20221201 BUILDING OUR HOPE ON CHRIST AS THE EVERLASTING ROCK
01 December, 2022, Thursday, 1st Week of Advent
First reading | Isaiah 26:1-6 © |
Open the gates; let the upright nation come in
That day, this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
We have a strong city;
to guard us he has set
wall and rampart about us.
Open the gates! Let the upright nation come in,
she, the faithful one
whose mind is steadfast, who keeps the peace,
because she trusts in you.
Trust in the Lord for ever,
for the Lord is the everlasting Rock;
he has brought low those who lived high up
in the steep citadel;
he brings it down, brings it down to the ground,
flings it down in the dust:
the feet of the lowly, the footsteps of the poor
trample on it.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 117(118):1,8-9,19-21,25-27 © |
Blessed in the name of the Lord is he who comes.
or
Alleluia.
Give thanks to the Lord for he is good,
for his love has no end.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in men;
it is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.
Blessed in the name of the Lord is he who comes.
or
Alleluia.
Open to me the gates of holiness:
I will enter and give thanks.
This is the Lord’s own gate
where the just may enter.
I will thank you for you have answered
and you are my saviour.
Blessed in the name of the Lord is he who comes.
or
Alleluia.
O Lord, grant us salvation;
O Lord, grant success.
Blessed in the name of the Lord
is he who comes.
We bless you from the house of the Lord;
the Lord God is our light.
Blessed in the name of the Lord is he who comes.
or
Alleluia.
Gospel Acclamation | Is40:9-10 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Shout with a loud voice, joyful messenger to Jerusalem.
Here is the Lord God coming with power.
Alleluia!
Or: | Is55:6 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Seek the Lord while he is still to be found,
call to him while he is still near.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 7:21,24-27 © |
The wise man built his house on a rock
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘It is not those who say to me, “Lord, Lord,” who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven. Therefore, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and hurled themselves against that house, and it did not fall: it was founded on rock. But everyone who listens to these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and struck that house, and it fell; and what a fall it had!’
BUILDING OUR HOPE ON CHRIST AS THE EVERLASTING ROCK
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [IS 26:1-6; PS 118:1, 8-9, 19-21, 25-27; MT 7:21, 24-27 ]
Israel was always living in fear and under the threat of her enemies. She was certainly militarily less powerful than her neighbouring nations. Yet she managed to conquer her enemies and prevented them from conquering her because the hand of God was with them. We saw this from the time of Moses to Joshua, the period of the Judges, Samson and Gideon, the period of the kings, King Saul and King David. By the time of King Solomon, there was peace and unity. However, Israel as a single nation did not last long after King Solomon. Eventually, because of internal strife, there was a split between the Northern and Southern Kingdom. This made Israel and Judah even more susceptible to the invasion of their enemies.
Recalling their former days of glory, the Israelites once again appealed to God’s mercy and might to restore peace to Israel. Isaiah prophesied, “That day, this song will be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; to guard us he has set wall and rampart about us.” They believed that God would once again protect Israel from foreign nations. He would be the wall that shields them from all alien attacks, and be the rampart that would help Israel to see from afar the coming of their enemies. Hence, the invitation to trust in the Lord; “Open the gates! Let the upright nation come in, she, the faithful one whose mind is steadfast, who keeps the peace, because she trusts in you. Trust in the Lord for ever, for the Lord is the everlasting Rock; he has brought low those who lived high up in the steep citadel; brings it down, brings it down to the ground, flings it down in the dust: the feet of the lowly, the footsteps of the poor trample on it.” Indeed, we must open the gates of faith and hope in the Lord.
In the same way, the Lord asks us to build our faith on rock. “Therefore, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and hurled themselves against that house, and it did not fall: it was founded on rock.” What is this rock if not first and foremost the Lord Himself? St Peter wrote, “Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Pt 2:4f) Only when we build our faith in Christ, will we be able to remain firm and strong against the temptations and changing values in the world.
Secondly, this rock refers to the faith of St Peter in Christ. When St Peter professed his faith in Christ as the “Messiah, the Son of the Living God”, Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Only faith in Jesus as the Son of the Living God can save us from doubts about the truth of the gospel as proclaimed by Jesus. When we have the same faith as Peter in Jesus, we too will find the keys to the kingdom of heaven because the Word of God which Jesus taught us is what will bind us and guide in the way of truth and life. In another text, when the disciples of Jesus were scandalized by His teaching on the Eucharist, Jesus asked the twelve, “‘Do you also wish to go away?’ Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.'” (Jn 6:67-69) Faith in Jesus is the condition in accepting the gospel as God’s word. St Paul wrote, “when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers.” (1 Th 2:13)
Thirdly, this rock refers also to Peter himself. St Peter is the head of the Apostolic College. As the Vicar of Christ, Peter is given the gift of infallibility in teaching. He commanded Peter to feed His lambs and sheep and look after them. (cf Jn 21:15-17) This authority is given to Peter because Christ promised to be with Peter and the apostles. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Mt 28:19f) It is for this reason that we, as Catholics, are called to take direction from the Magisterium with regard to the authentic teaching of the Church. No theologian or scripture scholar, nor even a single bishop teaches authoritatively unless he teaches in union with the Pope and the Apostolic College. Indeed, our ability to withstand the changing tides and ideologies of humanity lies in our adherence to the Word of God as “inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” (2 Tim 3:16) The weakness among our Catholics is that they do not know the Word of God and are ill-instructed and ill-informed of the teachings of the Church. Hence, they are easily swayed by the arguments of the world and buy into their foolish and short-sighted arguments and pragmatic policies.
However, it is not enough just to know the Word of God but as the Lord cautions us, we must act on the Word. Indeed, “It is not those who say to me, ‘Lord, Lord’, who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven. Everyone who listens to these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and struck that house, and it fell; and what a fall it had!” For those of us who are better instructed in the faith, we cannot rely simply on our intellectual knowledge of the Word of God or our doctrines. In themselves, they cannot save us unless we act on what we believe in. Indeed, St James reminds us often, “be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like.” (Jas 1:22-24) Furthermore, he reminded us that “faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. Show me your faith without works, and I by my works will show you my faith.” (Jas 2:17f)
Hence, the season of Advent invites us to strengthen our faith as we hold on to the hope of salvation given to us in Christ. It is because Christ is our Hope for fullness of life, both here in this world and hereafter that we put our faith in Him. With the psalmist, we pray, “O Lord, grant us salvation; O Lord, grant success. Blessed in the name of the Lord is he who comes. We bless you from the house of the Lord; the Lord God is our light.” Instead of relying on ourselves, on our human wisdom which is God’s foolishness, we must seek the wisdom of God. The psalmist declares, “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his love has no end. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in men; it is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.” We must not rely on human strength and human wisdom or power because they cannot be trusted. Rather, we must trust in God alone. St James exhorts us, “If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord.” (Jas 1:5-8)
By living a righteous and holy life, we enter the Gate of Heaven. This is what the scripture assures us. “Open the gates! Let the upright nation come in, she, the faithful one whose mind is steadfast, who keeps the peace, because she trusts in you.” The psalmist prayed, “Open to me the gates of holiness: I will enter and give thanks. This is the Lord’s own gate where the just may enter. I will thank you for you have answered and you are my saviour.” This is how we can realize the hope that God has offered to us in Christ. He is our rock, our fortress and our Saviour. Let us come to Him, that living Stone rejected by men. “‘A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall.’ They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.” (2 Pt 2:7f) Let Christ be our foundation stone and our rock!
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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