20171031
CHRISTIAN HOPE FOR A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW
EARTH
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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Romans 8:18-25 ©
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I think that what we suffer in this life can never be compared to
the glory, as yet unrevealed, which is waiting for us. The whole creation is
eagerly waiting for God to reveal his sons. It was not for any fault on the
part of creation that it was made unable to attain its purpose, it was made so
by God; but creation still retains the hope of being freed, like us, from its
slavery to decadence, to enjoy the same freedom and glory as the children of
God. From the beginning till now the entire creation, as we know, has been
groaning in one great act of giving birth; and not only creation, but all of us
who possess the first-fruits of the Spirit, we too groan inwardly as we wait
for our bodies to be set free. For we must be content to hope that we shall be
saved – our salvation is not in sight, we should not have to be hoping for
it if it were – but, as I say, we must hope to be saved since we are not
saved yet – it is something we must wait for with patience.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 125(126) ©
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What marvels the Lord worked for us.
When the Lord delivered Zion from bondage,
it seemed like a dream.
Then was our mouth filled with laughter,
on our lips there were songs.
What marvels the Lord worked for us.
The heathens themselves said: ‘What marvels
the Lord worked for them!’
What marvels the Lord worked for us!
Indeed we were glad.
What marvels the Lord worked for us.
Deliver us, O Lord, from our bondage
as streams in dry land.
Those who are sowing in tears
will sing when they reap.
What marvels the Lord worked for us.
They go out, they go out, full of tears,
carrying seed for the sowing:
they come back, they come back, full of song,
carrying their sheaves.
What marvels the Lord worked for us.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Jn15:15
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I call you friends, says the Lord,
because I have made known to you
everything I have learnt from my Father.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Mt11:25
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed are you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth,
for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom
to mere children.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 13:18-21 ©
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Jesus said, ‘What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare
it with? It is like a mustard seed which a man took and threw into his garden:
it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air sheltered in its branches.’
Another
thing he said, ‘What shall I compare the kingdom of God with? It is like the
yeast a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour till it was
leavened all through.’
CHRISTIAN HOPE FOR A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ Rom 8:18-25; Lk 13:18-21 ]
In this
world, we cannot avoid suffering because of sin and imperfections. We
suffer because creation has been affected by sins. It is destroyed by the
selfishness of humanity. One of the most obvious consequences is the
destruction of the ecological system that has resulted in climate changes,
global warming, freak weather and natural disasters. We have been
poor stewards of creation. For a long time, scientists have warned of the
possible destruction of our planet if the situation continues, as the destruction
of ecology will lead to global warming, floods and many things will die
eventually.
On the level
of humanity, sin has also destroyed the peaceful and harmonious relationship
among us all.
Because of selfishness, irresponsibility, greed and fear, we compete against each
other and seek to grab more for ourselves, depriving others of their basic
needs. There is so much injustice in the world because of dishonesty and
cheating. People are discriminated and marginalized. This has
resulted in violence, civil disorder and even wars. Poverty and
discrimination are also breeding grounds for terrorism to grow.
Political, religious and corporate leaders are often tempted to seek their
interests not the good of others. When that happens, credibility and
trust in our leaders are eroded.
On the level
of the individual, we are under the bondage of sin and evil. We are selfish and we
succumb to the temptations of the flesh, of lust, gluttony and greed. We
are jealous and envious of others. We feel insecure about our well-being
and whether we are loved. We become possessive of others and of
things. Our ego prevents us from listening to others. Our pride,
especially of intellect, hinders us from welcoming others who are different
from us. We seek to impose our views and ideas on others. All such
actions cause division, disunity and rob us of our peace and unity. We
quarrel, fight and hurt each other.
For this
reason, God wants to give us a New Heaven and a New Earth. “For behold, I create
new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be
remembered or come into mind. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and be
glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the
cry of distress.” (Isa 65:17, 19)
St John also shared with us his vision. “When I saw a new heaven and a new
earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea
was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of
heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; and I heard a
great voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling of God is with men.
He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be
with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no
more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the
former things have passed away.” (Rev 21:1-4)
Consequently,
St Paul urges us to look ahead of what is in store for us as Christians. “I think that what we
suffer in this life can never be compared to the glory, as yet unrevealed,
which is waiting for us.” We can look forward with confidence to a
glorious future that lies ahead of us even as we groan on this earth. For
this to happen, God allows the decadence to take place so that we will not
cling to this earth. “It was not for any fault on the part of
creation that it was made unable to attain its purpose, it was made so by God.”
Unless, we see the misery of this life and the imperfections of creation, we
will not long for something greater and more perfect to come. If
life is too good on this earth, we would want to cling on to this earth
forever. But God has something greater for us. Indeed, God
allows us to suffer illness and pains so that when the time comes for us to let
go, we could let go more easily. Old age, illness and suffering are all
part and parcel of God’s plan to help us to detach ourselves from this world so
that we can depart for a better and more complete world to come.
What will
happen to creation? St Paul first speaks of creation as a whole, animate
and inanimate matter. He said, “Creation still retains the hope of being freed, like us,
from its slavery to decadence, to enjoy the same freedom and glory as the
children of God.” Although we do not know exactly what will happen to
creation, plants and animals and all things of this earth, we know that they
will be in Christ and all will be transformed and perfected. This is what
St Paul wrote, “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
For in him all the fulness of God was pleased to dwell, and
through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven,
making peace by the blood of his cross.” (Col 1:17, 19)
He further explained, “For he has made known to us in all wisdom and insight
the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ
as a plan for the fulness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven
and things on earth.” (Eph 1:9f)
But not just
for creation; we will also be set free and reclaim our dignity as sons and
daughters of God. “The whole creation is eagerly waiting for God to reveal his
sons.” Indeed, the calling and destiny of humanity is even higher
than that of creation because we are called to share in the “freedom and glory
as the children of God.” In other words, we will share in the fullness of
life and love with God, participating in the Trinitarian love of the Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit. Our bodies will be glorified and resurrected
like our Lord.
This hope of
ours is a substantiated hope, not just a wishful thinking. This is because we
already have a foretaste of it. St Paul wrote, “From the beginning till
now the entire creation, as we know, has been groaning in one great act of
giving birth; and not only creation, but all of us who possess the first-fruits
of the Spirit.” The Holy Spirit is the living presence of God in
our hearts. “In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the
gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the
promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire
possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” (Eph 1:13f)
He is the love of God poured into our hearts. (Rom 5:5)
Anyone who is filled with the Holy Spirit feels the closeness of God.
This is the same intimacy Jesus had with His Father. This is the same joy
that saints in their mystical experience have entered into when they experience
the intimacy and love of God. That is why those who have encountered God,
deeply desire to be with Him and have no fear of death or of separation from
this life.
This kingdom
is also a reality in this life as a beginning. The parables in
today’s gospel illustrate the budding of the Kingdom of God. The parable
of the Mustard Seed speaks of the gradual growth of the Kingdom of God.
It begins small but it ends big. “It grew and became a tree, and the
birds of the air sheltered in its branches.” So too, the Church, which
started with 12 apostles, today has more than two billion Christians in the
world, of which about half are Catholics. The Kingdom of God is
also compared to the woman with the yeast. She “took and mixed in with
three measures of flour till it was leavened all through.” Again,
when the gospel is spread in society, it will bring light to humanity and it
will salt the earth, give life and renewed humanity along the lines of the
gospel. It can be said that much of humanity has been infused with the
Spirit of the gospel directly or indirectly.
So, while “we
too groan inwardly as we wait for our bodies to be set free” we must cooperate
in building the kingdom of God on earth. “For we must be content to hope that we
shall be saved – our salvation is not in sight, we should not have to be hoping
for it if it were – but, as I say, we must hope to be saved since we are not
saved yet – it is something we must wait for with patience.” We
need to live out the gospel life and announce the Good News of salvation to all
by words and deeds. On our part, we need to grow in virtues, to live the
blessed life that the Lord has taught us in the beatitudes. We must
strive to live a life of justice tempered by compassion, charity and
love. Unless we grow in this direction, the parables of the Mustard
Seed and the Yeast can work against us. For these parables can also be
interpreted in terms of the complacency of the Church as the structure and
institution grow. We can become corrupt and allow evil to enter into the
Church because of the lack of integrity. We can allow worldliness to ruin
the Church of God if we are not alert and cautious.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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