20180811
FAITH IS STRENGTHENED BY HOPE
11 AUGUST, 2018, Saturday, 18th Week,
Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
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First reading
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Habakkuk 1:12-2:4 ©
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If the vision comes slowly, wait: it will come without fail
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Are not you, from ancient times the Lord,
my God, my Holy One, who never dies?
O Lord, you have made this people an instrument of justice,
set it firm as a rock in order to punish.
Your eyes are too pure to rest on wickedness,
you cannot look on at tyranny.
Why do you look on while men are treacherous,
and stay silent while the evil man swallows a better man than he?
You treat mankind like fishes in the sea,
like creeping, masterless things.
A people, these, who catch all on their hook,
who draw them with their net,
in their dragnet gather them,
and so, triumphantly, rejoice.
At this, they offer a sacrifice to their net,
and burn incense to their dragnet,
for providing them with luxury
and lavish food.
Are they then to empty their net unceasingly,
slaughtering nations without pity?
I will stand on my watchtower,
and take up my post on my battlements,
watching to see what he will say to me,
what answer he will make to my complaints.
Then the Lord answered and said,
‘Write the vision down,
inscribe it on tablets
to be easily read,
since this vision is for its own time only:
eager for its own fulfilment, it does not deceive;
if it comes slowly, wait,
for come it will, without fail.
‘See how he flags, he whose soul is not at rights,
but the upright man will live by his faithfulness.’
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 9A(9):8-13 ©
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You will never forsake those who seek you, O
Lord.
The Lord sits enthroned for ever.
He has set up his throne for judgement;
he will judge the world with justice,
he will judge the peoples with his truth.
You will never forsake those who seek you, O
Lord.
For the oppressed let the Lord be a stronghold,
a stronghold in times of distress.
Those who know your name will trust you;
you will never forsake those who seek you.
You will never forsake those who seek you, O
Lord.
Sing psalms to the Lord who dwells in Zion.
Proclaim his mighty works among the peoples,
for the Avenger of blood has remembered them,
has not forgotten the cry of the poor.
You will never forsake those who seek you, O
Lord.
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Gospel Acclamation
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cf.Ep1:17,18
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Alleluia, alleluia!
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our mind,
so that we can see what hope his call holds for us.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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cf.2Tim1:10
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Our Saviour Jesus Christ abolished death
and he has proclaimed life through the Good News.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 17:14-20 ©
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If your faith were the size of a mustard seed, the mountain
would move
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A man came up to Jesus and went down on his knees before him.
‘Lord,’ he said ‘take pity on my son: he is a lunatic and in a wretched state;
he is always falling into the fire or into the water. I took him to your
disciples and they were unable to cure him.’ ‘Faithless and perverse
generation!’ Jesus said in reply ‘How much longer must I be with you? How much
longer must I put up with you? Bring him here to me.’ And when Jesus rebuked it
the devil came out of the boy who was cured from that moment.
Then the
disciples came privately to Jesus. ‘Why were we unable to cast it out?’ they
asked. He answered, ‘Because you have little faith. I tell you solemnly, if
your faith were the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mountain,
“Move from here to there,” and it would move; nothing would be impossible for
you.’
FAITH IS STRENGTHENED BY HOPE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ Habakkuk
1:12-2:4; Matthew 17:14-20]
In the first
reading, we hear the cries of the poor for justice and liberation. In the days of old, as in
our days as well, the poor and the vulnerable were often manipulated.
They were at the mercy of the rich and the powerful. Those who had power
use their position to influence people, to buy over the rich to help them
become richer and more powerful, and buy over the poor for their support.
Indeed, we see such politics everywhere in the world at every strata of
society, whether in the corporate, political or religious world. When we
suffer injustice at the hands of others, causing us to suffer much, even to the
extent of us losing our job, family and reputation, how can we continue to
believe in a God of justice?
Indeed, when
we are down and suffering immensely because of unjust and cruel people around
us, we begin to lose faith in God. This was the case of the
prophet Habakkuk. He was prophesying at a time when the Babylonians were
rising in power. He could not understand how God would allow the
Babylonians to punish Judah. He found it difficult to reconcile God’s love
for His people and at the same time, not helping those who were
suffering. Is not this the case for us as well? When we seek God’s
help in our illness, financial difficulties, in the predicament we are in, and
the answer appears not to be forthcoming, we too will begin to lose hope.
Indeed, like
the prophet in that situation of helplessness, we too would also question the
justice of God. He said, “Are not you, from ancient times Lord, my God, my Holy
One, who never dies? Lord, you have made this people an instrument of justice,
set it firm as a rock in order to punish. Your eyes are too pure to rest
on wickedness, you cannot look on at tyranny. Why do you look on while men are
treacherous, and stay silent while the evil man swallows a better man than he?
You treat mankind like fishes in the sea, like creeping, masterless
things. A people, these, who catch all on their hook, who draw them with
their net, in their dragnet gather them, and so, triumphantly, rejoice.”
So too, the
case of the man whose son was possessed by an unclean spirit. In desperation, he turned to
the Lord and said, “take pity on my son: he is a lunatic and in a wretched
state; he is always falling into the fire or into the water. I took him to your
disciples and they were unable to cure him.” The disciples were
asked to help, but could not drive the spirit out of the boy. (cf Mk 9:17f)
Hence, the
Lord sought to awaken the faith of His disciples, “Faithless and perverse
generation! How
much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring
him here to me.” Thus, “when Jesus rebuked it the devil came out of the
boy who was cured from that moment.” Faith is necessary to allow
God to take over our lives and be in charge of us. The Lord later explained to
the disciples why they were unable to heal the boy. He said, “I tell you
solemnly, if your faith were the size of a mustard seed you could say to this
mountain, ‘Move from here to there’, and it would move; nothing would be
impossible for you.”
How can
anyone arrive at such faith, even if one’s faith is as tiny as the mustard
seed?
It is not that we do not want to have faith but we feel inadequate to surrender
in faith because of fear, lack of trust or dare not be disappointed.
Indeed, many of us hope for God to intervene in our illness, financial woes and
difficult relationships with our spouse, boss, in-laws or colleagues, but the
situation remains unchanged. Hence, when the Lord said to the father, “’Everything
is possible for one who believes.’ Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I
do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’” (Mk 9:23f)
This too is our prayer as well. Many of us do believe in God but our
faith is at different levels.
How then can
we grow our faith? How can we overcome our unbelief? Faith thrives
on hope. The stronger the hope, the stronger the faith. Without
hope, there can be no faith. We all live by hope. The prophet
Isaiah said, “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of
the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young
men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will
renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and
not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isa 40:29-31)
The letter to the Hebrews said, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope
for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients
were commended for.” (Heb 11:1f)
For us,
Christians, we have not just hope but we have a certain hope in Christ. Because of Christ’s
death and resurrection, we are certain of the future ahead of us, and our
victory over sin, injustice and death. This hope is given to us in the
presence of the Holy Spirit as a foretaste and a pledge of what is to
come. “And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only
so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering
produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character,
hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has
been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been
given to us.” (Rom 5:2-5)
It is this
hope in Christ that we are able to persevere even in the face of injustices,
suffering and evil. This was how St Peter asked the Christians who were
under persecution to do, namely, to praise God for a living hope. “In his great
mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an
inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is
kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s
power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be
revealed in the last time. Though you have not seen him, you love
him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are
filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the
end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Pt 1:3-5, 8f)
That is why
we need to affirm that our God is in charge and in control of our history and
that of the world. God has a plan which we do not see clearly. He told
the prophet to “Write the vision down, inscribe it on tables to be easily read,
since this vision is for its own time only: eager for its own fulfilment, it
does not deceive; if it comes slowly, wait, for come it will, without
fail.” So we must trust and believe that God knows what He is
doing. At times, we feel that He is not with us or is not on our side,
but He is working slowly but surely to liberate us and to bring justice on
earth. Instead of taking things into our own hands, we must allow the
plan of God to unfold itself.
So faith
requires patience and perseverance. We need to remain calm and
wait patiently for the Lord to act. It is our impatience and wanting to
take things into our own hands that cause us even more problems. Jesus
was never rash in fulfilling the mission of His Father. He knew when to
withdraw when the opposition got stronger. He knew when to act when it
was time to stand up against His opponents. He was never reactive, unlike
the apostles. This is also required of us.
Let us take
to heart the reminder of our Lord through the prophet when He remarked, “See,
how he flags, he whose soul is not at rights, but the upright man will live by
his faithfulness.” When we are not focused and when we take things into our own
hands, using unjust and devious means to get what we want, we will always
remain fearful, anxious and lacking peace in our soul. However, if we
live a just life, and a life of faith in God that He is the just judge who
rules over the earth as the psalmist says, our lives will be secure.
Indeed, “The Lord sits enthroned for ever. He has set up his throne for
judgement; he will judge the world with justice, he will judge the peoples with
his truth. For the oppressed let the Lord be a stronghold, a stronghold
in times of distress. Those who know your name will trust you.”
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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