Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, all of us are reminded today to seek the Lord and to put all of our trust in Him. Each and every one of us as Christians, as God’s disciples and followers ought to do our part in following the Lord and committing ourselves to His cause, and not worrying whether we will be rewarded or whether we will enjoy a good and fortunate life in this world. That is because, our goal as Christians is truly not to seek joy and pleasures in this world, but rather more of the true satisfaction and joy that the Lord alone can provide us. That is why through what we are reminded in our Scripture passages today, all of us should heed the words of the Lord telling us to keep our focus on the Lord and not on other things.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in the city of Corinth, we heard the Apostle St. Paul speaking to the people there regarding all the experiences he had encountered and all the hardships that he had to endure and face in the midst of all of his ministry as one of the Lord’s Apostles and missionaries, in his many journeys and travels throughout the regions, while proclaiming the Good News and the truth of God’s salvation. He was telling them that he could have boasted in his worldly achievements and regarding his status, as he was indeed a person of high bearing and standing, as a member of the Pharisees once in his youth, as an elite, and as we all knew, that St. Paul was also a Roman citizen, a rare feat for a Jew at that time.

It means that St. Paul could indeed have chosen to cling on to all of that, all the glory, the status and other things that he could have entitled himself to and enjoyed, not having to go through the many hardships and miseries that he had to bear in the process of proclaiming the Gospels, the Good News of the Lord. He could have remained as an influential Pharisee, becoming a member of the Sanhedrin, the elite of the Jewish community, gaining much respect, wealth and prosperity, if he had chosen to gather for himself the treasures of this world, just as the Lord Jesus also highlighted in our Gospel passage today. Yet, St. Paul chose to gather for himself the true treasures, the treasures of faith and righteousness that can be found in God alone.

St. Paul highlighted all that he had to go through in his missions, all the rejections and hardships, persecutions and trials that he had to face. He had to bear through many difficult things, oppressions and obstacles, and yet, he continued to carry on in his ministry. And if we all wonder why, that is because St. Paul sought not worldly acclamation or acceptance, but truly, he sought for righteousness and worth in Christ, our Lord and Saviour. The Lord Himself has also said once, that no one who had given up things for Him, be it their time, their works, their families or loved ones, and dedicated themselves to God would be left wanting, for God knows everything that we have done for Him, and will reward us in the time of His choosing. In the end, His faithful ones will be triumphant and will enjoy the eternal reward with Him.

At the same time, St. Paul also highlighted that even all of us are still susceptible to the temptations to sin, the temptations of evil and darkness, the temptations to do what are against God and His commandments, the temptations to disobey Him and to walk down our own path in rebellion against His will. That was why he was using his own examples in sharing to the faithful people in Corinth, that he was just like any one of them, in being tempted and tested, and he always faced the struggle to remain faithful to God. Hence, he shared his experiences so that the others who witnessed his works and listened to his experiences might be strengthened and would not so easily give up their faith and struggle for the Lord.

In our Gospel passage today, as mentioned earlier, the Lord Jesus Himself also told His disciples about all these things, reminding them and hence, all of us, to focus on the Lord and the true treasures that we can gain in Him alone. We should not be easily tempted and swayed by the many temptations found around us, and we should always be vigilant in resisting the temptations of the evil one, so that we do not end up having unhealthy attachments to the many worldly conveniences and pleasures in our midst. We have to be ever vigilant because while we have faith in the Lord, and while, in the Lord’s words itself, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Many of us often fell again and again into sin and temptation because we are unable to free ourselves from the snares of sin.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore recommit ourselves and focus ourselves once again to return to the Lord, and to place Him once again as the centre and the focus of our lives and existences. Let us all dedicate ourselves and our every actions and works from now on, so that we may strive to do only what is befitting the Lord and is worthy of our status as Christians, as those whom God had called and chosen, and had responded with the commitment to be always walking in His Presence, in the path that He has shown us, and in doing whatever that He has taught us to do. Let us all no longer be idle, and no longer be ignorant of what we all need to do as Christians, as God’s beloved people.

May the Lord continue to guide us in our journey of faith through life, and may He strengthen us ever in our resolve and commitment, so that we may continue to persevere through the challenges and trials in life, just as St. Paul and many of our holy predecessors, our fellow brothers and sisters had endured earlier on. May God bless our every good works, endeavours and efforts to live our lives worthily in His Presence, now and always. Amen.