20170705
A WIN-WIN SITUATION
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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Genesis 21:5,8-20 ©
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Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to
him. The child grew and was weaned, and Abraham gave a great banquet on the day
Isaac was weaned. Now Sarah watched the son that Hagar the Egyptian had borne
to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac. ‘Drive away that slave-girl and her
son,’ she said to Abraham; ‘this slave-girl’s son is not to share the
inheritance with my son Isaac.’ This greatly distressed Abraham because of his
son, but God said to him, ‘Do not distress yourself on account of the boy and
your slave-girl. Grant Sarah all she asks of you, for it is through Isaac that
your name will be carried on. But the slave-girl’s son I will also make into a
nation, for he is your child too.’ Rising early next morning Abraham took some
bread and a skin of water and, giving them to Hagar, he put the child on her
shoulder and sent her away.
She wandered
off into the wilderness of Beersheba. When the skin of water was finished she
abandoned the child under a bush. Then she went and sat down at a distance,
about a bowshot away, saying to herself, ‘I cannot see the child die.’ So she
sat at a distance; and the child wailed and wept.
But God
heard the boy wailing, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven. ‘What
is wrong, Hagar?’ he asked. ‘Do not be afraid, for God has heard the boy’s cry
where he lies. Come, pick up the boy and hold him safe, for I will make him
into a great nation.’ Then God opened Hagar’s eyes and she saw a well, so she
went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.
God was with
the boy. He grew up and made his home in the wilderness, and he became a
bowman.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 33(34):7-8,10-13 ©
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The poor man called; the Lord heard him.
This poor man called, the Lord heard him
and rescued him from all his distress.
The angel of the Lord is encamped
around those who revere him, to rescue them.
The poor man called; the Lord heard him.
Revere the Lord, you his saints.
They lack nothing, those who revere him.
Strong lions suffer want and go hungry
but those who seek the Lord lack no blessing.
The poor man called; the Lord heard him.
Come, children, and hear me
that I may teach you the fear of the Lord.
Who is he who longs for life
and many days, to enjoy his prosperity?
The poor man called; the Lord heard him.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Jn14:6
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord;
No one can come to the Father except through me.
Alleluia!
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Or
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James1:18
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Alleluia, alleluia!
By his own choice the Father made us his children
by the message of the truth,
so that we should be a sort of first-fruits
of all that he created.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 8:28-34 ©
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When Jesus reached the country of the Gadarenes on the other side
of the lake, two demoniacs came towards him out of the tombs – creatures
so fierce that no one could pass that way. They stood there shouting, ‘What do
you want with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before the
time?’ Now some distance away there was a large herd of pigs feeding, and the
devils pleaded with Jesus, ‘If you cast us out, send us into the herd of pigs.’
And he said to them, ‘Go then’, and they came out and made for the pigs; and at
that the whole herd charged down the cliff into the lake and perished in the
water. The swineherds ran off and made for the town, where they told the whole
story, including what had happened to the demoniacs. At this the whole town set
out to meet Jesus; and as soon as they saw him they implored him to leave the
neighbourhood.
A WIN-WIN SITUATION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ GN 21:5.8-20; PS 33:7-8,10-13; MT 8:28-34 ]
There is so
much division and unhappiness in this world because everyone wants to grab
everything for himself or herself. We are so insecure. We
do not want others to have a share of the resources of the world. Indeed,
from the individual to the family and to nations, each of us seeks to have more
and more for ourselves at the expense of the other. Such greed and
selfishness certainly will breed resentment and anger. When that happens,
there will be jealousy and outrage at the injustices caused by such selfish
people.
In truth,
there are enough resources for everyone in this world. As it is said, there
is not enough to satisfy everyone’s greed but we have more than enough to
satisfy everyone’s needs. The irony of the poverty in the world is that
10% of the world’s population own more than 90% of the world’s resources whilst
the other 90% have to share in the balance 10% of the world’s resources.
Every day we see food and things being thrown away. So it is not because
we have not enough but that those who have are not maximizing what they
have. Instead of using what they have, they keep them. When they
are unable to consume them, they allow them to rot and be discarded when they
could have been distributed to the have-nots.
This
situation is exemplified in the attitude of Sarah who was envious of Hagar. She forgot God’s
graciousness and kindness in taking her shame away by giving her a son at her
old age. Instead of being happy that Isaac had a step-brother to play
with, she was afraid that Hagar’s son might one day share the inheritance of
Isaac. She did not trust in the divine plan of God. With the reluctant
permission of Abraham, she was given permission to send the slave-girl’s son
away into the wilderness. She had totally no heart and compassion for
Abraham’s son, or for the mother.
In the same
vein, that was what happened during the time of Jesus. When the devil and
his fallen angels were sent into the pigs, we read that “the whole herd charged
down the cliff and into the lake and perished in the water.” Instead of being
happy that the demoniacs were now released from the attack of the devils, they
were not amused. “At this the whole town set out to meet Jesus; and as
soon as they saw him they implored him to leave the neighbourhood.” They
missed the great opportunity of meeting Jesus and finding salvation. They
put the lives of the pigs before the people, preferring to risk the possible
possession of other inhabitants by the devils released from the two demoniacs
. They only cared for themselves and their interests, but not others.
However, this
has never been the way of God. He is always loving and merciful to all. This is what the
responsorial psalm says. “This poor man called, the Lord heard him and rescued
him from all his distress. The angel of the Lord is encamped around those who
revere him, to rescue them. Revere the Lord, you his saints. They lack nothing,
those who revere him. Strong lions suffer want and go hungry but those who seek
the Lord lack no blessing.” Although God has chosen certain people to
fulfill His divine plan, it does not mean that He has abandoned the
others. God heard the cry of Hagar and responded to her plea for help. He
sent His angel to console her. “Do not be afraid, for God has heard the
boy’s cry where he lies. Come, pick up the boy and hold him safe, for I will
make him into a great nation.” Not only that, He provided sustenance for Hagar
and her son in the desert and saw them through. “Then God opened Hagar’s
eyes and she saw a well, so she went and filled the skin with water and gave
the boy a drink. God was with the boy. He grew up and made his home in the
wilderness, and he became a bowman.”
Indeed,
from this story, we know for certain that everyone of us is important to God. He loves all as His
children, like Abraham who was caught in the fight between Sarah and
Hagar. It was difficult for him to please both. We read how the
Lord assured and consoled Abraham who had the heart of God. “This greatly
distressed Abraham because of his son, but God said to him, ‘Do not distress
yourself on account of the boy and your slave-girl. Grant Sarah all she
asks of you, for it is through Isaac that your name will be carried on.”
He did not want to send Hagar and the son away. We read how gentle and
caring Abraham, like the heavenly Father, was when, “rising early next morning
Abraham took some bread and a skin of water and, giving them to Hagar, he put
the child on her shoulder and sent her away.”
Jesus too wanted
to save the two demoniacs. But He was not vindictive even of the Evil
One. The Lord showed His compassion to all, even His enemies. When
the devil pleaded with Him to allow them to go into the pigs, the Lord granted
them permission. The Lord was not heartless. They asked the Lord, “’If
you cast us out, send us into the herd of pigs.’ And he said to them, ‘Go
then,’ and they came out and made for the pigs.” Indeed, how gracious and
kind is the Lord to all. He did not begrudge them even though they were
causing a nuisance.
We too should
be like the Lord, seeking to bless all regardless whether they are our friends
or enemies.
We must be magnanimous like the Lord in sharing what we have with others even
when they are our enemies. The psalmist invites us, “Come, children, and
hear me that I may teach you the fear of the Lord. Who is he who longs for life
and many days, to enjoy his prosperity?” Truly, we must be grateful for
what we have received and not be greedy that we have not got everything.
Let us remember those who are much poorer than us. God has blessed us,
not for ourselves but for others. So it is to the delight of God that we
share our blessings and resources with others. If the world is not so
selfish and everyone is willing to share their goods and resources with each
other, this world will be a very happy place.
Indeed, this
is what heaven is like. In heaven, there is a big banquet for everyone. All
is seated around a very big round table where all kinds of delicious food and
delicacies are placed on it. Because the table is so huge about 100
meters in size, each one is given a pair of long fork and spoon to pick up the
food at the center of the table. However, because the fork and spoon are
very long, it is impossible to feed oneself. The only way is for those
sitting around the table to feed each other. This is what heaven is all
about. Caring and feeding each other in love. Hell is just the
opposite. Everyone is in the same situation as those in heaven. But
because they are too selfish and only concerned about feeding themselves first,
they are not able to have any food at all. So in hell, whilst food is in
plenty, because of their selfishness and self-centeredness, they are not able
to eat anything and so remain hungry.
What is your
choice? Do you work for a win-win situation or do you continue to remain
jealous and envious of others? Are you willing to share your friends, your loved ones and
your things with others? When we are possessive of our friends and loved
ones, we lose the very friends we have because we stifle their growth.
Like Abraham, they are conflicted and become distressed as all are important to
them in their own ways. We cannot tell our husband to love us only and
not the children or his parents or his siblings. They are all
inter-dependent on each other for happiness. How can we be happy when our
loved ones are sad? We all do not live for one person in this world.
We have multiple levels of relationships. Our love for our parents or
children or spouse is the same love, but of a different nature. But we
cannot stop loving them. We must share the love we have for our friends
and loved ones with others.
True love
sets one free to love others. When we love someone, we give the person the capacity
to love others. Those who are jealous and insecure are not capable of
true love. Such love is self-centered. Possessiveness is always a
perverted love. The more possessive they are of those whom they love, the more
miserable they become. Jealousy of others whom they see as competitors
makes them insecure and anxious. They can never be happy in life,
regardless what they have or who love them. What they should do is
to spend their love on others and as they love others, they become richer in
love. The more people we love in life, the happier we become. So
let us learn to love like God, one and all, all creatures big and small,
enemies and friends, rich and poor.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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