A SACRIFICE OF THANKSGIVING HONOURS ME

20160718 A SACRIFICE OF THANKSGIVING HONOURS ME

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Green.

First reading

Micah 6:1-4,6-8 ©

Listen to what the Lord is saying:

Stand up and let the case begin in the hearing of the mountains

  and let the hills hear what you say.

Listen, you mountains, to the Lord’s accusation,

  give ear, you foundations of the earth,

for the Lord is accusing his people,

  pleading against Israel:

My people, what have I done to you,

  how have I been a burden to you? Answer me.

I brought you out of the land of Egypt,

  I rescued you from the house of slavery;

I sent Moses to lead you,

  with Aaron and Miriam.

– ‘With what gift shall I come into the Lord’s presence

  and bow down before God on high?

Shall I come with holocausts,

  with calves one year old?

Will he be pleased with rams by the thousand,

  with libations of oil in torrents?

Must I give my first-born for what I have done wrong,

  the fruit of my body for my own sin?’

– What is good has been explained to you, man;

  this is what the Lord asks of you:

only this, to act justly,

  to love tenderly

  and to walk humbly with your God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 49:5-6,8-9,16-17,21,23 ©

I will show God’s salvation to the upright.

‘Summon before me my people

  who made covenant with me by sacrifice.’

The heavens proclaim his justice,

  for he, God, is the judge.

I will show God’s salvation to the upright.

‘I find no fault with your sacrifices,

  your offerings are always before me.

I do not ask more bullocks from your farms,

  nor goats from among your herds.

I will show God’s salvation to the upright.

  ‘But how can you recite my commandments

  and take my covenant on your lips,

you who despise my law

  and throw my words to the winds,

I will show God’s salvation to the upright.

‘You do this, and should I keep silence?

  Do you think that I am like you?

a sacrifice of thanksgiving honours me

  and I will show God’s salvation to the upright.’

I will show God’s salvation to the upright.

Gospel Acclamation

cf.2Tim1:10

Alleluia, alleluia!

Our Saviour Jesus Christ abolished death

and he has proclaimed life through the Good News.

Alleluia!

Or

Ps94:8

Alleluia, alleluia!

Harden not your hearts today,

but listen to the voice of the Lord.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 12:38-42 ©

Some of the scribes and Pharisees spoke up. ‘Master,’ they said ‘we should like to see a sign from you.’ He replied, ‘It is an evil and unfaithful generation that asks for a sign! The only sign it will be given is the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was in the belly of the sea-monster for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. On Judgement day the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation and condemn it, because when Jonah preached they repented; and there is something greater than Jonah here. On Judgement day the Queen of the South will rise up with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here.’

A SACRIFICE OF THANKSGIVING HONOURS ME

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ MIC 6:1-4, 6-8; MT 12:38-42  ]

Even though we are Catholics, have we found salvation?  If Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life, why is it that we are still unhappy and unfulfilled?  Why do we feel that life has no meaning and purpose even though we have accepted Christ as our Savior? This is because we are not living a life of truth and a life of the spirit.

Faith is not a matter of performing all the rituals.  This was what the Israelites were doing.  They were more concerned with external sacrifices. They said, “With what gift shall I come into the Lord’s presence and bow down before God on high? Shall I come with holocausts, with calves one year old? Will he be pleased with rams by the thousand, with libations of oil in torrents? Must I give my first-born for what I have done wrong, the fruit of my body for my own sin?”  This is true of many Catholics.  They are more concerned about the observance of Church laws and duties like fasting, abstinence, fulfilling Sunday obligations, fasting before communion, etc.

But they are less concerned about living the life of a Christian. They are not bothered whether they live a life of charity, a life of honesty, a life of integrity and a life of compassion.  They forget what the Lord said, “The Lord said, ‘I find no fault with your sacrifices, your offerings are always before me. I do not ask more bullocks from your farms, nor goats from among your herds.”  Indeed, what the Lord asks of us is fidelity to His Covenant.  He challenged the Israelites, “But how can you recite my commandments and take my covenant on your lips, you who despise my law and throw my words to the winds, ‘You do this, and should I keep silence? Do you think that I am like you?’”   So what is needed is not mere external sacrifice but a change of heart.

What then must we do to find salvation?  We listen to the psalmist, “A sacrifice of thanksgiving honours me and I will show God’s salvation to the upright.”   What is needed is a sacrifice of thanksgiving.  But why is thanksgiving a sacrifice?  How do we make thanksgiving a sacrifice?  When we respond to God’s love and compassion for us by being grateful in the way we live our lives.  This sacrifice of thanksgiving is more than simply praising and thanking the Lord in worship.  It is a life of thanksgiving expressed in the way we live.

Such a life would entail what the prophet told the Israelites, “What is good has been explained to you, man; this is what the Lord asks of you: only this, to act justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with our God.”   

True love of God is manifested in social justice.   We are called to render justice to all, regardless of rank and status.   During the days of Micah, there was great social injustice done to the poor and the weak by the rich and the powerful.   Rendering justice is to act the way God acts on behalf of His people.  God expects those in power to act justly in dealing with those under their charge.  Consequently, we need to reflect on whether we are just in our dealings with our spouse, parents, children and our subordinates at work.  Quite often, injustice happens not just at work places and in the business world but even in our homes.  We do not take care of our parents, our elderly or our children.  At times, there are even scandals within Church organizations because we fail to treat our workers with dignity and with a just remuneration.  If we do not treat our workers well, what audacity do we have to tell others that they must treat their workers well?  In the gospel, we read how the Ninevites repented upon hearing the warning of Jonah to repent from their sins, especially the sin of injustice, cheating and taking advantage of the poor.

But it is not sufficient to act justly; we must complement justice with mercy. This is what the prophet Micah says, “Love tenderly.” The distinctive feature about the Christian faith is more than the call to act justly but with mercy.  This is the special flavor that Jesus added to the scriptures.  In the Old Testament, most prophets spoke of justice more than compassion.  But Jesus in the gospel underscores the importance of compassion.  He did not speak of God’s justice like the prophets in terms of punishment but more of forgiveness and redemption.  Of course, there can be no compassion without first acting justly.  As Christians we must go beyond justice by rendering compassion through forgiveness.  Jesus always spoke about God’s forgiveness for our sins; and reaching out to the poor, the suffering and the marginalized. 

Above all, we are reminded to walk humbly before God.  We must never think too highly of ourselves.  Jesus is the model of one who walks humbly not just before God but before men.  We read in the letter to the Philippians when St Paul wrote, “Though he was in the form of God, he did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death even death on a cross.” (Phil 2:6-8)  This is the sign that Jesus spoke about in the gospel when He remarked, “The only sign that it will be given is the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was in the belly of the sea-monster for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.” Similarly, when the King of Nineveh heard the preaching of Jonah, the King instructed his people to repent to avoid the destruction that was imminent.  Even the Queen of the South came all the way to listen to King Solomon.

The question at the end of the day is whether we are searching for the truth so that we can walk the truth.   Or as Jesus said, “It is an evil and unfaithful generation that asks for a sign!”  This indictment reminds us of the infidelity of Israel towards God in the Covenant.  Instead of being the faithful spouse of God, they were going after the false gods.  Often, our pursuit of these false gods, power, glory, status and wealth lead us away from the true God.

What is required for us to offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving is be grateful for the love of God for us.   We are called to hear once again the appeal of God which is an appeal of love.  He said, “My people, what have I done to you, how have I been a burden to you? Answer me. I brought you out of the land of Egypt, I rescued you from the house of slavery; I sent Moses to lead you, with Aaron and Miriam.” It is like an appeal of a mother, a lover, or a friend who has done all she or he could for the loved one and yet is rejected.  It is the appeal to gratitude which comes about through a greater consciousness of His love for us.  The reality is that most of us take the love of God for granted.  We do not know how much He loves us and how much He feels with us in our sorrows and pains.  Not only does God appeal to our heart but He demonstrates His mercy and compassion for us.  Instead of being angry with us for betraying His love, He shows His justice by showing His merciful and tender love in the passion of His Son.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved