20161113 ATROPHY CAUSED BY A NARROW PERSPECTIVE
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
|
First reading
|
Malachi 3:19-20 ©
|
The day is coming
now, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and the evil-doers will be
like stubble. The day that is coming is going to burn them up, says the Lord of
Hosts, leaving them neither root nor stalk. But for you who fear my name, the
sun of righteousness will shine out with healing in its rays.
|
Responsorial
Psalm
|
|
Psalm 97(98):5-9
©
|
The Lord comes to
rule the peoples with fairness.
Sing psalms to the
Lord with the harp
with the
sound of music.
With trumpets and the
sound of the horn
acclaim
the King, the Lord.
The Lord comes to
rule the peoples with fairness.
Let the sea and all
within it, thunder;
the
world, and all its peoples.
Let the rivers clap
their hands
and the
hills ring out their joy
at the presence of
the Lord.
The Lord comes to
rule the peoples with fairness.
For the Lord comes,
he comes
to rule the earth.
He will rule the
world with justice
and the
peoples with fairness.
The Lord comes to
rule the peoples with fairness.
|
Second reading
|
|
2 Thessalonians
3:7-12 ©
|
You know how you are
supposed to imitate us: now we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we
ever have our meals at anyone’s table without paying for them; no, we worked
night and day, slaving and straining, so as not to be a burden on any of you.
This was not because we had no right to be, but in order to make ourselves an
example for you to follow.
We gave
you a rule when we were with you: do not let anyone have any food if he refuses
to do any work. Now we hear that there are some of you who are living in
idleness, doing no work themselves but interfering with everyone else’s. In the
Lord Jesus Christ, we order and call on people of this kind to go on quietly
working and earning the food that they eat.
|
Gospel
Acclamation
|
Lk21:36
|
Alleluia, alleluia!
Stay awake, praying
at all times
for the strength to
stand with confidence
before the Son of
Man.
Alleluia!
|
Or
|
Lk21:28
|
Alleluia, alleluia!
Stand erect, hold
your heads high,
because your
liberation is near at hand.
Alleluia!
|
Gospel
|
Luke 21:5-19 ©
|
When some were
talking about the Temple, remarking how it was adorned with fine stonework and
votive offerings, Jesus said, ‘All these things you are staring at now –
the time will come when not a single stone will be left on another: everything
will be destroyed.’ And they put to him this question: ‘Master,’ they said
‘when will this happen, then, and what sign will there be that this is about to
take place?’
‘Take
care not to be deceived,’ he said ‘because many will come using my name and
saying, “I am he” and, “The time is near at hand.” Refuse to join them. And
when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened, for this is
something that must happen but the end is not so soon.’ Then he said to them,
‘Nation will fight against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be
great earthquakes and plagues and famines here and there; there will be fearful
sights and great signs from heaven.
‘But
before all this happens, men will seize you and persecute you; they will hand
you over to the synagogues and to imprisonment, and bring you before kings and
governors because of my name – and that will be your opportunity to bear
witness. Keep this carefully in mind: you are not to prepare your defence,
because I myself shall give you an eloquence and a wisdom that none of your
opponents will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by
parents and brothers, relations and friends; and some of you will be put to
death. You will be hated by all men on account of my name, but not a hair of
your head will be lost. Your endurance will win you your lives.’
ATROPHY
CAUSED BY A NARROW PERSPECTIVE
Today, many of us are
living in a state of atrophy. We wonder what we are living for. Is
life just about work, making money, building an empire, having a car and a
house, going for holidays? Is there nothing more to life than simply
eating, enjoying and having pleasure? This life with so much suffering,
injustice and tragedy does not seem worth living. Not only that; there is
so much irony in this life too. Big house, small family; advance
medicine, poor health; More degrees, less common sense; Touched moon,
neighbours unknown; high income, less peace of mind; more knowledge, less
wisdom; high IQ, less emotions; multiple affairs, no true love; lots of
virtual friends, no real friends; costly watches, no time; more alcohol less
water; lots of human, less humanity. Maybe we should just return the ticket
back to God!
What is the cause of this
state that we have arrived at? I believe this is due to the disconnect
between the present and the future brought about by secularism. With
secularism, the rejection of God and eternity has resulted in materialism,
consumerism and relativism. When there is no future, what else can man
hope for if not the present?
But if we just live in the
present, after some time, we would wonder what life is all about. Once
our bodily needs are satisfied, we will get bored again. Whether we believe we
have a spirit or not, the truth is that even when we have acquired all the
things of this world, enjoyed all we can, our hearts will remain empty and life
meaningless. Call it our spirit or by any other name, we know that we
need more than things, we need love and meaning. Without love, life is
empty. Without meaning, especially unconditional meaning, we can never
live passionately. The result is disillusionment, atrophy, hopelessness,
despair. When money, power, status, and things no longer attract us, what else
is there to live for?
On the other hand, we have
the other group of people that incidentally is part of the cause of those who
only want to live in the present. This is the group who live only in the
future. Like the disciples in the gospel, they are always concerned about
life after death, the end of the world and the future of humanity. They
indulge in speculation – of the date of the end of the world. They
promote visions and promises of prophets warning them that the world is coming
to an end. Their mind is always about the coming of God’s kingdom and the
destruction of the world. They live in fear and anxiety. If ever
they come back to God, it is because of the fear of punishment as the
scriptures often mentioned. Everything would be destroyed.
Those who live in this mode
have a disdain of the present. They feel that this life is going
nowhere. This is an evil world and so the only way for God to redeem us
is to bring this world to an end. Only a New Heaven and a New Earth can
bring about justice and peace. As far as they are concerned, this world
is going to the dogs.
Between these two groups,
we have another group that lives in the past. Unable to cope with the
present life, the stress and the demands of the modern world, they go back to
the past. Instead of living in the future, they wallow in the nostalgia
of the good old days. Thinking of the past provides them some consolation but
if they are not careful, they too will fall into a melancholic and depressive
state. Their mode of thinking is, “it could have been!” Living in the
past will do us no good because we become misfits in society. We will
eventually be left behind and rot.
How then should we live our
life if we want to live meaningfully and enthusiastically? We need to
live for the future in the present. The present and the future must be
held in tension at all times. Yet, it is not so much a tension as they
are mutually complementary. The reality is that there is no lasting
kingdom in this life. There is no true justice on this earth because life
is not fair. Nothing on this earth can last as they are all passing. Even
our relationships will come to an end on earth. Realizing this, we cannot
simply be living for the present. Whatever we do, our achievements, our
successes, wealth and power would have to be left behind when we die.
Those things that we worked on might not even last long after our demise.
Thinking of the transient nature of this life on earth can lead us to give up
hope, purpose and meaning.
However, Christian life
speaks of a certain hope about the future. For the Christian, there is a
definite future. A Christian does not live in hope for a future but he is
clear about the future of humanity. He knows that the future is full and
complete. Only in the future, in the next life will there be lasting
peace, joy and love. What we have on this earth is just a
foretaste. This is what the scripture readings want to assure us.
The first reading from the prophet Malachi speaks of the Day of the Lord when
everything will burn “like a furnace; and all the arrogant and the evil-doers
will be like stubble … leaving them neither root nor stalk. But for you who
fear my name, the sun of righteousness will shine out with healing in its
rays.”
Indeed, there will be a new
order and a new creation where justice, peace, love and righteousness will
prevail. The psalmist declares, “The Lord comes to rule the earth with
justice… He will rule the world with justice and the peoples with
fairness.” It is this hope of fulfillment in the next world that keeps
Christians living a life of hope and love. Without hope of justice in the
next life, there is no reason for us to persevere in truth, in love and in
peace. Without hope of the fullness of life in the next world, there is
no reason for us to continue in this life, especially for those of us who are
poor, suffering, hungry and sick.
But our hope in the future
should not take us away from living fully today. This is because the
future is determined in some ways by today. This is why St Paul
reprimanded the Christians for not being responsible with their lives simply
because they were expecting the coming of the Day of the Lord. Some of
them stopped working and lay around idly waiting for the Parousia of the
Lord. Instead St Paul ordered them to continue working. He said,
“We gave you a rule when we were with you: not to let anyone have any food if
he refused to do any work… In the Lord Jesus Christ, we order and call on
people of this kind to go on quietly working and earning the food that they
eat.”
The best way to prepare
ourselves for the future is to be responsible in the present. When we do what
we have to do, according to our responsibilities and calling in life, and
faithfully carry out our tasks, we will grow in maturity, in truth and in love.
By facing the challenges of daily life as mentioned in the gospel, whether it
is of suffering, tragedy, wars, natural catastrophe, we will mature in love;
grow in perfection, in grace and in truth.
Indeed, even whilst
preparing for the next life, we should never neglect the presence of Christ
already with us here and now. Whenever we work hard and are absorbed in
our work, life has meaning and purpose. We develop skills and talents and
we keep ourselves healthy through work. Enjoying the present and what the
world has to offer gives us a reprieve from mere work alone. By so doing,
the love, joy and peace of God is mediated to us through our work and the
people whom we work with.
At the same time, even when
things do not always turn out the way we desire, we do not get overly upset
because we know that the world is changing. So we learn to exercise
detachment as well and not allow ourselves to be too attached to the things of
this world. Knowing that we are not going to bring them with us, we want
to use them for love, service and the good of all. Living fully in the
present, we can then be ready to leave when the time comes for us to be with
God. At the same time, we are mindful of the past as well. We want to
learn from our past mistakes and that of our forefathers so that we can grow in
wisdom and understanding. We try to avoid repeating the mistakes of
history. So keeping an eye on the future and an eye on the past whilst
having both eyes focused on the present, we live as fully as we can and yet
know that our future rests ultimately in God and not in this earth. When
we see everything in perspective, we see the presence of God.
Finally, in our daily
struggles to remain authentic to our calling in life, we must rely on the power
of God. Jesus reminded the disciples and assured them in their fears and
anxieties: “Men will seize you and persecute you; they will hand you over
to the synagogues and to imprisonment, and bring you before kings and governors
because of my name – and that will be your opportunity to bear witness. Keep
this carefully in mind: you are not to prepare your defence, because I myself
shall give you an eloquence and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be
able to resist or contradict.” The Lord will be with us and He will see
us through. Jesus said, “Your endurance will win you your lives.”
Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment