Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, each and every one of us are reminded that all of us are God’s faithful and holy people, and we have to be truly holy and worthy, in all of our actions and words, in how we live our lives and in how we interact with one another. Each and every one of us should always strive to follow God and His path, devoting ourselves wholeheartedly to His cause, and becoming good role models, examples and inspirations for everyone around us all in how we live our lives in this world, in our community and among one another. Unless we truly commit ourselves in our every words, actions and deeds, and have genuine faith and commitment in God, then we cannot truly call ourselves as Christians.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in the city of Rome, in which the Apostle spoke of the need for every members of the faithful people of God, the Body of Christ, the Church, to be truly dedicated to the Lord, and to place Him at the very centre and as the focus of their whole lives and existence. We must not allow ourselves to be deluded and swayed by worldly temptations and coercions, falsehoods, as well as attachments and our pride and greed to lead us down the wrong path into our downfall. As St. Paul mentioned that the Good News of God had been revealed to all of God’s faithful people, through Christ, His Son, and through His servants, the Apostles and disciples who have laboured hard to proclaim His Good News and truth to more and more of the people all throughout the world. However, there were those who continue to be deluded and misled by their attachments to worldly things, to power, glory and worldly pleasures among other things.

St. Paul elaborated further on how those people had known God and they had knowledge of His path and truth, and yet, they deluded themselves by their intelligence, wisdom and desires, their pride and ego which all led to them disobeying God and exchanging their faith in God with the faith in false idols and gods, or in trusting upon other distractions and false emphasis in life, which ended up bringing them further and further away from the path of God’s salvation and grace. This is because mankind, all of us, are easily tempted and swayed by our pride and ego, by our desires and ambitions, pursuits for power and glory, and all those things ended up closing the path towards God’s salvation because we delude ourselves that we have no need for God, or that there are other things that are worth our attention more than that of God.

That was exactly what happened to the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law at the time of the Lord Jesus, which was highlighted to us in our Gospel passage today. The Lord rebuked and criticised the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law for the superficial and the wrong nature of their faith, their observance and enforcement of the Law and the commandments of God. Those people who were very highly educated by the standards of that time, and knowledgeable about the teachings and words of the Prophets and messengers of God, all of them failed to recognise the Lord Himself when He came into this world through the Lord Jesus, His Son, as the Saviour of the world, because they could not accept that their version of the Law and their observance of the Law were mistaken and flawed.

The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law allowed their pride, ego, ambitions and desires to delude them and to distract them from their true obedience and responsibilities to God, in shepherding and guiding the people of God, and in being good role models and examples for all of the people. Instead, they allowed their personal ambitions, desires and greed to mislead them down the wrong path, to turn them towards the path of arrogance and greed, the path of disobedience and prejudice, as they did not just fail to carry out their responsibilities in caring for the spiritual need and well-being of the people, but they also did not live their lives worthily of the Lord, as they became superficial in their faith, and becoming very much preoccupied in their rituals and practices, overly attentive on the details and forgetting about the purpose and intent of the Law and commandments of God.

Essentially, those Pharisees and teachers of the Law had made false idols and gods out of their own preoccupation and overemphasis, their overly focused attention on the rituals and practices, and they had pushed God out of their lives with this emphasis and focus on their rites and practices. Hence, that is why the Lord rebuked and criticised them for their lack of faith and obedience to God, and for having done what they done in persecuting the people whom they had deemed to be less worthy than they were. They all had misled the people down the wrong path, and lived in vain pursuit of worldly glory, greatness, fame and power, and hence they had disregarded the Lord’s commandments and missions entrusted to them from the very beginning.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Ignatius of Antioch, one of the earliest Church fathers and leaders of the Church, whose faith and dedication to the Lord was truly exemplary and great, and whose commitment and obedience, focus and emphasis on the Lord remains strong and firm despite his important position in the Church, as he led the flock entrusted to him with great zeal, courage and faith at all times. St. Ignatius of Antioch was one of the earliest Bishops of Antioch, as the successor of the Apostles, in being a disciple and follower of St. John the Apostle according to the Apostolic and Chruch traditions. He was also known as Theophorus, or God-Bearer, as according to some traditions, he was one of the children who had been brought to the Lord and blessed by Him.

St. Ignatius of Antioch dedicated himself to the well-being of his people, in spreading the Good News of God and the truth, love and hope that the Lord has revealed to His Apostles and disciples. Antioch was then one of the early and major centres of the Christian faith, and many people each day converted to the faith thanks to the efforts of the Apostles and their successors, including that of St. Ignatius of Antioch himself. St. Ignatius of Antioch courageously carried out his duties with great humility, and with great commitment and devotion, to be the Good Shepherd in managing the people of God and leading them to the right path. He was martyred during one of the persecutions of Christians running rampant at that time, but until the very end, St. Ignatius of Antioch has always remained firm in his conviction and faith in God, in serving Him all the time, throughout his life.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we remember what we have discerned and discussed earlier regarding the readings from the Sacred Scriptures, and as we heed and remember the life and examples of St. Ignatius of Antioch, let us all hence do our best so that we may truly embody our Christian faith at all times, and be truly exemplary and faithful in all things. Let us all continue to do our best, to work and to do our part as servants and followers of the Lord, in all things, so that we may be the shining and bright beacons of God’s light and Good News, to bring forth His hope and light to all the nations. May God be with us always, and may He empower each and every one of us to be truly worthy and faithful, despite the many trials and challenges facing us throughout our lives and journey. Amen.