20260602 LIVING UNDER THE LORDSHIP OF CHRIST
2 June 2026, Tuesday, 9th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
2 Peter 3:11-15,17-18 |
We are waiting for the new heaven and the new earth
You should be living holy and saintly lives while you wait and long for the Day of God to come, when the sky will dissolve in flames and the elements melt in the heat. What we are waiting for is what he promised: the new heavens and new earth, the place where righteousness will be at home. So then, my friends, while you are waiting, do your best to live lives without spot or stain so that he will find you at peace. Think of our Lord’s patience as your opportunity to be saved. You have been warned about this, my friends; be careful not to get carried away by the errors of unprincipled people, from the firm ground that you are standing on. Instead, go on growing in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory, in time and in eternity. Amen.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 89(90):2-4,10,14,16 |
O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.
Before the mountains were born
or the earth or the world brought forth,
you are God, without beginning or end.
O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.
You turn men back to dust
and say: ‘Go back, sons of men.’
To your eyes a thousand years
are like yesterday, come and gone,
no more than a watch in the night.
O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.
Our span is seventy years,
or eighty for those who are strong.
And most of these are emptiness and pain.
They pass swiftly and we are gone.
O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.
In the morning, fill us with your love;
we shall exult and rejoice all our days.
Show forth your work to your servants;
let your glory shine on their children.
O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.
Gospel Acclamation | Heb4:12 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The word of God is something alive and active:
it can judge secret emotions and thoughts.
Alleluia!
Or: | cf.Ep1:17,18 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our mind,
so that we can see what hope his call holds for us.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 12:13-17 |
Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God
The chief priests and the scribes and the elders sent to Jesus some Pharisees and some Herodians to catch him out in what he said. These came and said to him, ‘Master, we know you are an honest man, that you are not afraid of anyone, because a man’s rank means nothing to you, and that you teach the way of God in all honesty. Is it permissible to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay, yes or no?’ Seeing through their hypocrisy he said to them, ‘Why do you set this trap for me? Hand me a denarius and let me see it.’ They handed him one and he said, ‘Whose head is this? Whose name?’ ‘Caesar’s’ they told him. Jesus said to them, ‘Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar – and to God what belongs to God.’ This reply took them completely by surprise.
LIVING UNDER THE LORDSHIP OF CHRIST
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 Pt 3:11-15, 17-18; Ps 90:2-4,10,14,16; Mk 12:13-17]
In the First Reading, St Peter spoke about the Day of the Lord that was to come “when the sky will dissolve in flames and the element melt in the heat.” What is this Day of the Lord that we are expecting? It is the restoration of God’s kingdom. Since the days of the prophets of old, it has been prophesied that the day of the Lord was coming. With its arrival, everything would be destroyed. Within this context, the destruction of the old kingdom would be a necessary stage in the ushering of a new kingdom, “the new heavens and new earth, the place where righteousness will be at home.”
Indeed, the entire mission of our Lord is to establish the Kingdom of God. His ministry is seen as a spiritual warfare against the Evil One and his kingdom. The coming of Jesus – His healing of the sick, the liberation of those possessed by the Evil One, and His authority over storms and nature – all indicate that the reign of God prevails. Indeed, the New Heaven and the New Earth is described in terms of a return to the paradisiacal life. St John wrote, “Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” (Rev 21:4) All will live in peace and unity with each other. “The wolf and the lamb shall feed together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent – its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain.” (Isa 65:25)
Most of all, in the New Heaven and New Earth, there will be peace and justice. Isaiah prophesied that with the coming of the righteous king, “His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore.” (Isa 9:7) This is why, in the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus asked us to pray that His kingdom will come; and in the Sermon on the Mount, He gave us the blueprint for living a blessed life by living out the beatitudes. Finally, He exhorted us, not to worry about our life on earth but simply “strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Mt 6:33)
In other words, the New Heaven and the New Earth is where God lives. St John wrote, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them.” (Rev 21:3) And in that city, there will be no temple, no sun or moon to shine on it “for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb; for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.” (Rev 21:22-25) In other words, Heaven is where God lives in us, and we in Him, as we are the dwelling place of God.
This is what the Lord intends by inviting us to accept the Lordship of God. In the Gospel, the religious leaders were hypocritical. They were supposed to serve God as their Lord, but they used their positions and their office to benefit themselves and protect their interests and status in society. Jesus, in His ministry, was critical of their insincerity in serving God. Their two-faced conduct was exposed by the very question they asked Jesus in order to trick Him into providing an answer that would incur the wrath of either the people or the authorities. As the evangelist says, “The chief priests and the scribes and the elders sent to Jesus some Pharisees and Herodians to catch him out in what he said.” Their true intention was exposed when they sought to flatter Jesus by beginning with a compliment, “Master, we know you are an honest man, that you are not afraid of anyone, because a man’s rank means nothing to you, and that you teach the way of God in all honesty.”
What does it mean to accept the Lordship of God? When they asked the Lord, “Is it permissible to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay, yes or no?’, Jesus replied, ”Why do you set this trap for me? Hand me a denarius and let me see it.’ They handed him one and he said, ‘Whose head is this? Whose name?’ ‘Caesar’s’ they told him. Jesus said to them, ‘Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar – and to God what belongs to God.'” In other words, accepting the Lordship of God means that we surrender all things to Him. God is the Lord of Heaven and Earth, and therefore all things belong to Him – all our wealth, power and gifts. However, on this Earth, we have authorities empowered to govern the people for the common good. Consequently, taxes have to be paid to the State for the common use of all. Clearly, therefore, acknowledging the Lordship of God does not contradict the Lordship of those who are placed in charge of us. In the final analysis, whether it is Caesar, the government, or those who have rightful authority over us, they are but exercising their office under the Lordship of God.
It is within this context that we should also surrender everything we have and how we live our lives under the Lordship of Christ. St Peter wrote, “You should be living holy and saintly lives while you wait and long for the Day of God to come.” There are two ideas here in this exhortation, namely, the impetus to live a life of holiness is in view of Christ’s second coming. If Christ’s coming will bring justice to the world – which means judgment of the wicked and deliverance of the just – then we should seek to live holy and godly lives now. We will be judged by the standards of Christ. As Jesus is the standard of human life by which we are judged, and by which we judge ourselves, we must already live the life of the kingdom, which is what holiness of life is all about. “So then, my friends, while you are waiting do your best to live lives without spot or stain so that he will find you at peace.” We must live with a clear conscience – that is, a life of justice. Only then, when the Day comes, will we be found at peace with God and with our fellowmen.
Hence, St Peter urged the Christians to be prepared. We do not know when the Day of the Lord will come, but it will not be according to our efforts or calculations. Even if the world does not come to an end yet, our life on this earth will surely come to a close much sooner than we think. Indeed, the Responsorial Psalm reminds us of the shortness of this life. “Before the mountains were born or the earth or the world brought forth, you are God, without beginning or end. You turn men back to dust and say: ‘Go back, sons of men.’ To your eyes a thousand years are like yesterday, come and gone, no more than a watch in the night. Our span is seventy years, or eighty for those who are strong. And most of these are emptiness and pain. They pass swiftly and we are gone.”
Consequently, whilst we still have time to purify ourselves for the Lord’s coming, we should not take for granted that we will have a long runway to repent of our sins. On the contrary, we must not take His grace for granted; we must live a life of righteousness. St Peter wrote, “Think of our Lord’s patience as your opportunity to be saved. You have been warned about this, my friends; be careful not to get carried away by the errors of unprincipled people, from the firm ground that you are standing on. Instead, go on growing in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ.” If God has given us a longer life, it only means that He has given us the grace and time to repent and live the life of grace to do good for others. It is not to be wasted or delayed until it is too late for us to do any good.
In order to be strengthened to live a life of holiness, we need be well-grounded in the Truth and in the Word of God. There are many of us who start well in our faith, but along the way, we give up on God. Starting well is no guarantee that we will end well. Holiness is not a one-time decision, but a daily decision to live under the Lordship of Christ. We must be wary of who we associate with, and not allow worldly people to confuse our faith and weaken our love for the Lord. Rather, our lives must always be rooted in constant prayer and in the Word of God so that we will always walk in the way of the Gospel. Let us take the words of St Paul seriously: “by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Rom 12:1f)
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment