20210812 AMAZING WONDERS OF GOD
12 August, 2021, Thursday, 19th Week, Ordinary Time
First reading |
Joshua 3:7-11,13-17 © |
The Israelites cross the Jordan dry-shod
The Lord said to Joshua, ‘This very day I will begin to make you a great man in the eyes of all Israel, to let them be sure that I am going to be with you even as I was with Moses. As for you, give this order to the priests carrying the ark of the covenant: “When you have reached the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you are to stand still in the Jordan itself”.’ Then Joshua said to the Israelites, ‘Come closer and hear the words of the Lord your God.’ Joshua said, ‘By this you shall know that a living God is with you and without a doubt will expel the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite and the Jebusite. Look, the ark of the Lord, the Lord of the whole earth, is about to cross the Jordan at your head. As soon as the priests with the ark of the Lord, the Lord of the whole earth, have set their feet in the waters of the Jordan, the upper waters of the Jordan flowing down will be stopped in their course and stand still in one mass.’
Accordingly, when the people struck camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carried the ark of the covenant in front of the people. As soon as the bearers of the ark reached the Jordan and the feet of the priests who carried it touched the waters (the Jordan overflows the whole length of its banks throughout the harvest season) the upper waters stood still and made one heap over a wide space – from Adam to the fortress of Zarethan – while those flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah, that is, the Salt Sea, stopped running altogether. The people crossed opposite Jericho. The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood still on dry ground in mid-Jordan, and all Israel continued to cross dry-shod till the whole nation had finished its crossing of the river.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 113A(114):1-6 © |
Alleluia!
When Israel came forth from Egypt,
Jacob’s sons from an alien people,
Judah became the Lord’s temple,
Israel became his kingdom.
Alleluia!
The sea fled at the sight:
the Jordan turned back on its course,
the mountains leapt like rams
and the hills like yearling sheep.
Alleluia!
Why was it, sea, that you fled,
that you turned back, Jordan, on your course?
Mountains, that you leapt like rams,
hills, like yearling sheep?
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | Ps118:88 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Because of your love give me life,
and I will do your will.
Alleluia!
Or: | Ps118:135 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Let your face shine on your servant,
and teach me your decrees.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 18:21-19:1 © |
'How often must I forgive my brother?'
Peter went up to Jesus and said, ‘Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times.
‘And so the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who decided to settle his accounts with his servants. When the reckoning began, they brought him a man who owed ten thousand talents; but he had no means of paying, so his master gave orders that he should be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, to meet the debt. At this, the servant threw himself down at his master’s feet. “Give me time” he said “and I will pay the whole sum.” And the servant’s master felt so sorry for him that he let him go and cancelled the debt. Now as this servant went out, he happened to meet a fellow servant who owed him one hundred denarii; and he seized him by the throat and began to throttle him. “Pay what you owe me” he said. His fellow servant fell at his feet and implored him, saying, “Give me time and I will pay you.” But the other would not agree; on the contrary, he had him thrown into prison till he should pay the debt. His fellow servants were deeply distressed when they saw what had happened, and they went to their master and reported the whole affair to him. Then the master sent for him. “You wicked servant,” he said “I cancelled all that debt of yours when you appealed to me. Were you not bound, then, to have pity on your fellow servant just as I had pity on you?” And in his anger the master handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all his debt. And that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.’
Jesus had now finished what he wanted to say, and he left Galilee and came into the part of Judaea which is on the far side of the Jordan.
AMAZING WONDERS OF GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ Jos 3:7-11. 13-17; Ps 114:1-6; Mt 18:21-19:1 ]
People often lose sight of the wonders of God at work in their lives. We are constrained by our intellectual capacity to dream beyond what we can do. We think the answer lies in science and technology. We give no room to divine intervention. In other words, we literally walk by sight, by what we can see within human reasoning and not by faith. Today’s scripture readings invite us to go beyond our human limitations to trust in the amazing works of God in our lives, and allow Him to act in and through us.
The first work of wonder we are called to reflect on is the Ark of the Covenant. What is this Ark of the Covenant? It contains the tablet of the Ten Commandments. (Dt 10:1-5) It was also decreed that the Book of Deuteronomy be placed alongside the Ark. (Dt 31:24-26) Hence, the Covenant refers to the laws, the teaching and instructions of God that the people would be required to obey in their relationship with God as all the Ark is the essence of His will for His people.
As a consequence, it also became the symbol of the presence of God in the midst of His people. It was more than just a reminder of God’s presence but truly a potent presence of God Himself. Israel would carry it in their battles against the enemies and so long as the Ark was with them, they would win victory over their enemies. So powerful was the presence of God in the Ark that when Uzzah, the priest sought to support the oxen when it stumbled on the way to the City of David, he was struck dead for touching the Ark which he was forbidden to do. (2 Sm 6:6f)
Today, we read of how the Ark of the Covenant led the way for the people to enter Canaan. Just as the Ark led the way during the time of Moses, so too during the time of Joshua. “Whenever the ark set out, Moses would say, ‘Arise, O Lord, let your enemies be scattered, and your foes flee before you.’ And whenever it came to rest, he would say, ‘Return, O Lord of the ten thousand thousands of Israel.'” (Num 10:35f) Joshua told the people, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place. Follow it, so that you may know the way you should go, for you have not passed this way before. Yet there shall be a space between you and it, a distance of about two thousand cubits; do not come any nearer to it.” (Jos 3:3f) Keeping the distance is in order to stress the holiness and the potent power that comes from the Ark, and also that they could see the route that they should take from afar.
Clearly too, it demonstrated that it was God who was responsible for Israel’s occupation of Canaan. As Joshua said, “‘By this you shall know that a living God is with you and without doubt will expel the Canaanite. Look, the ark of the Lord, the Lord of the whole earth, is about to cross the Jordan at your head.” Not only Canaan, but the whole earth belongs to God and therefore He has the prerogative to give the land to whom He chooses. Indeed, this God has power not just over the earth but over nature as well. He could stop the waters from flowing. “As soon as the priests with the ark of the Lord, the Lord of the whole earth, have set their feet in the waters of the Jordan, the upper waters of the Jordan flowing down will be stopped in their course and stand still in one mass.”
But God works His power through His chosen leaders. He worked signs and wonders through Moses. Upon his death, Moses transmitted his power of leadership to Joshua. In order to underscore and boost Joshua’s credibility as the new leader of Israel, God said to Joshua, “This very day I will begin to make you a great man in the eyes of all Israel, to let them be sure that I am going to be with you even as I was with Moses.”
But God’s power can only work effectively for those who are available to Him. This explains why the people had to be sanctified before they crossed the river Jordan to occupy Canaan. Joshua said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves; for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” (Jos 3:5) To consecrate themselves, they symbolically washed themselves clean and abstained from sexual relationships as a sign that they belonged to God and no one else. This call to holiness is also a constant call not just to Israel but also to us as well. It does not mean that God cannot work in people who are sinful, but our sins can impede the grace of God from flowing out of us. Our lack of devotion to God will delimit our faith in Him and in His grace and mercy.
This same miracle is also at work today in our lives. We still have the Ark of the Covenant in the form of the Tabernacle in our churches where we keep the Eucharist, the Bread of Life, Jesus Himself. The bread, as we know, is truly the real presence of our Lord. In receiving Jesus, we do not simply receive His body, but we are in communion with Him in spirit, sharing His mind and His love. This will empower us to live out the Word of God in our lives. So the Eucharist which we worship is certainly not superstitious, as some would ridicule us for doing so. If God could be present in the Ark of the Covenant containing merely the tablets of His commandments, how much more is God present in Jesus in the Eucharistic species! It is truly a wonder and a miracle indeed. Unfortunately, not all believe in it with faith. This is not surprising as the Lord told His disciples who said, “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” (Jn 6:60-63)
Of course, the Eucharist is effective only for those who have faith and have consecrated themselves to the Lord, like the Israelites who sanctified themselves. Otherwise, it will not have much effect on us. This explains why every Sunday thousands receive the Eucharist but few are sanctified and empowered to live a holy life. St Paul even warned the Christians who ate the bread or drank the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner that they would be answerable to the Lord. He said, “Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For all who eat and drink without discerning the body, eat and drink judgment against themselves.” (1 Cor 11:28f)
But the Eucharist is also accompanied by the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This is another amazing wonder of God at work in our lives. God helps us to sanctify ourselves to receive the Eucharist worthily by providing us the means of forgiveness. Jesus underscored the authority of the Church to reconcile the sinner back to the community. “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” (Mt 18:18-20)
Today’s gospel accentuates the mercy of God and His readiness to forgive us without end. His mercy is limitless and His love is bountiful, just like the King who forgave his servant for owing him a ridiculously enormous debt which no individual could repay as the amount owned was almost equivalent to a big nation’s total revenue. God forgives us freely and as He told Peter, “Not seven times, I tell you, but seventy-seven times.” Just like the Eucharist, the problem does not lie on the side of God. He wants to set us free from our guilt, our resentment and vindictiveness. But we must be ready to accept His forgiveness entirely, which includes imitating Him in forgiving ourselves and those who have hurt us. The servant who was forgiven but unable to forgive his fellow servant who owed him just a day’s wage exemplifies many of us. We want to receive God’s forgiveness but we cannot forgive those who have hurt us. By not passing the forgiveness we have received from God to fellow sinners, it means that we have not received His forgiveness since forgiveness entails not just being set free by God; it means setting ourselves free from our enemies by setting them free.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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