20221127 THE CALL TO VIGILANCE
27 November, 2022, Sunday, 1st Week of Advent
First reading | Isaiah 2:1-5 © |
The Lord gathers all nations together into the eternal peace of God's kingdom
The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In the days to come
the mountain of the Temple of the Lord
shall tower above the mountains
and be lifted higher than the hills.
All the nations will stream to it,
peoples without number will come to it; and they will say:
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the Temple of the God of Jacob
that he may teach us his ways
so that we may walk in his paths;
since the Law will go out from Zion,
and the oracle of the Lord from Jerusalem.’
He will wield authority over the nations
and adjudicate between many peoples;
these will hammer their swords into ploughshares,
their spears into sickles.
Nation will not lift sword against nation,
there will be no more training for war.
O House of Jacob, come,
let us walk in the light of the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 121(122):1-2,4-5,6-9 © |
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
I rejoiced when I heard them say:
‘Let us go to God’s house.’
And now our feet are standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
It is there that the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord.
For Israel’s law it is,
there to praise the Lord’s name.
There were set the thrones of judgement
of the house of David.
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
For the peace of Jerusalem pray:
‘Peace be to your homes!
May peace reign in your walls,
in your palaces, peace!’
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
For love of my brethren and friends
I say: ‘Peace upon you!’
For love of the house of the Lord
I will ask for your good.
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
Second reading | Romans 13:11-14 © |
Our salvation is near
You know ‘the time’ has come: you must wake up now: our salvation is even nearer than it was when we were converted. The night is almost over, it will be daylight soon – let us give up all the things we prefer to do under cover of the dark; let us arm ourselves and appear in the light. Let us live decently as people do in the daytime: no drunken orgies, no promiscuity or licentiousness, and no wrangling or jealousy. Let your armour be the Lord Jesus Christ.
Gospel Acclamation | Ps84:8 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Let us see, O Lord, your mercy
and give us your saving help.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 24:37-44 © |
The Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘As it was in Noah’s day, so will it be when the Son of Man comes. For in those days before the Flood people were eating, drinking, taking wives, taking husbands, right up to the day Noah went into the ark, and they suspected nothing till the Flood came and swept all away. It will be like this when the Son of Man comes. Then of two men in the fields one is taken, one left; of two women at the millstone grinding, one is taken, one left.
‘So stay awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming. You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what time of the night the burglar would come, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed anyone to break through the wall of his house. Therefore, you too must stand ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’
THE CALL TO VIGILANCE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Is 2:1-5; Ps 122:1-2,4-5,6-9; Rom 13:11-14; Mt 24:37-44]
There is so much division and tension in the world today. In spite of mass communication, internet and globalization, advanced technology and science, better living conditions, facilities and luxuries compared to the time of our forefathers, this world is getting more and more dangerous to live in. Today, we live in fear not knowing how safe we are. With terrorist activities rampant in the world, we do not know when we will be attacked as well. That is why the government is asking us to be alert to the possibility of terrorist attacks which can come from anywhere and any person when we least expect it. The government is working not just on prevention, but preparing us for the aftermath of a terrorist attack, for the truth is that there is no full proof prevention. Be alert, is the message of the government.
Why is the world getting more unsafe? This is because our peoples are divided. We see the world getting more and more polarized. We have witnessed this situation in the West. The recent Brexit and US election have much to teach us about the cultural and moral divide among peoples. The liberals who have been pushing their agenda on the redefinition of the family, marriage and other values are seeing a push-back from the conservatives of society who until then had been silent. Indeed, because of relativism, there is no more basis to hold our peoples united in love and in truth.
We no longer know what is truth today, what is right or wrong. Although we have acquired more knowledge and information, we have less clarity and wisdom. Many of us do not know what to make of all the knowledge we have acquired because the views held are so diverse and convincing that the ordinary person is paralyzed by the varied opinions. This is partly the reason for the flowering of the ideology of relativism. Faced with so many views and all seem appealing, one is called to choose whatever version of the ‘truth’ one is attracted to. It is no longer based on what is right or wrong, whether they are objective or not but whether one is inclined to it, since there is no absolute truth.
Indeed, our real challenge today is how do we sift out all the knowledge we have acquired and discern and distinguish what is true and what is masqueraded as truth? How we make use of this knowledge determines our happiness. Without determining what is true, many of our young people are misled into adopting the wrong values in life. We cannot blame them because no one is enlightening them or helping them to discern what is true and false. This explains why some allow themselves to be radicalized by terrorist ideologies. When knowledge falls into the wrong hands, such knowledge can be used in a destructive manner.
Without maturity, too much knowledge can confuse the young person. This is true especially in the area of sex education. Our young people are exposed to sex and pornography at a very tender age. They are encouraged to indulge in the manipulation of their body. The physical aspect of sex is being promoted as the objective in a relationship. The truth is that the physical dimension of the relationship, whilst important, occupies a very little part of the entire relationship, which is about communication, love, sharing, caring, listening and rendering each other support. These more important aspects of the relationship are not underscored. The implications of adultery, infidelity in a relationship and how it impacts on their personal life, dignity, confidence, social life and even our work are never talked about. We are not warned of the consequences for our family and children because of pornography, infidelity and divorce.
Similarly, when technology and science advance without a corresponding advancement in human development, it can be destructive to humanity. It is like a child who has been given the key to a car to drive. Science and technology without the guidance of morality will bring about the dehumanization of the human race. We are already seeing the signs when the dignity of the human person is not respected by science. Destruction of human embryos, manipulation of the genes of the human person, cloning and euthanasia are promoted without considering the implications for the future of humanity besides the dignity of the human person. On the international front, the rise of armament and chemical weapons, the use of nuclear weapons are threats to the existence and peaceful co-existence of humanity. The tragedy is that those who are advancing the cause of science and technology are not seeing beyond what they do, particularly the social and moral implications for the future of humanity.
The world is living in darkness, as St Paul mentioned in the second reading. They do things under cover in the dark, indulging in quarrelling, fighting, drinking and licentiousness. Hence, the call to vigilance in today’s scripture readings is the theme of our celebration. “Stay awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming.” As we enter into the First Sunday of Advent, we are called to prepare for the Coming of the Lord. Although, the gospel speaks of Christ coming at the end of time, Christ’s coming is happening every day.
We need to be watchful at all times, like the householder. Unless we are alert and vigilant, the negative trends of society today can become so overwhelming that they dominate and control our peoples. Indeed, if we are not watchful of how the selfish, self-centred and materialistic values are being promoted by society, as expressed in the attempts to reformulate the definition of marriage and family, and the use of science and technology, we will find ourselves overwhelmed by the values of the world. When that time comes, we will be too helpless even to safeguard our family and children and their future.
So we cannot afford to be indifferent. We cannot ignore the signals and the current trends of society as if they have nothing to do with us. Society is the product of man and man is the product of society. How we want our society to be organized and formed, depends on every individual playing his or her part in informing the world about the kind of values we subscribe to and want to promote. Either we leave our future in the hands of ignorant people who lead our society to division, degeneration and decadence, or we seek to change the course of society by being alert, proactive and contribute to steering the moral values of our society. We must be discerning and watchful for the sake of the future of our children and humanity.
How, then, can we be vigilant? We must take our compass from the Lord not from the world. This is what Isaiah prophesied. “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the Temple of the God of Jacob that he may teach us his ways so that we may walk in his paths.” So long as we become the norm and the judge of what is right or wrong, we can never agree among ourselves. This is the outcome of relativism because it rejects God as the absolute truth. Truth can only be found in God alone. Only God can teach us what is true. What the world, and even our Catholics, is doing is to find the answers to the truth on the internet and what others say or think, rather than what God is saying in the scriptures. Our reference point and moral compass cannot be the values and reasoning of the world but from God alone.
If we found our values in God, then we will be united in truth and love. If the world is divided it is because truth is founded in human subjectivity. Since none of us can agree on what is true, we remain divided. The unity and peace of the world remains superficial and fragile because it is not founded on truth but on tolerance and false compromises. Only truth can unite us.
The fullness of truth and defence against errors is found in Jesus Christ. In Him alone, do we find the way to life! Hence, St Paul urges us, “Let your armour be the Lord Jesus Christ.” Indeed, we are to put on the Lord in our battle against the evil forces and negative trends in society. Let Jesus be our armour and safeguard against the darkness of society. We need to strengthen our faith in the Lord and understand the moral teachings of the gospel and of the Church. Without a firm foundation in the Word of God and the teachings of the Church and a strong relationship with Christ, we cannot shield ourselves from the onslaught of the world.
Indeed, this is the cry of the prophet, “O House of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.” How can we be sure that we are walking in the light of truth and love? When we are no longer ashamed of what we normally do in the dark. Evil deeds are always done under cover because they are shameful deeds. When we stop rationalizing and follow the voice of our conscience, we know we are walking in the truth. Truth needs no justification or defence. Truth speaks for itself. The effects of our values manifest truth. We know whether the gospel is true or not by analysing the effects of the values of society on the integrity of the individual, happiness and the strength of our family, unity of our society and the world.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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