20241212 GOD IS CLOSE TO HIS PEOPLE ESPECIALLY IN CHALLENGING TIMES
First reading | Isaiah 41:13-20 |
I, the Holy One of Israel, am your redeemer
I, the Lord, your God,
I am holding you by the right hand;
I tell you, ‘Do not be afraid,
I will help you.’
Do not be afraid, Jacob, poor worm,
Israel, puny mite.
I will help you – it is the Lord who speaks –
the Holy One of Israel is your redeemer.
See, I turn you into a threshing-sled,
new, with doubled teeth;
you shall thresh and crush the mountains,
and turn the hills to chaff.
You shall winnow them and the wind will blow them away,
the gale will scatter them.
But you yourself will rejoice in the Lord,
and glory in the Holy One of Israel.
The poor and needy ask for water, and there is none,
their tongue is parched with thirst.
I, the Lord, will answer them,
I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them.
I will make rivers well up on barren heights,
and fountains in the midst of valleys;
turn the wilderness into a lake,
and dry ground into waterspring.
In the wilderness I will put cedar trees,
acacias, myrtles, olives.
In the desert I will plant juniper,
plane tree and cypress side by side;
so that men may see and know,
may all observe and understand
that the hand of the Lord has done this,
that the Holy One of Israel has created it.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 144(145):1,9-13a |
The Lord is kind and full of compassion, slow to anger, abounding in love.
I will give you glory, O God my king,
I will bless your name for ever.
How good is the Lord to all,
compassionate to all his creatures.
The Lord is kind and full of compassion, slow to anger, abounding in love.
All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord,
and your friends shall repeat their blessing.
They shall speak of the glory of your reign
and declare your might, O God,
to make known to men your mighty deeds
and the glorious splendour of your reign.
The Lord is kind and full of compassion, slow to anger, abounding in love.
Yours is an everlasting kingdom;
your rule lasts from age to age.
The Lord is kind and full of compassion, slow to anger, abounding in love.
Gospel Acclamation |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Come, Lord, with your peace
that we may rejoice in your presence with sincerity of heart.
Alleluia!
Or: | cf.Is45:8 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Send victory like a dew, you heavens,
and let the clouds rain it down.
Let the earth open and bring forth the saviour.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 11:11-15 |
A greater than John the Baptist has never been seen
Jesus spoke to the crowds: ‘I tell you solemnly, of all the children born of women, a greater than John the Baptist has never been seen; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is. Since John the Baptist came, up to this present time, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence and the violent are taking it by storm. Because it was towards John that all the prophecies of the prophets and of the Law were leading; and he, if you will believe me, is the Elijah who was to return. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen!’
12 December 2024, Thursday, 2nd Week in Advent
GOD IS CLOSE TO HIS PEOPLE ESPECIALLY IN CHALLENGING TIMES
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ ISAIAH 41:13-20; PS 145:1,9-13; MATTHEW 11:11-15]
We are living in very challenging times – the world is in turmoil socially, culturally, politically, economically, militarily. Even our climate is in upheaval. Society has also become more and more polarized between the rightists and leftists. At one end, there are those who champion conservative values, emphasizing authority, hierarchy, order, duty, tradition and nationalism, whilst at the other end there are those who promote absolute freedom, abortion, transgenderism, human rights, equality, progress and reform. Recent elections in the west suggest that the rightists are pushing back against the leftists, whose values are seen to be detrimental to the unity of the family and the good of the community.
We who are challenged to remain faithful to the gospel values are like the Israelites who, too, had to confront many enemies from within and without. In the first reading, we read of the fear of Israel in the face of their enemies. They were devastated by the Babylonian invaders. They were reduced to a “worm” and a “mite” before their powerful conquerors. But the gospel invites us to resist and not allow ourselves to succumb to threats from our enemies. We must remain firm and strong in our faith. Indeed, in the gospel, the Lord made it clear that the Kingdom belongs to those who fight for it. “Since John the Baptist came, up to this present time, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence and the violent are taking it by storm.” In other words, the Kingdom is not meant for those who are weak and timid. It belongs to those who are ready to stand up for it. We all have a responsibility to work for the kingdom. Every man has to storm his way into the kingdom. The kingdom of God is not for the desperate. No one just drifts into the kingdom; he or she has to consciously seek it.
But this does not mean that the Kingdom of God is sought through violence. Some people during the time of our Lord thought that God’s kingdom would be realised through revolt against the Roman Empire and the Gentile nations; a view that Jesus clearly rejected in His Sermon on the Mount. Jesus did not advocate violence or force. But it is equally true that violence and the coming of God’s kingdom is inevitable because those who reject the Kingdom values will use violence to destroy, just as all the prophets, including John the Baptist, had to suffer persecution and even death. Indeed, there will always be those who will seek to prevent the Kingdom of God, the kingdom of truth and love, from being established.
Yet, the scripture readings assure us that God is with us and that we are not alone. We have nothing to fear even if violence comes our way. The poem from Isaiah is God’s promise to bring about the ecological transformation of Israel that was destroyed by the Babylonians. God Himself would accomplish it. Whilst it might be true that God is greater than the powerful nations around Judah, the question is not whether He would be powerful enough to do something for Israel. Rather, it is whether or not He would do anything for them, given that they had sinned against the Lord and turned away from Him.
But God assured them that He had not cast them off because of their sins, because they were His servants, His chosen people, and God is faithful to the promises He made to Abraham. We might be nobody; we might be weak, but God is close to His people. The repetition of the titles of God remind us of the special closeness that God spoke to Moses about His identification with the sufferings of His people, and the assurance that He would be with them. “For I, the Lord, your God, I am holding you by the right hand; I tell you, ‘Do not be afraid, I will help you’. Do not be afraid, Jacob, poor worm, Israel, puny mite.’ I will help you – it is the Lord who speaks – the Holy One of Israel is your redeemer.” Indeed, God will not abandon them again.
God called Himself, the “Holy One of Israel, your redeemer.” This word “redeemer” is a special family word in Israel. The redeemer or “go’el” is the family member who is bound by family love to bail out his closest family member who is in trouble. So the Lord is saying that He could be relied on absolutely, just like the family member, to bail out Israel. In applying this concept to God, we can appreciate better why God delivered and redeemed Israel from captivity, and why Jesus is also called our redeemer. Encouragement and peace come from knowing that God is personally present with us in our distress, and from knowing that He will be directly involved in our lives.
As the Lord, He will be actively present in our trials in life. God alone is in charge of history. This was made clear at the beginning of this chapter of Isaiah. The Lord asked, “Who has roused a victor from the east, summoned him to his service? He delivers up nations to him, and tramples kings under foot; he makes them like dust with his sword, like driven stubble with his bow.” (Isa 41:2) God would use King Cyrus to liberate Israel from Babylon. Clearly, God is very much involved in the world. He is at work in history. Events happen not by chance but by providence. We are all part of a larger story. God is accomplishing His divine plan in our history.
And what will God do for His people? There would be a transformation of the land and a revival of life. They would win victory over their enemies. He would transform all disadvantages and remove all obstacles. “See, I turn you into a threshing-sled, new, with doubled teeth; you shall thresh and crush the mountains, and turn the hills to chaff. You shall winnow them and the wind will blow them away, the gale will scatter them. But you yourself will rejoice in the Lord, and glory in the Holy One of Israel.” Israel of course had to cooperate with the plan of God. God would use Israel to achieve His plan for Israel and the world. They will not be passive by-standers, a helpless “worm” (41:14). Like Israel, we are called to be active participants with God in His redemptive work.
Indeed, when we cooperate with the power of God, we will restore ourselves again. The land would once again be fertile and water will flow. “The poor and needy ask for water, and there is none, their tongue is parched with thirst. I, the Lord, will answer them, I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them. I will make rivers well up on barren heights, and fountains in the midst of valleys; turn the wilderness into a lake, and dry ground into water spring. In the wilderness I will put cedar trees, acacias, myrtles, olives. In the desert I will plant juniper, plane tree and cypress side by side; so that men may see and know, may all observe and understand that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.” God moves and works in our history. For this reason, we are emboldened by God to live our lives with confidence. We are called to draw strength from Him in our trials. We are His chosen ones. We can rely on Him in our struggle to be faithful to Him in the midst of our trials.
John the Baptist is our model of one who stood up for the truth and trusted in God. He was in prison and he needed some assurance that his work was done so that he could face the ultimate end. He sent messengers to our Lord and he was assured that the kingdom had come in the person of Jesus by the messianic signs that were performed. Jesus paid tribute to John for he knew his role in the plan of God. He could have made use of his position to claim messiahship because he was very popular and the people thought he was the prophet that was to come. But he was not tempted to power and popularity. He was happy to be the friend of the bridegroom. He was contented with that role. “You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.’ He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. For this reason, my joy has been fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.” (Jn 3:28-30) Most of all, John was faithful even when violence came upon him. Jesus, in saying that “the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence and the violent are taking it by storm”, was also anticipating His trial and passion. There will always be opposition to the coming of God’s kingdom. We too must be courageous even when persecuted and misunderstood. God will vindicate us as He vindicated Jesus.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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