20180821
COUNT ON GOD IN CHRIST ALONE
21 AUGUST, 2018, Tuesday, 20th Week,
Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
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First reading
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Ezekiel 28:1-10 ©
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Against the arrogance of the king of Tyre
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The word of the Lord was addressed to me as follows, ‘Son of man,
tell the ruler of Tyre, “The Lord says this:
Being swollen with pride,
you have said: I am a god;
I am sitting on the throne of God,
surrounded by the seas.
Though you are a man and not a god,
you consider yourself the equal of God.
You are wiser now than Danel;
there is no sage as wise as you.
By your wisdom and your intelligence
you have amassed great wealth;
you have piles of gold and silver
inside your treasure-houses.
Such is your skill in trading,
your wealth has continued to increase,
and with this your heart has grown more arrogant.
And so, the Lord says this:
Since you consider yourself the equal of God,
very well, I am going to bring foreigners against you,
the most barbarous of the nations.
They will draw sword against your fine wisdom,
they will defile your glory;
they will throw you down into the pit
and you will die a violent death
surrounded by the seas.
Are you still going to say: I am a god,
when your murderers confront you?
No, you are a man and not a god
in the clutches of your murderers!
You will die like the uncircumcised
at the hand of foreigners.
For I have spoken – it is the Lord who speaks.”’
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Responsorial Psalm
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Deuteronomy 32:26-28,30,35-36 ©
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It is the Lord who deals death and life.
I should crush them to dust, said the Lord.
I should wipe out their memory among men,
did I not fear the boasting of the enemy.
But let not their foes be mistaken!
It is the Lord who deals death and life.
Let them not say: Our own power wins the victory,
the Lord plays no part in this.
What a nation of short sight it is;
in them there is no understanding.
It is the Lord who deals death and life.
How else could one man rout a thousand,
how could two put ten thousand to flight,
were it not that their Rock has sold them,
that the Lord has delivered them up?
It is the Lord who deals death and life.
For it is close, the day of their ruin;
their doom comes at speed.
For the Lord will see his people righted,
he will take pity on his servants.
It is the Lord who deals death and life.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Ps24:4,5
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Teach me your paths, my God,
make me walk in your truth.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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2Co8:9
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Jesus Christ was rich,
but he became poor for your sake,
to make you rich out of his poverty.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 19:23-30 ©
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It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven
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Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I tell you solemnly, it will be hard
for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Yes, I tell you again, it is
easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to
enter the kingdom of heaven.’ When the disciples heard this they were
astonished. ‘Who can be saved, then?’ they said. Jesus gazed at them. ‘For men’
he told them ‘this is impossible; for God everything is possible.’
Then Peter
spoke. ‘What about us?’ he said to him ‘We have left everything and followed
you. What are we to have, then?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I tell you solemnly, when
all is made new and the Son of Man sits on his throne of glory, you will
yourselves sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel. And
everyone who has left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children or
land for the sake of my name will be repaid a hundred times over, and also
inherit eternal life.
‘Many who
are first will be last, and the last, first.’
COUNT ON GOD IN CHRIST ALONE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ EZEKIEL 28:1-10; MATTHEW 19:23-30 ]
When Jesus remarked,
that “it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven” and
that “it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a
rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven”, the disciples were astounded.
This was because the Jews always understood that riches were signs of God’s
blessings. Those who lived well, walked according to the commandments and
the laws would be blessed. Those who did not would be condemned. Earthly
blessings were indicators that they had observed the laws. The poor were
those punished by the Lord. This explains why they were astonished, “Who
can be saved, then?”
Indeed, Jesus
had come to change the values of the world and our understanding of how God
works in our lives. He said, “Many who are first will be last, and the last,
first.” He had come to turn the world upside down. He came to give
us a new perspective of riches, poverty, blessings and sufferings in
life. It is not enough to see eternal life in material riches, as the rich
man thought. That is why we read in yesterday’s gospel that he went away
sad. He was too attached to his riches and false security, instead
of placing his trust and confidence in God alone.
To place our
reliance on our riches, wealth, power and status in this life is to fall into
the sin of pride. We think that we have acquired all these on our own
strength and might. We think that our success is due to our ingenuity,
intelligence, skills and hard work. When we think that way, we lack mercy
for those who are poor, sick and less talented and successful than us. We
look down on them and despise them because they failed to be as good and
successful as ourselves.
This was the
case of the King of Tyre. With his power, wealth and success, he began to
think that he was god. This was the indictment of the Lord on the king of Tyre.
“Being swollen with pride, you have said: I am a god; I am sitting on the
throne of god, surrounded by the seas. Though you are a man and not a god you
consider yourself the equal of God.” He was proud of his intelligence and
wisdom. Unlike Daniel who was truly wise and who ascribed all his talents
and wisdom to God, the king of Tyre glorified himself. The Lord
charged him saying, “You are wiser now than Daniel; there is no sage as wise as
you. By your wisdom and your intelligence you have amassed great wealth; you
have piles of gold and silver inside your treasures – houses. Such is
your skill in trading, your wealth has continued to increase, and with this
your heart had grown arrogant.”
Is not this
the attitude of people in the world? Those who do not believe in God, or even if they are
believers, only pay lip service to God’s glory. In their hearts and
minds, they think highly of themselves. They do not feel that they need
God because they think human intellect and strength alone can achieve all that
they desire to realize in life. It is all about hard work, intelligence
and ingenuity. It is about genes and self-will. However, alas, do
they ever ask where their intelligence came from? Or their health, their
opportunities and especially their lives?
For such
proud and arrogant people, punishment awaits them. “Pride goes before
destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Prov 16:18)
The Lord meted out the consequences. They were destroyed by the
Babylonians. “Since you consider yourself the equal of God very well, I
am going to bring foreigners against you, the most barbarous of the nations.
They will draw sword against your fine wisdom, they will defile your glory;
they will throw you down into the pit and you will die a violent death
surrounded by the seas.”
How true for
us as well! Those who think so highly of their achievements will come to
regret at the end of their lives. With all their riches, wealth and power, they cannot
take a single cent beyond this life. People will fight for their riches
and power. They would have many enemies and competitors. They have
no peace in their lives but only constant division, politicking, manipulation
and opposition. They cannot live a life of joy, peace and contentment on
earth even though they might have riches and power. They have no real
friends except those who are greedy for their power and wealth.
Even then,
life is not made secure by what we have. This is what the Lord said in the
parable of the rich farmer. “‘You fool! This very night your life is
being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they
be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not
rich toward God.” Indeed, those who are at the height of their success
are brought low by the Lord when they fall sick or suffer some unfortunate
events. When we are struck by a terminal illness, no amount of money or
medicine can save us, or we could meet a fatal accident. We could face an
overnight failure in our business. There could be a war and everything we
have is lost. Life is never predictable. This was what the Lord
said to the king of Tyre. “Are you still going to say: I am a god, when
your murders confront you? No, you are a man and not a god in the clutches of
your murderers! You will die like the uncircumcised at the hand of foreigners.”
Rather than
relying on ourselves, Jesus asks us to rely on God alone. When the disciples in
astonishment said, “Who can be saved, then?” Jesus gazed at them and replied,
“For men this is impossible; for God everything is possible.” Indeed, all
blessings, success, gifts and especially our salvation come from God
alone. He is the author of life. He is the One who determines our
portion in life. This is what the psalmist declared. “It is the
Lord who deals death and life. I should crush them to dust said the
Lord. I should wipe out their memory among men, did I not fear the
boasting of the enemy. But let not their foes be mistaken! Let them not
say: Our own power wins the victory, the Lord plays no part in this. What a
nation of short sight it is; in them there is no understanding.”
God blesses
us all in different ways. Riches and power are not necessarily the best
blessings in life. More important than worldly wealth and status is good
health and friendship. This was what the Lord said to the apostles, “I
tell you solemnly, when all is made new and the Son of Man sits on his throne
of glory, you will yourselves sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes
of Israel. And everyone who has left houses, brothers, sisters, father,
mother, children or land for the sake of my name will be repaid a hundred times
over, and also inherit eternal life.” Indeed, the power that is
given to the disciples is not over others but the power of love and service
that brings true joy and freedom; wealth that is not gold and silver but a
family, a community and loved ones. It is sharing, caring, loving and
celebrating with each other that will bring real happiness.
What about
those who are rich and those who are poor? The rich too can be saved
but they must use their riches not for themselves but for the service of others,
according to how God wants them to dispose of their wealth. We are not
the owners of what we have but only trustees and stewards. When we use
the money to make friends, we will become truly rich. The Lord taught us,
“Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not
wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no
moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be
also.” (Lk 12:33f) For those who are poor or less fortunate,
they can still be rich in love. They can live a life of contentment and
make use of what they have. So long as we love, we will always be happy
in life on earth and in heaven. So those who suffer now should not suffer
with resentment but see them as opportunities for growth, detachment and
purification of love so that when the time comes, they will find true happiness
and joy with Christ in heaven.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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