20240210 SEEING THE FACE OF JESUS IN OUR LOVED ONES
10 February 2024, Saturday, Chinese New Year
Number 6:22-27
22 The Lord said to Moses, 23 “Say to Aaron and his sons, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,
24 The Lord bless you and keep you:
25 The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you:
26 The Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.
27 “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”
Psalms 90:1-17
1 Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place*
in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting thou art God.
3 Thou turnest man back to the dust,
and sayest, “Turn back, O children of men!”
4 For a thousand years in thy sight
are but as yesterday when it is past,
or as a watch in the night.
5 Thou dost sweep men away; they are like a dream,
like grass which is renewed in the morning:
6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
in the evening it fades and withers.
7 For we are consumed by thy anger;
by thy wrath we are overwhelmed.
8 Thou hast set our iniquities before thee,
our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.
9 For all our days pass away under thy wrath,
our years come to an endf like a sigh.
10 The years of our life are threescore and ten,
or even by reason of strength fourscore;
yet their spang is but toil and trouble;
they are soon gone, and we fly away.
11 Who considers the power of thy anger,
and thy wrath according to the fear of thee?
12 So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
13 Return, O Lord! How long?
Have pity on thy servants!
14 Satisfy us in the morning with thy steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad as many days as thou hast afflicted us,
and as many years as we have seen evil.
16 Let thy work be manifest to thy servants,
and thy glorious power to their children.
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish thou the work of our hands upon us,
yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.
Col 3:12-17
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience, 13 forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Luke 12:22-32
22 And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat, nor about your body, what you shall put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25 And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his span of life?n 26 If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin;oyet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass which is alive in the field today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O men of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be of anxious mind. 30 For all the nations of the world seek these things; and your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, seek hisp kingdom, and these things shall be yours as well.
32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
SEEING THE FACE OF JESUS IN OUR LOVED ONES
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [NUM 6:22-27; PS 90:1-17; COL 3:12-17; LUKE 12:22-32]
Why do we celebrate New Year? Some of us think it is better to celebrate every new day and not just wait for the new year. Just because it is a New Year, it does not mean that things would be much different from the last year. Wars are still being fought in parts of the world, sometimes at home, and in our communities and offices. We live in a world that is highly unpredictable – climate change, economic growth, job and financial stability, health and the future of our children. Our life is fraught with anxieties and worries. We all have our challenges to deal with every day in life. No one is exempted.
However, when we celebrate the New Year, we want to celebrate with hope. Hope is very important to sustain us in life. When we give up hope, we give up life. So when the year is new, it means that we can begin a new start and we hope that things will get better, that we will be able to manage whatever is ahead of us. And we can do all these only when we know that we are not alone but that God is with us. Indeed, knowing that God is with us gives us a certain sense of serenity in the midst of the trials in life because we know that He is ultimately in charge of our lives and that He will not allow us to be overwhelmed by the crosses we carry.
For this reason, God showed His face to the people of Israel. He instructed Moses to bless the sons of Israel saying, “May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord let his face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord uncover his face to you and bring you peace.” To see the face of God is to become aware of His presence in our lives. We do not literally see His face but we are aware of His love for us. In the Gospel, Jesus speaks of God’s presence in creation as the basis for us not to be too worried over our life and future. He said, “That is why I warn you, do not be concerned for your life, what you are to eat, or for your body, what you are to wear.” He asks us to consider the birds in the sky or the lilies in the field – how insignificant they are, yet God looks after them all. And of course, we are much more important than the birds and the flowers.
We must pay attention to what is essential to life and happiness, as the Lord instructs us, “Life is more important than food and the body more than clothing.” These are not the things that really give us happiness. Of course, we need food, clothing and accommodation. But beyond these basic needs, happiness is found elsewhere. We can be clothed like a king or a queen, and live lavishly like the richest man in the world, yet have an empty and meaningless life. In truth, it is better to live a simple and uncomplicated life.
What is essential for happiness is building relationship with God and with our brothers and sisters. Indeed, Jesus said, “It is not for you to be in search of what you are to eat or drink. Stop worrying. The unbelievers of this world are always running after these things. Your Father knows that you need such things. Seek out instead his kingship over you, and the rest will follow in turn. Do not live in fear, little flock. It has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom.” We find true peace, happiness and security when we allow God to rule over our lives. This means allowing true love, compassion, and freedom to reign in our hearts. It is by living the values of the Gospel, the life of our Lord, giving oneself in humble service to others, having good, meaningful genuine relationships with others that will bring about true happiness and joy. Happiness in life is about sharing, giving, loving, serving and being supportive of each other every day.
This, I believe, is the great thing about the Lunar New Year. The emphasis is not so much about material prosperity. Of course, we need the basic things of life to be able to live comfortably. It is not wrong to ask God to bless us with the material things of life. But we must ask for the ultimate of life, which is love and relationship, and good health to serve. The most meaningful aspect of the New Year, I feel, are the reunion dinner and the visiting. Both are meant for renewing ties with our loved ones, letting go of past hurts, forgiving and beginning anew. It is a way in which we seek to rebuild ties within our family and loved ones and friends. Included in these visits of course is nice food for fellowship, but at the end of the day, it is about fellowship.
This, precisely, is St Paul’s message on building up our family. “Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful.” Indeed, what greater joy in our New Year celebration than to have our family members and loved ones come together. When we are united in love and supportive of each other, then we see the face of God in each other.
This is why forgiveness is very important in the New Year celebration. We need to forgive each other because we are human beings. We are not perfect. If we cannot be ourselves in our own family, then where can we be ourselves? This does not mean we can keep on being unreasonable, selfish, hurting, individualistic, doing things to hurt our loved ones. But it means that we are loved even when we are imperfect. We are called to bear each other’s imperfections, crosses and weaknesses. Only when we are loved, not in spite of, but because of our weaknesses, then we truly know the love of God and we will come to see the face of God in them.
For this reason, it is right and proper that you offer worship and thanksgiving to God for the New Year. Because love, forgiveness and acceptance can only be possible, not with our own strength, but with God. As St Paul wrote, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” When we pray together, worship together, hear and reflect on the Word of God together, we will find inspiration and strength to continue loving each other. We will learn how to give thanks for each other and remind ourselves to glory Him by our words and deeds.
Indeed, my dear brothers and sisters, life is short. We cannot take each other, or the blessings we have received, especially our health, for granted. Let us remember the words of the psalmist. “You turn men back into dust and say: ‘Go back, sons of men’. To your eyes a thousand years are like yesterday, come and gone, no more than a watch in the night. You sweep men away like a dream, like grass, which springs up in the morning. In the morning it springs up and flowers; by evening it withers and fades. Make us know the shortness of our life that we may gain wisdom of heart.” We need to trust in God. We need to pray for God’s grace as the psalmist did in responsorial psalm. “In the morning, fill us with your love; we shall exult and rejoice all our days. Show forth your work to your servants; let your glory shine on their children. Lord, give success to the work of our hands.” So let us consecrate our lives, our families and loved ones to the Lord, so that as we support each other in life, we will bear the face of God to each other. May the dragon, the symbol of strength, dynamism, life and passion, help you to realize your hopes for the New Year.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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