Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all called and reminded to be truly faithful and committed to God in all things, in all of our lives and in everything that we say and do. We should be genuinely faithful and dedicated to God, and we should not be merely just paying lip service or be only faithful externally but not embodying our faith in all aspects of our lives. We have to follow the Lord wholeheartedly and do our very best in following everything that God has shown and taught us to do, and we have to truly have deep understanding and appreciation of what our Christian faith is all about. We have to constantly resist the temptations of worldly glory, ambitions and desires present all around us, and strive to be good and committed Christians, at all times.

In our first reading today, this is what St. Paul in his Epistle to St. Timothy spoke about, as he wrote to his protege and to all of us therefore, of the need for us to be truly committed and faithful to God in all things, and live our faith with the correct disposition and attitude, so that we may not end up falling into the temptations of worldly glory and ambitions, just as St. Paul highlighted the examples of the false and corrupt leaders, the false teachers and prophets who twisted the message of God’s truth and Good News for their own selfish purposes and ambitions, for financial gain and achievements, rather than to serve God and carry out His works as they all should have done. Those were the ones who misled the faithful into the wrong paths, and which in the pursuit of their ambition and desires, ended up ruining everything and falling into their downfall.

Instead, St. Paul told St. Timothy to propagate the truth of God and the right way how all of us as Christians, as God’s beloved and holy people, should be living our lives in this world. Each and every one of us should do our very best to distance ourselves from the many worldly temptations, especially the pursuit of wealth and treasures, properties and other forms of financial advantages and attachments. All those things had led many to their ruin, and to be estranged from God, and hence, all of us are reminded not to allow those temptations to ruin us as well. But first of all we must also understand that money and finances are not themselves wicked or evil by nature, and neither are the possessions and things in this world. They can both be used for good and evil purposes, in various ways.

Rather, it is our preoccupation and attachment to them which led us to sin against God, and to walk down the path towards ruin. It is the love for money which St. Paul mentioned in today’s Epistle that is the root of many evils, and this is indeed true, as when our love and attention for money, for worldly comforts, glory and other attachments in life become greater than that of our love for God and for our fellow brethren, that is indeed when we become selfish, self-centred and self-loving, seeking to enrich ourselves and to gather those things that we crave and desire, without regard for those around us, and in the process, as what history has shown us, we may even end up hurting others and exploiting those who are less fortunate than us, or those that we are in position of exploiting, so that we may gain more benefits for ourselves.

This is why we should always remind ourselves to stay vigilant and be careful of the temptations and attachments to worldly goods and desires. Instead, we have to keep on reminding ourselves to stay true to our faith and to the things which the Lord had instructed us to do, and which He had guided us to do, so that we will always be ever faithful and true in our path, in walking down the path of God’s righteousness and virtues, and in loving Him and our fellow brothers and sisters, instead of oppressing and manipulating, exploiting and making those around us and those whom we encounter to suffer because of our selfish and irresponsible actions.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore renew our commitment to live a most worthy and faithful Christian living, in all of our words and actions, and in our every moments in life, so that in all that we do, and in our every interactions, we will always put God and His commandments, His Law and will above everything else, and that we will not selfishly put our own greed and ego, and our selfish desires which may lead to us causing sufferings and hardships to those who are around us. We have to be good role models and inspirations to one another, in how we all live our lives, in even the smallest things that we do, so that by our works, actions and our whole lives, we may be the shining beacons of God’s light and truth.

Let us all not be hypocrites in our Christian faith, and let us all be true and genuine disciples and followers of our Lord and God. It is very easy for us to end up being swayed to do what is wicked and unworthy of God, if we are not careful, or if we allow ourselves to be swayed by those temptations mentioned earlier. Let us therefore always keep in mind God’s Law and commandments, His teachings and all that He has shown us, throughout our whole lives. Let us all not be idle any longer in the living of our lives, but let us all instead be ever more committed and active in living our every day moments in serving God and in glorifying Him by our exemplary and faithful lives.

May the Lord our most loving God and Master continue to guide and help us all, strengthen and encourage us all throughout our whole lives so that we may always strive to do His will, and that we will always do our best to live worthily in His path, and to be good role models and examples, at all times. May all of us be strengthened, that despite the many challenges and temptations that we may face in our journey, we will always ever be strong and dedicated, at all times, in all that we do, for the greater glory of God, now and always. Amen.