20201214 HONESTY AND TRUTHFULNESS IN RECOGNIZING CHRIST
14 December, 2020, Monday, 3rd Week of Advent
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: White.
First reading |
Numbers 24:2-7,15-17 © |
The oracles of Balaam
Raising his eyes Balaam saw Israel, encamped by tribes; the spirit of God came on him and he declaimed his poem. He said:
‘The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,
the oracle of the man with far-seeing eyes,
the oracle of one who hears the word of God.
He sees what Shaddai makes him see,
receives the divine answer, and his eyes are opened.
How fair are your tents, O Jacob!
How fair your dwellings, Israel!
Like valleys that stretch afar,
like gardens by the banks of a river,
like aloes planted by the Lord,
like cedars beside the waters!
A hero arises from their stock,
he reigns over countless peoples.
His king is greater than Agag,
his majesty is exalted.’
Then Balaam declaimed his poem again. He said:
‘The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,
the oracle of the man with far-seeing eyes,
the oracle of one who hears the word of God,
of one who knows the knowledge of the Most High.
He sees what Shaddai makes him see,
receives the divine answer, and his eyes are opened.
I see him – but not in the present,
I behold him – but not close at hand:
a star from Jacob takes the leadership,
a sceptre arises from Israel.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 24(25):4-6,7a-9 © |
Lord, make me know your ways.
Lord, make me know your ways.
Lord, teach me your paths.
Make me walk in your truth, and teach me:
for you are God my saviour.
Lord, make me know your ways.
In you I hope all day long
because of your goodness, O Lord.
Remember your mercy, Lord,
and the love you have shown from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth.
In your love remember me.
Lord, make me know your ways.
The Lord is good and upright.
He shows the path to those who stray,
He guides the humble in the right path,
He teaches his way to the poor.
Lord, make me know your ways.
Gospel Acclamation |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The Lord will come, go out to meet him.
Great is his beginning and his reign will have no end.
Alleluia!
Or: | Ps84:8 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Let us see, O Lord, your mercy
and give us your saving help.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 21:23-27 © |
'I will not tell you my authority for acting like this'
Jesus had gone into the Temple and was teaching, when the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him and said, ‘What authority have you for acting like this? And who gave you this authority?’ ‘And I’ replied Jesus ‘will ask you a question, only one; if you tell me the answer to it, I will then tell you my authority for acting like this. John’s baptism: where did it come from: heaven or man?’ And they argued it out this way among themselves, ‘If we say from heaven, he will retort, “Then why did you refuse to believe him?”; but if we say from man, we have the people to fear, for they all hold that John was a prophet.’ So their reply to Jesus was, ‘We do not know.’ And he retorted, ‘Nor will I tell you my authority for acting like this.’
HONESTY AND TRUTHFULNESS IN RECOGNIZING CHRIST
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [NUM 24:2-7,15-17; PS 25:4-6,7-9; MT 21:23-27]
How honest are we with ourselves? The truth is that we are not. We do not want to confront the truth about ourselves because it is painful. This is why many of us suppress our true motives, especially when they are not so noble, whether in serving God, loving our friends or even when doing good. We try to present ourselves to others as if our intentions are noble and good. We want to believe that it is truly for the glory of God and love of our fellowmen. Underlying our motives could be the desire for gain, for glory, for selfish interests. But how long can we continue to pretend, to put on our mask?
This was the case of Balaam in today’s first reading. Balak, the King of Moab knew that his military might was no match for the Israelites. So, he resorted to magic to overcome his enemies. He employed the services of the pagan prophet, Balaam to put a curse on Israel. The officials sent by Balak met up with Balaam but God commanded Balaam not to go with them. Even the temptations of gold and silver could not make him go with them. He was afraid to go against the Lord. But in his heart, he wanted to do so. He was hoping that God would change his mind. So he deceived himself into believing that God told him that night to go with them. (cf Num 22) Isn’t that what we do as well? When we desire something, and we want it badly, we pretend to pray for God’s will to be done. But we already have decided what God’s will is for us. We use our prayers as confirmation of what God wants us to do when it is our will. We are not sincere in searching for God’s will.
But God exposed Balaam’s insincerity when he decided to go ahead with the officials of Moab to curse Israel. On the way, God sent an angel to block him from doing what he intended. The donkey saw the angel of the Lord with a drawn sword in his hand. In his fright, he turned off the road and went into the field. In spite of Balaam hitting the donkey to make it turn back onto the road, it was adamant. And the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, “Am I not your donkey, which you have ridden all your life to this day? Have I been in the habit of treating you this way?” (Num 22:30) The implication is that the donkey was more obedient to Balaam than he was to God. The prophet Isaiah had this to say about the people of Israel. “The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib; but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.” (Isa 1:3)
This, too, was the case of the Jewish leaders. In the gospel, they challenged Jesus’ authority to teach and heal. Most of all, they were incensed at what Jesus did in cleansing the Temple and driving out the merchants. They were jealous of the growing popularity of Jesus. He was just greeted by the people with honour, spreading their cloaks on the road and cutting branches from the trees to spread them on the road, acclaiming Him as the Son of David when He entered Jerusalem. It is within this context that they felt that their authority was challenged. Hence, they confronted Jesus directly, “What authority have you for acting like this? And who gave you this authority?”
Jesus refused to give them a direct answer. They knew where His authority came from but they were not willing to acknowledge His divine authority. So Jesus told them that He would answer their question provided they answered Him the question regarding the authority of John’s baptism, whether it was from God or from man. But the religious leaders knew that whichever answer they gave would only expose their stubbornness in rejecting God’s divine messengers. They were more concerned about what the people felt and thought than whether John the Baptist was truly a prophet from God. For if they had agreed that he was a prophet, then it would not just imply that John’s words were true but that his teaching also pointed to Jesus as the Messiah to come. At the same time, if they were to reject John the Baptist as a prophet, when many were going to him and recognized him as one, since he preached like Elijah and spoke with divine authority, the tables would turn against them for not listening to John the Baptist. He was also a priest because his father, Zechariah was a priest. He was a member of the tribe of Levite. In the light of the strong consensus among the peoples and also the authority of his teachings, one cannot afford to stay neutral. Yet they did! To cover up their insincerity, they said to Jesus, “We do not know.”
The reply of Jesus was swift. “Nor will I tell you my authority for acting like this.” Obviously, they were not going to believe in Him even if He were to tell them the origin of His authority. Jesus knew that their minds were closed. So long as we are not ready to be truthful and sincere to ourselves, God will not reveal His will or His mind to us. Only those who approach God with a humble heart will come to know His will. This is what the psalmist in the responsorial psalm said, “Lord, make me know your ways. Lord, teach me your paths. Make me walk in your truth, and teach me: for you are God my saviour. The Lord is good and upright. He shows the path to those who stray. He guides the humble in the right path, He teaches his way to the poor.”
Indeed, today, we must come to God with an open heart to hear His Word spoken to us by His prophets and that of our Lord Himself. We cannot in the face of God’s words stand neutral, as what many people do. Some of us use our intelligence to twist and turn the scriptures to suit our purpose. We try to fit the Word of God into the standards of the world. We must be obedient to the voice of God just as Balaam eventually did after God’s reprimand. Instead of cursing Israel, he blessed Israel, praising Israel and her King. “A hero arises from their stock, he reigns over countless peoples. His king is greater than Agag, his majesty is exalted.” Not only that, he also prophesied that in the distant future, he saw, “a star from Jacob takes the leadership, a sceptre arises from Israel.”
Jesus of course was that star that rose in the East and on His hands lay the scepter of David. It is significant that when Jesus was born, it was the three Magi, wise men of Gentile birth, as in the case of Balaam, who recognized the Saviour before the Jews. How ironical that often the Gentiles were the ones who acknowledged the Lord rather than the so-called believers. And it is the same for us as well. More often than not, it is the new converts, those who heard the gospel the first time, who would respond with their hearts. But those of us who are already converted and long in the faith, are not receptive to the Word anymore. Familiarity breeds contempt. We do not take the Word of God seriously. We try to interpret it not as it is, but what we would like it to be. This is unlike what St Paul said, “When you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers.” (1 Th 2:13)
Today, we must once again open our hearts to the Word of God as Balaam and John the Baptist did. When Balaam heard the voice of God through the mouth of a donkey, he immediately obeyed the Lord. In spite of his greed for silver and gold, he could not resist God’s voice to do the right thing in acknowledging His chosen people. John the Baptist in the wilderness too, having received God’s word could not keep the truth from his people. He courageously witnessed to the truth even when it cost him his freedom when he was imprisoned by King Herod for condemning his adulterous marriage with Herodias. We too can be the mouthpiece of God if we speak with honesty, sincerity, humility and charity. Even educated people will be able to see the truth of what we say as they are challenged not simply by the truth of the message but by the life that we live.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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