20181225
DO WE NEED A SAVIOUR?
25 DECEMBER,
2018, Tuesday, Christmas
Is 9:1-7
1 But there will be no gloom for her that was in anguish. In the
former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of
Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the
land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
2 * The
people who walked in darkness
have
seen a great light;
those
who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on
them has light shined.
3 Thou hast multiplied the nation,
thou
hast increased its joy;
they
rejoice before thee
as
with joy at the harvest,
as
men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
4 For the yoke of his burden,
and
the staff for his shoulder,
the
rod of his oppressor,
thou
hast broken as on the day of Midian.
5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
and
every garment rolled in blood
will
be burned as fuel for the fire.
6 For to us a child is born,
to
us a son is given;
and
the government will be upon his shoulder,
and
his name will be called
“Wonderful
Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting
Father, Prince of Peace.”
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace
there
will be no end,
upon
the throne of David,
and
over his kingdom,
to
establish it, and to uphold it
with
justice and with righteousness
from
this time forth and for evermore.
The
zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Ps 96:1-3
1 O sing to the Lord a new song;
sing
to the Lord,
all the earth!
2 Sing to the Lord, bless
his name;
tell
of his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his
marvelous works among all the peoples!
Titus 2:11-14
11 For the grace of God has appeared for the
salvation of all men, 12 training
us to renounce irreligion and worldly passions, and to live sober, upright, and
godly lives in this world, 13 awaiting
our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior* Jesus Christ, 14 who gave
himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for himself a
people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.
Lk 2:1-14
1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the
world should be enrolled. 2 This was the
first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And
all went to be enrolled, each to his own city. 4 And
Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the
city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and
lineage of David, 5 to be enrolled
with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they
were there, the time came for her to be delivered. 7 And
she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and
laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
8 And in that region there
were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And
an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around
them, and they were filled with fear. 10 And the angel
said to them, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy
which will come to all the people; 11 for to you is
born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And
this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths
and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly
there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and
saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and
on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!”g
DO WE NEED A SAVIOUR?
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ IS 9:1-7; PS 96:1-3, 11-13; TITUS 2:11-14; LK 2:1-14 ]
Why are we rejoicing on
this day? Why is Christmas
so well celebrated all over the world, especially in the West and even in some
parts of Asia? The simple answer is that Christ our Saviour has been
born. This is what the bible says. This is what the responsorial
psalm says, “Today a saviour has been born to us: he is Christ the Lord.
O sing a new song to the Lord, sing to the Lord all the earth. O sing to the
Lord, bless his name. Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad, let the
sea and all within it thunder praise, let the land and all it bears rejoice,
all the trees of the wood shout for joy at the presence of the Lord for he
comes, he comes to rule the earth.” This is what the Church says.
This is what all Christians are saying. Repeatedly and consistently, this
is the reason given in the Christian tradition as to why we celebrate
Christmas.
But are the Church’s
sentiments our personal feelings as well? Or are we rejoicing because it is so to speak,
the best time of the year? It is cool and cold and cozy. Businesses
have slowed down. Work has slowed down. It is the holiday
season. We can take a break. We have received our year-end
bonuses. It is time to celebrate. There are parties held in many
places. It is a time of merry making. It is a time to receive
presents, which gives us a good reason to shop and spend lavishly. It is
a time of fun and joy.
But I am afraid that
Christmas is celebrated all over the world without the birthday boy in whose
honour we are celebrating. Ironically,
in many parts of the world, in the name of religious freedom, we are no longer
free to wish each other Merry Christmas. We wish each other ‘Happy
Holidays’ or simply “Compliments of the Season”, presumably winter! What
the world is celebrating at most perhaps are the effects and outcomes of the
birth of our Lord. They are enjoying the peace and love that our Lord
brings, but failing to recognize Him as their savior. It is like many
people in the world who have many talents and gifts and blessings, but they
take them for granted. They fail to consider where their health, talents,
beauty, resources and blessings come from. They never ask where
their intellectual capacity and the many opportunities in life come from.
They simply enjoy them without asking the source, like the wedding guests at
Cana.
The truth is that we
cannot enter into the true and lasting joy of Christmas unless we see the need
of a Saviour. The real problem is that modern man does not see the need
of a Saviour. He can do all things by himself. He is his own savior. He
thinks that he is able to solve all the problems in the world by himself, using
his own ingenuity. He thinks mightily of himself. Today, no one
speaks about God and the grace of God in the world. It is a taboo for
political and corporate leaders to mention about God in their work or that we
need His grace. There is a common agreement that this world is dependent
on our hard work and ingenuity alone. Beyond ourselves, there is nothing
else.
Secondly, the
contemporary lives only for this world. There is no thought of the world to come.
Either they cannot be bothered or are agnostic about it. In a word,
many of us live as if this is the only life and world we have. After
death, we disappear into nothingness. That is why many just live only for
this life and this world. We try to enjoy as much as we can and take out
of this world as much as we could because after death, it is the end of
everything. Why should we therefore care about tomorrow when there is no
tomorrow? Why should we sacrifice our happiness today for the sake of the
future generations? Nay, since there is no life beyond death, we should
take care only of ourselves, do all we can, enjoy all that we could for after
that, it will be no more. It would be so silly to miss this great
opportunity by sacrificing for the next generation.
Thirdly, the situation
has changed. In
the days of old, most people were poor. Life was very simple and
spartan. They did not have the luxuries that we are now
enjoying. Many suffered from all kinds of illnesses and diseases
which had no cure. Life was tough. Many lived in tents and were
nomads, fighting the cold and the heat throughout the year. Above
all, each tribe or nation had to protect themselves from other tribes and
nations. Enemies were all around them. The powerful nation was
always waiting to seize the lands of other nations and dominate them.
Within the nation, there were so much injustice, corruption and manipulation of
the poor by the rich, and those in power. The poor did not have proper
recourse to justice.
Today, the world has
become a much better place.
More countries are developed. Of course, there are still many peoples in
some parts of the world that are impoverished or living in inhumane
conditions. But for those who live in modern cities like ours, our lives
are very comfortable. We have jobs and are able to have a decent
lifestyle. We might not all be rich and live in beautiful bungalows and
palaces, but even our two-room flats are very comfortable. We have modern
amenities and easy access to communication. With science and technology,
many things can be resolved without the help of God. Man thinks he can
solve every problem using his brains and knowledge. There is a judicial
system that ensures a certain level of justice and impartiality, much better
than the olden days where the powerful controlled even the judges. Today,
we speak of the sovereignty of the nations and we do not have another nation
seizing another nation without condemnation from the rest of the world.
Consequently, it is not
difficult to understand why man has become so arrogant. This world does
not need God. This
is what secularism is saying. There is no God; only us. So there is
no need for anyone to have a savior. In fact, it is a novelty to tell
someone that you are a freethinker or an agnostic or an atheist. It shows
that you are in control of your own life. To believe in God is a form of
escapism. It is a sign of weakness and folly. Only people who are
weak and helpless seek refuge in God. Indeed, many seek God only when
they are desperate; such as when they are struck with an incurable or terminal
illness, or faced with bankruptcy, or at risk of losing their jobs or a failed
relationship.
So, do you think there
is a savior? This is the question you need to answer sincerely if you are
to celebrate Christmas. In the first reading, the Israelites felt the
need for a savior because they were living in darkness. They were in exile. All hopes were
gone. They lost their land, their kingdom and their temple. They lost
everything. They were under the captivity of their enemy. Hence
they were looking for a savior. “The people that walked in darkness has
seen a great light; on those who live in a land of deep shadow a light has
shone. You have made their gladness greater, you have made their joy increase;
they rejoice in your presence as men rejoice at harvest time, as men are happy
when they are dividing the spoils. For the yoke that was weighing on him,
the barb across his shoulders, the rod of his oppressor, these you break as on
the day of Midian. For all the footgear of battle, every cloak rolled in blood,
is burnt, and consumed by fire.” It was their hope that the savior would
set them free and bring joy to their lives again by giving them land, wealth,
peace and freedom. The psalmist says, “With justice he will rule the
world, he will judge the peoples with his truth.” What they sought for
was peace, wealth and justice in their lives.
In the gospel, the
people during the time of Jesus too were living in poverty because of the
political and religious institutions that kept them poor. The people sought freedom from the
Romans. But they were also living in sin, in hypocrisy, especially the
religious leaders. That was why Jesus saw His mission as one of
liberation of the people from their sins and oppression by changing the social
and religious structures. “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he
has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.” (Lk 4:18)
The Gentiles too felt
the need of a saviour to teach them how to live life purposefully and
meaningfully. The Gentiles
were living sinful lives under the bondage of the flesh. Not only were
they engaging in idolatry but they were living sensual lives, a life of
promiscuity, pleasure and greed. The people were ambitious and the
cities were thriving, but their affluence also led to all kinds of sin.
Life was meaningless like ours, working, eating, drinking and carousing.
Life was empty. It was only for this world. And so Jesus the
Saviour came to teach them how to live an authentic life of joy and love in
this world for the world to come. This is what the second reading says,
“God’s grace has been revealed, and it has made salvation possible for the
whole human race and taught us that what we have to do is to give up everything
that does not lead to God, and all our worldly ambitions; we must be self-restrained
and live good and religious lives here in this present world, while we are
waiting in hope for the blessing which will come with the Appearing of the
glory of our great God and saviour Christ Jesus.”
What about us? Why
do you need a saviour? To the extent you need a saviour, to that extent
you will be glad and rejoice because Christ is our saviour. If we are humble enough to know
that all we have come from God and that this life is not everything, then we
will recognize our nothingness before God. If we come to realize our
sinfulness and that without His example and His wisdom we can never overcome
our sin that separates us from God and our fellowmen, then we need a
saviour. Indeed, “He sacrificed himself for us in order to set us free
from all wickedness and to purify a people so that it could be his very own and
would have no ambition except to do good.” If we are aware that our life
is not here on earth but in heaven, then we need a saviour. So Christ is
our Saviour because He teaches us the way to peace through truth and
love. Jesus reveals to us our origin and our destiny. So we can
rejoice because as the angel assured us, “Do not be afraid. Listen, I bring you
news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people. Today in the town of
David a saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. And here is a sign
for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a
manger.” So with the angels, we sing, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and
peace to men who enjoy his favour.”
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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