20171215
FULLNESS OF LIFE THROUGH THE LAWS OR THROUGH
WISDOM
15 DECEMBER, 2017, Friday, 2nd Week of Advent
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Violet.
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First reading
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Isaiah 48:17-19 ©
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Thus says the Lord, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
I, the Lord, your God, teach you what is good for you,
I lead you in the way that you must go.
If only you had been alert to my commandments,
your happiness would have been like a river,
your integrity like the waves of the sea.
Your children would have been numbered like the sand,
your descendants as many as its grains.
Never would your name have been cut off or blotted out before me.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 1:1-4,6 ©
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Anyone who follows you, O Lord, will have the
light of life.
Happy indeed is the man
who follows not the counsel of the wicked;
nor lingers in the way of sinners
nor sits in the company of scorners,
but whose delight is the law of the Lord
and who ponders his law day and night.
Anyone who follows you, O Lord, will have the
light of life.
He is like a tree that is planted
beside the flowing waters,
that yields its fruit in due season
and whose leaves shall never fade;
and all that he does shall prosper.
Anyone who follows you, O Lord, will have the
light of life.
Not so are the wicked, not so!
For they like winnowed chaff
shall be driven away by the wind.
for the Lord guards the way of the just
but the way of the wicked leads to doom.
Anyone who follows you, O Lord, will have the
light of life.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Alleluia, alleluia!
See, the king, the Lord of the world, will come.
He will free us from the yoke of our bondage.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The Lord will come, go out to meet him.
Great is his beginning and his reign will have no end.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 11:16-19 ©
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Jesus spoke to the crowds: ‘What description can I find for this
generation? It is like children shouting to each other as they sit in the
market place:
“We played the pipes for you,
and you wouldn’t dance;
we sang dirges,
and you wouldn’t be mourners.”
‘For John came, neither eating nor drinking, and they say, “He is
possessed.” The Son of Man came, eating and drinking, and they say, “Look, a
glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” Yet wisdom has
been proved right by her actions.’
FULLNESS OF LIFE THROUGH THE LAWS OR THROUGH WISDOM
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ IS 48:17-19; MT 11:16-19 ]
For the
Israelites and even for the Jews today, the greatest gift that God has given to
humanity is the laws, the Torah. Nothing can be compared to the Torah, the Word of God.
In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses said, “So keep and do them, for that is your
wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all
these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding
people.’ For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the
Lord our God whenever we call on Him? Or what great nation is there that has
statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole law which I am setting before
you today?” (Dt 4:6-8) Clearly, the laws given to the Israelites were considered
as the Wisdom of God. They were meant to help people to live a happy and
harmonious life. The laws were for the good of the people so that walking
by the laws, they could live in truth and in love.
Indeed, the
wisdom of the Laws was reiterated by the Lord who spoke through the prophet
Isaiah. He
said, “I, the Lord, your God, teach you what is good for you, I lead you in the
way that you must go. If only you had been alert to my commandments, your
happiness would have been like a river, your integrity like the waves of the
sea. Your children would have been numbered like the sand, your descendants as
many as its grains. Never would your name have been cut off or blotted
out before me.” Indeed, those who follow the commandments of the Lord
will find happiness in life, and live a life of integrity. Their family
will be united in love and their children will grow up to be upright, filial
and virtuous. As a consequence, their lives will be a blessing to
others and hence, their names will be honoured by God and man for being role
models as people of faith and love. This is what the psalmist affirms as
well. “Happy indeed is the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked;
nor lingers in the way of sinners nor sits in the company of scorners, but
whose delight is the law of the Lord and who ponders his law day and
night. He is like a tree that is planted beside the flowing waters, that
yields its fruit in due season and whose leaves shall never fade; and all that
he does shall prosper.”
Truly, when we
look at the world today and our own lives, we know that if our lives
are in a mess, it is because we have listened to the world instead of the
wisdom of God. We buy into the values promoted by the world, such as
power, glory, wealth and status. We allow ourselves to be deceived by the
illusory values of the world. What the world promotes is
self-gratification, self-glorification, self-will and self-centeredness.
The focus is all on the individual, his rights, his freedom, his ways. This is
the age of individualism, materialism and consumerism. All the world is
concerned about is to strengthen the egoistic needs of man by pushing him to
seek for glory and power to satisfy his ego and pride, and pursue pleasure,
especially food and sex to satisfy his body and lust. In truth, we
know that the pursuit of such goals in life will end in illusion, frustration,
emptiness and loneliness. This, too, is the judgment of the psalmist, “Not so
are the wicked, not so! For they like winnowed chaff shall be driven away by
the wind, for the Lord guards the way of the just but the way of the wicked
leads to doom.”
We just have
to look at the people who are truly happy. Are they happy because they have plenty
of wealth, power and status? Nay, these are the most insecure people
because they have so many enemies, competitors, and they live under the threat
of being kidnapped and killed. Not only do they not have freedom to go where
they like, even their loved ones live like prisoners, always under the watchful
eyes of security guards, living in a palace which looks more like a fortified
prison. The truly happy people are those who live a life of freedom in
love; those who are capable of giving, loving and contributing themselves to
the world.
Those who are
at peace are those who are in touch with God, Nature, the Universe, their
fellowmen and themselves. This is the true meaning of ecology. Often, ecology
is seen in terms of proper relationship with nature. But the true meaning
of ecology is to be in right and harmonious relationship with God, the ground
of existence, with nature, which includes the environment, air, water, plants,
animals and our fellowmen. People who are truly human are those who transcend
their creatureliness by living not just in the flesh but in the spirit.
In other words, such people live in true wisdom because they live like God who
is always giving, loving, and sharing His life and love with us. This is
true wisdom, the ability to live one’s life with meaning, purpose and
freedom. Otherwise, we live like animals, just pandering to our physical
needs. And if we live for our ego, we will always remain fearful,
for pride is the cause of all insecurity.
In the gospel, Jesus
is presented to us as the Wisdom of God in person. In Him, the Laws
of Moses are contained. He is the Way, the Truth and the life. He
is the Word of God made flesh. He is the bread of life. He is the
New Moses that John the Baptist, the new Elijah, was preparing us to welcome.
Reflecting on the gospel today, we see how Jesus lived that life of total
freedom in love. On one hand He seems to be breaking the Laws of Moses;
on the other hand He seems to be so free and liberated. This made Jesus
remark, “For John came, neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He is
possessed.’ The Son of Man came, eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a
glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ Yet wisdom has
been proved right by her actions.”
What is the
secret of Jesus? How is it that there is no dichotomy between living a
life of wisdom and living a life based on the Laws? How could He reconcile the
observance and even apparent rejection of the Laws which are meant to be the
Wisdom of God?
In truth,
most of us often wonder whether following the Laws can truly give us
life. Because if we do, then we would have taken the Laws, in our case,
the Word of God, seriously and observe them meticulously like the Jewish
leaders. The fact that we do not is because there is an inner struggle
within us. On one hand we know that the Law is good, but on the other
hand the flesh, symbolizing our human weakness, lacks integrity, control over
our will and appetite, the dullness of the intellect and most of all, the fear
of pain and death, prevent us from looking at life with wisdom in truth and
love. Our sensual desires, our pride and our fears hinder us from seeing what
is truly worthwhile pursuing in life.
On the other
hand, those who follow the Laws slavishly are no better off. They are under the
yoke of the Laws. They live in fear of God and His divine punishment if
they broke the Laws. The Jewish leaders were indeed enslaved by the
laws. Life became extremely burdensome because of the requirement to
observe meticulously and religiously not just the commandments given by Moses
but even the interpretation and the application of the principle involved in
every practical situation of life. This was particularly the case of the
observance of the Sabbath Law where Jesus would bend according to the
circumstances. He was certainly not a slave to the Laws, but neither was
He rebellious. On the contrary, He made it clear, ““Do not think that I
have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to
fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not
one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all
is accomplished.” (Mt 5:17f) But He also qualified His statement by
reminding us thus, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of
the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 5:20)
Jesus
observed this dilemma or lack of integrity in us when He remarked, “What
description can I find for this generation? It is like children shouting to
each other as they sit in the market place: ‘We played the pipes for you, and
you wouldn’t dance; we sang dirges, and you wouldn’t be mourners.’”
The real truth is that the Jewish leaders were not sincere. When John the
Baptist came, they refused to accept his call to conversion through repentance
of sins and living an ascetical life because of the potential wrath and
punishment of God. They were preoccupied in preserving their status, their
special position in the Temple and in the eyes of others. When Jesus came
preaching the unconditional mercy and forgiveness of God, they too could not
accept the grace of God in Christ. They wanted to merit God’s grace and
not accept it freely as a gift. In a nutshell, they were
hypocrites. They were not able to recognize their true motives in doing
what they were doing.
Hence, if
we want to find life today, we are called to recognize the Wisdom of God, not
by rejecting the Word of God or the Laws of God but to observe them with
understanding of the truth behind the laws and to apply them accordingly in
every situation; not blindly, not merely by observing the letter but the Spirit
of love, compassion and mercy behind all laws. Only then we will be like
Jesus, free in the Spirit, free in love, free from the Laws by transcending
them and one at peace with the whole of creation, and with God.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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