20171223
THE GRACIOUSNESS OF GOD AS THE BASIS FOR THE
FUTURE
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Violet.
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First reading
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Malachi 3:1-4,23-24 ©
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The Lord God says this: Look, I am going to send my messenger to
prepare a way before me. And the Lord you are seeking will suddenly enter his
Temple; and the angel of the covenant whom you are longing for, yes, he is
coming, says the Lord of Hosts. Who will be able to resist the day of his
coming? Who will remain standing when he appears? For he is like the refiner’s
fire and the fullers’ alkali. He will take his seat as refiner and purifier; he
will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and then
they will make the offering to the Lord as it should be made. The offering of
Judah and Jerusalem will then be welcomed by the Lord as in former days, as in
the years of old.
Know that I
am going to send you Elijah the prophet before my day comes, that great and
terrible day. He shall turn the hearts of fathers towards their children and
the hearts of children towards their fathers, lest I come and strike the land
with a curse.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 24(25):4-5,8-9,10,14 ©
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Stand erect, hold your heads high, because your
liberation is near at hand.
Lord, make me know your ways.
Lord, teach me your paths.
Make me walk in your truth, and teach me:
for you are God my saviour.
Stand erect, hold your heads high, because your
liberation is near at hand.
The Lord is good and upright.
He shows the path to those who stray,
He guides the humble in the right path,
He teaches his way to the poor.
Stand erect, hold your heads high, because your
liberation is near at hand.
His ways are faithfulness and love
for those who keep his covenant and law.
The Lord’s friendship is for those who revere him;
to them he reveals his covenant.
Stand erect, hold your heads high, because your
liberation is near at hand.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Alleluia, alleluia!
King of the peoples
and cornerstone of the Church,
come and save man,
whom you made from the dust of the earth.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 1:57-66 ©
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The time came for Elizabeth to have her child, and she gave birth
to a son; and when her neighbours and relations heard that the Lord had shown
her so great a kindness, they shared her joy.
Now on the
eighth day they came to circumcise the child; they were going to call him
Zechariah after his father, but his mother spoke up. ‘No,’ she said ‘he is to
be called John.’ They said to her, ‘But no one in your family has that name’,
and made signs to his father to find out what he wanted him called. The father asked
for a writing-tablet and wrote, ‘His name is John.’ And they were all
astonished. At that instant his power of speech returned and he spoke and
praised God. All their neighbours were filled with awe and the whole affair was
talked about throughout the hill country of Judaea. All those who heard of it
treasured it in their hearts. ‘What will this child turn out to be?’ they
wondered. And indeed the hand of the Lord was with him.
23 DECEMBER, 2017, Saturday, 3rd Week of Advent
THE GRACIOUSNESS OF GOD AS THE BASIS FOR THE FUTURE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ Mal 3:1-4, 23-24; Luke 1:57-66 ]
Many today
live without much hope for the future. Their future is rather bleak, if not hopeless. They
are not in good health. They have financial woes and debts to
clear. On the family front, there is squabbling and cold war among
members of the family, including between parents. At work, there is so
much politics and worst of all, harassment and discrimination by colleagues and
superiors. They are picked at all the time and humiliated. In
studies, they are not doing well and are alone without any support. In such
situations, it is no wonder they feel like giving up. They are still in
the tunnel with no sign of light yet. An early death is what they expect
and hope. But God is not going to allow us to give up hope and life so
easily.
Today, the
scripture readings exhort us to believe in the future. There is a future for
all of us. Every birth is a sign of hope. Every child born means
that God is with us. Children give us hope for the future. What we cannot do,
we hope they will be able to do when they grow up. The folks of Zechariah
remarked, “What will this child turn out to be?’ they wondered. And indeed the
hand of the Lord was with him.” So long as there are children, the future
of humanity is secured. That is why when married couples choose not to
have any children, they are telling us that this world has no future. So
why bring children into this world and let them suffer? Many couples are
thus living just for today and for themselves because there is no future beyond
themselves.
Why is there
no sense of the future? Why this apathy? The self-centeredness of man and
his egotism makes him lose hope of the future. He is always thinking about
himself and he thinks he can do all things by his own power. When he
comes to a situation and finds that he is not so powerful after all, then he
falls into depression. A sickness can strike, business can collapse,
family tragedy can happen. When confronted with insurmountable obstacles,
after giving up on God, he has no one to turn to except death and destruction.
Gratitude is
the presupposition of hope. When we are grateful, we have happy memories of past events
in our lives. We remember all the good things the Lord has done for
us. Knowing God is gracious will spare us much anxiety for we know He
will bless us. So we have the example of Mary who in yesterday’s gospel
sang in thanksgiving for God’s mercy, not just towards her but towards Israel
as well. Today, Elizabeth too was filled with gratitude at God’s
benevolence. “Now on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child;
they were going to call him Zachariah after his father, but his mother spoke
up. ‘No,’ she said ‘he is to be called John.’”
When John the
Baptist was born, Zechariah, who had been silent all this while as he was
struck dumb, opened his lips to pronounce God’s gracious. He asked “for a
writing-tablet and wrote, ‘His name is John’. And they were all astonished. At
that instant, his power of speech returned and he spoke and praised God.”
What a significant reminder for all that God is gracious. This memory is
more important than remembering his family line. Zechariah and his wife
were not bothered whether their family line would become extinct with the death
of their only son. For them, the fact that they could conceive a child at
their old age and barren too, means that their future is now totally in the
hands of God. It is not in their hands. They knew that only
God can determine their future. Hence, there was no need to insist that
the child takes on the name of Zechariah to continue the past. Rather,
with the name, John, “God is gracious”, it means there will always be a
future. God will look after them. God who is gracious will
ensure their survival and continuity. And so indeed, they are remembered
forever in humanity and in the scriptures.
God too has
been gracious to us in so many ways. Have we forgotten the many times
when the Lord was gracious to us and helped us again and again? Before you count your woes
and lose focus, count your blessings and you will see sufferings in the context
of blessings and joys. We all have our trials and challenges in
life. But we have received far more countless blessings and gifts from
the Lord. He has given us life and relatively good health. We have
a comfortable shelter and we are not living under the heat of the sun, like the
refugees. We have more than enough food to sustain and enjoy as well.
Indeed, the
Lord is always gracious even when we forget His goodness, like the Israelites
who returned from exile in today’s first reading. They never learnt from
their history and the lessons that history had taught them. In a short
time, they lost faith in God and continued with their sinful life. Many
were not serious in their worship of God. They forgot so quickly how gracious
God was to them, that whenever they cried, the Lord heard them. In spite
of our incorrigibility, when we sin, the Lord continues to send us prophets and
messengers to free us from sin and lead us to repentance. “Know
that I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before my day comes, that great
and terrible day. He shall turn the hearts of fathers towards their children
and the hearts of children towards their fathers, lest I come and strike the
land with a curse.” Most of all, Christ gives Himself to us not just in
the sacraments but especially in the Eucharist.
If there is
no gratitude in our hearts, it is simply because there is no real repentance or
conviction that our sins are hurting us deeply and our loved ones, slowly but
surely. Many take the sacrament of reconciliation for granted.
During Advent and Lent, many go for the Penitential service but very few are
really prepared for confession. They did not take time to reflect on
their actions, do a proper examen so that they can learn and recognize their
mistakes and weaknesses. Because self-awareness is not there, there can
be no true conversion of heart and mind. A superficial encounter with
Christ in the sacrament of reconciliation can hardly change lives. We
need to reflect on His love and mercy, especially at the birth of our Lord to
understand and appreciate the utter sacrifice and love of God for us.
This will help us to avoid taking God’s grace for granted, given at the price
of His Son’s life.
The Lord is
near. The psalmist exhorts us, “Stand erect, hold your heads high, because your
liberation is near at hand.” He is coming again and again,
not just in the past. “Look, I am going to send my messenger to
prepare a way before me. And the Lord you are seeking will suddenly enter his
Temple; and the angel of the covenant whom you are longing for, yes, he is
coming, says the Lord of host.” God is gracious. He comes in the
future. He comes here and now whenever we open our eyes to recognize Him
in our fellowmen and in every event of our lives; He enters into our hearts
whenever we are open to His love and mercy. Let us welcome the Lord into our
lives. “Who will be able to resist the day of his coming? Who will remain
standing when he appears? For his is like the refiner’s fire and the fullers’
alkali. He will take his sear as the refiner and the purifier; he will purify
the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and then they will make
the offering to the Lord as it should be made.” Let us not resist
His coming if we want to find hope for the future.
We are ready
to welcome the Lord if we listen to His word, and live accordingly. With the psalmist, we
pray “Lord, make me know your ways. Lord, teach me your paths. Make me walk in
your truth, and teach me: for you are God my saviour. The Lord is good
and upright. He shows the path to those who stray, He guides the humble in the
right path, He teaches his way to the poor. His ways are faithfulness and
love for those who keep his covenant and law. The Lord’s friendship is for
those who revere him; to them he reveals his covenant.” So take
courage. He is near. He is here in our hearts. Come let us
adore Him, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Alpha and the Omega, the
beginning and the end for all time belongs to Him, forever and ever.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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