20180626
NOTHING IS
IMPOSSIBLE FOR GOD
26 JUNE,
2018, Tuesday, 12th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Green.
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First reading
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2 Kings
19:9-11,14-21,31-36 ©
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The Lord protects Jerusalem from
Sennacherib and the Assyrians
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Sennacherib, King of the Assyrians,
sent messengers to Hezekiah saying, ‘Tell this to Hezekiah king of Judah, “Do
not let your God on whom you are relying deceive you, when he says: Jerusalem
shall not fall into the power of the king of Assyria. You have learnt by now
what the kings of Assyria have done to every country, putting them all under
the ban. Are you likely to be spared?’
Hezekiah took the letter from the hands of the messenger and
read it; he then went up to the Temple of the Lord and spread it out before the
Lord. Hezekiah said this prayer in the presence of the Lord, ‘O Lord of Hosts,
God of Israel, enthroned on the cherubs, you alone are God of all the kingdoms
of the earth, you have made heaven and earth.
‘Give ear, Lord, and listen.
Open your eyes, Lord, and see.
Hear the words of Sennacherib
who has sent to insult the living God.
‘It is true, O Lord, that the kings of
Assyria have exterminated all the nations, they have thrown their gods on the
fire, for these were not gods but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, and
hence they have destroyed them. But now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand,
I pray you, and let all the kingdoms of the earth know that you alone are God,
the Lord.’
Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah. ‘The Lord, the God
of Israel,’ he said, ‘says this, “I have heard the prayer you have addressed to
me about Sennacherib king of Assyria.” Here is the oracle that the Lord has
pronounced against him:
‘“She despises you, she scorns you,
the virgin, daughter of Zion;
she tosses her head behind you,
the daughter of Jerusalem.”
‘This, then, is what the Lord says
about the king of Assyria:
‘“He will not enter this city,
he will let fly no arrow against it,
confront it with no shield,
throw up no earthwork against it.
By the road that he came on he will
return;
he shall not enter this city. It is the
Lord who speaks.
I will protect this city and save it
for my own sake and for the sake of my
servant David.”’
That same night the angel of the Lord
went out and struck down a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian
camp. Sennacherib struck camp and left; he returned home and stayed in Nineveh.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm
47(48):2-4,10-11 ©
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God upholds his city
for ever.
The Lord is great and worthy to be
praised
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain rises in beauty,
the joy of all the earth.
God upholds his city
for ever.
Mount Zion, true pole of the earth,
the Great King’s city!
God, in the midst of its citadels,
has shown himself its
stronghold.
God upholds his city
for ever.
O God, we ponder your love
within your temple.
Your praise, O God, like your name
reaches the ends of the
earth.
God upholds his city
for ever.
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Gospel Acclamation
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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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Or:
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Jn8:12
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the light of the world, says the
Lord;
anyone who follows me will have the
light of life.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 7:6,12-14 ©
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Treat others as you would like them
to treat you
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Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not
give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls in front of pigs, or they
may trample them and then turn on you and tear you to pieces.
‘So always treat others as you would like them to treat you;
that is the meaning of the Law and the Prophets.
‘Enter by the narrow gate, since the road that leads to
perdition is wide and spacious, and many take it; but it is a narrow gate and a
hard road that leads to life, and only a few find it.’
FOR GOD, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE
We all have our desperate experiences in life. We
have gone through situations that we thought we would not be able to
overcome. We were on the brink of giving up all hope. This could
have been in our studies, when we felt so unprepared, or in our projects, when
we thought we would not make it in time. For others, it could have been
in salvaging a relationship, especially infidelity in marriage, or after a
quarrel. In some instances, the trials of life could border between life
and death, like being diagnosed with an advance stage of rare cancer or terminal
illness; or a threatened pregnancy.
In such a situation, when we feel so powerless and totally helpless in
the face of our enemies or the dire consequences ahead of us, we can only turn
to God for help. Hezekiah came before God in
fervent prayer to seek His divine intervention. Instead of trusting and
relying on his army, he surrendered everything to the Lord. Logically,
Hezekiah should have just surrendered to King Sennacherib. After
all, the Assyrians had captured all the fortified cities of Judah when Hezekiah
refused to pay them the annual tribute. Judah’s treasury had been
depleted, paying their tribute. This time, King Sennacherib sent his army
to besiege Jerusalem and demanded his surrender. He sent a letter to
unsettle King Hezekiah. It read, “Do not let your God on whom you are
relying deceive you, when he says: Jerusalem shall not fall into the power of
the king of Assyria. You have learnt by now what the kings of Assyria have done
to every country, putting them all under the ban. Are you likely to be spared?”
But King Hezekiah stood firm against Assyria.
Although he knew that a tiny nation like Judah would not be able to withstand
the attack of Assyria with her powerful army and soldiers, he believed that God
would protect His city, Jerusalem. This was the psalmist’ prayer, “God
upholds his city forever. The Lord is great and worthy to be praised in
the city of our God. His holy mountain rises in beauty, the joy of all the
earth. Mount Zion, true pole of the earth, the Great King’s city! God, in the
midst of its citadels, has shown himself its stronghold.” It was the faith and
confidence of King Hezekiah that moved God to act in his favour.
Indeed, there is no better way to overcome our trials in life than to
pray. As the Lord said to His disciples, “With man
this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”
(Mk 10:27)
The angel also assured Mary at the Annunciation that nothing is impossible to
God. (cf Lk 1:37) Prayer should always be the first response in
everything we do in life. We should not wait till we can no longer depend
ourselves. If we consult the Lord and seek His guidance, we would not
come to a situation where we are in crisis. We must seek the Lord’s will
in everything we do so that we walk the way of truth.
However, how should we pray? King Hezekiah’s disposition in prayer
is illustrative of how we should approach God in time of crisis. Firstly,
he brought his problem before the Lord. “Hezekiah took
the letter from the hands of the messenger and read it; he then went up to the
Temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord.” Presenting our problem
to the Lord and talking it out with Him helps us to articulate our fears and
worries that cloud our minds, sometimes over- exaggerating the extent of our
problems. It is important that we face our problems objectively and
squarely. This is best done by crystalizing our situation.
Secondly, he affirmed the sovereignty of God, His power and dominion
over all. “Lord of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned on
the cherubs, you alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth, you have made
heaven and earth. Give ear, Lord, and listen. Open your eyes, Lord, and
see. Hear the words of Sennacherib who has sent to insult the living God. It is
true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have exterminated all the nations, they
have thrown their gods on the fire, for these were not gods but the work of
men’s hands, wood and stone, and hence they have destroyed them. But now, Lord
our God, save us from his hand, I pray you, and let all the kingdoms of the
earth know that you alone are God, Lord.” Indeed, although the Assyrian
King was very powerful, Hezekiah believed that God was even more
powerful. He might have destroyed all the nations around Judah, but that
was because they did not have God on their side. Judah was different
because it was the Lord’s citadel.
Thirdly, his motive for asking God to intervene was clear. It was
not so much for himself or even his people, but for the glory and honour of His
name. If God did not intervene, His name would be
further insulted by the pagans, especially the Assyrians. That was how Moses
interceded for his people when God in His wrath wanted to wipe them out from
the face of the earth. “Lord, why should your anger burn against your
people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? Why
should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to
kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn
from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people.”
(cf Ex 32: 11-13) This was how Jesus also prayed when He raised
Lazarus from the dead. “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that
you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here,
that they may believe that you sent me.” (Jn 11:41f)
Fourthly, Hezekiah was docile and humble in listening to the prophets of
God. When Isaiah delivered the message of God to him, he believed, unlike
his predecessor, King Ahaz. Isaiah pronounced God’s judgment on Assyria, “She
despises you, she scorns you, the virgin daughter of Zion: she tosses her head
behind you, the daughter of Jerusalem. A remnant shall go out from Jerusalem, and
survivors from Mount Zion. The jealous love of the Lord of Hosts shall
accomplish this. He will not enter this city, he will let fly no arrow against
it, confront it with no shield, throw up no earthwork against it. By the road
that he came on he will return; he shall not enter this city. It is the Lord
who speaks. I will protect this city and save it for my own sake and for the
sake of my servant David.” So the Lord delivered Hezekiah from his
enemies for the glory of His name; that this God whom Israel worshipped is a
faithful, merciful and powerful God.
Indeed, because of the confidence of Hezekiah in God, the Lord in an
unimaginable way saved Judah beyond all human calculations. He
did this without sacrificing the lives of the people of Judah. We read,
“That same night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down a hundred and
eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. Sennacherib struck camp and
left; he returned home and stayed in Nineveh.” Most likely it was an
epidemic that struck the Assyrian Camp and they had to return to their
country. Truly, God works in a most mysterious and surprising way in our
lives if we just surrender our lives in faith to Him. We have heard many
testimonies of how God intervened miraculously in our lives, whether it is a
person suffering from an incurable terminal illness, handicap, or any hopeless
situation. God works powerfully and in ways we cannot imagine.
This is what we can learn from Hezekiah. He told God his problem
and his crisis, but he left it to God to do what was best.
He did not dictate to God what He should do or how He should act. He just
trusted in Him and allowed God to act as He willed. This was the same
attitude of Mary in prayer. At the Wedding in Cana, she only brought the
petition to Him saying, “They have no more wine”, but she did not instruct Him
what He should do. Instead, she told the servants, “Do whatever he tells
you.” (Jn 2:3,5) We
too should pray with freedom, allowing God to act accordingly instead of
instructing God how and what He should do. Because of our fixated
expectations as to what we expect of Him, we miss out His presence when He
comes to us in other ways. God is always reaching out to help us, but not
according to our plans but His plans. His wisdom is greater than our
minds.
In contrast, what happened to the Assyrian King was as the Lord said.
Instead of being humble in his success, he became arrogant. He thought
that it was his own efforts and strength that brought him success when it was
God who allowed it. Indeed, the words of Jesus are directed at such
people. “Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls in
front of pigs, or they may trample them and then turn on you and tear you to
pieces.” Again, because of the cruelty of the Assyrians, who tortured
their captives mercilessly, they too were treated in kind when they were
conquered by the Babylonians. Here again, the words of Jesus could be
applied to them, “So always treat others as you would like them to treat you;
that is the meaning of the Law and the Prophets.” Finally, instead
of entering the narrow gate by walking in humble obedience to the Word of God,
they took the road that leads to perdition. Let us learn from
today’s scripture readings never to become too arrogant in our achievements on
one hand, or feel so hopeless in times of crisis on the other. Humility
is the gateway to God’s grace and divine assistance.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh,
Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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