Sunday, 29 November 2020

BEING AN EVANGELIZER

20201130 BEING AN EVANGELIZER

30 November, 2020, St Andrew, Apostle

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Red.

First reading

Romans 10:9-18 ©

Faith comes from what is preached, and what is preached comes from the word of Christ

If your lips confess that Jesus is Lord and if you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved. By believing from the heart you are made righteous; by confessing with your lips you are saved. When scripture says: those who believe in him will have no cause for shame, it makes no distinction between Jew and Greek: all belong to the same Lord who is rich enough, however many ask his help, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

But they will not ask his help unless they believe in him, and they will not believe in him unless they have heard of him, and they will not hear of him unless they get a preacher, and they will never have a preacher unless one is sent, but as scripture says: The footsteps of those who bring good news are a welcome sound. Not everyone, of course, listens to the Good News. As Isaiah says: Lord, how many believed what we proclaimed? So faith comes from what is preached, and what is preached comes from the word of Christ. Let me put the question: is it possible that they did not hear? Indeed they did; in the words of the psalm, their voice has gone out through all the earth, and their message to the ends of the world.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 18(19):2-5 ©

Their word goes forth through all the earth.

Alleluia!

The heavens proclaim the glory of God,

and the firmament shows forth the work of his hands.

Day unto day takes up the story

and night unto night makes known the message.

Their word goes forth through all the earth.

Alleluia!

No speech, no word, no voice is heard

yet their span extends through all the earth,

their words to the utmost bounds of the world.

Their word goes forth through all the earth.

Alleluia!

Gospel Acclamation

Mt4:19

Alleluia, alleluia!

Follow me, says the Lord,

and I will make you into fishers of men.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 4:18-22 ©

'I will make you fishers of men'

As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew; they were making a cast in the lake with their net, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.’ And they left their nets at once and followed him. Going on from there he saw another pair of brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they were in their boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. At once, leaving the boat and their father, they followed him.

BEING AN EVANGELIZER

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Rom 10:9-18; Psalm 19:2-5; Mt 4:18-22]

The word “proselytization” today has a negative connotation. To proselytize is the attempt to convert someone to one’s own religious faith. It is concerned with recruiting new members and winning someone over to one’s doctrines and cause. As Catholics we do not proselytize. It is not about getting new converts or persuading people to our cause.

Rather, we are called to engage in the work of evangelization. It is the announcement of the Good News about Jesus Christ. It is not so much a sharing of doctrines but a sharing of the Good News about a person, Jesus Christ, whom we encountered as the Son of the Living God. St Paul wrote, “I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness – the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Col 1:25-27; cf Eph 3:8-11)

This Good News is offered by announcing and sharing. It is given freely and must be received freely. It is meant to give hope and direction to people who are looking for meaning and purpose. The messengers of the Good News are not a threat to the life of people but they are meant to add greater value to the life that people are already living. That is why the Good News is always proclaimed with joy and must be accepted in joy. Today, many are waiting to receive the Good News. But as St Paul said, “they will not ask his help unless they believe in him, and they will not believe in him unless they have heard of him, and they will not hear of him unless they get a preacher, and they will never have a preacher unless one is sent, but as scripture says: The footsteps of those who bring good news are a welcome sound.”

How, then, are we called to be evangelizers? We have the example of St Andrew, the great evangelizer, to teach us what it takes to be an evangelizer. In the first place, we need someone to introduce us to Jesus. Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist, but the latter pointed out to him that Jesus was the “Lamb of God.” (Jn 1:35-36) We will always need others to lead us to the Lord. Later on, in John’s gospel, we read how those who met Jesus would bring others to Him as well. Andrew was one who brought others to Jesus; “There were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. ‘Sir,’ they said, ‘we would like to see Jesus.’ ‘Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.” (Jn 12:20-22) It is noteworthy that we need mediators to bring us to the Lord. Faith is not self-taught but imparted.

Secondly, evangelization is not about the proclamation of doctrines, not even of morality, but encountering a person, which is Jesus Christ. Pope Benedict wrote succinctly, “We have come to believe in God’s love: in these words the Christian can express the fundamental decision of his life. Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.” (Deus est Carita, 1) Indeed, St Andrew came to encounter the Lord personally by staying and living with Him. When he and another disciple said to Jesus, “‘Rabbi’ (which means “Teacher”), where are you staying?’ ‘Come,” he replied, ‘and you will see.’ So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.” (Jn 1:37-39) It must have been a most memorable and significant encounter with Jesus that they even remembered the time. Meeting Jesus and interacting with Him was their conversion experience. They were impressed by the person of Jesus, not just His teachings and knowledge.

Thirdly, evangelization is a spontaneous sharing of the Good News. Upon encountering the Lord, they could not stop themselves from sharing their encounter with their loved ones. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon to tell him, “‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.” (Jn 1:41) Later on, Jesus found Philip, and Philip brought Nathanael to the Lord. (cf Jn 1:43-50) A clear sign that we have received the Good News is the spontaneous desire to share our encounter and experience of Jesus with others. It is not the sharing of doctrines or morality. It is sharing about Jesus who has changed our lives.

That is why we need not go for formal training to be an evangelizer, a catechist, a theologian or a priest. Every baptized Catholic is called to be an evangelizer by virtue of our baptism. This is the common call for members of the royal priesthood. All of us are called to share our personal relationship with the Lord with others. In other words, we are not required to share and expound doctrines about our Lord but simply what the Lord has done for us and what He means to us for our life, direction and happiness. When we share about our relationship with the Lord, it is non-threatening and certainly no one can accuse us of proselytizing or indoctrination.

Thirdly, evangelizers are called to make others evangelizers. In the gospel of John, we have Andrew who brought the boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish to the Lord. (Jn 6:5-8) He was able to lead others to the Lord by inviting them to share whatever limited resources they have for the work of the mission. Therefore it is not enough to evangelize others, but the ultimate goal of evangelization is to make those evangelized, evangelizers in return. In this way, the gospel will never be short of preachers and evangelizers. Indeed, if we do not mentor others after us to continue the work we are doing, we would have failed as teachers and evangelizers. So even when evangelizing others, we must also teach them to be evangelizers by sharing the Good News the way we shared with them.

Fourthly, official evangelization begins when we are called by the Lord. In today’s gospel, we have the official call of the apostles by the Lord. Peter and Andrew “were making a cast in the lake with their net, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.’ And they left their nets at once and followed him.” This was followed later by the call of “another pair of brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John.” Some are called to be full time evangelizers, whether as a priest, religious or a lay person. Those called to full time in the ministry are consciously undertaking the task of evangelization in a formal manner and acting in the name of the Church.

Fifthly, evangelization needs ongoing formation. Again, we can learn from Andrew why it is important to grow in knowledge of our faith. He was not afraid to ask Jesus hard questions even though the answers were difficult to understand. When Jesus predicted the destruction of the Temple, we read that, “Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, ‘Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?” (Mk 13:3f) They might not have fully understood what the Lord was saying to them but they were ready to learn and gave themselves time to understand that which was difficult to understand. Indeed, only much later on in their ministry when these words were fulfilled that they came to understand more fully the prophecies of Jesus regarding His passion, death, resurrection and all that He taught them.

Finally, we must remember that we evangelize ourselves best by evangelizing others. To evangelize is not a magnanimous act on our part. We are simply giving freely what we received freely. However, more importantly, by saving others, we save ourselves. By announcing to others about our faith, we reinforce our faith. This is why St Paul wrote, “If your lips confess that Jesus is Lord and if you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved. By believing from the heart you are made righteous; by confessing with your lips you are saved.” It is not enough to believe that Jesus is Lord but we must announce Him so that our conviction would be strengthened more and more.

Saturday, 28 November 2020

LIVING FULLY IN THE PRESENT FOR THE FUTURE BY REMEMBERING THE PAST

20201128 LIVING FULLY IN THE PRESENT FOR THE FUTURE BY REMEMBERING THE PAST

29 November, 2020, 1st Sunday of Advent

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Violet.

First reading

Isaiah 63:16-17,64:1,3-8 ©

O that you would tear the heavens open and come down

You, Lord, yourself are our Father,

‘Our Redeemer’ is your ancient name.

Why, Lord, leave us to stray from your ways

and harden our hearts against fearing you?

Return, for the sake of your servants,

the tribes of your inheritance.

Oh, that you would tear the heavens open and come down!

– at your Presence the mountains would melt.

No ear has heard,

no eye has seen

any god but you act like this

for those who trust him.

You guide those who act with integrity

and keep your ways in mind.

You were angry when we were sinners;

we had long been rebels against you.

We were all like men unclean,

all that integrity of ours like filthy clothing.

We have all withered like leaves

and our sins blew us away like the wind.

No one invoked your name

or roused himself to catch hold of you.

For you hid your face from us

and gave us up to the power of our sins.

And yet, Lord, you are our Father;

we the clay, you the potter,

we are all the work of your hand.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 79(80):2-3,15-16,18-19 ©

God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.

O shepherd of Israel, hear us,

shine forth from your cherubim throne.

O Lord, rouse up your might,

O Lord, come to our help.

God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.

God of hosts, turn again, we implore,

look down from heaven and see.

Visit this vine and protect it,

the vine your right hand has planted.

God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.

May your hand be on the man you have chosen,

the man you have given your strength.

And we shall never forsake you again;

give us life that we may call upon your name.

God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.

Second reading

1 Corinthians 1:3-9 ©

We are waiting for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed

May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ send you grace and peace.

I never stop thanking God for all the graces you have received through Jesus Christ. I thank him that you have been enriched in so many ways, especially in your teachers and preachers; the witness to Christ has indeed been strong among you so that you will not be without any of the gifts of the Spirit while you are waiting for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed; and he will keep you steady and without blame until the last day, the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, because God by calling you has joined you to his Son, Jesus Christ; and God is faithful.

Gospel Acclamation

Ps84:8

Alleluia, alleluia!

Let us see, O Lord, your mercy

and give us your saving help.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Mark 13:33-37 ©

If he comes unexpectedly, he must not find you asleep

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Be on your guard, stay awake, because you never know when the time will come. It is like a man travelling abroad: he has gone from home, and left his servants in charge, each with his own task; and he has told the doorkeeper to stay awake. So stay awake, because you do not know when the master of the house is coming, evening, midnight, cockcrow, dawn; if he comes unexpectedly, he must not find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake!’

LIVING FULLY IN THE PRESENT FOR THE FUTURE BY REMEMBERING THE PAST

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Is 63:16-17,64:1,3-8; 1 Cor 1:3-9; Mk 13:33-37 ]

What is life? What are we living for? These are fundamental questions that we need to ask before we can truly live. Otherwise, our life lacks a purpose. Without purpose, there is no orientation, direction or motivation. If people live aimless and meaningless lives, it is because they do not have a purpose in life that could drive them to give themselves completely. Because there is no higher purpose in life, many are just living for themselves, for the passing pleasures of life, for achievements to fulfill their ego, for a love that cannot last. At the end of the day, the conclusion is that life is a vanity.

Indeed, the tragedy is that the world lives only for today. They have no thought of tomorrow because the greatest deception of the Evil One is to make us believe that there is no tomorrow. There is only today. When we die, it will be the end of everything. So there is no future for us. That being the case, let us enjoy as much as we can. Do whatever we can do. Forget about sacrifices and using our time to serve people. Just take care of ourselves and our needs. We have only one life to live. So live fully by enjoying life.

Christian life is our hope in the glorious future. St Paul reminds us that, “If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all men most to be pitied.” (1 Cor 15:19) St Paul said, we are “waiting for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.” St John says, “we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” (1 Jn 3:2) The season of Advent precisely celebrates our hope of the Second Coming of Christ more than the First Coming of Christ. The First Coming is past. The future is yet to be. Our fullness of life is in Christ when He comes again on the last day.

How do we prepare for His coming? We do not prepare for His coming by indulging in vain speculations on the coming of Christ. All such talks are a waste of time because we do not know the date of His return. On the other hand, we must not postpone life till the next world. Some of us have a negative outlook on this world. They are forever in the valley of tears and in exile from their homeland. Their life consists of suffering, pain and sacrifices. They are just waiting to be delivered from this world. Whilst these might be true, it might lead to a joyless life. How could a Christian live without joy in this life? Jesus promised us that He will come to give us a joy that the world cannot give. (cf Jn 16:20)

So the best way to prepare for His Second Coming is to live the life of Christ here and now. This is our foretaste of the life that is to come. This is what the Lord is urging us. “Be on your guard, stay awake, because you never know when the time will come.” The Lord will come again any time when we least expect it. His coming is not known through calculation but preparation. No one knows when He would be coming again. We only know that He is coming.

To stay awake means to live fully. Those who live in sin are sleeping in their ignorance and wasting their life away. They are blind to what truly being alive means, other than keeping ourselves physically alive. To live fully means that we must be responsible with the life that the Lord has given to us. We must live it well and expend it in laboring for the Lord. This is what the gospel said, “It is like a man travelling abroad: he has gone from home, and left his servants in charge, each with his own task; and he has told the doorkeeper to stay awake.” We are given responsibilities in life according to our charisms, vocation and state of life. To be awake is to live in the light and in truth.

Secondly to stay awake means to live fully by using our gifts for service and love. St Paul reminds us not to forget that we “have been enriched in so many ways, especially in your teachers and preachers” and we are not “without any of the gifts of the Spirit.” Indeed, in the Christian community, the gifts of the Spirit abound. (cf 1 Cor 12:4-7) All gifts must be used not for ourselves but for the greater good of the community. Only by using our gifts for service and love, can we make a difference in the lives of others. Knowing that we have given hope and life to someone gives us a joy that cannot be compared to the worldly joys of success and pleasures.

To live or to die is not the question that Christians ask. Life is not about physical life and biological death. Life is a question of how well we live in Christ. If we live the life of Christ now, we are alive whilst still on this earth and fully alive when we finish our life on this earth. This explains why St Paul could not choose between staying on this earth and being with Christ. (cf Phil 2:20-26) So for our sake only, did St Paul choose to stay in this world so that he could continue to give us hope and lead us to Christ. In the same way, if we live, it must be for the same reason, that we might give life to others. We do not live for ourselves but for others. This is the real purpose and meaning of life; living for God so that we can live fully for others.

Thirdly, to be awake means to be a witness of Christ coming into our lives. This means witnessing how He comes into our lives. St Paul affirmed the Christian community that their “witness to Christ has indeed been strong.” Indeed, to be awake means that we are a Christ to anyone and everyone at any time. We can be a witness to Christ only when we allow Christ to live in us. Hence, when Christ is in us, then Christ has already come into our lives. Whenever we reach out to others, Christ comes into our lives through the poor. That was what we read in last week’s gospel about the final judgment. Indeed, Christ comes to us every day in our daily encounters with people and with creation. If only we open our eyes and love them. When we love, He comes at every hour and not just at the end of time.

So how can we find the courage to live fully in the present? We can do this by remembering our past. This is why from the 3^rd Week of Advent, the Church brings us back to the immediate preparations for the First Christmas. There are many things and lessons in life that we can learn from our past. The past has much to teach us, the wisdom gained, the lessons learnt, the examples set. If we celebrate the First Christmas, it is in order that we remember what God has done for us in Christ’s coming to earth, to share in our humanity, poverty and suffering. Through our reflection on the life of Christ and Mary and the history of Israel, we find encouragement and hope for today.

Secondly, we must learn from our sins and the sins of others. This is what the prophet Isaiah is saying. When we reflect on our woes and problems in life, it is because we have caused ourselves to suffer by our sins. “You were angry when we were sinners; we had long been rebels against you.” Sin blinds us to the deeper meaning of life. We end up living on the sensual level, which reduces us to an animal, not a human being who has a spirit and a soul. When we sin, the Lord abandons us to our sins. “For you hid your face from us and gave us up to the power of our sins.” The punishment for sin is to commit more sins, till sins overpower us and we lose our freedom to do what is truly good and life-giving.

On this First Sunday of Advent, the Church is appealing us to see the destiny ahead of us and not to be short-sighted by simply living for this world and for ourselves. So let us come back to God by seeking repentance. God is our Father and He will bring us back to Him. “Return, for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your inheritance.” He wants us to start our life anew again as we begin the new liturgical calendar. “Lord, you are our Father; we the clay, you the potter, we are all the work of your hand.” He will intervene in our lives again if we ask Him for that grace. With the psalmist, we pray, “Lord of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.” St Paul assures us that God is faithful.

MARANATHA, COME LORD JESUS

20201128 MARANATHA, COME LORD JESUS

28 November, 2020, Saturday, 34th Week, Ordinary Time

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Green.

First reading

Apocalypse 22:1-7 ©

The Lord God will shine on them; it will never be night again

The angel showed me, John, the river of life, rising from the throne of God and of the Lamb and flowing crystal-clear down the middle of the city street. On either side of the river were the trees of life, which bear twelve crops of fruit in a year, one in each month, and the leaves of which are the cure for the pagans.

The ban will be lifted. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in its place in the city; his servants will worship him, they will see him face to face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. It will never be night again and they will not need lamplight or sunlight, because the Lord God will be shining on them. They will reign for ever and ever.

The angel said to me, ‘All that you have written is sure and will come true: the Lord God who gives the spirit to the prophets has sent his angel to reveal to his servants what is soon to take place. Very soon now, I shall be with you again.’ Happy are those who treasure the prophetic message of this book.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 94(95):1-7 ©

Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus!

Come, ring out our joy to the Lord;

hail the rock who saves us.

Let us come before him, giving thanks,

with songs let us hail the Lord.

Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus!

A mighty God is the Lord,

a great king above all gods.

In his hand are the depths of the earth;

the heights of the mountains are his.

To him belongs the sea, for he made it

and the dry land shaped by his hands.

Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus!

Come in; let us bow and bend low;

let us kneel before the God who made us:

for he is our God and we

the people who belong to his pasture,

the flock that is led by his hand.

Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus!

Gospel Acclamation

Mt24:42,44

Alleluia, alleluia!

Stay awake and stand ready,

because you do not know the hour

when the Son of Man is coming.

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

That day will be sprung on you suddenly, like a trap

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be coarsened with debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life, and that day will be sprung on you suddenly, like a trap. For it will come down on every living man on the face of the earth. Stay awake, praying at all times for the strength to survive all that is going to happen, and to stand with confidence before the Son of Man.’

MARANATHA, COME LORD JESUS

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [REV 22:1-7; LUKE 21:34-36]

The reason why people are losing hope in life and falling into despair is because the world has no vision to offer. What vision does the world offer? A good life is defined as having all the luxuries in the world and indulging in all the pleasures of life; sex, drink and food. But a promiscuous life cannot make one happy because one has no real love in life. Eating and drinking excessively will cause a person to fall sick and acquire all kinds of illnesses. In truth, beyond the pleasures of life the world has nothing much to offer. Power, fame and glory we know cannot make a person happy. One has no peace, always worrying about one’s popularity and one’s many competitors. There is no privacy and no security because he or she is wanted by the paparazzi, the robbers, the kidnappers and one’s enemies. This explains why the world is falling into despair. This life on earth is not that great and what is more, after working so hard, accumulating wealth and power, we will have to leave them behind, sometimes unexpectedly.

But Christianity offers the world a vision and a hope beyond this life. St John gives us a vision of eternal life with God in heaven. After showing us the exterior of the heavenly Jerusalem, John brings us to the interior. The angel showed him, “the river of life, rising from the throne of God and of the Lamb and flowing crystal-clear down the middle of the city street.” The river of life reminds us of what the Prophet Ezekiel prophesied about the new temple. (cf Ezk 47) This river of life also reminds us of the Samaritan woman who was seeking living water. (cf Jn 4) Living water is a symbol of life.

Of course, the river of life reminds us of the Holy Spirit which is the One who gives life to our bodies. “But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.” (Rom 8:10f) And we are told that whereas in Ezekiel, wherever the water flows, the trees will bear fruit for food and leaves for healing (Ezk 47:12), John says, it is a cure for the pagans. “On either side of the river were the trees of life, which bear twelve crops of fruit in a year, one in each month, and the leaves of which are the cure for the pagans.” In other words, it brings about the conversion of souls for Christ. Indeed, the Holy Spirit is the One who enlightens our minds and touches our hearts. We are also reminded that those who live in the life of the Spirit will bear fruit in plenty. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Gal 5:22f; cf Jn 15:1-8). In the New Jerusalem, there will be peace, love and unity because everyone will be living by the Holy Spirit.

St John also speaks about the restoration of paradise. He brings us back to the paradise at the very beginning of creation when “Out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” (Gn 2:9) But to test Adam and Eve’s fidelity and obedience to Him, He gave them the choice of free will. The Lord said, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.” (Gn 2:16f) Adam and Eve however were tempted by the Devil, and ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and so were unable to take the fruits from the tree of life. Only in Christ and through His death and resurrection, purified of our sins, can we once again partake of the fruits from the tree of life. In a significant manner, Christ who died on a tree took away all the curses imposed on humanity and overwrote the curses in the Law. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us – for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” – in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” (Gal 3:13f; cf Acts 5:30; Dt 21:23)

In a restored paradise, there will be full union with God which is commonly called the Beatific vision when we see God face to face. In the Old Testament, we are told that if we see God face to face we will die. This is because we are people of unclean lips. (Isa 6:5; cf Gn 3:32:30; Dt 5:24; Jdg 6:22f) But this “ban will be lifted” because in Christ we are purified. “The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in its place in the city; his servants will worship him, they will see him face to face, and his name will be written on their foreheads.” This was what St John wrote earlier on when he said, Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.” (1 Jn 3:2f) Seeing God is what will ultimately fulfil a man. This is what St Augustine says, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in God.” Indeed, man’s heart is hungering for fullness of love and his intellect for fullness of knowledge. When we see God face to face, St John says, “It will never be night again and they will not need lamplight or sunlight, because the Lord God will be shining on them.”

In the light of such a great vision for us, what must we do to arrive at the New Jerusalem? Again, St John wrote, “All that you have written is sure and will come true: the Lord God who gives the spirit to the prophets has sent his angel to reveal to his servants what is soon to take place. Very soon now, I shall be with you again.’ Happy are those who treasure the prophetic message of this book.” We are called to take the message seriously. Like the Christians, we must also with eagerness pray, “Maranatha, Come Lord Jesus!” This was the cry of the early Church and therefore should be the cry of every Christian who is convinced that this is the fullness of life that is awaiting them when they die and enter into the bosom of our heavenly Father. It is this great expectation that gives Christians a solid hope in not just life after death but fullness of life and love with God and with the community of the saved.

Until then, the Lord exhorts us, “Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be coarsened with debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life.” We need to stay alert and watchful, for as St Peter says, “Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.” (1 Pt 5:8f) We do not know when the Lord will come or when we will be brought to the Lord for judgment at death because as the Lord says, “that day will be sprung on you suddenly, like a trap. For it will come down on every living man on the face of the earth.” This is why we must be prepared at all times, keeping ourselves focused on the Lord and our final victory which is to enter heaven and reign with God forever as St John wrote, “They will reign for ever and ever.”

The only way to be watchful, especially when we are living in a world of moral relativism, when truth is no longer clear, when we cannot distinguish between good and evil, truth and falsehood, all the more, we must as the Lord warns us, “Stay awake, praying at all times for the strength to survive all that is going to happen, and to stand with confidence before the Son of Man.” This was what the Lord did in His own life. He was waiting for His final battle with the Evil One at Jerusalem. It is unfortunate that the last two verses of this chapter were omitted from our liturgy. It reads, “Every day he was teaching in the temple, and at night he would go out and spend the night on the Mount of Olives, as it was called. And all the people would get up early in the morning to listen to him in the temple.” (Lk 21:37f) We must follow the example of Christ who would spend the night in prayer conversing with His Father and then preach His word to the people who made the sacrifice to gather at the Temple every morning to listen to His Word. Such should be the way if we want to stay strong in our faith.

Thursday, 26 November 2020

PREPARING FOR THE NEW EARTH AND THE NEW HEAVEN

20201127 PREPARING FOR THE NEW EARTH AND THE NEW HEAVEN

27 November, 2020, Friday, 34th Week, Ordinary Time

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Green.

First reading

The book of life was opened, and the dead were judged

I, John, saw an angel come down from heaven with the key of the Abyss in his hand and an enormous chain. He overpowered the dragon, that primeval serpent which is the devil and Satan, and chained him up for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and shut the entrance and sealed it over him, to make sure he would not deceive the nations again until the thousand years had passed. At the end of that time he must be released, but only for a short while.

Then I saw some thrones, and I saw those who are given the power to be judges take their seats on them. I saw the souls of all who had been beheaded for having witnessed for Jesus and for having preached God’s word, and those who refused to worship the beast or his statue and would not have the brand-mark on their foreheads or hands; they came to life, and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. Then I saw a great white throne and the One who was sitting on it. In his presence, earth and sky vanished, leaving no trace. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing in front of his throne, while the book of life was opened, and other books opened which were the record of what they had done in their lives, by which the dead were judged.

The sea gave up all the dead who were in it; Death and Hades were emptied of the dead that were in them; and every one was judged according to the way in which he had lived. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the burning lake. This burning lake is the second death; and anybody whose name could not be found written in the book of life was thrown into the burning lake.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; the first heaven and the first earth had disappeared now, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the holy city, and the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, as beautiful as a bride all dressed for her husband.

Responsorial Psalm

Here God lives among men.

My soul is longing and yearning,

is yearning for the courts of the Lord.

My heart and my soul ring out their joy

to God, the living God.

Here God lives among men.

The sparrow herself finds a home

and the swallow a nest for her brood;

she lays her young by your altars,

Lord of hosts, my king and my God.

Here God lives among men.

They are happy, who dwell in your house,

for ever singing your praise.

They are happy, whose strength is in you:

they walk with ever-growing strength.

Here God lives among men.

Gospel Acclamation

Lk21:28

Alleluia, alleluia!

Stand erect, hold your heads high,

because your liberation is near at hand.

Alleluia!

Gospel

My words will never pass away

Jesus told his disciples a parable: ‘Think of the fig tree and indeed every tree. As soon as you see them bud, you know that summer is now near. So with you when you see these things happening: know that the kingdom of God is near. I tell you solemnly, before this generation has passed away all will have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.’

PREPARING FOR THE NEW EARTH AND THE NEW HEAVEN

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [REV 20:1-4,11-21:2; LUKE 21:29-33]

As we come to the penultimate last week of the liturgical year, the Church prepares us for the finality of history. What will happen at the end of time? John said, “I saw a new heaven and a new earth; the first heaven and the first earth had disappeared now, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the holy city, and the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, as beautiful as a bride all dressed for her husband.” We take note that there is a continuity between the current earth and heaven with the New Heaven and a New Earth. Yet, what we have now is just a pale shadow of what is to come.

How the earth would be transfigured, we do not know. All we know is “that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us” and that “creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” (Rom 8:18,21) God “will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” (Rev 21:3f) Indeed, the vision of man’s union with God “as beautiful as a bride all dressed for her husband” speaks of intimacy and union of the highest level.

But this New Heaven and New Earth will be preceded by the final judgment. John said, “Then I saw a great white throne and the One who was sitting on it. In his presence, earth and sky vanished, leaving no trace. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing in front of his throne, while the book of life was opened, and other books opened which were the record of what they had done in their lives, by which the dead were judged.” All of us would have to face the ultimate judgment when we stand before God to account for the way we use the gifts and graces that He has given to us. The real judgement is not so much of God the Father judging us, or judging us through Christ, but how we judge ourselves before God. Standing before God who is all light and truth, we will see clearly our motives and the consequences of our actions, good or evil, not just for ourselves but for the rest of humanity.

Yet, good works are not everything because we are not saved by good works. Nevertheless, the good works we do demonstrate whether we have truly received the grace of mercy and love from the Lord. St Peter reminds us, “Be all the more eager to confirm your call and election, for if you do this, you will never stumble. For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you.” (2 Pt 1:10f) So our good works confirm our election. The failure to produce good works shows that our faith is dead. “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.” (cf Jms 2:26)

Hence, the Church wants us to be forewarned of what will happen at the end of world history or our personal history. Between now and the final judgment, whether personal or collective, we are to prepare ourselves for this final event. St John’s vision of “the dragon, the primeval serpent which is the devil and Satan chained up for a thousand years” then “released, but only for a short while” whilst the “souls of all who had been beheaded for having witnessed for Jesus and for having preached God’s word, and those who refused to worship the beast or his statue and would not have the brand-mark on their foreheads or hands; came to life, and reigned with Christ for a thousand years” speaks of the coming of Christ in His incarnation and how by His passion, death and resurrection He has won victory over the Evil One, but from the Ascension until the final judgment, Christians would have to continue to struggle with the Evil one. We are to continue with the spiritual war against the Devil which was won by Christ.

Accordingly, if we want our names to be recorded in the Book of Life and not be sent to the burning lake which is the second death, that is hell, then we must be watchful and alert to the signs of the time. Jesus told His disciples, “Think of the fig tree and indeed every tree. As soon as you see them bud, you know that summer in now near. So with you when you see these things happening: know that the kingdom of God is near.” Indeed, as Christians we must be watchful and pray so that we might not be misled or fall into temptation. “Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mt 26:41) St John also wrote to the Christians, “Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 Jn 4:1)

So what are the signs that we are reading in society and history today? Is the world getting better or worse? What are the lights and shadows in our time? Are we moving towards a transformed world in the light of the gospel, or are we moving into the world of darkness? Indeed, we must ask ourselves, especially those of us who are leaders and have influence over society and the world, whether we are using our talents, power and influence for good or for evil, for love or for hatred, for unity or division, for truth or falsehood.

Alas, we see in today’s time, that the basic and fundamental institutions of society are seriously undermined by those who put their needs before that of humanity. Family life and marriage are eroded by the trends of this world, whether ideological or social. It is extremely difficult to protect the family, protect our marriages and form our children according to the gospel. We are so influenced by the secular culture, the selfish and individualistic values being promoted, and even hostility against God, resulting in the loss of faith both in God and the loss of hope for a better life, and most of all eternal life. Anyone who tries to promote marriage as a union between a man and a woman, as both a natural and divine law, or speak about the indissolubility of marriage would be going against the grain of life.

But selfishness, confusion and division are not just within the domestic family. It is equally true on the international arena. There is no peace in this world and among countries. Powerful countries are manipulating small and weak countries to stand on their side as they fight against each other. All because they want power, dominance, control and be the most powerful nation in the world. A narrow nationalism will eventually result not just in economic, trade or technology war but also military war. So long as the world does not see the need for globalization, where everyone benefits from each other’s prosperity and success, protectionism, because of the fear of loss of power, will make everyone in this planet worse off. Unfortunately, this is the sad reality today. Instead of promoting unity and mutual support for each other so that the world can make progress together, the world is more divided than ever. We are living in a very fragile situation not knowing when a nuclear war would take place.

Even on the level of creation, we see how the ecological system is threatened by the abuse of nature by industrial nations and a consumeristic society. We produce and throw, wasting food and resources. Will the planet be burnt up? Will humanity because of greed, selfishness and lack of foresight destroy itself? Indeed, these are signs of our time.

How do we respond? Jesus said, “I tell you solemnly, before this generation has passed away all will have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” What will last? Only the words of Jesus! What do we mean by this? What we mean is that Jesus who is the truth of God, “the alpha and the omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Rev 22:13) will be the criterion in discerning the truth of what is happening in the world. We must go back to the Word of God to discern what is truly from God or from the false prophets of the world. Unless we are imbued with the teaching of Christ, and the Spirit of Jesus in us, we will be misled by the false prophets of the world. Let us therefore be watchful, pray, meditate, reflect and act when there is an opportunity.