20160712 OVERCOMING OUR FEAR OF OUR ENEMIES
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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Isaiah 7:1-9 ©
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In the reign of Ahaz
son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Razon the king of Aram went up
against Jerusalem with Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, to lay siege to
it; but he was unable to capture it.
The news
was brought to the House of David. ‘Aram’ they said ‘has reached Ephraim.’ Then
the heart of the king and the hearts of the people shuddered as the trees of
the forest shudder in front of the wind. The Lord said to Isaiah, ‘Go with your
son Shear-jashub, and meet Ahaz at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on
the Fuller’s Field road, and say to him:
‘“Pay attention, keep
calm, have no fear,
do not let your heart
sink
because of these two
smouldering stumps of firebrands,
or because Aram,
Ephraim and the son of Remaliah
have plotted to ruin
you, and have said:
Let us invade Judah
and terrorise it
and seize it for
ourselves,
and set up a king
there,
the son of Tabeel.
The Lord says this:
It shall not come
true; it shall not be.
The capital of Aram
is Damascus,
the head of Damascus,
Razon;
the capital of
Ephraim, Samaria,
the head of Samaria,
the son of Remaliah.
Six or five years
more
and a shattered
Ephraim shall no longer be a people.
But if you do not
stand by me,
you will not stand at
all.”’
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm 47:2-8 ©
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God upholds his
city for ever.
The Lord is great and
worthy to be praised
in the
city of our God.
His holy mountain
rises in beauty,
the joy
of all the earth.
God upholds his
city for ever.
Mount Zion, true pole
of the earth,
the Great
King’s city!
God, in the midst of
its citadels,
has shown
himself its stronghold.
God upholds his
city for ever.
For the kings
assembled together,
together
they advanced.
They saw; at once
they were astounded;
dismayed,
they fled in fear.
God upholds his
city for ever.
A trembling seized
them there,
like the
pangs of birth.
By the east wind you
have destroyed
the ships
of Tarshish.
God upholds his
city for ever.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Ps118:24
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Train me, Lord, to
observe your law,
to keep it with my
heart.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Ps94:8
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Harden not your
hearts today,
but listen to the
voice of the Lord.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 11:20-24
©
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Jesus began to
reproach the towns in which most of his miracles had been worked, because they
refused to repent.
‘Alas
for you, Chorazin! Alas for you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles done in you had
been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and
ashes. And still, I tell you that it will not go as hard on Judgement day with
Tyre and Sidon as with you. And as for you, Capernaum, did you want to be
exalted as high as heaven? You shall be thrown down to hell. For if the miracles
done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have been standing yet. And still,
I tell you that it will not go as hard with the land of Sodom on Judgement day
as with you.’
OVERCOMING
OUR FEAR OF OUR ENEMIES
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: [ IS 7:1-9, MT
11:20-24 ]
We all have our fears in
life. Fears cripple us from living our lives meaningfully and take away
the freedom to live and love. It is only natural for us to fear because
it is human. As human beings, we know that we are finite and
limited. We fear for our lives and we fear pain, not just physical pain
but emotional pain, which is even worse. We fear almost everything:
ourselves, our loved ones, our future, our job, our society and the rest of
humanity.
Our enemies are from within
and without. We fear our enemies from without, just like the King of
Judah who was under threat from external enemies. The kings of Israel,
the Northern Kingdom, were in alliance with the King of Aram (Syria) to attack
Judah the Southern Kingdom. He was fearful for his life and his
kingdom. It was in such a situation of fear and discouragement that the
prophet came to assure the king and to console him. But the real fear is
ultimately from within. We are our own worst enemy. Because we lack
confidence in ourselves, our fear causes us to make rash and foolish
decisions. We lose faith in ourselves and in the situation. We
begin to panic and shudder “as the trees of the forest shudder in front of the
wind.”
Why are we fearful?
Firstly, because we do not believe that God is in charge of the world and
everything is within His divine plan. We want to be in control, like the
King of Judah. But God told him, “It shall not come true; it shall not
be. The capital of Aram is Damascus, the head of Damascus, Razon; the capital
of Ephraim, Samaria, the head of Samaria, the son of Remaliah.” To
illustrate this prophecy, Isaiah was asked to bring his son along to see the
King. His son’s name meant ‘the remnants will return’. “Go with your son
Shear-jashub, and meet Ahaz at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the
Fuller’s Field road.” Indeed, God has His plans all within His
control. Judah would never be destroyed but the remnants will
return. This prophecy was fulfilled when the exiles returned from Babylon
under the Persian King.
Secondly, we fear because
we do not believe that God is our army commander, as the psalmist tells
us. He will fight the battle for us and will not allow His holy city to
be destroyed because Jerusalem is His dwelling place. The psalmist
declares, “God upholds his city for ever. The Lord is great and worthy to
be praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain rises in beauty, the joy
of all the earth. Mount Zion, true pole of the earth, the Great King’s city!
God, in the midst of its citadels, has shown himself its stronghold.” The
enemies were thwarted by the power of God, not of human hands or might.
“For the kings assembled together, together they advanced. They saw; at once
they were astounded; dismayed, they fled in fear. A trembling seized them
there, like the pangs of birth. By the east wind you have destroyed the
ships of Tarshish.” Not by might but by the power of the Holy Spirit,
will we overcome all trials.
Thirdly, we fear because we
forget the miracles He has worked in our lives, like the Israelites and the
Jews during the time of Jesus. This was the denouncement of Jesus and
judgement on His contemporaries. “Alas for you, Chorazin! Alas for
you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and
Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.”
Indeed, we often forget the grace of God we have received. We
forget all those times when the Lord had helped us again and again. This
was the same mistake of the Israelites. They were delivered from their
enemies by the Lord and all they needed was to trust Him but they forgot that
God was the Lord of Hosts.
How do we overcome our
fears? We need to have faith in the Lord, unlike King Ahaz and the Jews.
This is what the Lord is saying to us all in our tribulations. “Pay
attention, keep calm, have no fear, do not let your heart sink because of these
two smoldering stumps of firebrands, or because Aram, Ephraim and the son of
Remaliah have plotted to ruin you.” Do not fear! Keep your
serenity. Do not be discouraged. He will see to it that all things will
end well.
How do we grow in faith and
trust in the Lord? We must listen attentively to the Word of
God. This is what the Prophet commands us, “Pay attention!”
We must let the Word of God strike our hearts to repentance. We must come
to realize our mistakes and what have brought us to this situation and
repent. Unless we listen to the Word of God, we will never come to
understand ourselves and learn from our mistakes. Through the Word of
God, we find inspiration and encouragement. Most of all, through the Word
of God, we discern where the Lord is leading us. The Lord who is our
shepherd will always lead us to the greener pastures of life when we think we
are in the valley of tears.
There is a warning that if
we do not listen and repent, then we will be destroyed by our fears and
stubbornness of heart. The prophet warns the king, “Six or five years
more and shattered Ephraim shall no longer be a people. But if you do not stand
by me, you will not stand at all.” This was what happened to the
Israelites who were destroyed not by Aram (Syria) and the northern Kingdom of
Israel but by Assyria. Today, we are called to stand by the Lord or else
we will fall. This is the same message of Jesus. We read that
“Jesus began to reproach the towns in which most of his miracles had been
worked, because they refused to repent.” He lamented, “For if the miracles done
in you had been done in Sodom, it would have been standing yet. And
still, I tell you that it will not go as hard as the land of Sodom on Judgement
day as with you.”
Will we stand with
Jesus? Will we stand up for God? Will we be strong in the
Lord? If we trust Him and listen to Him, He will show us the way and He
will lead us to the fullness of life, freed from fear and all the bondages that
come with it. We must set ourselves free in the name of Jesus, as the psalmist
prays, “Let God arise, let his enemies scatter, let his opponents flee before
him. You disperse them like smoke; as wax melts in the presence of a fire, so
the wicked melt at the presence of God. The upright rejoice in the presence of
God, delighted and crying out for joy.” (Ps 68:1-3
)
)
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights
Reserved
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