20191215
THE
MESSIAH IS IN OUR MIDST
15 December,
2019, Sunday, 3rd Week of Advent
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Rose or Violet.
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First reading
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Isaiah 35:1-6,10 ©
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God himself is coming to save you
Let
the wilderness and the dry-lands exult,
let
the wasteland rejoice and bloom,
let
it bring forth flowers like the jonquil,
let
it rejoice and sing for joy.
The
glory of Lebanon is bestowed on it,
the
splendour of Carmel and Sharon;
they
shall see the glory of the Lord,
the
splendour of our God.
Strengthen
all weary hands,
steady
all trembling knees
and
say to all faint hearts,
‘Courage!
Do not be afraid.
‘Look,
your God is coming,
vengeance
is coming,
the
retribution of God;
he is
coming to save you.’
Then
the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
the
ears of the deaf unsealed,
then
the lame shall leap like a deer
and
the tongues of the dumb sing for joy
for
those the Lord has ransomed shall return.
They
will come to Zion shouting for joy,
everlasting
joy on their faces;
joy
and gladness will go with them
and
sorrow and lament be ended.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm 145(146):6-10 ©
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Come,
Lord, and save us.
or
Alleluia!
It is
the Lord who keeps faith for ever,
who
is just to those who are oppressed.
It is
he who gives bread to the hungry,
the
Lord, who sets prisoners free,
Come,
Lord, and save us.
or
Alleluia!
It is
the Lord who gives sight to the blind,
who
raises up those who are bowed down,
the
Lord, who protects the stranger
and
upholds the widow and orphan.
Come,
Lord, and save us.
or
Alleluia!
It is
the Lord who loves the just
but
thwarts the path of the wicked.
The
Lord will reign for ever,
Zion’s
God, from age to age.
Come,
Lord, and save us.
or
Alleluia!
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Second reading
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James 5:7-10 ©
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Do not lose heart; the Lord's coming will be soon
Be patient,
brothers, until the Lord’s coming. Think of a farmer: how patiently he waits
for the precious fruit of the ground until it has had the autumn rains and the
spring rains! You too have to be patient; do not lose heart, because the Lord’s
coming will be soon. Do not make complaints against one another, brothers, so
as not to be brought to judgement yourselves; the Judge is already to be seen
waiting at the gates. For your example, brothers, in submitting with patience,
take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Is61:1(Lk4:18)
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Alleluia,
alleluia!
The
spirit of the Lord has been given to me.
He
has sent me to bring the good news to the poor.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 11:2-11 ©
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'A greater than John the Baptist has never been seen'
John in his
prison had heard what Christ was doing and he sent his disciples to ask him,
‘Are you the one who is to come, or have we got to wait for someone else?’
Jesus answered, ‘Go back and tell John what you hear and see; the blind see
again, and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead
are raised to life and the Good News is proclaimed to the poor; and happy is
the man who does not lose faith in me.’
As
the messengers were leaving, Jesus began to talk to the people about John:
‘What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the breeze?
No? Then what did you go out to see? A man wearing fine clothes? Oh no, those
who wear fine clothes are to be found in palaces. Then what did you go out for?
To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet: he is the one
of whom scripture says:
‘Look,
I am going to send my messenger before you;
he
will prepare your way before you.
‘I tell you
solemnly, of all the children born of women, a greater than John the Baptist
has never been seen; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he
is.’
THE MESSIAH IS
IN OUR MIDST
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ Is 35:1-6.10; Ps 146:6-10; James 5:7-10; Mt 11:2-11]
There are many people
who have given up on their faith and on God because they cannot experience a
loving and personal God who cares for them. Indeed, one of the causes of Atheism is
that people cannot reconcile the evils and sufferings in the world with an
almighty God who is supposed to put order in the world. There is no
justice in this world. Those who are suffering from terminal illnesses, or
going through difficult relationships and undergoing depression often wonder
where God is. There are many young people today who, because of family
problems, divorced parents or sudden death of their loved ones, or when
rejected by their friends, feel that God is not real. They even blame God
for their woes and become resentful of such a God.
Within this context, we
can appreciate the Israelites who were in exile. They had lost their
land, their homes, their Temple and their kingdom. They lost their dignity in a foreign land
and their future. They had no place to worship God. Life was
hopeless with no end in sight. All the past glory of the Davidic Kingdom
came to naught.
Like them, we too look
forward to the deliverance of God. How does He come? The truth is that it is very difficult to
speak of the Lord’s coming in abstract ways. When we speak of
the Lord’s coming, He comes in concrete ways. Indeed, the scripture
readings of today speak of the Lord’s coming in very existential terms.
The psalmist declares, “It is the Lord who keeps faith forever, who is just to
those who are oppressed. It is he who gives bread to the hungry, the Lord, who
sets prisoners free. It is the Lord who gives sight to the blind, who
raises up those who are bowed down, the Lord, who protects the stranger and
upholds the widow and orphan. It is the Lord who loves the just but thwarts the
path of the wicked. The Lord will reign forever, Zion’s God, from age to
age.” The prophet Isaiah spoke of the restoration of Israel in
similar terms. “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the
deaf unsealed, then the lame shall leap like a deer and the tongues of the dumb
sing for joy; for those the Lord has ransomed shall return.”
Jesus who fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah
also reiterated the signs of His Messiahship by telling the disciples of John
to “Go back and tell John what you hear and see; the blind see again,
and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are
raised to life and the Good News is proclaimed to the poor; and happy is the
man who does not lose faith in me.”
Accordingly, if we are
to proclaim the reality of the Lord’s coming, we, too, must justify His
presence and coming with similar signs. It is not enough to speak about God’s love in
the abstract but we need to manifest His love in our midst. This was what
St James wrote, “If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and
one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,’ and yet
you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?” (Jms
2:15f) In the great commissioning, the Lord instructed the disciples to
proclaim the Good News accompanied with the following signs, namely, “by using
my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will
pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not
hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
(Mk 16:17f)
This explains why the
gospel cannot be proclaimed without works of charity and mercy. Proclamation of the Good News is
not just words and doctrines. The gospel is not an ideology but life and
love. The only way to announce the coming of the Lord is when we give
hope to those who are suffering. This was why St Francis of Assisi told
his brothers, “Go and proclaim the gospel, and if necessary use words.”
There is nothing more real and indisputable than to show our faith in the Lord
through our works of love. Hence, St Teresa of Kolkata throughout her
life demonstrated her faith and love for God through her love and assistance to
the poorest of the poor. Only a person so filled with faith and the
love of God could love in such a manner, stooping so low as to touch, nurse and
cleanse the marginalized of society, the untouchables and the sick.
More than ever, as we
await the coming of the Lord at Christmas, we, too, must do the same. How can people know that Christ is
the Messiah unless we perform works of love and mercy? During this
Christmas season, we are called to give hope to those who are lonely, those
suffering from illness and those who are poor and in need of food, lodging and
medical care. Through our acts of kindness, generosity, compassion and
patience, we reveal the face of the Messiah to them. The motivation for
us to give gifts at Christmas is always because God has given us not just our
needs but He has given us nothing less than Himself, His only begotten Son who
lived, died, suffered and rose for us.
In the process of giving
ourselves to others, we too share in their joy and become more and more like
the Lord. There is joy in
receiving but there is a greater joy in giving. Indeed, for those of us
who give, we must not think that we are greater than the recipients. In
giving, we receive love, joy and meaning in life. So we must not appear
to be condescending in our giving. In fact, the poor are giving us an
opportunity to receive the grace of God. The poor also gives us what the
rich do not have, meaning and joy. The poor gives us the heart of Jesus in
return, His joy and His peace.
Of course, the Lord also
comes most of all in prayer and contemplation. We must not think that material
things alone can fulfill us. They are signs of His love and mercy.
But more importantly, we need to hear from Him directly and not just through
others. We need to encounter His love in our hearts as well. Advent
therefore is a quiet time of prayer, reflection and expectant hope. It is
not a time to rush through things, busying ourselves with shopping, partying
and getting ready for the material aspect of the festivals. It is that
time of the year when we wind down, reflect on our past and with thanksgiving
and gratitude consider how we can do better in the future and the direction we
should be taking. It is not a time to be busy over non-significant
matters when our relationship with the Lord is all that matters. A deeper
encounter with Him in prayer, meditation on His word will give us a new lease
of life.
This was how John the
Baptist prepared the way for the Lord to come into his life – by living a life
of contemplation.
Jesus praised Him saying, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A
reed swaying in the breeze? No? Then what did you go out to see? A man wearing
fine clothes? Oh no, those who wear fine clothes are to be found in palaces.
Then what did you go out for? To see a prophet?” Let us enter into the
wilderness so that we can see the Lord and His coming in our daily life, not
just in big things but in the daily blessings of each day. Often we are
ungrateful. We complain about many things we lack when we have more than
our fair share of this world’s goods compared to others.
Finally, to welcome the
Lord also means a time for forgiveness. There can be no real peace unless we
forgive those who have hurt us. St Paul reminds us, “Do not make complaints
against one another, brothers, so as not to be brought to judgement yourselves;
the Judge is already to be seen waiting at the gates. For your example,
brothers, in submitting with patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name
of the Lord.” Christmas is a time of renewal, it is the beginning of new
hope. So we need to let go of all our hurts so that we can find peace in
our lives. Do not allow bitterness, resentment and anger to hinder us
from receiving the peace of Christmas. It is not easy to let go.
But we must be willing and God will give us the grace to let go.
Sometimes those whom we hurt refuse to forgive us. That being the case, St Paul
exhorts us, “Be patient, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. Think of a farmer:
how patiently he waits for the precious fruit of the ground until it has had
the autumn rains and the spring rains! You too have to be patient; do not lose
heart, because the Lord’s coming will be soon.”
So let us respond to the
call to be forerunners of the Lord.
Many are waiting patiently for the Lord to come. Let us not disappoint
them. Like John the Baptist, we are called to prepare the way for the
Lord. “Look, I am going to send my messenger before you; he will prepare
your way before you. I tell you solemnly, of all the children born of women, a
greater than John the Baptist has never been seen; yet the least in the kingdom
of heaven is greater than he is.” Anyone who reveals the face of God to
others, not only bring joy to them but to themselves as well.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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