20160802 JESUS SAVES
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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Jeremiah
30:1-2,12-15,18-22 ©
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The word addressed to
Jeremiah by the Lord: the Lord, the God of Israel says this: Write all the
words I have spoken to you in a book.
Yes, the Lord says
this:
Your wound is
incurable,
your injury past
healing.
There is no one to
care for your sore,
no medicine to make
you well again.
All your lovers have
forgotten you,
they look for you no
more.
Yes, I have struck
you as an enemy strikes,
with harsh punishment
so great is your
guilt, so many your sins.
Why bother to
complain about your wound?
Your pain is incurable.
So great is your
guilt, so many your sins,
that I have done all
this to you.
The Lord says this:
Now I will restore
the tents of Jacob,
and take pity on his
dwellings:
the city shall be
rebuilt on its ruins,
the citadel restored
on its site.
From them will come
thanksgiving
and shouts of joy.
I will make them
increase, and not diminish them,
make them honoured,
and not disdained.
Their sons shall be
as once they were,
their community fixed
firm in my presence,
and I will punish all
their oppressors.
Their prince will be
one of their own,
their ruler come from
their own people.
I will let him come
freely into my presence and he can come close to me;
who else, indeed,
would risk his life
by coming close to
me? – it is the Lord who speaks.
And you shall be my
people and I will be your God.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm
101:16-21,29,22-23 ©
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The Lord shall
build up Zion again and appear in all his glory.
The nations shall
fear the name of the Lord
and all
the earth’s kings your glory,
when the Lord shall
build up Zion again
and
appear in all his glory.
Then he will turn to
the prayers of the helpless;
he will
not despise their prayers.
The Lord shall
build up Zion again and appear in all his glory.
Let this be written
for ages to come
that a
people yet unborn may praise the Lord;
for the Lord leaned
down from his sanctuary on high.
He looked
down from heaven to the earth
that he might hear
the groans of the prisoners
and free
those condemned to die.
The Lord shall
build up Zion again and appear in all his glory.
The sons of your
servants shall dwell untroubled
and their
race shall endure before you
that the name of the
Lord may be proclaimed in Zion
and his
praise in the heart of Jerusalem,
when peoples and
kingdoms are gathered together
to pay
their homage to the Lord.
The Lord shall
build up Zion again and appear in all his glory.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Jn8:12
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the light of the
world, says the Lord;
anyone who follows me
will have the light of life.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Jn1:49
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Rabbi, you are the
Son of God,
you are the King of
Israel.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 14:22-36
©
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When Jesus received
the news of John the Baptist’s death, he made the disciples get into the boat
and go on ahead to the other side while he would send the crowds away. After
sending the crowds away he went up into the hills by himself to pray. When
evening came, he was there alone, while the boat, by now far out on the lake,
was battling with a heavy sea, for there was a head-wind. In the fourth watch
of the night he went towards them, walking on the lake, and when the disciples
saw him walking on the lake they were terrified. ‘It is a ghost’ they said, and
cried out in fear. But at once Jesus called out to them, saying, ‘Courage! It
is I! Do not be afraid.’ It was Peter who answered. ‘Lord,’ he said ‘if it is
you, tell me to come to you across the water.’ ‘Come’ said Jesus. Then Peter
got out of the boat and started walking towards Jesus across the water, but as
soon as he felt the force of the wind, he took fright and began to sink. ‘Lord!
Save me!’ he cried. Jesus put out his hand at once and held him. ‘Man of little
faith,’ he said ‘why did you doubt?’ And as they got into the boat the wind
dropped. The men in the boat bowed down before him and said, ‘Truly, you are
the Son of God.’
Having
made the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret. When the local people
recognised him they spread the news through the whole neighbourhood and took
all that were sick to him, begging him just to let them touch the fringe of his
cloak. And all those who touched it were completely cured.
JESUS
SAVES
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: [ JER
30:1-2, 12-15, 18-22; MT 14:22-36 OR MT 15:1-2, 10-14 ]
The scripture readings
today clearly demonstrate the mercy and compassion of God to save His people
from all situations of life, including sins and the consequences of sin.
He has come to forgive us our sins, heal us and restore us to fullness of life,
both as individuals and as a community. The psalmist says, “Let this be
written for ages to come that a people yet unborn may praise the Lord; for the
Lord leaned down from his sanctuary on high. He looked down from heaven to the
earth that he might hear the groans of the prisoners and free those condemned
to die.”
In the first reading, we
read of the mercy and compassion of God. The people of Israel in their
arrogance during their time of prosperity forgot all about God, His laws and
the Covenant. The people were divided. The poor were oppressed and
the rich were living off the poor. There was great social injustice. Above all,
they turned to foreign gods instead of worshipping the Lord. As a
consequence, they were conquered by the Babylonians and were exiled. The
prophet reminded the people not to look upon their misery as God abandoning
them. Rather, the punishments inflicted on them by their enemy were
permitted by God so that they could turn back to Him. The truth, as the
Lord said, was that their sinfulness had gone beyond redemption. “Your
wound is incurable, your injury past healing. There is no one to care for your
sore, no medicine to make you well again. All your lovers have forgotten
you; they look for you no more.”
In the gospel Jesus, as the
fulfillment of the Old Testament, came to restore the Kingdom of God. He
is the compassion and mercy of God in person. We read at the beginning of
the gospel how Jesus in His compassion and consideration for the safety of His
disciples sent them away. “Jesus made the disciples get into the boat, and go
on ahead to the other side while he would send the crowds away.” This was
because, as St John’s gospel noted, the people wanted to make Him king after
seeing the miracle of the loaves. That would have caused political
tensions with the Romans and the authorities. So in order to calm the
situation, He got the disciples out of the scene and quietly “went up into the
hills.”
However, when He knew that
His disciples were in a crisis, He came to their rescue. Although they
were professional and experienced fishermen, they were “battling with a heavy
sea, for there was a head-wind.” Knowing their predicament, “he went
towards them, walking on the lake.” Even in His desire to be alone to
think through His ministry arising from the misunderstanding of His messiahship
as a political revolutionary, Jesus came to the help of His disciples in their
time of need. He felt the need to give them assurance as He “called out
to them, saying, ‘Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.’” Indeed, the
Lord demonstrated His mercy and compassion with this one desire to save all.
The compassion of Jesus is
once again seen when Jesus reached the shore at Genesaret: “the whole
neighbourhood…took all that were sick to him, begging him just to let them
touch the fringe of his cloak. And all those who touched it were
completely cured.” Jesus did not stop them from coming to Him even though
they came only for a physical cure. However, Jesus did not come just to
save our bodies but our souls as well. He came to give us eternal life
through His word and our union with the Father. But He allowed the people
to come to Him for healing nonetheless, knowing that at this point the only way
for them to encounter the presence of God was through His presence and His
healing power. He did not drive them away or scold them for their
superstition. Rather, He adapted Himself to the spiritual maturity of His
people as it was thought that by touching the tassels of a holy man they would
be healed. He knew that conversion is not the result of preaching alone
but also through good deeds and works of compassion. This is the only way to
let people know and be convinced that God really cares for them.
What, then, is needed for
us to be healed by the Lord? Firstly, we need to grow in humility.
Without this virtue, we will be too proud to turn to the Lord. That
is why God allows us to suffer tragedy and disappointments in life so that we
know our place in the world. Otherwise, some people may think that they
are gods! The mercy of God at times is ironically given through
suffering. The Lord said to Israel, “Why bother to complain about your
wound. Your pain is incurable. So great is your guilt, so many your sins,
that I have done all this to you.” Most of us will come to
realize our nothingness and finiteness only when we are in a crisis. So
long as life is good to us and we are doing well, we think that success and
happiness is our creation. It is only when we are stripped of everything,
including our health and freedom, that we come to realize that man is not so
mighty after all. We are powerless in the face of illness and
death. Yet, through our sufferings, we gain our sobriety and, humiliated
by the Lord, we turn back to him.
Secondly, if we want to be
saved, we need to have confidence in the Lord. We are assured that the moment
we return to the Lord in faith and confidence, He will once again hear our
prayers. “The nations shall fear the name of the Lord and all the earth’s
kings your glory, when the Lord shall build up Zion again and appear in all his
glory. Then he will turn to the prayers of the helpless; he will not despise
their prayers.” Indeed, even as the Israelites suffered much during their
exile, they were given hope of restoration to something even greater than they
had. “Now I will restore the tents of Jacob, and take pity on his
dwellings: the city shall be rebuilt on its ruins, the citadel restored
on its site.” Not only will the city and temple be restored by Ezra and
Nehemiah but they would once again gather together as the People of God and
their rulers restored to power. Of course, the fullness of this
restoration is in Christ who is the Universal King, the Son of David. But
like St Peter we need to cry out for help with fervor and humility.
Thirdly, the faith that is
needed is a confession of Jesus as the Son of God. Jesus said, “’Man of
little faith,’ he said ‘why did you doubt?’ And as they got into the boat
the wind dropped. The men in the boat bowed down before him and said,
‘Truly, you are the Son of God.’” This is the height of the Christian
profession of faith. Indeed, with that little faith in Him, as in the case of
St Peter, the Lord will come to our help. He does not expect us to have
total faith for Him to cure or heal us. But at least, like St Peter, we
must in faith cry out to Him for help.
Finally, salvation is given
only to those who keep their eyes on Jesus. The problem with St Peter and
all of us is that when we have difficulties in life, instead of looking toward
the Lord for solution, wisdom and strength, we either turn to our fellowmen,
our “horses and chariots” or, worse still, turn to ourselves and descend
further into depression because of fear and anxiety. St Peter was doing
well until he took his eyes off the Lord and focused on the waters.
Indeed, if we were to walk a tightrope, we do not look down because we would be
struck with fear because of the height. Rather, we must look straight so
that we can maintain our balance. So, too, in our faith journey our eyes
must always be kept on the Lord at all times. With Jesus in the
center of our lives, in our boats, we will never have to fear because He will
give us the calmness and sobriety to think through and battle the trials of
life. And even if, like St Peter, we fail half-way in our faith in Him,
the Lord will come to our aid. He will not allow us to fail if we put our
trust in Him.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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