SHAME IS OVERCOME BY REPENTANCE AND NEW LIFE

20151215 SHAME IS OVERCOME BY REPENTANCE AND NEW LIFE

Readings at Mass

First reading

Zephaniah 3:1-2,9-13 ©

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.

Psalm

Psalm 33:2-3,6-7,16,18-19,23 ©

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.

They 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 ©

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 man because of pride and our sense of dignity.  We feel shame because of failures in life.  Shame is often impressed on us when we do something wrong or against the decorum of the culture of the day.  Shame comes about because of our sins against God and our fellowmen.   Shame happens because our nakedness is being exposed, literally or otherwise.  Shame makes us vulnerable and exposed to the world as we are.

The truth is that man possesses a certain sense of dignity.  He wants to be loved, admired and respected.  Honour is one of the things that man treasures so that he can walk upright.   Many people would die for their honour and for the honour of their family and country.  So when he is shamed, he is not able to face the world.  Anyone who is in shame hides himself from the world.  A criminal once released feels shameful to meet his friends and especially his relatives.   More so, when we were once famous, powerful and rich and then reduced to a pauper or a scum in the eyes of the world.  When negative things are published about us in the newspapers or uploaded on the internet, we also feel abashed.  That is why when we have done something wrong, we avoid the glare of publicity.

What is worse is that the world does not forgive us and want to remind us of our shame constantly.  This is a fact of life.  In the eyes of the world, once you are convicted of a wrongdoing, you are forever branded a convict; once an adulterer, always an adulterer.  Those of us who have watched the musical opera, “Les Miserables” will understand how often ex-criminals are rejected by the world and society.  In spite of their having served their sentence, the word “criminal” or “cheat” is written on their foreheads.  People fight shy of those who are ex-offenders.  They tend to look at them in a deprecating manner.   The world looks at people based on what they had done in the past and not what they are today, or what they can do or be in the future.  The world condemns us until we die for the offences we have committed.  There is no mercy or forgiveness.  That was how the religious leaders treated the sinners in those days during the time of Jesus too.  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 and frowned upon for befriending sinners. They were treated worse than some of our people who suffer from infectious diseases.

Consequently, we can feel 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 Solomon.   Many nations had heard of them. Even the Queen of Sheba would travel to hear the wisdom of Solomon.   They were once flourishing, but over the years, the kingdom  became divided and weak and eventually was conquered by more powerful nations like Assyria and Babylon.  With the glory of the Temple destroyed, the Kingdom lost, and the people exiled to Babylon and now ruled by a foreign army, they lost all dignity.  It was the most shameful period of their history; not much different when they were once slaves in Egypt.

But what was the cause?  It was their rebellion against God.  In spite of the warnings from God, they did not take heed.  They were too stubborn and misled by false prophets.  They could not see the dangers ahead of them.  They remained defiant and unrepentant.

Zephaniah warned the people, “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.”  Well, we are no different.  The writing is on the wall but we pay no heed.  We want to believe that we will never get caught for taking drugs, speeding, cheating, lying, having an affair, or indulging in sexual activities with prostitutes and promiscuous people, abusing our bodies through unhealthy lifestyles.   And so we all learn the hard way, just like the Israelites.

But the good news is that the Lord is taking away our shame.  Love does not keep a record of wrongs.  The psalmist says, “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. 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 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; and you will cease to strut on my holy mountain.”  Indeed, this promise is fulfilled in Christ.  He comes as our redeemer to give us back our dignity again. He comes for the 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.  He always forgives us.  “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 will the Lord take away our shame?  Firstly, He allows us to go through the purifying process.  This is what the prophet Hosea said, “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 permits us to sink into the mud, it is because He wants to raise us up.  But He cannot do so till we have learnt humility and are awaken to the truth.  This is what the prophet said, “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.”  So the time of exile was a necessary stage of coming to realization.  This is true for us.  So we must not take the time when we are serving our sentence, whether in prison or just in our own prison of loneliness and shame and pain, as punishment from God but a time to rebuild ourselves.

Secondly, He desires our repentance.  This is all that the Lord wishes for us.   He does not punish us 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)  It is for this reason, the Lord gave credit to the so-called outcasts of society when He remarked, “I tell you solemnly, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you.”  Although they had sinned against the Lord and messed up their lives, yet upon hearing the call to conversion and the love and mercy of God, they were most ready to repent.   They were like the first son who answered, “’I will not go,’ but afterwards thought better of it and went.”  Such people will find salvation because they opt to live the life of Christ, the life of the kingdom.  Hence, we hear the favourable judgment of Jesus on them.

But the real challenge today is tp help those who appear to be converted and holy to be ashamed of their sins and their true self so that, feeling ashamed for their hypocrisy, they might truly repent of their pretenses.  These are the so-called pious, faithful religious leaders and active laity in the Church.  They know much about the faith.  They study theology and are supposedly familiar with the scriptures.  They have gone through many retreats and attended many seminars on Church related issues.  They are active in Church and assume leadership positions in many organizations and committees.  So in the eyes of the world, they are respected and even admired as good Catholics.  But these are the people who are often not true to themselves.  Their spirituality is only skin-deep.  Their hearts are far from God.  What they do in public is just to make them look good in the eyes of the world.   They are far from what they profess to be and even further from what they teach or preach.   For such people, there is no real conversion and therefore in truth they are not living the life of the kingdom.  That is what Jesus told the Jewish leaders.  He said, “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 are the second son, who when called upon to work in the vineyard said, “’Certainly, sir,’ but did not go.”

So what is our decision today, to be prisoners of our shame or be set free to praise God?  As we approach nearer to Christmas, we must ask whether we are ready to welcome the king of peace into our lives and our hearts.   Are we prepared to accept the prophets of the Lord and examine ourselves in full honesty, in total nakedness before the Lord and confess our sins before His appointed servants so that our shame can be taken away once and for all?  Hidden shame will only cripple us because we know we are living a double life.   We are not free.  Only those freed from shame, from their past, from their sins, feel truly free to boast about their past mistakes and what God has done for them today, making them a new creature and 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, we pray, “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.”

Written by The Most Rev William Goh

Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore

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