20201205 GOD OUR GRACIOUS TEACHER AND HEALER
05 December, 2020, Saturday, 1st Week of Advent
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Violet.
First reading |
Isaiah 30:19-21,23-26 © |
The Lord God will be gracious to you and hear your cry
Thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel:
People of Zion, you will live in Jerusalem and weep no more. He will be gracious to you when he hears your cry; when he hears he will answer. When the Lord has given you the bread of suffering and the water of distress, he who is your teacher will hide no longer, and you will see your teacher with your own eyes. Whether you turn to right or left, your ears will hear these words behind you, ‘This is the way, follow it.’ He will send rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the bread that the ground provides will be rich and nourishing. Your cattle will graze, that day, in wide pastures. Oxen and donkeys that till the ground will eat a salted fodder, winnowed with shovel and fork. On every lofty mountain, on every high hill there will be streams and watercourses, on the day of the great slaughter when the strongholds fall. Then moonlight will be bright as sunlight and sunlight itself be seven times brighter – like the light of seven days in one – on the day the Lord dresses the wound of his people and heals the bruises his blows have left.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 146(147):1-6 © |
Happy are all who hope in the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
Praise the Lord for he is good;
sing to our God for he is loving:
to him our praise is due.
The Lord builds up Jerusalem
and brings back Israel’s exiles.
Happy are all who hope in the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
He heals the broken-hearted,
he binds up all their wounds.
He fixes the number of the stars;
he calls each one by its name.
Happy are all who hope in the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
Our Lord is great and almighty;
his wisdom can never be measured.
The Lord raises the lowly;
he humbles the wicked to the dust.
Happy are all who hope in the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | Is55:6 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Seek the Lord while he is still to be found,
call to him while he is still near.
Alleluia!
Or: | Is33:22 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The Lord is our judge, the Lord our lawgiver,
the Lord our king and saviour.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 9:35-10:1,5,6-8 © |
The harvest is rich but the labourers are few
Jesus made a tour through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness.
And when he saw the crowds he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest.’
He summoned his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to cast them out and to cure all kinds of diseases and sickness. These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them as follows: ‘Go rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. And as you go, proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils. You received without charge, give without charge.’
GOD OUR GRACIOUS TEACHER AND HEALER
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ISAIAH 30:19-21,23-26; PS 147:1-6; MT 9:35-10:1,5,6-8]
We have been rebellious like the Israelites. Instead of relying on God, we rely on human power. Today’s first reading must be read in the context of God’s reprimand of Israel for colluding with Egypt instead of just trusting in His divine plan. (Isa 30:1-7) They were also rebellious because they refused to listen to the prophets and put their trust in oppression and deceit.’ (Isa 30:8-14) We too have chosen to find our way instead of the Lord’s way. Humanity has become arrogant in its technological advancement. We think that we can control the world, control other nations, control the weather and the climate and find a cure for all diseases. When we meet with failure and death, we will know that we are not that powerful after all. History has shown again and again that no nation can be that great that it would not fall. Nations will rise and fall regardless how great they are. Let us not live under the illusion that our country would be the most powerful, militarily, economically or technologically. We will suffer the same fate as the rest of humanity. This is because we do not listen to the Word of God, just like the Israelites who did not take heed of the prophets’ warnings.
We are told in today’s scripture readings that God is our teacher and healer. He is compassionate and gracious to us even when we sin against Him. He is the Good Shepherd who goes out and seeks the lost sheep. The gospel says, “Jesus made a tour through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness. And when he saw the crowd, he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd.” Indeed, God knows that we are all wounded, broken, injured, sick, and many have been led astray. He came in Christ Jesus to look for all these wounded souls and to lead them back to Him. God looks at us with compassion, not with anger when we sin and abandon Him.
In our suffering we are called to turn to the Lord. Yet God is compassionate, gracious and merciful. Indeed, God allows us to suffer to bring us to realization. “When the Lord has given you the bread of suffering and the water of distress, he who is your teacher will hide no longer, and you will see your teacher with your own eyes.” Suffering is the teacher of life. When things are told to us nicely, when warnings are given to us; when advice is offered gently and we refuse to listen or to obey, then the Lord will allow us to learn the hard way. Through the bread of affliction and the water of distress, God will teach us the truth and open our eyes, just as He did with the Israelites in the desert, and again when they were in exile. This is the hard fact of life; most of us will learn best when we are down, when we are humiliated or when we suffer a terminal illness. Unless we are humbled, we will never learn to depend on God.
But if we ever come to that stage, when we feel down and out, then remember, the next stage can only be up. Once we reach rock bottom, God will raise us up. This is what the Prophet assured us. “Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.” (Isa 30:18) What is necessary for us in times of crisis and failure is to withdraw from our daily life and from people, to make time for prayer and to wait on Him. God will show His justice when we suffer, whether from our own folly or the injustices of others. He will show His hand and deliver us from our foes, and our suffering. What is required of us is to be patient and ready to wait in silence. “For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” Waiting on Him in silence, listening to Him, and trusting in His divine mercy is how we find strength. With Him, we know that somehow, He will right for us what is wrong.
The psalmist exhorts us, “Happy are all who hope in the Lord. The Lord builds up Jerusalem and brings back Israel’s exiles. He heals the broken-hearted, he binds up all their wounds. He fixes the number of the stars; he calls each one by its name. Our Lord is great and almighty; his wisdom can never be measured. The Lord raises the lowly; he humbles the wicked to the dust.” Indeed, Advent is a season of Hope. We must never give up hope when we are going through the storms of life. God is ever ready to heal us and restore us.
How does He do it? He will come to comfort us and show us the way. “Thus, says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: People of Zion, you will live in Jerusalem and weep no more. He will be gracious to you when he hears your cry; when he hears he will answer. Whether you turn to right or left, your ears will hear these words behind you, ‘This is the way, follow it.'” Jesus came to teach us the way to the Kingdom life. His Sermon on the Mount, His many miracles and parables reveal to us the God of mercy and compassion, His unconditional love and forgiveness and how we should live our life according to the kingdom values.
But God gives us hope not only in words. He demonstrates the reality of our hope by giving us a foretaste of what is to come. This was what the prophet said. “He will send rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the bread that the ground provides will be rich and nourishing. Your cattle will graze, that day, in wide pastures. Oxen and donkeys that till the ground will eat a salted fodder, winnowed with shovel and fork. On every lofty mountain, on every high hill there will be streams and watercourses, on the day of the great slaughter when the strongholds fall. Then moonlight will be bright as sunlight and sunlight itself be seven times brighter – like the light of seven days in one – on the day the Lord dresses the wound of his people and heals the bruises his blows have left.” This prophecy is fulfilled by our Lord who multiplied bread to feed the five and four thousand. Jesus healed the sick, the blind, the lame, the lepers and even raised the dead back to life. He proclaimed the Kingdom of God and cured “all kinds of diseases and sickness.”
We who have received His love and mercy are now called to do the same, to give hope to others by teaching, preaching and healing. But He does not send us out without commissioning us and empowering us. We do not proclaim His kingdom by words or deeds without Him but in His name. “He summoned his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to cast them out and to cure all kinds of disease and sickness.” The Lord added, “And as you go, proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils. You received without charge, give without charge.” Having been blessed with His love, resources and talents, we must freely go out during this season of Advent to give hope to those who are forlorn, hungry, abandoned and lonely. We need to free people from pain and suffering because they are waiting for God to come and rescue them.
However, Jesus also warns us to begin from where we are. These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them as follows, “Go rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.” There are some of us who are very good at saving the entire world but fail to look at our own backyard. We neglect our loved ones, our spouse and children and elderly, but we are all over the place helping in this and that organization, this and that charity. Whilst charity begins at home, it does not stop there. But it should begin at home first, so that converting our loved ones, our community, our colleagues, we can together do more for the glory of God and for our fellowmen.
Finally, let us remember to depend on Him alone. The Lord said to His disciples, “The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest.” We must pray that He will send us more helpers. Prayer is the key to ministry and to serving the Lord. We must pray that more people will respond to God’s invitation to be His fellow servants in the spread of the Good News, in touching lives, healing souls and transforming people. Indeed, the harvest is plentiful and ready for harvest only if we are ready.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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