Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded that we should be ever faithful to the Lord our God, in all of our lives, in all of our words and actions. We should always strive to be holy and to be faithful and committed to God, just as all of us have been expected to do as God’s holy and beloved people, whom He had called and chosen from this world to be His own. The Lord has shown all of us His ever patient and generous love, compassion and mercy, calling on all of us to turn once again towards Him, to turn our backs against our past sins and wickedness that had once separated all of us from His amazing love and kindness. He wants each and every one of us to be redeemed and to be reconciled fully with Him, so that through Him we may indeed have love and eternal life.

In our first reading today, in continuation from the reading of the Book of the prophet Ezra from yesterday, we heard of the continuing restoration of Israel, its people and fortunes after they had all been allowed to return from their exile in the distant lands of Babylon and beyond. Back then, the descendants of the people of Israel and Judah had been humiliated and made to suffer because of their own folly and disobedience, by their refusal to obey God’s will, Law and commandments, and by their wickedness and evils, in worshipping pagan gods and false idols, which made them to stumble and fall, and eventually had their cities destroyed, and the great Temple of God in Jerusalem, the House of God built by King Solomon, destroyed as well, and the Ark of the Covenant that had been with them since the time of the Exodus to disappear from their midst.

But as mentioned yesterday, God moved the heart and mind of King Cyrus of Persia, who conquered Babylon and then allowed the Israelites and their descendants to return back to their homeland and rebuild their Temple which had been destroyed decades earlier. And as we heard in today’s reading, King Darius of Persia, Cyrus’ successor, encouraged the people of God to rebuild the Temple, the House of God in Jerusalem, as the reconstruction of their homeland continued, with the reestablishment of order and the community, with the appointment of priests and those in charge of various events and festivals, as it was in the days of old when God’s Law and commandments, His festivals and events were still celebrated by the Israelites before their downfall and humiliation. This was a sign and proof of God’s continuing and enduring love and guidance for His people.

We heard of how the planning for the rebuilding of the Temple and the restoration of the community of the Israelites continued to go on, under the leadership of the priest and prophet Ezra, who have led the people of Israel from their exile with the other elders, reestablishing the festivals and celebrations of the Lord according to His Law, and how the people once again gathered in joy to celebrate their faith in accordance with God’s Law and commandments, with their priests and all the other functionaries and celebrants in tandem, showing that the people of God had truly been restored to the favour and grace of God, after they had once fallen from that favour by their own folly, by their wickedness, evils and disobedience against God, by their refusal of God’s ever generous love and compassionate mercy in all things.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the words of the Lord speaking to the people, about the matter of obeying and following God, when His disciples and family reminded Him that His mother and others were waiting on Him as He was busy teaching and ministering to the people of God. At a glance, it might seem that the Lord had been rude to His own mother, but in fact, He was highlighting that His mother, Mary herself, was and is still the perfect example of that obedience and righteousness in God, that all of us as God’s people should follow in our own lives, in doing what He had told and taught us to do, and abandoning our past sinful and wicked ways of life, just as our predecessors had done.

That is why, as we are all reminded by the Sacred Scriptures today, each and every one of us as Christians ought to be ever faithful and committed to God, exemplary and worthy in all of our lives and actions, so that in our every words and actions, we should always embody our faith in God, which should truly shine through our lives, our every words and actions in life, that then should become inspirations for everyone all around us to follow, in their own lives and actions, that all of us may indeed be genuine and faithful people of God in all things, not just in mere name and formality only. This is what we have been reminded to do, to be like the people of Israel who had been restored to God’s favour and grace, that we may also experience the same as well.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of two great saints, St. Cosmas and St. Damian, whose faith and devotion to God, and whose actions and contributions to their fellow brothers and sisters, fellow faithful people of God, should inspire all of us to live our own lives faithfully and worthily of the Lord. St. Cosmas and St. Damian were known to be a pair of twin brothers who were both physicians, renowned for their care for the sick and the needy in their community, as they provided care for the physical ailments of the people, and gave the care for free to the poor and those who could not afford to be healed. Miracles were attributed to them, and many came to them seeking for help.

Their faith and dedication to God also became inspiration to many people, as they lived virtuously and with great dedication to God. And as they were arrested and persecuted by the local governor for being Christians, then being the height of the intense persecutions of Christians under the Diocletianic Persecution, they remained firm to their faith in God to the very end, as they gave up their lives in honouring God, in refusing to bend to the demands of the pagan authorities to obey the Emperor’s orders and to abandon their Lord, God and Master. They chose to live worthily and die in faith and obedience, showing every members of the Christian faithful what it truly means to be Christians.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, can we all therefore be inspired by these great examples as well, that each and every one of us should be great role models and inspirations ourselves to our fellow brothers and sisters, in all of our lives, actions and deeds. Let us all be the bearers of the light of God to our fellow brethren, especially all those who have not known God and His love, His truth and Good News. Let us all do our very best to glorify God by our lives and actions, and be with Him, doing our part to serve Him all the days of our lives, as we should have done. Amen.