20240229 WHERE DO YOU PLACE YOUR TRUST?
29 February 2024, Thursday, 2nd Week of Lent
First reading |
Jeremiah 17:5-10 © |
A curse on the man who puts his trust in man and turns from the Lord
The Lord says this:
‘A curse on the man who puts his trust in man,
who relies on things of flesh,
whose heart turns from the Lord.
He is like dry scrub in the wastelands:
if good comes, he has no eyes for it,
he settles in the parched places of the wilderness,
a salt land, uninhabited.
‘A blessing on the man who puts his trust in the Lord,
with the Lord for his hope.
He is like a tree by the waterside
that thrusts its roots to the stream:
when the heat comes it feels no alarm,
its foliage stays green;
it has no worries in a year of drought,
and never ceases to bear fruit.
‘The heart is more devious than any other thing,
perverse too: who can pierce its secrets?
I, the Lord, search to the heart,
I probe the loins,
to give each man what his conduct
and his actions deserve.’
Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 1:1-4,6 © |
Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.
Happy indeed is the man
who follows not the counsel of the wicked;
nor lingers in the way of sinners
nor sits in the company of scorners,
but whose delight is the law of the Lord
and who ponders his law day and night.
Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.
He is like a tree that is planted
beside the flowing waters,
that yields its fruit in due season
and whose leaves shall never fade;
and all that he does shall prosper.
Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.
Not so are the wicked, not so!
For they like winnowed chaff
shall be driven away by the wind:
for the Lord guards the way of the just
but the way of the wicked leads to doom.
Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.
Gospel Acclamation | Lk15:18 |
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
I will leave this place and go to my father and say:
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.’
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
Or: | cf.Lk8:15 |
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
Blessed are those who,
with a noble and generous heart,
take the word of God to themselves
and yield a harvest through their perseverance.
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
Gospel | Luke 16:19-31 © |
Dives and Lazarus
Jesus said to the Pharisees: ‘There was a rich man who used to dress in purple and fine linen and feast magnificently every day. And at his gate there lay a poor man called Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to fill himself with the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Dogs even came and licked his sores. Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried.
‘In his torment in Hades he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off with Lazarus in his bosom. So he cried out, “Father Abraham, pity me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these flames.” “My son,” Abraham replied “remember that during your life good things came your way, just as bad things came the way of Lazarus. Now he is being comforted here while you are in agony. But that is not all: between us and you a great gulf has been fixed, to stop anyone, if he wanted to, crossing from our side to yours, and to stop any crossing from your side to ours.”
‘The rich man replied, “Father, I beg you then to send Lazarus to my father’s house, since I have five brothers, to give them warning so that they do not come to this place of torment too.” “They have Moses and the prophets,” said Abraham “let them listen to them.” “Ah no, father Abraham,” said the rich man “but if someone comes to them from the dead, they will repent.” Then Abraham said to him, “If they will not listen either to Moses or to the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone should rise from the dead.”’
WHERE DO YOU PLACE YOUR TRUST?
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [JER 17:5-10; PS 1:1-4,6; LUKE 16:19-31]
Where do you place your trust? Perhaps, the question we need to ask ourselves is, what, or who, matters to us most in life? If it is what that matters, then we will seek for power, wealth, status, health, pleasure and security. We think that happiness is fundamentally dependent on whether we can secure for ourselves what we need in life, and beyond. Living a comfortable and luxurious life is what most people will look for. That being the case, we will invest all our energies in our work, career, business, accumulating wealth as the most important goal in life. In itself, it is not wrong, but we can be so absorbed in our worldly pursuits that we miss out the greater things in life. We can be so taken up by our worldly obsessions that we think we can achieve it simply through hard work, ingenuity and influence.
The parable of today’s gospel on the rich man reveals to us the dangers of pursuing riches and a lavish lifestyle. The gospel is not even saying that the rich man was dishonest in acquiring riches through cheating or immoral means. He was simply enjoying his life, dressed “in purple and fine linen and feast magnificently every day.” However, he was oblivious to the suffering of Lazarus who was at his gate, “covered with sores, who longed to fill himself with the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Dogs even came, and licked his sores.” Indeed, we can be so consumed by pleasure and our comfortable lifestyle that we become blind to the many people who are suffering outside our gate, in our community, in society and in the world.
When that happens, it exposes our foolishness in trusting in man and in the world, as if these are our real securities. In the book of Jeremiah, “The Lord says this: ‘A curse on the man who puts his trust in man, who relies on things of the flesh, whose heart turns from the Lord. He is like dry scrub in the wastelands: if good comes, he has no eyes for it, he settles in the parched places of the wilderness, a salt land, uninhabited.” Indeed, when we trust in ourselves and in the things of this world, we will be disappointed and even be disillusioned.
Firstly, our health does not always last. It does not mean that good health is determined simply by taking care of our diet and exercise every day. It also depends on our constitution, our family history. Accidents can also happen. There is no guarantee with respect to health. Secondly, we know that wealth, power and position are transitory. Wealth can be lost due to business failures and wrong investments. Power and position will diminish the day when we no longer hold office. Thirdly, just because we have wealth and position, it does not mean that we can enjoy and live a carefree life because we will still need to manage our wealth, and if we are in poor health, we cannot eat many things nor can we travel. What is the meaning of having wealth when we cannot even enjoy the simple things of life, of nature and creation?
If we find that happiness is not found in possessions, luxury and glory, then we can move to a higher pursuit in life. The next question is, who matters to us most in life? We might think that family members and friends are the most important. They are the people that make us feel loved, appreciated and valued. We all care for our loved ones because we have emotional ties. Through our loved ones, we feel secure and most of all, are happy to be with them. We can be ourselves with them. We feel understood. We know that they care for us as much as we care for them. They are a great help to us when we are in need. Even the rich man, for all his self-centeredness and his suffering in hades, still had a heart for his five brothers whom he feared will end up suffering like him because they, too, lived selfish and self-centred lives. He appealed to God to send Lazarus to his father’s house to warn them not to follow him.
Having established how important friendships are, we also must be realistic. We cannot even rely on man, as we are warned. This is because man cannot be trusted. They are good to us so long as we can be of use to them. The day when we are no longer rich or influential, or cannot do much for them, we will know who our real friends are. Even our family members fight over money and property when it comes to securing one’s interests. How many family members do we see that say to each other, please choose what you want and leave the rest to me. Bitter quarrels often take place when it comes to inheritance. But we do not have to go too far. Sometimes, even when it comes to looking after our elderly parents, children will push their responsibilities to others.
The Lord warns us, “The heart is more devious than any other thing, perverse too: who can pierce its secrets? I, the Lord, search the heart; I probe the loins to give man what his conduct and action deserve.” Man is weak. We are sinners. We are easily tempted. We are inclined to protect ourselves and our interests. So we can be friends today, but tomorrow we are enemies. We should not expect too much from friends. Otherwise, we can become disillusioned and bitter when things go awry. Rather, recognizing our human frailties, let us be realistic and accept the limitations of our friends. Whilst we should value our relatives and friends, let us also realize that most will put their interests first, when it comes to making decisions regarding wealth and property or convenience.
For this reason, the scripture readings are clear. We must place our trust in God above all. This is not to say that material needs do not matter, or that family and friends are unimportant. But we cannot put too much trust in them. We can only put our total trust in God who is absolutely reliable. This is what the Lord says, “A blessing on the man who puts his trust in the Lord. With the Lord for his hope. He is like a tree by the waterside that thrusts its roots to the stream: when the heat comes it feels no alarm, its foliage stays green; it has no worries in a year of drought, and never ceases to bear fruit.” When we put our trust in God, we will not have to worry whether it rains or shines. We can trust that God will always take care of us. As the Lord taught us in the Sermon on the Mount, “Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Mt 6:32f)
We should place our trust in God alone, and in His divine wisdom, as expressed in His will. There is something beautiful we can learn from the Muslims because they believe in submission. In Arabic, the word Muslim means “one who submits.” What we need to do is to submit our lives to God, in obedience to His will. This is not an attitude of fatal resignation. Rather, it is an invitation to live responsibly each day according to what the Lord has provided us. We should be happy in whatever circumstances we are in; and do our best within the constraints imposed on us. God will know when to change our circumstances and provide us with new opportunities to expand and grow our talents and our contributions to society. This is why the psalmist says, “Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord. Happy indeed is the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked but who ponders his law, day and night. He is like a tree that is planted beside the flowing waters, that yields its fruit in due season and whose leaves shall never fade; and all that he does shall prosper.”
When God is placed above all, we can then surrender all our time, energy and resources in doing good, loving our fellowmen without undue attachment, or attempt to control them. But we leave them free to love us, or to return our friendship and kindness. Our joy will be in having the capacity to share and make a difference in the lives of others. We share because God is our security and provider of all things. Such is the joy of a liberating life of love and service. We are not afraid to lose and we have no intention to make use of people. We are happy with more; we are also happy with less. As St Paul shared, “I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Phil 4:11-13) So where do you place your trust in if not God alone and His love!
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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