20211216 REDEEMING AND RESTORATIVE LOVE
16 December, 2021, Thursday, 3rd Week of Advent
First reading | Isaiah 54:1-10 © |
With great love I will take you back
Shout for joy, you barren women who bore no children!
Break into cries of joy and gladness, you who were never in labour!
For the sons of the forsaken one are more in number
than the sons of the wedded wife, says the Lord.
Widen the space of your tent,
stretch out your hangings freely,
lengthen your ropes, make your pegs firm;
for you will burst out to right and to left.
Your race will take possession of the nations,
and people the abandoned cities.
Do not be afraid, you will not be put to shame,
do not be dismayed, you will not be disgraced;
for you will forget the shame of your youth
and no longer remember the curse of your widowhood.
For now your creator will be your husband,
his name, the Lord of Hosts;
your redeemer will be the Holy One of Israel,
he is called the God of the whole earth.
Yes, like a forsaken wife, distressed in spirit,
the Lord calls you back.
Does a man cast off the wife of his youth?
says your God.
I did forsake you for a brief moment,
but with great love will I take you back.
In excess of anger, for a moment
I hid my face from you.
But with everlasting love I have taken pity on you,
says the Lord, your redeemer.
I am now as I was in the days of Noah
when I swore that Noah’s waters
should never flood the world again.
So now I swear concerning my anger with you
and the threats I made against you;
for the mountains may depart,
the hills be shaken,
but my love for you will never leave you
and my covenant of peace with you will never be shaken,
says the Lord who takes pity on you.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 29(30):2,4-6,11-13 © |
I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.
I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me
and have not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O Lord, you have raised my soul from the dead,
restored me to life from those who sink into the grave.
I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.
Sing psalms to the Lord, you who love him,
give thanks to his holy name.
His anger lasts a moment; his favour all through life.
At night there are tears, but joy comes with dawn.
I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.
The Lord listened and had pity.
The Lord came to my help.
For me you have changed my mourning into dancing:
O Lord my God, I will thank you for ever.
I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.
Gospel Acclamation |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The day of the Lord is near;
Look, he comes to save us.
Alleluia!
Or: | Lk3:4,6 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Prepare a way for the Lord,
make his paths straight,
and all mankind shall see the salvation of God.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 7:24-30 © |
'A prophet, and much more than a prophet'
When John’s messengers had gone, Jesus began to talk to the people about John. ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the breeze? No? Then what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? Oh no, those who go in for fine clothes and live luxuriously are to be found at court! Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet: he is the one of whom scripture says:
See, I am going to send my messenger before you;
he will prepare the way before you.
‘I tell you, of all the children born of women, there is no one greater than John; yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he is. All the people who heard him, and the tax collectors too, acknowledged God’s plan by accepting baptism from John; but by refusing baptism from him the Pharisees and the lawyers had thwarted what God had in mind for them.’
REDEEMING AND RESTORATIVE LOVE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Isaiah 54:1-10; Ps 30; Luke 7:24-30]
Israel was punished like a wayward child or an adulterous spouse for betraying her relationship with the Lord. They were rebellious, oppressive and unjust in their relationships with their fellowmen and not faithful to God by worshipping false gods. Repeatedly they rejected the Word of God from the true prophets. They were unfaithful to the covenantal relationship with the Lord, which was likened to a marriage.
As a consequence, they suffered exile. Like barren women, they were no longer fruitful. The land of Israel was devastated by their enemies. The land was in ruins. So too, the symbol of barren women was considered a shame. When a woman could not bear a child, it was almost like a curse because she would never be able to enjoy motherhood, which is the nature of women to bear the children of those whom they love and to raise them up. Furthermore, the family name of her husband would be terminated.
Equally shameful was when a woman suffered widowhood, especially when she was still young. This was because a woman lived for her man. She desired to serve her husband and children. So without her husband, she had no means of livelihood because women in those days were homemakers. They had no security and were financially strapped without their husbands. But most of all, she had no reason to live since she lived for her family. Unlike women today, who have their career and their social circles. They can live independently, whether they are divorced or widowed; and for those without children, better still, they can be free to pursue their own interests.
Last of all, the punishment of Israel was compared to a forsaken wife. Because of adultery, a forsaken wife suffers much, even in today’s situation. When the husband is adulterous, the wife who lives for her husband, given herself entirely to him and her family, becomes insecure. She becomes anxious, worried, jealous, resentful, angry and bitter. We all know how much pain is caused by couples who are unfaithful to each other. The suffering is not just between themselves but their children and family members are affected as well. The fear of breaking up the family and separation from their children will cause them much pain, besides the constant quarrels and misunderstandings because of mistrust.
To the exiled, the Lord renewed His love for them. The punishment inflicted on the Israelites was temporary because God is faithful in His love for Israel. The Lord said, “I did forsake you for a brief moment, but with great love will I take you back. In excess of anger, for a moment I hid my face from you. But with everlasting love I have taken pity on you, says the Lord, your redeemer. So now I swear concerning my anger with you and the threats I made against you; for the mountains may depart, the hills be shaken, but my love for you will never leave you and my covenant of peace with you will never be shaken, says the Lord who takes pity on you.” Such is God’s faithful love for His people. Indeed, we must never imagine that God wants to punish us, as if He enjoys seeing us suffer.
On the contrary, God is like a mother to us. He has no heart to punish us. We see the broken heart in the prophet Hosea too. God said, “How can I give you up, Ephraim? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender. I will not execute my fierce anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and no mortal, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath.” (Hos 11:8f) God is more like the father who welcomed back his prodigal son, without even scolding or reprimanding him. That he had decided to return was good enough for the Father. “While he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. The father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe – the best one – and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!'” (Lk15:20,22-24)
Hence, through the prophet Isaiah, He said He would restore the fortunes of Israel and their dignity, “Shout for joy, you barren women who bore no children! Break into cries of joy and gladness, you who were never in labour! For the sons of the forsaken one are more in number than the sons of the wedded wife.” They would be fruitful again. They would bear children and Israel would grow in numbers again. God also assured them that He would take away their shame of being a forsaken wife or a widow. “Do not be afraid, you will not be put to shame, do not be dismayed, you will not be disgraced; for you will forget the shame of your youth and no longer remember the curse of your widowhood.” God as their creator and maker, their spouse, would restore them. “For now your creator will be your husband, his name, the Lord of Hosts; your redeemer will be the Holy One of Israel, he is called the God of the whole earth. Yes, like a forsaken wife, distressed in spirit, the Lord calls you back.”
This is the same promise made to the Jews, including the religious leaders during the time of Jesus. Jesus was praising John the Baptist for his commitment to his ministry. But more than just his ministry, he lived a life of integrity, simplicity and obedience to the Word of God. He is truly the greatest of prophets. “Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet: he is the one of whom scripture says: See, I am going to send my messenger before you; he will prepare the way before you. ‘I tell you, of all the children born of women.” He is the one that the prophet Malachi prophesied, “For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness.” (Mal 3:2f)
However, the Lord qualified by saying, “yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he is.” This does not mean that those who accept Jesus are greater in terms of virtues and dedication. Rather, what Jesus meant was that John the Baptist, unlike the disciples of Christ, would not witness the coming of God’s kingdom in Him in His passion, death and resurrection. They would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and become children of God, “and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ – if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.” (Rom 8:17) Being sons and daughters of God is an even greater privilege than to be God’s servants, prophets and apostles. As St Augustine himself said, “What I am for you terrifies me; what I am with you consoles me. For you I am a bishop; but with you I am a Christian. The former is a duty; the latter a grace. The former is a danger; the latter, salvation.” It is within this context that those who accept Jesus are greater than John the Baptist in the Kingdom of God.
Unfortunately, like the religious leaders, if we do not accept the message of God, we will be outside the kingdom. “All the people who heard him, and the tax collectors too, acknowledged God’s plan by accepting baptism from John; but by refusing baptism from him the Pharisees and the lawyers had thwarted what God had in mind for them.” They were self-righteous and did not think they needed repentance because they had tried their best to observe all the laws of Moses. Their faith in God was shallow as it did not go beyond the letter of the laws. It was mere external observance. They did not seek to live a life of righteousness. Indeed, often it is familiarity that breeds contempt. So for professionals in religion, after some time, there is the danger of them becoming so used to the rituals and prayers they conduct that they do them without thinking or feeling. Ironically, because they handle the sacred so often, they become indifferent to them. Always teaching people what to do, telling them about what God asks of them, they do not apply the Word of God to their own life first, before preaching to others. So busy serving in the ministry, they forget to pray or to reflect for themselves how they are growing in union with the Lord or in holiness. Eventually sin gets a grip on them without their realizing it, until they become numb to sin. This is the danger of those of us in Church and ministry. So let us with humility respond to the call of repentance and new life.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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