20190101
SEEING THE FACE OF GOD
01 JANUARY,
2019, Tuesday, Mary, Mother of God
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
White.
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First reading
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Numbers 6:22-27 ©
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They are to call down my name on the
sons of Israel, and I will bless them
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The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ‘Say
this to Aaron and his sons: “This is how you are to bless the sons of Israel.
You shall say to them:
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord let his face shine on you and
be gracious to you.
May the Lord uncover his face to you and
bring you peace.”
This is how they are to call down my name
on the sons of Israel, and I will bless them.’
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 66(67):2-3,5,6,8 ©
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O God, be gracious and
bless us.
O God, be gracious and bless us
and let your face shed its
light upon us.
So will your ways be known upon earth
and all nations learn your
saving help.
O God, be gracious and
bless us.
Let the nations be glad and exult
for you rule the world with
justice.
With fairness you rule the peoples,
you guide the nations on
earth.
O God, be gracious and
bless us.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise
you.
May God still give us his blessing
till the ends of the earth
revere him.
O God, be gracious and
bless us.
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Second reading
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Galatians 4:4-7 ©
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God sent his Son, born of a woman
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When the appointed time came, God sent his
Son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of the
Law and to enable us to be adopted as sons. The proof that you are sons is that
God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts: the Spirit that cries,
‘Abba, Father’, and it is this that makes you a son, you are not a slave any
more; and if God has made you son, then he has made you heir.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Heb1:1-2
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Alleluia, alleluia!
At various times in the past
and in various different ways,
God spoke to our ancestors through the
prophets;
but in our own time, the last days,
he has spoken to us through his Son.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 2:16-21 ©
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The shepherds hurried to Bethlehem and
found the baby lying in the manger
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The shepherds hurried away to Bethlehem
and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. When they saw the
child they repeated what they had been told about him, and everyone who heard
it was astonished at what the shepherds had to say. As for Mary, she treasured
all these things and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds went back
glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen; it was exactly as
they had been told.
When
the eighth day came and the child was to be circumcised, they gave him the name
Jesus, the name the angel had given him before his conception.
SEEING THE FACE OF GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ NUMBERS 6:22-27; GALATIANS 4:4-7; LUKE 2:16-21 ]
We are at the beginning
of the New Year.
When we enter into something new, we know it is unpredictable. We do not
know what the New Year has in store for us. The world is still in turmoil
and there is no peace in many parts of the world. There are so many
problems and challenges in the world today. The economy is
fragile and the planet is in danger because of climate warming. On the
domestic front, we are worried about our job, our health, our finance and
relationships. There is no peace at home, at the office, and even
in church. There is so much division, misunderstanding, disunity and
friction. The trends in society are also changing. We are not too
sure how society would develop with the call to redefine marriage, the family,
surrogacy motherhood, and some are even advocating a transgender
generation. Ironically, those who are championing the removal of the
death penalty are at the same time advocating abortion and euthanasia. Indeed,
we can appreciate the anxiety, fear, apprehension and excitement as
well.
But why is there so much
division in the world, in our own homes, our offices and organizations?
The root cause is because we have not seen the face of God. In a secular and humanistic world where
God is no longer seen and felt, He has been forgotten and made redundant.
What is left of this world is a humanity trying to explain itself, find its
purpose and meaning without reference to God or the Ultimate. The truth
is that we are finite beings, regardless of how intelligent we are. We are
mortal beings. We cannot explain ourselves and our purpose in this
world because we are dependent beings. We cannot bring life, nor can we
stop death. Life and death belong to God.
Without seeing the face
of God, we are confused about our real identity and true calling in life.
Without seeing the face of God, we do not know whether we can carry on with the
challenges and demands of life.
We do not know who we are or what we are called to do. We have reduced
ourselves to animals, even if we are the smartest of all animals in
creation. Life is just about eating, drinking, enjoying, working,
sleeping and then we die. We do not know why we are here and what we are
living for. Because we do not know ourselves, we also do not know
other human beings. We fail to see that we are all brothers and sisters
by virtue of our humanity. We are related and our happiness is
interdependent on each other’s happiness. We cannot be happy by simply
protecting our interests and unconcerned about the well-being of the people and
countries around us. We want to be happy but we do not know how.
This is where sin comes
into our lives. Sin is the cause of division because of selfishness,
ambition, greed and envy. The
individual is fearful of his life and wants to protect what he has, believing
that he has only one life to live. And after death, he would be no
more. So he is desperate to grab all that he can and enjoy all the pleasures
of this life. Yet, in spite of his enjoyments, he finds life
meaningless. If life is just pleasure and enjoyment, then he is just
another animal. He is less than a human person because human beings need
love and to be loved. It is love that makes sense and gives meaning and
joy to life. Pleasures cannot give joy but love can.
It is the need for
attention and for love that makes man proud. Some are ambitious, not for money
but for fame and popularity. Man wants attention. He is afraid to
be unknown and to mean nothing to people. Man is afraid of shame,
rejection and not being loved. We all need to feel that we are important
and that we can make a difference in the lives of people. Just living for
ourselves alone makes us feel useless and meaningless. As a result,
even whilst working for God and for the poor or for society, there is much
egotism in us. This is what causes us to be at war even with those whom we are
serving for the good of the church and society. Our insecurity in
love makes us proud, arrogant and always thinking that we are right and better
than others so that we feel more superior to them.
For this reason, the New
Year begins by seeking the Lord’s blessing. What is this blessing that
humanity needs most today? It is to see the face of God! This explains why God told Moses to bless
the people thus, “You shall say to them: May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord let his face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord
uncover his face to you and bring you peace.” Indeed, seeing God is the
foundation of happiness, peace and love in this world. Without seeing the
face of God, we are confused about our real identity and true calling in
life. For this reason, it is right and proper that we begin the New Year
by blessing God so that we can see the Face of God in our lives.
Why is seeing the Face
of God so important for our happiness and peace in life? Unless we know
who God is we do not know who we are. This is the reason for the
incarnation, the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thanks be to God who sent us His Son
Jesus, we have seen the face of God in Christ. In His birth, we see the
love of God. In His life, we see the compassion of God. In His
death, we see the mercy of God. In His resurrection, we see the power of
God over sin, hatred and death. He comes to reveal to us our true
identity as sons and daughters of God. This is what St Paul wrote.
“When the appointed time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born a
subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of the Law and to enable us to be
adopted as sons.” We are not slaves of the world. Even
non-Christians are sons and daughters of God, even if they do not recognize God
as such. St John wrote, “See what love the Father has given us, that we
should be called children of God, and that is what we are. The reason the world
does not know us is that it did not know him.” (1 Jn 3:1)
But it is more than just
saying that we are sons and daughters of God. What are the
implications of affirming that we are sons and daughters of God? Firstly,
it means that we are all brothers and sisters,regardless whether we are
Catholic or not. We know that Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who
persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he
makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous
and on the unrighteous.” (Mt 5:45) God is
the Father of us all. Therefore we must treat all as brothers and
sisters, regardless of race, religion and nationality. Their needs are
also ours. They too deserve the same respect and basic human rights and
dignity. We belong to the one family of God. We need to care for
each other as we care for our own family members. Peace in the world is
possible only if we see ourselves as one family and not regard each other as
enemies and competitors. Without justice and charity, there can be no
peace.
Secondly, it means that
we must live like children of God. We must show the face of God who is
our Father to others. All
parents see themselves in their children and the children see themselves in
their parents. This explains why parents are very proud when their
children do well and children are proud when they see their parents honoured
and loved. So, too, as children of the heavenly Father, we must act
according to the way Christ lived His life and showed forth the face of His
Father. His whole life was to glorify the Father by His love and
mercy for us so that we will all know that His Father is unconditional love,
mercy and forgiveness. Our purpose in life is to show forth the
glory of God in us as well by our lives of service and love. In
this way, we share in the glory of God and find fulfilment in our being. We
must give hope to a humanity that is struggling to find meaning and purpose.
Finally, we must trust
that God who is our Father will provide for our needs. Jesus lived in total trust in His
Father’s love. He was confident of His Father’s love even when things did
not turn out the way He hoped. In spite of the miracles and healings He
performed, the hearts of the Jewish leaders and the people did not
change. But He entrusted His mission to the Holy Spirit to complete what
He could not do whilst on earth. So we should not fear or be discouraged
even with all the problems facing us. In this life, we will have troubles
as the Lord said. But He encouraged us, saying, “Be brave because I have
overcome the world.” We can surrender everything to Him, knowing that He
will bring to completion what He has begun in us.
That is why New Year’s
Day is also dedicated to
Mary, the Mother of God. This is because without her, there would be
no Christ, and no new beginning. Only because of Mary, Christ came into
this world to show us the face of God by being truly man and truly God.
In order to assert this truth of Christ who is not just man or God but truly
man and truly God in one person, the Church proclaimed the dogma of Mary the
Mother of God. In the humanity of Jesus, we see the face of God and
seeing His face, we come to know who we are, His sons and daughters.
So today, let us
continue to be filled with the amazement of the shepherds and those who heard
their story of how the angels told them about Christ the Saviour born in
Bethlehem. With Mary, let us
enter into a deeper contemplation, pondering in our hearts the meaning of the
incarnation for us so that we too can glorify God and praise Him in our
lives. Only when we are also astonished at the marvellous graciousness of
God in giving us His Son Jesus to reveal to us His love, our identity and
calling, can we rejoice with them and find hope in our lives.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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