Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listen to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded that each and every one of us should always focus our attention on the Lord our God, and believe in Him, putting our trust and faith in Him, in all the things which He has said and promised to us. God has revealed to us the assurances of His love and grace, and everything which He has promised us, and we should follow Him in all of our ways and in every moments of our existence. We are reminded that it is in God alone that we truly have hope and assurance of salvation and eternal life, and there is no way forward if we seek to follow other alternative paths that the world has offered to us.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the Lord told all of His people of the reassurances of the coming of the good times when they would no longer suffer and when they would once again be filled with God’s grace and blessings. This message came at a time when the people of God had suffered a lot of sufferings, humiliations and difficulties, all because they had disobeyed against Him and refused to follow His Law and commandments. This resulted in the consequences and punishments that they had to endure, as God’s grace and guidance were withdrawn from them, and they had to contend with many obstacles and challenges from their neighbours and enemies. They experienced the results of their own folly in rejecting the generous love of their Lord and Master in exchange for worldly goods and riches.

In that same passage, we heard also another, even greater promise and reassurance from God of the new heavens and the new earth. Linking to what we have also heard from the Book of Revelations of St. John the Apostle, this was actually a premonition of the end times, of the moment when God would remake all things, and renew the whole of Creation, when He would judge the Heavens and the earth, and take into account all of those living and the dead, everyone who have ever lived. This moment of reckoning was a hope to all those who have kept their faith alive in God, and who have suffered because of this faith, as the Lord promised to all of them that as long as they have been faithful to Him and full of trust in Him, then in the end, He shall lead them all to the new heavens and earth, to a life of perfection and bliss, when they shall not experience any more sufferings and sorrows.

This is an affirmation of everything which the Lord has always told and promised to His people, that He would always be with them, guiding and protecting them, providing and strengthening them throughout all of their journey and ways. He wants each and every one of them eventually to return to Him, to be fully reconciled and reunited to Him, to be once again in His Holy Presence, casting aside their sins and wickedness, to be forgiven from all those evil deeds and actions. God has always been patient in guiding and correcting the mistakes and faults of His beloved ones, and He has called on all of them, and hence, all of us to come once again towards Him, that we may reject our sinful and wicked ways, becoming once again truly worthy of the Lord in all things, in our every actions, words and deeds.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the great miracle which the Lord performed in Galilee when He healed the sick son of an official in Capernaum. We heard how a lot of people came flocking to the Lord because He has performed great miracles and signs before them, and they all believed because they had seen and witnessed those miracles. Yet, the official believed in the Lord when He told him that his son would be well again, even without witnessing the miracle done in person. The official believed and trusted in the Lord, and as a result, through what we have heard, the son was healed exactly at the very moment that the Lord told the official that his son would be well. The Lord made an important point here for all the people and also for all of us, that we must truly believe in God and has faith in Him.

There were those among the people at that time who have seen and witnessed many of the miracles, signs and wonders of the Lord, performed before their own eyes, and having also listened to the words, teachings and truths spoken by the Lord, and yet, they refused and failed to believe. Some among them even rejected the Lord, doubting His authority and authenticity, and others still even accused Him falsely of colluding with the forces of demons and evil spirits, like how the Lord was accused of collusion with the prince of demons, Beelzebul. This shows us all that seeing alone is not enough for one to truly be able to have faith in God. If the hearts and minds are not open and receptive to God’s truth and love, then no matter what the Lord had said and done, they would not come to have faith in God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore reflect upon these things we have received and been reminded with by the Lord. Let us all deepen our relationship with God and grow in our understanding and appreciation of God’s love, kindness and grace, so that we may grow ever stronger in our relationship with Him, and in our commitment to His cause and path. Each and every one of us have been given many opportunities and chances to decide on what to do in our lives, in the paths that we have chosen, and in this season and time of Lent in particular, we have been shown this most opportune moment to turn away from the evil sins and wickedness, and embrace God’s mercy and love, compassion and forgiveness once again, as prodigal sons and daughters coming to seek our Father’s generous love and forgiveness.

May the Lord, our most loving Creator, Father and Master continue to love us all always, and may He continue to encourage and strengthen us in our every resolve and efforts so that in all the things we say and do, in our every moments in life, we may always strive to be worthy of Him, and continue to walk ever more righteously and faithfully in His path. May God bless our every good efforts, endeavours and works, now and always. Amen.