20151124
BUILDING A KINGDOM THAT CAN LAST FOREVER AND ONE
THAT CAN WITHSTAND THE VICISSITUDES OF LIFE
Readings at Mass
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First reading
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Daniel 2:31-45 ©
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Daniel said to
Nebuchadnezzar, ‘You have had a vision, O king; this is what you saw: a statue,
a great statue of extreme brightness, stood before you, terrible to see. The
head of this statue was of fine gold, its chest and arms were of silver, its
belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet part iron, part
earthenware. While you were gazing, a stone broke away, untouched by any hand,
and struck the statue, struck its feet of iron and earthenware and shattered
them. And then, iron and earthenware, bronze, silver, gold all broke into small
pieces as fine as chaff on the threshing-floor in summer. The wind blew them
away, leaving not a trace behind. And the stone that had struck the statue grew
into a great mountain, filling the whole earth. This was the dream; now we will
explain to the king what it means.
‘You, O
king, king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given sovereignty, power,
strength and glory – the sons of men, the beasts of the field, the birds
of heaven, wherever they live, he has entrusted to your rule, making you king
of them all – you are the golden head. And after you another kingdom will
rise, not so great as you, and then a third, of bronze, which will rule the
whole world. There will be a fourth kingdom, hard as iron, as iron that
shatters and crushes all. Like iron that breaks everything to pieces, it will
crush and break all the earlier kingdoms. The feet you saw, part earthenware,
part iron, are a kingdom which will be split in two, but which will retain
something of the strength of iron, just as you saw the iron and the clay of the
earthenware mixed together. The feet were part iron, part earthenware: the
kingdom will be partly strong and partly weak. And just as you saw the iron and
the clay of the earthenware mixed together, so the two will be mixed together
in the seed of man; but they will not hold together any more than iron will
blend with earthenware. In the time of these kings the God of heaven will set
up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, and this kingdom will not pass
into the hands of another race: it will shatter and absorb all the previous
kingdoms, and itself last for ever – just as you saw the stone untouched
by hand break from the mountain and shatter iron, bronze, earthenware, silver
and gold. The great God has shown the king what is to take place. The dream is
true, the interpretation exact.’
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Canticle
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Daniel 3:57-61 ©
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All things the Lord
has made, bless the Lord.
Give
glory and eternal praise to him!
Angels of the Lord!
all bless the Lord.
Give
glory and eternal praise to him!
Heavens! bless the
Lord.
Give
glory and eternal praise to him!
Waters above the
heavens! bless the Lord.
Give
glory and eternal praise to him!
Powers of the Lord!
all bless the Lord.
Give
glory and eternal praise to him!
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Lk21:28
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Stand erect, hold
your heads high,
because your
liberation is near at hand.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Rv2:10
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Even if you have to
die, says the Lord,
keep faithful, and I
will give you
the crown of life.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 21:5-11 ©
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When some were
talking about the Temple, remarking how it was adorned with fine stonework and
votive offerings, Jesus said, ‘All these things you are staring at now –
the time will come when not a single stone will be left on another: everything
will be destroyed.’ And they put to him this question: ‘Master,’ they said
‘when will this happen, then, and what sign will there be that this is about to
take place?’
‘Take care
not to be deceived,’ he said ‘because many will come using my name and saying,
“I am he” and, “The time is near at hand.” Refuse to join them. And when you
hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened, for this is something that
must happen but the end is not so soon.’ Then he said to them, ‘Nation will
fight against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great
earthquakes and plagues and famines here and there; there will be fearful
sights and great signs from heaven.’
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BUILDING A KINGDOM THAT CAN LAST FOREVER AND ONE THAT
CAN WITHSTAND THE VICISSITUDES OF LIFE
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SCRIPTURE
READINGS: DN 2:31-45;
LK 21:5-11
With
regard to this world, there are basically two kinds of attitude. Firstly,
there are those who are so attached to the glory of this world. Some of
us are like King Nebuchadnezzar in the first reading. Like him, we are
too taken up with glory, success and power. The Jews during the time of
Jesus too were full of admiration for the magnificent temple of
Jerusalem. It was such a beautiful Temple, something which they
took great pride in because it was so difficult to build. And the truth
is that it was truly a Temple of exquisite splendor and beauty.
Whether it is the Kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar and or the Temple of Jerusalem, it
had taken many years and much human effort to build.
Secondly,
there are those who look at this world and its problems and fall into
despair. Yes, when we hear of wars, fighting, injustices, earthquakes and
famines, we lose hope in the world and even in God. This is very true
especially when we look at the problems facing the family, the world and the
Church. There are so many complex issues, moral and social, in this world
and in our country that have remained unresolved. The Church
herself is not exempted from the many challenges that come from a secularized,
materialistic and relativistic society. Indeed, sometimes we look at the
difficulties facing us; we feel so overwhelmed that we think we might as well
join them since we cannot change the trend of society. Yet, we wonder
what all these will lead to if we remain indifferent and stay on the
sidelines. Will these problems ever be solved? Is our society
leading to self-annihilation? Of course we hope that a time will come when
society would once again recover the lasting values of love, justice and peace
that have seen us through the ages. However, that day never seems
to come. On the contrary, with each passing day, our dream seems to be
further away.
It is
to these two groups of people that the Word of God is addressed. The
message of today’s scripture reading is clear. According to the prophet
Daniel, the Kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar and the kingdoms after his will not last
forever. One kingdom would succeed another kingdom. Some
kingdoms might last longer than others, depending on whether they are built on
gold, iron, silver or clay. Historically, the kingdom of Babylon would be
replaced by the Median, then the Persian and finally by the Greek empire.
Even then, it would be conquered by the Romans. Whatever it is, no earthly
kingdom can last forever. It would be destroyed. What is said about
earthly kingdoms is also true of all earthly constructions. Jesus in the
gospel makes the same point as well. Even the beautiful and majestic
temple of Jerusalem would one day be destroyed.
To
those of us who are too attached to this world and our worldly achievements and
powers, know that these things will soon pass. Great political and Church
leaders have come and gone. We too might be known as great scholars,
teachers, successful entrepreneurs and good civil leaders. We might even become
very popular and given high offices as well. But we have to face the fact
that all these will not last for long. Very soon, we will become old or
we might fall sick, then we will realize, if not others will, that we are no
longer as dynamic and as useful as before. And then someone who is better
will soon replace us. When the time comes, we too must bow out of the
stage. Even our former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew had to bow out of
history and leave Singapore to be governed by new leaders. Or if we
feel that we are suffering much in this world; if we feel that life is rather
tough, whether in the office or at home; that things are not going the way they
should; or if we feel that studying is difficult and especially when we have to
prepare for exams, then know too that even these mental tortures do not last
forever. Before we know it, our exams would be over and we would have
begun our holidays.
The
truth is that nothing endures in this world. Whether success or failure,
joys or sufferings, all these will soon come to pass. Does it mean then
that we should fall into despair? We must realize that in the midst of
the vicissitudes of life, there is something that is unchanging. And what
is this? Prophet Daniel tells us that it is the kingdom of God.
According to him, God will build us a kingdom that could never be destroyed;
and this kingdom will absorb all the other kingdoms. It will be a
universal kingdom of love, justice founded on truth.
Where,
then, is this kingdom? The kingdom is found in Jesus Himself. It is
Jesus whom we proclaimed as the Universal King last Sunday. Only He can
give us this everlasting kingdom. In other words, anyone of us who builds
his or her life on the values of Christ’s kingdom will find deep peace and joy
within himself. Where can we find this kingdom today? This kingdom
that Jesus has come to establish is none other than the Temple of God, which is
the hearts of each person. We are the new Temple of the Holy Spirit. This
temple, unlike the temple of Jerusalem, can never be destroyed. Hence,
whenever we live lives of faith and love, the Kingdom of God is established in
our hearts. Ultimately happiness does not lie outside us but is within
us. Whether it is success or failure, all these will pass. Nothing
stays in this life, not even our sufferings. What is most important
is that we allow the kingdom of God to be established in us.
For
this reason, Jesus asks us in the gospel not to be too concerned about the
future. We should not give in to vain speculation as to what will happen
to the world or the Church. Of course, we have to do our part in the
world and in the Church. But as for the outcome, we can leave it to
God. The problem is that some of us spend so much time speculating and
moaning about the problems facing us, making everyone more depressed than
ever. What is more important is that we are at peace within
ourselves. When we are true to ourselves and have tried to live the
gospel life as sincerely as we can, then we can hold our heads high.
There is nothing to fear about the unpredictable future. Whether they
come or not, we would already be living in the kingdom. Yes, when we have
the life of God in us, no external developments, success or failures, can
affect our deep inner joy. Only this kind of kingdom can really
bring us happiness and true joy in life.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh
Roman
Catholic Archbishop of Singapore
©
All Rights Reserved
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