LEFT BEHIND

20161213 LEFT BEHIND

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Red.

First reading

Zephaniah 3:1-2,9-13 ©

Trouble is coming to the rebellious, the defiled,

the tyrannical city!

She would never listen to the call,

would never learn the lesson;

she has never trusted in the Lord,

never drawn near to her God.

Yes, I will then give the peoples lips that are clean,

so that all may invoke the name of the Lord

and serve him under the same yoke.

From beyond the banks of the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants

will bring me offerings.

When that day comes

you need feel no shame for all the misdeeds

you have committed against me,

for I will remove your proud boasters

from your midst;

and you will cease to strut

on my holy mountain.

In your midst I will leave

a humble and lowly people,

and those who are left in Israel will seek refuge in the name of the Lord.

They will do no wrong,

will tell no lies;

and the perjured tongue will no longer

be found in their mouths.

But they will be able to graze and rest

with no one to disturb them.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 33(34):2-3,6-7,16,18-19,23 ©

This poor man called; the Lord heard him.

I will bless the Lord at all times,

  his praise always on my lips;

in the Lord my soul shall make its boast.

  The humble shall hear and be glad.

This poor man called; the Lord heard him.

Look towards him and be radiant;

  let your faces not be abashed.

This poor man called, the Lord heard him

  and rescued him from all his distress.

This poor man called; the Lord heard him.

The Lord turns his face against the wicked

  to destroy their remembrance from the earth.

They call and the Lord hears

  and rescues them in all their distress.

This poor man called; the Lord heard him.

The Lord is close to the broken-hearted;

  those whose spirit is crushed he will save.

The Lord ransoms the souls of his servants.

  Those who hide in him shall not be condemned.

This poor man called; the Lord heard him.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia!

Look, the Lord will come to save his people.

Blessed those who are ready to meet him.

Alleluia!

Or

Alleluia, alleluia!

Come, Lord! Do not delay.

Forgive the sins of your people.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 21:28-32 ©

Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people, ‘What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He went and said to the first, “My boy, you go and work in the vineyard today.” He answered, “I will not go,” but afterwards thought better of it and went. The man then went and said the same thing to the second who answered, “Certainly, sir,” but did not go. Which of the two did the father’s will?’ ‘The first’ they said. Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you solemnly, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you, a pattern of true righteousness, but you did not believe him, and yet the tax collectors and prostitutes did. Even after seeing that, you refused to think better of it and believe in him.’

LEFT BEHIND

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ ZEPH 3:1-2,9-13; MATTHEW 21:28-32   ]

It is a tragedy that those who are blessed with gifts, privileges and advantages often do not treasure what they have been given.  We see this sad reality in every area of life.  Those who are born with a silver spoon in their mouth often do not appreciate the luxurious lifestyle they live and all the advantages they have over others in terms of education, connection and employment.  Although we live in a meritocratic society, they are in a better position to compete in education and work than those who are not as financially well off or less influentially connected.   As a consequence, many squander away their privileges, taking them for granted and live a wanton life, simply because they know that their wealthy parents would take care of them and at any rate, the wealth will come to them some day.  The temptation to abuse one’s privileges and position in life is great.

This is true even in spiritual life.  Like the Israelites, we are blessed to be among the chosen people of God.  Like them, we are given all the privileges of His chosen people.  We do not simply have Moses the Great Lawgiver or the greatest of all the prophets, Elijah.  We have Jesus who is the Word of God in person. We have been given not just the Ten Commandments but the Beatitudes and the teachings of Christ to help us to live the Way.  The Israelites saw the power of God at the Exodus, when God worked the Ten plagues on the Egyptians.  We have seen the power of God and His mercy in the healing miracles of Jesus in the early Church, and we still see it happening today in our midst.  We have been given the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We have been given the Scriptures and the Magisterium to guide us in reading the Word of God authoritatively.  Indeed, as Catholics, we have all the means to live a holy life, a life of love, truth and joy.  In Singapore, unlike in some countries where many Catholics do not have access to a priest or the sacraments except for a couple of times a year, we have access to our priests easily; and the sacraments are always available.

Yet, at times, we exhibit behavior and adopt values that are not consistent with the Catholic way of life.  We might know the truth and even the scriptures, but we do not practise what we know or even teach.  This was the indictment of the prophet Zephaniah on the dwellers of Jerusalem.  The people were not living out the covenanted life.  They were as sinful as their pagan neighbours.  They pretended to worship God, but their hearts were far from Him.  The religious and political leaders behaved the same way.  They did not lead the people in the way the Lord wanted of them. Many of us too, do not live out what we worship.  Many of us are contented to just put up a show and do religious things without being religious.

When we behave in this manner, we are like the second son in today’s gospel. We say “yes” to the Lord but never follow up.  We promise that we will be faithful to His ways and His gospel when we were baptized or confirmed but we fail to make Him the center of our lives.  Our values are mostly that of the world’s.  We take direction from the secular world with respect to values that affect our work, entertainment, lifestyle and family.  If our values are no different from those who do not believe in God or we live an immoral life, we are just like the Israelites and the Jews.  We profess our faith in God but deny Him in our lives.

Jesus warns us that in contrast, the “tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God” before us.  Indeed, this is such an irony, that often the newly converted and those who have been renewed in the faith after a long absence from the Church are more serious about living the life of the gospel than those of us who profess to be lifelong Catholics.  Those of us who are nominal Catholics or tepid in our faith observe our religious practices more as a ritual than out of a real relationship with God.  Even for us priests, we could be simply praying the Office without attention or consciousness of who we are addressing; much less what we are praying.  So too for many Catholics, saying their daily prayers and even attending daily mass can be just a routine and a pious exercise because there is no real desire to change their lives for the better, or to take the gospel seriously. Our hearts are complacent with regard to our sins and we no longer care about turning away from God or the consequences of our sins.

What is the reason?  Hardness of heart, pride and indifference! “For John came to you, a pattern of true righteousness, but you did not believe him, and yet the tax collectors and prostitutes did.  Even after seeing that, you refused to think better of it and believe in him.”   Pride was the reason for the downfall of the Israelites.  They did not want to listen to the warnings of the prophets.  They thought too highly of themselves.  When we are proud, we are not willing to listen to the advice and opinions of others.  This was the case of the Jewish religious leaders too.  They were not receptive to the message of John the Baptist, not only because of pride but because their interests and status quo would be compromised.  Their hearts were hardened as Jesus noted.  They were not ready for the gospel message of repentance and the Good News.   So too for us who are supposedly active and staunch Catholics.  Often, we think that the call to conversion is directed at the lapsed Catholics and the non-Catholics when it is equally for us.  We need as much conversion as the rest of humanity.

What we need is to pray for humility.  The psalmist reminds us, “Look towards him and be radiant; let your faces not be abashed. This poor man called, the Lord heard him and rescued him from all his distress.  The Lord is close to the broken-hearted; those whose spirit is crushed he will save.  The Lord ransoms the souls of his servants. Those who hide in him shall not be condemned.”  We need to pray for the grace to accept the Good News offered to us for free.   The gospel makes it clear that no one is exempted from the grace of the gospel.  No matter how righteous we are, just like the elder son, or how sinful and rebellious we are, like the younger son, God’s grace is given to us all.  If the condemned sinners and incorrigible tax collectors and prostitutes can be saved, what more for us all.  It is God’s desire to save us all.  “I will then give the peoples lips that are clean, so that all may invoke the name of the Lord and serve him under the same yoke.  From beyond the banks of the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants will bring me offerings.”  So, during the season of Advent, let us renew our hope for a new life.  Let us be humble and conscious of our own limitations, inadequacies and sinfulness so that we can seek the Lord for the grace of conversion.

There is a warning as well for those of us who do not respond to His word.  “Trouble is coming to the rebellious, the defiled, the tyrannical city!”  If we fail to change, like them, we will ultimately fall into the hands of our enemies.  “When that day comes you need feel no shame for all the misdeeds you have committed against me, for I will remove your proud boasters from your midst; and you will cease to strut on my holy mountain.”  In the case of the Israelites, they were banished eventually.  And only a remnant was left.  “In your midst I will leave a humble and lowly people, and those who are left in Israel will seek refuge in the name of the Lord. They will do no wrong, will tell no lies; and the perjured tongue will no longer be found in their mouths. But they will be able to graze and rest with no one to disturb them.”  Indeed, these were the anawim that eventually were the ones to welcome the Messiah when He came.   We too must be like the poor of Israel, the anawim, ready to welcome the Lord into our lives, especially at Christmas, with a pure heart.

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