20250402 WHO IS FORSAKEN?
02 April 2025, Wednesday, 4th Week of Lent
First reading | Isaiah 49:8-15 |
On the day of salvation I will help you
Thus says the Lord:
At the favourable time I will answer you,
on the day of salvation I will help you.
(I have formed you and have appointed you
as covenant of the people.)
I will restore the land
and assign you the estates that lie waste.
I will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out’,
to those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’
On every roadway they will graze,
and each bare height shall be their pasture.
They will never hunger or thirst,
scorching wind and sun shall never plague them;
for he who pities them will lead them
and guide them to springs of water.
I will make a highway of all the mountains,
and the high roads shall be banked up.
Some are on their way from afar,
others from the north and the west,
others from the land of Sinim.
Shout for joy, you heavens; exult, you earth!
You mountains, break into happy cries!
For the Lord consoles his people
and takes pity on those who are afflicted.
For Zion was saying, ‘The Lord has abandoned me,
the Lord has forgotten me.’
Does a woman forget her baby at the breast,
or fail to cherish the son of her womb?
Yet even if these forget,
I will never forget you.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 144(145):8-9,13b-14,17-18 |
The Lord is kind and full of compassion.
The Lord is kind and full of compassion,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
How good is the Lord to all,
compassionate to all his creatures.
The Lord is kind and full of compassion.
The Lord is faithful in all his words
and loving in all his deeds.
The Lord supports all who fall
and raises all who are bowed down.
The Lord is kind and full of compassion.
The Lord is just in all his ways
and loving in all his deeds.
He is close to all who call him,
who call on him from their hearts.
The Lord is kind and full of compassion.
Gospel Acclamation | Jn3:16 |
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son:
everyone who believes in him has eternal life.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
Or: | Jn11:25, 26 |
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord;
whoever believes in me will never die.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
Gospel | John 5:17-30 |
The dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and all who hear it will live
Jesus said to the Jews, ‘My Father goes on working, and so do I.’ But that only made them even more intent on killing him, because, not content with breaking the sabbath, he spoke of God as his own Father, and so made himself God’s equal.
To this accusation Jesus replied:
‘I tell you most solemnly,
the Son can do nothing by himself;
he can do only what he sees the Father doing:
and whatever the Father does the Son does too.
For the Father loves the Son
and shows him everything he does himself,
and he will show him even greater things than these,
works that will astonish you.
Thus, as the Father raises the dead and gives them life,
so the Son gives life to anyone he chooses;
for the Father judges no one;
he has entrusted all judgement to the Son,
so that all may honour the Son
as they honour the Father.
Whoever refuses honour to the Son
refuses honour to the Father who sent him.
I tell you most solemnly,
whoever listens to my words,
and believes in the one who sent me,
has eternal life;
without being brought to judgement
he has passed from death to life.
I tell you most solemnly,
the hour will come – in fact it is here already –
when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God,
and all who hear it will live.
For the Father, who is the source of life,
has made the Son the source of life;
and, because he is the Son of Man,
has appointed him supreme judge.
Do not be surprised at this,
for the hour is coming when the dead will leave their graves
at the sound of his voice:
those who did good will rise again to life;
and those who did evil, to condemnation.
I can do nothing by myself;
I can only judge as I am told to judge,
and my judging is just,
because my aim is to do not my own will,
but the will of him who sent me.’
WHO IS FORSAKEN?
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Isaiah 49:8-15; Ps 145:8-9,13-14,17-18; John 5:17-30]
The people of Israel who were in exile complained about God forsaking them. Zion said, “Yahweh has abandoned me, the Lord has forgotten me.” Was this a fair accusation of God? The truth is that it was the Israelites who abandoned Him in the first place. They did not listen to His Word and they broke the Covenant by turning to false gods. As a consequence, they fell into the hands of their enemies because the people and their leaders were corrupt and divided. They were not united to withstand the onslaught of their invaders.
On the contrary, the Lord assured His people in exile that He never stopped loving them. “Can a woman forget her baby at the breast, feel no pity for the child she has borne? Even if these were to forget, I shall not forget you.” Indeed, the love of God is even greater than that of a mother. It is unthinkable for a mother to abandon her child even though it does happen now and then. But for God, even if a mother were to do so, He would not. God’s love for us is unconditional and faithful regardless of our response. However, when we suffer the consequences of our sins, we should not be pointing our fingers at God for abandoning us. For the truth is that we have abandoned Him and He permits us, out of love and respect for our freedom. The psalmist says, “The Lord is kind and full of compassion, slow to anger, abounding in love. How good is the Lord to all, compassionate to all his creatures. The Lord is faithful in all his words and loving in all his deeds. The Lord supports all who fall and raises all who are bowed down. The Lord is just in all his ways and loving in all his deeds. He is close to all who call him, who call on him from their hearts.”
Indeed, the Lord is waiting for a time to rescue us from our sins and the consequences of our sins when we are ready. He said, “At the time of my favour I have answered you, on the day of salvation I have helped you. I have formed you and have appointed you to be the covenant for a people, to restore the land, to return ravaged properties, to say to prisoners, ‘Come out,’ to those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.'” The Lord is going to send us a messenger, the Messiah to lead us out of darkness and the prison we are in. He will send us the Messiah who will restore to us the kingdom of God and liberate us for life.
This is what we read in the gospel. Jesus is identified with the Father as the life-giver. Indeed, when the Jews accused Jesus of breaking the Sabbath Law, the Lord said, “My father goes on working, and so do I.” Although God rested on the seventh day, He did not stop working. Although He did not create new things, He continued to sustain creation. Without His presence and grace, creation would not have been able to continue. That is why the Lord continued to heal on the Sabbath. Healing is to sustain the lives that God has created. Doing good on Sabbath is to sustain creation. In Jesus, we know therefore that God has never abandoned us.
By so doing, Jesus took the occasion to reveal His sonship also. He said, “I tell you most solemnly, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees the Father doing: and whatever the Father does the Son does too. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he does himself, and he will show him even greater things than these, works that will astonish you.” Jesus is truly Son because He shares the same mind and heart of the Father. In Jesus, the Father reveals His identity, His mercy and compassion. When challenged to reveal His identity, Jesus would go further to say, “The Father and I are one.” (Jn 10:30) Hence, He also told Philip, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works.” (Jn 14:9f)
Not only has Jesus come to reveal the Father’s love for us, He comes to give us life as well. “Thus, as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son gives life to anyone he chooses.” Jesus comes to give us life, not just eternal life after death but life abundantly here and now. He is speaking about living the resurrected life whilst we are still on earth. This is what the prophet said, “Along the roadway they will graze, and any bare height will be their pasture. They will never hunger or thirst, scorching wind and sun will never plague them; for he who pities them will lead them, will guide them to springs of water. I shall turn all my mountains into a road and my highways will be raised aloft. Look! Here they come from far away, look, these from the north and the west, those from the land of Sinim.” The prophet is speaking about restoration of their fortunes and blessings in this life.
Furthermore, God has given judgment to His Son. The judgment is given to Jesus simply because He is not only God but also man. Only He can understand our struggles in our humanity. Only He can sympathize with us in our weakness. The letter to the Hebrews said, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb 4:15f) Jesus is a merciful and forgiving judge. Just as He forgave sinners and even the adulterous woman and accepted tax-collectors, how much more when we turn to Him for forgiveness. Jesus taught us that the forgiveness of God is like the master who forgave the servant who owed him ten thousand talents. (Mt 18:23-35) His forgiveness and mercy is unlimited.
So, we come back to the question: Has God forsaken us or have we have forsaken Him? Of course, the answer is clear. The Lord warns us. “Whoever refuses honour to the Son refuses honour to the Father who sent him.” If we want to find life, then we must accept Jesus and His teaching. By rejecting our Lord, we also reject the Father. Jesus has come to teach us the truth about life and love. If we do not know our Father, it is because we do not know Jesus.
What is required of us in times of abandonment is to strengthen our intimacy with the Lord. If Jesus could remain firm in His trials and even the rejection of His people, it was because Jesus never did anything apart from His Father. Jesus was always in conversation with His Father. He willed what the Father willed. He aligned His human will with the divine will when He was at the Garden of Gethsemane. Indeed, He made it clear, “All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” (Mt 11:27) This union with His Father, sharing a common Spirit, is what helps us to know that God is a Holy Trinity. True unity is when we seek to do the will of the Father.
We too are called to share in the sonship of our Lord. God is not just our Father but He is also our heavenly mother who will never forsake us no matter how evil or sinful we are. As children of God, we too must act in this manner. Knowing our Lord is the key to unite our will to His will. Again, it is in this context of mutual knowledge that the Lord consoled us saying, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Mt 11:28-30) Only when we carry our yoke with our Lord, take up our cross and follow after Him, can we find strength in times of trials.
In such moments, rather than feeling the absence of God, we see His presence even more when He carries the cross with us, sending messengers and people to encourage and console us. God does not look at our past but He looks towards what the future can hold for us. God has sent His Son not to condemn us but to redeem us. He has come to lead us to the fullness of life by walking in the Light. “To all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God.” (Jn 1:12)
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment