20191202
YEARNING
FOR PEACE
02 DECEMBER,
2019, Monday, 1st Week of Advent
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Violet.
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First reading
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Isaiah 4:2-6 ©
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The fruit of the earth shall be the pride and adornment of
Israel's survivors
That
day, the branch of the Lord
shall
be beauty and glory,
and
the fruit of the earth
shall
be the pride and adornment
of
Israel’s survivors.
Those
who are left of Zion
and
remain of Jerusalem
shall
be called holy
and
those left in Jerusalem, noted down for survival.
When
the Lord has washed away
the
filth of the daughter of Zion
and
cleansed Jerusalem of the blood shed in her
with
the blast of judgement and the blast of destruction,
the
Lord will come and rest
on
the whole stretch of Mount Zion
and
on those who are gathered there,
a
cloud by day, and smoke,
and
by night the brightness of a flaring fire.
For,
over all, the glory of the Lord
will
be a canopy and a tent
to
give shade by day from the heat,
refuge
and shelter from the storm and the rain.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm 121(122):1-2,4-5,6-9 ©
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I
rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
I
rejoiced when I heard them say:
‘Let
us go to God’s house.’
And
now our feet are standing
within
your gates, O Jerusalem.
I
rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
It is
there that the tribes go up,
the
tribes of the Lord.
For
Israel’s law it is,
there
to praise the Lord’s name.
There
were set the thrones of judgement
of
the house of David.
I
rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
For
the peace of Jerusalem pray:
‘Peace
be to your homes!
May
peace reign in your walls,
in
your palaces, peace!’
I
rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
For
love of my brethren and friends
I
say: ‘Peace upon you!’
For
love of the house of the Lord
I
will ask for your good.
I
rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
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Gospel
Acclamation
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cf.Ps79:4
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Alleluia,
alleluia!
God
of hosts, bring us back:
let
your face shine on us and we shall be saved.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 8:5-11 ©
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'I am not worthy to have you under my roof: give the word, and my
servant will be healed'
When Jesus went
into Capernaum a centurion came up and pleaded with him. ‘Sir,’ he said ‘my
servant is lying at home paralysed, and in great pain.’ ‘I will come myself and
cure him’ said Jesus. The centurion replied, ‘Sir, I am not worthy to have you
under my roof; just give the word and my servant will be cured. For I am under
authority myself, and have soldiers under me; and I say to one man: Go, and he
goes; to another: Come here, and he comes; to my servant: Do this, and he does
it.’ When Jesus heard this he was astonished and said to those following him,
‘I tell you solemnly, nowhere in Israel have I found faith like this. And I
tell you that many will come from east and west to take their places with
Abraham and Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the kingdom of heaven.’
YEARNING FOR
PEACE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ ISAIAH 4:2-6; MATTHEW 8:5-11]
As we come to the end of
the year, things are slowing down as many will be going on vacation. If one were in Europe, the weather
will also influence us to slow down, as it is cold, snowing and raining, the
trees are withered, all are clad in warm clothing, and the sun rises late and
sets early. Most people would prefer to stay indoors rather than go
out in the cold and be wet. Locked in our coziness of our house, the
ambience is set for a pensive and reflective mood. Indeed, whenever we
can find time to slow down and get away from the hurly burly of the world, we
will be able to listen to the longings and deepest desires of our hearts.
Indeed, what matters
most in the end? What is it that each and every man is longing for?
It is peace. This
was what the Israelites also prayed for. The psalmist in the responsorial
psalm prayed, “For the peace of Jerusalem pray: ‘Peace be to your homes! May
peace reign in your walls, in your palaces, peace!’ For love
of my brethren and friends, I say: ‘Peace upon you!” For love of the house of
the Lord I will ask for your good.” This, too, was the
hope of the Prophet Isaiah when he spoke of the vision that the Lord gave to
him. “These will hammer their swords into ploughshares, their
spears into sickles. Nation will not lift sword against nation, there will be
no more training for war.” This scripture text is inscribed on the plaza
in the front of the United Nations’ headquarters in New York. This is
what the United Nations is supposed to do, to bring about world peace through
dialogue, strengthening of trust and mutual cooperation for the good and
prosperity of all.
But finding peace is not
easy. We are all tired
and exhausted because every day, there is so much fighting, misunderstandings,
quarrels, disagreements, competition, politicking and division in our midst,
whether in family life, among friends and loved ones, in the work place, or in
business. We spend so much time trying to mediate and settle conflicts,
problems and divisions. Among nations, there is great distrust of each other,
each perceiving the others as threats to their peace and prosperity. All that
we see today, trade wars, military wars, territorial disputes, etc is because
of a lack of trust, the failure to be inclusive and see each other as brothers
and sisters in God’s family.
Indeed, like the servant
of the Centurion, we are “lying at home paralysed, and in great pain.” We feel so helpless in the face of a
society that is so fragmented. We see demonstrations in many parts of the
world. We see our own family divided because of greed, selfishness and
self-centeredness. The world is no more a safe place to stay, no matter
where we are. Terrorist activities can strike anywhere at any time. Even
going to the temple, church or mosque to worship is not safe. So many of
us feel like giving up fighting for peace. We are tired and burnt
out. Instead of finding the world, our society and families more at
peace, there is greater division than at any time in world history. The
irony is that secularism is supposed to be the panacea for the world’s
problems, especially division. But we know it is a lie. The truth
is that there is a vacuum in leadership because the world is without God.
Now, everyone claims to be God and he or she has the absolute answer. The
modern, scientific and technological savvy man says he knows best. He
knows what to do. He does not need anyone or any god to help him.
Indeed, if there is no
world peace, it is simply because we do not have the truth or the answers
without God. World peace can only
come about when as the prophet says, “House of Jacob, come, let us walk in the
light of the Lord.” There can be no peace and unity when we do not walk
in truth and in love. This is what it means to walk in the light. The
prophet makes it clear, only God can judge justly. “He will wield
authority over the nations and adjudicate between many peoples.” God is
our judge, not human beings. All judgements of man are flawed because we
are ignorant and we do not have the truth in us. We are biased, subjective,
constrained by our lack of knowledge and understanding. Our judgment often is
influenced by our fears and insecurity. The world unfortunately is
telling us there is no objective truth because the truth cannot be found.
We are doom to ignorance!
But we are saying,
Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life. (cf Jn 14:6) He is the One who can lead us
to salvation. He comes to proclaim to us the truth about God and about
life, our identity, calling and destiny. The truth He came to proclaim is
encapsulated in the Sermon on the Mount. The teachings of Christ
are founded on the fact that we are God’s children, called to share in His life
and love. Because we are all God’s children whom He loves, we are called
to treat each other with justice, generosity, compassion, unconditional
forgiveness, love and tolerance. Jesus always preached about
non-violence, no killing not even anger. The truth of life is always in
giving ourselves in humble, selfless and unconditional service to God and to
our fellowmen. Indeed, Jesus came precisely, “to bring good news to
the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the
blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of
the Lord’s favour.” (Lk 4:18f) St
Matthew summed up His ministry by saying, “he cast out the spirits with a word,
and cured all who were sick. This was to fulfil what had been spoken
through the prophet Isaiah, ‘He took our infirmities and bore our
diseases.'” (Mt 8:16f)
Jesus did not come just
for Christians or Jews but He came for all. In the healing of the Centurion’s servant,
Jesus demonstrated His love and mercy regardless of race, language or
religion. So long as he had faith in Him. Furthermore, because it was a
request not for himself but for the well-being of his servant, the Lord without
hesitation agreed to go to his house to heal the servant. The gospel of
Christ, therefore, is directed to all in the world, regardless whether the
world knows Him directly or indirectly, has full faith in Him or some other
faith. This is what the prophet Isaiah envisioned as well. “In the
days to come the mountain of the Temple of the Lord shall tower above the
mountains and be lifted higher than the hills. All the nations will stream to
it, peoples without number will come to it.” The gospel of Christ transcends
all religions but it is a message of peace for all. All religions
advocate peace and compassion.
But how does Christ come
into our lives today if not primarily by the Word of God? When the Lord wanted to go to the
Centurion’s house, his reply was “Sir, I am not worthy to have you under my
roof; just give the word and my servant will be cured. For I am under
authority myself, and have soldiers under me; and I say to one man: Go, and he
goes; to another: Come here, and he comes; to my servant: Do this, and he does
it.” Christ comes to us through His Word. Like the Centurion, we
only need to say to the Lord, “Say your word and your servant will be
healed.” Truly only when we come to the Lord in faith and trust,
accepting His word in humility, can we walk in the truth. Isaiah exhorts
us all, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the Temple of the
God of Jacob that he may teach us his ways so that we may walk in his paths;
since the Law will go out from Jerusalem.”
So if we feel like
giving up in our pursuit for peace, then we must turn to the Lord for guidance
and inspiration.
Like the Centurion, we must reach out to like-minded people to help us build
peace in the world by promoting justice and compassion. Hence,
inter-religious dialogue leading to cooperation in the work of justice and
peace would be the way forward to give hope to a world that seeks independence
from God, relying on themselves than God’s wisdom, truth and love. “I
rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.”
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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