20201215 GOD LISTENS TO THE CRY OF THE HUMBLE
15 December, 2020, Tuesday, 3rd Week of Advent
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Violet.
First reading |
Zephaniah 3:1-2,9-13 © |
All peoples shall invoke the Lord's name and serve him
Trouble is coming to the rebellious, the defiled,
the tyrannical city!
She would never listen to the call,
would never learn the lesson;
she has never trusted in the Lord,
never drawn near to her God.
Yes, I will then give the peoples lips that are clean,
so that all may invoke the name of the Lord
and serve him under the same yoke.
From beyond the banks of the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants
will bring me offerings.
When that day comes
you need feel no shame for all the misdeeds
you have committed against me,
for I will remove your proud boasters
from your midst;
and you will cease to strut
on my holy mountain.
In your midst I will leave
a humble and lowly people,
and those who are left in Israel will seek refuge in the name of the Lord.
They will do no wrong,
will tell no lies;
and the perjured tongue will no longer
be found in their mouths.
But they will be able to graze and rest
with no one to disturb them.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 33(34):2-3,6-7,16,18-19,23 © |
This poor man called; the Lord heard him.
I will bless the Lord at all times,
his praise always on my lips;
in the Lord my soul shall make its boast.
The humble shall hear and be glad.
This poor man called; the Lord heard him.
Look towards him and be radiant;
let your faces not be abashed.
This poor man called, the Lord heard him
and rescued him from all his distress.
This poor man called; the Lord heard him.
The Lord turns his face against the wicked
to destroy their remembrance from the earth.
They call and the Lord hears
and rescues them in all their distress.
This poor man called; the Lord heard him.
The Lord is close to the broken-hearted;
those whose spirit is crushed he will save.
The Lord ransoms the souls of his servants.
Those who hide in him shall not be condemned.
This poor man called; the Lord heard him.
Gospel Acclamation |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Look, the Lord will come to save his people.
Blessed those who are ready to meet him.
Alleluia!
Or: |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Come, Lord! Do not delay.
Forgive the sins of your people.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 21:28-32 © |
Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you
Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people, ‘What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He went and said to the first, “My boy, you go and work in the vineyard today.” He answered, “I will not go,” but afterwards thought better of it and went. The man then went and said the same thing to the second who answered, “Certainly, sir,” but did not go. Which of the two did the father’s will?’ ‘The first’ they said. Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you solemnly, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you, a pattern of true righteousness, but you did not believe him, and yet the tax collectors and prostitutes did. Even after seeing that, you refused to think better of it and believe in him.’
GOD LISTENS TO THE CRY OF THE HUMBLE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ZEPH 3:1-2,9-13; PS 34:2-3,6-7,16,18-19,23; MT 21:28-32]
In the responsorial psalm, the psalmist says, “The humble shall hear and be glad. Look towards him and be radiant; let your faces not be abashed. This poor man called, the Lord heard him and rescued him from all his distress.” Indeed, the Lord comes to our help only when we are humble and turn to Him for mercy. So long as we are proud, self-reliant and arrogant, the Lord will not come to us. This is brought out clearly in today’s scripture readings.
In the first reading from the prophet Zephaniah, the prophet warned the people that the country was falling into the hands of the Babylonians. Because of their sins, their rebellion against God, and injustices and corruption committed by both leaders and the people, “the defiled, the tyrannical city” would be reduced to ruins. “She would never listen to the call, would never learn the lesson; she has never trusted in the Lord, never drawn near to her God.” They wanted things their way and rejected the warnings of the prophets and the call to repentance. As a consequence, they would suffer the shame of being captives of a foreign nation. They would be stripped of their wealth and dignity.
However, God would leave behind a remnant still faithful to Him. “In your midst I will leave a humble and lowly people, and those who are left in Israel will seek refuge in the name of the Lord. They will do no wrong, will tell no lies; and the perjured tongue will no longer be found in their mouths. But they will be able to graze and rest with no one to disturb them.” Ironically, it would be the humble, the anawim who waited on God, the ones considered to be the marginalized of society who would remain behind in Jerusalem during the captivity. They lived in peace without any disturbance. Only the proud and arrogant would be punished.
Yet, there was hope. The prophet said that the time of captivity would be a time of conversion and renewal. In their nothingness, stripped of all their wealth and power, they would come to know who God is. “From beyond the banks of the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants will bring me offerings.” Then God will respond accordingly. He would restore Israel once again. “Yes, I will then give the peoples lips that are clean, so that all may invoke the name of the Lord and serve him under the same yoke. When that day comes you need feel no shame for all the misdeeds you have committed against me, for I will remove your proud boasters from your midst; and you will cease to strut on my holy mountain.” God will forgive us our sins the moment we repent. He does not keep a record of our wrongs. But for some people, they need to go through suffering and humiliation to wake themselves up from their blindness and pride.
This has always been the case. There are some people who are so full of arrogance because they are successful in life. They have made their way to the top jobs and the highest echelons of society. They think highly of themselves, their talents and their knowledge. They believe that their success was achieved through their hard work and ingenuity alone. God has no place in their lives. They pray to no one and trust only in themselves. They think praying to God is a waste of time because God cannot do anything even if He exists. They talk as if they have full control over their lives and happiness, until some tragedy befalls them, an accident occurs, a terminal illness is discovered or when their business collapses. Only then will they come to realize that they are not so great after all. That there is someone greater than them and who is in control of the universe. Until that happens, unfortunately, these people continue to live arrogantly. They are conceited and despise others who do not do well. Because they feel that they earned their money on their own strength, they do not need to share with others.
This is what the parable of the two sons seek to teach us. Both sons were not good sons. Both were imperfect in obedience. However, there is a difference. The first son, symbolizing Israel, was disobedient. He wanted to do things his way. He refused to listen to his father and to cooperate with him by working in the vineyard. He was proud and refused to go initially. But we read that later on, he thought better of it and went. He repented and turned back to God. He is a figure of the prodigal son in Luke’s gospel. He represents the tax-collectors and prostitutes. These were the people despised by society. They were marginalized and excluded. But as the Lord said, “I tell you solemnly, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you, a pattern of true righteousness, but you did not believe him, and yet the tax collectors and prostitutes did.” All God wants from us is humility and repentance. When we turn back to Him with a contrite heart, our sins are forgiven us.
Even more insidious than the one who turned against the Lord was the one who pretended to serve Him and love Him but in truth, doesnot. This son represents the scribes and the pharisees. They portrayed themselves as guardians of the law of Moses. They made themselves exemplars of how the laws should be observed meticulously. But their hearts were far from God. They did not observe the laws of God out of love and obedience to Him but for their glory. They talked a lot but never lived out what they preached. This was what the Lord said of them. Later on, the Lord denounced them saying, “the scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long.” (Mt 23:2-5)
Indeed, the truth remains that nice words cannot substitute with fine works. We can say all the nice things about the faith. We can even teach beautiful things about God, give good retreats, preach powerfully and eloquently. We can expound lofty doctrines and the Word of God. These are the people who are precisely the most difficult to convert because they think they that because know the truth and the teachings of Christ, they are good people. Alas, only when we carry them out in our lives, can we claim salvation. The Lord has taught us, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” (Mt 7:21) He also said, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.” (Lk 8:21)
As we seek to welcome the Lord into our lives, the Lord is calling both groups of people to repentance. For those of us who are sinners, the Lord is waiting for us to come back to Him. He will willingly accept us back and remove the shame from our lives. He loves sinners and He does not reject us just as He did not reject the tax-collectors and prostitutes. But He is also waiting for the so-called righteous people to seek repentance as well, from their hidden and subtle pride. Those of us who have become numbed to our sins and have deeply suppressed our pride must acknowledge our sins in all humility so that God can lead us to greater heights of spiritual growth. Indeed, so-called righteous people lack humility to confess their sins before God for fear that they be seen as “not so good” Catholics in the Church.
Let us be inspired by those so-called sinners who have so humbly come back to Him. May we not be judged by our Lord who said, “Even after seeing that, you refused to think better of it and believe in him.” Indeed, when we hear stories of humble conversion, of lives changed because they were humble enough to accept their sinfulness and admit their pride, we cannot but be inspired. We too must not allow our pride and skepticism to prevent us from confessing our sins and inadequacy and turn to God in all humility. They have shown us the way back to God. St Paul and St Augustine are great examples of great sinners who became great saints.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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