20190816
ALIGNING
OUR PLANS WITH GOD’S PLANS
16 AUGUST, 2019,
Friday, 19th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
Green.
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First reading
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Joshua 24:1-13 ©
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I gave you a land where you never
toiled, vineyards and olive-groves you never planted
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Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel
together at Shechem; then he called the elders, leaders, judges and scribes of
Israel, and they presented themselves before God. Then Joshua said to all the
people:
‘The
Lord, the God of Israel says this, “In ancient days your ancestors lived beyond
the River – such was Terah the father of Abraham and of Nahor – and
they served other gods. Then I brought your father Abraham from beyond the
River and led him through all the land of Canaan. I increased his descendants
and gave him Isaac. To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I gave the mountain
country of Seir as his possession. Jacob and his sons went down into Egypt.
Then I sent Moses and Aaron and plagued Egypt with the wonders that I worked
there. So I brought you out of it. I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, and
you came to the Sea; the Egyptians pursued your ancestors with chariots and
horsemen as far as the Sea of Reeds. There they called to the Lord, and he
spread a thick fog between you and the Egyptians, and made the sea go back on
them and cover them. You saw with your own eyes the things I did in Egypt. Then
for a long time you lived in the wilderness, until I brought you into the land
of the Amorites who lived beyond the Jordan; they made war on you and I gave
them into your hands; you took possession of their country because I destroyed
them before you. Next, Balak son of Zippor the king of Moab arose to make war
on Israel, and sent for Balaam son of Beor to come and curse you. But I would
not listen to Balaam; instead, he had to bless you, and I saved you from his
hand.
‘“When
you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho, those who held Jericho fought
against you, as did the Amorites and Perizzites, the Canaanites, Hittites,
Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, but I put them all into your power. I sent
out hornets in front of you, which drove the two Amorite kings before you; this
was not the work of your sword or your bow. I gave you a land where you never
toiled, you live in towns you never built; you eat now from vineyards and
olive-groves you never planted.”’
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm
135(136):1-3,16-18,21-22,24 ©
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O give thanks to the Lord for he is good.
Great is his love, love
without end.
Give thanks to the God of gods.
Great is his love, love
without end.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords.
Great is his love, love
without end.
Through the desert his people he led.
Great is his love, love
without end.
Nations in their greatness he struck.
Great is his love, love
without end.
Kings in their splendour he slew.
Great is his love, love
without end.
He let Israel inherit their land.
Great is his love, love
without end.
On his servant their land he bestowed.
Great is his love, love
without end.
And he snatched us away from our foes.
Great is his love, love
without end.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Ps110:7,8
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Your precepts, O Lord, are all of them
sure;
they stand firm for ever and ever.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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cf.1Th2:13
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Accept God’s message for what it really
is:
God’s message, and not some human
thinking.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 19:3-12 ©
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Husband and wife are no longer two, but
one body
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Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and to
test him they said, ‘Is it against the Law for a man to divorce his wife on any
pretext whatever?’ He answered, ‘Have you not read that the creator from the
beginning made them male and female and that he said: This is why a man must
leave father and mother, and cling to his wife, and the two become one body?
They are no longer two, therefore, but one body. So then, what God has united,
man must not divide.’
They
said to him, ‘Then why did Moses command that a writ of dismissal should be
given in cases of divorce?’ ‘It was because you were so unteachable’ he said
‘that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but it was not like this from
the beginning. Now I say this to you: the man who divorces his wife – I am
not speaking of fornication – and marries another, is guilty of adultery.’
The
disciples said to him, ‘If that is how things are between husband and wife, it
is not advisable to marry.’ But he replied, ‘It is not everyone who can accept
what I have said, but only those to whom it is granted. There are eunuchs born
that way from their mother’s womb, there are eunuchs made so by men and there
are eunuchs who have made themselves that way for the sake of the kingdom of
heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.’
ALIGNING OUR
PLANS WITH GOD’S PLANS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ Jos 24:1-13; Ps 136:1-3,16-18,21-22,24; Mt 19:3-12 ]
In the first reading, we
have Joshua who “gathered all the tribes of Israel together at Shechem” and
addressed “the elders, leaders, judges and scribes of Israel”, recounting the
plan of God for Israel.
God began this process by calling Abraham to the land of Canaan. He gave
him descendants through Isaac and Jacob. Then He sent Moses to set them
free from Egypt and brought them through the wilderness. In all these
events, God showed forth His might, power and mercy for Israel. In their
forty years’ journey in the wilderness, God protected them from their
enemies. At the end of their long sojourn in the desert, God gave them
the land of the Amorites. Then finally, God gave them the land at Canaan,
putting them under their power.
The lesson we can learn
from this is that God’s plan was unfolded whenever the people cooperated with
the Lord. Whenever they
chose to go their way, their plans were foiled by the Lord. On account of
their disobedience, they wondered in the desert for forty years to learn how to
depend on the Lord. Had they cooperated with the Lord, they would not
have had to wander so many years in the wilderness. But they were
ignorant, rebellious and stubborn. God is very patient with us. He
would wait for us to come to our senses before stepping in to save us.
That was what He did with the sons of Israel.
Nevertheless, what is
also important to remember is that God’s plans cannot be destroyed by man. He will somehow see to it that His
divine plan is realized. That was why Joshua, as Moses did before him,
reminded the people that it was not their might or strength that enabled them
to remain alive in the wilderness or withstand the attacks of their
enemies. If they could overcome their enemies, it was because the Lord
put them into their power. Indeed, the Lord said, “When you crossed
the Jordan and came to Jericho, those who held Jericho fought against you, as
did the Amorites and Perizzites, the Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites
and Jebusites, but I put them all into your power. I sent out hornets in
front of you, which drove the two Amorite kings before you; this was not the
work of your sword or your bow. I gave you a land where you never toiled,
you live in towns you never built; you eat now from vineyards and olive groves
you never planted.”
The response to such
great love of God is captured in the responsorial psalm. “Great is his
love, love without end.
O give thanks to the Lord for he is good. Through the desert his
people he led. Nations in their greatness he struck. Kings in their
splendor he slew. He let Israel inherit their land. On his servant their
land he bestowed. And he snatched us away from our foes.” Truly, without
the help of God, it would not have been possible for Israel to possess the
Promised Land.
What Joshua and the
Israelites did, we are also called to do. We are called to cooperate with
God’s plan for humanity.
In the gospel, we read of what the Lord taught to us about the calling to the
different states of life. We are called to married life, singlehood or
celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom of God. “It is not everyone who can
accept what I have said, but only those to whom it is granted. There are
eunuchs born that way from their mother’s womb, there are eunuchs made so by
men and there are eunuchs who have made themselves that way for the sake of the
kingdom of heaven.” Indeed, as the Lord said, “Let anyone accept this who
can.” We must be contented with our state of life, regardless what it is.
It is important that we come to terms with what the Lord has planned for
us. The different states of life is a gift from the Lord.
There are some who are called to married life so that they can find
companionship and build up a family. Some choose to be single to help
others; and there are others who choose celibacy to serve the Kingdom of God in
priesthood or monastic life.
St Paul gives us this
similar advice on the different states of life as a gift from God when he wrote to the Corinthians. “I
wish that all were as I myself am. But each has a particular gift from God, one
having one kind and another a different kind. To the unmarried and the
widows, I say that it is well for them to remain unmarried as I am. But if
they are not practicing self-control, they should marry. For it is better to
marry than to be aflame with passion. To the married I give this command – not
I but the Lord – that the wife should not separate from her husband (but
if she does separate, let her remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her
husband), and that the husband should not divorce his wife.” (1 Cor 7:7-11)
Regardless of which
state of life we choose as the Lord has planned for us, we must live it in such
a way that it brings life to others around us. Those of us who are married must
strive to live in union with our spouse so that supporting and caring for each
other in love, we can help each other to be loving; not just towards members of
the family but to reach out to the larger community in society, especially
those who are without love and support. The law of indissolubility in
marriage should not be seen in a legalistic manner. Even if a
couple has fulfilled the law by not divorcing each other, they have not
fulfilled the spirit of the law if they do not love each other tenderly,
forgiving each other, and supporting each other in life and in work. When
we are nasty, selfish and thinking of ourselves instead of our spouse, we have
already sinned even though we might not be divorced.
Jesus and St Paul made
clear what the purpose of the law is all about. When “some Pharisees approached
Jesus, and to test him they said, ‘Is it against the Law for a man to divorce
his wife on any pretext whatever?’ He answered, ‘Have you not read that
the creator from the beginning made them male and female and that he said: This
is why a man must leave father and mother, and cling to his wife, and the two
become one body. So then, what God has united, man must not
divide.'” In no uncertain terms, it is in order that the two become one
in heart, mind and one in body. St Paul wrote, “Husbands, love your
wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, in
order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the
word, so as to present the church to himself in splendor, without a spot
or wrinkle or anything of the kind – yes, so that she may be holy and without
blemish. In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they do
their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.” (Eph 5:25-28) Unless a couple loves the
other more than himself or herself, they have not lived the marriage vow.
Alas, we are weak in
living out the different states of life. Jesus made it clear that because they were “so
unteachable that Moses allowed you to divorce wives, but it was not like this
from the beginning. Now I say this to you: the man who divorces his wife
– I am not speaking of fornication – and marries another, is guilty of
adultery.” Indeed, many married couples do not truly love and care for
each other and sometimes are unfaithful to each other even in relationships.
They commit adultery. Parents do not put their children before their own
interests and pleasures. Single people often live for themselves without
having regard for their parents or their siblings and people in the
world. Some singles are selfish and inward-looking. Everything they
earn is for themselves, their enjoyment, fun and pleasure. They do not
use their time and resources for the service of the community. Priests
and religious too can also fail in celibacy because they do not live a life
that is open to the People of God, which is what celibacy is all about.
It is not reducible to abstinence from sexual activity but to live inclusively,
being a brother or sister to everyone, loving all as Christ loves us.
When a priest or religious fails to offer his or her life for the service of
God and the community, freely and generously, he or she might be observing
celibacy, but misses out on the spiritual and ecclesial dimensions.
Hence, what must be done
is to align ourselves with the plan of God for each one of us and for our
community. We must go back to the beginning of God’s plan. Unless we consecrate our marriage,
our single state of life, and our celibacy to God, for His greater glory and
the service of humanity, as part of God’s plan for us all, we will not be able
to find true happiness in life. We must depend on His strength as the
Israelites did. We cannot live our married life or celibate life without
God’s grace and without His divine assistance. Only when we commend our
lives into His hands, will He show us the way, and give us the grace to love
like Him, regardless of our state in life.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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