20211201 CHRIST IS THE ULTIMATE HOPE OF HUMANITY
01 December, 2021, Wednesday, 1st Week of Advent
First reading | Isaiah 25:6-10 © |
The Lord will prepare a banquet for every nation
On this mountain,
the Lord of hosts will prepare for all peoples
a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines,
of food rich and juicy, of fine strained wines.
On this mountain he will remove
the mourning veil covering all peoples,
and the shroud enwrapping all nations,
he will destroy Death for ever.
The Lord will wipe away
the tears from every cheek;
he will take away his people’s shame
everywhere on earth,
for the Lord has said so.
That day, it will be said: See, this is our God
in whom we hoped for salvation;
the Lord is the one in whom we hoped.
We exult and we rejoice
that he has saved us;
for the hand of the Lord
rests on this mountain.
Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 22(23) © |
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.
The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures
where he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me,
to revive my drooping spirit.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.
He guides me along the right path;
he is true to his name.
If I should walk in the valley of darkness
no evil would I fear.
You are there with your crook and your staff;
with these you give me comfort.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.
You have prepared a banquet for me
in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil;
my cup is overflowing.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.
Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me
all the days of my life.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell
for ever and ever.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.
Gospel Acclamation | Is33:22 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The Lord is our judge, the Lord our lawgiver,
the Lord our king and our saviour.
Alleluia!
Or: |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Look, the Lord will come to save his people.
Blessed those who are ready to meet him.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 15:29-37 © |
The crowds praised the God of Israel
Jesus reached the shores of the Sea of Galilee, and he went up into the hills. He sat there, and large crowds came to him bringing the lame, the crippled, the blind, the dumb and many others; these they put down at his feet, and he cured them. The crowds were astonished to see the dumb speaking, the cripples whole again, the lame walking and the blind with their sight, and they praised the God of Israel.
But Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ‘I feel sorry for all these people; they have been with me for three days now and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them off hungry, they might collapse on the way.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Where could we get enough bread in this deserted place to feed such a crowd?’ Jesus said to them, ‘How many loaves have you?’ ‘Seven’ they said ‘and a few small fish.’ Then he instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground, and he took the seven loaves and the fish, and he gave thanks and broke them and handed them to the disciples, who gave them to the crowds. They all ate as much as they wanted, and they collected what was left of the scraps, seven baskets full.
CHRIST IS THE ULTIMATE HOPE OF HUMANITY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Is 25:6-10; Ps 23:1-6; Mt 15:29-37]
What do we all need most in life? We need good food. We fear hunger and poverty. So it is natural that the most basic needs of human beings is food, clothing and accommodation. Without which, we cannot speak of surviving, much less living. This is why the prophet Isaiah envisioned a life to come when “the Lord of hosts will prepare for all peoples a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wine, of food rich and juicy, of fine strained wines.” Beyond food, we need fellowship and communion with our fellowmen. Man are social animals. We need to be connected with our fellowmen. We need love and intimacy with a smaller group of people. What better way to build fellowship and share love than in a meal or a banquet. Every celebration always involves food and drinks. It is in a banquet that we share our joys with one another. In a meal, we spend time sharing ourselves and getting to know our brothers and sisters. Having a meal together is very important to build bonds with our fellowmen.
What do we fear most in life? We fear suffering, especially suffering that comes from sickness, accidents, natural catastrophes and wars. Indeed, we know that today’s medical cost is rising and many cannot afford medical treatment. We all want to be healthy. Few of us can take pain in life. Our people today are not strong enough to tolerate pain, inconvenience, suffering. It is hard to enjoy life when a person cannot walk, cannot read, cannot take care of himself or herself. This is why we desire to be freed from all pain, misery and suffering. As the prophet said, “The Lord God will wipe away the tears from every cheek; he will take away his peoples shame everywhere on earth, for the Lord has said so.”
Most of all, we fear death. With death, it means definitive departure, not just from this world but from our loved ones. That is why we fear death, both the dying and their loved ones. Departure is always painful. For those who do not believe in God, the end of life is the end of everything. Whatever achievements and wealth we have accumulated would have to be left behind. Even the Israelites initially thought that when a person dies, he enters into Sheol, which is a state of half-existence, existing but not living. It was over time that theological reflection made them realize that God would not extinguish us completely or abandon us to Sheol. Rather, He will grant us immortality of life and resurrection of the body. “On this mountain he will remove the mourning veil covering all peoples, and the shroud enwrapping all nations, he will destroy Death for ever.”
It is in the light of human needs and fears that the prophet envisioned a time where all these desires would be fulfilled, fear and misery would be removed. The imagery used by the Prophet is that of an eschatological banquet where there is plenty of food, wine and fellowship. There will no longer be death and all tears will be wiped away from every cheek. Of course, it is not realistic to believe that these promises would be possible and completely fulfilled in this life. Such a paradisiac life belongs to the eschatological future. It will come at the end of time. A similar imagery is picked up by John in the final Book of the bible, the book of Revelation, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.'” (Rev 21:1-4) Lasting happiness is found when man is in union with God, just as in a wedding feast, for the Church is the bride of Christ, who Himself is our bridegroom. It is this intimacy and rest in Him, that we find true peace and joy. The responsorial psalm captures this, “in the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.”
But how can we be so certain that such a day would arrive? Is it just a projection of human imagination, or truly a revelation of God? What evidence do we have that such a hope would be fulfilled and not just a dream? Jesus came to anticipate the final hope of humanity. In the gospel, like Moses, Jesus “went up into the hills. He sat there, and large crowds came to him bringing the lame, the crippled, the blind, the dumb and many others.” Jesus came to heal the sick, liberate those under the torments of the Evil One, giving sight to the blind and speech to the dumb. The evangelist noted, “These they put down at his feet, and he cured them. The crowds were astonished to see the dumb speaking, the crippled whole again, the lame walking and the blind with their sight, and they praised the God of Israel.” Indeed, the people immediately recognized Jesus as the visitation of God. He came to give hope to the people of Israel that God loves them and cares for them. The people needed this assurance.
Beyond healing and deliverance, the Lord also came to feed His people, not just spiritual food through His preaching but also physical food. In the gospel, we read of the compassion of our Lord and His keen sensitivity to the needs of His people. Jesus told His disciples “I feel sorry for all these people; they have been with me for three days now and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them off hungry, they might collapse on the way.” Jesus felt responsible for their soul and body. He did not pass this responsibility to others. He took it upon Himself. He could have conveniently let the people go back but He could see that they were both spiritually and physically hungry.
Trusting in His Father’s providence instead of worrying like the disciples who said to Him, “Where could we get enough bread in this deserted place to feed such a crowd?”, Jesus made use of the little resources He had, seven loaves and a few small fish. “He took the seven loaves and the fish, and he gave thanks and broke them and handed them to the disciples who gave them to the crowds.” Ever grateful for what He already had, He gave thanks to the Father and gave what He had to the disciples to distribute to the four thousand. Jesus never asked how could so little food be enough for all, or told His disciples, “wait till we have collected enough, then we start distributing.” No, He had the meagre resources distributed, and as they began distribution, the food was multiplied. “They all ate as much as they wanted and they collected what was left of the scraps, seven baskets full.” Jesus showed the power of God to give us life abundantly beyond our human limitations. We just have to trust in Him, like our Lord. The promises of God to the prophet Isaiah would be fulfilled in time to come because Jesus has already given us a foretaste of the heavenly banquet to come.
The Church continues to grant us an expectant hope by mediating the future life to our people today by giving them a foretaste of this life. Already in this world, the Church invites us to live a life of communion and love, a life of charity and compassion. The Church, through her social and humanitarian works, reaches out to all the poor, suffering, and marginalized regardless of race, language or religion. Through our love for each other, we support each other and give hope and courage to those who are suffering because of tragedy, hunger, suffering, wars and illnesses. This is what we must do during the Season of Advent, to give hope to those who are suffering.
But we must also invite people to have an eye focused on the future life to come. True happiness comes only when we are resting in the house of the Lord, when the Lord abides in us. Through the celebration of the Eucharist and the sacraments of Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick, Jesus as the Good Shepherd leads us to greener pastures where He gives us repose. “Near restful waters he leads me, to revive my drooping spirit. You have prepared a banquet for me in the sight of my foes. My head you have anointed with oil; my cup is overflowing. Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life. In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.” Truly, the scripture readings remind us that there will be eternal rest and joy when we live in God’s house. But this joy and rest are already ours when we allow Jesus to come into our hearts and allow others to enter our lives. So let us, whilst awaiting the ultimate fulfilment, be an anticipatory hope for others.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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