Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Lord contained in the Scripture passages, we are all reminded that our sins and disobedience had caused us to be sundered and separated from God, and because of that, like our forefathers before us, we have fallen into the path of sin and evil, and became wayward. Yet, God has always been very patient and kind towards us, in reminding us and helping us in our journey and path. He has always been persistent in reaching out to us and helping us to find the right path, despite our disobedience and refusal to follow Him, and our refusal to follow His Law and commandments. Yet, there is indeed a limit to His patience and love, as, if we continue to disobey and refuse to believe in Him, then it is by our own choice that we will have condemned ourselves to eternal damnation and destruction.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Baruch, we heard of the words of Baruch, a prophet who ministered to the people of the southern kingdom of Judah at the time of the end and final days of that kingdom, as a contemporary and friend of the prophet Jeremiah, who also spoke of God’s words and revelations to the people of God in that kingdom. Baruch was the scribe of Jeremiah, who helped him to record God’s words and the various proclamations and prophecies received from God, helping the man of God to carry out his works among the people, which was truly a difficult work to be done. Baruch assisted Jeremiah during the challenging and difficult times, and according to tradition, when Jeremiah had to hide from his enemies, Baruch was the one who carried out his works.

We heard of how the Lord reminded His people through the prophet Baruch, of their waywardness and sins, their wickedness and evils, all the things that they had done which prevented them from truly obeying and following God’s will, His Law and commandments, and which had led them into their downfall and destruction. The prophet Baruch in today’s first reading highlighted the faults and disobedience of the people, which therefore had led to the consequences, the failures and the downfall that they experienced, that Moses and the other prophets had warned them. As long as they kept themselves away from the Lord and His path, and trusted in their own power and ways, then they would likely face tribulations and failures, sufferings and lack of true satisfaction, which can be found in the Lord alone.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the passage from the Gospel of St. Luke in which the Lord rebuked the cities of Bethsaida, Chorazin and Capernaum, the cities in which He had often performed His works and miracles, taught and preached in their synagogues, and where there were frequently many signs and wonders that God had done for the people, revealing the truth about Himself and proclaiming the Good News and the truth which God has always desired to reveal to all of us. The Lord spoke in such a way because they had seen everything which the Lord Himself had done, repeatedly, again and again, and yet, many of them still failed to believe, hardened their hearts and minds, refusing to trust in Him, and continuing to doubt Him despite having been reassured and shown the truth.

This also showed us the need for us all to turn away from worldly temptations and desires, so that in our way of life and in our every actions and deeds, we may always strive to do what the Lord has commanded us to do, and not to be easily misled and misguided by the falsehoods present and found all around us. Each and every one of us must keep an open mind and welcome the Lord into our hearts and minds, so that through Him, we may truly gain understanding and appreciation of what it really means for us to have faith in the Lord, and to walk in His path. Through this, we may also have better understanding and appreciation of what we have been taught and shown by the Lord, our loving God and Saviour.

This means that, each and every one of us as Christians, we should heed God’s words always, and remember His love and kindness, appreciating how His love and mercy has done so much amazing things for us, all these while. We should not take any of these for granted any longer, and we should begin to appreciate just how fortunate we truly are, for having been so beloved and cared by the Lord, our most loving God, at all times and circumstances. We should be thankful to Him and we should strive to do whatever we can, so that we may indeed be obedient to Him, His Law and commandments, ever more, in all things, and so that we may grow ever stronger in our love and commitment towards Him, as we carry on living our lives.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Bruno, a holy man of God, whose life and actions can serve as a great example and inspiration for each and every one of us, in how we can and should live up to our faith in the Lord. St. Bruno, also known as St. Bruno of Cologne, was the founder of the Carthusian Order, and was a dedicated servant of God, in his many missions and contributions to the Church and the Christian community, in all of his works, as a great teacher of the faith and as a guide for many younger men and women of God, some of whom later on became great disciples of the Lord in their own way. He carried out many good works, and in his humility, he refused to become a bishop when he was about to be made one, as he renounced all the glory of the world, and all secular concerns and worldly attachments.

Instead, he continued to devote himself to his missions and works, and eventually gathering many followers who would become the foundation of the Carthusians, a group of faithful Christians and servants of God, dedicated to the life in service of God, in prayer and ministry among the people of God, living a worthy and good life, in accordance with God’s Law and commandments. The Lord has inspired many to follow in the footsteps of St. Bruno, and many were touched by the faith and commitment that this holy man of God had done. All of us should also therefore commit ourselves in the same way as St. Bruno had done, and do our part, in ensuring that our own actions and deeds may become truly worthy of God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all be committed anew to the Lord, living our lives ever more worthily in each and every moments, and let us all be exemplary in our whole actions, words and deeds, so that we may indeed be the good role models and examples for one another. May the Lord continue to guide each and every one of us, and may He empower all of us so that we may be the shining examples and role models for our fellow brothers and sisters, our fellow men and women, all around us, just as St. Bruno and other innumerable saints, holy men and women of God, had inspired us by their lives. Amen.