Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we heard in the first reading how St. Paul approached and spoke to the followers of Christ, who had heard of the word of God through the preachers and the other disciples, but who have not yet comprehended the fullness of the mysteries of God’s truth. They understood the basic tenets of the Lord’s teachings, but have yet then to receive the Holy Spirit of God.

But through the works and the teachings which St. Paul brought to them, they then understood the fullness of God’s truth and teachings, and they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, as the Holy Spirit came down upon them through St. Paul. And thus, the foundations and the strength of the Church in Ephesus was strengthened and solidified.

And it is the same Spirit which all of us have received at our baptism and confirmation, when we have received the fullness of the three sacraments of Initiation, namely of Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist. The same Holy Spirit has been passed down to us from the Apostles, through their successors, our priests and bishops who then ministered to us and blessed us with the Holy Spirit.

And because of that, by the dwelling of the Lord inside each and every one of us, we have been renewed and strengthened, and indeed we have been prepared to be with God when He comes again. But then we should ask ourselves, how would the Lord find us when He comes again? Will He find us in a ripe and good state, filled to the brim and even overflowing with the fruits of the Holy Spirit? Or will we instead find ourselves filled with rotten fruits of sin and wickedness?

In one occasion, Jesus was passing by a fig tree on His way to Jerusalem, and He was hungry. He looked at the fig tree, hoping to find some fig fruits for Him to eat, but He could not find any fruit on the tree. Thus, He cursed the tree and when He and the disciples passed through the tree again on the next occasion, it had withered all the way to its roots.

If we just look at this passage with face value alone, then we indeed would be confused, thinking how come the Lord would be so angry at the fig tree for having no fruit while it was not yet the fig season yet. Surely it would be unreasonable and uncharacteristic for our Lord to be angry right? But if we look at it more carefully, ponder on it and reflect on what it means, surely we can see that those actions of Jesus spoke a thousand words.

Remember that Jesus always said that He will come again, and that we ought to be ready, as His coming will be swift and unnoticeable, unpredictable and unknown just as a thief comes to steal? What does this mean, brethren? Just as He came to the fig tree out of season, so He will also come to us in unpredicted time, when we do not expect Him to come at all. And when He comes, will He also find us barren as the fig tree was barren too?

What are the fruits that we ought to bear? We ought to cultivate what the Lord through His Spirit has given us and planted in us, that by our actions and deeds, we may bear forth love, hope, compassion, care and many other good fruits, particularly in how we deal with one another, and in how we live our faith with real commitment to love God and to love our fellow men.

If we have been truly faithful, then in our actions we should have shown how much we are able to obey Him, by loving Him as He has asked us, and loving each other in the same manner, rich in forgiveness and compassion, and unbending in seeking and demanding righteousness and justice in all things. Then, when the Lord comes again, He shall find us righteous, worthy and filled with precious fruits. Otherwise, it is only His curse that we shall get if we do not do all these.

Let us pray today, that all of us may grow strong in faith, and devote ourselves and our time to the Lord, that we may be fruitful and be worthy of the Lord as we approach the solemnity of the Pentecost Sunday this coming Sunday. May God bless us all and keep us, and may He fill us always with His Holy Spirit. Amen.