20200728 FOUR LAST THINGS
28 July, 2020, Tuesday, 17th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Green.
First reading
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Jeremiah 14:17-22 ©
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We confess our wickedness; you, God, are our hope
The Lord said to me:
Say this word to the people:
‘Tears flood my eyes
night and day, unceasingly,
since a crushing blow falls on the daughter of my people,
a most grievous injury.
If I go into the countryside,
there lie men killed by the sword;
if I go into the city,
I see people sick with hunger;
even prophets and priests
plough the land: they are at their wit’s end.’
‘Have you rejected Judah altogether?
Does your very soul revolt at Zion?
Why have you struck us down without hope of cure?
We were hoping for peace – no good came of it!
For the moment of cure – nothing but terror!
Lord, we do confess our wickedness
and our fathers’ guilt:
we have indeed sinned against you.
For your name’s sake do not reject us,
do not dishonour the throne of your glory.
Remember us; do not break your covenant with us.
Can any of the pagan Nothings make it rain?
Can the heavens produce showers?
No, it is you, Lord.
O our God, you are our hope,
since it is you who do all this.’
Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 78(79):8-9,11,13 ©
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Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.
Do not hold the guilt of our fathers against us.
Let your compassion hasten to meet us;
we are left in the depths of distress.
Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.
O God our saviour, come to our help.
Come for the sake of the glory of your name.
O Lord our God, forgive us our sins;
rescue us for the sake of your name.
Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.
Let the groans of the prisoners come before you;
let your strong arm reprieve those condemned to die.
But we, your people, the flock of your pasture,
will give you thanks for ever and ever.
We will tell your praise from age to age.
Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.
Gospel Acclamation
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1P1:25
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The word of the Lord remains for ever:
What is this word?
It is the Good News that has been brought to you.
Alleluia!
Or:
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The seed is the word of God, Christ the sower;
whoever finds this seed will remain for ever.
Alleluia!
Gospel
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Matthew 13:36-43 ©
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As the darnel is gathered up and burnt, so it will be at the end of time
Leaving the crowds, Jesus went to the house; and his disciples came to him and said, ‘Explain the parable about the darnel in the field to us.’ He said in reply, ‘The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world; the good seed is the subjects of the kingdom; the darnel, the subjects of the evil one; the enemy who sowed them, the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; the reapers are the angels. Well then, just as the darnel is gathered up and burnt in the fire, so it will be at the end of time. The Son of Man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that provoke offences and all who do evil, and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then the virtuous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Listen, anyone who has ears!’
FOUR LAST THINGS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ Jer 14:17-22; Ps 79:8-9, 11, 13; Mt 13:36-43 ]
I will not be surprised that many Catholics do not know the doctrine of the last four things taught by the Church. What are these last four things? Namely, death, judgment, heaven and hell. In other words, the Church is saying that at the end of our life, each individual will inevitably have to meet death. There is no escape for anyone, regardless how powerful or great he or she might be. Immediately upon death, judgment will take place. And we will be assigned to heaven or hell for eternity. Of course, for those not yet fully purified, they will be in purgatory. However, purgatory is not somewhere between hell and heaven. On the contrary, purgatory is just on the threshold of heaven.
Unfortunately, we have forgotten these last four things in their faith. Many of us are subscribing to the current trends in the world today – that you only live once (YOLO), and the fear of missing out (FOMO). The YOLO tells us that there is only one life on earth. Once you are dead, you are gone forever. There is no life after death. There is no punishment for the evil we do, or reward for doing good. Since there are no eternal consequences for our sins or the good we do, we might as well make the most of life, live on the edge because once we are dead we will no longer have a chance to taste the pleasures of this life. We should not worry about the future of humanity because there is no future. This is not our problem anyway. The next generation will have to deal with it just as we are dealing with our present challenges. Accompanying the YOLO is the corollary catchphrase, the FOMO, the fear of losing out. So the YOLO is telling us, do not delay any longer, join us, otherwise, you might lose out completely.
What is the root of the YOLO mentality if not secularism? Our people have been indoctrinated to believe that there is no God, no afterlife, no soul, and no eternity after death. They have only this life to live. The offspring of secularism is relativism, materialism and individualism. Since there is no God, no truth, no right or wrong, one has absolute freedom to do whatever he wants. He is only answerable to himself and no one else. If society disagrees with you they can put up common laws. These laws are not based on truth but on the will of the larger community. Therefore, you can break the laws so long as you are not caught. If you are caught and penalized, and you cannot take the shame or punishment, you can just end your miserable life and everything is over.
Death is the end of all suffering. Now, we can understand why euthanasia is promoted, so that those who do not wish to suffer for one reason or another, or cause others to suffer because of us, can opt out of life. After all, my life is mine. It does not belong to God or the community. The devil wants man to take his life into his own hands so that God is denied his rights as the author of life.
However, the gospel makes it clear today that after death, the final judgment is inevitable. The good will be rewarded with the kingdom and the evil will be punished in the fire of hell. The parable of the darnel reminds us that this would be the outcome for everyone. Jesus said, “Well then, just as the darnel is gathered up and burnt in the fire, so it will be at the end of time. The Son of Man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that provoke offences and all who do evil, and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then the virtuous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Listen, anyone who has ears!'”
We are also reminded that evil is real and Satan is real. Today, the world seeks to demythologize evil and even eradicate the reality of evil. The world tells us there is no sin and there is no Satan. This is not what Jesus said. He taught us, “the darnel (are) the subjects of the evil one; the enemy who sowed them, the devil.” The truth is that the devil is working very subtly in the world. He is deceiving individuals and society at large, blinding us with intellectual pride, power and possessions. He provides us with apparent happiness from the things of this world. He portrays sex, luxurious living, fame, glory and power as things that can satisfy the human heart. We are enticed by him. If we do not get what we want, he tempts us to violence – steal, kill, rebel, slander, and cheat, so that we can get whatever we want. The devil works so subtly that we cannot detect his presence.
However, God is patient with us and He wants to save us all. “The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.” (2 Pt 3:9f) He does not wish to pass judgment at this time. St Paul speaks of God’s patience with the Jews. “What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience the objects of wrath that are made for destruction; and what if he has done so in order to make known the riches of his glory for the objects of mercy.” (Rom 9:22f)
This is why He allowed the darnel and the wheat to grow up together because it is not easy to distinguish the good from the evil in this life. There will be ambiguities. Someone might be good but later on, turn evil. Conversely, someone who is evil might in his later years be converted and live the life of a saint. Even within each individual, there is constantly a battle to do good and fight against the temptation of the Evil One. St Paul shared his struggles with us in his letter to the Romans. “I am of the flesh, sold into slavery under sin. I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” (Rom 7:14f) So we must not judge too hastily. St Paul said, “I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive commendation from God.” (1 cor 4:4f)
However, this does not mean that we will go scot-free. God punishes us so that we will realize our sins. This was the case of the Israelites during the time of Jeremiah. The people were rebellious. They did not trust Yahweh. They worshipped foreign gods, which were imported to the country because of their alliance with Assyria. Isaiah warned King Ahab earlier not to forge a treaty with them but he did not listen to him. Jeremiah and his people were suffering the effects of their betrayal of the Covenant. They suffered drought and famine and now the first invasion of the Babylonians in 597 B.C. This was the context of Jeremiah’s lamentation, “Tears flood my eyes night and day, unceasingly, since a crushing blow falls on the daughter of my people, a most grievous injury. If I go into the countryside, there lie men killed by the sword; if I go into the city, I see people sick with hunger.” God refused to listen to their prayers because they were not sincere in repentance.
Nevertheless, there is a final judgement. We must therefore reckon seriously whether we will be ready to meet the Lord when the time comes. Jesus’ parable refers to the Prophet Daniel who said, “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” (Dan 12:2f) Let us not take God’s patience lightly because a time will come when there is no turning back. In view of the future, we must live our present fully by living responsibly according to the values of the kingdom and working to extend His kingdom of justice and peace as we battle with Satan and the enemies of the kingdom.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved. The contents of this page may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission from the Archbishop’s Office. This includes extracts, quotations, and summaries.
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