20210923 WAKE UP CALL
23 September, 2021, Thursday, 25th Week, Ordinary Time
First reading | Haggai 1:1-8 © |
'Rebuild the House'
In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord was addressed through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, high commissioner of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, as follows, ‘The Lord of Hosts says this, “This people says: The time has not yet come to rebuild the Temple of the Lord. (And the word of the Lord was addressed through the prophet Haggai, as follows:) Is this a time for you to live in your panelled houses, when this House lies in ruins? So now, the Lord of Hosts says this: Reflect carefully how things have gone for you. You have sown much and harvested little; you eat but never have enough, drink but never have your fill, put on clothes but do not feel warm. The wage earner gets his wages only to put them in a purse riddled with holes. So go to the hill country, fetch wood, and rebuild the House: I shall then take pleasure in it, and be glorified there, says the Lord.”’
Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 149:1-6,9 © |
The Lord takes delight in his people.
or
Alleluia!
Sing a new song to the Lord,
his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel rejoice in its Maker,
let Zion’s sons exult in their king.
The Lord takes delight in his people.
or
Alleluia!
Let them praise his name with dancing
and make music with timbrel and harp.
For the Lord takes delight in his people.
He crowns the poor with salvation.
The Lord takes delight in his people.
or
Alleluia!
Let the faithful rejoice in their glory,
shout for joy and take their rest.
Let the praise of God be on their lips:
this honour is for all his faithful.
The Lord takes delight in his people.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | Ps118:18 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Open my eyes, O Lord, that I may consider
the wonders of your law.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn14:6 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord;
No one can come to the Father except through me.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 9:7-9 © |
'John? I beheaded him; so who is this?'
Herod the tetrarch had heard about all that was being done by Jesus; and he was puzzled, because some people were saying that John had risen from the dead, others that Elijah had reappeared, still others that one of the ancient prophets had come back to life. But Herod said, ‘John? I beheaded him. So who is this I hear such reports about?’ And he was anxious to see Jesus.
WAKE UP CALL
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ Hg 1:1-8; Ps 149:1-6,9; Lk 9:7-9 ]
Some of the Israelites had just returned to Jerusalem after the long exile in Babylon. They came back to a country in ruins with the Temple totally destroyed by the ravages of wars. Many of them had become rich in Babylon. When they came back, the first thing they did was to rebuild their houses. But they did not pay much attention to the rebuilding of the Temple. That was not their priority. Indeed, they were apathetic to the faith. Those who had settled in Jerusalem from captured lands had became natives in Judah. There was political squabbling. These and the lack of financial resources hindered the rebuilding of the Temple initiated by Zerubbabel, who was High Commissioner of Judah and a descendent of the Davidic dynasty, and Joshua, the high priest from the line of the priesthood.
What were the factors that caused the delay in the rebuilding of the Temple? Over the long years in Babylon, the younger generation’s faith in God’s covenant had eroded. Nevertheless, God’s covenant remained effective even though the people were exiled. It was meant to be a time of purification. Unfortunately, returning from Babylon alone could not restore the glory of the Temple as repentance and commitment were lacking. What was the use of returning from Babylon if they were not keen to rebuild the Temple and restore their faith in the Covenant? The fact that they were indifferent to the rebuilding of the Temple showed that their heart was not with God. Their faith had slackened as there was no focus point. They had lost their desire to encounter God’s presence. As the saying goes, “Out of sight, out of mind.” They had also lost their vision for the future. In spite of the fact that Haggai spoke of the ingathering of the peoples and the restoration of the glory of the Temple and a prosperous nation, the reality that confronted them made them give up hope that God’s glory would return to Israel.
This is currently our situation as well. Though our churches are still standing, albeit with limited functioning during this pandemic, and now we are cautiously going back to the pre-pandemic era, many Catholics are so comfortable with the present inertia in their religious life that they are not returning for physical worship. Many are so used to attending on-line services that they do not feel the need to come back to Church and be with the People of God, the Body of Christ, or to receive Him in the Eucharist. Some do not even attend on-line services as they are not required to do so. They are now used to sleeping in on Sundays and spending time with their friends and pursuing their own activities instead, so much so that God’s presence is no longer felt. There is no sense of urgency and no desire.
Indeed, the wake-up call of the Prophet Haggai is addressed not just to the Israelites of his time but also to us as well. Our exile is not from our homeland but from our people and from God during this time of pandemic. We have become self-centred, inward-looking, alienated from others and from God. We live in our comfort zone, especially those who are not adversely affected by the pandemic as we continue to hold on to our jobs and some on-line businesses which are flourishing. For those not financially or materially affected by the pandemic, they have become complacent and indifferent to the sufferings of others who are deeply affected. We simply take care of ourselves and our interests without regard for God and for others. Like those who just returned from exile, we are not in a hurry to be connected with God and with God’s people. Indeed, “The Lord of hosts says this, ‘This people says: The time has not yet come to rebuild the Temple of the Lord.'” We give all kinds of excuses to remain where we are in our comfort zone. We live for ourselves so long as we are not without food or without shelter or fall victim to Covid 19. We are quite contented in spite of the constraints in movements and activities.
But God is challenging us as He did with His people through the prophet Haggai. “Is this a time for you to live in your panelled houses, when this House lies in ruins?” In saying this, the prophet was awakening the people to how King David felt when he built a palace of cedar wood for himself when the Lord lived in the Tent. (2 Sm 7:2) He was feeling uneasy and guilty that the Ark of God stayed in a Tent and so felt the need to build a Temple for the Lord. If that was how David felt, what about us who are living comfortably? Have we had any thoughts, not just of contributing to the maintenance of our churches and our buildings but more importantly, to the rebuilding of the People of God, the Temple where God lives. For the true God lives not in a Temple but amongst His people. (2 Sm 7:7)
Haggai is asking us, where is our priority? The fact is that, like the Israelites, we have misplaced priorities. We focus on our comfort and luxury. We are oblivious to the need to give attention to our spiritual life and our relationship with God and His people. We have compartmentalized our lives, focusing on ourselves, eating, drinking and enjoying life but cut off from God. Of course, the reminder of Haggai is more than just the issue of financial resources and living an extravagant life but he is asking us in the light of a world that is demanding our time and attention, with so many activities, day and night, what values do we have that truly reflect the priorities of God. Do we have time to be with God in prayer and worship, or is our life so filled with many mundane activities, leaving our heart and soul bereft of God’s presence? In our allocation of resources, how do we exercise our stewardship with regard to the building of God’s kingdom and His people?
Haggai is clear, that the only priority we should have is the glory of God. All other priorities must serve this one priority. If we get that priority right, everything else will be in place. This is what the Lord taught us, “strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Mt 6:33) Everything we do must be for the glory of God because by so doing, we share in His glory as well. We are called to place God as the centre of all our activities and all activities must be directed to the glory of His name. Hence, the Lord said, “I shall then take pleasure in it, and be glorified there”. We must seek to rebuild the House of the Lord.
The failure to put God as the centre of our life will result in another exile as the prophet warned his people. “Reflect carefully how things have gone for you. You have sown much and harvested little.” Indeed, in their time, the harvest was poor, perceived as a sign of God’s curse on them for their failure to uphold the Covenant. So too, we must never forget what we sow is what we reap, as St Paul reminds us. “Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow.” (Gal 6:7-10) Even if we do not suffer the consequences of our sins and negligence of our faith in God, we will find life empty and meaningless even if we have plenty to eat and drink. “You eat but never have enough, drink but never have your fill, put on clothes but do not feel warm. The wage earner gets his wages only to put them in a purse riddled with holes.”
For us, we need to rediscover who Jesus is to us. The Lord in the gospel is also challenging us to repent and be converted. Luke portrays Him as one in the line of prophets, mistakenly identified as John the Baptist, or even Elijah who went up to heaven in a chariot as in His ascension, or “one of the ancient prophets (that) had come back to life.” Herod who heard about Jesus was guilty of killing John the Baptist, a prophet of God. He lived in guilt and fear of the future. We too are called to “reflect carefully how things have gone” for us. Herod was reflecting on what he did and his conscience condemned him. What about us, when we reflect on our priorities in life. We too must answer the question, “who is he” who has risen from the dead ourselves? This answer cannot be from second-hand knowledge, not even from study but from the Word of God. We need to go back and listen to the Word of God, and worship Him not just online but physically in our churches so that once again, we can identify ourselves as the Body of Christ, His Church. So let us wake up and respond to Haggai’s call for action. “So go to the hill country, fetch wood, and rebuild the House!”
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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