20180718
GOD IS IN CHARGE
18 JULY, 2018, Wednesday, 15th Week,
Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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Isaiah 10:5-7,13-16 ©
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Assyria's arrogance and coming ruin
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The Lord of hosts says this:
Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger,
the club brandished by me in my fury!
I sent him against a godless nation;
I gave him commission against a people that provokes me,
to pillage and to plunder freely
and to stamp down like the mud in the streets.
But he did not intend this,
his heart did not plan it so.
No, in his heart was to destroy,
to go on cutting nations to pieces without limit.
For he has said:
‘By the strength of my own arm I have done this
and by my own intelligence, for understanding is mine;
I have pushed back the frontiers of peoples
and plundered their treasures.
I have brought their inhabitants down to the dust.
As if they were a bird’s nest, my hand has seized
the riches of the peoples.
As people pick up deserted eggs
I have picked up the whole earth,
with not a wing fluttering,
not a beak opening, not a chirp.’
Does the axe claim more credit than the man who wields it,
or the saw more strength than the man who handles it?
It would be like the cudgel controlling the man who raises it,
or the club moving what is not made of wood!
And so the Lord of Hosts is going to send
a wasting sickness on his stout warriors;
beneath his plenty, a burning will burn
like a consuming fire.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 93(94):5-10,14-15 ©
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The Lord will not abandon his people.
They crush your people, Lord,
they afflict the ones you have chosen
They kill the widow and the stranger
and murder the fatherless child.
The Lord will not abandon his people.
And they say: ‘The Lord does not see;
the God of Jacob pays no heed.’
Mark this, most senseless of people;
fools, when will you understand?
The Lord will not abandon his people.
Can he who made the ear, not hear?
Can he who formed the eye, not see?
Will he who trains nations not punish?
Will he who teaches men, not have knowledge?
The Lord will not abandon his people.
The Lord will not abandon his people
nor forsake those who are his own;
for judgement shall again be just
and all true hearts shall uphold it.
The Lord will not abandon his people.
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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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Gospel
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Matthew 11:25-27 ©
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You have hidden these things from the wise and revealed them to
little children
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Jesus exclaimed, ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of
earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing
them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do.
Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son
except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to
whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’
GOD IS IN CHARGE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ ISA 10:5-7, 13-16; MT 11:25-27 ]
When we look
at our own lives, we feel much regret for the things that we had done and the
mistakes we had made. Some of the things we did continue to unfold in our lives
today, as well as for those affected by our bad decisions and
wrongdoings. We wonder whether God would forgive us, especially for
damaging the lives of those entrusted to our care. Some of them have
become wayward, rebellious, wounded by the trauma they experienced, became
bitter and resentful in life. We know we are paying the price of Karma,
reaping what we have sown. Not only do we feel remorseful for the harm we
have caused to ourselves, but most of all, to others as well. In such
moments, we wonder whether God could change the situation and heal the wounds
of our past.
Similarly,
when we look at the changes in the world today, we feel bewildered at the rapid
developments, not just the technological advancements but more importantly, the
changing values of our people. What was held sacred and holy then is no longer the case
with many today. Morality has changed so much over the years because of
affluence, industrialization and technological progress. Abortion,
euthanasia, same-sex union, cloning, etc are all promoted as a fact of
life. God is forgotten and redundant in this age of science. We
wonder whether God is needed in this age. Indeed, humanists and
secularists do not believe in God or the Sacred. They think they can
manage the world and their lives without God.
Then we see
so much evil in society. Discrimination, terrorism, wars, marginalization, poverty,
human trafficking and drugs are prevalent everywhere. The peace of the
world is very fragile and wars, whether international or civil, can break out
any time because the values of society are no longer shared by everyone as the
country is no longer homogenous in culture, religion and morality. Hence,
again we wonder whether God is in charge of this mad world we are living in.
The scripture
readings today in no uncertain terms tell us that in spite of all the evil and
wrongs committed by humanity, God is very much in charge of the world. It is the arrogance of
humanity that thinks that God is absent in the world and that He is no longer
in control. Indeed, in the case of Israel, the Northern Kingdom, it was
prosperous and doing well. The people thought so highly of
themselves. Instead of listening to God and living the covenanted life,
they relied on themselves. Instead of serving the people, the kings were
self-serving. They caused division among their own peoples and led the
country into chaos and civil disorder. So God punished them by allowing
Assyria to conquer them. The Lord said, “I sent him against a godless
nation; I gave him commission against a people that provokes me, to pillage and
to plunder freely and to stamp down like the mud in the streets.” Because
of their infidelity to God, they were exiled in 722 B.C. This was
followed by the defeat of the Southern Kingdom of Judah in 587 when they were
conquered by the Babylonians.
But the
Assyrians themselves were also punished by God. They began to think
so highly of themselves. “For he has said: ‘By the strength of my own arm
I have done this and by my own intelligence, for understanding is mine; have
pushed back the frontiers of peoples and plundered their treasures. I have
brought their inhabitants down to the dust.” They failed to realize that
God was simply making use of them to fulfill His plan of salvation for Israel
and humanity. Their power and strength to conquer Israel was with the
permission of God.
Indeed,
without God’s grace and permission, no one can do what he or she is doing. This is what the Lord
said of Assyria. “Does the axe claim more credit than the man who wields it or
the saw more strength than the man who handles it? It would be like the cudgel
controlling the man who raises it, or the club moving what is not made of wood!
And so the Lord of hosts is going to send a wasting sickness on his stout
warriors; beneath his plenty, a burning will burn like a consuming
fire.” The Assyrian Empire was eventually destroyed in 612 B.C.E.
by the Medes, Babylonians and the Persians. No matter how great an Empire
may be, just as it rose, it will also collapse in time to come. Prosperity,
greed and self-sufficiency will lead to decadence. This history will
repeat itself in the history of mankind.
That is why
it behooves us to be humble as the Lord tells us in today’s gospel. “Jesus exclaimed, ‘I
bless you Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the
learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father,
for that is what it pleased you to do.” We are called to be humble in
life, whether in success or in failure. Arrogance and pride is the cause
of our downfall. That is why the “learned and the clever” cannot see the
truth and the wisdom of God. This is because they rely only on their
intellectual capacity. The Lord is not against intellectual growth but we
must recognize the limits of the human mind in grasping all things, especially
that which is spiritual.
This is what
St Paul wrote, “For what human being knows what is truly human except the human
spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the
Spirit of God. And we speak of these things in words not taught by
human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those
who are spiritual. Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of
God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to
understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Cor 2:11,13f)
The truth
remains that God works straight in crooked lines. God will have His ways
to deal with the sins of humanity. Nothing can wreck the plan of God for
humanity.
He will triumph over evil and sin. Just as we think that sin seems to be
overwhelming and our nation is crumbling under the power of evil, God shows His
power over our enemies. He will overcome evil with good. This
explains why St Paul was not too worried even when people with false motives
are serving God. He wrote, “Some proclaim Christ from envy and rivalry,
but others from goodwill. These proclaim Christ out of love, knowing that
I have been put here for the defense of the gospel; the others proclaim
Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but intending to increase my
suffering in my imprisonment. What does it matter? Just this, that Christ
is proclaimed in every way, whether out of false motives or true; and in that I
rejoice.” (Phil 1:15-18)
What is the
foundation of our faith in God’s victory over sin and evil? It is faith
in the love and wisdom of our Heavenly Father. This is why Jesus was
able to remain calm and confident in the face of opposition because He knew His
Father’s plan and His faithful love. He said, “Everything has been
entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, just
as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to
reveal him.” When we know the Father’s love, then we are confident that
we will overcome. As St Paul says, “What then are we to say about these
things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his
own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us
everything else?” (Rom 8:31f)
The psalmist
declares with utter conviction God’s justice and His deliverance of His people. “They crush your people,
Lord, they afflict the ones you have chosen. They kill the widow and the
stranger and murder the fatherless child. And they say: ‘The
Lord does not see; the God of Jacob pays no heed.’ Mark this, most senseless of
people; fools, when will you understand? Can he who made the ear, not hear? Can
he who formed the eye, not see? Will he who trains nations not punish? Will he
who teaches men, not have knowledge? The Lord will not abandon his people nor
forsake those who are his own; for judgement shall again be just and all true
hearts shall uphold it.”
In the final
analysis, our faith in God’s victory is found in the death and resurrection of
our Lord.
“Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father,
after he has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power. For he
must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last
enemy to be destroyed is death. For “God has put all things in subjection
under his feet.” (1 Cor 15:24-27) Christ’s resurrection overcomes death. In His
death, hatred is overcome by love; in His resurrection, death is overcome by
life.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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