this question, all the other questions
have no real answers and even if answers were provided, they would not believe.
Indeed,
for those who do not have faith in God and are skeptical and critical like the
scribes and Pharisees, whatever we can say about God, they will not
believe. This is the truth about people who come with all their
queries. They are seeking ways to justify their unbelief in God so that
they can continue doing what they are doing, living a life of total autonomy
and independence, not just from God but from everyone, making themselves the
center of the universe, the absolute in life, subscribing to the absolute
theory of relativism. Most of the time, they are hurt and wounded
in life. They are disillusioned and bitter with life and with the
world. They need to find reasons and to pull others along with them in
their destructive life of sin and bondage so that they can rationalize
themselves into suppressing their conscience which is crying out to them to
live a life of integrity. The fact remains as C.S. Lewis says, “A man can
no more diminish God’s glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put
out the sun by scribbling the word, ‘darkness’ on the walls of his cell.”
But if
we have faith in Christ as the Messiah who is also the Son of God, and
therefore, our Lord, as David addressed Him, then all other questions are
resolved. This remains true even though the Messiah were to be his son in
the sense that He would belong to the lineage of the Davidic family. With
faith in Christ as the Son of God, the meaning of life, our identity as God’s
children, our goal in sharing the Trinitarian life of God, our victory over
sin, suffering and death are all explained.
Indeed,
this was the case of Tobit in the first reading. He too was struggling
with the questions of life, especially his blindness, notwithstanding the fact
that he was a virtuous and righteous, God-fearing man. “I, Tobit, have
walked all the days of my life on paths of fidelity and righteousness. I
performed many charitable deeds for my kindred and my people who had been taken
captive with me to Nineveh, in the land of the Assyrians.” (Tobit 1:3) He was a
faithful Jew and observed all the laws of Moses. Yet he was struck
blind. He suffered much shame, besides financial losses. Yet, he
refused to be resentful of God. He accepted the judgements of God without
questioning Him. ““Yes, your many judgments are right in dealing with me
as my sins, and those of my ancestors, deserve. For we have neither kept your
commandments, nor walked in fidelity before you. So now, deal with me as you please;
command my life breath to be taken from me, that I may depart from the face of
the earth and become dust. It is better for me to die than to live, because I
have listened to undeserved reproaches, and great is the grief within me.” (Tobit 3:5f)
However,
his faith stood him well. His unwavering faith and loyalty to God was
rewarded eventually. We read in this book that it was both Tobit and
Sarah’s sincere faith and prayers that touched the heart of God. “At that
very time, the prayer of both of them was heard in the glorious presence of
God. So Raphael was sent to heal them both: to remove the white scales from
Tobit’s eyes, so that he might again see with his own eyes God’s light; and to
give Sarah, the daughter of Raguel, as a wife to Tobiah, the son of Tobit, and
to rid her of the wicked demon Asmodeus. For it fell to Tobiah’s lot – to claim
her before any others who might wish to marry her.” (Tobit 3:16f)
Not only was his sight restored but his son, Tobias, returned back
to him safely. He was blessed with a faith-filled and God-fearing
daughter-in-law, Sarah.
Indeed,
on hindsight, we come to understand the sufferings in our lives. As we go
through the sufferings, we might not see the meaning or the purpose or when it
will come to an end. But we need to hang on to God who is faithful.
There is a reason for everything and the Lord is in control. Like Tobit,
we just need to trust Him and surrender our lives to His divine
providence. As in the case of Tobit, God allowed him to suffer so that
through his blindness, he would send his son, Tobias, to rescue Sarah from the
demon haunting and oppressing her. His blindness not only liberated Sarah
but also gave glory to God, for when the people saw Tobit healed; they were
surprised. “When the people of Nineveh saw him walking without a guide and
stepping forward as briskly as of old, they were astonished. Tobit
described to them how God had taken pity on him and had opened his eyes.” Tobit
took the occasion to both praise God for His mercy and marvelous deeds and to
testify to His love and power. So in all situations, we can be confident
that God has a purpose for us, for our purification in faith, for the
conversion of sinners and for the greater glory of God. We only need to
remain firm in our faith in the Lord who is our God.
Like
the psalmist therefore, we must sing praises to Him in good and bad
times. “My soul, give praise to the Lord: I will praise the Lord all my
days, make music to my God while I live. It is the Lord who keeps faith
forever, who is just to those who are oppressed. It is he who gives bread to
the hungry, the Lord, who sets prisoners free. It is the Lord who gives sight
to the blind, who raises up those who are bowed down, the Lord who protects the
stranger and upholds the widow and orphan. It is the Lord who loves the just
but thwarts the path of the wicked. The Lord will reign forever, Zion’s God,
from age to age.”
Finally,
following Tobit, let us leave behind the legacy of faith to our children as he
did to Tobias. The faith of his son, his devotion and faith in God and
his virtues certainly must have been influenced by Tobit. Even in
marrying Sarah, he married her with purity of heart, love and not lust.
In faith and with faith, before consuming their marriage, Tobias and Sarah
prayed that they would be married according to the plan of God, a marriage that
is loving and fruitful.
Indeed,
when we have faith and hand on this faith to our loved ones, we are doing them
the greatest favour. With faith, we can triumph over every obstacle in
life. With faith in Jesus as our Lord and savior, we know that life triumphs
over death, love over hatred. So let us be patient and persevere,
following the examples of our Lord, Tobit, Sarah and Tobias in our suffering,
and the mysteries will be revealed eventually. Then we will see the
beauty of God’s plan and praise Him. The greater the suffering, the
greater the joy ahead of us when God reveals all things to us.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh
Roman
Catholic Archbishop of Singapore
©
All Rights Reserved
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