20190812 THE UNITY OF
HUMANITY AS THE DIVINE PLAN OF GOD
12 AUGUST, 2019,
Monday, 19th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
Green.
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First reading
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Deuteronomy 10:12-22 ©
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The Lord your God is God of gods and
Lord of lords
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Moses said to the people:
‘Now,
Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you? Only this: to fear the Lord
your God, to follow all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with
all your heart and all your soul, to keep the commandments and laws of the Lord
that for your good I lay down for you today.
‘To
the Lord your God belong indeed heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth and
all it contains; yet it was on your fathers that the Lord set his heart for
love of them, and after them of all the nations chose their descendants, you
yourselves, up to the present day. Circumcise your heart then and be obstinate
no longer; for the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great
God, triumphant and terrible, never partial, never to be bribed. It is he who
sees justice done for the orphan and the widow, who loves the stranger and
gives him food and clothing. Love the stranger then, for you were strangers in
the land of Egypt. It is the Lord your God you must fear and serve; you must
cling to him; in his name take your oaths. He it is you must praise, he is your
God: for you he has done these great and terrible things you have seen with
your own eyes; and though your fathers numbered only seventy when they went
down to Egypt, the Lord your God has made you as many as the stars of heaven.’
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 147:12-15,19-20 ©
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O praise the Lord,
Jerusalem!
or
Alleluia!
O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
Zion, praise your God!
He has strengthened the bars of your gates
he has blessed the children
within you.
O praise the Lord,
Jerusalem!
or
Alleluia!
He established peace on your borders,
he feeds you with finest
wheat.
He sends out his word to the earth
and swiftly runs his command.
O praise the Lord,
Jerusalem!
or
Alleluia!
He makes his word known to Jacob,
to Israel his laws and
decrees.
He has not dealt thus with other nations;
he has not taught them his
decrees.
O praise the Lord,
Jerusalem!
or
Alleluia!
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Gospel Acclamation
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Ps147:12,15
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Alleluia, alleluia!
O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
He sends out his word to the earth.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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cf.2Th2:14
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Through the Good News God called us
to share the glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 17:22-27 ©
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'They will put the Son of Man to death'
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One day when they were together in
Galilee, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘The Son of Man is going to be handed
over into the power of men; they will put him to death, and on the third day he
will be raised to life again.’ And a great sadness came over them.
When
they reached Capernaum, the collectors of the half-shekel came to Peter and
said, ‘Does your master not pay the half-shekel?’ ‘Oh yes’ he replied, and went
into the house. But before he could speak, Jesus said, ‘Simon, what is your
opinion? From whom do the kings of the earth take toll or tribute? From their
sons or from foreigners?’ And when he replied, ‘From foreigners’, Jesus said,
‘Well then, the sons are exempt. However, so as not to offend these people, go
to the lake and cast a hook; take the first fish that bites, open its mouth and
there you will find a shekel; take it and give it to them for me and for you.’
THE UNITY OF
HUMANITY AS THE DIVINE PLAN OF GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ DT 10:12-22; MT 17:22-27 ]
There is so much terrorism
and discrimination in the world.
Some countries are bigger, richer and more powerful than others whilst there
are others who are starving and living in poverty. The disparity
and division is due to the selfishness of man. Of course, this was
never what God intended the world to be. When God created the earth, His
vision was that all men would live in peace and love. Indeed, this is the
central message of both scripture readings.
Both readings proclaim that God is the
creator and Father of all. In the first reading from Deuteronomy, Moses
told the people, “To the Lord your God belong indeed heaven and the heaven of
heavens, and the earth and all it contains.” In the gospel, Jesus implied
in His parable that in reality, the divine plan of God is that
the whole of creation is given to His children. On that basis, there
are no foreigners on earth since we are owners of the earth and therefore not
required to pay taxes. But of course, because of men’s selfishness and
fears, protectionism resulted in the world being divided among the peoples.
Recognizing the limitations of men, Jesus said, “However, so as not to
offend these people, go to the lake and cast a hook; take the first fish that
bites, open its mouth and there you will find a shekel; take it and give it to
them for me and for you.”
The world is indeed an
imperfect place. Still, this
hope for the unity of the human race remains relevant. If
God had chosen Israel, it was because she was meant to be a model nation of
what the family of God should be like. Israel was chosen by God to be in
communion with Him so that the people could live in love and unity. The
covenantal laws given to the Israelites were guidelines for community living so
that there will be equality, justice and peace. Unfortunately, they
failed. They were not faithful to the covenant. Not only did they
not follow the laws, they also did not show justice and compassion to the poor,
the orphans and the widows. Division in the world therefore is caused by the
sins of man manifested in irresponsibility, selfishness, greed and envy.
Still, God refused to
give up on humanity. He
sent us His Son, Jesus, to die for us and to teach us the meaning of
unconditional love. This is implied in Jesus’ prophesy of His death when
He said, “The Son of Man is going to be handed over into the power of men; they
will put him to death, and on the third day he will be raised to life
again.” Only the death of Jesus could convince man of his sins and
selfishness. The Church, therefore, is now called to be the sign and
sacrament of unity of the human race, between God and man, and among man.
How can we preserve the
unity of the human race?
Moses gives us the key. He said, “Only this: to fear the Lord our God, to
follow all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your
heart and all your soul, to keep the commandments and laws of the Lord that for
your good I lay down for you today.” Unless we have reverence for
God, we will have no respect for the commandments of God. If the world is
divided, it is because the world refuses to acknowledge God. When God is
rejected, there is no basis for world unity. The unity of the world is
built on some volatile common beliefs, which change according to the pragmatic
needs of the nations. We also have no basis for morality since the rejection of
God makes everything relative. Today, people have difficulty
distinguishing right from wrong. We cannot agree on any set of moral
norms. Morality, including marriage, is being redefined by us according to our
convenience and likings. Once we recognize God, then we will realize that God
is for justice, the poor, the orphans and the weak. Moses told the people, “The
Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, triumphant and
terrible, never partial, never to be bribed. It is he who sees justice
done for the orphan and the widow, who loved the stranger and gives him food
and clothing.” Only faith in God will enable us to recognize the wisdom
and truth of His laws that have been given to us through divine revelation.
Secondly, unless we
recognize God, we will not appreciate our position in the world. Quite often, we take our lives,
food, jobs and comforts for granted. We forget that without the
generosity of God, we are nobody. Therefore, we should be grateful by
sharing what we have with others. Unless we are conscious of God’s
blessings and mercy for us, we cannot be merciful and compassionate to
others. This was God’s reminder to the Israelites. They were then
aliens and slaves in Egypt. But God in His mercy, chose them, liberated
them and made them into a nation. Indeed, God reminded them, “Love the stranger
then, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. It is the Lord your God you
must fear and serve; you must cling to him; in his name take your oaths.
He it is you must praise, he is your God: for you he has done these great and
terrible things you have seen with your own eyes; and though your fathers
numbered only seventy when they went down to Egypt, the Lord your God has made
you as many as the stars of heaven.”
Thirdly, for us who are
Christians, our faith is not just in the One God but in the Trinitarian God who
is the Father who created us through Christ and sanctifies us in the Holy
Spirit. Because God is
the Father of us all, and through Christ, we are all called to be His adopted
sons and daughters, we are to love our fellow beings as our brothers and
sisters just as the Father loves all His children. If we have the courage
to confess that God is Our Father, then accordingly, we must live as His
children and accept others as members of the family of God. It would be a
disgrace to His holy name if we were to act otherwise for His name is kept holy
by the way we live our lives. Accordingly, confessing our faith in God as
our Father, we seek to promote justice and compassion for all, regardless of
race, language or religion. In this way, we share in the life of the Holy
Trinity.
Yes, today, we are
called to circumcise our hearts like the Israelites. For the
Israelites, the external sign of being the covenantal people of God was
circumcision. But for Moses, the external sign must be followed by the
conversion of the heart as well. We, too, cannot simply rely on our
baptism without a real conversion of heart. The waters of baptism cannot
save us unless we go down into the water and cleanse our hearts and minds of
selfishness and sin.
The key to this
circumcision of the heart remains in the discovery of the love of God. Like the psalmist, we must
re-appropriate and remember the goodness of God towards us. He recounted,
“Zion, praise your God! He has strengthened the bars of your gates. He
has blessed the children within you. He established peace on your borders, he
feeds you with finest wheat. He sends out his word to the earth and swiftly
runs his command. He makes his word known to Jacob, to Israel his laws and
decrees. He has not dealt thus with other nations; he has not taught them his
decrees.” Only when we come to appreciate how much God loves us and counts us
worthy of His love, will we work towards building a community of love.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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