[stephenkhoo]

Saturday, 26 November, 2011, 34th Ordinary Week, Cycle 1
OVERCOMING THE ENEMIES OF THE KINGDOM THROUGH WATCHFUL PRAYER

SCRIPTURE READINGS: DN 7:15-27; LK 21:34-36

As we come to the end of the liturgical year, the theme of today’s liturgy is that we must stay awake at all times. This theme seems to be repetitive during these last weeks. If the Church appears to be repetitive of this theme, it is because many of us are still not hearkening to the invitation of the Lord to be prepared for His coming.

We can never be too sure or confident that our life will be well taken care of and things will continue run smoothly for us. We may have no worries and enjoy a blessed life. Our family may be united in love and are children are doing well in their studies and careers. Yet, the peace and security we have are never guaranteed. Life is always unpredictable. Without warning and often suddenly, we might one day find ourselves struck by the death of a loved one, an accident, a misfortune, an illness, a broken marriage, unemployment or a business failure, just when we think everything is going well for us.

Of course besides all our fears and anxieties, we can also be overwhelmed by our own sins and worldly concerns. Our hearts are weighed down by greed, lust, gluttony and all kinds of worldly pursuits. We are all addicted to our sinful habits and unable to free ourselves from our disordered passion for pleasures. Many of us are too preoccupied with the cares of life. The gospel advises us to be watchful of the signs and the presence of the kingdom. Many of us are asleep. As a result, life passes us by. We live a barren life and a life that is ruled by sin. We drift from day to day without any sense of direction.

That is why Jesus warns us not to take all these things for granted. He said, “’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.” If we are not prepared, we can be so weighed down by the inconveniences, setbacks, failures and disappointments in life. We can also be crushed by our sins and our mistakes in life. Some of us cannot accept these passing things and events of life. We cannot forgive ourselves or those we blame for the situations we are in, or simply cannot accept the situation itself. Some of us are resigned to the difficulties of life, but are not trying to transcend or overcome our problems. Others try to drown their sorrows by escaping into drinks, or engaging in vain and useless activities. Instead of confronting the way they live, they want to numb their senses and their conscience.

So without exception, besides contending with our internal enemies, we also have to contend with external foes in our lives that threaten our peace and joy. Who then, are our external enemies? The first reading from the Prophet Daniel speaks of the forces of evil in the world. Daniel had earlier interpreted that vivid dream of King Nebuchadnezzar, about a terrifying statue symbolizing four kingdoms. Historically, we know that these kingdoms were the Babylonians, the Medes, the Persians, and the Greeks. (Cf Daniel 2) The four beasts in Daniel’s own dream in Chapter 7 probably corresponds also to these same four kingdoms. Clearly, the fourth beast refers to the Greek Empire, from which arose Antiochus IV Epiphanes who was one of the sons who inherited part of the empire of Alexander the Great after his death. He proved to be the greatest persecutor of the Church. He was the horn that made “war on the saints and proving the stronger … he is going to speak words against the Most High, and harass the saints of the Most High. He will consider changing seasons and the Law, and the saints will be put into his power for a time, two times, and half a time.” Indeed, because of him, many Jews defected from their faith and gave up the Covenant and the Law.

What about our enemies today? Today our enemies are not so much physical powers or internal enemies but spiritual forces at work in the world. I would consider the four beasts in our time as secularism, relativism, materialism and religious syncretism. Secularism denies the reality of God and puts God out of the affairs of man. Relativism amoralizes all values so much so that the objectivity of truth is no longer known. Materialism reduces man merely to an animal like the rest of the creatures on earth, making him lose his spiritual consciousness. Finally, there is religious and scientific syncretism, which encompasses the New Age phenomena whereby science and religions are eclectically fused together so that man comes to deceive himself thinking that he is god. Whilst the first three are obviously anti-religion, the last seems to be “religious” but is in fact as insidious a lie as it confuses our real identity and calling. Indeed because the New Age phenomena looks so innocent, attractive and compatible with religions that even many of our Catholics unwittingly have imported such New Age beliefs and practices into their spiritual life and daily living. New Age philosophy is basically pantheistic.

It is therefore necessary for us, as Jesus said, to “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.” We must continue to stand firm in the face of the challenges in society where Christianity is no longer having the kind of influence on the world as it had before. In fact, we are at a critical stage of history when people are losing faith in the institutions, be they political or religious. As Christians, we must continue to resist the secularist, relativist and materialist approaches to life. We must be firm in upholding true values that are rooted in the dignity of the human being.

At the same time, we must, in our fight against evil, be confident that we will triumph in the end. We must not be pessimistic when we consider the struggles we have to put up with. This is what the first reading is assuring us. We read that in spite of the great persecution, evil has a limit “until the coming of the one of great age who gave judgement in favour of the saints of the Most High, when the time came for the saints to take over the kingdom.” Prophet Daniel said “the saints will be put into his power for a time, two times, and half a time.” In other words, for three and a half years, which is a symbol of incompleteness. Evil can only reign temporarily. It might appear to have the upper hand, but God is in control. The forces of evil will ultimately be destroyed. Eventually, the Kingdom of God will be established as the only reality. This kingdom has in fact already been established in Christ Jesus.

This prophecy about the “final and absolute destruction” of this king’s rule must have been a great source of comfort to the faithful living at that time and to us today. Hence, with the psalmist, we can truly praise God for His love and fidelity to us. “Give glory and eternal praise to him.” Indeed, the psalmist calls for sons of men, all Israel, Priests, Servants of the Lord, Spirits and souls of the just and Holy men of humble heart, “bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.”

However, this kingdom is only given to the saints, to those who have persevered against the forces of evil. The tragedy is that many of us are still unaware that God’s kingdom is already here. Truly, many of us are aware that we are not being true to ourselves or to God. For this reason, today, Jesus urges us to be awake at all times. We must live the life that is given to us fully. Instead of running away from problems and troubles, we must seek to face life and live it courageously. In this way, we can live without regrets whatsoever and can face the Son of Man with a clear conscience, knowing that we have done all that we could. Such a life is the only kind worth living. By living in this manner, the kingdom of God also becomes a reality in our lives. We will then know that the promise of God that His reign would be established in the saints is fulfilled, as prophet Daniel foretold in the first reading. Together with Jesus, God’s kingdom will reign in us, a kingdom that is eternal because the life of God is in us. We too must keep ourselves awake at all times so that we can see the reality of the Kingdom of God establishing itself in our lives even while we continue our struggles against the kingdom of evil. In this way, the Kingdom of God will gradually but certainly be established so that the prophecy of Daniel that His kingdom will be established forever is fulfilled.

What remains therefore is the question of how we can keep ourselves awake at all times. The key to being awake is to pray at all times. This is the advice of Jesus. For it is in prayer that we will find strength and wisdom to direct and sustain ourselves in the face of trials and challenges. Only in prayer, can we find the power of God to keep us firm in our beliefs, convictions and visions. Without prayer, we will lose our sense of direction, especially when we are too absorbed by the world’s problems. We need to stand from afar in order to look at our problems objectively and with the eyes of faith. Prayers enable us to do just that. It is prayer that will give us the confidence that what we do is in accordance with our conscience. Hence, we will be able to find great strength and courage to do what we need to do. Consequently, we are no longer fearful of death or of the Lord’s final coming because our conscience is upright and hence we are able to “stand with confidence before the Son of Man.”