THE CALL TO VIGILANCE

20161127 THE CALL TO VIGILANCE

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Violet.

First reading

Isaiah 2:1-5 ©

The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

In the days to come

the mountain of the Temple of the Lord

shall tower above the mountains

and be lifted higher than the hills.

All the nations will stream to it,

peoples without number will come to it; and they will say:

  ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,

  to the Temple of the God of Jacob

  that he may teach us his ways

  so that we may walk in his paths;

  since the Law will go out from Zion,

  and the oracle of the Lord from Jerusalem.’

He will wield authority over the nations

and adjudicate between many peoples;

these will hammer their swords into ploughshares,

their spears into sickles.

Nation will not lift sword against nation,

there will be no more training for war.

O House of Jacob, come,

let us walk in the light of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 121(122):1-2,4-5,6-9 ©

I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’

I rejoiced when I heard them say:

  ‘Let us go to God’s house.’

And now our feet are standing

  within your gates, O Jerusalem.

I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’

It is there that the tribes go up,

  the tribes of the Lord.

For Israel’s law it is,

  there to praise the Lord’s name.

There were set the thrones of judgement

  of the house of David.

I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’

For the peace of Jerusalem pray:

  ‘Peace be to your homes!

May peace reign in your walls,

  in your palaces, peace!’

I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’

For love of my brethren and friends

  I say: ‘Peace upon you!’

For love of the house of the Lord

  I will ask for your good.

I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’

Second reading

Romans 13:11-14 ©

You know ‘the time’ has come: you must wake up now: our salvation is even nearer than it was when we were converted. The night is almost over, it will be daylight soon – let us give up all the things we prefer to do under cover of the dark; let us arm ourselves and appear in the light. Let us live decently as people do in the daytime: no drunken orgies, no promiscuity or licentiousness, and no wrangling or jealousy. Let your armour be the Lord Jesus Christ.

Gospel Acclamation

Ps84:8

Alleluia, alleluia!

Let us see, O Lord, your mercy

and give us your saving help.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 24:37-44 ©

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘As it was in Noah’s day, so will it be when the Son of Man comes. For in those days before the Flood people were eating, drinking, taking wives, taking husbands, right up to the day Noah went into the ark, and they suspected nothing till the Flood came and swept all away. It will be like this when the Son of Man comes. Then of two men in the fields one is taken, one left; of two women at the millstone grinding, one is taken, one left.

  ‘So stay awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming. You may be quite sure of this that if the householder had known at what time of the night the burglar would come, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed anyone to break through the wall of his house. Therefore, you too must stand ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’

THE CALL TO VIGILANCE

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ IS 2:1-5; PS 121:1-2,4-5,6-9; ROM 13:11-14; MT 24:37-44  ]

There is so much division and tension in the world today.  In spite of mass communication, internet and globalization, advanced technology and science, better living conditions, facilities and luxuries compared to the time of our forefathers, this world is getting more and more dangerous to live in.  Today, we live in fear not knowing how safe we are.  With terrorist activities rampant in the world, we do not know when we will be attacked as well.  That is why the government is asking us to be alert to the possibility of terrorist attacks which can come from anywhere and any person when we least expect it.  The government is working not just on prevention, but preparing us for the aftermath of a terrorist attack, for the truth is that there is no full proof prevention. Be alert, is the message of the government.

Why is the world getting more unsafe?  This is because our peoples are divided.  We see the world getting more and more polarized.  We have witnessed this situation in the West.  The recent Brexit and US election have much to teach us about the cultural and moral divide among peoples.  The liberals who have been pushing their agenda on the redefinition of the family, marriage and other values are seeing a push-back from the conservatives of society who until then had been silent.   Indeed, because of relativism, there is no more basis to hold our peoples united in love and in truth.

We no longer know what is truth today, what is right or wrong.  Although we have acquired more knowledge and information, we have less clarity and wisdom.  Many of us do not know what to make of all the knowledge we have acquired because the views held are so diverse and convincing that the ordinary person is paralyzed by the varied opinions.  This is partly the reason for the flowering of the ideology of relativism.  Faced with so many views and all seem appealing, one is called to choose whatever version of the ‘truth’ one is attracted to.  It is no longer based on what is right or wrong, whether they are objective or not but whether one is inclined to it, since there is no absolute truth. 

Indeed, our real challenge today is how do we sift out all the knowledge we have acquired and discern and distinguish what is true and what is masqueraded as truth?  How we make use of this knowledge determines our happiness.  Without determining what is true, many of our young people are misled into adopting the wrong values in life.  We cannot blame them because no one is enlightening them or helping them to discern what is true and false.  This explains why some allow themselves to be radicalized by terrorist ideologies.  When knowledge falls into the wrong hands, such knowledge can be used in a destructive manner.

Without maturity, too much knowledge can confuse the young person.   This is true especially in the area of sex education.  Our young people are exposed to sex and pornography at a very tender age.  They are encouraged to indulge in the manipulation of their body.   The physical aspect of sex is being promoted as the objective in a relationship.  The truth is that the physical dimension of the relationship, whilst important, occupies a very little part of the entire relationship, which is about communication, love, sharing, caring, listening and rendering each other support.  These more important aspects of the relationship are not underscored.  The implications of adultery, infidelity in a relationship and how it impacts on their personal life, dignity, confidence, social life and even our work are never talked about.   We are not warned of the consequences for our family and children because of pornography, infidelity and divorce.

Similarly, when technology and science advance without a corresponding advancement in human development, it can be destructive to humanity.   It is like a child who has been given the key to a car to drive.  Science and technology without the guidance of morality will bring about the dehumanization of the human race.  We are already seeing the signs when the dignity of the human person is not respected by science.  Destruction of human embryos, manipulation of the genes of the human person, cloning and euthanasia are promoted without considering the implications for the future of humanity besides the dignity of the human person.  On the international front, the rise of armament and chemical weapons, the use of nuclear weapons are threats to the existence and peaceful co-existence of humanity.  The tragedy is that those who are advancing the cause of science and technology are not seeing beyond what they do, particularly the social and moral implications for the future of humanity.

The world is living in darkness, as St Paul mentioned in the second reading. They do things under cover in the dark, indulging in quarreling, fighting, drinking and licentiousness.  Hence, the call to vigilance in today’s scripture readings is the theme of our celebration.  “Stay awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming.”  As we enter into the First Sunday of Advent, we are called to prepare for the Coming of the Lord.  Although, the gospel speaks of Christ coming at the end of time, Christ’s coming is happening every day.

We need to be watchful at all times, like the householder.  Unless we are alert and vigilant, the negative trends of society today can become so overwhelming that they dominate and control our peoples.  Indeed, if we are not watchful of how the selfish, self-centered and materialistic values are being promoted by society, as expressed in the attempts to reformulate the definition of marriage and family, and the use of science and technology, we will find ourselves overwhelmed by the values of the world.  When that time comes, we will be too helpless even to safeguard our family and children and their future.

So we cannot afford to be indifferent.   We cannot ignore the signals and the current trends of society as if they have nothing to do with us.  Society is the product of man and man is the product of society.  How we want our society to be organized and formed, depends on every individual playing his or her part in informing the world about the kind of values we subscribe to and want to promote.  Either we leave our future in the hands of ignorant people who lead our society to division, degeneration and decadence, or we seek to change the course of society by being alert, proactive and contribute to steering the moral values of our society. We must be discerning and watchful for the sake of the future of our children and humanity.

How, then, can we be vigilant?  We must take our compass from the Lord not from the world.  This is what Isaiah prophesied.  “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the Temple of the God of Jacob that he may teach us his ways so that we may walk in his paths.”   So long as we become the norm and the judge of what is right or wrong, we can never agree among ourselves.  This is the outcome of relativism because it rejects God as the absolute truth.   Truth can only be found in God alone.  Only God can teach us what is true.  What the world, and even our Catholics, is doing is to find the answers to the truth on the internet and what others say or think, rather than what God is saying in the scriptures.  Our reference point and moral compass cannot be the values and reasoning of the world but from God alone.

If we found our values in God, then we will be united in truth and love.  If the world is divided it is because truth is found in human subjectivity.  Since none of us can agree to what is true, we remain divided.  The unity and peace of the world remains superficial and fragile because it is not founded on truth but on tolerance and false compromises.   Only truth can unite us.

The fullness of truth and defence against errors is found in Jesus Christ.  In Him alone, do we find the way to life!  Hence, St Paul urges us, “Let your armour be the Lord Jesus Christ.”  Indeed, we are to put on the Lord in our battle against the evil forces and negative trends in society.  Let Jesus be our armour and safeguard against the darkness of society.  We need to strengthen our faith in the Lord and understand the moral teachings of the gospel and of the Church.  Without a firm foundation in the Word of God and the teachings of the Church and a strong relationship with Christ, we cannot shield ourselves from the onslaught of the world.

Indeed, this is the cry of the prophet, “O House of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.”  How can we be sure that we are walking in the light of truth and love?  When we are no longer ashamed of what we normally do in the dark.  Evil deeds are always done under cover because they are shameful deeds.  When we stop rationalizing and follow the voice of our conscience, we know we are walking in the truth.  Truth needs no justification or defence.  Truth speaks for itself.  The effects of our values manifest truth.  We know whether the gospel is true or not by analyzing the effects of the values of society on the integrity of the individual, happiness and the strength of our family, unity of our society and the world.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved

LIVING OUR LIVES MEANINGFULLY IN THE PERSPECTIVE OF ETERNITY

20161126 LIVING OUR LIVES MEANINGFULLY IN THE PERSPECTIVE OF ETERNITY

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Green.

First reading

Apocalypse 22:1-7 ©

The angel showed me, John, the river of life, rising from the throne of God and of the Lamb and flowing crystal-clear down the middle of the city street. On either side of the river were the trees of life, which bear twelve crops of fruit in a year, one in each month, and the leaves of which are the cure for the pagans.

  The ban will be lifted. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in its place in the city; his servants will worship him, they will see him face to face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. It will never be night again and they will not need lamplight or sunlight, because the Lord God will be shining on them. They will reign for ever and ever.

  The angel said to me, ‘All that you have written is sure and will come true: the Lord God who gives the spirit to the prophets has sent his angel to reveal to his servants what is soon to take place. Very soon now, I shall be with you again.’ Happy are those who treasure the prophetic message of this book.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 94(95):1-7 ©

Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus!

Come, ring out our joy to the Lord;

  hail the rock who saves us.

Let us come before him, giving thanks,

  with songs let us hail the Lord.

Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus!

A mighty God is the Lord,

  a great king above all gods.

In his hand are the depths of the earth;

  the heights of the mountains are his.

To him belongs the sea, for he made it

  and the dry land shaped by his hands.

Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus!

Come in; let us bow and bend low;

  let us kneel before the God who made us:

for he is our God and we

  the people who belong to his pasture,

  the flock that is led by his hand.

Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus!

Gospel Acclamation

Mt24:42,44

Alleluia, alleluia!

Stay awake and stand ready,

because you do not know the hour

when the Son of Man is coming.

Alleluia!

Or

Lk21:36

Alleluia, alleluia!

Stay awake, praying at all times

for the strength to stand with confidence

before the Son of Man.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 21:34-36 ©

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be coarsened with debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life, and that day will be sprung on you suddenly, like a trap. For it will come down on every living man on the face of the earth. Stay awake, praying at all times for the strength to survive all that is going to happen, and to stand with confidence before the Son of Man.’

LIVING OUR LIVES MEANINGFULLY IN THE PERSPECTIVE OF ETERNITY

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [  REVELATION 22:1-7; LK 21:34-36   ]

Today is the last day of the liturgical year. Consequently the question addressed to us is whether we are ready for the last day of our lives.  This question is very real.  We must not delude ourselves into thinking that we have plenty of time or that we are still young because death can come suddenly, like a heart attack, or gradually, like a terminal illness.  Jesus made it clear that “that day will be sprung on you suddenly, like a trap.  For it will come down on every living man on the face of the earth.”  For us Christians, we thank God if we suffer from a terminal illness for at least we have time to repent and reorder our lives.  But alas, if we die of a heart attack or a tragic and fatal accident, we would have no chance to repent and to find closure for all the unfinished agenda in our lives.

Why does the Church want us to have such morbid thoughts at the end of the year?  It is not meant to put fear unto our hearts but to help us to be realistic and focused. This is because to live a full life now is determined by what we intend to achieve in the end.  Unless we have a clear vision and goal in life, we cannot give ourselves wholeheartedly to the task of living.  Vision provides us with focus and hope.  Without a clear understanding of one’s vision, we cannot commit ourselves to the task with zeal.  Without vision, we cannot strengthen the community’s spirit.  Whether our members will make a difference in the organization depends on the clarity and conviction of the mission of the organization.  But more importantly, we need to have our own personal vision and mission in life.  We need to ask the more fundamental question of the meaning and purpose of our existence.  Otherwise, we will just drift through life as in the case of someone who loses his or her spouse.  It is vision that keeps us alive and keeps us going until we realize our dream.  It is vision that draws us to pour our spirit into society and help others to realize their own vision and the community’s vision.

Indeed, the tragedy is that many people in the world live an aimless life.  As Jesus said, their hearts are “coarsened with debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life.”  Indeed, so many of us fail to live our lives in the shadow of eternity.  We are only preoccupied with the pleasures and anxieties of this life.  We get so burdened with the non-essentials of life that we forget what is really important.  We think pleasures, possessions, power and status can give us meaning in life.  Nay, all these are passing.  In fact some pleasures and worldly pursuits in life can destroy us even and make us insensitive to what is truly of eternal value.  We live superficially and not deeply.  When we live for ourselves alone and allow sins to control our lives, we will never be able to live fully as we are created for God and for love.  Failing to give ourselves to God and to our fellowmen, we lose meaning and purpose to live fully.  The one who tries to live for himself will eventually be frustrated because our hearts are made for God and for others.  Love of self is self-suffocation.

So what is of eternal value?  The first reading gives us the vision and goal of every Christian, which is to enter into the river of life.  It is a life that is lived in the presence of God, seeing Him face to face.  The author writes, “The ban will be lifted. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in its place in the city; his servants will worship him, they will see him face to face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. It will never be night again and they will not need lamplight or sunlight, because the Lord God will be shining on them.”  We will reign with Him in the new Kingdom.  In the responsorial psalm, we are called to praise God and recognize Him as our Lord and God to whom we belong.  Our goal is to be with Him.  On that day, we will reign with him forever because we live in the light.  It is a life of clear conscience, focused on the essentials of building relationships with God and each other instead of trivia.  Too often, we waste so much energy on nonessentials.  In the final analysis, our vision of life is a life in Christ. Christ is the goal of history and humanity.  That is all we know and need to know about the future.   Indeed, Jesus is coming into our lives.  With Christ in us; our hearts will be full of joy.

But the Good News is that we already have a foretaste of this life in Christ.  Whenever we live our lives in selfless love and service, we experience the joys of Jesus in our hearts.  This is what St John is inviting us to.  He wants us to be those trees that bear fruits and give life and healing to others. Indeed, as a priest, I find this to be one of the greatest ways one can live, to give oneself totally to God and to His people.  Yes, we have to endure the trials of the apostolate but they are part of the whole process of purification of love and faith.  But it is one of the most meaningful vocations one could live.  In fact, the priestly and religious life is a real anticipation of the eternal life to come because it is a life of Christ.  Of course, anyone who lives His vocation and responds generously to what the Lord has allotted to him or her will also find life to the fullest.  Fullness of life is not confined to just the priesthood and religious life. A married life when lived to the full with our spouse and our children too will give great joy and meaning.  A single life when lived in service to humanity and to the Church is equally rich and meaningful.

Hence, if there is anything, which could be holding us back from the joy of serving the Lord in freedom, then all we need to do is to give our hearts to Jesus.  He wants to offer us true freedom from our anxieties and sinful habits of life.  He comes to give us a fruitful life of love and peace.  Yes, Jesus wants to rule our lives by the power of love.   All He asks of us is to draw strength and life from Him just as the trees drew life from the river and “bear twelve crops of fruit in a year, one in each month, and the leaves of which are the cure for the pagans.”

Unless we give ourselves to Jesus, sin and disordered living will rule our lives and make us inward-looking. We must avoid allowing our hearts to become drowsy through sin and attachment to a sinful and self-indulgent way of life.  This is because we are created to live a life of love and service. If not, we become gradually insensitive to goodness and love.  The frightening prospect is that a heart does not become drowsy overnight.  Just like the human heart, it slowly collects fats leading eventually to a heart attack; and in our case a spiritual attack.

Consequently, if we are to be ready to receive Jesus, we must be alert and watchful. Jesus tells us, “Stay awake, praying at all times for the strength to survive all that is going to happen, and to stand with confidence before the Son of Man.” Indeed, we must avoid falling into the temptation of becoming spiritually lazy and inattentive to spiritual things.  The worst is to fall into complacency and indifference.  We begin with neutrality and indifference, but eventually it will lead us to sin.  Very soon, we will become enemies of Christ and detractors of the Church.   That is why we need to pray for His grace.  We need to drink from Him the river of life so that we can give life to others.  Unless we pray, we will lose focus and direction in life.  Only prayer will enable us to see the face of God.  Prayer is but an invitation to contemplate on the face of Christ.  Unless we see the face of God in Christ, we cannot see the face of God in His people crying out to us for help. Indeed, Jesus could meet man only because He has met God and stayed in His presence.

Yes, we are given a lifetime to prepare our hearts to receive Christ.  If we do not start preparing and perfecting our lives in holiness, when death comes, we would only regret but that would be too late.  Before God, we would not be given a second chance.  When that day comes, if our conscience is clear, then we meet God face to face only because Jesus is in our hearts.  If we do not recognize Jesus now, how can we recognize God when we die?   So let us give ourselves to Jesus completely, crying out “maranatha” as in the responsorial psalm so that Jesus lives in us.  We must ask ourselves again and again, if the Lord were to come, can we stand with heads upright and with confidence before Him and our fellowmen with a clear conscience?

Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved

VICTORY OVER EVIL AND LIBERATION FOR THE JUST

20161124 VICTORY OVER EVIL AND LIBERATION FOR THE JUST

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Red.

First reading

Apocalypse 18:1-2,21-23,19:1-3,9 ©

I, John, saw an angel come down from heaven, with great authority given to him; the earth was lit up with his glory. At the top of his voice he shouted, ‘Babylon has fallen, Babylon the Great has fallen, and has become the haunt of devils and a lodging for every foul spirit and dirty, loathsome bird. Then a powerful angel picked up a boulder like a great millstone, and as he hurled it into the sea, he said, ‘That is how the great city of Babylon is going to be hurled down, never to be seen again.

Never again in you, Babylon,

will be heard the song of harpists and minstrels,

the music of flute and trumpet;

never again will craftsmen of every skill be found

or the sound of the mill be heard;

never again will shine the light of the lamp,

never again will be heard

the voices of bridegroom and bride.

Your traders were the princes of the earth,

all the nations were under your spell.

After this I seemed to hear the great sound of a huge crowd in heaven, singing, ‘Alleluia! Victory and glory and power to our God! He judges fairly, he punishes justly, and he has condemned the famous prostitute who corrupted the earth with her fornication; he has avenged his servants that she killed.’ They sang again, ‘Alleluia! The smoke of her will go up for ever and ever.’ The angel said, ‘Write this: Happy are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb’, and he added, ‘All the things you have written are true messages from God.’

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 99(100):2-5 ©

Happy are those who are invited to the wedding-feast of the Lamb.

  Serve the Lord with gladness.

  Come before him, singing for joy.

Happy are those who are invited to the wedding-feast of the Lamb.

Know that he, the Lord, is God.

  He made us, we belong to him,

  we are his people, the sheep of his flock.

Happy are those who are invited to the wedding-feast of the Lamb.

Go within his gates, giving thanks.

  Enter his courts with songs of praise.

  Give thanks to him and bless his name.

Happy are those who are invited to the wedding-feast of the Lamb.

Indeed, how good is the Lord,

  eternal his merciful love.

  He is faithful from age to age.

Happy are those who are invited to the wedding-feast of the Lamb.

Gospel Acclamation

Mt24:42,44

Alleluia, alleluia!

Stay awake and stand ready,

because you do not know the hour

when the Son of Man is coming.

Alleluia!

Or

Lk21:28

Alleluia, alleluia!

Stand erect, hold your heads high,

because your liberation is near at hand.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 21:20-28 ©

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you must realise that she will soon be laid desolate. Then those in Judaea must escape to the mountains, those inside the city must leave it, and those in country districts must not take refuge in it. For this is the time of vengeance when all that scripture says must be fulfilled. Alas for those with child, or with babies at the breast, when those days come!

  ‘For great misery will descend on the land and wrath on this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive to every pagan country; and Jerusalem will be trampled down by the pagans until the age of the pagans is completely over.

  ‘There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars; on earth nations in agony, bewildered by the clamour of the ocean and its waves; men dying of fear as they await what menaces the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand.’

VICTORY OVER EVIL AND LIBERATION FOR THE JUST

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [  REVELATION 18:1-2, 21-23, 19:1-3, 9; LUKE 21:20-28   ]

For us to appreciate today’s scripture readings, we need to highlight two significant words in the first reading.  Firstly, we need to understand the usage of the name, “Babylon”.   We must not forget that at the time of John’s writing, Palestine was under the control of the Roman Empire.  Obviously, John would be looking for trouble if he were to mention Rome directly or even to speak of them as their enemies.  This explains why in the Book of Revelation, he had to employ symbols that were familiar to the Jews but not to others.

The Roman Empire was paralleled to the then merciless and powerful Babylonian Empire.  Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians.  They were led into exile in 586 B.C.   They lost everything, including their Temple.  Babylon too was an evil city, a center for idol worship.  The people lived immoral lives, cheating, engaging in prostitution and sensual living.  Just as Babylon was the scourge of Israel, so too was Rome.  Babylon therefore was used by John as a symbol of Rome and all the enemies of the early Christians.

The other word that John used to describe the situation during the time of the early Christians was their struggle against “the famous prostitute who corrupted the earth with her fornication.”  This prostitute refers to the seductiveness of the world.  Rome, like Babylon, had succumbed to the temptations of the world, power, glory, sex, wealth and materialism. Indeed, those in government, in business and even in religion were seduced by the worldly things of this world and engaged in dishonest and immoral living.  Of course, this is still happening in our times when businesses use bribery, sex, food and luxuries to tempt people into buying their products or to cooperate with them.

What happened during the time of John is still relevant in our times.   The Babylon of our days is secularism and relativism.  When man creates gods, supplanting the place of the Almighty God, this is the beginning of disorder.   To think that we are gods and the ultimate in life is a lie.  We know that we are contingent beings.   We come from somewhere and at the end of time, we will have to die.  So to make ourselves the absolute in life, when everything is dependent on what we think and what we like, then, in that sense we have made ourselves gods.  The Church today seeks to defend her faith against secularism where God is denied, and relativism when truth and love are confused.  Indeed, in relativism, man makes himself the judge of all norms.  He is a norm unto himself.  He accepts no one’s opinions unless others agree with him.

Secondly, the Church is also facing the “famous prostitute” of the early Christians.  It is materialism.  When God is removed from society, when man is reduced to an animal, he becomes materialistic.  He lives a self-indulgent life, seeking to satisfy his bodily and sensual needs.  His life is one of pleasure and enjoyment.  He is easily tempted not just by the things of this world and the comforts of life; he is also enticed by indecency, sex, power and glory.  Truly, when our soul is denied and the spiritual thirst of the human person is suppressed, he begins to look to the things of this world.  Yet, at the same time, no matter how much he tries to satisfy himself from the things of this world, he finds no fulfillment, simply because nothing in his life or any creature can quench his thirst and hunger.  St Augustine says, “You have made us for yourself, Lord, and our heart can find no rest until it rests in you.”  Since we are created in His likeness and image, only God satisfies the desires of every human heart.  Those who are spiritually connected with God, they know that the joys of life are the transcendent things, like love, peace, truth and unity.  Only God who is the supreme truth and good can satisfy our hunger.

However, in spite of the dominating trends of the world going in the direction of secularism and relativism, we should not be discouraged.  This is the exhortation of our Lord in the gospel.  Jesus said to His disciples, “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you must realise that she will soon be laid desolate. Then those in Judaea must escape to the mountains, those inside the city must leave it, and those in country districts must not take refuge in it. For this is the time of vengeance when all that scripture says must be fulfilled.”   This prophecy of Jesus took place in 70 A.D. when a Roman General put Jerusalem under siege before eventually destroying the city.  “They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive to every pagan country; and Jerusalem will be trampled down by the pagans until the age of the pagans is completely over.”   Thousands died during the siege because of famine and the lack of water.  This was all because they did not read the signs of the times.  Instead of living peaceably with the Romans, they planned to revolt against Rome.

So too those who are evil will die by their evil actions.  What we sow is what we reap.  For not living a righteous life, we will die by the very sins we have committed.  For cheating, we go to jail.  For lying, we cause more division in our families, offices and community.  For pampering our body by indulging in food, drink, smoking and drugs, we will suffer from poor health and illnesses causing untold misery and burden to our loved ones who have to look after us.  For indulging in free sex, having multiple partners, sleeping around, visiting prostitutes, we punish ourselves by contracting sexual diseases like AIDs.  For those cohabitating, their relationships remain forever insecure.  For infidelity, we break our families and destroy the future of our children.   We are punished by the very sins we commit.

Indeed, this is what John tells us in the first reading, that evil will be overcome eventually.  He saw the vision of a powerful angel who “picked up a boulder like a great millstone, and as he hurled it into the sea, he said, ‘That is how the great city of Babylon is going to be hurled down, never to be seen again.’”  Those who think so highly of themselves, the mighty and arrogant ones; those without fear and reverence for God and for the Sacred, those who commit all kinds of evil and sin in their lives, judgment is ahead of them. They will see their downfall.  For not taking heed of God’s invitation to repent and to attend the Wedding of the Lamb, they will suffer condemnation.

In the final analysis, no matter how bleak the situation is, we know that God will triumph in the end.  St John wrote, “After this I seemed to hear the great sound of a huge crowd in heaven, singing, ‘Alleluia! Victory and glory and power to our God! He judges fairly, he punishes justly, and he has condemned the famous prostitute who corrupted the earth with her fornication; he has avenged his servants that she killed.’”  This victory is not won by men but by the power of God.  The justice of God will prevail and the truth of God will expose the enemies of truth, those who promote falsehood and deceive the world.

As for those who are faithful to the Lord, the angel said, “Happy are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.”  Indeed, all Christians, like the bride of Christ dressed in white, purified by His blood on the cross and His sacrificial death, will be admitted to the Wedding Feast.  There we will find true union with God in Christ, abundant joy, love and happiness.   As the bride of Christ, we reflect the joy of our Lord in us.   Only in heaven is there complete joy, and the delights of God will satisfy all human hearts and desires.

So until then, “when these things begin to take place, stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand.”   Let us be strong and not give up easily.  The judgment of God will come, even if it is not in our time.  We must trust in the power of God and His divine providence. He alone will determine the end of history.  So with confidence, in trust and faith, we must live our faith according to the gospel as best as we can with His grace.  We leave judgement to God.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved