20250407 POWER CORRUPTS
07 April 2025, Monday, 5th Week of Lent
First reading |
Daniel 13:1-9,15-17,19-30,33-62 |
Susanna and the elders
In Babylon there lived a man named Joakim. He had married Susanna daughter of Hilkiah, a woman of great beauty; and she was God-fearing, because her parents were worthy people and had instructed their daughter in the Law of Moses. Joakim was a very rich man, and had a garden attached to his house; the Jews would often visit him since he was held in greater respect than any other man. Two elderly men had been selected from the people that year to act as judges. Of such the Lord said, ‘Wickedness has come to Babylon through the elders and judges posing as guides to the people.’ These men were often at Joakim’s house, and all who were engaged in litigation used to come to them. At midday, when everyone had gone, Susanna used to take a walk in her husband’s garden. The two elders, who used to watch her every day as she came in to take her walk, gradually began to desire her. They threw reason aside, making no effort to turn their eyes to heaven, and forgetting its demands of virtue. So they waited for a favourable moment; and one day Susanna came as usual, accompanied only by two young maidservants. The day was hot and she wanted to bathe in the garden. There was no one about except the two elders, spying on her from their hiding place. She said to the servants, ‘Bring me some oil and balsam and shut the garden door while I bathe.’
Hardly were the servants gone than the two elders were there after her. ‘Look,’ they said ‘the garden door is shut, no one can see us. We want to have you, so give in and let us! Refuse, and we will both give evidence that a young man was with you and that was why you sent your maids away.’ Susanna sighed. ‘I am trapped,’ she said ‘whatever I do. If I agree, that means my death; if I resist, I cannot get away from you. But I prefer to fall innocent into your power than to sin in the eyes of the Lord.’ Then she cried out as loud as she could. The two elders began shouting too, putting the blame on her, and one of them ran to open the garden door. The household, hearing the shouting in the garden, rushed out by the side entrance to see what was happening; once the elders had told their story the servants were thoroughly taken aback, since nothing of this sort had ever been said of Susanna.
Next day a meeting was held at the house of her husband Joakim. The two elders arrived, in their vindictiveness determined to have her put to death. They addressed the company: ‘Summon Susanna daughter of Hilkiah and wife of Joakim.’ She was sent for, and came accompanied by her parents, her children and all her relations. All her own people were weeping, and so were all the others who saw her. The two elders stood up, with all the people round them, and laid their hands on the woman’s head. Tearfully she turned her eyes to heaven, her heart confident in God. The elders then spoke. ‘While we were walking by ourselves in the garden, this woman arrived with two servants. She shut the garden door and then dismissed the servants. A young man who had been hiding went over to her and they lay down together. From the end of the garden where we were, we saw this crime taking place and hurried towards them. Though we saw them together we were unable to catch the man: he was too strong for us; he opened the door and took to his heels. We did, however, catch this woman and ask her who the young man was. She refused to tell us. That is our evidence.’
Since they were elders of the people, and judges, the assembly took their word: Susanna was condemned to death. She cried out as loud as she could, ‘Eternal God, you know all secrets and everything before it happens; you know that they have given false evidence against me. And now have I to die, innocent as I am of everything their malice has invented against me?’
The Lord heard her cry and, as she was being led away to die, he roused the holy spirit residing in a young boy named Daniel who began to shout, ‘I am innocent of this woman’s death!’ At which all the people turned to him and asked, ‘What do you mean by these words?’ Standing in the middle of the crowd he replied, ‘Are you so stupid, sons of Israel, as to condemn a daughter of Israel unheard, and without troubling to find out the truth? Go back to the scene of the trial: these men have given false evidence against her.’
All the people hurried back, and the elders said to Daniel, ‘Come and sit with us and tell us what you mean, since God has given you the gifts that elders have.’ Daniel said, ‘Keep the men well apart from each other for I want to question them.’ When the men had been separated, Daniel had one of them brought to him. ‘You have grown old in wickedness,’ he said ‘and now the sins of your earlier days have overtaken you, you with your unjust judgements, your condemnation of the innocent, your acquittal of guilty men, when the Lord has said, “You must not put the innocent and the just to death.” Now then, since you saw her so clearly, tell me what tree you saw them lying under?’ He replied, ‘Under a mastic tree.’ Daniel said, ‘True enough! Your lie recoils on your own head: the angel of God has already received your sentence from him and will slash you in half.’ He dismissed the man, ordered the other to be brought and said to him, ‘Spawn of Canaan, not of Judah, beauty has seduced you, lust has led your heart astray! This is how you have been behaving with the daughters of Israel and they were too frightened to resist; but here is a daughter of Judah who could not stomach your wickedness! Now then, tell me what tree you surprised them under?’ He replied, ‘Under a holm oak.’ Daniel said, ‘True enough! Your lie recoils on your own head: the angel of God is waiting, with a sword to drive home and split you, and destroy the pair of you.’
Then the whole assembly shouted, blessing God, the saviour of those who trust in him. And they turned on the two elders whom Daniel had convicted of false evidence out of their own mouths. As prescribed in the Law of Moses, they sentenced them to the same punishment as they had intended to inflict on their neighbour. They put them to death; the life of an innocent woman was spared that day.
Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 22(23) |
If I should walk in the valley of darkness, no evil would I fear.
The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures
where he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me,
to revive my drooping spirit.
If I should walk in the valley of darkness, no evil would I fear.
He guides me along the right path;
he is true to his name.
If I should walk in the valley of darkness
no evil would I fear.
You are there with your crook and your staff;
with these you give me comfort.
If I should walk in the valley of darkness, no evil would I fear.
You have prepared a banquet for me
in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil;
my cup is overflowing.
If I should walk in the valley of darkness, no evil would I fear.
Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me
all the days of my life.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell
for ever and ever.
If I should walk in the valley of darkness, no evil would I fear.
Gospel Acclamation | 2Co6:2 |
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
Now is the favourable time:
this is the day of salvation.
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
Or: | Ezk33:11 |
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
I take pleasure, not in the death of a wicked man
– it is the Lord who speaks –
but in the turning back of a wicked man
who changes his ways to win life.
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
Gospel | John 8:12-20 |
'I am the light of the world'
Jesus said to the Pharisees:
‘I am the light of the world;
anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark;
he will have the light of life.’
At this the Pharisees said to him, ‘You are testifying on your own behalf; your testimony is not valid.’
Jesus replied:
‘It is true that I am testifying on my own behalf,
but my testimony is still valid,
because I know
where I came from and where I am going;
but you do not know
where I come from or where I am going.
You judge by human standards;
I judge no one,
but if I judge, my judgement will be sound,
because I am not alone:
the one who sent me is with me;
and in your Law it is written
that the testimony of two witnesses is valid.
I may be testifying on my own behalf,
but the Father who sent me is my witness too.’
They asked him, ‘Where is your Father?’ Jesus answered:
‘You do not know me,
nor do you know my Father;
if you did know me,
you would know my Father as well.’
He spoke these words in the Treasury, while teaching in the Temple. No one arrested him, because his time had not yet come.
POWER CORRUPTS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [DN 13:1-9,15-17,19-30, 33-62 (or 41-62); JN 8:1-11]
The most famous quote by Lord Acton is this, “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority; still more when you super add the tendency of the certainty of corruption by authority.” How true these words are! We see this in the history of humanity, in religion, politics and business. Human beings are weak and they will be tempted to use their power for themselves and serve their interests when there are no checks and balances. Indeed, very often power is desired only because it can be used to control people and use them to serve one’s interests. Power is often used to satisfy the lust and greed of the powerful. That is why many people in the world desire power.
What is frightening is that the more powerful one is, the greater the temptation to abuse one’s power for himself or herself. This was what happened to the corrupt judges in the first reading. Two elderly men, unworthy as they were, were appointed to be judges. These judges were not concerned with justice for the people but they used their power to satisfy their desires. So much so, the Lord said, “Wickedness has come to Babylon through the elders and judges posing as guides to the people.” Both men lusted after Susanna because she was “a woman of great beauty.” They tried to get her to sleep with them. When she refused, in order to protect themselves in case Susanna reported them, they accused her of committing adultery with another man. She was falsely accused before judges and the elders. Since those accusing her were judges themselves, they were supposedly trustworthy and credible. The rest of the judges and the people bought their story without questioning and condemned Susanna to death without a proper investigation.
Indeed, the injustice done to Susanna by the conspiracy of powerful people is perpetuated in our times. Often, the rich and the powerful silence their subordinates from reporting the truth, either by bribing them or threatening their lives or loss of employment. Otherwise, they secure the best lawyers to fight their case or buy over influential people to support them, including the media. More often than not, those who are weak, or are dependent on their superiors for survival, would collaborate with them in their injustices. This is the sad reality of life. This happens not just in the corporate and political world, but even in religion. The corruption in the hierarchy of the Catholic Church shows that not even so-called religious people are exempted from the temptations of the Evil One to use power for sex, money and self-interests.
This is where, more than ever, proper governance and accountability is necessary. We cannot trust human beings, for this is what the bible says: “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in mortals. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.” (Ps 118:8f) Jeremiah said, “Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength, whose hearts turn away from the Lord.” (Jer 17:5) The truth is that man, being man, is a fallen creature. Because of original sin, we suffer from darkness of the intellect and the weakness of the will. Our sinful nature will blind us to the truth of what we do. Indeed, Jeremiah said, “The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse – who can understand it? I the Lord test the mind and search the heart, to give to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their doings.” (Jer 17:9f) Indeed, we are blinded by our own weaknesses, especially when decisions involved concern our loved ones. Hence Jesus said, “Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye?”
That is why the scriptures speak of the need to have proper witnesses. “A single witness shall not suffice to convict a person of any crime or wrongdoing in connection with any offense that may be committed. Only on the evidence of two or three witnesses shall a charge be sustained.” (Dt 19:15) Even in the New Testament, the Lord advised the people, “If you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses.” (Mt 18:16) In the case of Susanna, they had two witnesses but they colluded with each other. This is why it is better to have three witnesses. Today, we speak of a tribunal that consists of three judges in order to show impartiality.
However, having witnesses is still not enough. The truth is that using reason alone, we might not be able to see the truth of the matter because of our ignorance. Today, the so-called intellectuals of the world are proposing laws that contradict the conscience and basic reasoning of any ordinary man. They use words and arguments to convince the world that abortion and euthanasia are not killing; or that same-sex union is part of nature, or that the family is no longer defined as a man and a woman with children. This is what St Paul wrote to the Romans. “For though they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools; and they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal human being or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles.” (Rom 1:21-23)
If we seek to be true judges exercising our authority and power in a fair, impartial, just and wise manner, we should first come to the Lord who is the Light of the World. We read “Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At daybreak, he appeared in the Temple again; and as all the people came to him, he sat down and began to teach them. Jesus said to the people: I am the light of the world; anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark; he will have the light of life.'” The evangelist plays on the words, “darkness and light” and “I am.” In the mind of St John, Jesus who is the “I Am” is identified with God who revealed Himself to Moses, as “I am who am”. Jesus as the Light of the World therefore is the One who can show us the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is the One that comes to enlighten all men in the truth. And Jesus does it not simply by His words but by His very life. “What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” (Jn 1:3-5)
Unfortunately, many of us do not know Him. This is not surprising. If our values and that of the gospel contradict the values of the world today it is because as Jesus said, “You do not know me, nor do you know my Father; if you did know me, you would know my Father as well.” The world does not believe in God but only in themselves. Man has supplanted the place of God in the world and has made himself the new god of truth based on his so-called human reasoning. However, Jesus has this to say to the world. “You judge by human standards; I judge no one, but if I judge, my judgement will be sound, because I am not alone: the one who sent me is with me; and in your law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is valid. I may be testifying on my own behalf, but the father who sent me is my witness too.” By His death and resurrection, the Father endorsed all that Jesus said and did, and that He is truly the Son of God, the Light of the World.
Consequently, as leaders, we must turn to Him for light and wisdom in our governance so that we will not deceive ourselves or the world in judging situations. We bear in mind the exhortation of St Paul, “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.” Leaders who do not pray every day as Jesus did, or read the Word of God, are not fit to lead the people of God because they will depend on human reasoning alone and they are often misguided because they are not conscious of the real desires in their hearts. We must be like Daniel, a man of God, in touch with the Spirit of God and acts with justice and wisdom.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
