Friday 29 September 2017

DOWNSIDE OF GLORY AND SUCCESS

20170930 DOWNSIDE OF GLORY AND SUCCESS

Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: White.

First reading
Zechariah 2:5-9,14-15 ©
Raising my eyes, I saw a vision. It was this: there was a man with a measuring line in his hand. I asked him, ‘Where are you going?’ He said, ‘To measure Jerusalem, to find out her breadth and her length.’ And then, while the angel who was talking to me stood still, another angel came forward to meet him. He said to him, ‘Run, and tell that young man this, “Jerusalem is to remain unwalled, because of the great number of men and cattle there will be in her. But I – it is the Lord who speaks – I will be a wall of fire for her all round her, and I will be her glory in the midst of her.”’
Sing, rejoice,
daughter of Zion;
for I am coming
to dwell in the middle of you
– it is the Lord who speaks.
Many nations will join the Lord,
on that day;
they will become his people.

Responsorial Psalm
Jeremiah 31:10-12,13 ©
The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.
O nations, hear the word of the Lord,
  proclaim it to the far-off coasts.
Say: ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him,
  and guard him as a shepherd guards his flock.’
The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.
For the Lord has ransomed Jacob,
  has saved him from an overpowering hand.
They will come and shout for joy on Mount Zion,
  they will stream to the blessings of the Lord.
The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.
Then the young girls will rejoice and will dance,
  the men, young and old, will be glad.
I will turn their mourning into joy,
  I will console them, give them gladness for grief.
The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.

Gospel Acclamation
cf.Ac16:14
Alleluia, alleluia!
Open our heart, O Lord,
to accept the words of your Son.
Alleluia!
Or
cf.2Tim1:10
Alleluia, alleluia!
Our Saviour Jesus Christ abolished death
and he has proclaimed life through the Good News.
Alleluia!

Gospel
Luke 9:43-45 ©
At a time when everyone was full of admiration for all he did, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘For your part, you must have these words constantly in your mind: “The Son of Man is going to be handed over into the power of men.”’ But they did not understand him when he said this; it was hidden from them so that they should not see the meaning of it, and they were afraid to ask him about what he had just said.


DOWNSIDE OF GLORY AND SUCCESS

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ZC 2:5-914-15JER 31:10-12,13LK 9:43-45]
We all enjoy having success and glory.  When we attain wealth, success and glory, we tend to think that such things would last forever.  We think we can cling on to them for a long time.   Many of us live in delusion, knowing that such things will not last for long.  The joys and thrills that come from success and glory are all short-lived. Before we can properly enjoy the rewards of our achievements, new challenges, trials and difficulties will confront us.
This was the case of the disciples in their joy.  The apostles, Peter, James and John had a great religious experience seeing Jesus transfigured at Mount Tabor.  (cf Lk 9:28-36)   They were so thrilled and elated after such an out-of-the-world experience of the Lord.  They wanted to stay there permanently by building three tents and to continue to bathe themselves in that beautiful experience. They were still soaking in the splendor of the religious encounter when they faced the daily challenges of life upon coming down from the mountain.  They had to deal with a man whose son was suffering from epilepsy.  There was a commotion as the disciples could not cast out the evil spirit from the boy.  (cf Lk 9:37-42)   Again, Jesus showed forth His glory, by restoring the boy to normalcy.  As a result, we read in today’s gospel, “everyone was full of admiration for all he did.’
But Jesus was a realistic person.  He did not hang on to such passing joys and successes in life.  On the contrary, when they were still amazed at His miraculous powers, He reminded them of the passion ahead of Him.  “For your part, you must have these words constantly in your mind: The Son of Man is going to be handed over into the power of men.”  Jesus sought to ground the feet of the disciples on this earth and not get carried away by success and glory.  He knew that such things of the earth will not last.
The reality is that in this life, success is followed by adversity and adversity by success.  “In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.”  (Eccl 7:14)  As one is enjoying success, suffering is already ahead of the person.   And when one is suffering, the end is also near.  A young man graduates from University.  He is proud of his achievements and celebrates.  Soon he will start to work and face all the challenges and politics of working life.  The joys of the Convocation ceremony would very soon be forgotten.  It is the same for a promotion at work.  We feel great but once the responsibilities of the office weigh in, we feel the burden of fulfilling them.  When we are successful and at the top, we will have many enemies who are jealous of our position and seek to pull us down.
This was the situation of our Lord.  He was very successful in reaching out to the poor, marginalized and sinners.  He healed the sick and welcomed sinners in His company.  He won much admiration, delight and followers.   But His success incurred the wrath and envy of the Jewish leaders who saw Him as a deviant, a false prophet and a dangerous one as well.  As for the Romans, some saw Him as a potential troublemaker and perhaps could even incite the people to rebellion.  So Jesus, although successful with the people, was a threat to the establishment.   This is often the case with charismatic leaders.  The real battles they fight are not those from without but from within, people who come from the establishment seek to protect their rights, status and privileges.  When their positions and vested interests are being compromised, they will seek to discredit the leader.  Indeed, often populist leaders are not welcomed or loved by the institution.   For this reason, Jesus knew that success was always under the shadow of the cross.   No matter how much good you do and how well intentioned you are, we will face opposition and sufferings.  Hence, Jesus plainly reminded the disciples, “The Son of Man is going to be handed over into the power of men.”
This was also true in the case of the Jews who were returning from Babylon to rebuild the Temple of Jerusalem, which we read in the first reading.  The euphoria of the Jews at King Cyrus and King Darius support for their return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple and the city did not last long. They did not receive much support from their fellow Jews.  Many of them were quite settled in Babylon. They had built houses there, started their businesses, and many were flourishing and were wealthy.  They were not keen to uproot themselves to return to their former homeland without sure sight of their future.  So many stayed put and refused to move back home.  At most, out of guilt and solidarity, they gave some money and resources to those going back to rebuild the Temple.
Again, we know that the Temple took a very long time to be rebuilt.  The non-Jewish people living there resisted their efforts and the returned exiles were not motivated to work.  Furthermore, the Samaritans from the Northern Kingdom were opposed to the construction.  As a result, the construction was halted for 18 years.  With the help of King Darius, the temple was completed in 350 B.C. and rededicated.  But the Second Temple paled in comparison to the First Temple.   Prophecy disappeared and the Ark of the Covenant was missing as well.  So in the midst of rejoicing, there was also sadness and disappointment as well.
But this Temple too was eventually destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D.  Indeed, this event fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah.  In the first reading, we read that in the prophet’s vision, a man was seen trying to measure Jerusalem to reconstruct the walls, but the angel told him, “Jerusalem is to remain unwalled, because of the great number of men and cattle there will be in her.  But I – it is the Lord who speaks – I will be a wall of fire for her all round her, and I will be her glory in the midst of her”.    In the New Jerusalem and in the New Temple, no walls are needed because God wants all people to come to Him regardless whether they are Jews or not.  Even the Gentiles would have a place in the New Temple and in the New Jerusalem. “Many nations will join the Lord, on that day; they will become his people.”
How is this a reality?  When the Lord lives in our midst.  “Sing, rejoice, daughter of Zion; for I am coming to dwell in the middle of you – it is the Lord who speaks.” God will be the glory of the Temple and He will light up the Temple with His presence.  When God lives in us in His Spirit, we are His temple.  The physical temple can be destroyed but not the Temple in our hearts.  This becomes a reality when the Holy Spirit lives in each one of us.  St Paul wrote, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and that temple you are.”  (1 Cor 3:16f)  When God lives in our hearts, we will always be at peace and be full of joy.
Indeed, we must learn from St Paul who discovered the true joy of life.  He said, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal 2:19f)  St Paul knew clearly that the secret of lasting happiness in life is to be in the Lord.  This requires that we be crucified with the Lord, taking the things of this world in stride, making use of them for the service of love and for the poor.  We should not cling on to such things in this world as they are passing.  We cannot bring them with us to the next world.  St Paul wrote, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake, I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ.”   (Phil 3:3)  The prayer of St Paul is this, “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”  (Phil 3:10f)   We, too, if we want to share in the lasting joy and happiness of Christ, we must accept that suffering in this world is the necessary passage to fullness of life in Christ.  Until then, let us not be too tied down to the worldly and passing happiness and joys of this life but use them to help us find the strength to endure the trials ahead of us as we carry the cross with our Lord.
This is the reality of life.  So the earlier we come to accept the truth of transient happiness in this world, the more liberated we will be.  Otherwise, if we remain attached to the things of this world, we will be sorely disappointed.  Alas, we are like the disciples who are not ready to face the truth about the cross.  Upon hearing what the Lord said, their response was silence and non-reflective.  “They did not understand him when he said this; it was hidden from them so that they should not see the meaning of it, and they were afraid to ask him about what he had just said.”  They did not understand or do not wish to know, just like those of us who suspect that we are not well or that we might have some illness.  We delay and postpone, hoping that the bad news would go away.  We avoid asking the ultimate questions of life.  Unless we are like Jesus who was ready to confront His death, we cannot live freely and courageously like Him.

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


Thursday 28 September 2017

INTERMEDIARIES OF GOD

20170929 INTERMEDIARIES OF GOD

Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: White.
EITHER:
First reading
Daniel 7:9-10,13-14 ©
As I watched:
Thrones were set in place
and one of great age took his seat.
His robe was white as snow,
the hair of his head as pure as wool.
His throne was a blaze of flames,
its wheels were a burning fire.
A stream of fire poured out,
issuing from his presence.
A thousand thousand waited on him,
ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
A court was held
and the books were opened.
And I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven,
one like a son of man.
He came to the one of great age
and was led into his presence.
On him was conferred sovereignty,
glory and kingship,
and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants.
His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty
which shall never pass away,
nor will his empire ever be destroyed.
OR:
Alternative First reading
Apocalypse 12:7-12 ©
Now war broke out in heaven, when Michael with his angels attacked the dragon. The dragon fought back with his angels, but they were defeated and driven out of heaven. The great dragon, the primeval serpent, known as the devil or Satan, who had deceived all the world, was hurled down to the earth and his angels were hurled down with him. Then I heard a voice shout from heaven, ‘Victory and power and empire for ever have been won by our God, and all authority for his Christ, now that the persecutor, who accused our brothers day and night before our God, has been brought down. They have triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the witness of their martyrdom, because even in the face of death they would not cling to life. Let the heavens rejoice and all who live there.’

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 137(138):1-5 ©
In the presence of the angels I will bless you, O Lord.
I thank you, Lord, with all my heart:
  you have heard the words of my mouth.
In the presence of the angels I will bless you.
  I will adore before your holy temple.
In the presence of the angels I will bless you, O Lord.
I thank you for your faithfulness and love,
  which excel all we ever knew of you.
On the day I called, you answered;
  you increased the strength of my soul.
In the presence of the angels I will bless you, O Lord.
All earth’s kings shall thank you
  when they hear the words of your mouth.
They shall sing of the Lord’s ways:
  ‘How great is the glory of the Lord!’
In the presence of the angels I will bless you, O Lord.

Gospel Acclamation
Ps102:21
Alleluia, alleluia!
Give thanks to the Lord, all his hosts,
his servants who do his will.
Alleluia!

Gospel
John 1:47-51 ©
When Jesus saw Nathanael coming he said of him, ‘There is an Israelite who deserves the name, incapable of deceit.’ ‘How do you know me?’ said Nathanael. ‘Before Philip came to call you,’ said Jesus ‘I saw you under the fig tree.’ Nathanael answered, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel.’ Jesus replied, ‘You believe that just because I said: I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.’ And then he added ‘I tell you most solemnly, you will see heaven laid open and, above the Son of Man, the angels of God ascending and descending.’


INTERMEDIARIES OF GOD

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [DAN 7:9-10,13-14 (OR REV 12:7-12); JN 1:47-51 ]
We are living in an empirical world where nothing is real unless it can be seen and touched and felt.  This is a world of matter.  Human beings are reduced to merely matter like all other creatures and creation.  In a world of secularization where the new gods are science and technology, the spiritual world does not exist.  Belief in angels and devils and spirits are relegated to primitive superstitions.  For this reason, few public officials or celebrities would dare to say that they believe in the spirit world.  The denial of the spirits also leads to a denial of our identity as well.   Since doing flows from being, man, who considers himself merely as a creature like the rest of the animal kingdom, acts and behaves like animals, since the meaning of life is reduced to enjoyment, eating, drinking and seeking sensual and earthly pleasures.
For this reason, the feast of the Archangels is important for Catholics to be reminded once again of their identity and role in life.  It is therefore necessary from the outset to clarify the nature and office of the angels.
The word “angel” is a Greek word “angelos”, meaning messenger. It designates therefore a function or role, rather than nature.  Angels are therefore seen in scriptures primarily as the messengers of God.  God is transcendent in the Old Testament, so much so that the people feared Him and it was believed that no man could see Him and live.  Being the King of the universe, He has His angels to serve Him and to carry out His will.   Intermediaries are therefore needed to be a bridge to God.  This accounts for the countless apparitions and appearances of angels in the Old Testament and at the beginning of the early Church.  This intermediary role of the angels is captured in today’s gospel when Jesus said to Nathanael, “I tell you most solemnly, you will see heaven laid open and, above the Son of Man, the angels of God ascending and descending.”  Conversely, after Christ, we hear less of angels and spirits because Christ already is our mediator between God and us.
With regard to the nature of angels, they are described as spiritual beings created by God with an intellect and will, just like us, except that they are without a body.   They have a free will and they have extraordinary knowledge but it is not omniscient.  Since they do not have a body, they can do things that human beings, constrained by the body, cannot do.  Therefore, angels, being pure spirits, cannot be reducible to a force but they are personal beings like our souls.  We can communicate with them.  But they remain creatures.  They are not gods.  Because of this personal nature, they can also think and reject God.  As they are pure intellect, their decision for or against God is done with full consent, and therefore irrevocable.  Those who did so are called devils.
In the light of what has been said, we must therefore understand our nature before we can speak of our role on this earth.  As human beings, we know that we are not merely matter, because we can think, choose, love and exercise our freedom.  Although bounded by matter on this earth, our minds can transcend matter and time.  We are embodied spirits.   Only upon death is our soul released from the constraints of the body.  However, we are created in such a way that we have a spirit and also a body.  We are privileged to enjoy the pleasures of creation like the rest of the animal kingdom.  That is why some of us behave worse than animals when it comes to sensual pleasures.  We have no control over our appetites and desires.  But because of our rational being, we can be like the spirits who enjoy intimacy with God.  This is the greatness of man.  He is called to communion with God and with his or her fellowmen.   Thus, God is compassionate and forgiving towards us because we are ignorant and weak in so many ways due to our wounded nature, unlike the devils.
Flowing from our nature, we must ask about our roles on earth. The feast of the Archangels reminds us of three specific and major roles we must play like the archangels, namely, our battle against the kingdom of darkness, announcing the Good News and that of healing. 
St Michael, whose name means “who is like God” is called to be the Defender.  St Michael fought with the dragon, the devil and his angels.  Like St Michael we are called to fight against the snares of the Evil One as we read in the book of Revelation.  (Rev 12:7-8)  The battle against the kingdom of darkness is as real today as it was during the time of Christ.  Only through the power and death of our Lord can we overcome the power of the Evil One.  Like St Michael we must strive for holiness so that we too can be like God. This is our way to fight against the evils of society.  Most of all, we are called to defend the Church just as St Michael did by safeguarding the Church of Christ, the People of God.  We must not allow Satan, as some do, to manipulate us to become traitors to the Church.  Many Catholics by their counter witnessing and their lack of love drive people further away from God instead of bringing them to Him.   Instead, we must be alert to the temptations of the Evil One.
St Gabriel means “God is the Mighty One.”   He is the messenger of the Good News.  He was God’s messenger to Daniel, interpreting his visions.  He announced to Zechariah the birth of a child, and to Mary that she has chosen to be the mother of the Saviour.  We too are called to be messengers of hope.  Like St Gabriel who gave Mary the courage to persevere, we too must assist those who are walking in darkness by giving them hope.  We are called to be heralds of the Good News.  We too must give strength to others who are weak in their spiritual journey.
Finally, from St Raphael, we are called to be healers.  His name means “God Heals.”  Just as he accompanied Tobias on his journey as a healer, we too must not just announce the Good News.  We need to be healers through our empathy, forgiveness, kindness and generosity.  Like St Raphael, we are called to deliver our people from oppression, fear and all illnesses.
But we cannot be like God, or be strong enough to announce the Good News to a hostile world, or be healers when we are so broken ourselves unless we, like the angels, also ascend to God before we descend to earth.  In other words, as messengers, we need to be connected with God at all times.  As His servants, we must report to God daily to receive His instructions before we go on our battles.  Without receiving His orders and empowered by Him, we cannot be effective commanders or great messengers and powerful healers.  Like the angels we are reminded to sing praises and bring the prayers of our people to the Lord in His court.  With the psalmist we must pray daily, “I thank you, Lord, with all my heart: you have heard the words of my mouth.  In the presence of the angels I will bless you. I will adore before your holy temple.  I thank you for your faithfulness and love, which excel all we ever knew of you.  On the day I called, you answered; you increased the strength of my soul.”
In this way, we become the intermediaries of God to the world.  Like the priest who is called to be the bridge and the mediator between God and man, so too is the work of every person.  May our lives reflect the glory and the goodness of God! This is what the psalmist says, “All earth’s kings shall thank you when they hear the words of your mouth. They shall sing of the Lord’s ways: ‘How great is the glory of the Lord!’”

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