20240627 BUILDING OUR HOUSE
27 June 2024, Thursday, 12th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | 2 Kings 24:8-17 |
The first deportation into captivity in Babylon
Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he came to the throne, and he reigned for three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Nehushta, daughter of Elnathan, from Jerusalem. He did what is displeasing to the Lord, just as his father had done.
At that time the troops of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched on Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon himself came to attack the city while his troops were besieging it. Then Jehoiachin king of Judah surrendered to the king of Babylon, he, his mother, his officers, his nobles and his eunuchs, and the king of Babylon took them prisoner. This was in the eighth year of King Nebuchadnezzar.
The latter carried off all the treasures of the Temple of the Lord and the treasures of the royal palace, and broke up all the golden furnishings that Solomon king of Israel had made for the sanctuary of the Lord, as the Lord had foretold. He carried off all Jerusalem into exile, all the nobles and all the notables, ten thousand of these were exiled, with all the blacksmiths and metalworkers; only the poorest people in the country were left behind. He deported Jehoiachin to Babylon, as also the king’s mother, his eunuchs and the nobility of the country; he made them all leave Jerusalem for exile in Babylon. All the men of distinction, seven thousand of them, the blacksmiths and metalworkers, one thousand of them, all of them men capable of bearing arms, were led into exile in Babylon by the king of Babylon.
The king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in succession to him, and changed his name to Zedekiah.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 78(79):1-5,8-9 |
Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.
O God, the nations have invaded your land,
they have profaned your holy temple.
They have made Jerusalem a heap of ruins.
They have handed over the bodies of your servants
as food to feed the birds of heaven
and the flesh of your faithful to the beasts of the earth.
Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.
They have poured out blood like water in Jerusalem;
no one is left to bury the dead.
We have become the taunt of our neighbours,
the mockery and scorn of those who surround us.
How long, O Lord? Will you be angry for ever;
how long will your anger burn like fire?
Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.
Do not hold the guilt of our fathers against us.
Let your compassion hasten to meet us;
we are left in the depths of distress.
Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.
O God our saviour, come to our help.
Come for the sake of the glory of your name.
O Lord our God, forgive us our sins;
rescue us for the sake of your name.
Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.
Gospel Acclamation | Heb4:12 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The word of God is something alive and active:
it can judge secret emotions and thoughts.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn14:23 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
If anyone loves me he will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Matthew 7:21-29 |
The wise man built his house on a rock
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘It is not those who say to me, “Lord, Lord,” who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven. When the day comes many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, cast out demons in your name, work many miracles in your name?” Then I shall tell them to their faces: I have never known you; away from me, you evil men!
‘Therefore, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and hurled themselves against that house, and it did not fall: it was founded on rock. But everyone who listens to these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and struck that house, and it fell; and what a fall it had!’
Jesus had now finished what he wanted to say, and his teaching made a deep impression on the people because he taught them with authority, and not like their own scribes.
BUILDING OUR HOUSE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 KGS 24:8-17; PS 79:1-5,8-9; MT 7:21-29]
We are all called to build the House of God. What is this house we are called to build? This house refers first and foremost to ourselves because we are the Temple of the Holy Spirit. God lives in us. This is the most fundamental house because if this house collapses, all the other houses would be built on sand and would ultimately not be able to withstand the trials and vicissitudes of life. Secondly, this house refers to our family whom we are asked to take care of on behalf of God because God gave us children to bring up according to His commandments. We are called to build a united family, where there is communion of life and love, where everyone takes care of each other, putting each other’s interests before their own. Our task is to build a domestic church and a family of God. Thirdly, this house refers to the Church, the Temple of God, which we are called to preserve in holiness, in truth and in charity. This is the larger house where every member is called to serve and build from strength to strength. Finally, we are called to build the larger family, our nation and then the world. All of us are called to build this humanity into a family of God where God is the Father of us all, and Jesus is our brother, and where all share in the Spirit of God.
How, then, should we build the House of God? What foundation is needed to make sure that God’s house is solid and strong? The Lord said that we need to build our house on His words. “Therefore, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and hurled themselves against the house, and it did not fall: it was founded on rock. But everyone who listens to these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and struck that house, and it fell: and what a fall it had!”
This means that we must submit in obedience to the Word of God. Christians, therefore, must take the teaching of Christ seriously. We cannot pick and choose what we like and discard those that we do not like. If Jesus is the Truth, the Word of God, we should obey His word regardless whether we understand the wisdom and truth of it or whether or not we agree with it. We should simply obey in faith and in love. When God speaks, an obedience of faith is required. Faith simply means obedience to the Word of God. It is only when we take His Word seriously and believe it, that we can grow in our spiritual life and walk in the truth. To pick and choose is not believing the Word of God but believing in ourselves. If we have faith in His words, then our house will be built on strong principles and foundation. Only those who know His Word and let it live in them can face the challenges of life, the misinformation in the media, the distortion of truth and the delusion of the world. Jesus said, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.” (Jn 14:23f) Truly, we must say with the psalmist, “Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Ps 119:104f)
What is faith? Faith is obedience. Faith is not so much to the Word of God but faith in Jesus. When we have faith in someone, we believe what the person says and what he or she tells us. This is why St Paul told the Christians in Rome to render obedience in faith. (Rom 1:5) It is this faith in Jesus that is the basis for our faith in the Word of God. So the real reason why people do not submit to the Word of God is because they do not believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. If the scriptures is merely a book of knowledge and wisdom, we can debate and dispute and disagree on what is written. But if the Word of God is Jesus Christ, our faith in Him as God’s Word will call forth total obedience to all that He has taught us.
Hence, in concluding the letter, Paul summed up the ultimate goal of his preaching. “Now to God who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the Gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith – to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen.” (Rom 16:25-27) As St John wrote at the end of the gospel, “But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.” (Jn 20:31)
Obedience in faith is not just a verbal or intellectual obedience. It must be seen in our actions as well. Understanding the Word carries responsibility. It is our submission to the word of God and obedience to His holy will that is the foundation of our security and stability. St James reminded the Christians, “Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. Those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act – they will be blessed in their doing.” (Jms 1:22-25) Further on, he said, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? Faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.” (Jms 2:15,17)
However, obedience in faith goes beyond simply working for God. There is a big difference between working for God and doing God’s work. When we work for God, it is based on our will and preferences. We do what we like to do. We join a ministry that we enjoy doing. We are pleased with ourselves. We think God should also be pleased with us. But the Lord said, “It is not those who say to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven.” Doing God’s work is different from working for God. To do God’s work means to do what He wills and according to how He wants it to be done. It is based on His will and working in partnership with Him. In other words, working for God is our work for Him, but doing God’s work is God working in and through us. This explains why the Lord said, “When the day comes many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, cast out demons in your name, work miracles in your name?” Then I shall tell them to their faces: ‘I have never known you; away from me, you evil man!'” When we do God’s work, we have nothing to boast about because God works in us and we work with Him in union with Him. When we work for God, we become proud and self-righteous.
The scripture today gives us a warning and an example of how our house will collapse if we refuse to take heed of His words. We will suffer the same fate of Israel. The Book of Kings recounts the exile of the Israelites to Babylon. Eventually, the kingdom collapsed because the kings were weak, the people divided, and the nobles and officials corrupt. They were greedy (Jer 22:17), proud (2 Chr 36:12), and indifferent to the needs of others. (Jer 22:3, 15) There were injustices and oppression of the ordinary people and the poor. Their internal disunity and division made them too weak to resist the Babylonians. Jerusalem was besieged and conquered by Nebuchadnezzar. To pre-empt further rebellion, the King deported King Jehoiachin, his family, all the nobles, men of military age and all blacksmiths and metalworkers, possible arms-manufacturers. He left on the throne another puppet-king, Zedekiah who reigned for 11 years before risking yet another rebellion. Significantly, his name was changed from Mattaniah (Gift of Yahweh) to Zedekiah (Yahweh is righteous). It underscores that God’s act against Jerusalem was justified judicially.
We see this history of Israel being repeated in our days. But we are unrepentant. Instead, humanity is getting from bad to worse. We have become arrogant because of science and technology. We think we have power to determine our lives and the world. But we know that this planet, more than ever, has become a very divided place because of relativism, materialism and individualism. We have become intolerant of each other, over-sensitive, so much so we cannot speak the truth anymore for fear of being cancelled out. Our house will also collapse. Not only will nations fight with each other and the fourth world war break out, but the entire planet and humanity will be destroyed, not by climate warming but by humanity.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment