Liturgical Colour : White

Brothers and sisters in Christ, continuing from yesterday’s catechesis on love and forgiveness, today’s readings continue to touch on this love that the Lord had shown us, and which we need to replicate in our lives. Love and forgiveness are easy to be mentioned and said, but indeed are difficult to carry out and implement in our lives.

The Lord Himself taught His disciples to love and how to do so. He did not just say it, but He also meant it and showed them by example. We too therefore should follow the same example as shown by the Holy Scriptures, which proved to us God and His love. Our faith must always be vibrant and living, and we have to show love in our lives to be truly faithful to God.

Yes, as I have also mentioned in the earlier catechesis this week, linked to the same issue which we read today in the first reading, on whether the Gentiles or the non-Jews must follow the laws of Moses and the entirety of the humongous Jewish restrictions, customs and rules or not to be saved, it is imperative that we see out of this, that the heart of salvation in God lies in love.

The heart of the Lord’s laws and commandments, which He had revealed to Moses is love, that is first to love the Lord our God with all of our hearts and with all of our strengths, and then secondly, to love others, our fellow men, be it our parents, our families, our relatives or our friends, or acquaintances, or even strangers whom we do not know, with all of our heart and dedication as well.

We cannot ignore this basic and central tenet of our faith. If we do not love, it is just the same as that our faith is dead and useless. And if our faith is dead, then we will have no part in the Lord’s salvation. What is important is for us to ensure the worthiness and purity of our hearts, and not just of appearance and for others to see our faith superficially. If we do merely just that, that is the latter, then we are no better than the Pharisees and the elders of Israel who were only concerned about their external piety and observations.

Jesus came to straighten the message God had given to the people through Moses, which had been twisted and corrupted through centuries of faithlessness and confusion of the faithful, as they grew more and more corrupted by the world and all the temptations of the devil that were present in this world, which resulted in the excessively rigorous and strict rules and regulations that form the law of Israel at the time of Jesus, and which the Pharisees and the elders strictly reinforced.

Reinforcing a very strict and rigorous laws and regulations as the Pharisees had done is not necessarily bad, but when that very likely results in the people forgetting the true intention of the Law and even became worse than that, by committing sins due to their ignorance, this is bad, and Jesus came to change all of that. He revealed the complete truth about all things that God had planned for mankind, and He showed that all through His own love.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we progress through life, we must remember this always, that in all things, we must exhibit and show love in all our actions and deeds. We must be faithful and having a living faith founded on strong foundation of love, and we must be inclusive, seeking others and helping one another on our way towards salvation in God and His offer of everlasting life.

May God Almighty continue to sow the seeds of love within us and allow them to grow that love may prosper in mankind, and that all of us will be brought ever closer to the salvation in God. God be with us all. Amen.