20161127 THE CALL TO VIGILANCE
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Violet.
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First reading
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Isaiah 2:1-5 ©
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The vision of Isaiah
son of Amoz, concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In the days to come
the mountain of the
Temple of the Lord
shall tower above the
mountains
and be lifted higher
than the hills.
All the nations will
stream to it,
peoples without
number will come to it; and they will say:
‘Come,
let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the
Temple of the God of Jacob
that he
may teach us his ways
so that
we may walk in his paths;
since the
Law will go out from Zion,
and the
oracle of the Lord from Jerusalem.’
He will wield
authority over the nations
and adjudicate
between many peoples;
these will hammer
their swords into ploughshares,
their spears into
sickles.
Nation will not lift
sword against nation,
there will be no more
training for war.
O House of Jacob,
come,
let us walk in the
light of the Lord.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm
121(122):1-2,4-5,6-9 ©
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I rejoiced when I
heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
I rejoiced when I
heard them say:
‘Let us
go to God’s house.’
And now our feet are
standing
within
your gates, O Jerusalem.
I rejoiced when I
heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
It is there that the
tribes go up,
the
tribes of the Lord.
For Israel’s law it
is,
there to
praise the Lord’s name.
There were set the
thrones of judgement
of the
house of David.
I rejoiced when I
heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
For the peace of
Jerusalem pray:
‘Peace be
to your homes!
May peace reign in
your walls,
in your
palaces, peace!’
I rejoiced when I
heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
For love of my
brethren and friends
I say:
‘Peace upon you!’
For love of the house
of the Lord
I will
ask for your good.
I rejoiced when I
heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
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Second reading
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Romans 13:11-14 ©
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You know ‘the time’
has come: you must wake up now: our salvation is even nearer than it was when
we were converted. The night is almost over, it will be daylight soon –
let us give up all the things we prefer to do under cover of the dark; let us
arm ourselves and appear in the light. Let us live decently as people do in the
daytime: no drunken orgies, no promiscuity or licentiousness, and no wrangling
or jealousy. Let your armour be the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Ps84:8
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Let us see, O Lord,
your mercy
and give us your
saving help.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 24:37-44
©
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Jesus said to his
disciples, ‘As it was in Noah’s day, so will it be when the Son of Man comes.
For in those days before the Flood people were eating, drinking, taking wives,
taking husbands, right up to the day Noah went into the ark, and they suspected
nothing till the Flood came and swept all away. It will be like this when the
Son of Man comes. Then of two men in the fields one is taken, one left; of two
women at the millstone grinding, one is taken, one left.
‘So stay
awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming. You may be
quite sure of this that if the householder had known at what time of the night
the burglar would come, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed
anyone to break through the wall of his house. Therefore, you too must stand
ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’
THE
CALL TO VIGILANCE
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: [ IS 2:1-5; PS 121:1-2,4-5,6-9; ROM 13:11-14; MT 24:37-44 ]
There is so much division
and tension in the world today. In spite of mass communication, internet
and globalization, advanced technology and science, better living conditions,
facilities and luxuries compared to the time of our forefathers, this world is
getting more and more dangerous to live in. Today, we live in fear not
knowing how safe we are. With terrorist activities rampant in the world,
we do not know when we will be attacked as well. That is why the
government is asking us to be alert to the possibility of terrorist attacks
which can come from anywhere and any person when we least expect it. The
government is working not just on prevention, but preparing us for the
aftermath of a terrorist attack, for the truth is that there is no full proof
prevention. Be alert, is the message of the government.
Why is the world getting
more unsafe? This is because our peoples are divided. We see the
world getting more and more polarized. We have witnessed this situation
in the West. The recent Brexit and US election have much to teach us
about the cultural and moral divide among peoples. The liberals who have
been pushing their agenda on the redefinition of the family, marriage and other
values are seeing a push-back from the conservatives of society who until then
had been silent. Indeed, because of relativism, there is no more
basis to hold our peoples united in love and in truth.
We no longer know what is
truth today, what is right or wrong. Although we have acquired more
knowledge and information, we have less clarity and wisdom. Many of us do
not know what to make of all the knowledge we have acquired because the views
held are so diverse and convincing that the ordinary person is paralyzed by the
varied opinions. This is partly the reason for the flowering of the
ideology of relativism. Faced with so many views and all seem appealing,
one is called to choose whatever version of the ‘truth’ one is attracted
to. It is no longer based on what is right or wrong, whether they are
objective or not but whether one is inclined to it, since there is no absolute
truth.
Indeed, our real challenge
today is how do we sift out all the knowledge we have acquired and discern and
distinguish what is true and what is masqueraded as truth? How we make use
of this knowledge determines our happiness. Without determining what is
true, many of our young people are misled into adopting the wrong values in
life. We cannot blame them because no one is enlightening them or helping
them to discern what is true and false. This explains why some allow
themselves to be radicalized by terrorist ideologies. When knowledge
falls into the wrong hands, such knowledge can be used in a destructive manner.
Without maturity, too much
knowledge can confuse the young person. This is true especially in
the area of sex education. Our young people are exposed to sex and
pornography at a very tender age. They are encouraged to indulge in the
manipulation of their body. The physical aspect of sex is being
promoted as the objective in a relationship. The truth is that the
physical dimension of the relationship, whilst important, occupies a very
little part of the entire relationship, which is about communication, love,
sharing, caring, listening and rendering each other support. These more
important aspects of the relationship are not underscored. The
implications of adultery, infidelity in a relationship and how it impacts on
their personal life, dignity, confidence, social life and even our work are
never talked about. We are not warned of the consequences for our
family and children because of pornography, infidelity and divorce.
Similarly, when technology
and science advance without a corresponding advancement in human development,
it can be destructive to humanity. It is like a child who has been
given the key to a car to drive. Science and technology without the
guidance of morality will bring about the dehumanization of the human
race. We are already seeing the signs when the dignity of the human person
is not respected by science. Destruction of human embryos, manipulation
of the genes of the human person, cloning and euthanasia are promoted without
considering the implications for the future of humanity besides the dignity of
the human person. On the international front, the rise of armament and
chemical weapons, the use of nuclear weapons are threats to the existence and
peaceful co-existence of humanity. The tragedy is that those who are
advancing the cause of science and technology are not seeing beyond what they
do, particularly the social and moral implications for the future of humanity.
The world is living in
darkness, as St Paul mentioned in the second reading. They do things under
cover in the dark, indulging in quarreling, fighting, drinking and licentiousness.
Hence, the call to vigilance in today’s scripture readings is the theme of our
celebration. “Stay awake, because you do not know the day when your
master is coming.” As we enter into the First Sunday of Advent, we are
called to prepare for the Coming of the Lord. Although, the gospel speaks
of Christ coming at the end of time, Christ’s coming is happening every day.
We need to be watchful at
all times, like the householder. Unless we are alert and vigilant, the
negative trends of society today can become so overwhelming that they dominate
and control our peoples. Indeed, if we are not watchful of how the
selfish, self-centered and materialistic values are being promoted by society,
as expressed in the attempts to reformulate the definition of marriage and
family, and the use of science and technology, we will find ourselves
overwhelmed by the values of the world. When that time comes, we will be
too helpless even to safeguard our family and children and their future.
So we cannot afford to be
indifferent. We cannot ignore the signals and the current trends of
society as if they have nothing to do with us. Society is the product of
man and man is the product of society. How we want our society to be
organized and formed, depends on every individual playing his or her part in
informing the world about the kind of values we subscribe to and want to
promote. Either we leave our future in the hands of ignorant people who
lead our society to division, degeneration and decadence, or we seek to change
the course of society by being alert, proactive and contribute to steering the
moral values of our society. We must be discerning and watchful for the sake of
the future of our children and humanity.
How, then, can we be
vigilant? We must take our compass from the Lord not from the
world. This is what Isaiah prophesied. “Come, let us go up to the
mountain of the Lord, to the Temple of the God of Jacob that he may teach us
his ways so that we may walk in his paths.” So long as we become
the norm and the judge of what is right or wrong, we can never agree among
ourselves. This is the outcome of relativism because it rejects God as
the absolute truth. Truth can only be found in God alone.
Only God can teach us what is true. What the world, and even our
Catholics, is doing is to find the answers to the truth on the internet and
what others say or think, rather than what God is saying in the
scriptures. Our reference point and moral compass cannot be the values
and reasoning of the world but from God alone.
If we found our values in
God, then we will be united in truth and love. If the world is divided it
is because truth is found in human subjectivity. Since none of us can
agree to what is true, we remain divided. The unity and peace of the world
remains superficial and fragile because it is not founded on truth but on
tolerance and false compromises. Only truth can unite us.
The fullness of truth and
defence against errors is found in Jesus Christ. In Him alone, do we find
the way to life! Hence, St Paul urges us, “Let your armour be the Lord
Jesus Christ.” Indeed, we are to put on the Lord in our battle against
the evil forces and negative trends in society. Let Jesus be our armour
and safeguard against the darkness of society. We need to strengthen our
faith in the Lord and understand the moral teachings of the gospel and of the
Church. Without a firm foundation in the Word of God and the teachings of
the Church and a strong relationship with Christ, we cannot shield ourselves
from the onslaught of the world.
Indeed,
this is the cry of the prophet, “O House of Jacob, come, let us walk in the
light of the Lord.” How can we be sure that we are walking in the light
of truth and love? When we are no longer ashamed of what we normally do
in the dark. Evil deeds are always done under cover because they are
shameful deeds. When we stop rationalizing and follow the voice of our
conscience, we know we are walking in the truth. Truth needs no
justification or defence. Truth speaks for itself. The effects of
our values manifest truth. We know whether the gospel is true or not by
analyzing the effects of the values of society on the integrity of the
individual, happiness and the strength of our family, unity of our society and
the world.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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