20220923 GOD IS IN CHARGE
23 September, 2022, Friday, 25th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 © |
There is a time for every occupation under heaven
There is a season for everything, a time for every occupation under heaven:
A time for giving birth,
a time for dying;
a time for planting,
a time for uprooting what has been planted.
A time for killing,
a time for healing;
a time for knocking down,
a time for building.
A time for tears,
a time for laughter;
a time for mourning,
a time for dancing.
A time for throwing stones away,
a time for gathering them up;
a time for embracing,
a time to refrain from embracing.
A time for searching,
a time for losing;
a time for keeping,
a time for throwing away.
A time for tearing,
a time for sewing;
a time for keeping silent,
a time for speaking.
A time for loving,
a time for hating;
a time for war,
a time for peace.
What does a man gain for the efforts that he makes? I contemplate the task that God gives mankind to labour at. All that he does is apt for its time; but though he has permitted man to consider time in its wholeness, man cannot comprehend the work of God from beginning to end.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 143(144):1-4 © |
Blessed be the Lord, my rock.
Blessed be the Lord, my rock.
He is my love, my fortress;
he is my stronghold, my saviour
my shield, my place of refuge.
Blessed be the Lord, my rock.
Lord, what is man that you care for him,
mortal man, that you keep him in mind;
man, who is merely a breath
whose life fades like a passing shadow?
Blessed be the Lord, my rock.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ep1:17,18 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our mind,
so that we can see what hope his call holds for us.
Alleluia!
Or: | Mk10:45 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The Son of Man came to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 9:18-22 © |
'You are the Christ of God'
One day when Jesus was praying alone in the presence of his disciples he put this question to them, ‘Who do the crowds say I am?’ And they answered, ‘John the Baptist; others Elijah; and others say one of the ancient prophets come back to life.’ ‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ It was Peter who spoke up. ‘The Christ of God’ he said. But he gave them strict orders not to tell anyone anything about this.
‘The Son of Man’ he said ‘is destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and to be put to death, and to be raised up on the third day.’
GOD IS IN CHARGE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ECCLESIASTES 3:1-11; LUKE 9:18-22]
Like King Solomon, the author of Ecclesiastes, the preacher to the assembly of God, we find life a bewilderment and a mystery. When we look at the world today, we cannot but be apprehensive about how society and life are changing. Since the foundation of the world, no one has ever questioned the sexual identity of human beings as male and female. No one had ever thought that marriage could be between two men or two women. Now the world wants us to believe that there is an X gender as well. Indeed, the foundations of society, founded on the bedrock of marriage and the family as we know it, are breaking down.
Not only that, the values of the different generations are also changing. Those from the Pioneer and Merdeka generations came from very poor backgrounds. Through sheer hard work they built up Singapore to what it is today. They valued hard work, sacrifice (for their children and future generations), fidelity in marriage and family. The Y and Millennial generations were born at a time when Singapore had already achieved affluence. They are raised by parents who are well educated, attend the best schools, everything is provided for, including domestic servants at their disposal, multiple holidays in a year, etc. Finance is not an issue. All they want is meaning, purpose and fulfilment in life. Born in the digital and technological age, they are technologically savvy and au fait with mass and social media. Their world no longer comprises their little community or village or even the country, but the entire world. Hence, they are very much more influenced by the values of the world than their own cultural values.
When we look at world events, we find that history is ever-changing. Life remains a mystery. Every age or era has to deal with the vicissitudes of life, the ups and downs, the rise and fall of empires, corporations and religions. Whether it is politics, culture or religion, we cannot escape the inevitable changing situation. Even the Church has gone from a minority to a majority and now on its way to becoming a minority again. The Church has had her fair share of glory, scandals, purification and renewal. The truth is that we are not in control. This is what Solomon was teaching his people. Indeed, there is a time for everything, whether it is giving birth or dying, planting or uprooting, building or knocking down, tears or laughter, throwing or gathering, war or peace.
We cannot truly control the events of history and our own. But the world’s humanists think otherwise. They believe that reason, science and technology can change the world. Perhaps, they can raise the standard of living and make the world a more luxurious place to live in, but technology cannot change the evil and selfish hearts of people. It is in the heart that happiness, peace, joy and love are found; not in things, no matter how much we have of them. In fact, because technology is blind, when used by people without wisdom, it has the power to destroy humanity, the family and the entire human race and the planet as well.
We must in humble adoration just surrender to God. As the author of Ecclesiastes reflected, “I contemplate the task that God gives mankind to labour at. All that he does is apt for its time; but though he has permitted man to consider time in its wholeness, man cannot comprehend the work of God from beginning to end.” St Paul also surrendered himself to God’s wisdom and plans. “O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counsellor? Or who has given a gift to him, to receive a gift in return?’ For from him and through him and to him are all things. Amen. (Rom 11:33-36)
This does not mean that we should cop out of the world. Rather, we are called to cooperate with His divine plans for humanity, doing what we can and leaving the rest to Him. We should not seek to take control of the world, of the destiny of our children and of society. We should not be too disappointed because things are not going the way we think they should. There is this deep desire in us to control and make things happen according to our ways. However, the truth is that the wisdom and plan of God is beyond human grasping. Isaiah says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isa 55:8f)
The gospel clearly reiterates this truth. After the profession of faith in Christ as the “Christ of God”, the Lord instructed the disciples, giving them “strict orders not to tell anyone anything about this. ‘The Son of Man’ he said ‘is destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and to be put to death, and to be raised up on the third day.'” Why did Jesus forbid the apostles to reveal to others that He was the Christ of God? This was because the Jews believed that the Messiah to come was a political and revolutionary messiah. He would deliver the people their enemies, especially the Romans, in a triumphant and victorious battle.
Again, Jesus shattered their vain speculation on how the Messiah could establish the Kingdom of God. He spoke of His imminent suffering, rejection, death and resurrection. He repeated this twice to them saying, “‘Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands.’ But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was concealed from them, so that they could not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.” (Lk 9:44f) The way of God is through the suffering and death of His Son. By dying, Jesus conquered hatred with love of sinners, death with life. In putting death to death, we too have conquered the fear of death and we look forward to eternal life. Jesus surrendered His life to the Father in faith at the cross, trusting that somehow the Father would bring His mission to fruition not in His way but in God’s way.
Indeed, the way to life, as Jesus tells us, is to carry our own cross daily. Following the passion prophecy, the Lord invited His disciples to follow Him accordingly. He said, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it.” In other words, as the Preacher tells us, we simply have to do what we can, each in our own way. We just do our best. We do not withdraw from life by giving up on the world or on God but we continue to do our part in making this world a better place according to our means and ability, leaving the rest to God, for He is in charge.
However, for this to happen, we must first confess in Christ as the Son of God. Unless our faith is founded on Christ, we will not have the courage to surrender in faith to God’s wisdom and divine providence. If we could say with Peter that He is the Christ, then with the psalmist, we can confess confidently that God is our rock. “Blessed be the Lord, my rock. He is my love, my fortress; he is my stronghold, my saviour my shield, my place of refuge. Lord, what is man that you care for him, mortal man, that you keep him in mind; man, who is merely a breath whose life fades like a passing shadow?” With God on our side, then we should not fear even when all odds are against us. “Though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit is on the vines; though the produce of the olive fails, and the fields yield no food; though the flock is cut off from the fold, and there is no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the God of my salvation.” (Habakkuk 3:17f)
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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