20231206 CHRIST IS THE HOLY MOUNTAIN OF GOD
06 December 2023, Wednesday, 1st Week of Advent
First reading | Isaiah 25:6-10 © |
The Lord will prepare a banquet for every nation
On this mountain,
the Lord of hosts will prepare for all peoples
a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines,
of food rich and juicy, of fine strained wines.
On this mountain he will remove
the mourning veil covering all peoples,
and the shroud enwrapping all nations,
he will destroy Death for ever.
The Lord will wipe away
the tears from every cheek;
he will take away his people’s shame
everywhere on earth,
for the Lord has said so.
That day, it will be said: See, this is our God
in whom we hoped for salvation;
the Lord is the one in whom we hoped.
We exult and we rejoice
that he has saved us;
for the hand of the Lord
rests on this mountain.
Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 22(23) © |
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.
The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures
where he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me,
to revive my drooping spirit.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.
He guides me along the right path;
he is true to his name.
If I should walk in the valley of darkness
no evil would I fear.
You are there with your crook and your staff;
with these you give me comfort.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.
You have prepared a banquet for me
in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil;
my cup is overflowing.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.
Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me
all the days of my life.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell
for ever and ever.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.
Gospel Acclamation | Is33:22 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The Lord is our judge, the Lord our lawgiver,
the Lord our king and our saviour.
Alleluia!
Or: |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Look, the Lord will come to save his people.
Blessed those who are ready to meet him.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 15:29-37 © |
The crowds praised the God of Israel
Jesus reached the shores of the Sea of Galilee, and he went up into the hills. He sat there, and large crowds came to him bringing the lame, the crippled, the blind, the dumb and many others; these they put down at his feet, and he cured them. The crowds were astonished to see the dumb speaking, the cripples whole again, the lame walking and the blind with their sight, and they praised the God of Israel.
But Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ‘I feel sorry for all these people; they have been with me for three days now and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them off hungry, they might collapse on the way.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Where could we get enough bread in this deserted place to feed such a crowd?’ Jesus said to them, ‘How many loaves have you?’ ‘Seven’ they said ‘and a few small fish.’ Then he instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground, and he took the seven loaves and the fish, and he gave thanks and broke them and handed them to the disciples, who gave them to the crowds. They all ate as much as they wanted, and they collected what was left of the scraps, seven baskets full.
CHRIST IS THE HOLY MOUNTAIN OF GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Is 25:6-10; Ps 23:1-6; Mt 15:29-37]
Valley is the opposite of mountain. When someone wants to describe sufferings and insurmountable challenges in his life, he speaks of the “valley of darkness”, as in today’s responsorial psalm, or “valley of tears”, as in the Salve Regina. Many of us can identify with the Israelites in the first reading. There was poverty, oppression and injustices from within and threats from their enemies from without. In the gospel, we read that large crowds came to Jesus “bringing the lame, the crippled, the blind, the dumb and many others.” Indeed, when we are in the valley of life, when we are sick and despondent in life, lost in darkness, we cannot but turn to God for help.
From the valley of suffering, we lift up our eyes to the Mountain for liberation. This was how the psalmist prayed, “I lift up my eyes to the hills – from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” (Ps 121:1f) Mountain in the bible is a symbol of strength, majesty and eternity. It is therefore appropriately a symbol of the Transcendent, of God. The mountain represents the transcendence of God, who from His heights looks down from heaven and sees all that we are doing. He is in charge of creation and He rules creation. The top of the Mountain is often covered by the clouds and thus it has a sense of mystery as well, so symbolic of God. When there is lighting and thunder as in the days of Moses at Mount Sinai, the power and might of God is made manifest.
Consequently, in the first reading, the Prophet Isaiah used the symbol of the Mountain of God to depict salvation for his people. This mountain of course refers to Jerusalem where the Temple was located. It would be on this mountain that the people would be fed with plenty and fine food, where their thirst would be quenched and hunger filled. There would also be no more suffering and death. “He will remove the mourning veil covering all peoples, and the shroud enwrapping all nations, he will destroy Death for ever. The Lord God will wipe away the tears from every cheek; he will take away his peoples shame everywhere on earth.” Indeed, as Isaiah succinctly puts it, the Mountain where salvation is found. “See, this is our salvation; the Lord is the one in whom we hoped. We exult and we rejoice that he has saved us; for the hand of the Lord rests on this mountain.”
It is within this context that we can appreciate the gospel better. Right from the outset, we are told that “Jesus reached the shores of the Sea of Galilee, and he went up into the hills.” For St Matthew writing to the Jewish people, the hill or mountain is a symbol of God’s presence. So the evangelist always portrayed Jesus teaching at the hill. It was on the hill that He delivered the Sermon on the Mount. (cf Mt:5-7) It was on the mountain that He was transfigured and His identity and glory were revealed. (cf Mt 17:1-13) It was at Mount Calvary that He was crucified. And it was at the mountain that Jesus sent His disciple into the world to spread the Good News. (cf Mt 28:16)
But in truth, the prophecy of Isaiah could not be realized on this earth. At most, it would only be partial. No one would believe that all will be fed with plenty and enjoy all the luxuries of life. We can all expect to fall ill or sick at some time in our lives, or when we age. Who will not face death eventually? No matter how long we prolong our life, we will have to meet with death. In fact, most of us do not desire to live too long on this earth if we are no longer healthy and able to take care of ourselves. What is more important is not so much a long life but a life that is lived with joy, meaning and purpose. So the promise of Isaiah to the people could not be referring to fullness of life on this earth but points to the life that is to come. Nevertheless, this life on earth is a foretaste of what is to come. It would not be final but only as an anticipation.
Similarly, the healing miracles of Jesus were but an anticipation of the coming of God’s kingdom invading the lives of His people. We read that when they put the sick, the dumb and lame before feet of the Lord, He cured them all. “The crowds were astonished to see the dumb speaking, the cripples whole again, the lame walking and the blind with their sight, and they praised the God of Israel.” Christ came to reveal to us the love and mercy of His Father. But of course, all those cured by the Lord would eventually fall sick again with some other illnesses. So long as we are in this valley of tears, we are prone to illness and pain. But even if fullness of health was temporary, the fact that God would relieve us of our suffering is indeed a great consolation for us who are sick unable to eat and function, blind and unable to see, lame and unable to walk.
So, too, the healing miracles of Jesus were also supplemented by the provision of food as well. Jesus comes not just to make us well again but also to nourish us. He comes to heal us not just physically but also to provide us materially. God wants to give us our daily bread, to satisfy our hunger. God is in touch with our suffering and hunger. Indeed, Jesus told the disciples, “I feel sorry for all these people; they have been with me for three days now and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them off hungry, they might collapse on the way.” Jesus was aware that they had nothing left with them, for apparently the food they brought were all consumed, since they were there for three days already.
Indeed, this God we worship is a God who feels with us and is identified with us. Jesus, sensitive as usual to the needs of His people, asked the disciples that they provide food for them. In all His miracles, Jesus never performed them for spectacular reasons, either to show His power or to gain attention. He did them simply out of love and compassion, in response to the sufferings of people.
However, more than just taking care of our physical and material needs, He came to feed us spiritually. He went up the hill, like Moses, and sat down to teach and instruct the people as He did at the Sermon on the Mount. He knew that what the people hungered most was God in their life. Food and physical needs alone cannot satisfy the emptiness of our hearts. What we need is peace, love, joy, hope, meaning and purpose in life. Without a righteous life, a life of compassion, love and service, we will not be able to find happiness. This was why Jesus spent as much time teaching people how to live the kingdom life, the life of God by focusing our eyes on the Kingdom of God, living a life of integrity, humility, forgiveness, charity and humble service. It makes us look forward to the perfect life of communion with God and with all in heaven.
In the final analysis, the complete fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah that we will find satisfaction and happiness on the Mountain of God will only be realized in the next life. What we are enjoying on this earth is but an anticipation of what is yet to come. In this life, we are called to build communion and unity with each other in Him. The multiplication of loaves is directed to the Eucharist that we celebrate, which is our pledge of the heavenly banquet which we will enter upon death. The Eucharist, which celebrates the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord, anticipates where we will be when we depart from this world and return to God. There we will be in intense communion with God and with our brothers and sisters.
Indeed, to reach the Mountain of God is to be with God in His dwelling place. This is the ultimate hope and destiny in life. The book of Revelation says, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” (Rev 21:3f) Our prayer must also be that of the psalmist, “You have prepared a banquet for me in the sight of my foes. My head you have anointed with oil; my cup is overflowing. Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life. In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.” Only on this Mountain, is the vision of Isaiah fulfilled completely.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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