20211209 I WILL HELP YOU
09 December, 2021, Thursday, 2nd Week of Advent
First reading | Isaiah 41:13-20 © |
I, the Holy One of Israel, am your redeemer
I, the Lord, your God,
I am holding you by the right hand;
I tell you, ‘Do not be afraid,
I will help you.’
Do not be afraid, Jacob, poor worm,
Israel, puny mite.
I will help you – it is the Lord who speaks –
the Holy One of Israel is your redeemer.
See, I turn you into a threshing-sled,
new, with doubled teeth;
you shall thresh and crush the mountains,
and turn the hills to chaff.
You shall winnow them and the wind will blow them away,
the gale will scatter them.
But you yourself will rejoice in the Lord,
and glory in the Holy One of Israel.
The poor and needy ask for water, and there is none,
their tongue is parched with thirst.
I, the Lord, will answer them,
I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them.
I will make rivers well up on barren heights,
and fountains in the midst of valleys;
turn the wilderness into a lake,
and dry ground into waterspring.
In the wilderness I will put cedar trees,
acacias, myrtles, olives.
In the desert I will plant juniper,
plane tree and cypress side by side;
so that men may see and know,
may all observe and understand
that the hand of the Lord has done this,
that the Holy One of Israel has created it.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 144(145):1,9-13a © |
The Lord is kind and full of compassion, slow to anger, abounding in love.
I will give you glory, O God my king,
I will bless your name for ever.
How good is the Lord to all,
compassionate to all his creatures.
The Lord is kind and full of compassion, slow to anger, abounding in love.
All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord,
and your friends shall repeat their blessing.
They shall speak of the glory of your reign
and declare your might, O God,
to make known to men your mighty deeds
and the glorious splendour of your reign.
The Lord is kind and full of compassion, slow to anger, abounding in love.
Yours is an everlasting kingdom;
your rule lasts from age to age.
The Lord is kind and full of compassion, slow to anger, abounding in love.
Gospel Acclamation |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Come, Lord, with your peace
that we may rejoice in your presence with sincerity of heart.
Alleluia!
Or: | cf.Is45:8 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Send victory like a dew, you heavens,
and let the clouds rain it down.
Let the earth open and bring forth the saviour.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 11:11-15 © |
A greater than John the Baptist has never been seen
Jesus spoke to the crowds: ‘I tell you solemnly, of all the children born of women, a greater than John the Baptist has never been seen; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is. Since John the Baptist came, up to this present time, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence and the violent are taking it by storm. Because it was towards John that all the prophecies of the prophets and of the Law were leading; and he, if you will believe me, is the Elijah who was to return. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen!’
I WILL HELP YOU
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ISAIAH 41:13-20; PS 145:1,9-13; MATTHEW 11:11-15]
Most of us are unsure about ourselves. We feel diffident when we are given a task which we feel is beyond us. We are not too sure whether we can meet the challenges ahead of us, the oppositions we face, the hurdles we have to cross. We begin to palpitate in the face of pressure. That was how Israel felt when they were in exile. They were anxious and worried whether they could indeed return, and even if they did, whether they could rebuild the nation and the Temple when everything had been reduced to ruins. Where would they get the manpower and the resources when most of the Israelites were comfortably settled down in Babylon? Indeed, as the Lord called Israel, “Jacob, poor worm, Israel, puny mite.”
In contrast, we have John the Baptist who was a fearless prophet. Jesus said of him, “I tell you solemnly, of all the children born of women, a greater than John the Baptist has never been seen.” He did not live in the palace as the Lord said, wearing fine cloths. Instead, he wore clothing of camel’s hair. He lived in the desert and lived simply on wild honey and locusts. (Mt 3:4) Because of his holiness and way of life, many were drawn to him and his message. He was not a man who would mince his words. He called a spade, a spade. There were no compromises. There was no question of ambiguity. He preached the message of repentance without fear or favour. Whether one was a king or an ordinary person, he preached with the same passion and conviction. Soldiers, ordinary people, sinners and even dignitaries wanted to hear his message. (Lk 3:10-14) We read that King Herod liked to listen to him even though he did not repent but he felt good hearing his preaching.
Indeed, what the Lord said about the kingdom of heaven being subjected to violence and those who desire to enter the kingdom must “take it by storm”, fits His summary of John the Baptist’s ministry. He was zealous and singular-minded in the mission that the Lord entrusted to him. There was no question of acting cowardly in the face of challenges or changing his mind. He was clear how he should live his life and how he should preach and act accordingly. He was focused even when the people tempted him to be greater than what he was. They suggested that he was the messiah, the prophet or Elijah. But John the Baptist disclaimed all these lofty titles. He was not interested in titles and honours.
All that John the Baptist wanted was to prepare the way for the Lord, to be the forerunner of the Messiah. Alone in the desert, he shouted like the prophet Isaiah, “Prepare the way of the Lord.” He saw himself as only a voice. He was not the Word of God. He was merely the instrument of God to carry His word to the people. He sought to draw the people to God, not to himself. When he saw the Lord, he even instructed his own disciples to follow Him. He was not an insecure person who needed to protect his position or to have disciples around him. His job was to introduce the people to the Messiah. As he said, he is only the friend of the bridegroom. He was happy to hear His voice. Once he has brought the bride to the bridegroom, he would disappear. As he said, “He must increase but I must decrease.” (Jn 3:30)
Finally, he was ready to die for what he believed in. In denouncing the hypocrisy of King Herod and publicly rebuking Herodias for committing adultery, he knew he would earn the wrath of the woman. But he was not afraid of death. Hence, he landed himself in prison for exposing the adulterous relationship between Herod and Herodias. Eventually, Herodias plotted to have him executed by using the opportunity of Herod’s birthday. In dying for truth, John the Baptist showed himself to be a true prophet, a martyr in the line of prophets. He died for what he believed. He only sought to help people to walk the way of truth and life.
What was the secret of John the Baptist? He was a man of prayer, attentive to the Word of God and sought to live a holy and righteous life. Hence, he was filled with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit that sanctified him when he was in the womb of his mother, Elizabeth. As his father, Zechariah had prophesied, he was called to give light to those in darkness and in the shadow of death. (Lk 1:76-79) For this reason, the Lord said, “”it was towards John that all the prophecies of the prophets and of the Law were leading; and he, if you will believe me, is the Elijah who was to return.” John the Baptist is the Elijah that would prepare for the way of the Lord.
So, too, for us who are diffident and lack courage like the Israelites, we must not rely on ourselves. We must rely on the help of God. The Lord is saying to us as He did to the discouraged Israelites in exile. Twice He assured them, “Do not be afraid, I will help you. Do not be afraid, Jacob, poor worm, Israel, puny mite. I will help you – it is the Lord who speaks – the Holy One of Israel is your redeemer.” These words, “I will help you” remind us of the constant assurance of God to those whom He chose for His mission. He said these words to Gideon, Moses, Jeremiah and Isaiah. We too must take heart that God will be with us. He will not leave us alone to deal with the challenges of life but He will help us. He will send us the right people to assist us.
It will not be our strength and ingenuity that turn things around but He will be in charge. God reminded Israel that He is the Holy One and their redeemer. He would restore them back to grace. He would transform Israel, a place of ruins, into a fertile ground again. “I will make rivers well up on barren heights, and fountains in the midst of valleys; turn the wilderness into a lake, and dry ground into spring water. In the wilderness I will put cedar trees, acacias, myrtles, olives. In the desert I will plant juniper, plane tree and cypress side by side; so that men may see and know, may all observe and understand that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.” Truly, any radical transformation of human hearts and change of environment is by the grace of God.
This explains why the psalmist declares, “The Lord is kind and full of compassion, slow to anger, abounding in love. I will give you glory, O God my king, I will bless your name for ever. How good is the Lord to all, compassionate to all his creatures. All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord, and your friends shall repeat their blessing. They shall speak of the glory of your reign and declare your might, O God, to make known to men your mighty deeds and the glorious splendour of your reign.” When we consider what the Lord has done for us in the past, then we should be renewed in our faith and trust in Him. God has taken care of us all these years and seen us through in all our trials and difficulties. In spite of the many obstacles and difficulties, we have managed to overcome, and today we are stronger and better. We can take heart that God will not abandon us. “The poor and needy ask for water, and there is none, their tongue is parched with thirst. I, the Lord, will answer them, I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them.”
Today, we should rejoice that even though John the Baptist was great, yet we who come to know the Lord are even greater than him. Jesus said, “I tell you solemnly, of all the children born of women, a greater than John the Baptist has never been seen; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is.” We too are given the grace to enter the kingdom, provided we live the life of Christ like John the Baptist. When we live our lives in union with Jesus, walking in the Spirit, testifying to Him as St Paul and the apostles did, we too can be said to be great in the kingdom of heaven. As we prepare ourselves for Christmas, let us take heed of the exhortation of John the Baptist to make way for the Lord to enter into our lives. Let us make possible for the Lord to enter our hearts as we put in effort to stay focused on the Lord. We too must help others to welcome the Lord as well. We must take courage and persevere in our faith, relying on His grace alone, and not allow the difficulties to discourage us or lose hope.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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