20150811
FIRMNESS AND COMPASSION IN DEALING WITH OUR FOES
Readings at Mass
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First reading
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Deuteronomy
31:1-8 ©
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Moses proceeded to
address these words to the whole of Israel, ‘I am one hundred and twenty years
old now, and can no longer come and go as I will. The Lord has said to me, “You
shall not cross this Jordan.” It is the Lord your God who will cross it at your
head to destroy these nations facing you and dispossess them; and Joshua too
shall cross at your head, as the Lord has said. The Lord will treat them as he
treated Sihon and Og the Amorite kings and their land, destroying them. The
Lord will hand them over to you, and you will deal with them in exact
accordance with the commandments I have enjoined on you. Be strong, stand firm,
have no fear of them, no terror, for the Lord your God is going with you; he
will not fail you or desert you.’
Then
Moses summoned Joshua and in the presence of all Israel said to him, ‘Be
strong, stand firm; you are going with this people into the land the Lord swore
to their fathers he would give them; you are to give it into their possession.
The Lord himself will lead you; he will be with you; he will not fail you or
desert you. Have no fear, do not be disheartened by anything.’
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Canticle
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Deuteronomy
32:3-4,7-9 ©
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The Lord’s portion
was his people.
I proclaim the name
of the Lord.
Oh, tell
the greatness of our God!
He is the Rock, his
work is perfect,
for all
his ways are Equity.
The Lord’s portion
was his people.
Think back on the
days of old,
think
over the years, down the ages.
Ask of your father,
let him teach you;
of your
elders, let them enlighten you.
The Lord’s portion
was his people.
When the Most High
gave the nations their inheritance,
when he
divided the sons of men,
he fixed
their bounds according to the number of the sons of God;
but the Lord’s
portion was his people,
Jacob his
share of inheritance.
The Lord’s portion
was his people.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Mt11:25
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed are you,
Father,
Lord of heaven and
earth,
for revealing the
mysteries of the kingdom
to mere children.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Mt11:29
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Shoulder my yoke and
learn from me,
says the Lord,
for I am gentle and
humble in heart.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew
18:1-5,10,12-14 ©
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The disciples came to
Jesus and said, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ So he called a
little child to him and set the child in front of them. Then he said, ‘I tell
you solemnly, unless you change and become like little children you will never
enter the kingdom of heaven. And so, the one who makes himself as little as
this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
‘Anyone
who welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. See that you
never despise any of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in
heaven are continually in the presence of my Father in heaven.
‘Tell me.
Suppose a man has a hundred sheep and one of them strays; will he not leave the
ninety-nine on the hillside and go in search of the stray? I tell you solemnly,
if he finds it, it gives him more joy than do the ninety-nine that did not
stray at all. Similarly, it is never the will of your Father in heaven that one
of these little ones should be lost.’
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FIRMNESS AND COMPASSION IN DEALING WITH OUR FOES
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The
Word of God is clear. Twice in the first reading, we are reminded to
stand firm in the Lord. “Be strong, stand firm, have no fear of them, no
terror, for the Lord your God is going with you; he will not fail you or desert
you.’ Then Moses summoned Joshua and in the presence of all Israel said to him,
‘Be strong, stand firm; you are going with this people into the land the Lord swore
to their fathers he would give them; you are to give it into their
possession. The Lord himself will lead you; he will be with you; he will
not fail you or desert you. Have no fear, do not be disheartened by
anything.'” We need not be fearful or anxious because God is our sole commander
of the army. His plan cannot be derailed by men. God is true to His
words and promises, otherwise we make Him a liar. We must remain firm in
our beliefs and not waver in the face of our enemies.
Today’s
first reading tells us that we must rely completely on the Lord and His
strength. The Lord is our commander. He is the Lord of Hosts.
We must depend on him. “It is the Lord your God who will cross it at your
head to destroy these nations facing you and dispossess them; and Joshua too
shall cross at your head, as the Lord has said. The Lord will treat them
as he treated Sihon and Og the Amorite kings and their land, destroying
them. The Lord will hand them over to you, and you will deal with them in
exact accordance with the commandments I have enjoined on you.” It is all
the Lord’s work. Doing God’s work means that we allow God to work in and
through us and not independently of Him. It is His Cand His battle.
We are just His instruments. We must allow the power of God to shine
forth in human weakness.
But how
can we be so sure that the Lord will be faithful to us?
We can
be sure that He is reliable because of His fidelity. God’s fidelity is
based on His track record. Moses’ past experience of His ways gave Him that
confidence that the Lord would not fail him. This, too, was the
experience of the Israelites as expressed by the psalmist. “I proclaim
the name of the Lord. Oh, tell the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, his
work is perfect, for all his ways are Equity. Think back on the days of old,
think over the years, down the ages. Ask of your father, let him teach you; of
your elders, let them enlighten you.” Reflecting on the history of
salvation, especially the Word of God, will bolster our faith in Him.
Secondly,
we belong to Him. We are His people. “The Lord’s portion was his people.”
“When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided the
sons of men, he fixed their bounds according to the number of the sons of God;
but the Lord’s portion was his people, Jacob his share of inheritance.”
God is jealous of His people. We are His own. The Lord will protect
those whom He loves.
What is
required of us is that we have faith in His love and divine providence.
“I tell you solemnly, unless you change and become like little children you
will never enter the kingdom of heaven. And so, the one who makes himself
as little as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of
heaven.” We are called to place our trust in Him.
Secondly,
we must be ready to do His will. Children not only trust their parents
but are obedient to them. We must learn from the example of Moses when he
was punished for his disobedience. “Moses proceeded to address these
words to the whole of Israel, ‘I am one hundred and twenty years old now, and
can no longer come and go as I will.” The Lord has said to me, “You shall
not cross this Jordan.” So to trust in God is to let His will
prevail. We do our best and let God do the rest. It does not mean
that doing His will is easy. We would have to go through the trials of
the apostolate but at the end, the Lord will triumph. So we need not
fear.
In all
these, we must not give up hope completely on our opponents. We must
still pray for them and seek their conversion and reconciliation.
Regardless of their rebellion and evil, they are among the lost sheep. As
Jesus says. “Suppose a man has a hundred sheep and one of them strays; will he
not leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go in search of the stray?
I tell you solemnly, if he finds it, it gives him more joy than do than
ninety-nine that did not stray at all. Similarly, it is never the will of
your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.'”
Even as we stand firm, we must also seek the return of the lost sheep to the
fold. We must have compassion for them. We cannot seek
vengeance. We must display firmness tampered by compassion and love.
At the
end of the day, the battle must be fought with prayers alone. In the work
of God, we must use the most powerful weapon given to us. Only prayer can
intensify our relationship with God. Through prayer, we are assured of
His love, enlightened by His word and strengthened by His mercy. In
prayer, we find consolation and strength to do His will with courage,
regardless of the trials ahead of us because we can be confident that God will
win the battle for us. If we do not pray it means that we think this
battle is ours and can be fought with our own strength. To pray is to
believe in the primacy of grace.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh
Roman
Catholic Archbishop of Singapore
©
All Rights Reserved
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