20241122 SAVOURING THE WORD OF GOD
First reading |
Apocalypse 10:8-11 |
I was told to swallow the scroll, and to prophesy
I, John, heard the voice I had heard from heaven speaking to me again. ‘Go,’ it said ‘and take that open scroll out of the hand of the angel standing on sea and land.’ I went to the angel and asked him to give me the small scroll, and he said, ‘Take it and eat it; it will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will taste as sweet as honey.’ So I took it out of the angel’s hand, and swallowed it; it was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach turned sour. Then I was told, ‘You are to prophesy again, this time about many different nations and countries and languages and emperors.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 118(119):14,24,72,103,111,131 |
Your promise is sweet to my taste, O Lord.
I rejoiced to do your will
as though all riches were mine.
Your will is my delight;
your statutes are my counsellors.
Your promise is sweet to my taste, O Lord.
The law from your mouth means more to me
than silver and gold.
Your promise is sweeter to my taste
than honey in the mouth.
Your promise is sweet to my taste, O Lord.
Your will is my heritage for ever,
the joy of my heart.
I open my mouth and I sigh
as I yearn for your commands.
Your promise is sweet to my taste, O Lord.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.2Tim1:10 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Our Saviour Jesus Christ abolished death
and he has proclaimed life through the Good News.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn10:27 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,
says the Lord,
I know them and they follow me.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 19:45-48 |
You have turned God's house into a robbers' den
Jesus went into the Temple and began driving out those who were selling. ‘According to scripture,’ he said ‘my house will be a house of prayer. But you have turned it into a robbers’ den.’
He taught in the Temple every day. The chief priests and the scribes, with the support of the leading citizens, tried to do away with him, but they did not see how they could carry this out because the people as a whole hung on his words.
22 November 2024, Friday, 33rd Week in Ordinary Time
SAVOURING THE WORD OF GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ REV 10:8-11; LUKE 19:45-48]
In the responsorial psalm, the psalmist prays, “The law from your mouth means more to me than silver and gold. Your promise is sweeter to my taste than honey in the mouth.” Is this the way we approach the Word of God? Do we look forward with joy to read the Word of God? Those who love to read the Word of God are those who have fallen in love with God. This is a pre-requisite for us to cherish the Word of God. Unless we have had a deep encounter with God, the Word of God is merely human words to us. It is not much different from reading any other book, whether for inspiration or for knowledge. But for those of us who have encountered God and believe in Him, we take the Word of God seriously because we believe in faith, that the Bible is God’s Word addressed to us through His prophets, His apostles and evangelists.
But how do we encounter the presence of God deeply today if not through His Spirit? It is the Holy Spirit, the love of God in person who dwells in us that leads us to read the scriptures with the mind and heart of God. This is what the Lord promised us before His death, “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.” (Jn 14:25f) He also said, “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” (Jn 16:12f)
Indeed, those who have had an awakening of the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives, whether through prayer, worship, or a special encounter with the Lord in the Spirit, will read the scripture in a new light and with a new mind and a new heart. Falling in love with the Word of God is the most tangible sign of one who knows the Lord. If one claims that he or she has had an experience of God but it does not lead them to a deep love and thirst for the Word of God, that religious experience is more of an emotional experience than real. This is because when our relationship with God is personal and affective, we would desire to hear every word of His. This was the case of the people during the time of our Lord as we read in today’s gospel, “the people as a whole hung on his words.”
Indeed, all the prophets and apostles of God have a deep love for the Word of God. In today’s first reading, St John heard the voice from heaven instructing him to take “that open scroll out of the hand of the angel standing on sea and land.” The angel told him to take and eat the scroll. This, too, was the case of the prophet Ezekiel. The Spirit said to him, “hear what I say to you; do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you. I looked, and a hand was stretched out to me, and a written scroll was in it. He spread it before me; it had writing on the front and on the back, and written on it were words of lamentation and mourning and woe.” (Ez 2:8-10)
Why is it so necessary for us to eat the Word of God? In the gospel, Jesus who constantly cited the scripture texts to ward off the temptations of the Evil One in the desert, told him, “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Mt 4:4) Only by reading the Word of God, can we find strength and direction in life. The psalmist declares, “I rejoiced to do your will as though all riches were mine. Your will is my delight; your statutes are my counsellors. The law from your mouth means more to me than silver and gold.” In St Paul’s letter to Timothy, he reminded them, “you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16f)
Indeed, we read the Word of God not just for ourselves but also to help us to do the work of God. Only those who have read His Word can be inspired to speak His Word to others. The Spirit told the prophet Ezekiel, “eat what is offered to you; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” (Ez 3:1) The Spirit similarly instructed St John after he ate the scroll, “”You are to prophesy again, this time about many different nations and countries and languages and emperors.” To teach and proclaim the Word of God is not simply a matter of using nice words, or to speak profound theological words to others. For even in theology, we have theologians who use their intellectual knowledge to twist and turn the Word of God to suit their arguments. In the final analysis, whatever teaching that we receive, we must measure them against the Word of God. That is why, good and sound theologians are those who are not just intellectually gifted but rather those who do theology on their knees. Good theologians are those who pray deeply, have a deep personal relationship with the Lord and read the Word of God with faith and humility; and who do not distort the truth of the Word of God to suit the lifestyle of the world.
This is what the scriptures tell us. When we read the Word of God in all sincerity, we will be challenged by the Word of God. If we read the Word of God, and we feel smug about ourselves, then we can be sure we are reading it wrongly. Reading God’s word does not make us complacent and will also expose our weakness and lack of sincerity and love. This is what the angel meant when he warned St John saying, “Take it and eat it; it will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will taste sweet as honey.” True enough, St John vouched, “So I took it out of the angel’s hand, and swallowed it; it was as sweet as honey in my mouth but when I had eaten it my stomach turned sour.” So, too, in the case of Ezekiel. The Spirit told the prophet, “eat this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it. Then I ate it; and in my mouth it was as sweet as honey.” (Ez 3:3)
Indeed, to read the Word of God is to savour the truth that God comes to reveal to us. Truth is sweet because it liberates our mind and sets us free from fear and ignorance. The Lord told the Samaritan, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (Jn 4:21-24) To love requires us to love in truth. Loving God or someone is more than just having nice sentimental feelings for a person. It means acting in truth, both in words and action. It is about living with integrity, honesty, charity and compassion.
Of course, for those who reject the truth, the Word of God would taste sour to them. When we seek to proclaim the truth to them, they would react against the Word of God. Evil and worldly people do not want to hear the truth. They will find all ways and means to suppress the truth. This is why the world does not like Christians, because we proclaim the truth about life and love, about peace and justice, forgiveness and charity, acting in accordance with natural law either with respect to marriage or gender. The world rejects the prophets of God.
In today’s gospel, Jesus was at the Temple, driving out the merchants who were selling and making exorbitant profits from the poor. The Lord said, “According to scripture, my house will be a house of prayer. But you have turned it into a robbers’ den.” Indeed, Jesus as the Word of God, sought to purify the Temple of God and restore it to be the place where God dwells. He is of course the new Temple of God. By rejecting Christ, the Jews were rejecting the Temple of God. For this reason, the religious leaders, by seeking to kill the Lord, would bring the Temple to an end and make possible a new Temple of God. Jesus, who was put to death, signified the end of the Temple worship, and by His resurrection, was made the new Temple of God. We who accept Jesus as the Word of God and submit to Him, will become the new Temple of God. Indeed, every time when Christians gather to celebrate the Eucharist, Jesus is present in our midst. By listening to the Word of God and receiving Him in the Eucharist, Jesus lives in us, His body, as our Head.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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