20170606 HIDDEN RESENTMENT AGAINST GOD
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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Tobit 2:9-14 ©
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I, Tobit, took a
bath; then I went into the courtyard and lay down by the courtyard wall. Since
it was hot I left my face uncovered. I did not know that there were sparrows in
the wall above my head; their hot droppings fell into my eyes. White spots then
formed, which I was obliged to have treated by the doctors. But the more
ointments they tried me with, the more the spots blinded me, and in the end I
became blind altogether. I remained without sight four years; all my brothers
were distressed; and Ahikar provided for my upkeep for two years, till he left
for Elymais.
My wife
Anna then undertook woman’s work; she would spin wool and take cloth to weave;
she used to deliver whatever had been ordered from her and then receive
payment. Now on March the seventh she finished a piece of work and delivered it
to her customers. They paid her all that was due, and into the bargain
presented her with a kid for a meal. When the kid came into my house, it began
to bleat. I called to my wife and said, ‘Where does this creature come from?
Suppose it has been stolen! Quick, let the owners have it back; we have no
right to eat stolen goods.’ She said, ‘No, it was a present given me over and
above my wages.’ I did not believe her, and told her to give it back to the
owners (I blushed at this in her presence). Then she answered, ‘What about your
own alms? What about your own good works? Everyone knows what return you have
had for them.’
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm
111(112):1-2,7-9 ©
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With a firm heart
he trusts in the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
Happy the man who
fears the Lord,
who takes
delight in all his commands.
His sons will be
powerful on earth;
the
children of the upright are blessed.
With a firm heart
he trusts in the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
He has no fear of
evil news;
with a
firm heart he trusts in the Lord.
With a steadfast
heart he will not fear;
he will
see the downfall of his foes.
With a firm heart
he trusts in the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
Open-handed, he gives
to the poor;
his
justice stands firm for ever.
His head
will be raised in glory.
With a firm heart
he trusts in the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Heb4:12
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The word of God is
something alive and active:
it can judge secret
emotions and thoughts.
Alleluia!
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Or
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cf.Ep1:17,18
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Alleluia, alleluia!
May the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of
our mind,
so that we can see
what hope his call holds for us.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Mark 12:13-17 ©
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The
chief priests and the scribes and the elders sent to Jesus some Pharisees and
some Herodians to catch him out in what he said. These came and said to him,
‘Master, we know you are an honest man, that you are not afraid of anyone,
because a man’s rank means nothing to you, and that you teach the way of God in
all honesty. Is it permissible to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay,
yes or no?’ Seeing through their hypocrisy he said to them, ‘Why do you set
this trap for me? Hand me a denarius and let me see it.’ They handed him one
and he said, ‘Whose head is this? Whose name?’ ‘Caesar’s’ they told him. Jesus
said to them, ‘Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar – and to God
what belongs to God.’ This reply took them completely by surprise.
HIDDEN
RESENTMENT AGAINST GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [
TB 2:9-14; PS 111:1-2,7-9; MK 12:13-17 ]
We can sympathize with Tobit’s wife,
Anna, in her outburst when Tobit wrongly suspected her of stealing the
goat. That was the last thing she needed from Tobit. She was already
feeling very stressed, having to support the family because Tobit was no longer
able to work. There was no source of income and financial support from
others ceased. Above all, she was working very hard to make a living for
the family. Any woman in Anna’s situation would feel anxious and
uptight. Indeed, this would be so if you were to find that your spouse,
especially your husband, is out of work or no longer able to work due to
illness. We too would face the anxiety of feeding the family and
sustaining its lifestyle.
But in truth, when she lashed out at
Tobit, it was God she was angry with. She knew it was not Tobit’s fault
that they were in this situation. She was resentful against God.
When she retorted, “What about your own alms? What about your own good
works? Everyone knows what return you have had for them”, she was deeply
disappointed and angry with God for being unjust to them. Of course, she
did not have the courage to speak out against God for fear or respect, to say
the least. In her mind, she must have asked the same question we would
all have asked, had we been in the same straits she was in. More so when
we have lived a just life, obeying the commands of God, giving alms to the poor
and being fair and just to our fellowmen. We may not expect much “gratitude”
from God, but we would certainly not expect misfortunes in our life. This
is unfair! How could bad things happen to good people?
Indeed, it is not so difficult to praise
and thank God when things are going well for us. But when we are facing
troubles, one after another, and through no fault of our own, we will doubt
whether God cares or loves us. We will be resentful of Him and blame Him
for what we are going through. God is always to be blamed for every misfortune
in our life, especially when we cannot blame our fellowmen. God is the
scapegoat for all our miseries. Many young people have given up faith in
God because they felt that God was not around when their parents’ marriage was
on the rocks, or when they failed their exams, or when one of their loved ones
was taken away from them. Many of us, even if we do not express it
openly, have hidden resentments against a God who professed to be love, mercy
and just.
In contrast, we have the noble example of
Tobit. He did not allow any harsh words to come out of his mouth, whether
against God or his fellowmen. He bore his sufferings patiently and with
resignation to the will of God. Even in his predicament, he still lived a
righteous life. He would not steal or cheat to help himself.
He is the man described in the responsorial psalm, “Happy the man who fears the
Lord, who takes delight in all his commands. His sons will be powerful on
earth; the children of the upright are blessed. Open-handed, he gives to
the poor; his justice stands firm forever. His head will be raised in
glory.” Tobit continued to put his trust in the Lord. This was how
he found peace even in his illness. “He has no fear of evil news; with a
firm heart he trusts in the Lord. With a steadfast heart he will not fear; he
will see the downfall of his foes.” He trusted that God would come
to his help somehow, even though he could not understand why he was in that situation.
He surrendered his life to the Lord.
Tobit reminds us of
another biblical figure in the person of Job. He too was afflicted with
misfortunes and personal injury. He lost all his fortunes, his loved ones
and even his health. Yet, he remained steadfast in his faith in
God. The response he gave in the face of adversity was, “Naked I came
from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord gave,
and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21)
In the gospel, we have Jesus who showed
us the way in the face of opposition and pressure. He too was calm in the
face of his enemies who were out to destroy Him. He was aware of their
plans to trap Him. But as they rightly said, even though they did not
mean it, “Master, we know you are an honest man, that you are not afraid of
anyone, because a man’s rank means nothing to you, and that you teach the way
of God in all honesty.” Jesus was not afraid of anyone. He always spoke
the truth without fear or favour. So when a tricky political question was
posed to Him, He answered it without compromise. The answer to the
question of paying taxes to the Roman Emperor was given as such. “Give
back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar – and to God what belongs to God.”
Truly, in life, we must observe this
fundamental principle. What belongs to God must be rendered to Him; and
what belongs to our fellowmen must be returned as well. Since our
life comes from God, we belong entirely to Him. As Job said, He is the
One who gives and the One who can take back. So we must render homage to
God since we belong to Him. On the other hand, we have a duty towards our
fellowmen, represented by the State. Regardless of our financial position,
we have a duty to contribute to the common good of all according to our
capacity. We cannot exempt ourselves from giving back to society because
we are always dependent on society. What we are today is by and large due
to the help of so many people in our life, including the assistance of the
State in preserving law and order, and building up the economy. This was
what Tobit did. He remained just and would not break the commandments of
God or of justice, even in his poverty.
But this does not mean that we cannot cry
out to God for assistance. It is not healthy to keep our frustrations and
anger to ourselves. It is human to ventilate and articulate our pains
like what the psalmists did. For example in psalm 44, the psalmist
expressed what Anna wanted to say as well. “All this has come upon
us, yet we have not forgotten you, or been false to your
covenant. Our heart has not turned back, nor have our steps departed
from your way, yet you have broken us in the haunt of jackals, and
covered us with deep darkness” (Ps 44:17-19) Jesus
also expressed His pain in the Garden of Gethsemane. We read in the
letter of Hebrews how “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and
supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him
from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.” (Heb 5:7)
What is necessary in the final analysis,
after expressing all our frustrations and fears, is that we must surrender
ourselves and our life to the Lord. He knows what is best for us.
We must trust in His divine wisdom and plan for us. Again, the psalmist
prayed, “Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord? Awake, do not cast us
off forever! Why do you hide your face? Why do you forget our affliction
and oppression? For we sink down to the dust; our bodies cling to the
ground. Rise up, come to our help. Redeem us for the sake of your
steadfast love.” (Ps 44:23-26)
And Jesus, in His agony in the Garden, prayed, “Father, if you are willing,
remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.” (Lk 22:42) Finally,
on the cross, He surrendered His Spirit, “crying with a loud voice, said,
‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.’” (Lk 23:46)
We, too, in our anxieties and sorrows
must also cry out to the Lord. Like our Lord and the psalmists, we
must express our pains to the Lord. Only then, can we find the courage to
surrender and let the Lord work His miracles in our life. This was the way of
Jesus. “Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he
suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal
salvation for all who obey him, having been designated by God a high
priest according to the order of Melchizedek.” (Heb 5:8-10) This was
true for Job, Tobit and our Lord; as a consequence of their total trust and
surrender, God raised them from their graves. “Therefore God also highly
exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name
of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the
earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” (Phil 2:9-11)
Written by The Most
Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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