20191129 WAKING UP FROM
OUR NIGHTMARES
29 NOVEMBER,
2019, Friday, 34th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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Daniel 7:2-14 ©
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'I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man'
I, Daniel, have
been seeing visions in the night. I saw that the four winds of heaven were
stirring up the great sea; four great beasts emerged from the sea, each
different from the other. The first was like a lion with eagle’s wings; and as
I looked its wings were torn off, and it was lifted from the ground and set
standing on its feet like a man; and it was given a human heart. The second
beast I saw was different, like a bear, raised up on one of its sides, with
three ribs in its mouth, between its teeth. “Up!” came the command “Eat
quantities of flesh!” After this I looked, and saw another beast, like a
leopard, and with four bird’s wings on its flanks; it had four heads, and power
was given to it. Next I saw another vision in the visions of the night: I saw a
fourth beast, fearful, terrifying, very strong; it had great iron teeth, and it
ate, crushed and trampled underfoot what remained. It was different from the
previous beasts and had ten horns.
While
I was looking at these horns, I saw another horn sprouting among them, a little
one; three of the original horns were pulled out by the roots to make way for
it; and in this horn I saw eyes like human eyes, and a mouth that was full of
boasts. As I watched:
Thrones
were set in place
and
one of great age took his seat.
His
robe was white as snow,
the
hair of his head as pure as wool.
His
throne was a blaze of flames,
its
wheels were a burning fire.
A
stream of fire poured out,
issuing
from his presence.
A
thousand thousand waited on him,
ten
thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
A
court was held
and
the books were opened.
The great things
the horn was saying were still ringing in my ears, and as I watched, the beast
was killed, and its body destroyed and committed to the flames. The other
beasts were deprived of their power, but received a lease of life for a season
and a time.
I
gazed into the visions of the night.
And I
saw, coming on the clouds of heaven,
one
like a son of man.
He
came to the one of great age
and
was led into his presence.
On
him was conferred sovereignty,
glory
and kingship,
and
men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants.
His
sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty
which
shall never pass away,
nor
will his empire ever be destroyed.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Daniel 3:75-81 ©
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Mountains
and hills! bless the Lord.
Give
glory and eternal praise to him!
Every
thing that grows on the earth! bless the Lord.
Give
glory and eternal praise to him!
Springs
of water! bless the Lord.
Give
glory and eternal praise to him!
Seas
and rivers! bless the Lord.
Give
glory and eternal praise to him!
Sea
beasts and everything that lives in water! bless the Lord.
Give
glory and eternal praise to him!
Birds
of heaven! all bless the Lord.
Give
glory and eternal praise to him!
Animals
wild and tame! all bless the Lord.
Give
glory and eternal praise to him!
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Lk21:28
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Alleluia,
alleluia!
Stand
erect, hold your heads high,
because
your liberation is near at hand.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 21:29-33 ©
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My words will never pass away
Jesus told his
disciples a parable: ‘Think of the fig tree and indeed every tree. As soon as
you see them bud, you know that summer is now near. So with you when you see
these things happening: know that the kingdom of God is near. I tell you
solemnly, before this generation has passed away all will have taken place.
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.’
WAKING UP FROM
OUR NIGHTMARES
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Dan 7:2-14; Dan 3:75-81; Lk 21:29-33 ]
The vision of Daniel in
the first reading seems more like a nightmare than a vision. Seeing the different animals that
are half animal, half bird, with horns and yet like a human being, attacking
the world in its ferocity and cruelty. Indeed, it must have been as
Daniel described when he saw the fourth beast, “fearful, terrifying, very
strong; it had great iron teeth, and it ate, crushed and trampled underfoot
what remained. It was different from the previous beasts and had ten
horns.” His visions were more than just nightmares but prophecies of
world history, the rise and fall of empires and the destruction of Jerusalem,
humanity and even the entire creation.
We, too, are living with
many nightmares in our daily life.
There is so much division and disorder in the world today. Peace and
progress in the world is so fragile. Countries are at odds with each
other, each accusing the other of the lack of fair-play, distrust and hostile
competition in trade, technology and arms. The world is divided on
international issues, be it migration, globalization, free trade, ecology or
climate warming. Among our peoples, we cannot agree on fundamental issues
like marriage, family, abortion, euthanasia, transgender, free speech and
art. So there are battles to be fought on all fronts. The most
frightening thing is that because of individualism and relativism, no one can
come to any form of agreement.
So we are all very
tired, confused, disillusioned and disheartened at the state of the world. We feel like giving up because
instead of the world becoming more peaceful, stable and technologically
advanced, the development of the human person in terms of its moral, spiritual
and affective life is degenerating. Rather than becoming more humane and
more global-minded, seeing ourselves as one big human family, all we care about
is our aspirations, our desires, our happiness and our comfort and
security. Others do not factor in our aspiration to happiness but as
tools that we can use and discard when we do not need them. In a world
that is so selfish and self-centered, humanity is on the verge of destroying
not just itself but the entire creation.
Indeed, this is because
we do not see the signs.
We are not attentive to what is happening in the world today and in
ourselves. We are not seeing far because we are too engrossed on the here
and now without giving a thought to the long term implications and
repercussions of our decisions, policies and the values we are promoting in
society. This is what the Lord has been warning us. The signs have
been given. Jesus said, “Think of the fig tree and indeed every
tree. As soon as you see them bud, you know that summer is now
near.” We are all good at reading the weather, the political developments
of the country, the economic trends and financial investments, but we are not
alert to the changing moral trends, the culture and spiritual life of our
people.
Alas, it is also equally
true for those of us who feel discouraged at the sad and bewildering state of
the world. If we have lost hope and confidence in doing what we can to
restore the world from sin to grace, then we also have overlooked the signs of
the time. When the Lord
spoke of the fig tree budding, we are reminded of the coming of the
Messiah. The Jews believed that the Messiah would come after the
Passover. This is in spring. Jesus for us is the budding of the
Kingdom of God. But many of us are still not able to have confidence in
Christ’s power over the sinful world on account of His passion, death and
resurrection. The Lord said to the scribes and Pharisees who asked him,
“Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.’ But he answered them, ‘An evil
and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it
except the sign of the prophet Jonah. (Mt 12:38f)
In the first reading, in
spite of the incalculable devastation that would be brought upon humanity and
creation, Daniel’s vision assures us that God is in control. He saw God on His throne making judgments
on the world. We read that “the beast was killed, and its body destroyed
and committed to the flames. The other beasts were deprived of their
power, but received a lease of life for a season and a time.” And finally,
Jesus, the Son of God who is also the Son of Man, assuming sovereignty over all
of creation, “coming on the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man. He came to
the one of great age and was led into his presence. On him was conferred
sovereignty, glory and kingship… which shall never pass away, nor will his
empire ever be destroyed.”
In other words, the
scripture readings want to assure us that God is in absolute control over
creation. He
will ultimately bring all His enemies under His footstool. It will be
Jesus, the Son of Man who will hand over “the kingdom to God the Father, after
he has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power. For he must
reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last
enemy to be destroyed is death. For ‘God has put all things in
subjection under his feet.’ But when it says, ‘All things are put in
subjection’, it is plain that this does not include the one who put all things
in subjection under him. When all things are subjected to him, then
the Son himself will also be subjected to the one who put all things in
subjection under him, so that God may be all in all.” (1 Cor 15:24-28)
In the meantime, we must
continue to fight the battle against the Evil One and the spread of Satan’s
Kingdom. We must fight
against moral relativism, a self-centered form of individualism seen in
marriage, the culture of death, consumerism; absolute free speech at the
expense of innocent people and distortion of truth; exclusivity and
protectionism, and the failure to see that we are all brothers and sisters who
have a share in the resources of this planet and that wealth does not belong
only to some people or to a special group of people. The Church
seeks to build the kingdom of God based on the gospel of love, mercy and
compassion; that we are all children of God, called to share in His life and
love, now and hereafter. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, the
One who teaches us how to live our life in such a way that it is reflective of
God’s Spirit living in us.
That is why, amidst the
changing world, trends, values, cultures, all that relativism and pragmatism
embrace, the Church offers us a gospel that is eternal and everlasting. In the gospel, Jesus in no
uncertain terms said, “I tell you solemnly, before this generation has passed
away all will have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my
words will never pass away.” So we must tell the world that the truth
remains the truth. All can change and pass away but the Word of God, the
truth that Christ has revealed to us is eternal. There is no relativism
in the message of our Lord. St Peter says, “You have been born anew, not
of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of
God. For ‘All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower
of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord
endures forever.'” (1 Pt 1:23-25) That is why when we are faced
with so many opinions and positions on what is right or wrong, we do not refer
to the world for a final opinion. We must turn to the gospel because “all
scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who
belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16)
Most of all, we know
that our life is not simply on this earth. This world is passing. St John exhorts us, “Do not love
the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in those
who love the world; for all that is in the world – the desire of the
flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches – comes not from the Father
but from the world. And the world and its desire are passing away,
but those who do the will of God live forever.” (1 Jn 2:15-17) Indeed, let us not forget
that “our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are
expecting a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Phil 3:20)
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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