20221117 MISSING OUT ON THE OPPORTUNITY FOR GRACE
17 November, 2022, Thursday, 33rd Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Apocalypse 5:1-10 © |
The blood of the Lamb bought men for God
I, John, saw that in the right hand of the One sitting on the throne there was a scroll that had writing on back and front and was sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a powerful angel who called with a loud voice, ‘Is there anyone worthy to open the scroll and break the seals of it?’ But there was no one, in heaven or on the earth or under the earth, who was able to open the scroll and read it. I wept bitterly because there was nobody fit to open the scroll and read it, but one of the elders said to me, ‘There is no need to cry: the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed, and he will open the scroll and the seven seals of it.’
Then I saw, standing between the throne with its four animals and the circle of the elders, a Lamb that seemed to have been sacrificed; it had seven horns, and it had seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits God has sent out all over the world. The Lamb came forward to take the scroll from the right hand of the One sitting on the throne, and when he took it, the four animals prostrated themselves before him and with them the twenty-four elders; each one of them was holding a harp and had a golden bowl full of incense made of the prayers of the saints. They sang a new hymn:
‘You are worthy to take the scroll
and break the seals of it,
because you were sacrificed, and with your blood
you bought men for God
of every race, language, people and nation
and made them a line of kings and priests,
to serve our God and to rule the world.’
Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 149:1-6,9 © |
You made us a line of kings and priests to serve our God.
or
Alleluia!
Sing a new song to the Lord,
his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel rejoice in its Maker,
let Zion’s sons exult in their king.
You made us a line of kings and priests to serve our God.
or
Alleluia!
Let them praise his name with dancing
and make music with timbrel and harp.
For the Lord takes delight in his people.
He crowns the poor with salvation.
You made us a line of kings and priests to serve our God.
or
Alleluia!
Let the faithful rejoice in their glory,
shout for joy and take their rest.
Let the praise of God be on their lips:
this honour is for all his faithful.
You made us a line of kings and priests to serve our God.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | Ps118:135 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Let your face shine on your servant,
and teach me your decrees.
Alleluia!
Or: | Ps94:8 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Harden not your hearts today,
but listen to the voice of the Lord.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 19:41-44 © |
Jesus sheds tears over the coming fate of Jerusalem
As Jesus drew near Jerusalem and came in sight of the city he shed tears over it and said, ‘If you in your turn had only understood on this day the message of peace! But, alas, it is hidden from your eyes! Yes, a time is coming when your enemies will raise fortifications all round you, when they will encircle you and hem you in on every side; they will dash you and the children inside your walls to the ground; they will leave not one stone standing on another within you – and all because you did not recognise your opportunity when God offered it!’
MISSING OUT ON THE OPPORTUNITY FOR GRACE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [REV 5:1-10; LUKE 19:41-44]
We can feel with Jesus when He shed tears over Jerusalem. He came with a message of peace but the people did not understand. In His infused knowledge, He could see the impending disaster that would befall the city unless the people changed from being revolutionaries to peacemakers. Indeed, this prophecy was fulfilled in A.D. 70 when the Romans overran the city leaving many dead. Many died of hunger as the city was under siege. In their desperate desire to regain political power, they did not foresee the consequences for their citizens. It led to mass massacres and innocent deaths. Often political leaders do not weigh carefully the sufferings to the masses and their peoples when they take up arms for battle.
How tragic the words of Jesus when He said, all this happened “because you did not recognize your opportunity when God offered it!” This is true in our daily life. How often have we felt helpless when those whom we advised refused to take heed of our counsel or even premonition! We see our loved ones living an unhealthy lifestyle, eating, drinking and smoking excessively. We know they are overweight and it would be a matter of time before they suffer a stroke or a heart attack. But in spite of our reminders, they could not be bothered till it is too late. Another case in point is gambling. We see someone addicted to gambling. We try to dissuade and encourage the person to cease such activities. But the gambler of course would not admit that he has an addiction. He would tell lies and try to cover up his tracks. He starts to borrow money and then when he runs of resources and his debts begin to mount and the money lenders start to hound him, he starts to cheat, steal and commit criminal breach of trust.
Indeed, there are many stories of people who would not take heed of our advice. It could be asking our children to study hard for their exams. It could be someone who is coping with too much stress at work, more than he could handle. It could be someone becoming addicted to drink and drugs. We know from past experience the consequences for not breaking free from our bondages or a careless lifestyle. We might not have the infused knowledge of Jesus but we would have foresight gained from hindsight. We give advice and often our messages fall on deaf ears. At times, those who hear our advice get offended, become defensive and even attack us for trying to help them. They just want to follow their will and their desires.
Unfortunately, they will have to pay the price for their folly. Sadly, that is how people learn. They need to be brought low and be brought down before they could rise again. Only when a smoker gets cancer, would he then stop smoking. Only when a drunk driver has killed someone, would he then realize how important it is to drive safely and when he is sober. But by then, not only do they suffer for their recklessness but worst of all, their loved ones who are innocent have to bear their sins. Their families are destroyed. Their lives are wrecked. They have lost their security. From then on, there is no peace at home. And then we start to regret. “If only I recognized the signs that were warning me already, this would not have happened.” But it is too late to regret because what has been done cannot be undone. Because of our selfishness, pride, self-will, we have hurt not just ourselves but our loved ones deeply.
For this reason, today, in the first reading, we are invited to come to Jesus, the Lamb of God sacrificed for us. Only He can break the seven seals of the scroll and reveal to us our future and our destiny. Only Christ can reveal to us what is to come. Only He can reveal to us the mysteries of life. Jesus who has seven eyes and seven spirits means that He is omniscient. Only He knows the mysteries and the Hidden Plan of God. By coming to Jesus, the Word of God, we can be enlightened in the truth and be convicted of our sins. Otherwise, we live in darkness and confusion.
Jesus is not only the revealer of history and our future. He is also our strength and our fortress. He is called the Lion of Judah. He is the One with the seven horns. Seven stands for perfection. Not only has He absolute knowledge, He has absolute power over His enemies. If we face any trials and difficulties, Jesus as the Lion with seven horns will ensure victory for us. What we need is the inner strength that comes from God if we are to remain steadfast in times of opposition. He can give us the power to break from our bondages if we are ready to submit our will to the Lord. Indeed, on our own strength we cannot do many things, especially forgiving our enemies, those who have hurt us, and breaking free from all forms of obsessions and addictions.
He has shown Himself to be victorious over evil, sin and death by the fact that He was sacrificed. Indeed, it was His sacrifice on the cross that made Him worthy to open the scroll of life and death. “You are worthy to take the scroll and break the seals of it, because you were sacrificed, and with your blood you bought men for God of every race, language, people and nation and made them a line of kings and priests to serve our God and to rule the world.” With the cross and the resurrection of Christ, He demonstrated to us that nothing is impossible to overcome, not even sin, falsehood and hatred.
Most of all, Christ has “made us a line of kings and priests to serve our God.” Christ wants to share His power with us. We too are made kings in Christ. We are given the power of self-control. To be a king is to learn to manage ourselves before we can manage others. As kings, we are called to govern and to be responsible for those under our care. But we need to allow Christ to rule our lives. To be priest means that we have direct access to God our Father through our Lord Jesus Christ. Unlike in the Old Testament, where only priests could have access to the sanctuary of God, for Christians, we are the Temple of God and His sanctuary. We are called to worship Him like the saints in heaven, singing praises to God. We read what the saints do in heaven. “The four animals prostrated themselves before him and with them the twenty-four elders; each one of them was holding a harp and had a golden bowl full of incense made of the prayers of the saints. They sang a new hymn …”
So today, let us not miss out on the grace of God given to us. His grace comes to us in many ways each day. His message comes through our friends, a phone call, an email, an SMS or through a movie or a TV drama that we watch. Most of all, His grace comes to us through prayer and contemplation. Let us listen for the voice of the Lord and enter in His peace. (cf Ps 85:8) Only when we obey His word, can we find life. Again, the letter of Hebrews warns us, “And to whom did he swear that they should never enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.” (Heb 3:18f)
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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