20230930 DOWNSIDE OF GLORY AND SUCCESS
30 September 2023, Saturday, 25th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Zechariah 2:5-9,14-15 © |
'I will be the glory of Jerusalem'
Raising my eyes, I saw a vision. It was this: there was a man with a measuring line in his hand. I asked him, ‘Where are you going?’ He said, ‘To measure Jerusalem, to find out her breadth and her length.’ And then, while the angel who was talking to me stood still, another angel came forward to meet him. He said to him, ‘Run, and tell that young man this, “Jerusalem is to remain unwalled, because of the great number of men and cattle there will be in her. But I – it is the Lord who speaks – I will be a wall of fire for her all round her, and I will be her glory in the midst of her.”’
Sing, rejoice,
daughter of Zion;
for I am coming
to dwell in the middle of you
– it is the Lord who speaks.
Many nations will join the Lord,
on that day;
they will become his people.
Responsorial Psalm |
Jeremiah 31:10-12,13 © |
The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.
O nations, hear the word of the Lord,
proclaim it to the far-off coasts.
Say: ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him,
and guard him as a shepherd guards his flock.’
The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.
For the Lord has ransomed Jacob,
has saved him from an overpowering hand.
They will come and shout for joy on Mount Zion,
they will stream to the blessings of the Lord.
The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.
Then the young girls will rejoice and will dance,
the men, young and old, will be glad.
I will turn their mourning into joy,
I will console them, give them gladness for grief.
The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ac16:14 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Open our heart, O Lord,
to accept the words of your Son.
Alleluia!
Or: | cf.2Tim1:10 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Our Saviour Jesus Christ abolished death
and he has proclaimed life through the Good News.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 9:43-45 © |
They were afraid to ask him what he meant
At a time when everyone was full of admiration for all he did, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘For your part, you must have these words constantly in your mind: “The Son of Man is going to be handed over into the power of men.”’ But they did not understand him when he said this; it was hidden from them so that they should not see the meaning of it, and they were afraid to ask him about what he had just said.
DOWNSIDE OF GLORY AND SUCCESS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Zc 2:5-9, 14-15; Jer 31:10-12,13; Lk 9:43-45]
We all enjoy having success and glory. When we attain wealth, success and glory, we tend to think that such things would last forever. We think we can cling on to them for a long time. Many of us live in delusion, knowing that such things will not last for long. The joys and thrills that come from success and glory are all short-lived. Before we can properly enjoy the rewards of our achievements, new challenges, trials and difficulties will confront us.
This was the case of the disciples in their joy. The apostles, Peter, James and John had a great religious experience seeing Jesus transfigured at Mount Tabor. (cf Lk 9:28-36) They were so thrilled and elated after such an out-of-the-world experience of the Lord. They wanted to stay there permanently by building three tents and to continue to bathe themselves in that beautiful experience. They were still soaking in the splendour of the religious encounter when they faced the daily challenges of life upon coming down from the mountain. They had to deal with a man whose son was suffering from epilepsy. There was a commotion as the disciples could not cast out the evil spirit from the boy. (cf Lk 9:37-42) Again, Jesus showed forth His glory, by restoring the boy to normalcy. As a result, we read in today’s gospel, “everyone was full of admiration for all he did.’
But Jesus was a realistic person. He did not hang on to such passing joys and successes in life. On the contrary, when they were still amazed at His miraculous powers, He reminded them of the passion ahead of Him. “For your part, you must have these words constantly in your mind: The Son of Man is going to be handed over into the power of men.” Jesus sought to ground the feet of the disciples on this earth and not get carried away by success and glory. He knew that such things of the earth will not last.
The reality is that in this life, success is followed by adversity and adversity by success. “In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.” (Eccl 7:14) As one is enjoying success, suffering is already ahead of the person. And when one is suffering, the end is also near. A young man graduates from University. He is proud of his achievements and celebrates. Soon he will start to work and face all the challenges and politics of working life. The joys of the Convocation ceremony would very soon be forgotten. It is the same for a promotion at work. We feel great but once the responsibilities of the office weigh in, we feel the burden of fulfilling them. When we are successful and at the top, we will have many enemies who are jealous of our position and seek to pull us down.
This was the situation of our Lord. He was very successful in reaching out to the poor, marginalized and sinners. He healed the sick and welcomed sinners in His company. He won much admiration, delight and followers. But His success incurred the wrath and envy of the Jewish leaders who saw Him as a deviant, a false prophet, and a dangerous one as well. As for the Romans, some saw Him as a potential troublemaker who perhaps could even incite the people to rebellion. So Jesus, although successful with the people, was a threat to the establishment. This is often the case with charismatic leaders. The real battles they fight are not those from without but from within, people who come from the establishment seek to protect their rights, status and privileges. When their positions and vested interests are being compromised, they will seek to discredit the leader. Indeed, often populist leaders are not welcomed or loved by the institution. For this reason, Jesus knew that success was always under the shadow of the cross. No matter how much good you do and how well intentioned you are, we will face opposition and sufferings. Hence, Jesus plainly reminded the disciples, “The Son of Man is going to be handed over into the power of men.”
This was also true in the case of the Jews who were returning from Babylon to rebuild the Temple of Jerusalem, which we read in the first reading. The euphoria of the Jews at King Cyrus and King Darius’ support for their return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple and the city did not last long. They did not receive much support from their fellow Jews. Many of them were quite settled in Babylon. They had built houses there, started their businesses, and many were flourishing and were wealthy. They were not keen to uproot themselves to return to their former homeland without sure sight of their future. So many stayed put and refused to move back home. At most, out of guilt and solidarity, they gave some money and resources to those going back to rebuild the Temple.
Again, we know that the Temple took a very long time to be rebuilt. The non-Jewish people living there resisted their efforts and the returned exiles were not motivated to work. Furthermore, the Samaritans from the Northern Kingdom were opposed to the construction. As a result, the construction was halted for 18 years. With the help of King Darius, the temple was completed in 350 B.C. and rededicated. But the Second Temple paled in comparison to the First Temple. Prophecy disappeared and the Ark of the Covenant was missing as well. So in the midst of rejoicing, there was also sadness and disappointment as well.
But this Temple too was eventually destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. Indeed, this event fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah. In the first reading, we read that in the prophet’s vision, a man was seen trying to measure Jerusalem to reconstruct the walls, but the angel told him, “Jerusalem is to remain unwalled, because of the great number of men and cattle there will be in her. But I – it is the Lord who speaks – I will be a wall of fire for her all round her, and I will be her glory in the midst of her”. In the New Jerusalem and in the New Temple, no walls are needed because God wants all people to come to Him regardless whether they are Jews or not. Even the Gentiles would have a place in the New Temple and in the New Jerusalem. “Many nations will join the Lord, on that day; they will become his people.”
How is this a reality? When the Lord lives in our midst. “Sing, rejoice, daughter of Zion; for I am coming to dwell in the middle of you – it is the Lord who speaks.” God will be the glory of the Temple and He will light up the Temple with His presence. When God lives in us in His Spirit, we are His temple. The physical temple can be destroyed but not the Temple in our hearts. This becomes a reality when the Holy Spirit lives in each one of us. St Paul wrote, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and that temple you are.” (1 Cor 3:16f) When God lives in our hearts, we will always be at peace and be full of joy.
Indeed, we must learn from St Paul who discovered the true joy of life. He said, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal 2:19f) St Paul knew clearly that the secret to lasting happiness in life is to be in the Lord. This requires that we be crucified with the Lord, taking the things of this world in stride, making use of them for the service of love and for the poor. We should not cling on to such things in this world as they are passing. We cannot bring them with us to the next world. St Paul wrote, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake, I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ.” (Phil 3:3) The prayer of St Paul is this, “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” (Phil 3:10f) We, too, if we want to share in the lasting joy and happiness of Christ, we must accept that suffering in this world is the necessary passage to fullness of life in Christ. Until then, let us not be too tied down to the worldly and passing happiness and joys of this life but use them to help us find the strength to endure the trials ahead of us as we carry the cross with our Lord.
This is the reality of life. So the earlier we come to accept the truth of transient happiness in this world, the more liberated we will be. Otherwise, if we remain attached to the things of this world, we will be sorely disappointed. Alas, we are like the disciples who are not ready to face the truth about the cross. Upon hearing what the Lord said, their response was silence and non-reflective. “They did not understand him when he said this; it was hidden from them so that they should not see the meaning of it, and they were afraid to ask him about what he had just said.” They did not understand or do not wish to know, just like those of us who suspect that we are not well or that we might have some illness. We delay and postpone, hoping that the bad news would go away. We avoid asking the ultimate questions of life. Unless we are like Jesus who was ready to confront His death, we cannot live freely and courageously like Him.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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