20201119 CHRIST HOLDS THE KEY TO THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD
19 November, 2020, Thursday, 33rd Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Green.
First reading |
Apocalypse 5:1-10 © |
The blood of the Lamb bought men for God
I, John, saw that in the right hand of the One sitting on the throne there was a scroll that had writing on back and front and was sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a powerful angel who called with a loud voice, ‘Is there anyone worthy to open the scroll and break the seals of it?’ But there was no one, in heaven or on the earth or under the earth, who was able to open the scroll and read it. I wept bitterly because there was nobody fit to open the scroll and read it, but one of the elders said to me, ‘There is no need to cry: the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed, and he will open the scroll and the seven seals of it.’
Then I saw, standing between the throne with its four animals and the circle of the elders, a Lamb that seemed to have been sacrificed; it had seven horns, and it had seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits God has sent out all over the world. The Lamb came forward to take the scroll from the right hand of the One sitting on the throne, and when he took it, the four animals prostrated themselves before him and with them the twenty-four elders; each one of them was holding a harp and had a golden bowl full of incense made of the prayers of the saints. They sang a new hymn:
‘You are worthy to take the scroll
and break the seals of it,
because you were sacrificed, and with your blood
you bought men for God
of every race, language, people and nation
and made them a line of kings and priests,
to serve our God and to rule the world.’
Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 149:1-6,9 © |
You made us a line of kings and priests to serve our God.
or
Alleluia!
Sing a new song to the Lord,
his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel rejoice in its Maker,
let Zion’s sons exult in their king.
You made us a line of kings and priests to serve our God.
or
Alleluia!
Let them praise his name with dancing
and make music with timbrel and harp.
For the Lord takes delight in his people.
He crowns the poor with salvation.
You made us a line of kings and priests to serve our God.
or
Alleluia!
Let the faithful rejoice in their glory,
shout for joy and take their rest.
Let the praise of God be on their lips:
this honour is for all his faithful.
You made us a line of kings and priests to serve our God.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | Ps118:135 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Let your face shine on your servant,
and teach me your decrees.
Alleluia!
Or: | Ps94:8 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Harden not your hearts today,
but listen to the voice of the Lord.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 19:41-44 © |
Jesus sheds tears over the coming fate of Jerusalem
As Jesus drew near Jerusalem and came in sight of the city he shed tears over it and said, ‘If you in your turn had only understood on this day the message of peace! But, alas, it is hidden from your eyes! Yes, a time is coming when your enemies will raise fortifications all round you, when they will encircle you and hem you in on every side; they will dash you and the children inside your walls to the ground; they will leave not one stone standing on another within you – and all because you did not recognise your opportunity when God offered it!’
CHRIST HOLDS THE KEY TO THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [REV 5:1-10; LUKE 19:41-44 ]
In the gospel, our Lord “drew near Jerusalem and came in sight of the city he shed tears over it.” He saw what was coming to her, when Jerusalem would be destroyed by her enemies and the Temple walls brought to the ground. “They will dash you and the children inside your walls to the ground; they will leave not one stone standing on another within you.” This prophecy was fulfilled in the year A.D. 70 when Jerusalem was sacked by the Roman Empire and the Temple destroyed. Indeed, our Lord had a prophetic vision of the future of Jerusalem simply because as He said, “all because you did not recognise your opportunity when God offered it!” They did not repent of their pride and their arrogance. As a consequence, the Jews began to wonder why their history ended in such a disaster.
In the first reading, Jesus is portrayed as the Lamb that was worthy to open the seals of the scroll that contain the decrees for humanity, the judgment of God, like those from the prophets, and the outcome of the history of the world. This sealed book refers to Sacred Scripture, which only Jesus as the Word of God, the Lamb of God could truly give meaning to the fulfillment of scriptures by His passion, death and resurrection. Through the Paschal Mystery, Jesus makes sense of sin, suffering, evil and death. “Through Christ and in Christ, the riddles of sorrow and death grow meaningful. Apart from His Gospel, they overwhelm us. Christ has risen, destroying death by His death; He has lavished life upon us so that, as sons in the Son, we can cry out in the Spirit; Abba, Father.” (GS 22) “She likewise holds that in her most benign Lord and Master can be found the key, the focal point and the goal of man, as well as of all human history. The Church also maintains that beneath all changes there are many realities which do not change and which have their ultimate foundation in Christ, who is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever.” (GS 10)
Indeed, Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament where in Genesis, it was foretold that Judah would be the leader among his brothers. He would be that lion who would deliver Israel and “the scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and the obedience of the peoples is his.” Jesus as the Lion of Judah is the foretold Messiah. He is also said to be the root of David’s father, Jesse. “On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.” (Isa 11:10) Jesus as the Messiah is the one would open the scrolls. “The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed, and he will open the scroll and the seven seals of it.”
But instead of a Lion, John saw a slain lamb. In fact, it was not even a lamb but a ram. This ram had seven horns and seven eyes, signifying omnipotence and omniscience. This is appropriate since Christ remains forever the sacrificial victim since the scars from the crucifixion are permanent on His Risen body. Christ as the wounded Lamb stood tall and upright at the throne of God. “Standing between the throne with its four animals and the circle of the elders, a Lamb that seemed to have been sacrificed; it had seven horns, and it had seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits God has sent out all over the world.” Christ was not just one standing around the throne as the rest of the creatures but He was at the center. Obviously, He was more than just a human being because as “the Lamb came forward to take the scroll from the right hand of the One sitting on the throne … the four animals prostrated themselves before him and with them the twenty-four elders; each one of them was holding a harp and had a golden bowl full of incense made of the prayers of the saints.” Christ is truly equal to God in glory and worshipped and adored.
What is significant is that the prayer offered by the saints and the hymn sung underscored the New Exodus and redemption brought about by Christ. “You are worthy to take the scroll and break the seals of it, because you were sacrificed, and with your blood you bought men for God of every race, language, people and nation and made them a line of kings and priests to serve our God and to rule the world.” Whereas in the Old Exodus, Moses set the people free from the slavery of the Egyptians and through a covenant with God made them “a priestly kingdom and a holy nation. (Ex 19:6), in the New Passover, Christ as the New Passover Lamb ransoms us all from sin and makes us all into members of the royal priesthood. (cf 1 Pt 2:9; 1 Cor 5:7) He is indeed “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn 1:29)
The history of Israel and the world is therefore revealed in Christ’s passion, death and resurrection. Christ will, at the end of time, come in His power and glory, and in the authority of the Father to judge us. Christ as the Triumphant Lamb will win victory for God not by the sword but by His sacrificial death. Christ therefore is none other than the Emmanuel. (cf Mt 1:23) When we consider what His death has done for humanity, setting us free from death by giving Himself up as a ransom, bringing salvation to all of humanity, and making us a line of kings and priests sharing in Christ’s kingship and priesthood able to approach God our Father, we cannot but sing praises to God like the Israelites did when they were delivered from Egypt. Hence, a new song is composed and sung just as a song was composed and sung by the Israelites when they came out of Egypt. (Ex 15:1-8)
Knowing the history of humanity and its outcome, the question comes back to us as it did to the disciples in the gospel whether we will fail to recognize the visitation of the Lord in Christ. If so, we will suffer a similar outcome if we continue to reject the Lord as they did, the prophets as well. We have to face accountability before God. If we want to avoid the tragedy, then we must accept Jesus as the New Passover Lamb who has redeemed us from sin and the Evil One. Jesus is the opportunity for us not to repeat the sad history and disaster of Israel. Jesus is our Hope for the world and humanity. He comes to give us the grace of repentance and fullness of life.
Alas, many of our people continue to reject the Lord. And we lament for them as Jesus did because we can see the writing on the wall. The future generation will be a generation without God, without clear values and without eternal hope. Our young people have become arrogant because they are educated in philosophy, science and technology. They have all the blessings of the modern world, a good life with all the modern amenities available to them. So they do not feel they need God. They can rely on themselves. They even speak disparagingly of God and those who believe in God. Only silly people could believe in God. Intelligent people can make their own decisions and do great things without God’s help. This is what humanists and secularists are teaching our so-called university students. These are the professors and experts of science and knowledge. Indeed, they are blind, just like the Jews. We have been instructed in the Faith, received the Sacraments and taught Catholic morality, but we have forgotten what we have learnt. God’s judgment will be less harsh for those who are sincerely ignorant, but for those who willfully do not repent, they will suffer much more.
What can we do except to entrust them to God’s mercy? For the time being, the Lord in His mercy continues to give us the grace of repentance. If we delay, then like the Jews, we might discover too late that God has passed us by. So let us open our hearts and doors to the Lord. He wants to enter into our life today. Instead of feeling threatened by His coming, we should feel safe and happy knowing that the Lord is giving us peace and joy. We must watch and pray lest we are not prepared when the Lord comes to judge us. With the psalmist, let us rejoice and celebrate because He has “made us a line of kings and priests to serve our God. Let the faithful rejoice in their glory, shout for joy and take their rest.”
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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