20211210 STUBBORN REFUSAL
10 December, 2021, Friday, 2nd Week of Advent
First reading | Isaiah 48:17-19 © |
If you had been alert to my commandments, your happiness would have been like a river
Thus says the Lord, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
I, the Lord, your God, teach you what is good for you,
I lead you in the way that you must go.
If only you had been alert to my commandments,
your happiness would have been like a river,
your integrity like the waves of the sea.
Your children would have been numbered like the sand,
your descendants as many as its grains.
Never would your name have been cut off or blotted out before me.
Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 1:1-4,6 © |
Anyone who follows you, O Lord, will have the light of life.
Happy indeed is the man
who follows not the counsel of the wicked;
nor lingers in the way of sinners
nor sits in the company of scorners,
but whose delight is the law of the Lord
and who ponders his law day and night.
Anyone who follows you, O Lord, will have the light of life.
He is like a tree that is planted
beside the flowing waters,
that yields its fruit in due season
and whose leaves shall never fade;
and all that he does shall prosper.
Anyone who follows you, O Lord, will have the light of life.
Not so are the wicked, not so!
For they like winnowed chaff
shall be driven away by the wind:
for the Lord guards the way of the just
but the way of the wicked leads to doom.
Anyone who follows you, O Lord, will have the light of life.
Gospel Acclamation |
Alleluia, alleluia!
See, the king, the Lord of the world, will come.
He will free us from the yoke of our bondage.
Alleluia!
Or: |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The Lord will come, go out to meet him.
Great is his beginning and his reign will have no end.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 11:16-19 © |
They heed neither John nor the Son of Man
Jesus spoke to the crowds: ‘What description can I find for this generation? It is like children shouting to each other as they sit in the market place:
“We played the pipes for you,
and you wouldn’t dance;
we sang dirges,
and you wouldn’t be mourners.”
‘For John came, neither eating nor drinking, and they say, “He is possessed.” The Son of Man came, eating and drinking, and they say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” Yet wisdom has been proved right by her actions.’
STUBBORN REFUSAL
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ISAIAH 48:17-19; PS 1:1-4,6; MATTHEW 11:16-19]
How often have we felt frustrated trying to get our point across to someone because no matter what we say, the person will find fault with our position? It is like in a debate when members of both teams have already decided on their position and seek only to advance their view. We cannot expect to change the mind of such a person because he or she has already made up his or her mind and is closed to alternative views. Anything that goes against his or her position would be met with resistance and counter arguments.
If that is what is true in ordinary life, more so when it comes to the question of faith. For those who choose not to believe will find all ways to demolish our doctrines or experience of God. That is what atheists and humanists seek to do, to prove that God does not exist. That is what some non-Christians would also do, to prove that Jesus was just a good man but a misguided martyr. Some even suggest that He did not rise from the dead but His body was stolen by His disciples and then brought to India where He happily married Mary Magdalene. That was why the Lord told Thomas, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” And John concluded the book by writing, “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.” (Jn 20:29-31)
In the gospel, Jesus encountered the same lame excuses of the religious leaders in rejecting His message. He used the analogy of how children played among themselves. “What description can I find for this generation? It is like children shouting to each other as they sit in the market place: ‘We played the pipes for you, and you wouldn’t dance; we sang dirges, and you wouldn’t be mourners.'” In using this analogy, Jesus was alluding to Himself and John the Baptist. The latter came dressed in camel’s skin and lived an ascetic life in the wilderness and they suggested that he was possessed by an evil spirit. On the other hand, Jesus came, ate and drank with sinners, and they denounced Him as “a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.”
Both were rejected by the religious leaders, not because what they said was not true but because the religious leaders were not willing to give up their prestigious position and their monopoly of power and revenue. This was clearly revealed in the confrontation between the religious leaders and Jesus who questioned His authority. They questioned Him after He chased out the merchants from the Temple. “‘By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?’ Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.’ So they answered Jesus, ‘We do not know.’ And he said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.'” (Mt 21:23-27) So it is a question of sincerity, honesty and docility. When our minds are made up, nothing will change us. Franz Werfel, in the Song of Bernadette, was quoted as saying, “For those who believe, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not believe, no explanation is possible.” If we are receptive, sincere and seeking the truth, we will come to believe and appreciate what we hear. We might not exactly understand or agree with the position but at least we can begin to understand where they are coming from and that gives us the possibility to reconsider, pray about it and continue to pursue the truth. For those who are not open, they simply do not want to hear or be challenged further.
In truth, there was no substantial difference between the message of our Lord and John the Baptist. Both were concerned about the call to repentance and to receive the Good News of God. In the case of John the Baptist, his approach was direct. He exposed the sins of the people, struck their conscience and brought them to repentance, warning them that if they did not, they would suffer the wrath and punishment of God. In the case of Jesus, His approach was to speak about the Good News of the Kingdom of God and how we are loved by God; and on account of His love, we turn to the Good News. Of course, Jesus also warned those who rejected the invitation to repentance that they will suffer the consequence of their stubborn refusal to accept the Word of God.
In the same way too, such rejection of each other’s position is not just between believers and non-believers, or Christians and non-Christians but also within the Catholic community. In the Catholic community, most of our petty issues centre around the liturgy. There are those who insist on strict liturgy, even going back to the Tridentine Rite, and there are those who want more innovation in the liturgy to make it more participative and meaningful to the current generation. There are those who insist on using only traditional theological hymns for singing at Mass, and there are those who advocate more scriptural inspirational songs instead. Some prefer the Mass to be more solemn to bring out the sacredness of the worship. Others prefer the Mass to be less formal but with more liberal participation of the community, giving expression to their feelings of joy, sadness and fear. Those in the Charismatic renewal prefer praise and worship songs accompanied by the raising and clapping of hands. Those who are traditionalists feel that sombre, quiet and customary gestures are sufficient. And the list goes on and on.
Then there are those in the Church who disagree on operational issues, particularly during this Covid Period. Some want the Church to open up and let more people attend Mass, whether vaccinated or not. Some want the air-condition to be turned on, some want it to be turned off. When there is no air-condition, they say the church is too warm and so they stay outside and talk throughout the Mass. Now when our churches are all air-conditioned, they also stay outside, or don’t come at all because it is too cold. Some want a longer homily, some want a shorter homily. Some want the priests to be out visiting and ministering to the flock but complain when they are not in their office. It is impossible to please everyone because everyone has their reasons and opinions as to how the Church should operate. Then there are those who complain that the Church is boring and they want more activities and formation talks. So the Church organizes courses, seminars and programs, recollections and talks. But few turn up for the programs because they say they are not interesting or the talks are irrelevant.
At the end of the day, the Lord gave us this principle to discern whether we should accept or reject. “Yet wisdom has been proved right by her actions.” In other words, time will tell whether such an approach or a position is correct. Jesus is the Messiah, proven by His death and resurrection. So too the Lord told the exiled Israelites, “If only you had been alert to my commandments, your happiness would have been like a river, your integrity like the waves of the sea. Your children would have been numbered like the sand, your descendants as many as its grains. Never would your name have been cut off or blotted out before me.” By not listening to His prophets, they ended up in the mess they were in. They should therefore listen to “the Holy One of Israel: I, the Lord, your God, teach you what is good for you, I lead you in the way that you must go.” So too, we must listen to the Lord and walk in His ways. The psalmist says, “Happy indeed is the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked; nor lingers in the way of sinners nor sits in the company of scorners, but whose delight is the law of the Lord and who ponders his law day and night. He is like a tree that is planted beside the flowing waters, that yields its fruit in due season and whose leaves shall never fade; and all that he does shall prosper.” In other words, instead of being prejudiced with people, their way of worship, their way of service, we must ask if what they do really bring about a greater love and union with God, seen in their love for their neighbours.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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