20221206 THE HEART OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD
06 December, 2022, Tuesday, 2nd Week of Advent
First reading | Isaiah 40:1-11 © |
Consolations from the heart of Jerusalem
‘Console my people, console them’
says your God.
‘Speak to the heart of Jerusalem
and call to her
that her time of service is ended,
that her sin is atoned for,
that she has received from the hand of the Lord
double punishment for all her crimes.’
A voice cries, ‘Prepare in the wilderness
a way for the Lord.
Make a straight highway for our God
across the desert.
Let every valley be filled in,
every mountain and hill be laid low.
Let every cliff become a plain,
and the ridges a valley;
then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed
and all mankind shall see it;
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’
A voice commands, ‘Cry!’
and I answered, ‘What shall I cry?’”
– ‘All flesh is grass
and its beauty like the wild flower’s.
The grass withers, the flower fades
when the breath of the Lord blows on them.
(The grass is without doubt the people.)
The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God remains for ever.’
Go up on a high mountain,
joyful messenger to Zion.
Shout with a loud voice,
joyful messenger to Jerusalem.
Shout without fear,
say to the towns of Judah,
‘Here is your God.’
Here is the Lord coming with power,
his arm subduing all things to him.
The prize of his victory is with him,
his trophies all go before him.
He is like a shepherd feeding his flock,
gathering lambs in his arms,
holding them against his breast
and leading to their rest the mother ewes.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 95(96):1-3,10-13 © |
Here is our God coming with power.
O sing a new song to the Lord,
sing to the Lord all the earth.
O sing to the Lord, bless his name.
Proclaim his help day by day.
Here is our God coming with power.
Tell among the nations his glory
and his wonders among all the peoples.
Proclaim to the nations: ‘God is king.’
He will judge the peoples in fairness.
Here is our God coming with power.
Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad,
let the sea and all within it thunder praise,
let the land and all it bears rejoice,
all the trees of the wood shout for joy
at the presence of the Lord for he comes,
he comes to rule the earth.
Here is our God coming with power.
With justice he will rule the world,
he will judge the peoples with his truth.
Here is our God coming with power.
Gospel Acclamation |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Come, Lord! Do not delay.
Forgive the sins of your people.
Alleluia!
Or: |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The day of the Lord is near;
Look, he comes to save us.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 18:12-14 © |
The one lost sheep gives him more joy than the ninety-nine that did not stray
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Tell me. Suppose a man has a hundred sheep and one of them strays; will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go in search of the stray? I tell you solemnly, if he finds it, it gives him more joy than do the ninety-nine that did not stray at all. Similarly, it is never the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.’
THE HEART OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [IS 40:1-11; Ps 96:1-3,10-13; MT 18:12-14]
Advent is a season of hope. It is hope that keeps us going in life. This is especially true when we are going through difficult times. This was the case of the Israelites in exile. They were without land, kingdom, Temple and many were separated from their loved ones. They were punished by the consequences of sin because they failed to listen to the warnings of the prophets that God sent to them.
But not all is lost because again and again, God showed His mercy for His people. This is the heart of God, the heart of the Good Shepherd. In the gospel, God is portrayed not just as a Good Shepherd but one who sought the lost sheep. In the parable of the lost sheep, Jesus made it clear that any good shepherd would leave the ninety-nine behind to search for the stray sheep. Logically, one might wonder whether it is prudent for him to abandon the other ninety-nine sheep just to look for the lost one. Yet, the point of the parable is that God does not see us all in terms of a crowd. God does not love a crowd but He loves individuals. He regards every person in the community as a unique individual that must be given personal attention. We are not just a digit among the many to God. Rather He knows each of us individually. Everyone is important to Him.
Among us all, God has a special love for the poor, the weak, the vulnerable and the lost. God always stands up for those who are marginalized in society, the voiceless and the helpless. These are the people that win the heart of God. This explains why the Church always has a preferential option for the poor. “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God.” (1 Cor 1:27-29) St Paul gives us another analogy with regard to the body. “Those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another.” (1 Cor 12:23-25) It is because they need more care and love that the Father finds greater joy in finding the lost sheep than the ninety-nine who did not stray at all. “I tell you solemnly, if he finds it, it gives him more joy than do the ninety-nine that did not stray at all.”
Indeed, the heart of God is the heart of a father and a mother. Those of us who are parents perhaps can understand and feel much more with the compassion of God for us. All parents, especially mothers, have deep affection and compassion for their children. All mothers love their children regardless of their intelligence or abilities; more so if their children are physically or mentally challenged. Often, the weaker child in the family is given more attention than those who are strong and capable. In many cases, the family is united in love when there is someone in the house who is sick and vulnerable. In some families where there is a child who is physically challenged, the rest of the family members will rally round to provide care for that helpless child. Indeed, those who are weak and vulnerable are the ones who will win our love more so than the healthy and strong. This explains why Jesus told us that we must become like little children in order to enter the Kingdom of God. There is so much joy in helping those who are weak. To know that we have made a great difference in the life of that person brings us much joy because it opens and expands the human heart. This is why those who help the poor or have gone on mercy trips to third world countries continue to do so because the tremendous joy that they receive in seeing how the poor and underprivileged are helped give them greater meaning in life.
If we still cannot understand the heart of God for the lost sheep and the weak brothers and sisters of ours, then perhaps another example in daily life can help. I have been reflecting on why Jesus gave the example of a lost sheep. I am sure many of us have had the experience of being lost somewhere when we were young or even as an adult. The feeling of being lost is an unnerving experience. So too, we can imagine how frightened the sheep must have felt when it lost its way. Such an image of a lost sheep surely can bring out the compassion in us. Indeed, there are some people who have a special love for stray cats and dogs because the sight of them suffering in the cold, sun and rain without food brings out their compassion for them. This is particularly so when you see a helpless cat or dog in pain because he is injured or sick.
So if we feel lost, forsaken or vulnerable, we are invited to come to the Lord. He will look after us and He will come to save us. This is what the prophet assures us, “Here is your God. Here is the Lord coming with power, his arm subduing all things to him. The prize of his victory is with him, his trophies all go before him. He is like a shepherd feeding his flock, gathering lambs in his arms, holding them against his breast and leading to their rest the mother ewes.” God is ever ready to bring us back and restore us to life. Jesus assures us, “similarly, it is never the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.” How beautiful and consoling these assuring words of our Lord are; that God will care even for the little ones and that none be lost. This is again reiterated in the gospel of John, “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.” (Jn 6:39)
But what is needed is availability on our part. God does not impose His grace on us. Do we want help? This is the question. Are we receptive to His help? If we are, then as the prophet says, “Prepare in the wilderness a way for the Lord. Make a straight highway for our God across the desert. Let every valley be filled in, every mountain and hill be laid low, let every cliff become a plain, and the ridges a valley; then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all mankind shall see it; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” In other words, we must allow the Lord to enter into our lives. This requires humility on our part by levelling off the mountain of our ego. It means that we must be in touch with the emptiness in our hearts so that He could fill the valley of our lives. Only when we allow Him to come into our hearts, can our lives be made anew.
Secondly, we need to have faith in the Lord the power of the Lord. Let us take heart by listening to those inspiring testimonies of how God has worked in peoples’ lives. With the psalmist, we must rejoice that our God is coming with power. With the psalmist, we must sing praise to God. “O sing a new song to the Lord, sing to the Lord all the earth. O sing to the Lord, bless his name. Proclaim his help day by day. Tell among the nations his glory and his wonders among all the peoples. Proclaim to the nations: ‘God is king.’ He will judge the peoples in fairness. Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad, let the sea and all within it thunder praise, let the land and all it bears rejoice, all the trees of the wood shout for joy at the presence of the Lord for he comes, he comes to rule the earth.”
Thirdly, let us trust in the Word of the Lord. “Speak to the heart of Jerusalem and call to her that her time of service is ended, that her sin is atoned for, that she has received from the hand of the Lord double punishment for all her crimes.” God suffers when we suffer, just like parents suffer when their children suffer. So God wants to lift us out of our sorrows. He is true to His Word as the prophet says, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God remains forever.” So let us strengthen our faith by embracing the Word of God and finding hope and inspiration in His promises as we open our hearts to His invitation to repent and turn to Him. Finally, let us in turn give hope to those who are lost and are lonely. We too must welcome them like Jesus who went in search for us. Giving hope to someone during this season of Advent will in turn help us to rekindle the joy of a compassionate heart. In giving hope and life to others, we too will be filled with the joy of the gospel.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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