20160713 PRIDE IS THE CAUSE OF OUR DOWNFALL
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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Isaiah
10:5-7,13-16 ©
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The Lord of hosts
says this:
Woe to Assyria, the
rod of my anger,
the club brandished
by me in my fury!
I sent him against a
godless nation;
I gave him commission
against a people that provokes me,
to pillage and to
plunder freely
and to stamp down
like the mud in the streets.
But he did not intend
this,
his heart did not
plan it so.
No, in his heart was
to destroy,
to go on cutting
nations to pieces without limit.
For he has said:
‘By the strength of
my own arm I have done this
and by my own
intelligence, for understanding is mine;
I have pushed back
the frontiers of peoples
and plundered their
treasures.
I have brought their
inhabitants down to the dust.
As if they were a
bird’s nest, my hand has seized
the riches of the
peoples.
As people pick up
deserted eggs
I have picked up the
whole earth,
with not a wing
fluttering,
not a beak opening,
not a chirp.’
Does the axe claim
more credit than the man who wields it,
or the saw more strength
than the man who handles it?
It would be like the
cudgel controlling the man who raises it,
or the club moving
what is not made of wood!
And so the Lord of
Hosts is going to send
a wasting sickness on
his stout warriors;
beneath his plenty, a
burning will burn
like a consuming
fire.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm
93:5-10,14-15 ©
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The Lord will not
abandon his people.
They crush your
people, Lord,
they
afflict the ones you have chosen
They kill the widow
and the stranger
and
murder the fatherless child.
The Lord will not
abandon his people.
And they say: ‘The
Lord does not see;
the God
of Jacob pays no heed.’
Mark this, most
senseless of people;
fools,
when will you understand?
The Lord will not
abandon his people.
Can he who made the
ear, not hear?
Can he
who formed the eye, not see?
Will he who trains
nations not punish?
Will he
who teaches men, not have knowledge?
The Lord will not
abandon his people.
The Lord will not
abandon his people
nor
forsake those who are his own;
for judgement shall
again be just
and all
true hearts shall uphold it.
The Lord will not
abandon 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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Gospel
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Matthew 11:25-27
©
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Jesus
exclaimed, ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these
things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children.
Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do. Everything has been
entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, just
as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to
reveal him.’
PRIDE
IS THE CAUSE OF OUR DOWNFALL
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: [
IS 10:5-7, 13-16; MT 11:25-27 ]
The axiom that says pride
goes before a man’s destruction is so true. Pride comes in many ways and
from different sources. Pride can come from our accomplishments, like in
the case of the King of Assyria. It can also come from knowledge,
like the Pharisees and the Scribes. Whether it is over confidence and
glorifying oneself or thinking that we know everything or more than others,
pride will serve to destroy us. Pride blinds us to the truth about
ourselves and who we are. When we think too highly of ourselves and even
supplant the place of God, we have arrived at the height of arrogance.
This is what humanism is all about. We do not need God because we
think we can solve all problems by ourselves. Or, like those at the
opposite end of the spectrum, the New Age mentality says we are all gods.
Indeed, pride in himself,
in his might and achievements, was the downfall of the King of Assyria.
It is true that Shalmaneser, King of Assyria, conquered the kingdom of Israel
and sent the people into exile. As a result, the new King of Assyria,
Sennacherib was emboldened to overthrow the rulers of Israel and capture the
city. He thought he could, with his military might and power, bring
Israel under his control. With much arrogance and insolence, he boasted to
all, “By the strength of my own arm I have done this and by my own
intelligence, for understanding is mine; have pushed back the frontiers of
peoples and plundered their treasures. I have brought their inhabitants down to
the dust. As if they were bird’s nest, my hand has seized the riches of the
peoples. As people pick up deserted eggs I have picked up the whole earth, with
not a wing fluttering, not a beak opening, not a chirp.”
The truth is that he did
not know that all powers lie in the hands of God. If God does not give us
the talents and the strength, we would not be able to do anything. In
fact, regardless of who we are, whether we are working for God or for
ourselves, God is in control of the world and its destiny. He will make
use of us to achieve His purpose, whether we know it or not. “The Lord of hosts
says this: ‘Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger, the club brandished by me in
my fury! I sent him against a godless nation; I gave him commission against a
people that provokes me, to pillage and to plunder freely and to stamp down
like the mud in the streets. But he did not plan it so. No, in his heart was to
destroy, to go on cutting nations to pieces without limit.'” This was the
same lesson that Jesus gave to Pilate during the trial.
Without God’s permission,
Assyria could not have conquered Samaria. It was only a rod
employed by God to bring Israel to repentance. Indeed, the Lord asked, “Does
the axe claim more credit than the man who wields it or the saw more strength
than the man who handles it? It would be like the cudgel controlling the man
who raises it, or the club moving what is not made of wood!” The answer is
obvious. Without the power of God as the efficient cause, the tool is
powerless. We are just God’s instruments of His love. The psalmist
warns us, “And they say: ‘The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob pays no
heed.’ Mark this, most senseless of people; fools, when will you understand?
Can he who made the ear, not hear? Can he who formed the eye, not see? Will he
who trains nations not punish? Will he who teaches men, not have knowledge?”
This is true for many of us
as well. How many of us believe that our success is due to the grace of
God? We might give lip service to God and say that our success is due to
His grace and mercy but deep in our hearts we think that we are the ones who
should get the credit. We think it is due to our hard work and ingenuity
that we have become successful. Indeed, if we are truly conscious that
everything is due to His grace alone, we will be grateful. We would
become more humble before Him for being so gracious to us.
A sign that we believe that
it is not our work but His grace is seen in our faith in Christ expressed in
prayer. To pray is to acknowledge our finiteness. It means that we
seek His direction and wisdom in all things, doing His holy will. Only
those who are humble can understand the ways of the Lord. He exclaimed, “I
bless you Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the
learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father,
for that is what it pleased you to do.” Without humility, we cannot learn
anything from anyone; least of all from God. Only with humility, can we
have faith and put our trust in God. With humility we can surrender
ourselves to the will of God in faith, even when we do not understand why
certain things happen in our lives, especially when tragedies strike.
Jesus is our example of one
who knew His place. He was conscious that He was the Son. He was
sent by the Father. His whole life and ministry was rooted in the
Father’s love. Hence, He could make the claim that “Everything has been
entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, just
as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to
reveal him.” In St John’s gospel, Jesus made it clear that He was doing
the works of the Father and whatever He wills, He does. He came to do the
Father’s will. It was because of His personal relationship with His
Father, knowing the heart of the Father, that he could confidently commit
Himself to the Father’s plan.
Necessarily, we must come
to Jesus who can lead us to the Father and His plan for us. Only in
Christ, can we appreciate the Father’s plan for us, especially in times of
trial, crises, tragedies and misfortunes. When we know that God is in
control, we need not panic. Whether in good health or sickness, in
success or in failure, in good or bad times, we can remain calm because we know
that God will not abandon us as testified by the psalmist. Indeed, “They
crush your people, Lord, they afflict the ones you have chosen. They kill the
widow and the stranger and murder the fatherless child” but still he said, “The
Lord will not abandon his people nor forsake those who are his own; for
judgement shall again be just and all true hearts shall uphold it.”
The consequence for failing
to realize the sovereignty of God and that He is the source of life and all
that we are, is to end in failure, disappointment and disillusionment. A
time will come when we find that in spite of all our planning, things do not
work out. Our plans could be derailed because of developments and
situations beyond our control. As in the march of King Sennacherib and
his army, apparently they were struck down by an epidemic that caused many to
fall sick and die. Historians have suggested that it could be due to an
outbreak of dengue fever. This was what the prophet foretold, “And so the
Lord of hosts is going to send a wasting sickness on his stout warriors;
beneath his plenty, a burning will burn like a consuming fire.”
When we come to that stage,
we might give up on life as we enter into depression because of failure; more
so when we have expended so much of our time and energy. We become
bitter and angry with God when in the first place, we never really believed in
Him or His grace or His power over us. Indeed, tragic is the man who
thinks too highly of himself and lacks the humility to rely and depend on the
Lord. He will end up in nihilism, as most atheists do in the face of
suffering and disappointment. If we do not want to walk that slippery
path, let us walk the path of humility before God. This is a sure path to
life, especially for those in leadership, to walk humbly before God and His
people.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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