20220305 RESTORING RUINED LIVES
05 March, 2022, Saturday after Ash Wednesday
First reading | Isaiah 58:9-14 © |
You will be like a spring whose waters never run dry
The Lord says this:
If you do away with the yoke,
the clenched fist, the wicked word,
if you give your bread to the hungry,
and relief to the oppressed,
your light will rise in the darkness,
and your shadows become like noon.
The Lord will always guide you,
giving you relief in desert places.
He will give strength to your bones
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water
whose waters never run dry.
You will rebuild the ancient ruins,
build up on the old foundations.
You will be called ‘Breach-mender’,
‘Restorer of ruined houses.’
If you refrain from trampling the sabbath,
and doing business on the holy day,
if you call the Sabbath ‘Delightful’,
and the day sacred to the Lord ‘Honourable’,
if you honour it by abstaining from travel,
from doing business and from gossip,
then shall you find your happiness in the Lord
and I will lead you triumphant over the heights of the land.
I will feed you on the heritage of Jacob your father.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 85(86):1-6 © |
Show me, Lord, your way so that I may walk in your truth.
Turn your ear, O Lord, and give answer
for I am poor and needy.
Preserve my life, for I am faithful;
save the servant who trusts in you.
Show me, Lord, your way so that I may walk in your truth.
You are my God, have mercy on me, Lord,
for I cry to you all the day long.
Give joy to your servant, O Lord,
for to you I lift up my soul.
Show me, Lord, your way so that I may walk in your truth.
O Lord, you are good and forgiving,
full of love to all who call.
Give heed, O Lord, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my voice.
Show me, Lord, your way so that I may walk in your truth.
Gospel Acclamation | cfPs94:8 |
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
Harden not your hearts today,
but listen to the voice of the Lord.
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
Or: | Ezk33:11 |
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
I take pleasure, not in the death of a wicked man
– it is the Lord who speaks –
but in the turning back of a wicked man
who changes his ways to win life.
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
Gospel | Luke 5:27-32 © |
Jesus comes not to call the virtuous, but sinners to repentance
Jesus noticed a tax collector, Levi by name, sitting by the customs house, and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And leaving everything he got up and followed him.
In his honour Levi held a great reception in his house, and with them at table was a large gathering of tax collectors and others. The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples and said, ‘Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?’ Jesus said to them in reply, ‘It is not those who are well who need the doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the virtuous, but sinners to repentance.’
RESTORING RUINED LIVES
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ISAIAH 58:9-14; PS 86:1-6; LUKE 5:27-32 ]
The main theme of Lent is the call to repentance. This is the negative message of Lent. This involves a humble recognition of our sins and the desire to repent, which is to turn away from our sins. But why should we turn away from our sins unless there is something better to draw us? That is why it is not enough to tell people to give up their sins and old way of life without providing them a better deal. The mentality of people is always: What do I get out of it? What is there in for me? It is focused on self, satisfying one’s needs and fulfilling one’s desire. Why should anyone give up a bird in hand for two birds in the bush?
This explains why the gospel is not very attractive to the world. It is understandable because it goes against our human desires. Indeed, in Thursday’s gospel the Lord said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?” (Lk 9:23-25) The beatitudes, the blueprint to a blessed life, is a radical reversal of the values of the world inviting us to cultivate a spirit of poverty and fortitude in times of persecution. The Sermon on the Mount is difficult to put into practice, especially the call to love our enemies.
On the surface, indeed, this sounds like Bad News rather than Good News. This was the reason why many could not accept the gospel of our Lord, especially the rich and those in authority. Even the apostles were scandalized when Jesus spoke about His imminent passion and death when they thought Jesus would bring them glory on earth. They, like the rest of the people, could not accept a suffering and worse still, a dead Messiah. What kind of invitation is that, inviting us to carry the cross after Him and die with Him?
Yet, this is because we fail to realize that what is apparently bad news is truly the good news. Jesus wants to give us fullness of life. God wants to give us true happiness. We must not imagine that God enjoys seeing us suffer, or worse still, to think that the Father takes pleasure in the sacrificial death of His only Son. If the cross is the passage to life it is because it is the symbol of self-denial. It is the way to overcome our self-centeredness and pride, which is the primary cause of our sins. So the gospel does not take away what gives us life but what brings death to our soul and our relationships with God and man.
This is the intent of the message of the prophet Isaiah when he spoke of the joy of repentance, namely, “Your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” God is ever ready to bless us and give us strength to walk in the light of truth and love. This is the positive aspect of repentance. It is not about living a lifeless life. On the contrary, it is to live a life of joy, love, meaningful relationships and finding meaning in serving the poor and alleviating the sufferings of our people.
For this to be possible, we must give up darkness and sin. Instead of destroying life by laying the yoke of oppression on the poor; or accusing each other instead of trying to find the best solution in dealing with problems; or using our energy and time to destroy people through gossiping and malicious conversation, the prophet proposed that we be more proactive. We should be using our time and energy to help the poor, feed the hungry, attend to the sick and set those who are oppressed free. In this way, “your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.” We are called to restore broken lives.
In the gospel, we have the call of Levi, the tax collector. The Lord called him, “Follow me,” and “Levi got up, left everything and followed him.” We can be sure that this was not the first time that Levi had seen or heard the Lord teaching. He must have been listening to Him either from near or far. The Lord would have noticed the emptiness in his heart, and that he was searching for something more. In spite of the money he had made from collecting taxes, he lived in guilt for cheating, in loneliness because of rejection and in emptiness for his life had no meaning except to accumulate money and wealth. And so, when the Lord called him, he immediately left everything and followed Him because he sought for something more that could fulfil him. The Lord must have given him confidence, direction, acceptance and meaning. For once, he felt loved by God, accepted by Him and that gave him joy.
The liberating joy and happiness that Levi found is seen in the great banquet, he held for Jesus at his house, and he invited all his friends and colleagues. “And a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them.” Levi could not keep Jesus for himself only but because of the joy and peace that Jesus brought him, he invited all his friends and colleagues to come to Jesus and find life as well. This is the ultimate goal of repentance and conversion. As the prophet said, to be a light in darkness to others. That was the outcome of being called by the Lord. One is never called for oneself only but always for others. When we are healed or restored, we become healers in return.
Most of all, Levi’s great joy was to be liberated from the narrow understanding of the laws. The Sabbath, as the Prophet Isaiah reminded the people to observe faithfully, is not to be done in a legalistic manner. Rather, it is to honour and glorify the Lord by consecrating the day to Him. It is this legalistic application of the laws that resulted in hypocrisy. We can appreciate why the Pharisees and the teachers of the law complained to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” As far as the law was concerned, they were sinners and good Jews would have nothing to do with them. Associating with them would be tantamount to accepting their way of life. They were seen as traitors and dishonest people. Most of all, they would be made ritually unclean for having fellowship with them. It was unthinkable that a rabbi and supposedly holy man would dine with them.
But again, the intention of Jesus was clear. It was not an endorsement of their lifestyle but Jesus’ desire to bring them healing and reconciliation. Just keeping them away would not help them to come back to God. The minister must humble himself, take the risk of having his reputation tainted by reaching out to them. It was Jesus’ humble presence in their midst. Certainly, being welcoming and accepting does not mean what many in the world think, making compromises. Jesus was clear that He came for the sick not the healthy. He said, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Jesus came to let them experience the love and mercy of God in Him. He showed them acceptance when the entire Jewish world shut them out. Jesus came to offer them a better life, which was to follow Him and the ways of the gospel.
We too must adopt the same attitude towards the call to repentance. We must not think of what we have to give up but what the Lord wants to give to us. God cannot be outdone in generosity. What we give up is our sins, those things that destroy us, take away our peace and our joy. God wants to give us fullness of life in Him. He wants to set us free from our fears, anxieties and the futility of life. However, this requires that we be ready to surrender our life to Him as Levi did. It was an act of faith for Levi, who was living very comfortably, to give up his wealth and his lucrative business to follow Jesus, an itinerant preacher. He had the courage to trust in the Lord. What about us? If we are ready to trust in the Lord like Levi and all those after him, then we will share in the life that our Lord wants to give us, a life that money cannot buy, a freedom that not even the most powerful man on this earth can enjoy, a love that no friendship can give, and a peace that transcends all divisions and anxieties in this life. Truly, as the prophet said, “you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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