20220808 CONSOLATION IN DESOLATION
08 August, 2022, Monday, 19th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Ezekiel 1:2-5,24-28 © |
Ezekiel's vision of the glory of the Lord
On the fifth of the month – it was the fifth year of exile for King Jehoiachin – the word of the Lord was addressed to the priest Ezekiel son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldaeans, on the bank of the river Chebar.
There the hand of the Lord came on me. I looked; a stormy wind blew from the north, a great cloud with light around it, a fire from which flashes of lightning darted, and in the centre a sheen like bronze at the heart of the fire. In the centre I saw what seemed four animals. They looked like this. They were of human form. I heard the noise of their wings as they moved; it sounded like rushing water, like the voice of Shaddai, a noise like a storm, like the noise of a camp; when they halted, they folded their wings, and there was a noise.
Above the vault over their heads was something that looked like a sapphire; it was shaped like a throne and high up on this throne was a being that looked like a man. I saw him shine like bronze, and close to and all around him from what seemed his loins upwards was what looked like fire; and from what seemed his loins downwards I saw what looked like fire, and a light all round like a bow in the clouds on rainy days; that is how the surrounding light appeared. It was something that looked like the glory of the Lord. I looked, and prostrated myself.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 148:1-2,11-14 © |
Your glory fills all heaven and earth.
or
Alleluia!
Praise the Lord from the heavens,
praise him in the heights.
Praise him, all his angels,
praise him, all his host.
Your glory fills all heaven and earth.
or
Alleluia!
All earth’s kings and peoples,
earth’s princes and rulers,
young men and maidens,
old men together with children.
Your glory fills all heaven and earth.
or
Alleluia!
Let them praise the name of the Lord
for he alone is exalted.
The splendour of his name
reaches beyond heaven and earth.
Your glory fills all heaven and earth.
or
Alleluia!
He exalts the strength of his people.
He is the praise of all his saints,
of the sons of Israel,
of the people to whom he comes close.
Your glory fills all heaven and earth.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | Ps147:12,15 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
He sends out his word to the earth.
Alleluia!
Or: | cf.2Th2:14 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Through the Good News God called us
to share the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 17:22-27 © |
'They will put the Son of Man to death'
One day when they were together in Galilee, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘The Son of Man is going to be handed over into the power of men; they will put him to death, and on the third day he will be raised to life again.’ And a great sadness came over them.
When they reached Capernaum, the collectors of the half-shekel came to Peter and said, ‘Does your master not pay the half-shekel?’ ‘Oh yes’ he replied, and went into the house. But before he could speak, Jesus said, ‘Simon, what is your opinion? From whom do the kings of the earth take toll or tribute? From their sons or from foreigners?’ And when he replied, ‘From foreigners’, Jesus said, ‘Well then, the sons are exempt. However, so as not to offend these people, go to the lake and cast a hook; take the first fish that bites, open its mouth and there you will find a shekel; take it and give it to them for me and for you.’
CONSOLATION IN DESOLATION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [EZEKIEL 1:2-5, 24-28; MATTHEW 17:22-27]
Most of us succumb to depression in the face of trials and difficulties. We feel that God is no longer with us because of our sins and folly. We condemn ourselves and give up on trying to do good even.
If we are feeling this way, then the scripture readings are meant to help us to see things in perspective. Jesus said to His disciples “The Son of Man is going to be handed over into the power of men, they will put him to death, and on the third day he will be raised to life again.” In the face of the passion before Him Jesus did not allow Himself to fall into discouragement, unlike the apostles. “And a great sadness came over them,” noted the evangelist. They were sad because they were unable to let the Master go, or to see Him suffer such a cruel, shameful and horrible death worse than that of John the Baptist. Of course, they were also filled with sadness because they might have to share the fate of their master.
What was the motive for Jesus’ total commitment to His ministry even in the face of suffering and death? In fact, this second passion prophecy of Jesus showed His resolution to go to Jerusalem to meet His passion and attain His glory. He was not forced to suffer for us. He willingly took upon Himself to die for us because of His love for His Father. He was aware of His fate, but He did not run away from death to save His own skin. If Jesus had the courage to go through the passion, it was because He knew His Father was with Him.
Indeed, this is the same message from the prophet Ezekiel to his people who were in exile in Babylon. Ezekiel, who was a priest, was called to be a prophet for His people in exile. Together with 10000 captives during the second wave of the exile to Babylon before the final destruction of Judah in 587 B.C, he was sent to give them hope and courage. He told them their exile would be long, 70 years! They would have to suffer, but they would be restored eventually.
In the meantime, he wanted to assure them that God had not abandoned them. He was still with them. This is given in the mystical vision that Ezekiel received when the hand of the Lord came upon him. In this vision, he saw the Lord in the form of four animals and on a throne. There was also a wheel beside each of the four animals. These animals had the face of a lion, an ox, an eagle and a man. The Lion symbolized the strength and power of God; the ox symbolized servanthood, the eagle divinity, and the man represented intelligence. In other words, Ezekiel wanted to assure the exiled Israelites that God is powerful and great. He knows all things and He is with them to restore them.
Finally, the wheel of the animals meant that this God is mobile. He is not confined to some sanctuary or temple. This God moves with man. He is a trek-God, a God who lives and moves in their midst. So even in exile from the Temple of Jerusalem, God was still with them. He was not absent. For this reason, we can cling to this hope of His presence even in our consolation. We must not think that God is absent in our sinfulness or in our sadness, especially during difficult moments. Rather, He is carrying us all the time, as the familiar story of the footprints tells us; when the man asked where God was He when he was suffering, God said that He was carrying Him, hence there was only one set of footprints in the sand.
This truth is reinforced in the gospel story as well. This incident of the Temple tax is only found in St Matthew’s gospel, apparently because Matthew was a tax-collector and knew the requirements of every male Jew to pay their annual temple tax, which was about two days’ wages. Scholars often wondered what this Temple Tax and the coin in the fish’s mouth had to do with the gospel and how it flowed from the earlier events. It seems that for many, this miracle is out of place. Furthermore, Jesus never performed miracles for Himself as He even rejected the temptation of Satan to change stone into bread when He was hungry.
The theological message of this incident is to underscore what the first reading and the psalmist said, that God is the Lord of History and His glory fills the whole earth. “Your glory fills all heaven and earth. Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights. Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his host. All earth’s kings and peoples, earth’s princes and rulers, young men and maidens, old men together with children. Let them praise the name of the Lord for he alone is exalted. The splendor of his name reaches beyond heaven and earth. He exalts the strength of his people. He is the praise of all his saints, of the sons of Israel, of the people to whom he comes close.”
Consequently, Jesus who is the Son of the Heavenly Father is not required to pay any taxes, since tax is never imposed on the family members but on outsiders and foreigners. He was therefore exempt. Not only was He exempted from rendering the tax, St Peter and the rest of His disciples were also exempted because Christ, by His passion and death, as prophesied earlier, will redeem them from the slavery of Satan. They too have been placed with Christ and are now God’s children. In other words, Christians too are exempted from paying taxes since we are children of the Heavenly Kingdom and God is our Father. For this reason, Jesus instructed Peter to get the coin from the fish to pay the Temple tax, both for himself and for Him. He said, “Well then, the sons are exempt. However, so as not to offend these people, go to the lake and cast a hook; take the first fish that bites open its mouth and there you will find a shekel; take it and give it to them for me and for you.”
Nevertheless, there is also a lesson to be learnt here. Although God provides us all our needs, and heaven and earth belong to Him and therefore to us, we are called to cooperate with His grace. St Peter was asked to catch the fish. The shekel was not just given without his active cooperation. So too, although it is true that God is with us in our darkness, pain, grief and desolation, God wants us to work through our pains and sufferings and come to accept His plan for us as Jesus did in accepting the will of God in His life. We too must allow the sufferings of life to purify us like the Israelites in exile so that we can prepare to return to rebuild our lives. We cannot live in our past, but as the prophet tells us, there is a rainbow in our struggles, as in the case of Noah. “I saw what looked like fire, and a light all round like a bow in the clouds on rainy days; that is how the surrounding light appeared. It was something that looked like the glory of the Lord. I looked, and prostrated myself.” The rainbow means that God is with us in our suffering and we are called to look beyond the rainbow to see the beauty and glory of God and His presence in our struggles and pains in life.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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