20240816 MISUSING GOD’S GIFTS
16 August 2024, Friday, 19th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Ezekiel 16:1-15,60,63 |
I clothed you with my own splendour but you made yourself a prostitute
The word of the Lord was addressed to me as follows, ‘Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her filthy crimes. Say, “The Lord says this: By origin and birth you belong to the land of Canaan. Your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. At birth, the very day you were born, there was no one to cut your navel-string, or wash you in cleansing water, or rub you with salt, or wrap you in napkins. No one leaned kindly over you to do anything like that for you. You were exposed in the open fields; you were as unloved as that on the day you were born.
‘“I saw you struggling in your blood as I was passing, and I said to you as you lay in your blood: Live, and grow like the grass of the fields. You developed, you grew, you reached marriageable age. Your breasts and your hair both grew, but you were quite naked. Then I saw you as I was passing. Your time had come, the time for love. I spread part of my cloak over you and covered your nakedness; I bound myself by oath, I made a covenant with you – it is the Lord who speaks – and you became mine. I bathed you in water, I washed the blood off you, I anointed you with oil. I gave you embroidered dresses, fine leather shoes, a linen headband and a cloak of silk. I loaded you with jewels, gave you bracelets for your wrists and a necklace for your throat. I gave you nose-ring and earrings; I put a beautiful diadem on your head. You were loaded with gold and silver, and dressed in fine linen and embroidered silks. Your food was the finest flour, honey and oil. You grew more and more beautiful; and you rose to be queen. The fame of your beauty spread through the nations, since it was perfect, because I had clothed you with my own splendour – it is the Lord who speaks.
‘“You have become infatuated with your own beauty; you have used your fame to make yourself a prostitute; you have offered your services to all comers. But I will remember the covenant that I made with you when you were a girl, and I will conclude a covenant with you that shall last for ever. And so remember and be covered with shame, and in your confusion be reduced to silence, when I have pardoned you for all that you have done – it is the Lord who speaks.”’
Responsorial Psalm | Isaiah 12 |
The rejoicing of a redeemed people
Your anger has passed, O Lord, and you give me comfort.
Truly, God is my salvation,
I trust, I shall not fear.
For the Lord is my strength, my song,
he became my saviour.
With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.
Your anger has passed, O Lord, and you give me comfort.
Give thanks to the Lord, give praise to his name!
Make his mighty deeds known to the peoples!
Declare the greatness of his name.
Your anger has passed, O Lord, and you give me comfort.
Sing a psalm to the Lord
for he has done glorious deeds;
make them known to all the earth!
People of Zion, sing and shout for joy,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
Your anger has passed, O Lord, and you give me comfort.
Gospel Acclamation | Ps110:7,8 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your precepts, O Lord, are all of them sure;
they stand firm for ever and ever.
Alleluia!
Or: | cf.1Th2:13 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Accept God’s message for what it really is:
God’s message, and not some human thinking.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Matthew 19:3-12 |
Husband and wife are no longer two, but one body
Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and to test him they said, ‘Is it against the Law for a man to divorce his wife on any pretext whatever?’ He answered, ‘Have you not read that the creator from the beginning made them male and female and that he said: This is why a man must leave father and mother, and cling to his wife, and the two become one body? They are no longer two, therefore, but one body. So then, what God has united, man must not divide.’
They said to him, ‘Then why did Moses command that a writ of dismissal should be given in cases of divorce?’ ‘It was because you were so unteachable’ he said ‘that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but it was not like this from the beginning. Now I say this to you: the man who divorces his wife – I am not speaking of fornication – and marries another, is guilty of adultery.’
The disciples said to him, ‘If that is how things are between husband and wife, it is not advisable to marry.’ But he replied, ‘It is not everyone who can accept what I have said, but only those to whom it is granted. There are eunuchs born that way from their mother’s womb, there are eunuchs made so by men and there are eunuchs who have made themselves that way for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.’
MISUSING GOD’S GIFTS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Ezk 16:1-15, 60, 63 or Ezk 16:59-63; Is 12; Mt 19:3-12]
In today’s first reading, we read of the infidelity of Israel. God had been generous with His love for them. Although Israel was insignificant, yet God chose her from the very beginning and nurtured her like a mother from young. “You were exposed in the open fields; you were as unloved as that on the day you were born.” From a motley crowd, Israel became a powerful and prosperous nation. God made a covenant with Israel, binding Himself to her. Instead of gratitude and fidelity for the love of God for her, and the many gifts bestowed upon her, she used them for idolatry and prostitution. She betrayed God. As a consequence, from being the glory of God, she became a shame. The Lord said, “So remember and be covered with shame, and in your confusion be reduced to silence, when I have pardoned you for all that you have done.”
What about us? How have we used the gifts that God has blessed us with? We often take for granted the blessings we received from God. We fail to realize that who we are today, and where we have arrived is due to the many people who have helped us in our life. If we are doing well in our studies, it is the grace of God that we have the grey matter to study well, and good teachers, lecturers and friends to support us, as well as parents who help to fund our studies. When we get a good job, we too must be grateful to God because finding the right job is not just a matter of having the right qualifications but also the opportunities, right contacts, right influence, and right timing.
This is why we must be grateful. We must use our skills and knowledge for the service of others and to glorify God. We do not want to repeat the mistake of the Israelites who were ungrateful for the blessings they received from God. When we use our talents, resources and positions well in life, not only do we bring joy to those who receive our help and services, but we also give glory and joy to those who have helped us, knowing that the blessings they have given us have made it possible for others to be blessed through us. What greater joy can there be for God, and for our benefactors than to know that we have used their blessings well!
This is particularly true for those called to the priesthood as well. It takes as long as nine years for a priest to be ordained. During this time, many people would have played a part in guiding him, encouraging and forming him in his vocation. Before that, many more would have consciously or unconsciously contributed to his responding to the call – a retreat that he attended, an invitation to consider a religious vocation, a homily that touched him, or a religious experience. It takes an entire Church community to form a priest and to help a young man to find his vocation.
For this reason, a priest must always be grateful. He must not take his priesthood for granted. Otherwise, he would think that he earned it because he worked hard to become a priest, and that he made so many sacrifices to attain his vocation. He will have an entitlement mentality, serving with arrogance and demanding privileges. But if he were grateful, he would serve humbly and joyfully because he is aware that the privilege of being a priest is purely through the grace and kindness of God and his community, including his loved ones. When a priest is conscious of his humble background, and grateful for the blessings he has received, he will serve humbly and generously.
In today’s gospel, Jesus exhorts us to seek the ideals of God in life. A case in point is the gift of marriage. Clearly, it is the intention of God from the beginning of creation to have men and women celebrating love and life through marriage. He said, “Have you not read that the creator from the beginning made them male and female and that he said: This is why a man must leave father and mother, and cling to his wife, and the two become one body. So then, what God has united, man must not divide.”
Yet, the truth is as the Lord said, “It was because you were so unteachable that Moses allowed you to divorce wives, but it was not like this from the beginning. Now I say this to you: the man who divorces his wife – I am not speaking of fornication – and marries another, is guilty of adultery.” Truly, human beings are weak. They are tempted by the Evil One to commit adultery. Sometimes, because of pride and selfishness, they cannot agree with their spouse. There is a breakdown in communication, leading to cold wars and even violence. The relationship becomes very strained, and when both are wounded and not healed, their wounds fester until reconciliation is no longer possible. On the other hand, the hard-hearted person who has been wronged cannot forgive or live harmoniously with others. He despises those who are weaker in life. He cannot tolerate the mistakes of others. This was true of the Pharisees. The consequence of being hard-hearted is due to an entitlement mentality. The Pharisees felt that they had earned their righteousness. They despised those who failed. When we hold grudges against someone who has repented of his or her sins, our hard-heartedness will hinder our communication with God and cause us to sin.
The ideals that Jesus advocated apply not just to marriage, but also to forgiveness. Forgiving our loved ones and our enemies is an equally important ideal to strive for. It is therefore no coincidence that the teaching on forgiveness in Matthew 18 precedes the teaching on marriage and divorce. The more intimate the relationship, the more serious is the scar when betrayals or communication breaks down. But when we are hard-hearted, refusing to listen to the exhortation of Christ on the ideals of marriage and continue to harbour our anger at the failures of our loved ones, the relationship becomes irreconcilable.
Marriage is a gift from God. We must seek to build up our marriages and repair them when there is a breakdown in communication. At the same time, we are called to be sympathetic and not be hard-hearted towards those who fail. God sometimes allows what is less than the ideal because our hard-heartedness makes the ideal unattainable. God is patient with us. Whilst reminding us of the ideals, He also understands our struggles. That is why we must be forgiving and tolerant of those who have not arrived at the ideals. We are not perfect and sometimes we need to apply the principle of the law of gradualness in holiness. This is true even in other areas of life. We must seek the ideals and yet be realistic about our weakness. We need time to learn from our mistakes.
What is true of marriage is also true for those who choose to be celibate, or stay single for the Kingdom of God. When the disciples recognized how difficult the ideal of marriage is, and that divorce is against God’s intention, they suggested that it was better not to marry. In truth, whether being married or single, life has its challenges. Jesus nevertheless accepted the greater calling to be a celibate for the spread of the gospel. “It is not everyone who can accept what I have said, but only those to whom it is granted … there are eunuchs who have made themselves that way for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.” For the sake of the gospel, like Paul, one could be called to be a celibate so that he could give his entire life and focus to the proclamation of God’s kingdom and not be distracted by mundane responsibilities. But this is voluntary, and it must be a gift and a calling. Remaining single or a celibate cannot be for selfish reasons, but because one feels that being single can allow one to do more for the kingdom of God. In some missionary work, it is difficult to take care of a family and yet be fully focused on the proclamation of the gospel. This is true for us as Catholic priests. But celibacy again is a gift and an ideal for those who serve fully in the ministry.
So the crux of today’s scripture readings is to be grateful for the gifts of God in our lives, whether it is marriage, relationship, the call to priestly or religious ministry, or simply to bless others with our gifts. Let us use them well for His glory and for the good of others.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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