20201020 SEEKING PEACE THROUGH RECONCILIATION
20 October, 2020, Tuesday, 29th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Green.
First reading |
Ephesians 2:12-22 © |
In Christ you are no longer aliens, but citizens like us
Do not forget that you had no Christ and were excluded from membership of Israel, aliens with no part in the covenants with their Promise; you were immersed in this world, without hope and without God. But now in Christ Jesus, you that used to be so far apart from us have been brought very close, by the blood of Christ. For he is the peace between us, and has made the two into one and broken down the barrier which used to keep them apart, actually destroying in his own person the hostility caused by the rules and decrees of the Law. This was to create one single New Man in himself out of the two of them and by restoring peace through the cross, to unite them both in a single Body and reconcile them with God: in his own person he killed the hostility. Later he came to bring the good news of peace, peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near at hand. Through him, both of us have in the one Spirit our way to come to the Father.
So you are no longer aliens or foreign visitors: you are citizens like all the saints, and part of God’s household. You are part of a building that has the apostles and prophets for its foundations, and Christ Jesus himself for its main cornerstone. As every structure is aligned on him, all grow into one holy temple in the Lord; and you too, in him, are being built into a house where God lives, in the Spirit.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 84(85):9-14 © |
The Lord speaks peace to his people.
I will hear what the Lord God has to say,
a voice that speaks of peace.
His help is near for those who fear him
and his glory will dwell in our land.
The Lord speaks peace to his people.
Mercy and faithfulness have met;
justice and peace have embraced.
Faithfulness shall spring from the earth
and justice look down from heaven.
The Lord speaks peace to his people.
The Lord will make us prosper
and our earth shall yield its fruit.
Justice shall march before him
and peace shall follow his steps.
The Lord speaks peace to his people.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Lk8:15 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed are those who,
with a noble and generous heart,
take the word of God to themselves
and yield a harvest through their perseverance.
Alleluia!
Or: | Lk21:36 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Stay awake, praying at all times
for the strength to stand with confidence
before the Son of Man.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 12:36-38 © |
Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit
Jesus said to his disciples:
‘See that you are dressed for action and have your lamps lit. Be like men waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, ready to open the door as soon as he comes and knocks. Happy those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. I tell you solemnly, he will put on an apron, sit them down at table and wait on them. It may be in the second watch he comes, or in the third, but happy those servants if he finds them ready.’
SEEKING PEACE THROUGH RECONCILIATION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [EPHESIANS 2:12-22; LUKE 12:35-38 ]
What is the one thing we need most in life? It is peace. Indeed, there is no peace in our hearts. There is no peace in our family, at work, in society and in the community. What we experience is conflict, division, bitterness, quarrels and even fighting and killing. Why is the world in such a state? It all begins with the individual. There is no need to blame the world. There is no need to curse the darkness. It is better to light the candle. As the beautiful song says, “Let there be peace on earth but let it begin with me!”
Where, then, can we find true inner peace? We find peace only when we are reconciled with God. St Augustine says, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in God.” Without God in our life, no matter what we do our life will be empty. The truth is that we are not merely animals. We have a spirit and a soul. That is why only human beings have a conscience. We know what is right and wrong. No one has to teach us. This explains why unlike other animals, the human person searches for truth and love. He has an intellect that seeks for fullness of truth and a heart that seeks for true love. Even if he has all the things of this world, without truth and love, life has no meaning or purpose.
Precisely, without God, there is no hope or purpose in life. This is what St Paul wrote in the first reading. “Do not forget that you had no Christ and were excluded from membership of Israel, aliens with no part in the covenants with their Promise; you were immersed in this world, without hope and without God.” When there is no higher goal in life than just being immersed in this world, eating, working, having fun, our life is reduced to a life of an animal. This is why people who live without a higher purpose in life, a life beyond this earth, live only for this world.
However, Christ is our reconciler. “He is the peace between us, and had made the two into one and broken down the barrier which used to keep them apart.” So with the coming of Christ, Jesus as the God-man broke all barriers between God and man; and among all peoples. In Jesus, we come to know who God is. Jesus reveals to us that there is One God and we have one Father. God is the Father of all of humanity. We are all His children, therefore brothers and sisters. (cf Mt 5:44f; 1 Jn 3:1f)
Most of all, He reveals to us our destiny and hope. We know we have been chosen to share in the life and love of God. St Paul says, “So you are no longer aliens or foreign visitors: you are citizens like all the saints, and part of God’s household.” We are called to be saints and citizens, not just of this earth but also in heaven. That is our ultimate calling in life. This life is short. Before we know it, it is time for us leave this earth. Do not live under the illusion that we are going to be here forever. Importantly, where will you be after death? If our life just ends at death, then what we all do in this life is completely meaningless. However, Jesus speaks of the kingdom that is waiting for us, of eternal life with God.
That is why we must be prepared at all times. We do not know when the Lord will come to take our lives away. “Be like men waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, ready to open the door as soon as he comes and knocks. Happy those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. It may be in the second watch he comes, or in the third, but happy are those servants if he finds them ready.” How can we prepare ourselves for the life that is to come if not by living this life fully in union with God and at peace with our fellowmen? How, then, can we find peace?
This peace comes about when we are reconciled with God through accepting His forgiveness for our sins. What divides us from God and from each other is our sins of selfishness. However, Jesus removed the fundamental barrier between God and us by eradicating our hostility against God because of our sins. “But now in Christ Jesus, you that used to be so far apart from us have been brought very close, by the blood of Christ.” With the death of Christ, Jesus reaffirms that all our sins are forgiven. (cf Rom 8:6-8)
Why is receiving God’s forgiveness the first stage to finding peace in our hearts? Only mercy and forgiveness can heal us. Salvation is by faith in God’s love and mercy in Christ. The laws given to us are good but we break the laws all the time. Laws tell us what is right and wrong. However, laws written on tablets cannot liberate us. They remain external to us. Although we know the laws, yet we break the laws. We know the severity of the punishment for our crimes and yet people are committing crimes knowing full well that they will be brought to justice eventually. It shows that laws are powerless in preventing man from falling into sin.
That is why Christ came to reconcile us with the Father through mercy and compassion. As the psalmist says, “Mercy and faithfulness have met; justice and peace have embraced. Faithfulness shall spring from the earth and justice look down from heaven.” Christ “actually destroying in his own person the hostility caused by the rules and decrees of the Law. This was to create one single New Man in himself out of the two of them and by restoring peace through the cross, to unite them both in a single Body and reconcile them with God. In his own person he killed the hostility.”
In other words, whilst laws are good, by ourselves we cannot fulfill the laws because we obey them out fear, not because of love. But we who are moved by the love of God for us in Christ’s death on the cross are inspired to do the same. As St Paul wrote, “For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.” (2 Cor 5:14f)
Thus, having received His forgiveness, we must now learn to forgive ourselves. We all make mistakes in this life. We are not perfect. Instead of condemning ourselves, becoming bitter and angry with ourselves, which will only make us feel worse, we must learn to forgive ourselves. I do not believe that there is anyone who is evil or bad. We all have a history. There are many factors that have resulted in where we are today. It is because of our upbringing, our family background, the lack of love and acceptance, the hurts, wrongs and injustices we have suffered, the wrong company we got into when we were desperate for love and understanding, wrong values that had been imparted to us, and our own folly that have caused us to hurt ourselves and others in the process.
Finally, having received God’s forgiveness, for this happiness to be complete, we must now extend the forgiveness to others. Just as we know why we have fallen into sin because of the circumstances in life resulting in our anger and selfishness, and hurting others, we too must apply the same judgment to those who failed us. As the Lord on the cross prayed, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing.” The Lord not only made excuses for them but also prayed for them. Of course, the power to forgive presupposes that we have first received God’s forgiveness. This is what we pray in the Lord’s Prayer as well, “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” In other words, having received the unconditional forgiveness of God, we are called to render forgiveness to others. If we do not forgive our brothers and sisters, it means we have not truly understood the meaning of God’s forgiveness and we have not truly repented for the wrongs we do. Because if we are grateful to be forgiven, we will extend the same compassion and mercy to others as well. In this way, the reconciliation is complete. We are at peace with God, with ourselves and with those who have hurt us. We see each other as brothers and sisters, children of our heavenly Father.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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