[stephenkhoo]

Tuesday, 6 December, 2011, 2nd Week of Advent
JESUS THE GOOD SHEPHERD WILL LEAD US OUT OF OUR MISERY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: ISA 40:1-11; MT 18:12-14

“Console my people, console them.” These are very comforting words indeed for those of us who are going through so much misery, loneliness, pain and problems in life. To such people, the Lord has come to deliver them. But why are we in such a state? At the bottom of all our unhappiness, confusion and sadness are our sins. We might want to put the blame on others, on the situation and the circumstances we are in. Yet, the truth is that happiness lies within the human heart, and not so much on what we have or where we are. Changing places and circumstances do not always solve our problems. The truth is that the real problem is ourselves. Most of our failed relationships are due to pride, anger, envy and above all, lust. Many of our dissatisfactions in life come from envy, greed and gluttony. Because of our selfishness, self-centeredness, attachments and our desire to have more, we are at odds with those who do not live according to our expectations or dance to our whims and fancies. We want others to do our bidding and fulfill our desires.

Indeed, we are just like the lost sheep in today’s gospel. Like the lost sheep, we want to go our own way. Instead of being with the group, with our community, we are proud and stubborn, thinking that we are always right and that we know everything. Indeed, some of us, even Catholics, trust our own judgment of what is right and good, more than what the Church teaches with regard to morality. Many of us Catholics pick and choose moral positions promoted by the Magisterium based on what agrees with us; not because what they say is true, as guaranteed by Christ. As a consequence, especially for those of us who see values and truth as relative to one’s preferences and predicament, we allow sin to eventually take control of our lives.

This was the same situation as that of the Israelites and the Jews who were exiled in Babylon. The reason why they landed in Babylon as exiles was simply because they ignored the warnings of the prophets to repent. The kings, his court officials, the nobles and the rich had abandoned the Covenantal Laws. Instead of showing allegiance to Yahweh, they allowed the foreign religions to contaminate the purity of their faith. They also practiced injustices and cheated in business, and committed all kinds of sin against the poor and the innocent. Worst of all, they listened to the false prophets who assured them that they were doing the right thing when they forged alliance with their neighbors. As a consequence, Yahweh abandoned them to their self-will. The resultant effect was that they were conquered by their enemies and banished to Babylon. Not only was their temple desecrated and ruined, but the whole of Jerusalem was ravaged as well.

To such people and to us, God is always faithful. He shows His fidelity by calling us back to Him when we are ready. This was the assurance of the prophet Isaiah, “Speak to the heart of Jerusalem and call to her that her time of service is ended, that her sin is atoned for, that she has received from the hand of the Lord double punishment for all her crimes.” At times, we might think that God does not care and that He has given up on us. The truth is that God was waiting for the opportune time to intervene and bring us back to our senses. In this case, the exile in Babylon was necessary for the Jews to come to awareness of their sins and how, by abandoning Yahweh and the Covenant, they had brought the consequences of their follies on themselves. And so when they thought that everything was lost, God chose King Cyrus to set them free to return to Jerusalem to rebuild their Temple and homeland.

However, God has an even greater plan for us. He wants to save us once and for all, by coming to us in power so that we will be delivered from the hands of our enemies. This was what the prophet said, “Here is the Lord coming with power, his arm subduing all things to him. The prize of his victory is with him, his trophies all go before him.” Lest we are mistaken about this power of the Lord, it is not to be misconstrued in terms of worldly power. His power is that of the Shepherd who cares for His sheep. It is the power of mercy, love and forgiveness. This is what the Prophet said about the Lord’s coming. “He is like a shepherd feeding his flock, gathering lambs in his arms, holding them against his breast and leading to their rest the mother ewes.” God comes as a shepherd who protects us from the wild beasts of sin and temptations of the Evil One. He comes to embrace us when we are hurt, wounded or even when we have strayed from Him. He does not seek to punish us for our sins but only desires that we return to Him and be safe in His arms.

Indeed, Jesus the Good Shepherd shows us the real power of conversion. For this reason, Jesus came to show us the way. He lived a life among us as a man. He identified with us in every way except sin. He assumed our humanity, suffered the same trials in life, of abandonment, pain, hunger, loneliness, of being misunderstood, ridiculed, and most of all, against every injustice and inhumane act of cruelty against humanity. He suffered every pain that comes from the sins of man, even though He did not commit them. And through all these, He remained faithful in doing the Father’s will, regardless of whether He understood fully the Father’s wisdom. One thing is certain, He trusted fully in the Father and His will. Truly, it was His compassion and His fidelity to the Father’s will, even unto death on the cross, that reconciled us with His Father. For only then, could we fathom the price of love that God had to pay in order that we might come to the realization of what sin is doing to us, to others and most of all, to Him.

Indeed, God would spare no effort to reunite us with Himself. This is what the parable of the Lost Sheep is all about. Even if one was lost, the Good Shepherd would “leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go in search of the stray.” Every one of us is as important to Him as the rest of the ninety-nine. The Good Shepherd did not only come for the strong and the healthy. He is not interested in numbers. He is not contented to know that most of us are saved, for He wants all to be saved. Such is the personal and individual love of God for each one of us. Hence, Jesus remarked, “I tell you solemnly, if he finds it, it gives him no more joy than do the ninety-nine that did not stray at all. Similarly, it is never the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.”

God knows how much we are going through. He knows why we are lost. He knows that many of our sins are not deliberate and even if they were, they come from a broken heart, a distraught childhood, abusive relationships, neglect, lack of love, condemnation, and rejection. As a consequence, we have become rather insecure, angry and defensive. All the sins of our loved ones which continue to have its effect on us, causing us to perpetuate their sins in our own lives, render us helpless in freeing ourselves from the web of sin. So the Lord is coming to give us the same power to free ourselves when He gives us His Holy Spirit.

As we prepare for the coming of the Lord, let us therefore take heed of the call to repentance. The prophet appeals to us. “Prepare in the wilderness a way for the Lord. Make a straight highway for our God across the desert. Let every valley be filled in, every mountain and hill be laid low, let every cliff become a plain, and the ridges a valley.” We must ask ourselves what are the crooked ways, the double lives we are living; what are the valleys in our lives, the lows and the downs we are in and are unable to come out of, namely, the sins that still cling so easily to us, the depression and self-pity we indulge in. And finally, what are those areas that prevent us from reaching out to those who have hurt us because of pride, or those whom we have hurt. It is our pride that restraints us from being reconciled with our loved ones and our enemies. Do we want to continue to hang on to our pride and forgo the peace that the Lord wants to give us, or will we humble ourselves, forgive and ask for forgiveness so that God’s peace will be ours?

But some of us simply would not repent! If only we know how much the Lord has gone through for love of us, perhaps, we would repent. But we don’t! This is the trouble. That is why during this season of Advent, we should spend time reflecting on the meaning of the Incarnation right up to the cross, for the earthly humanity of Jesus extends from the time He was conceived in the womb of Mary till His body was crucified on the cross. Of course, now Jesus’ body is in a glorified state. If we come to realize the depth of His love, we will change.

Only love can change the hearts of men; not punishment or threat or anger and revenge. When that happens, then with the psalmist, we will sing, “Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let the sea and what fills it resound; let the plains be joyful and all that is in them! Then let all the trees of the forest rejoice.” By giving up our sins, “then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all mankind shall see it.” If only we know the joy of being liberated from our sins, our past and the prison that we have built for ourselves, we would be dancing with joy and become the messengers of the Lord proclaiming the Good News of peace and happiness. “Go up on a high mountain, joyful messenger to Zion. Shout with a loud voice, joyful messenger to Jerusalem. Shout without fear, say to the towns of Judah, ‘Here is your God.’”