Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we are all reminded of the words of the Sacred Scriptures today of the need for us all as Christians to be always committed to God at all times, so that by our every efforts and endeavours, in our every words, actions and deeds throughout our lives, we will always be faithful to God. We are all also called to be holy as our Lord is Holy, and to be exemplary in all that we do that despite the challenges we may be facing in life, we will always inspire one another and strengthen our fellow brothers and sisters to persevere through those many challenges that we may have to face amidst those difficult moments. We are reminded that as Christians we may have to bear through difficulties and sufferings in our journey just as the Lord Himself had suffered.

In our first reading today, we heard from the First Epistle of St. Peter in which St. Peter the Apostle continued with his exhortation to all the faithful people of God in the Church to remind them all of everything which God had done through His Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, and the Holy Spirit that He had sent into the world, to strengthen all of His beloved people despite the trials and challenges that they might have to face. St. Peter also quoted the prophets of the days past, who had foretold of the coming of the Lord and His salvation in Christ, who did not know of the full details and truth, and yet longed to see the salvation and light of God. Those prophets themselves also faced a lot of hardships and struggles as we all will know well if we read through the Old Testament.

St. Peter was preparing the faithful for the trials and tribulations that they might have to face and endure amidst those challenging moments, when their faith would be tested by those who seek the destruction of the Church and the Christian faith. He was telling them all not to give up on their faith and to remain true to their commitment and dedication to God, so that in everything that they say and do, they would continue to obey the Lord, following His path and being true to their Christian faith despite the challenges and trials that they might have to suffer from. This would indeed come true as the Church would face lots of hardships, persecutions and trials from not only the Jewish authorities, but also the Roman government and other organisations and figures that refused to believe in the Lord and His truth.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Mark, in which a similar theme was raised to us, as the Lord Jesus spoke to His disciples about the matter of following Him and committing themselves to Him and His path. As He has called them all to be His followers and disciples and at that time, they had to leave behind their families and professions, everything that they do so that they can commit themselves wholly and completely to the Lord’s missions and works, He told them all that each and every one of their sacrifices and what they had done for the Lord’s sake and for the salvation of many are known to the Lord and will not be forgotten. The Lord wanted to reassure them all that no matter what sufferings and hardships that they might encounter in their journey and ministry, He would always be with them to the very end.

This is the same hope and light that we also look forward to in our own respective lives, brothers and sisters in Christ, that is the light and hope of God’s salvation and grace, the eternal life and true joy that we all shall experience with Him at the end of it all. We believe that the Lord is always with us, His beloved Church, His people and flock, all of whom He had called and gathered from all over throughout the whole world to be His disciples and followers. We may indeed encounter hardships, challenges and trials in our path, but we must not easily be dissuaded or coerced to give up our struggle and faith in God, because ultimately, whatever sufferings we face and encounter, all of these will not be the end, but our end will be the ultimate joy and glory we will have in the Lord.

That is why we should look upon the inspiration and examples shown to us by our holy predecessors, the many holy men and women who had gone before us, the saints and martyrs of the Church. Many among them had to experience these challenges and hardships which had caused them lots of pains and inconveniences, tears and struggles, and even most painful deaths and humiliations, but they faced it all with grace and submission to God. Like the Apostles before them, and as St. Peter had said, God Himself was with His people, patiently guiding and helping them in their respective journeys and ministries. He has given them all His strength and encouragement so that they might continue to strive and persevere through the difficult moments in their lives.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore continue to put our faith and trust in the Lord despite the difficulties and challenges that we may be facing now in our lives. Let us all remember that God Himself has sent to us His only begotten Son, Our Lord and Saviour Himself, to be with us and to suffer for our sake. He has suffered the most grievous and most painful death for our salvation, to journey together with all of us and to carry His Cross together with the crosses that we carry in our own respective lives. Let us all be ever grateful and appreciative of everything that He had done for our sake, for the salvation of our souls and the liberation from the power of sin and death. And let us all be generous in helping one another to endure these various sufferings and burdens that each one of us have to endure as well.

May the Lord our most loving God and Master continue to be with us in our every efforts and endeavours, in all of our journeys and works, in everything that we do for the sake of His greater glory and for the salvation of many souls, our fellow brothers and sisters. May He continue to strengthen us all that we may continue to be good and worthy role models in every moments of our lives, that we may truly be the worthy beacons of God’s light, truth and Good News to all the people. Amen.