20161211 THE MESSIAH IS IN OUR MIDST
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Rose or Violet.
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First reading
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Isaiah 35:1-6,10
©
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Let the wilderness
and the dry-lands exult,
let the wasteland
rejoice and bloom,
let it bring forth
flowers like the jonquil,
let it rejoice and
sing for joy.
The glory of Lebanon
is bestowed on it,
the splendour of
Carmel and Sharon;
they shall see the
glory of the Lord,
the splendour of our
God.
Strengthen all weary
hands,
steady all trembling
knees
and say to all faint
hearts,
‘Courage! Do not be
afraid.
‘Look, your God is
coming,
vengeance is coming,
the retribution of
God;
he is coming to save
you.’
Then the eyes of the
blind shall be opened,
the ears of the deaf
unsealed,
then the lame shall
leap like a deer
and the tongues of
the dumb sing for joy
for those the Lord
has ransomed shall return.
They will come to
Zion shouting for joy,
everlasting joy on
their faces;
joy and gladness will
go with them
and sorrow and lament
be ended.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm
145(146):6-10 ©
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Come, Lord, and
save us.
or
Alleluia!
It is the Lord who
keeps faith for ever,
who is
just to those who are oppressed.
It is he who gives
bread to the hungry,
the Lord,
who sets prisoners free,
Come, Lord, and
save us.
or
Alleluia!
It is the Lord who
gives sight to the blind,
who
raises up those who are bowed down,
the Lord, who
protects the stranger
and
upholds the widow and orphan.
Come, Lord, and
save us.
or
Alleluia!
It is the Lord who
loves the just
but
thwarts the path of the wicked.
The Lord will reign
for ever,
Zion’s
God, from age to age.
Come, Lord, and
save us.
or
Alleluia!
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Second reading
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James 5:7-10 ©
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Be patient, brothers,
until the Lord’s coming. Think of a farmer: how patiently he waits for the
precious fruit of the ground until it has had the autumn rains and the spring
rains! You too have to be patient; do not lose heart, because the Lord’s coming
will be soon. Do not make complaints against one another, brothers, so as not
to be brought to judgement yourselves; the Judge is already to be seen waiting
at the gates. For your example, brothers, in submitting with patience, take the
prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Is61:1(Lk4:18)
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The spirit of the
Lord has been given to me.
He has sent me to
bring the good news to the poor.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 11:2-11 ©
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John in his prison
had heard what Christ was doing and he sent his disciples to ask him, ‘Are you
the one who is to come, or have we got to wait for someone else?’ Jesus
answered, ‘Go back and tell John what you hear and see; the blind see again,
and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are
raised to life and the Good News is proclaimed to the poor; and happy is the
man who does not lose faith in me.’
As the
messengers were leaving, Jesus began to talk to the people about John: ‘What
did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the breeze? No?
Then what did you go out to see? A man wearing fine clothes? Oh no, those who
wear fine clothes are to be found in palaces. Then what did you go out for? To
see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet: he is the one of
whom scripture says:
‘Look, I am going to
send my messenger before you;
he will prepare your
way before you.
‘I
tell you solemnly, of all the children born of women, a greater than John the
Baptist has never been seen; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater
than he is.’
THE
MESSIAH IS IN OUR MIDST
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: [ Is 35:1-6.10; Ps 145:6-10; Jms 5:7-10; Mt 11:2-11 ]
There are many people who
have given up on their faith and on God because they cannot experience a loving
and personal God who cares for them. Indeed, one of the causes of Atheism
is that people cannot reconcile the evils and sufferings in the world with an
almighty God who is supposed to put order in the world. There is no justice
in this world. Those who are suffering from terminal illness or going through
difficult relationships and undergoing depression often wonder where God
is. There are many young people today who, because of family problems,
divorced parents or sudden death of their loved ones or when rejected by their
friends, feel that God is not real. They even blame God for their woes
and become resentful of such a God.
Within this context, we can
appreciate the Israelites who were in exile. They lost their land, their
homes, their Temple and their kingdom. They lost their dignity in a
foreign land and their future. They had no place to worship God.
Life was hopeless with no end in sight. All the past glory of the Davidic
Kingdom came to naught.
Like them, we too look
forward to the deliverance of God. How does He come? The truth is that it
is very difficult to speak of the Lord’s coming in abstract ways. When we
speak of the Lord’s coming, He comes in concrete ways. Indeed, the
scripture readings of today speak of the Lord’s coming in very existential
terms. The psalmist declares, “It is the Lord who keeps faith forever,
who is just to those who are oppressed. It is he who gives bread to the hungry,
the Lord, who sets prisoners free. It is the Lord who gives sight to the
blind, who raises up those who are bowed down, the Lord, who protects the
stranger and upholds the widow and orphan. It is the Lord who loves the just
but thwarts the path of the wicked. The Lord will reign forever, Zion’s God,
from age to age.” The prophet Isaiah spoke of the restoration of
Israel in similar terms. “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears
of the deaf unsealed, then the lame shall leap like a deer and the tongues of
the dumb sing for joy; for those the Lord has ransomed shall return.”
Jesus
who fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah also reiterated the signs of His
messiahship by telling the disciples of John to “Go back and tell John what you
hear and see; the blind see again, and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and
the deaf hear, and the dead are raised to life and the Good News is proclaimed
to the poor; and happy is the man who does not lose faith in me.”
Accordingly, if we are to
proclaim the reality of the Lord’s coming, we too must justify His presence and
coming with similar signs. It is not enough to speak about God’s love in
the abstract but we need to manifest His love in our midst. This was what
St James wrote, “If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and
one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,’ and yet
you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?” (Jms
2:15f) In the great commissioning, the Lord instructed the disciples to
proclaim the Good News accompanied with the following signs, namely, “by using
my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will
pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not
hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
(Mk 16:17f)
This explains why the
gospel cannot be proclaimed without works of charity and mercy.
Proclamation of the Good News is not just words and doctrines. The gospel
is not an ideology but life and love. The only way to announce the coming
of the Lord is when we give hope to those who are suffering. This was
why, St Francis of Assisi told his brothers, “Go and proclaim the gospel, and
if necessary use words.” There is nothing more real and indisputable than
to show our faith in the Lord through our works of love. Hence, St Teresa
of Kolkata throughout her life demonstrated her faith and love for God through
her love and assistance to the poorest of the poor. Only a person
so filled with faith and the love of God could love in such a manner, and
stooping so low as to touch, nurse and cleanse the marginalized of society, the
untouchables and the sick.
More than ever, as we await
the coming of the Lord at Christmas, we too must do the same. How can
people know that Christ is the Messiah unless we perform works of love and
mercy? During this Christmas season, we are called to give hope to those
who are lonely, those suffering from illness and those who are poor and in need
of food, lodging and medical needs. Through our acts of kindness,
generosity, compassion and patience, we reveal the face of the Messiah to
them. The motivation for us to give gifts at Christmas is always because
God has given us not just our needs but He has given us nothing less than
Himself, His only begotten Son who lived, died, suffered and rose for us.
In the process of giving
ourselves to others, we too share in their joy and become more and more like
the Lord. There is joy in receiving but there is a greater joy in giving.
Indeed, for those of us who give, we must not think that we are greater than
the recipients. In giving, we receive love, joy and meaning in
life. So we must not appear to be condescending in our giving. In
fact, the poor are giving us an opportunity to receive the grace of God.
The poor also gives us what the rich do not have, meaning and joy. The poor
gives us the heart of Jesus in return, His joy and His peace.
Of course, the Lord also
comes most of all in prayer and contemplation. We must not think that
material things alone can fulfill us. They are signs of His love and
mercy. But more importantly, we need to hear from Him directly and not
just through others. We need to encounter His love in our hearts as
well. Advent therefore is a quiet time of prayer, reflection and
expectant hope. It is not a time to rush through things, busying
ourselves with shopping, partying and getting ready for the material aspect of
the festivals. It is that time of the year when we wind down, reflect on
our past and with thanksgiving and gratitude consider how we can do better in
the future and the direction we should be taking. It is not a time to be
busy over non-significant matters when our relationship with the Lord is all
that matters. A deeper encounter with Him in prayer, meditation on His
word will give us a new lease of life.
This was how John the
Baptist prepared the way for the Lord to come into his life – by living a life
of contemplation. Jesus praised Him saying, “What did you go out into the
wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the breeze? No? Then what did you go out
to see? A man wearing fine clothes? Oh no, those who wear fine clothes are to
be found in palaces. Then what did you go out for? To see a prophet?” Let
us enter into the wilderness so that we can see the Lord and His coming in our
daily life, not just in big things but in the daily blessings of each
day. Often we are ungrateful. We complain about many things we lack
when we have more than our fair share of this world’s goods compared to others.
Finally, to welcome the
Lord also means a time for forgiveness. There can be no real peace unless
we forgive those who have hurt us. St Paul reminds us, “Do not make complaints
against one another, brothers, so as not to be brought to judgement yourselves;
the Judge is already to be seen waiting at the gates. For your example,
brothers, in submitting with patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name
of the Lord.” Christmas is a time of renewal, it is the beginning of new
hope. So we need to let go of all our hurts so that we can find peace in
our lives. Do not allow bitterness, resentment and anger to hinder us
from receiving the peace of Christmas. It is not easy to let go.
But we must be willing and God will give us the grace to let go.
Sometimes those whom we hurt refuse to forgive us. That being the case, St Paul
exhorts us, “Be patient, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. Think of a farmer:
how patiently he waits for the precious fruit of the ground until it has had
the autumn rains and the spring rains! You too have to be patient; do not lose
heart, because the Lord’s coming will be soon.”
So let us respond to the
call to be forerunners of the Lord. Many are waiting patiently for the
Lord to come. Let us not disappoint them. Like John the Baptist, we
are called to prepare the way for the Lord. “Look, I am going to send my
messenger before you; he will prepare your way before you. I tell you solemnly,
of all the children born of women, a greater than John the Baptist has never been
seen; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is.”
Anyone who reveals the face of God to others, not only bring joy to them but to
themselves.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights
Reserved
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