HOPE IS SUSTAINED BY FAITH AND LOVE

20160803 HOPE IS SUSTAINED BY FAITH AND LOVE

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Green.

First reading

Jeremiah 31:1-7 ©

I will be the God of all the clans of Israel – it is the Lord who speaks – they shall be my people.

The Lord says this:

They have found pardon in the wilderness,

those who have survived the sword.

Israel is marching to his rest.

The Lord has appeared to him from afar:

I have loved you with an everlasting love,

so I am constant in my affection for you.

I build you once more; you shall be rebuilt,

virgin of Israel.

Adorned once more, and with your tambourines,

you will go out dancing gaily.

You will plant vineyards once more

on the mountains of Samaria

the planters have done their planting: they will gather the fruit.

Yes, a day will come when the watchmen shout

on the mountains of Ephraim,

‘Up! Let us go up to Zion,

to the Lord our God!’

For the Lord says this:

Shout with joy for Jacob!

Hail the chief of nations!

Proclaim! Praise! Shout:

‘The Lord has saved his people,

the remnant of Israel!’

Responsorial Psalm

Jeremiah 31:10-12,13 ©

The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.

O nations, hear the word of the Lord,

  proclaim it to the far-off coasts.

Say: ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him,

  and guard him as a shepherd guards his flock.’

The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.

For the Lord has ransomed Jacob,

  has saved him from an overpowering hand.

They will come and shout for joy on Mount Zion,

  they will stream to the blessings of the Lord.

The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.

Then the young girls will rejoice and will dance,

  the men, young and old, will be glad.

I will turn their mourning into joy,

  I will console them, give them gladness for grief.

The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.

Gospel Acclamation

James1:18

Alleluia, alleluia!

By his own choice the Father made us his children

by the message of the truth,

so that we should be a sort of first-fruits

of all that he created.

Alleluia!

Or

Lk7:16

Alleluia, alleluia!

A great prophet has appeared among us;

God has visited his people.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 15:21-28 ©

Jesus left Gennesaret and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. Then out came a Canaanite woman from that district and started shouting, ‘Sir, Son of David, take pity on me. My daughter is tormented by a devil.’ But he answered her not a word. And his disciples went and pleaded with him. ‘Give her what she wants,’ they said ‘because she is shouting after us.’ He said in reply, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.’ But the woman had come up and was kneeling at his feet. ‘Lord,’ she said ‘help me.’ He replied, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the house-dogs.’ She retorted, ‘Ah yes, sir; but even house-dogs can eat the scraps that fall from their master’s table.’ Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, you have great faith. Let your wish be granted.’ And from that moment her daughter was well again.

HOPE IS SUSTAINED BY FAITH AND LOVE

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [  JER 31:1-7; JER 31:10-12, 13; MT 15:21-28 ]

Hope is what gives us the courage to continue, especially when things are difficult.  All of us have trials in life that come from our work, family and relationships.  At times it has to do with our health, physical and emotional.  When the going gets tough and the developments are not in our favour, we feel like giving up.  Worse still, some of us fall into depression.  So we all need hope to persevere in our trials in life.

In the first reading, we read of the hope of the Israelites in exile.  After losing everything, their land, their temple and their kingdom, many were languishing in Babylon and yearning for their homeland and for the day of restoration.  The prophet Jeremiah, although initially perceived to be a prophet of doom, now comes with a message of hope.  He told the people that “a day will come when the watchmen shout on the mountains of Ephraim, ‘Up! Let us go up to Zion, to the Lord our God!’  For the Lord says this: Shout with joy for Jacob! Hail the chief of nations! Proclaim! Praise! Shout: ‘The Lord has saved his people, the remnant of Israel!’”

This, too, was the hope of God.  He desired to restore His people to what they were during the Davidic times and more. The Lord said, “I build you once more; you shall be rebuilt, virgin of Israel. Adorned once more, and with your tambourines, you will go out dancing gaily. You will plant vineyards once more on the mountains of Samaria (the planters have done their planting; they will gather the fruit).”  This is the plan of God for His people.

In the gospel, the Canaanite woman too came with hope to the Lord.  She started shouting, “Sir, Son of David, take pity on me.  My daughter is tormented by a devil.”  We can feel with the mother.  Those of us who have mental patients at home or elderly suffering from dementia, or young from autism, already find it very challenging to manage them.  What more if one of them is possessed by some spirits!   So the mother must have been experiencing tremendous anxiety and pain, watching her daughter being tormented daily.  In spite of the fact that she was not a Jew but a Canaanite, considered the enemies of the Jews, she had hope that Jesus would be sympathetic to her plight.

What is it that sustains hope?   We need love.  Love is what gives us hope.  St Paul says, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”  (1 Cor 13:7)  When we love someone, we would do everything and endure everything for the sake of those whom we love.  All mothers would sacrifice their time, sleep, resources and whatever they have for their children, regardless how old they are.  When we love, we do not place limits in our endeavor to help our loved ones.  The suffering of our loved ones is more difficult to bear than our own suffering.

Love, therefore, is the basis for perseverance.  This woman could persevere in the face of apparent rejection by the Lord.  We are told that the Lord did not even answer her plea:  “He answered her not a word.”  Then she had to suffer the humiliation of the disciples who saw her as a nuisance.  The only reason why they asked the Lord to attend to her was so that they could get rid of her.  They were not responding out of compassion but out of annoyance because “she is shouting after us.”  But this woman would accept any humiliation for the sake of the health and peace of her daughter.  She would not take “no” for an answer.  And even when she was compared to the dogs, she did not retaliate or snub them like Naaman the leper when told to wash himself seven times in the river Jordan.

Thirdly, love is always creative.  When the Lord explained to her that He was called to serve the House of Israel and that it was not right “to take the children’s food and throw it to the house-dogs”, the woman was witty enough to justify that “even house-dogs can eat the scraps that fall from their master’s table.”  Indeed, when we are in love, we always find ways to love the person and ways to solve the problem.  Love never gives up on trying.  There is always a way out of every problem.

Most of all, it is love that generates faith.  Another word for faith is trust.  Without trust, there can be no love.  But love requires faith and trust in another person.  So faith and love are mutually dependent on each other.  However, trust needs to be earned and takes time to increase in depth and strength.  The only way to build trust is to love.  Love generates and gives foundation to trust.  Love begets love.  The best way to break the suspicion and fears of others is through loving actions.  When people see that we truly love them, they would lower their defenses.  Love has the priority.

Indeed, this is the way God loves us.  His love for us is like that of the mother and more, a persevering, forgiving, patient and enduring love.  He never gave up on His people, regardless how many times they were unfaithful to Him.  He said, “The Lord says this: They have found pardon in the wilderness, those who have survived the sword. Israel is marching to his rest.”  The Lord is always forgiving and merciful.  St Paul says, “Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful;  it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful.”  (1 Cor 13:4f)  This is what the psalmist says, “The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock. O nations, hear the word of the Lord, proclaim it to the far-off coasts. Say: ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, and guard him as a shepherd guards his flock.’ For the Lord has ransomed Jacob, has saved him from an overpowering hand. They will come and shout for joy on Mount Zion, they will stream to the blessings of the Lord.”

The love of God is not only everlasting but universal as well.  The Lord said, “I have loved you with an everlasting love, so I am constant in my affection for you.  I build you once more; you shall be rebuilt, virgin of Israel.”  He never stops loving no matter what happens.  He does not disown us.  He reaffirmed His choice of Israel when He said, “I will be the God of all the clans of Israel, and they shall be my people.”   And this love is not reserved for Israel but through Israel. God wants to extend His love to all of humanity.  This was the approach of Jesus.  He focused His mission on the Jews as they would be His future apostles and missionaries.  However, He did not stop Himself from extending His mercy and love to those gentiles who came to Him for help.  He did not dismiss them simply because they were outside the ambit of His mission.

It is this faith of the woman in the Lord’s love and compassion that the miracle was performed.  She never doubted that Christ would heal her daughter.  In fact, we read how her faith grew through her conversation with the Lord.  She began by calling Him “Son of David” and ended by calling Him “Lord.”  She began by shouting to be heard and noticed, without any shame or fear of embarrassment, and she ended by kneeling in worship before the Lord.  Such was the faith of this woman.  It was this faith that won the heart of the Lord because her faith was tested and she passed that test. “Then Jesus answered her, ‘Women, you have great faith.  Let your wish be granted.’  And from that moment her daughter was well again.”

We too if we want to have faith, we must strengthen our relationship with the Lord.  Like in any human relationship, faith and trust can only come about through dialogue, friendship and regular conversations.  With God, there is no difference.  We cannot trust God if we do not allow Him to love us and we in turn respond to His love.   Like this woman, let us spend time with the Lord and with His people.  The more we love our people, the more we seek to love them in practical ways.  To love them effectively, we need the love of God in our hearts.

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