20161117 MISSING OUT ON THE OPPORTUNITY FOR GRACE
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
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First reading
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Apocalypse
5:1-10 ©
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I, John, saw that in
the right hand of the One sitting on the throne there was a scroll that had
writing on back and front and was sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a
powerful angel who called with a loud voice, ‘Is there anyone worthy to open
the scroll and break the seals of it?’ But there was no one, in heaven or on
the earth or under the earth, who was able to open the scroll and read it. I
wept bitterly because there was nobody fit to open the scroll and read it, but
one of the elders said to me, ‘There is no need to cry: the Lion of the tribe
of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed, and he will open the scroll and the
seven seals of it.’
Then I
saw, standing between the throne with its four animals and the circle of the
elders, a Lamb that seemed to have been sacrificed; it had seven horns, and it
had seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits God has sent out all over the
world. The Lamb came forward to take the scroll from the right hand of the One
sitting on the throne, and when he took it, the four animals prostrated
themselves before him and with them the twenty-four elders; each one of them
was holding a harp and had a golden bowl full of incense made of the prayers of
the saints. They sang a new hymn:
‘You are worthy to
take the scroll
and break the seals
of it,
because you were
sacrificed, and with your blood
you bought men for
God
of every race,
language, people and nation
and made them a line
of kings and priests,
to serve our God and
to rule the world.’
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm 149:1-6,9 ©
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You made us a line
of kings and priests to serve our God.
or
Alleluia!
Sing a new song to
the Lord,
his
praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel rejoice in
its Maker,
let
Zion’s sons exult in their king.
You made us a line
of kings and priests to serve our God.
or
Alleluia!
Let them praise his
name with dancing
and make
music with timbrel and harp.
For the Lord takes
delight in his people.
He crowns
the poor with salvation.
You made us a line
of kings and priests to serve our God.
or
Alleluia!
Let the faithful
rejoice in their glory,
shout for
joy and take their rest.
Let the praise of God
be on their lips:
this
honour is for all his faithful.
You made us a line
of kings and priests to serve our God.
or
Alleluia!
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Ps118:135
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Let your face shine
on your servant,
and teach me your
decrees.
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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Luke 19:41-44 ©
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As
Jesus drew near Jerusalem and came in sight of the city he shed tears over it
and said, ‘If you in your turn had only understood on this day the message of
peace! But, alas, it is hidden from your eyes! Yes, a time is coming when your
enemies will raise fortifications all round you, when they will encircle you
and hem you in on every side; they will dash you and the children inside your
walls to the ground; they will leave not one stone standing on another within
you – and all because you did not recognise your opportunity when God
offered it!’
MISSING
OUT ON THE OPPORTUNITY FOR GRACE
We can feel with Jesus when
He shed tears over Jerusalem. He came with a message of peace but the
people did not understand. In His infused knowledge, we could see the
impending disaster that would befall the city unless the people changed from
being revolutionaries to peacemakers. Indeed, this prophecy was fulfilled
in A.D. 70 when the Romans overran the city leaving many dead. Many died
of hunger as the city was under siege. In their desperate desire to
regain political power, they did not foresee the consequences for their
citizens. It led to mass massacres and innocent deaths. Indeed,
often political leaders do not weigh carefully the sufferings to the masses and
their peoples when they take up arms for battle.
How tragic the words of
Jesus when He said, all this happened “because you did not recognize your
opportunity when God offered it!” This is true in our daily life.
How often have we felt helpless when those whom we advised refused to take heed
of our counsel or even premonition! We see our loved ones living an
unhealthy lifestyle, eating, drinking and smoking excessively. We know
they are overweight and it would be a matter of time before they suffer a
stroke or a heart attack. But in spite of our reminders, they could not
be bothered till it is too late. Another case in point is gambling.
We see someone addicted to gambling. We try to dissuade and encourage the
person to cease such activities. But the gambler of course would not
admit that he has an addiction. He would tell lies and try to cover up
his tracks. He starts to borrow money and then when he runs of resources
and his debts begin to mount and the money lenders start to hound him, he
starts to cheat, steal and commit criminal breach of trust.
Indeed, there are many
stories of people who would not take heed of our advice. It could be
asking our children to study hard for their exams. It could be someone
who is coping with too much stress at work, more than he could handle. It
could be someone becoming addicted to drink and drugs. We know from past
experience the consequences for not breaking free from our bondages or a
careless lifestyle. We might not have the infused knowledge of Jesus but
we would have foresight gained from hindsight. We give advice and often
our messages fall on deaf ears. At times, those who hear our advice get
offended, become defensive and even attack us for trying to help them.
They just want to follow their will and their desires.
Unfortunately, they will
have to pay the price for their folly. Sadly, that is how people
learn. They need to be brought low and be brought down before they could
rise again. Only when a smoker gets cancer, would he then stop
smoking. Only when a drunk driver has killed someone, would he then
realize how important it is to drive safely and when he is sober. But by then,
not only do they suffer for their recklessness but worst of all, their loved
ones who are innocent have to bear and shoulder their sins. Their
families are destroyed. Their lives are wrecked. They have lost
their security. From then on, there is no peace at home. And
then we start to regret. “If only I recognized the signs that were
warning me already, this would not have happened.” But it is too late to
regret because what has been done cannot be undone. Because of our
selfishness, pride, self-will, we have hurt not just ourselves but our loved
ones deeply.
For this
reason, today, in the first reading, we are invited to come to Jesus, the Lamb
of God sacrificed for us. Only He can break the seven seals of the scroll
and reveal to us our future and our destiny. Only Christ can reveal
to us what is to come. Only He can reveal to us the mysteries of
life. Jesus who has seven eyes and seven spirits means that He is
omniscient. Only He knows the mysteries and the Hidden Plan of
God. By coming to Jesus, the Word of God, we can be enlightened in the
truth and be convicted of our sins. Otherwise, we live in darkness and
confusion.
Jesus is not only the
revealer of history and our future. He is also our strength and our
fortress. He is called the Lion of Judah. He is the One with the
seven horns. Seven stands for perfection. Not only has He absolute
knowledge, He has absolute power over His enemies. If we face any trials
and difficulties, Jesus as the Lion and with seven horns will ensure victory
for us. What we need is the inner strength that comes from God if we are
to remain steadfast in times of opposition. He can give us the power to
break from our bondages if we are ready to submit our will to the Lord.
Indeed, on our own strength we cannot do many things, especially forgiving our
enemies, those who have hurt us and all forms of obsessions and addictions.
He has shown Himself to be
victorious over evil, sin and death by the fact that He was sacrificed.
Indeed, it was His sacrifice on the cross that made Him worthy to open the
scroll of life and death. “You are worthy to take the scroll and break the
seals of it, because you were sacrificed, and with your blood you bought men
for God of every race, language, people and nation and made them a line of
kings and priests to serve our God and to rule the world.” With the cross
and the resurrection of Christ, He demonstrated to us that nothing is
impossible to overcome, not even sin, falsehood and hatred.
Most of all, Christ has
“made us a line of kings and priests to serve our God.” Christ wants to
share His power with us. We too are made kings in Christ. We are
given the power of self-control. To be a king is to learn to manage
ourselves before we can manage others. As kings, we are called to govern
and to be responsible for those under our care. But we need to allow
Christ to rule our lives. To be priest, means that we have direct access
to God our Father through our Lord Jesus Christ. Unlike in the Old
Testament, where only priests could have access to the sanctuary of God, for
Christians, we are the Temple of God and His sanctuary. We are called to
worship Him like the saints in heaven, singing praises to God. We read
what the saints do in heaven. “The four animals prostrated
themselves before him and with them the twenty-four elders; each one of them
was holding a harp and had a golden bowl full of incense made of the prayers of
the saints. They sang a new hymn …”
So today, let us not miss
out on the grace of God given to us. His grace comes to us in many ways
each day. His message comes through our friends, a phone call, an email,
an SMS or through a movie or a TV drama that we watch. Most of all, His
grace comes to us through prayer and contemplation. Let us listen for the voice
of the Lord and enter in His peace. (cf Ps 85:8) Only when we obey His word, can
we find life. Again the letter of Hebrews warns us, “And to whom did he
swear that they should never enter his rest, but to those who were
disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of
unbelief.” (Heb 3:18f)
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights
Reserved
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