20171201
THE COMING OF CHRIST AS THE BASIS OF OUR HOPE
IN CONTRADICTORY TIMES
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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Daniel 7:2-14 ©
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I, Daniel, have been seeing visions in the night. I saw that the
four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea; four great beasts emerged
from the sea, each different from the other. The first was like a lion with
eagle’s wings; and as I looked its wings were torn off, and it was lifted from
the ground and set standing on its feet like a man; and it was given a human
heart. The second beast I saw was different, like a bear, raised up on one of
its sides, with three ribs in its mouth, between its teeth. “Up!” came the
command “Eat quantities of flesh!” After this I looked, and saw another beast,
like a leopard, and with four bird’s wings on its flanks; it had four heads,
and power was given to it. Next I saw another vision in the visions of the
night: I saw a fourth beast, fearful, terrifying, very strong; it had great
iron teeth, and it ate, crushed and trampled underfoot what remained. It was
different from the previous beasts and had ten horns.
While I was
looking at these horns, I saw another horn sprouting among them, a little one;
three of the original horns were pulled out by the roots to make way for it;
and in this horn I saw eyes like human eyes, and a mouth that was full of
boasts. 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.
The great things the horn was saying were still ringing in my
ears, and as I watched, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and
committed to the flames. The other beasts were deprived of their power, but
received a lease of life for a season and a time.
I gazed into the visions of the night.
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.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Daniel 3:75-81 ©
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Mountains and hills! bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Every thing that grows on the earth! bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Springs of water! bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Seas and rivers! bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Sea beasts and everything that lives in water! bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Birds of heaven! all bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Animals wild and tame! all bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
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Gospel Acclamation
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Lk21:28
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Stand erect, hold your heads high,
because your liberation is near at hand.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 21:29-33 ©
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Jesus told his disciples a parable: ‘Think of the fig tree and
indeed every tree. As soon as you see them bud, you know that summer is now
near. So with you when you see these things happening: know that the kingdom of
God is near. I tell you solemnly, before this generation has passed away all
will have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never
pass away.’
THE COMING OF CHRIST AS THE BASIS OF OUR HOPE IN CONTRADICTORY
TIMES
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ DN 7:2-14; LK 21:29-33
]
The scripture
readings today are apparently quite similar to the scripture
texts of Tuesday’s liturgy. The dream of Daniel is closely connected with
Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the metal image in chapter 2. Both dreams are
concerned with the destruction of the four empires and the establishment of the
Kingdom of God.
In Daniel’s
dream today, the four beasts represent the empires of Babylon,
Media, Persia and Greece respectively. The winged lion was a familiar motif in
Babylonian art. The bear is feared for its ferocity and truly a fitting
symbol of Media, reputed for its cruelty. The third beast, a leopard with
four wings and four heads symbolized Persia and its four Persian kings, namely,
Cyrus, Xerxes, Artaxerxes and Darius. Finally, the fourth beast, a monster
with great iron teeth symbolized the Greek Kingdom of Alexander and his
successors. Among all the occupiers of Israel, the Seleucid kings, who
were the successors of Alexander, did the most harm to the religion of Israel
and they suffered grievously under their domination. The little horn that
sprang up and uprooted the other three thorns symbolized Antiochus Epiphanes,
who rooted out the other three claimants to the throne and was the most evil of
all kings that Israel had known.
Once again, the message
of hope is that God will triumph in the end, notwithstanding the
persecutions. This is also the same message of today’s scripture
readings. However, the hope today is spelt out in a much more
explicit manner. The truth is that history will not be determined by
man eventually, but by God. Indeed, Daniel saw “the beast was killed, and its
body destroyed and committed to the flames. The other beasts were
deprived of their power, but received a lease of life for a season and a
time.” Such was the judgment of God who was portrayed as
the “one of great age … His robe was white as snow, the hair of his head
as pure as wool. His throne was a blaze of flames, 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.”
But this is not
all. We are told that the Son of Man would accomplish
all these. In his vision, Daniel 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 which shall never pass away, nor
will his empire ever be destroyed.” This vision confirms therefore that
God has always wanted to give His kingdom to the people of God, represented by
the Son of Man. However, God wanted to present the kingdom to the people
personally in Jesus, who is the model of the true man, the true humanity.
From this perspective, our hope is therefore grounded in Jesus Christ, the Son
of Man who came to deliver us from the destruction of our enemies.
Indeed, Jesus
is the Word made flesh. Hence, in the gospel, He declared to the
disciples, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass
away.” By that, Jesus meant that as the Word of God in person, His
Kingdom will last forever. He is the true man. This is what we will
celebrate soon at Christmas. At the incarnation, Jesus is the Son of Man who
will show us the way to the kingdom. For this reason, today being the penultimate
day of the liturgical year, the scripture readings of this last week are
connected with the season of Advent, which also speaks of the two comings of
Christ at the end of time and at Christmas.
As the Word in
Person, Jesus gives us hope and direction in life, especially
when we are living in a world that is not much more peaceful than in the days
of the Jews under the tyranny of King Antiochus. Today, we also face all
kinds of persecution. The four beasts today could probably represent the threat
of nuclear war, terrorism, spiritual and moral crisis. Many people in the
world today are living in discrimination and in war-torn situations. Many
innocent people are being killed and deprived of the basic needs of life and
their human rights.
Yet, we
must not be too naïve and simplistic to think that the whole world is
bad and will be destroyed. On the contrary, not everything that is happening in
the world is against humanity. There is also a lot of good that has come
out in modern times, considering the advancement in terms of technology,
communication, the alleviation of poverty, the promotion of the dignity of the
human person.
Hence, in both
instances, be it the good or bad, we must realize that God is near.
This is what the parable is saying to us. “Think of the fig tree and
indeed every tree. As soon as you see them bud, you know that summer in
now near. So when you see these things happening: know that the kingdom
of God is near.” Yes, God is near, not only when things are right but
also when our situation appears to be hopeless. Those who trust in God’s
Word and are receptive to Him will be able to endure. Whether in good or
bad times, they will experience the fruits of the kingdom, which is
righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
He is near if
only we open our eyes and see our situation in the light of faith.
It is faith that will enable us to see the hand of God at work in the
light. That even in such pathetic situations when all seems lost and
gone, God is still in charge of the world. It is this faith that should keep us
continuing to do all that we can to cooperate with His grace in perfecting the
world.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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