20200807 THE PRICE FOR ETERNAL HAPPINESS
07 August, 2020, Friday, 18th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Green.
First reading |
Nahum 2:1,3,3:1-3,6-7 © |
Israel restored; Nineveh ruined
See, over the mountains the messenger hurries!
‘Peace!’ he proclaims.
Judah, celebrate your feasts,
carry out your vows,
for Belial will never pass through you again;
he is utterly annihilated.
Yes, the Lord is restoring the vineyard of Jacob
and the vineyard of Israel.
For the plunderers had plundered them,
they had broken off their branches.
Woe to the city soaked in blood,
full of lies,
stuffed with booty,
whose plunderings know no end!
The crack of the whip!
The rumble of wheels!
Galloping horse,
jolting chariot,
charging cavalry,
flash of swords,
gleam of spears...
a mass of wounded,
hosts of dead,
countless corpses;
they stumble over the dead.
I am going to pelt you with filth,
shame you, make you a public show.
And all who look on you will turn their backs on you and say,
‘Nineveh is a ruin.’
Could anyone pity her?
Where can I find anyone to comfort her?
Responsorial Psalm |
Deuteronomy 32:35-36,39,41 © |
It is the Lord who deals death and life.
It is close, the day of their ruin;
their doom comes at speed.
For the Lord will see his people righted,
he will take pity on his servants.
It is the Lord who deals death and life.
See now that I, I am He,
and beside me there is no other god.
It is I who deal death and life;
when I have struck it is I who heal.
It is the Lord who deals death and life.
When I have whetted my flashing sword
I will take up the cause of Right,
I will give my foes as good again,
I will repay those who hate me.
It is the Lord who deals death and life.
Gospel Acclamation | 1S3:9,Jn6:68 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Speak, Lord, your servant is listening:
you have the message of eternal life.
Alleluia!
Or: | Mt5:10 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Happy those who are persecuted
in the cause of right,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 16:24-28 © |
Anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it. What, then, will a man gain if he wins the whole world and ruins his life? Or what has a man to offer in exchange for his life?
‘For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and, when he does, he will reward each one according to his behaviour. I tell you solemnly, there are some of these standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming with his kingdom.’
THE PRICE FOR ETERNAL HAPPINESS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [NAHUM 2:1,3,3:1-3,6-7; MT 16:24-28 ]
Humanity is on the brink of despair because of the false promises that the world has given. The world keeps telling us that there is no God, no eternity, and no life after death but only one life on this earth. Once we are dead and gone, we exist no more. So life on this earth is only for a while. Since this is the case, we should not be sacrificing for tomorrow because there is no tomorrow. If we sacrifice our life, we will never be able to get back all the years we have lost. We will have missed the pleasures that life gives; the lavish food, the luxurious house and car, delightful entertainment, and expensive holidays. So why make sacrifices for the next generation when you will not be around? Why sacrifice ourselves for others to enjoy instead?
Indeed, the real problem in the world today is the loss of hope for a greater tomorrow. When we fail to realize that we have an immortal soul and not just a body, we begin to live our life recklessly, irresponsibly and selfishly. This is what Satan wants the world to end up by first telling us, there is no God, no spirits, no Satan, no immortality, no life after death, no retribution beyond this life. So by all means, do whatever makes you happy, so long as the law does not catch up with you.
The truth is that we will live beyond this life on earth. Jesus in the gospel speaks of the inevitable judgment that will take place at the end of this life. “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and, when he does, he will reward each one according to his behaviour.” Judgment and retribution are real. Either we share the fullness of life with God, which is a life of joy, abundant happiness and intense union without suffering and pain, or a life of misery in hell, living in isolation, in anger and resentment. The choice is ours. The question is whether we are ready to invest in the kingdom life, in eternal life.
Are we ready to pay the price for eternal life with our Lord? The Lord asked, “what has a man to offer in exchange for his life?” In other words, how much are we willing to pay to live life to the fullest, here on earth and hereafter? The truth is that there is no price for a man’s life. It is eternal and priceless. Life is the most precious gift God has given to man. This explains why no one is permitted to take his life or that of another. If we truly seek to live life to the fullest, and not just exist and drift through life, then we must be ready to give our entire life, our body, soul and spirit to something that is eternal.
Unfortunately, many of us are shortsighted. We give our whole life to something that cannot last beyond this short life on earth. We give our lives to the world, that is to say, we give our body, sweat, tears and energy, toiling to expand our earthly kingdom, wealth, power, glory and fame. We are so absorbed with our possessions and our pleasures in life that we have dehumanized ourselves by living a life without rich and loving relationships. We cut ourselves off from others and God. Our souls are hungry, our life is empty and our body is weary and breaking down due to excessive work and indulgence in the pleasures of life. As the Lord warns us, “What, then, will a man gain if he wins the whole world and ruins his life?” Asking the meaning and purpose of life is the ultimate question which none of us can avoid, especially when we are facing life and death questions. Whilst we are still young and healthy, we can avoid asking because we allow the pursuits of the world to occupy us. But when we get older, when we have tasted success and the pleasures of life, we begin to wonder, what is next?
If we want to live our life to the fullest with meaning, passion and joy, then we must choose the life of Christ. What is this life of Christ? The Lord said, “If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it, but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it.” Living the life of Christ means that we have to follow Jesus by denying ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him. We must be ready to exchange our life for the life of Christ if we want to save our life. The Lord said, “For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it, but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it.”
What does denying oneself entail? It means more than just denying ourselves of some comfort and pleasure or food. These are but expressions of wanting to control our life so that we will not be under the bondage of our passions. This form of self-denial is important. Hence, fasting and abstinence are means to take control of our passion and body. However, to deny ourselves means more. It is to put Jesus at the centre of our life and let Him manage it. Our life is lived in complete submission to our Lord, in imitation of Him, in mind and heart. We make ourselves last and focus on Christ alone instead of focusing on our needs, our desires, and our sufferings.
Secondly, to take up our cross to follow Jesus means more than bearing graciously our daily inconveniences but to carry the cross of shame and rejection. It is more than just bearing the crosses we carry as parents, teachers, superiors or workers. So if we are merely carrying the cross of responsibility in looking after our children and elderly, or the burden of commitments and pressure in our workplace, whether managing colleagues or achieving the targets of our company, we have not yet truly carried the cross. Only when we are shamed, rejected, misunderstood, ridiculed for doing what is right, living out our faith especially in public, and standing up for the truth, can we then say that we are carrying the cross after our Lord.
Thirdly, we are to follow Him in the way we live out our lives each day in words and deeds. Christian life is more than just attending Church services, observing days of obligation, even fasting and penance on the required days or even giving our small contribution to the Church. Many of us are contented with doing the minimum, reducing Christian Faith, which is a way of life, to a religion of duties and rituals. Rather, it requires us to live in fidelity to the gospel. Jesus has come to teach us how to live life to the fullest by sharing our lives with others and by giving up our lives for the service of our fellowmen. The only way we can protect our life is to give up our life. This is where we find meaning, purpose, and passion because only love gives us meaning in life. By dying for our brothers and sisters, we go beyond ourselves and expand our capacity to love even more. Happiness depends on the magnanimity of our hearts, knowing that we have made a difference in the life of others. This is what gives us joy and meaning.
Indeed, if we are living this life already, then we already have a foretaste of the life that is to come. This is what the Lord promised us. “I tell you solemnly, there are some of these standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming with his kingdom.” Truly, when the apostles witnessed the resurrection of our Lord, the coming of the Holy Spirit that brought all nations together; the miracles performed in His name; the transformation of the life of the apostles; the early Christians who were ready to die for the Lord and their faith in Him; and most of all the joy they experienced even during persecution, they tasted the truth of Jesus’ promise.
On the other hand, if we fail to take heed of Jesus’ invitation to life in Him, we will share the fate of the Assyrians. Prophet Nahum predicted the destruction of Assyria by Babylon and the Medes in 612 B.C. because they became arrogant, cruel, oppressive, unjust, killed and plundered. God was using them as an instrument to discipline the Northern Kingdom of Israel, but they thought they were invincible. Instead of repenting as their fathers did when Jonah preached a century before, they did not. Hence they suffered the tragedy of being destroyed. Let us learn from them that whatever we have comes from God. We cannot bring a cent or any of our possessions with us when we die. We must use them well for the service of others. Only our good works and our virtues will last, but we will have to leave behind the things of this world. May we choose wisely so that we can live our life joyfully on this earth even with suffering, and reap the fullness of life in heaven upon death.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment