20201224 GOD WANTS TO BE CLOSE TO US
24 December, 2020, Thursday, 4th Week of Advent
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Violet.
First reading |
2 Samuel 7:1-5,8-12,14,16 © |
Your House and your sovereignty will always stand secure before me
Once David had settled into his house and the Lord had given him rest from all the enemies surrounding him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, ‘Look, I am living in a house of cedar while the ark of God dwells in a tent.’ Nathan said to the king, ‘Go and do all that is in your mind, for the Lord is with you.’
But that very night the word of the Lord came to Nathan:
‘Go and tell my servant David, “Thus the Lord speaks: Are you the man to build me a house to dwell in? I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be leader of my people Israel; I have been with you on all your expeditions; I have cut off all your enemies before you. I will give you fame as great as the fame of the greatest on earth. I will provide a place for my people Israel; I will plant them there and they shall dwell in that place and never be disturbed again; nor shall the wicked continue to oppress them as they did, in the days when I appointed judges over my people Israel; I will give them rest from all their enemies. The Lord will make you great; the Lord will make you a House. And when your days are ended and you are laid to rest with your ancestors, I will preserve the offspring of your body after you and make his sovereignty secure. I will be a father to him and he a son to me; if he does evil, I will punish him with the rod such as men use, with strokes such as mankind gives. Your House and your sovereignty will always stand secure before me and your throne be established for ever.”’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 88(89):2-5,27,29 © |
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord;
through all ages my mouth will proclaim your truth.
Of this I am sure, that your love lasts for ever,
that your truth is firmly established as the heavens.
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.
‘I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
I have sworn to David my servant:
I will establish your dynasty for ever
and set up your throne through all ages.
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.
‘He will say to me: “You are my father,
my God, the rock who saves me.”
I will keep my love for him always;
with him my covenant shall last.’
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.
Gospel Acclamation |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Morning star, radiance of eternal light,
sun of justice,
come and enlighten those who live in darkness
and in the shadow of death.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 1:67-79 © |
'You, little child, shall be the prophet of the Most High'
John’s father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy:
‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel
for he has visited his people, he has come to their rescue
and he has raised up for us a power for salvation
in the House of his servant David,
even as he proclaimed,
by the mouth of his holy prophets from ancient times,
that he would save us from our enemies
and from the hands of all who hate us.
Thus he shows mercy to our ancestors,
thus he remembers his holy covenant
the oath he swore
to our father Abraham
that he would grant us, free from fear,
to be delivered from the hands of our enemies,
to serve him in holiness and virtue
in his presence, all our days.
And you, little child,
you shall be called Prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord
to prepare the way for him,
to give his people knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins;
this by the tender mercy of our God
who from on high will bring the rising Sun to visit us,
to give light to those who live
in darkness and the shadow of death
and to guide our feet
into the way of peace.’
GOD WANTS TO BE CLOSE TO US
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 Sam 7:1-5,8-12,14,16; Luke 1:67-79 ]
In the first reading, we read how King David was feeling guilty and uneasy that he was “living in a house of cedar while the ark of God dwells in a tent.” Indeed, all his military successes and his ability to overcome all his enemies could not have been possible without God’s mighty help. Having united the country and brought peace and stability, he could now focus on building the economy and trade. But it bothered King David that the ark of God was dwelling in a tent. When David wanted to build a house for the Lord, the prophet Nathan reacted by agreeing as it seemed a gracious thing for the king to do. So he said to David, “Go and do all that is in your mind, for the Lord is with you.”
Yet, the fact is that God has always chosen to live in the tent so that He could be close to His people. When the Israelites were nomads and moving from one location to another, the Lord moved with them. A tent was not permanent. It could easily be dismantled and rebuilt. God wanted to be with His people. He was with them in their struggles, in their pains and especially when they were attacked by their enemies. Whenever they brought the Ark of the Covenant with them, they won the battle. But now that the Israelites were living a sedentary and agrarian life, they were permanently stationed in the Promised Land. That was why King David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem.
Yet, whilst building a Temple to honor God and to house the Ark of the Covenant was a noble and generous act on the part of King David, it could lead to a separation between faith and life. This was what happened. God was presumed to be found only at the Temple. They forgot that this God was always with them in their expeditions and in their lives. With the Temple, God was only remembered when they came to render worship to Him. Outside the Temple, they lived their life not in accordance to the law of Moses. They failed to observe the Covenantal laws that were meant to help them to live as God’s people so that their unity and prosperity would make them an envy to the other nations.
When faith is dichotomized from life, faith is reduced to a mere set of rituals and God is far away. This is true even for us today. In a secularized world, we are supposed to live as if there is no God, since we are not to talk about Him in public or even have signs of His presence. God today is relegated to the church and home. We hardly speak of Him or are reminded of His presence. Even though we might be Catholic, when we are in the secular world doing our work or our business, our Catholic ethos and the gospel values are often forgotten. We conduct ourselves like pagans in our relationship with others. We behave like the world, competitive, unforgiving, destructive, unscrupulous and self-serving.
Hence, the Lord told David through the prophet Nathan that He did not need a Temple. He said, “Are you the man to build me a house to dwell in? I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be a leader of my people Israel; I have been with you on all your expeditions; I have cut off all your enemies before you. I will give you fame as great as the fame of the greatest on earth.” God is greater and more powerful than all that David wanted to do for Him. The Temple is secondary to God. It would not be so much for God but for human beings. Indeed, this is also true as well. The church is built for man, not so much for God. He does not need a dwelling because all the earth belongs to Him. But we build a Temple or a church not so much for God but for ourselves so that we will not forget His presence and His love for us. It is a place where we could gather regularly to pray and to worship. It is a place to encounter God in a sacred ambience. So the Temple or Church is more for us than for God Himself. We need a church to remind us of God’s presence.
On the contrary, God does not want us to forget that He is present not just in the Eucharist or in the Tabernacle or even in the Word of God but that He is very much present with and in His people. That was why the Lord told David, “The Lord will make you great; the Lord will make you a House. And when your days are ended and you are laid to rest with your ancestors, I will preserve the offspring of your body after you and make his sovereignty secure. I will be a father to him and he a son to me. Your House and your sovereignty will always stand secure before me and your throne be established forever.” This house of David is more than just a continuity of the throne of David.
Hence, on the eve of Christmas, we prepare for the birth of our Lord when the Word which took flesh nine months ago in the womb of Mary would now be born in our midst. In the birth of Jesus, the promise made to David was realized. In fact, the Davidic dynasty came to an end with the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem in 587 BC. After which they were in the hands of foreign powers. Not even during the Maccabean revolts was the dynasty restored. But God is faithful. God did the unexpected when all hopes failed God revived that hope again with the birth of His Son. Never could anyone think that God would be faithful to His promise to David. God bides His time and He knows when to come.
Zechariah praised God saying, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited his people, he has come to their rescue and he has raised up for us a power for salvation in the House of his servant David, even as he proclaimed, by the mouth of his holy prophets from ancient times, that he would save us from our enemies and from the hands of all who hate us. Thus, he shows mercy to our ancestors, thus he remembers his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham that he would grant us, free from fear, to be delivered from the hands of our enemies, to serve him in holiness and virtue in his presence, all our days.” The psalmist declared, “I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord; through all ages my mouth will proclaim your truth. Of this I am sure, that your love lasts for ever, that your truth is firmly established as the heavens. I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant: I will establish your dynasty for ever and set up your throne through all ages. He will say to me: ‘You are my father, my God, the rock who saves me.’ I will keep my love for him always; with him my covenant shall last.”
The truth is that Christ’s kingdom, unlike what the Israelites and the Jews thought, is not territorial or a political kingdom. It is a spiritual kingdom. Jesus made it clear when Pilate asked Him. “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” (Jn 19:36) His kingdom is a kingdom of love and justice reigning in our hearts and in our lives. This was why Jesus refused to allow the crowd to crown Him king. In His earthly ministry, He did not make claims of political royalty. Instead of proclaiming the kingdom of David, He proclaimed the Kingdom of God. Christ came to deliver us not from our physical enemies but our spiritual enemies. These are the real enemies that take away our happiness: pride, anger, envy, sloth, lust, gluttony and greed.
The question we need to ask ourselves is, how can we ensure that His covenant would last forever in our lives? We need to follow the way of John the Baptist. Zechariah said, “And you, little child, you shall be called Prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare the way for him. To give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins; this by the tender mercy of our God who from on high will bring the rising Sun to visit us, to give light to those who live in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.” We too must be that little child to continue to prepare people to welcome the Lord by showing them the mercy of God by our love and compassion, to enlighten those who live in darkness and have lost hope in life; and most of all to help people in their confusion, brokenness to find peace and joy through the forgiveness of God. Unless we prepare the way for them to meet the Lord when He comes, they may not be able to recognize Him because they would still be so broken and blinded.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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