20240811 OBSTACLES THAT PREVENT US FROM COMING TO KNOW GOD
11 August 2024, Sunday, 19th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | 1 Kings 19:4-8 |
The angel gives Elijah food to reach the mountain of God
Elijah went into the wilderness, a day’s journey, and sitting under a furze bush wished he were dead. ‘O Lord,’ he said ‘I have had enough. Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.’ Then he lay down and went to sleep. But an angel touched him and said, ‘Get up and eat.’ He looked round, and there at his head was a scone baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. But the angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, ‘Get up and eat, or the journey will be too long for you.’ So he got up and ate and drank, and strengthened by that food he walked for forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 33(34):2-9 |
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
I will bless the Lord at all times,
his praise always on my lips;
in the Lord my soul shall make its boast.
The humble shall hear and be glad.
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Glorify the Lord with me.
Together let us praise his name.
I sought the Lord and he answered me;
from all my terrors he set me free.
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Look towards him and be radiant;
let your faces not be abashed.
This poor man called, the Lord heard him
and rescued him from all his distress.
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
The angel of the Lord is encamped
around those who revere him, to rescue them.
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
He is happy who seeks refuge in him.
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Second reading |
Ephesians 4:30-5:2 |
Forgive each other as readily as God forgave you
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God who has marked you with his seal for you to be set free when the day comes. Never have grudges against others, or lose your temper, or raise your voice to anybody, or call each other names, or allow any sort of spitefulness. Be friends with one another, and kind, forgiving each other as readily as God forgave you in Christ.
Try, then, to imitate God as children of his that he loves and follow Christ loving as he loved you, giving himself up in our place as a fragrant offering and a sacrifice to God.
Gospel Acclamation | 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!
Or: | Jn6:51 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the living bread which has come down from heaven,
says the Lord.
Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever.
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 6:41-51 |
Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever
The Jews were complaining to each other about Jesus, because he had said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’ ‘Surely this is Jesus son of Joseph’ they said. ‘We know his father and mother. How can he now say, “I have come down from heaven”?’ Jesus said in reply, ‘Stop complaining to each other.
‘No one can come to me
unless he is drawn by the Father who sent me,
and I will raise him up at the last day.
It is written in the prophets:
They will all be taught by God,
and to hear the teaching of the Father,
and learn from it,
is to come to me.
Not that anybody has seen the Father,
except the one who comes from God:
he has seen the Father.
I tell you most solemnly,
everybody who believes has eternal life.
‘I am the bread of life.
Your fathers ate the manna in the desert
and they are dead;
but this is the bread that comes down from heaven,
so that a man may eat it and not die.
I am the living bread which has come down from heaven.
Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever;
and the bread that I shall give is my flesh,
for the life of the world.’
OBSTACLES THAT PREVENT US FROM COMING TO KNOW GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 Kings 19:4-8; Ps 34:2-9; Eph 4:30-5:2; Jn 6:41-51]
There are many people seeking for God, for life, meaning and purpose. They are unhappy, or dissatisfied with life. They are looking for something deeper than mere material satisfaction. Even though some seem to have all that the world wants – money, power, influence, career, and a good family, they know that their life is unfulfilled without God. What is it that prevents people from finding God in their lives? What could be the obstacles that hinder faith from taking root?
There are those who are disillusioned with life and with God. This is true even for good and devout followers. Of course, in good times, it is easy to profess our faith in God. But it is in bad times that our faith is challenged and threatened. It is easy to believe in God when things are going on well in our lives. But when we are going through hard times, such as a terminal illness, loss of job, a break up with our spouse or friend, then we begin to question whether God is on our side and whether He even exists.
This was the case of Elijah in the first reading. He had just won a great victory over the false prophets brought in by Queen Jezebel after challenging them to prove whether the Canaanite god of fertility, Baal was the real god or the God of Israel. He won the challenge, and killed 400 of the false prophets. The Queen was furious. She took revenge and sent her soldiers after his life. It was an anti-climax for him. After winning such a great victory in declaring the God of Israel as the true God in a most spectacular way, he found himself alone, abandoned and deserted. How could he who fought and sought to preserve the pristine faith of Israel be reduced to this state? He was without food and drink. He cried out to the Lord, “O Lord, I have had enough. Take my life: I am no better than my ancestors.” Indeed, he had second doubts about himself and the work he was doing.
Like Elijah, we would feel this way too, if after having given much to God, to the Church and to our fellowmen, we are unappreciated, and even marginalized. We too will become bitter, resentful and angry with God. Many Catholics have left the Church because they feel that God has been unfair to them in spite of their fidelity to Him; that God should bless them because they have been good and faithful to Him.
The second group of people who cannot find God are those with intellectual doubts. Like the Jews in today’s gospel who found the claim of Jesus confusing and inexplicable. “The Jews were complaining to each other about Jesus, because he had said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’ ‘Surely this is Jesus son of Joseph’ they said. ‘We know his father and mother. How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Indeed, they knew Jesus as one of them – an ordinary man. He was just a carpenter. There was nothing extraordinary about Jesus before He began His public ministry. So how could He claim that He was the bread that came down from heaven?
Indeed, many of us, especially young people and intellectuals, are so proud and confident of our knowledge. We think we have all the answers to the mysteries of life and creation in science and technology, without having to appeal to the supernatural or to God. We believe that all answers to life can be found through reason alone. God is not needed in daily life. We believe that on our own strength alone, we can live life meaningfully and ethically in this world. We can determine what is good and what is wrong, using reason.
The truth is that there are many things we cannot understand, and we need to accept them in faith. It was Peter who confessed in faith when the Lord asked His disciples after many could not accept what He said, and left Him, “‘Do you also wish to go away?’ Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.'” (Jn 6:66-69)
The third group of people are those who are scandalized because of the lack of faith. The final straw that broke the camel’s back was when Jesus said, “Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world.” They were totally scandalized because they did not know what Jesus meant. Indeed, many find it difficult to believe in God because of the scandals committed by Catholics. It is true that some of us do not always walk the way of the gospel, even religious leaders. So when others see how Catholics live a double life and contradict what they believe and worship in their way of life, they lose faith in Christ. They surmise that faith cannot change us or make us good and righteous people because of what they encountered in our Catholics. Many of us associate a religion with the believers. So if they do not conduct themselves with integrity, honesty, compassion and justice, many will think the religion is just a show and cover up for their sins.
To lead people to God, we need to make the conditions possible for people to know God. Firstly, we need to help them to taste the love of God. Faith is something of the heart, not so much of the head. Just as in a relationship, we fall in love with someone; not reason ourselves into falling in love. So, too, in our relationship with God, it is only when we come to encounter His mysterious interventions in our lives that our faith in Him will grow. Elijah tasted the kindness and love of God through the angel who fed him with bread and water when he was hungry and dying of thirst in the desert. Although, Elijah felt abandoned by God, in truth, he was not. God sent His angel to protect him and guide him to encounter Him by His love and mercy, care and guidance. It was upon arriving at Mount Horeb that he encountered God, not in the great wind, storm, earthquake or fire, but in the silence after the powerful theophanies in nature. (Cf 1 Kg 19:11f) This, too, was the experience of the Israelites, as expressed in the responsorial psalm. “I sought the Lord and he answered me; from all my terrors he set me free. Look towards him and be radiant; let your faces not be abashed. Taste and see that the Lord is good.”
To help people to find God, we need to offer them love and friendship, and most of all, forgiveness. This is why St Paul wrote, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God who has marked you with his seal for you to be set free when the day comes. Never have grudges against others, or lose your temper, or raise your voice to anybody, or call each other names, or allow any sort of spitefulness. Be friends with one another, and kind, forgiving each other as readily as God forgave you in Christ.” It is compassion, sensitivity, kindness, generosity, patience and acceptance of others in their weaknesses that we give them a taste of God’s love.
Through these means, we draw people to God and His love. This is what Jesus says, “No one can come to me unless he is drawn by the Father who sent me, and I will raise him up at the last day.” How can we draw people to God except through love? No doctrines or words can inspire them unless they see us as genuine people who care for them in their pain, loneliness and struggles. We cannot offer the Word of God to people unless we have won their trust and confidence. That is why only those who had encountered the personal love and care of Jesus were willing to stand by Him. Those who did not encounter Him could not come to faith just by listening to Him.
But once we have encountered the Lord, we need to grow and be strengthened in our faith. We need to deepen our knowledge of the Lord. When we love, we want to grow in understanding of those whom we love. Similarly, we too must grow in our understanding of Jesus by learning from him. Jesus said, “It is written in the prophets: They will all be taught by God, and to hear the teaching of the Father, and learn from it, is to come to me. Not that anybody has seen the Father, except the one who comes from God: he has seen the Father. I tell you most solemnly, everybody who believes has eternal life.” Jesus, for us, is the revelation of the Father because “No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.” (Jn 1:18)
Indeed, only Jesus who comes from the Father can be for us the bread of life. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the desert and they are dead; but this is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that a man may eat it and not die. I am the living bread which has come down from heaven.” To grow in faith, we need to come to Him so that the life of Jesus may be in us. Eating the bread of life, like Elijah, we grow in strength in our faith. Eating the bread of life of course is more than just sharing in Jesus’ mind and heart but it involves giving up our lives and our flesh like Him for the salvation of the world. As the Lord said, “the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world.” This is what St Paul wrote, “Try, then, to imitate God, as children of his that he loves, and follow Christ by loving as he loved you, giving himself up in our place as a fragrant offering and a sacrifice to God.”
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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