Saturday, 6 June 2015

THE QUESTION TO ALL QUESTIONS

20150605 THE QUESTION TO ALL QUESTIONS

Readings at Mass

First reading
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
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



No comments:

Post a Comment