20240623 A NEW CREATION
23 June 2024, Sunday, 12th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Job 38:1,8-11 |
From the heart of the tempest the Lord gives Job his answer
From the heart of the tempest the Lord gave Job his answer. He said:
Who pent up the sea behind closed doors
when it leapt tumultuous out of the womb,
when I wrapped it in a robe of mist
and made black clouds its swaddling bands;
when I marked the bounds it was not to cross
and made it fast with a bolted gate?
Come thus far, I said, and no farther:
here your proud waves shall break.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 106(107):23-26,28-32 |
O give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures for ever.
or
Alleluia!
Some sailed to the sea in ships
to trade on the mighty waters.
These men have seen the Lord’s deeds,
the wonders he does in the deep.
O give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures for ever.
or
Alleluia!
For he spoke; he summoned the gale,
tossing the waves of the sea
up to heaven and back into the deep;
their souls melted away in their distress.
O give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures for ever.
or
Alleluia!
Then they cried to the Lord in their need
and he rescued them from their distress.
He stilled the storm to a whisper:
all the waves of the sea were hushed.
O give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures for ever.
or
Alleluia!
They rejoiced because of the calm
and he led them to the haven they desired.
Let them thank the Lord for his love,
for the wonders he does for men.
O give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures for ever.
or
Alleluia!
Second reading |
2 Corinthians 5:14-17 |
We do not judge anyone by the standards of the flesh
The love of Christ overwhelms us when we reflect that if one man has died for all, then all men should be dead; and the reason he died for all was so that living men should live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised to life for them.
From now onwards, therefore, we do not judge anyone by the standards of the flesh. Even if we did once know Christ in the flesh, that is not how we know him now. And for anyone who is in Christ, there is a new creation; the old creation has gone, and now the new one is here.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ep1:17,18 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our mind,
so that we can see what hope his call holds for us.
Alleluia!
Or: | Lk7:16 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
A great prophet has appeared among us;
God has visited his people.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 4:35-41 |
'Even the wind and the sea obey him'
With the coming of evening, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let us cross over to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd behind they took him, just as he was, in the boat; and there were other boats with him. Then it began to blow a gale and the waves were breaking into the boat so that it was almost swamped. But he was in the stern, his head on the cushion, asleep. They woke him and said to him, ‘Master, do you not care? We are going down!’ And he woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Quiet now! Be calm!’ And the wind dropped, and all was calm again. Then he said to them, ‘Why are you so frightened? How is it that you have no faith?’ They were filled with awe and said to one another, ‘Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him.’
A NEW CREATION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Job 38:1, 8-11; Ps 107:23-26,28-32; 2 Cor 5:14-17; Mark 4:35-41]
All of us have many questions about the mystery of life. Why are there so many people who suffer innocently, especially because of natural disasters, wars, accidents caused by others, illnesses and betrayals? When it comes to suffering due to our negligence or old age, we can at least accept it. Not so otherwise. This was so in the case of Job, who suffered much due to the tragic deaths of his sons and daughters, losing all his wealth, and then inflicted with a skin infection that caused him even to be rejected by his friends and wrongly accused of having done something wrong in his life. If we were him, we too would have felt a great sense of injustice done to him by God. This was the context of Job asking God for justice and answers to his innocent suffering. God appeared to be silent, even though Job was a just man, and faithful and obedient to Him.
In the gospel, the disciples were in the boat with Jesus. Then a strong gale blew and “the waves were breaking into the boat so that it was almost swamped.” Even though they were experienced fishermen, they were overwhelmed by the storm. But what caused them dismay was that Jesus was sound asleep in the stern of the boat. They woke Him and said to Him, “Master, do you not care? We are going down!” They, too, felt that the Lord was not with them in their tribulations. But this is the same accusation we make of God when we are in difficulties, when there is no solution to our problems, or when we are overwhelmed by the demands of our office. We also pray hard, expecting an answer, but God does not seem to hear us. And we wonder like the disciples, “Does the Lord care? Does He exist? Is He real? Can He intervene?” Such a reaction against God is understandable, especially when we do not feel that we deserve the suffering for which we had done no wrong. Even if we did because we were foolish, we also expect this God of mercy to show compassion to us in our weaknesses and rescue us from our troubles. Otherwise, how can we believe that this God forgives and heals us?
Yet, the truth is that our minds are too finite to understand the mystery of God’s love and plan for us. The mystery of creation and of life cannot be fully grasped by the intellect of man. This was God’s response to Job. “From the heart of the tempest, the Lord gave Job his answer. He said: Who pent up the sea behind closed doors when it leapt tumultuous out of the womb, when I wrapped it in a robe of mist and made black clouds its swaddling bands; when I marked the bounds it was not to cross and made it fast with a bolted gate? Come thus far, I said, and no farther: here your proud waves shall break.” Indeed, God questioned Job instead by asking him how much he knew about the universe and God’s creation. If we cannot even understand the mystery of creation, how can we understand the mind of God? At the end of God’s challenge, Job bowed his head in humility and kept silence in the face of the mystery of God’s creation. He said, “See, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but will proceed no further.” (Job 40:4f)
Yet, the truth is that God cares. It is whether we have faith in Jesus or not. Jesus, after rebuking the wind and calming the sea, said to His disciples, “Why are you so frightened? How is it that you have no faith?” Faith in Jesus is the key to faith in God because Jesus shows us the face of God. Through the life of Jesus, His teaching, His miracles, His works of healing and compassion, we know who God is because Jesus is identified with God. Unless we are convinced that Jesus is the sacrament of God, then we will continue to doubt His love. This is why, it is not enough to know what Jesus had done or taught. More importantly, we need to ask the question that the disciples asked, “They were filled with awe and said to one another, ‘Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him.'” Who is Jesus to us? The identity of Jesus is the key to all the mysteries of life, suffering and death in the world.
This answer is found in today’s second reading. The true identity of Jesus is revealed not just by His life, but by His death and resurrection. This was the experience of St Paul. After having encountered the Risen Lord at Damascus, his whole perception of life changed. Before that, he only saw the external dimension of things. He saw Jesus externally as a heretic, misguiding the Jews on the true faith of Judaism. He saw the Gentiles as people not called to salvation because the Jews were the only chosen people of God. But after seeing the Risen Lord, hearing Him speaking to Him, his entire view of Jesus, the Christians and even the Gentiles changed radically. As he wrote, “From now onwards, therefore, we do not judge anyone by the standards of the flesh. Even if we did once know Christ in the flesh, that is not how we know him now. And for anyone who is in Christ, there is a new creation; the old creation has gone, and now the new one is here.”
Indeed, encountering the Risen Lord is the fundamental key to conversion of life, of mind and of heart. Christianity is not a religion that is reducible to an intellectual discourse. As Pope Benedict wrote, “We have come to believe in God’s love: in these words, the Christian can express the fundamental decision of his life. Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.” This event refers to the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord. Of course, it includes the whole life of Jesus which culminates in His death and resurrection. The Risen Lord, of course, is in continuity with the same person of Jesus of Nazareth. The Lord asked “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” He asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” (Acts 9:4f)
From that moment, Saul was awakened and he became Paul! He was a new creation. He was no longer the Saul that persecuted the Christians. He was Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles. He was overwhelmed by God’s love in Christ for him and, most of all, he felt extremely sorry for his ignorance in persecuting the Christians. He wrote, “I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the foremost.” (1 Tim 1:12-15)
Above all, he knew that the only reason why he should live is for Christ and His people, and no longer for himself. “The love of Christ overwhelms us when we reflect that if one man has died for all, then all men should be dead; and the reason he died for all was so that living men should live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised to life for them.” Overpowered by the love of God for him and for us all, knowing that Christ has died for us all, suffering in our place, and crucified for our sins, we must now also die with Christ to our sins and our selfishness and self-centeredness. We must now live only for Christ and for others as well. This is the way to fullness of life, not just on this earth but hereafter.
Consequently, the riddles of life, suffering and death are resolved in the death and resurrection of Christ. Through our suffering, even innocent suffering, we are called to overcome the selfishness of humanity, and inspire others to love and care for their brothers and sisters. I am sure the scenes of the Gaza war – the numerous children and women killed – have struck the hearts of humanity. Such are the atrocities of human beings when they do not see that we are all one people of God, regardless of race, language or religion. Even if we suffer, we never suffer in vain. The blood of innocent people will certainly be the seed of love and justice because consciences would be pricked. Regardless, we also know that our life is more than just this life on earth. Whilst we should do everything to restore justice, peace, love and unity, and help the world to develop and progress, we know also for certain that our real life is in heaven with God, as St Paul says, “So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.” (Col 3:1,4)
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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