20200803 COMFORTING LIES AND UNSETTLING TRUTHS
03 August, 2020, Monday, 18th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Green.
First reading
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Jeremiah 28:1-17 ©
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Jeremiah and the lying prophet Hananiah
At the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah in the fifth month of the fourth year, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, a Gibeonite, spoke as follows to Jeremiah in the Temple of the Lord in the presence of the priests and of all the people. ‘The Lord, the God of Israel, says this, “I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. In two years’ time I will bring back all the vessels of the Temple of the Lord which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon carried off from this place and took to Babylon. And I will also bring back Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles of Judah who have gone to Babylon – it is the Lord who speaks. Yes, I am going to break the yoke of the king of Babylon.”’
The prophet Jeremiah then replied to the prophet Hananiah in front of the priests and all the people there in the Temple of the Lord. ‘I hope so’ the prophet Jeremiah said. ‘May the Lord do so. May he fulfil the words that you have prophesied and bring the vessels of the Temple of the Lord and all the exiles back to this place from Babylon. Listen carefully, however, to this word that I am now going to say for you and all the people to hear: From remote times, the prophets who preceded you and me prophesied war, famine and plague for many countries and for great kingdoms; but the prophet who prophesies peace can only be recognised as one truly sent by the Lord when his word comes true.’
The prophet Hananiah then took the yoke off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it. In front of all the people Hananiah then said, ‘The Lord says this, “This is how, two years hence, I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and take it off the necks of all the nations.”’ At this, the prophet Jeremiah went away.
After the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke which he had taken off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah the word of the Lord was addressed to Jeremiah, ‘Go to Hananiah and tell him this, “The Lord says this: You can break wooden yokes? Right, I will make them iron yokes instead! For the Lord Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this: An iron yoke is what I now lay on the necks of all these nations to subject them to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. They will be subject to him; I have even given him the wild animals.”’
The prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah, ‘Listen carefully, Hananiah: the Lord has not sent you; and thanks to you this people are now relying on what is false. Hence – the Lord says this, “I am going to throw you off the face of the earth: you are going to die this year since you have preached apostasy from the Lord.”’
The prophet Hananiah died the same year, in the seventh month.
Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 118(119):29,43,79-80,95,102 ©
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Lord, teach me your statutes.
Keep me from the way of error
and teach me your law.
Do not take the word of truth from my mouth
for I trust in your decrees.
Lord, teach me your statutes.
Let your faithful turn to me,
those who know your will.
Let my heart be blameless in your statutes
lest I be ashamed.
Lord, teach me your statutes.
Though the wicked lie in wait to destroy me
yet I ponder your will.
I have not turned from your decrees;
you yourself have taught me.
Lord, teach me your statutes.
Gospel Acclamation
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Jn14:6
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord;
No one can come to the Father except through me.
Alleluia!
Or:
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Mt4:4
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Man does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Alleluia!
Gospel
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Matthew 14:22-36 ©
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Jesus walks on the water
Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side while he would send the crowds away. After sending the crowds away he went up into the hills by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, while the boat, by now far out on the lake, was battling with a heavy sea, for there was a head-wind. In the fourth watch of the night he went towards them, walking on the lake, and when the disciples saw him walking on the lake they were terrified. ‘It is a ghost’ they said, and cried out in fear. But at once Jesus called out to them, saying, ‘Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.’ It was Peter who answered. ‘Lord,’ he said ‘if it is you, tell me to come to you across the water.’ ‘Come’ said Jesus. Then Peter got out of the boat and started walking towards Jesus across the water, but as soon as he felt the force of the wind, he took fright and began to sink. ‘Lord! Save me!’ he cried. Jesus put out his hand at once and held him. ‘Man of little faith,’ he said ‘why did you doubt?’ And as they got into the boat the wind dropped. The men in the boat bowed down before him and said, ‘Truly, you are the Son of God.’
Having made the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret. When the local people recognised him they spread the news through the whole neighbourhood and took all that were sick to him, begging him just to let them touch the fringe of his cloak. And all those who touched it were completely cured.
COMFORTING LIES AND UNSETTLING TRUTHS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ JER 28:1-17; MT 14:13-21 or MT 14:22-36]
The Church is like a boat in the storms of life. Like the disciples of our Lord, we are being buffeted by challenges from without and from within. From without, we see the bewildering trends of the world, changing values and changing cultures. There are no values to preserve, no right or wrong, no truth or falsehood. There are no traditions to be protected, whether in marriage, gender or human life. This is a world where everything goes and the norms are dictated by those who speak the loudest and who have money to control the media and those in power and influence.
But we are stricken not only from without but from within as well. Although still strong, she is attacked not just from without for her position on the culture of love, family and life, but also from within as well. Even within the hierarchy, there is so much division when it comes to doctrines and moral positions. Pope Francis lamented about the spiritual worldliness among the clergy and religious. So we are not spared no matter how closely one is affiliated with the Church. Priests, religious, and lay leaders are not immune from the worldly influence and values constantly bombarding them through the media and entertainment world. Our Catholics are secularized by the world because they are in the world. It is difficult not to be of the world when you are living in it.
In facing these challenges, it becomes more complicated because we hear two kinds of messages; the comforting lies and the unsettling truths. What are these comforting lies? We have prophets that speak of a world where everyone would be free to do whatever he wants. We are told just to live for oneself. There is no need to sacrifice for others because there is only one life to live. So do not be silly and miss out the good things of this life. When you are dead, you will be no more.
Even within the Church, we have some prophets that tell us there is no reason to worry. The church is still full. Don’t worry if the church is empty. They will be saved. No one will go to hell. God is all-merciful. If they leave the church, they will return. So do not worry about the need to evangelize, to strengthen their faith. Just keep up with a maintenance church. Supply the sacraments even if they have no faith or receive them routinely. Well, be happy that at least on Sundays, everyone is receiving communion. We need not worry about our young leaving the church because God will give them the grace to come back when they are older. So be positive. Everything will be alright.
But we also have prophets that warn us about those unsettling truths as well. There are people that warn about the dangers of nuclear war, the futility of armament race, the poverty of the world, climate warming, destruction of nature, plants, animals and fishes because of pollution and a non-discriminating use of natural resources. Others warn of the lack of ethics in biotechnology and the use of Artificial Intelligence. There is a danger that such scientific developments if used by the wrong persons without a conscience and ethics can endanger the whole human race and destroy society and humanity. Unfortunately, no one is listening because people are simply interested in making money from their inventions and research. They are interested in fame and power.
In the Church too, we have many prophets that speak unsettling truths for the Church and society as well. Prophets have warned that the hierarchy of the Church needs renewal and restructuring to meet the changing times of today. There are scandals among Church leaders that have caused many to leave the Church. If the Church is to face the challenges in terms of lifestyle, communication and technology including governance and management, the Church needs more than clergy to help and collaborate. Most of all, the Church cannot remain a maintenance Church, simply content with supplying sacraments without nurturing their faith, form them in the Word of God or even help them to encounter Jesus personally.
Unfortunately, like the People of Israel, we want to hear only comforting messages even if they are lies and untruths. We are not ready to hear the truth about ourselves, our organization, our lifestyle and our Church. We want to live in false hope. This was what happened to the people of Judah when Jeremiah prophesied. Instead of listening to the hard truth that Jeremiah spoke from the Lord, they chose to listen to the false prophet, Hananiah. He gave the people false hope that the Babylonians would be defeated soon and the exiled Israelites who were sent as captives to Babylon from the first and second invasion would return home. “I am going to break the yoke of the king of Babylon.” But Jeremiah said otherwise. The third invasion would be the worst of all. Unlike the first and second, the yoke was only a wooden yoke over Israel but the next one would be an iron yoke of Babylon. “An iron yoke is what I now lay on the necks of all these nations to subject them to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.” Indeed, they never learnt their lessons. The people still did not repent of their sins. They were still rebellious against God.
What do we do when we hear conflicting messages from supposed prophets of God? How do we know who is speaking from God and themselves? Prophet Jeremiah gave us two indicators. The message of the prophet must be in continuity with the tradition of prophets beginning with Elijah. Moses gave these indications already in his time. (cf Dt 13:1-4) God also said, “If a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord but the thing does not take place or prove true, it is a word that the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; do not be frightened by it.” (Dt 18:22) So a true prophet will be verified by what we see taking place before our eyes. Jeremiah proved himself to be a true prophet because what he said took place. Indeed, even his prophecy of Hananiah’s death took place within the year as he prophesied.
Discernment requires that we be like Jesus who took refuge in the hills by Himself to pray. He was unsettled by the death of his cousin, John the Baptist and the people’s attempt to make Him King after the multiplication of loaves. He was fearful of a revolution erupting and thereby disconcerting the Romans and the authorities. So He withdrew to pray. We too must withdraw and discern the messages of the prophets in our midst. We must be honest and sincere as we examine the truth of their messages with all docility and openness. We must not be afraid to face the truth or the persecutions of the world. This was what the Lord told His disciples, especially Peter. “Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.” We must not allow the ghosts and the phantoms of an illusionary good life promised by the world to lead us astray. We must battle the fake news and half-truths spreading in the world and our churches as well and among religious leaders.
But we do not do it alone. Like Peter, we must learn to focus our eyes not on the troubled waters but the Lord. Otherwise we too will take fright and flight. We must walk straight to the Lord with our eyes on Him all the time so that we will not sink. The Lord might not seem to be present but He is nearer to us than we realize. He will come to our help the moment we say, “Lord, save me!” He will stretch His hand towards us encouraging us, “Man of little faith, why did you doubt?” We, too, when we bring Jesus with us into our turbulent boat, “the wind will drop” we will also exclaim, “Truly, you are the Son of God.”
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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