20211126 GOD WILL TRIUMPH OVER EVIL
26 November, 2021, Friday, 34th Week, Ordinary Time
First reading | Daniel 7:2-14 © |
'I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man'
I, Daniel, have been seeing visions in the night. I saw that the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea; four great beasts emerged from the sea, each different from the other. The first was like a lion with eagle’s wings; and as I looked its wings were torn off, and it was lifted from the ground and set standing on its feet like a man; and it was given a human heart. The second beast I saw was different, like a bear, raised up on one of its sides, with three ribs in its mouth, between its teeth. “Up!” came the command “Eat quantities of flesh!” After this I looked, and saw another beast, like a leopard, and with four bird’s wings on its flanks; it had four heads, and power was given to it. Next I saw another vision in the visions of the night: I saw a fourth beast, fearful, terrifying, very strong; it had great iron teeth, and it ate, crushed and trampled underfoot what remained. It was different from the previous beasts and had ten horns.
While I was looking at these horns, I saw another horn sprouting among them, a little one; three of the original horns were pulled out by the roots to make way for it; and in this horn I saw eyes like human eyes, and a mouth that was full of boasts. As I watched:
Thrones were set in place
and one of great age took his seat.
His robe was white as snow,
the hair of his head as pure as wool.
His throne was a blaze of flames,
its wheels were a burning fire.
A stream of fire poured out,
issuing from his presence.
A thousand thousand waited on him,
ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
A court was held
and the books were opened.
The great things the horn was saying were still ringing in my ears, and as I watched, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and committed to the flames. The other beasts were deprived of their power, but received a lease of life for a season and a time.
I gazed into the visions of the night.
And I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven,
one like a son of man.
He came to the one of great age
and was led into his presence.
On him was conferred sovereignty,
glory and kingship,
and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants.
His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty
which shall never pass away,
nor will his empire ever be destroyed.
Responsorial Psalm | Daniel 3:75-81 © |
Mountains and hills! bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Every thing that grows on the earth! bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Springs of water! bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Seas and rivers! bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Sea beasts and everything that lives in water! bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Birds of heaven! all bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Animals wild and tame! all bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Gospel Acclamation | Lk21:28 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Stand erect, hold your heads high,
because your liberation is near at hand.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 21:29-33 © |
My words will never pass away
Jesus told his disciples a parable: ‘Think of the fig tree and indeed every tree. As soon as you see them bud, you know that summer is now near. So with you when you see these things happening: know that the kingdom of God is near. I tell you solemnly, before this generation has passed away all will have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.’
GOD WILL TRIUMPH OVER EVIL
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Dn 7:2-14; Dn 3:75-81; Lk 21:29-33]
At every age, we are bewildered at what is happening in the world. In the old world, it was about poverty and slavery and wars, including religious and tribal wars. It was about diseases, hunger, sickness and suffering. Feuds occurred mostly among neighbouring tribes and nations. It was about protecting one’s tribe, family, religion, language and culture. The family and tribe were of great importance. Of course, in every era, there will be injustices, greed, cheating, oppression and killing. In every era, there would be natural disasters such as drought, famine, pandemic and earthquakes. This is why the Lord earlier in the gospel told His disciples, “When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.” (Lk 21:9-11)
Today, we are confronted with new challenges. The world of technology and mass communication is a double-edged sword. It has brought great advancements in science, medicine and communications for the world. Yet, today, we are beset with problems that people who lived in the previous centuries before us did not face. Today, we are confronted with new religious, social, moral and ethical issues arising from an affluent society. The society we live in is secularistic, relativistic and individualistic. The structure of the family has been radically changed due to a search for a better life and better prospects for work and business. With people who are educated in Western philosophy, emphasis is given to the freedom of the individual often at the expense of the common good. The world has become more self-centred, individualistic and also egoistic. Family and marriage life are fragmented and the individual is confused with regard to his or her identity and meaning in life. With advancement in bio-technology, science and medicine, artificial intelligence, the sacredness of humanity is gradually being undermined. The world is becoming more unsafe as well because of the abuse of the environment and the threat of nuclear wars due to armament race and the ambition to dominate other countries, to be the most powerful, most advanced in science, technology and in weaponry.
The situation in the world today is no less different from that of the ancient world. In the first reading from the book of Daniel, the prophet had a vision of the rise and fall of the great empires of the world. “I saw that the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea; four great beasts emerged from the sea, each different from the other.” Although scholars do not quite agree as to which empire these four beasts represented, most are of the view that it refers to Babylon, followed by the Medes, Persians, the Greeks and perhaps, even the Roman Empire as some Protestant scholars hold. However, Catholic scholars tend to see the last beast as symbolizing the Greeks. Daniel said, “I saw a fourth beast, fearful, terrifying, very strong; it had great iron teeth, and it ate, crushed and trampled underfoot what remained. It was different from the previous beasts and had ten horns. While I was looking at these horns, I saw another horn sprouting among them, a little one; three of the original horns were pulled out by the roots to make way for it; and in this horn I saw eyes like human eyes, and a mouth that was full of boasts.” They suggest that the ten horns of the fourth beast refer to the ten Seleucid kings, and the final horn sprouting among them was Antiochus himself.
Our response to the challenges facing us should not be one of discouragement or despair. Scripture is confident that God will reign at the end of time. The prophet Daniel had a vision of the heavenly court where God reigns. “As I watched: Thrones were set in place and one of great age took his seat. His robe was white as snow the hair of his head as pure as wool. His throne was a blaze of flames, its wheels were a burning fire. A stream of fire poured out, issuing from his presence. A thousand thousand waited on him, ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.” The beast was killed. And a vision that foreshadowed the reign of Christ, he said, “And I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man. He came to the one of great age and was led into his presence. On him was conferred sovereignty which shall never pass away, nor will his empire ever be destroyed.” Christ incidentally and enigmatically described Himself with the title, “Son of man” in the third person more than the other titles.
Jesus told His disciples the parable of the fig tree. “As soon as you see them bud, you know that summer is now near. So with you see these things happening: know that the kingdom of God is near.” We need to flourish in our spiritual life. We must produce the fruits of the Spirit. We must allow the Kingdom of God to bear fruits in our life. The end of the world might not come through destruction but by transformation. That is why we must continue to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. Despite all the negative signs in the world today, we must not ever think that evil has an upper hand. Eventually, God will prove victorious. The outcome of the battle is certain. But the battle is still ongoing.
In the meantime, the parable of the fig tree invites us to be discerning. We must be discerning in what we do, the choices we make and the values we imbibe. Not everything in the world is good, not everything we read is true, not every product the world promotes is necessary for our happiness. We need to seek for things that are eternal and truly lasting and meaningful. Those that are transitory and passing, should not be taken seriously. This is where we need to take time to pray and discern the will of God for us and our those under our care. This is why Jesus asked us to look for the signs of God at work in our lives.
We must cling to the words of our Lord. Only the words and promises of our Lord can provide us real comfort and hope. Everything else, as the Lord said, will pass away. He said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” Indeed, the promises of our Lord will remain. Truth is the final word, not relativism. We can trust in the promises of our Lord. The earth may pass away, not His words because God is eternal. That was how the Lord stayed strong knowing the sufferings and opposition ahead of Him. He was with the people in the day but at night and early in the morning, He was with His Father, drawing strength to remain faithful to His mission. He took heart from His Father’s assurance, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” Reliance on our Lord’s word gives us the greatest security in life.
Until then, we must watch and pray and stay alert. Watching means keeping alert as we await the Second Coming of the Lord. Praying leads to union with Jesus and endurance. Focused on our Lord, we will find focus in the vicissitudes of life. Praying means that we are conscious that we are dependent on Him to give us strength so that we can be faithful to Him in trials and oppositions. We must never think that just because the battle is certain, we need not do anything. This is being presumptuous. We must live in such a way that we will be ready to meet God when He comes.
And when sufferings come, let us not fall not into despair. Remembering the prophecy of Daniel and the reminder of our Lord to read the signs of the times, we take to heart the wisdom of St Teresa of Avila when she said, “Let nothing perturb you, nothing frighten you. All things pass. God does not change. Patience achieves everything.” Through the trials of this life, we will be purified for the kingdom that is to come. We must never stop building His kingdom using whatever resources we have. So let us go through the vicissitudes of life and history with faith, knowing that the Son of Man will come to us in the clouds when the time comes. He will bring us to the presence of the one of great age. “He came to the one of great age and was led into his presence. On him was conferred sovereignty which shall never pass away, nor will his empire ever be destroyed.” Jesus is our eternal king! His kingdom lasts forever.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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