20240730 MAKING RIGHT CHOICES IN LIFE
30 July 2024, Tuesday, 17th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Jeremiah 14:17-22 |
We confess our wickedness; you, God, are our hope
The Lord said to me:
Say this word to the people:
‘Tears flood my eyes
night and day, unceasingly,
since a crushing blow falls on the daughter of my people,
a most grievous injury.
If I go into the countryside,
there lie men killed by the sword;
if I go into the city,
I see people sick with hunger;
even prophets and priests
plough the land: they are at their wit’s end.’
‘Have you rejected Judah altogether?
Does your very soul revolt at Zion?
Why have you struck us down without hope of cure?
We were hoping for peace – no good came of it!
For the moment of cure – nothing but terror!
Lord, we do confess our wickedness
and our fathers’ guilt:
we have indeed sinned against you.
For your name’s sake do not reject us,
do not dishonour the throne of your glory.
Remember us; do not break your covenant with us.
Can any of the pagan Nothings make it rain?
Can the heavens produce showers?
No, it is you, Lord.
O our God, you are our hope,
since it is you who do all this.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 78(79):8-9,11,13 |
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.
Let the groans of the prisoners come before you;
let your strong arm reprieve those condemned to die.
But we, your people, the flock of your pasture,
will give you thanks for ever and ever.
We will tell your praise from age to age.
Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.
Gospel Acclamation | 1P1:25 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The word of the Lord remains for ever:
What is this word?
It is the Good News that has been brought to you.
Alleluia!
Or: |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The seed is the word of God, Christ the sower;
whoever finds this seed will remain for ever.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 13:36-43 |
As the darnel is gathered up and burnt, so it will be at the end of time
Leaving the crowds, Jesus went to the house; and his disciples came to him and said, ‘Explain the parable about the darnel in the field to us.’ He said in reply, ‘The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world; the good seed is the subjects of the kingdom; the darnel, the subjects of the evil one; the enemy who sowed them, the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; the reapers are the angels. Well then, just as the darnel is gathered up and burnt in the fire, so it will be at the end of time. The Son of Man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that provoke offences and all who do evil, and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then the virtuous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Listen, anyone who has ears!’
MAKING RIGHT CHOICES IN LIFE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Jer 14:17-22; Ps 79:8-9,11,13; Mt 13:36-43]
It is a fact that the world is evil. There is so much sin and sufferings caused by the sins of injustice, violence and killing. We have no control over the power of evil in this world. The devil is at work in the hearts of men, tempting them to sin: pride, greed, lust and gluttony manifested in the pursuit of power, wealth and status. So we are always living with the weeds of this world. There is no escape. This is what the parable of the Darnel wants to remind us. Let us not seek to remove the weeds from our lives. It is impossible. So long as we live in this world, the weeds are here to stay, not just in others but also in ourselves. Before we condemn others as evil and bad, let us also remember that the weeds are also in us as well. We have our own sins.
But this is only one side of the picture. The world is not that bad as some people portray it to be. Even in the face of evil, there are many good people in this world with a kind, generous and magnanimous heart. They might be believers and they might not even subscribe to any religion. They do good works quietly, living a righteous life and seek to do good for society and humanity. But we too are basically good people when we look at ourselves. We are not that bad as we might see ourselves. Often, we only focus on our weaknesses and sins, exaggerating them out of proportion, making us hate ourselves even more. This will only keep us from loving others. Of course we are not saints either. Even the most wicked man has much goodness in him. People are wicked or unkind only because they have been wounded and they are merely reacting out of their fears and wounds.
So what do we do? Do we resign ourselves to the reality of sin and be overwhelmed by it? Do we join them instead of doing what we can to accept the situation of sin, make the best of it and learn from it, and overcome it with goodness? We must look at sin in the right perspective. No doubt sin is evil and we must overcome it. But we must not allow sin to make us feel hopeless and defeated. This is a sure way to be under the slavery of sin. So how can we see the role of sin in a Christian way? Let us not forget the words of St Paul, “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” (Rom 8:28)
How do we make sin work for our good? Firstly, the presence of sin must be seen as a test and a means of purification for us in our growth in holiness. St Paul wrote, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.” (Rom 8:18-23) Indeed, our sufferings will make us desire to be set free by living the life of the Spirit, the life of grace. God allows us to suffer so that we can grow out of ourselves, look beyond this world to the glory of heaven. That is why God allows sufferings, old age, pain, sickness, so that we know that our real happiness is in heaven. “But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself.” (Phil 3:20f)
Secondly, through suffering caused by sins or even natural evils, we grow in our interior life. It is through the trials of life, especially when we face injustices, sufferings and privation, that we learn how to depend on God, value the greater things of life, such as love, compassion, kindness and fraternity. Therefore, St Paul says, “So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.” (2 Cor 4:16-18) Without going through the trials of life, we will not be able to grow in grace and in love. So we must thank God for the sufferings that come our way. They are graces for growth, not obstacles for life and love.
This was the case of the Israelites during the time of Jeremiah. They were suffering the consequences of their sins. Their lives were immoral, corrupt and evil. They worshipped false gods and betrayed the covenant. As a sign of God’s judgement on them, the prophet understood that the famine and drought they were going through were ways in which God wanted the people to know that without Him, they could do nothing. They had become arrogant, self-reliant and self-sufficient. But when under attack from natural calamities and their enemies, they were stripped to nothing. This was the sorrow of the prophet when he said, “Tears flood my eyes night and day, unceasingly, since a crushing blow falls on the daughter of my people, a most grievous injury. If I go into the countryside, there lie men killed by the sword; if I go into the city, I see people sick with hunger; even prophets and priests plough the land: they are at their wit’s end.”
But through their suffering, Jeremiah led them to repentance by turning to God in humility. This calls for a recognition of their hopelessness and wickedness. They turned to God saying, “Have you rejected Judah altogether? Does your very soul revolt at Zion? Why have you struck us down without hope of cure? We were hoping for peace – no good came of it! For the moment of cure – nothing but terror! Lord, we do confess our wickedness and our father’s guilt: we have sinned against you.” So through their suffering, many of us come to realize our nothingness, especially those of us who are influential, powerful, with money and resources. In the face of a terminal illness or a rare disease or a threatened pregnancy, we have no one to turn to except the mercy of God alone!
Thirdly, through our sufferings, we will remember the mercy and love of God. Appealing to God’s covenant means that we become conscious once again of our dignity and our privileged place as God’s chosen people. It is with this confidence that we can pray with faith as well. The prophet prayed, “For your name’s sake do not reject us, do not dishonour the throne of your glory. Remember us; do not break your covenant with us. Can any of the pagan Nothings make it rain? Can the heavens produce showers? No, it is you Lord our God, you are our hope, since it is you who do all this.” So too the psalmist prayed in such a manner by appealing to the fidelity of God to His covenant. “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. 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.”
So, we should not be too bothered with the weeds around us. At the same time, we should not be simply thinking of judgement at the end of our life here on earth. The truth is that the judgement of God is taking place at every moment in our lives. Jesus said, “Well then, just as the darnel is gathered up and burnt in the fire, so it will be at the end of time. The Son of Man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that provoke offences and all who do evil, and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.” Whenever we sin, we will have a foretaste of the punishment of our sins. This punishment is the purifying fire that God permits in our lives.
Conversely, if we live good lives, then we are already enjoying heaven on earth as a foretaste because we have transcended the suffering of evil. Jesus said, “Then the virtuous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” In the final analysis, whether the weeds are in our favour or not, it is a question of choices that we make. Even when we make wrong choices, it is never too late. Use the mistakes and the sufferings that come from them as the means for us to repent, grow and be purified. For this reason, God does not remove the weeds from our lives completely, lest we become proud and self-reliant. The master replied, “No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.” (Mt 13:28-30)
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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