20210831 PREPARING FOR THE DAY OF THE LORD
31 August, 2021, Tuesday, 22nd Week, Ordinary Time
First reading |
1 Thessalonians 5:1-6,9-11 © |
Keep strengthening one another
You will not be expecting us to write anything to you, brothers, about ‘times and seasons’, since you know very well that the Day of the Lord is going to come like a thief in the night. It is when people are saying, ‘How quiet and peaceful it is’ that the worst suddenly happens, as suddenly as labour pains come on a pregnant woman; and there will be no way for anybody to evade it.
But it is not as if you live in the dark, my brothers, for that Day to overtake you like a thief. No, you are all sons of light and sons of the day: we do not belong to the night or to darkness, so we should not go on sleeping, as everyone else does, but stay wide awake and sober. God never meant us to experience the Retribution, but to win salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that, alive or dead, we should still live united to him. So give encouragement to each other, and keep strengthening one another, as you do already.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 26(27):1,4,13-14 © |
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
The Lord is my light and my help;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
before whom shall I shrink?
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
There is one thing I ask of the Lord,
for this I long,
to live in the house of the Lord,
all the days of my life,
to savour the sweetness of the Lord,
to behold his temple.
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness
in the land of the living.
Hope in him, hold firm and take heart.
Hope in the Lord!
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
Gospel Acclamation | Heb4:12 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The word of God is something alive and active:
it can judge secret emotions and thoughts.
Alleluia!
Or: | Lk7:16 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
A great prophet has appeared among us;
God has visited his people.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 4:31-37 © |
'I know who you are: the Holy One of God'
Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath. And his teaching made a deep impression on them because he spoke with authority.
In the synagogue there was a man who was possessed by the spirit of an unclean devil, and it shouted at the top of its voice, ‘Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God.’ But Jesus said sharply, ‘Be quiet! Come out of him!’ And the devil, throwing the man down in front of everyone, went out of him without hurting him at all. Astonishment seized them and they were all saying to one another, ‘What teaching! He gives orders to unclean spirits with authority and power and they come out.’ And reports of him went all through the surrounding countryside.
PREPARING FOR THE DAY OF THE LORD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 Th 5:1-6. 9-11; Ps 27:1,4,13-14; Lk 4:31-37 ]
Most people fear death, and ironically, even Christians. For the world we can understand why they fear death, because for them there is nothing beyond death. It is the end of everything, all their achievements, the wealth they have accumulated, the loving relationships they have established. This is why the world tries to prolong life on earth. As St Paul said, they live in darkness. They are ignorant of God and therefore of the future of humanity and this earth. Without faith in God, life is reduced to mere matter. Once dead, we return to ashes or vanish into atoms in space. But for Christians, we should know better, that death is the not the end of everything. As the Preface for the Dead at Mass says, “life is not ended but changed.” Yet, Christians also are fearful of death.
Why, then, are we fearful of death? Firstly, because we know that death often comes unexpectedly. St Paul wrote, “You will not be expecting us to write anything to you, brothers, about ‘times and seasons’, since you know very well that the Day of the Lord is going to come like a thief in the night. It is when people are saying, ‘How quiet and peaceful it is’ that the worst suddenly happens, as suddenly as labour pains come on a pregnant woman; and there will be no way for anybody to evade it.” Indeed, how often have our world collapsed because we received news that we are suffering from an advanced stage of a terminal illness, especially when we are still relatively young and when we are very successful in our career or business. We cannot take such news. Or worse still, when we hear someone suddenly collapsing and dying without any warning symptoms. Most tragic of course is when our loved ones die because of a tragic accident. Without any time to come to terms with ourselves or be with our loved ones, such departure is heart-breaking. Often, those in bereavement put the blame on the heartlessness of God and the lack of mercy. Some have given up faith in Him for not protecting their loved ones from harm. Indeed, death is unpredictable with regard to the time, but it is certain.
Secondly, many of us, especially if we are still 80 and below, think that we have still much time on earth. As St Paul says, we are not alert when the thief is coming. We do not cherish every minute we have and make the best of it by living meaningful and loving lives. Instead, we squander away our precious time through idling, living a life of pleasure, enjoying oneself, and not expanding oneself by reaching out and making a difference in the lives of others. Instead of spending our time living creatively, we use that time to lament, complain and quarrel with people. We are sleeping and inattentive to the signs of the time, especially when we lose our loved ones suddenly, or when we hear our friends suffering from terminal illnesses. We always think that cancer or heart attack will not strike us but someone else. Or we think we will not meet any tragic accidents. We are over presumptuous and therefore we are unprepared. Often, when tragedy strikes, it is too late to wake up to the reality.
Thirdly, we live in fear of the light. To live in darkness or in the night is to do things that we are ashamed of, because we do evil or immoral things. Jesus made it clear when He said, “the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.” (Jn 3:19-21) Writing to the Romans, St Paul exhorts them, “For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light; let us live honourably as in the day, not in revelling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” (Rom 13:11-14)
For those of us who are prepared, we will not be too concerned, like the Thessalonians about the Day of the Lord. Every day for us is the Day of the Lord. In other words, we live every moment of the day, in consciousness of the Lord’s presence. St Paul says, as “sons of light and sons of the day: we do not belong to the night or to darkness, so we should not go on sleeping, as everyone else does, but stay wide awake and sober.” To stay awake and be sober means simply that we do everything in God’s presence. We have nothing to hide and nothing to be afraid of because we live in the light, in truth and in love. For those of us who live with a clear conscience, judgment has already taken place. They do not need to wait for the final judgment because before God and man, they walk in sincerity and truth.
We have reasons to be afraid of judgment only because we know that we are not ready to face the truth about ourselves. We know that when we come before God, everything would be revealed, all our secret thoughts, desires and actions. There will be no cover up. There will be no excuses. There will be no pretence. And when our sins are exposed, we will be so ashamed of ourselves before God and our brothers and sisters that we dare not meet them, just as Adam and Eve hid from God after they disobeyed Him because they were naked. (Gn 3:10) They saw the truth about themselves. This is why the Lord said, “I do not judge anyone who hears my words and does not keep them, for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my word has a judge; on the last day the word that I have spoken will serve as judge.” (Jn 12:47f)
Instead, for those who are living in the consciousness of God’s presence, we welcome the Day of the Lord, whether alive or when we die. For St Paul assured us, “God never meant us to experience the Retribution, but to win salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that, alive or dead, we should still live united to him.” Jesus said, “God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (Jn 3:17) As far as we are concerned, life or death should not make a difference to us as St Paul himself wrote, “For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me; and I do not know which I prefer. I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you.” (Phil 1:21-24) What was important for St Paul is the fact that “we do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.” (Rom 14:7-9)
This was how the Lord overcame evil in His ministry. In the synagogue whilst teaching, “there was a man who was possessed by the spirit of an unclean devil, and it shouted at the top of its voice, “Have you come to destroy us?” In other words, “You cannot destroy us unless you also destroy the man because we have power over the man as we are inside him.” But in casting the devil out and without causing the man any harm, Jesus showed His power. Hence, “astonishment seized them and they were all saying to one another, ‘What teaching! He gives orders to unclean spirits with authority and power and they come out.'”
Sensing the presence of God in Jesus is the key, therefore, to overcoming the evil one and the fear of death. Even the devil sensed His holy presence immediately, “I know who you are, the Holy One of God.'” So too the people sensed the presence of God in Jesus, both by His teaching and His works of healing and exorcism. It is notable that the authority of Jesus did not come simply because “his teaching made a deep impression on them because he spoke with authority” but it was complemented by the divine presence in Him. Hence, the best way to live in the light is to be guided by our Lord’s teaching and His divine presence in the Christian Assembly. St Paul urged the Christians to “give encouragement to each other, and keep strengthening one another, as you do already.” It is the mutual encouragement of fellow Christians that we keep ourselves alert to the Lord’s coming each day.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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