PRAISE GOD BY BEING HIS TEMPLE AND MESSENGERS

20161224 PRAISE GOD BY BEING HIS TEMPLE AND MESSENGERS

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Violet.

First reading

2 Samuel 7:1-5,8-12,14,16 ©

Once David had settled into his house and the Lord had given him rest from all the enemies surrounding him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, ‘Look, I am living in a house of cedar while the ark of God dwells in a tent.’ Nathan said to the king, ‘Go and do all that is in your mind, for the Lord is with you.’

  But that very night the word of the Lord came to Nathan:

  ‘Go and tell my servant David, “Thus the Lord speaks: Are you the man to build me a house to dwell in? I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be leader of my people Israel; I have been with you on all your expeditions; I have cut off all your enemies before you. I will give you fame as great as the fame of the greatest on earth. I will provide a place for my people Israel; I will plant them there and they shall dwell in that place and never be disturbed again; nor shall the wicked continue to oppress them as they did, in the days when I appointed judges over my people Israel; I will give them rest from all their enemies. The Lord will make you great; the Lord will make you a House. And when your days are ended and you are laid to rest with your ancestors, I will preserve the offspring of your body after you and make his sovereignty secure. I will be a father to him and he a son to me; if he does evil, I will punish him with the rod such as men use, with strokes such as mankind gives. Your House and your sovereignty will always stand secure before me and your throne be established for ever.”’

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 88(89):2-5,27,29 ©

I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.

I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord;

  through all ages my mouth will proclaim your truth.

Of this I am sure, that your love lasts for ever,

  that your truth is firmly established as the heavens.

I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.

‘I have made a covenant with my chosen one;

  I have sworn to David my servant:

I will establish your dynasty for ever

  and set up your throne through all ages.

I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.

‘He will say to me: “You are my father,

  my God, the rock who saves me.”

I will keep my love for him always;

  with him my covenant shall last.’

I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia!

Morning star, radiance of eternal light,

sun of justice,

come and enlighten those who live in darkness

and in the shadow of death.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 1:67-79 ©

John’s father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy:

‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel

for he has visited his people, he has come to their rescue

and he has raised up for us a power for salvation

in the House of his servant David,

even as he proclaimed,

by the mouth of his holy prophets from ancient times,

that he would save us from our enemies

and from the hands of all who hate us.

Thus he shows mercy to our ancestors,

thus he remembers his holy covenant

the oath he swore

to our father Abraham

that he would grant us, free from fear,

to be delivered from the hands of our enemies,

to serve him in holiness and virtue

in his presence, all our days.

And you, little child,

you shall be called Prophet of the Most High,

for you will go before the Lord

to prepare the way for him,

to give his people knowledge of salvation

through the forgiveness of their sins;

this by the tender mercy of our God

who from on high will bring the rising Sun to visit us,

to give light to those who live

in darkness and the shadow of death

and to guide our feet

into the way of peace.’

PRAISE GOD BY BEING HIS TEMPLE AND MESSENGERS

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ 2 Sam 7:1-5,8-12,14,16; Luke 1:67-79   ]

In the first reading, King David wanted to build a Temple for the Lord. He was motivated partly by guilt and partly by pride.  The king said to the prophet Nathan, “Look, I am living in a house of cedar while the ark of God dwells in a tent.”  He was feeling guilty that he was living in such a beautiful house whilst the Lord lived in the tent.  Thinking of his might and power, he undertook to build a house for the Lord.  Without praying and discerning, this seems to be a great plan.  So Prophet Nathan immediately replied, “Go and do all that is in your mind, for the Lord is with you.”  But the Lord that night spoke to Nathan and helped him to understand the full significance of building the Temple of the Lord.

The reality is that God wants to dwell not just amongst us but in us.   God wants to live among His people.  He does not want to be separated from His people by being domesticated in the Temple.  This is how many people live their faith today. They compartmentalized faith from life, work, family and entertainment.  Only in Church do they behave and conduct themselves like Christians, but once they are outside the Church, they adopt and imitate the impoverished culture and depraved values of the world.  The meaning of the incarnation and birth of our Lord is that God is our Emmanuel, who is with us.

So what God desires is not so much that we build a Temple for Him but that He builds His Temple in us.  This is what the prophet told King David, “The Lord will make you great; the Lord will make you a House. And when your days are ended and you are laid to rest with your ancestors, I will preserve the offspring of your body after you and make his sovereignty secure. I will be a father to him and he a son to me. Your House and your sovereignty will always stand secure before me and your throne be established for ever.”   This is of course definitively fulfilled in Christ who comes from the lineage and the House of David.

Indeed, the desire of God is to rescue us from the kingdom of slavery and darkness to the kingdom of His wonderful light of freedom and love.   He is our savior and redeemer. This is what the Holy Spirit spoke through Zechariah. “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited his people, he has come to their rescue and he has raised up for us a power for salvation in the House of his servant David, even as he proclaimed, by the mouth of his holy prophets from ancient times, that he would save us from our enemies and from the hands of all who hate us.”  In Christ Jesus, God is visiting us again to free us from our enemies, which include sin and hatred and the Evil One.

In this way, we can live a life of holiness. “He would grant us, free from fear, to be delivered from the hands of our enemies, to serve him in holiness and virtue in his presence, all our days.”  Only the Lord can free us from our bondage, our fears and our incapacity to love and withstand the temptations of the Evil One.  Christ our King and Leader wants to give us real freedom in Him.  By living a life of holiness and justice in His presence, walking in His Spirit and love, we find peace and joy. 

But He needs us to help Him carry out this mammoth task.   He called David to be His leader and shepherd of His people,  “Thus the Lord speaks: Are you the man to build me a house to dwell in? I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be a leader of my people Israel; I have been with you on all your expeditions; I have cut off all your enemies before you. I will give you fame as great as the fame of the greatest on earth. I will provide a place for my people Israel; I will plant them there and they shall dwell in that place and never be disturbed again; nor shall the wicked continue to oppress them as they did, in the days when I appointed judges over my people Israel; I will give them rest from all their enemies.”  David would have had no power if not for the fact that God gave the enemies into his hands.  So, if we want to praise God and thank Him, then we must be leaders for Christ and in Christ.  Regardless of the role we have been appointed to do, we are called to be leaders and shepherds to those under our care.

Secondly, like John the Baptist we are called to be that messenger of light and grace. “And you, little child, you shall be called Prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare the way for him. To give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins; this by the tender mercy of our God who from on high will bring the rising Sun to visit us,  to give light to those who live in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”  To build the House of God in humanity, we must prepare the way for men and women to come to know the Lord. This we do by being great mentors after Christ in leading the way by our lives.  Secondly, we are called to reveal God’s mercy and forgiveness to them.  Not just by words but by our forgiveness, understanding and encouragement to those who have sinned and failed in life.  We must continue to grant them hope.  Finally, we are called to enlighten them in their ignorance because they live in darkness.  Some are living in the shadow of death, finding life meaningless and useless.  To such people, we must bring them to Christ so that the Light of the World can shine in them. 

But we cannot be His leaders, shepherds of love and messengers of peace if we ourselves are not lighted up by Him and if we have no room for Him in our own house.  The trouble with many of us is that we are busy with many things, apparently working for the Lord.  Like King David, we think we can build a House for the Lord using our own strength and ingenuity.   We think we can build the House for the Lord.  This explains why we get frustrated when things do not turn out the way we have planned.  It is not so much God building His house but we are building His house.  But God is saying, He wants to build our house!

So we must learn from the experience of Zechariah.   Zechariah was struck dumb and deaf literally since the people had to speak to him through signs and gestures.  This happened because he did not have faith in the Lord when he was told that his wife would bear a son.  Although he was a priest serving it the sanctuary, it was merely a ritual rather than a personal relationship with God.  Just like many of us, we literally “attend” mass;  we do not even “hear” mass and much less, to celebrate the mass.

If we want to be God’s Emmanuel to others, we must make ourselves the dwelling place of God through prayer and meditation.  We cannot give praise to God either in words or actions unless we first encounter Him in prayer.  Zechariah was struck dumb and deaf by the Lord so that he could spend the next nine months in total silence with God contemplating on His power, love and mercy.  After nine months of contemplation, when the time came for John to be born, his first words were “God is gracious!”  This is the truth about God and the name for the Messiah’s forerunner.  Following this, he praised God in singing the Benedictus.  If we want to praise God in our lives, then we must also make time for silent prayer and contemplation.

Together with the psalmist, looking at our lives and the goodness of God, we can then sing of His love, mercy and faithfulness.  God is mercy.  “He shows mercy to our ancestors!”  He is love.  “I will sing forever of your love, O Lord; through all ages my mouth will proclaim your truth. Of this I am sure, that your love lasts forever, that your truth is firmly established as the heavens.” He is faithful.  “He remembers his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham.”  The Lord said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant: I will establish your dynasty forever and set up your throne through all ages.”   But let us not just sing in words, may our lives be a song of joy, hope, mercy and love for others for God lives in us.

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