20220816 WHERE DOES YOUR SECURITY LIE?
16 August, 2022, Tuesday, 20th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Ezekiel 28:1-10 © |
Against the arrogance of the king of Tyre
The word of the Lord was addressed to me as follows, ‘Son of man, tell the ruler of Tyre, “The Lord says this:
Being swollen with pride,
you have said: I am a god;
I am sitting on the throne of God,
surrounded by the seas.
Though you are a man and not a god,
you consider yourself the equal of God.
You are wiser now than Danel;
there is no sage as wise as you.
By your wisdom and your intelligence
you have amassed great wealth;
you have piles of gold and silver
inside your treasure-houses.
Such is your skill in trading,
your wealth has continued to increase,
and with this your heart has grown more arrogant.
And so, the Lord says this:
Since you consider yourself the equal of God,
very well, I am going to bring foreigners against you,
the most barbarous of the nations.
They will draw sword against your fine wisdom,
they will defile your glory;
they will throw you down into the pit
and you will die a violent death
surrounded by the seas.
Are you still going to say: I am a god,
when your murderers confront you?
No, you are a man and not a god
in the clutches of your murderers!
You will die like the uncircumcised
at the hand of foreigners.
For I have spoken – it is the Lord who speaks.”’
Responsorial Psalm |
Deuteronomy 32:26-28,30,35-36 © |
It is the Lord who deals death and life.
I should crush them to dust, said the Lord.
I should wipe out their memory among men,
did I not fear the boasting of the enemy.
But let not their foes be mistaken!
It is the Lord who deals death and life.
Let them not say: Our own power wins the victory,
the Lord plays no part in this.
What a nation of short sight it is;
in them there is no understanding.
It is the Lord who deals death and life.
How else could one man rout a thousand,
how could two put ten thousand to flight,
were it not that their Rock has sold them,
that the Lord has delivered them up?
It is the Lord who deals death and life.
For it is close, the day of their ruin;
their doom comes at speed.
For the Lord will see his people righted,
he will take pity on his servants.
It is the Lord who deals death and life.
Gospel Acclamation | Ps24:4,5 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Teach me your paths, my God,
make me walk in your truth.
Alleluia!
Or: | 2Co8:9 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Jesus Christ was rich,
but he became poor for your sake,
to make you rich out of his poverty.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 19:23-30 © |
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven
Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I tell you solemnly, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Yes, I tell you again, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.’ When the disciples heard this they were astonished. ‘Who can be saved, then?’ they said. Jesus gazed at them. ‘For men’ he told them ‘this is impossible; for God everything is possible.’
Then Peter spoke. ‘What about us?’ he said to him ‘We have left everything and followed you. What are we to have, then?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I tell you solemnly, when all is made new and the Son of Man sits on his throne of glory, you will yourselves sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children or land for the sake of my name will be repaid a hundred times over, and also inherit eternal life.
‘Many who are first will be last, and the last, first.’
WHERE DOES YOUR SECURITY LIE?
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [EZEKIEL 28:1-10; MATTHEW 19:23-30]
The most important question of life that is posed to us today is simply this: Where do you place your security in life? Do you rely on yourself and your ingenuity and strength or do you rely on God alone? If you rely on your own strength, your human wisdom and hard work, then there is the danger that you will end up in modern idolatry, pride and arrogance. But if you put your total trust in God’s wisdom, mercy and divine providence, He will ensure that all things turn out well.
Indeed, in the first reading, we have the indictment against the King of Trye. As the prophet said, he was “swollen with pride” and in his success and achievements. He began to think that he was almighty and even equal to God in wisdom and power. He allowed his wealth and intelligence to make him think more highly of himself than he really was. He was so full of himself because of his economic power and not just military might.
For this reason, in the gospel, Jesus warned the disciples the great obstacle for those who are rich to enter the Kingdom of God. He said, “I tell you solemnly, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” In saying this, He is not condemning those who are rich or suggesting that if you were rich you cannot enter the Kingdom of God. What He is underscoring is that it is much more difficult. Why is that so?
Those who are rich, not just materially but especially intellectually, or in a position of power, often behave like the King of Tyre, proud and arrogant. They despise others and look down on them. They think they know better than anyone else. They expect people to bow down to them and serve them. They seek honour and glory from the world. Because of their wealth and power, soon, they no longer feel with the common man, the poor and the suffering. They get used to being served and given preferential treatment. So much so, they become impatient and agitated when ignored or slighted. They are often insecure because they know that their wealth and power are always under threat. Such are the threats to anyone who is rich and powerful, including bishops, and priests and religious!
The truth is that in the final analysis, God is the sovereign ruler. As the psalmist says, “It is the Lord who deals death and life. I should crush them to dust, said the Lord. I should wipe out their memory among men, did I not fear the boasting of the enemy. But let not their foes be mistaken! Let them not say: Our own power wins the victory, the Lord plays no part in this. What a nation of short sight it is; in them there is no understanding.” We are merely creatures, not gods! If we do not get this right, then the consequences would be disastrous. Like the King of Tyre, God will reveal to us our impotence in the face of our enemies. Today, we might win the battle but tomorrow we will fall. This was the case of Tyre because eventually, God allowed the Babylonians to destroy the kingdom. “Since you consider yourself the equal of God very well, I am going to bring foreigners against you, the most barbarous of the nations. Are you still going to say: I am a god, when your murders confront you? No, you are a man and not a god in the clutches of your murderers! You will die like the uncircumcised at the hand of foreigners.”
Indeed, Jesus has come to turn the values of the world upside down. “Many who are first will be last, and the last, first.” Even the disciples were scandalized by what Jesus said. As if He did not make Himself clear enough, He repeated His words in no uncertain terms, “Yes, I tell you again, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Why were the disciples shocked at the teaching of Jesus? It was commonly held by the Jews and the Old Testament that those who are obedient to the Word of God and live a virtuous life would be blessed by God in this life with riches and glory. This is precisely the same message that some prosperity gospel preachers teach. For this reason, the disciples were shocked, as His words dashed all their worldly hopes of sharing in Christ’s glory and power. Hence, the immediate retort of Peter, who in dismay said. “‘What about us? We have left everything and followed you. What are we to have, then?”
The truth is that divine retribution need not happen in this life, but we would be rewarded in the next. Whether we are virtuous or evil, we can be rich and successful in the worldly sense. Otherwise, Jesus and His disciples would really be seen to be cursed by God because He and His disciples lived a life of poverty and martyrdom. Nevertheless, spiritual rewards would be given in this life. This was Jesus’ response to Peter. “I tell you solemnly, when all is made new and the Son of Man sits on his throne of glory, you will yourselves sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children or land for the sake of my name will be repaid a hundred times over, and also inherit eternal life.” In other words, for those who follow Christ, we might not always be rewarded in material and worldly terms, but we will be richly rewarded in terms of friendship, love, relationship filled with meaning and fulfilment. For those who gave up everything for Jesus will share in the life of the kingdom which is love, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Consequently, if we want to enter into this life, what must we do? When Jesus remarked that “it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven” the response of the disciples was one of astonishment. They clarified, “Who can be saved, then?” “Jesus gazed at them. ‘For men’ he told them ‘this is impossible; for God everything is possible.'” In other words, it is not by our might or strength that we can inherit the kingdom of God. We can only receive it, but we cannot earn it by our merits. It is freely given. If we “labour” for it, it is only in a passive manner of surrendering ourselves to the kingdom of God.
All we need to do then is to be like that camel who would need to bow down his head to enter into the gates of Jerusalem which looked like a needle. The small gates were just high enough to allow the normal average height of a person to enter. More than that, we need to bow low before Him. This is brought out in the psalm. “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our maker.” (Ps 95:6) So God wants us to humble ourselves and bow down before Him so that He can raise us up. If we surrender our lives and future to Him in all humility and wisdom, trusting in His ways and plans for us, we will find true happiness. Indeed, in our sufferings and struggles, “How else could one man rout a thousand, how could two put ten thousand to flight, were it not that their Rock has sold them, that the Lord has delivered them up?” Only God can bring us to victory over death.
Salvation cannot be earned but be received like a child with gratitude and humility. And so if God has blessed us with riches in all its forms, we must use them for the service of God and humanity. We must glorify God and bless others with the gifts we received. Once we are conscious of our nothingness and that all we have received are from Him because of His mercy and love, we will never be too proud of ourselves. Instead, so grateful for His goodness and humbled at His mercy, we will use all we have to bring joy and happiness to others. The failure to use our gifts for the service of humanity and the glory of God will bring our own destruction as the prophet warns us. We will become so full of ourselves and that will keep us out of the life of the kingdom. One day in our apparent success, when disasters and illness strike, we will come to realize we are nobody after all, mere creatures and not gods. The psalmist says, “For it is close, the day of their ruin; their doom comes at speed. For the Lord will see his people righted, he will take pity on his servants.” So place your security in God!
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment