Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Holy Virgins)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we all heard in our Scripture readings today, we are all reminded to do our part as Christians to truly obey the Lord in all things and to follow Him ever more wholeheartedly in our way of life so that through our commitment to God and our obedience, our faith and love for Him, we will continue to be strengthened and renewed in our lives, to be blessed always with His Holy Spirit and be ever thankful for the lives which He has given to all of us. That is why we must always remember our two most important priorities in life just as contained in His many laws and commandments, to love Him first and foremost before anything else, and then to show that same love to our fellow brothers and sisters around us, to our neighbours and everyone whom we encounter in our respective lives.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel we heard of the vision of Ezekiel who saw a great valley full of dried bones in vast numbers, and how God told him to speak to those great bones, which resulted in those dry bones regaining their previous shape and structures, restoring their muscles and skin, and all the parts which was likely very remarkable to behold and to be seen by the eyes of Ezekiel, how those many bones eventually turned back into a vast host of people, albeit those without the presence of life and spirit in them. It was then that the Lord sent His Spirit to those vast throngs of the multitudes of people, returning them all back to life, a truly vast multitudes of God’s people. This vision is a representation of what the Lord Himself would do for the sake of His beloved people, to rescue them from the darkness and to restore them back to His light.

What the vision showed us is God’s desire to restore His people to righteousness and grace, showing His love and compassion to all those who have fallen into disobedience and sin, and hence fell into the darkness and suffer from the consequences of death. He has created us all good and perfect, wonderful and amazing, and yet, in our disobedience and through the sins which we have committed, we have brought the punishment for our many sins. And death came to us because of our sins as due to sin, we have been sundered and separated from God’s love and grace, from Him Who is the Master and Lord of life. That is why we have to suffer from death, to endure the consequences of our rebellion and disobedience against Him. And yet, God does not abandon us, as He loves each and every one of us, and that is why, He wants to restore life to each and every one of us. 

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard from the Lord Jesus speaking to a teacher of the Law who went to ask Him which of the commandments and rules of the Law of God was the greatest among them, that the whole entire Law can be summarised into two main rules, namely that of loving God with all of one’s heart, with all of one’s might and ability, and then to love one’s fellow men and women, one’s fellow neighbours in the same manner as well, as much as one loves oneself. This is truly what the Law of God is all about, and what He has provided to us to teach us about love, and how to love Him and practice the same love in our own everyday moments in life. And we are all called to practice this love in our lives, to be truly genuine in loving God and our fellow men, and doing whatever He has told us to do.

As Christians, each and every one of us are expected to do our part in following what the Lord has taught and shown us to do. While God has always ever been generous in loving us and in caring for each and every one of us, and while He desires to forgive us our many faults, mistakes and sins, He wants and expects us all to follow His ways, His Law and commandments, and to play our part in fulfilling our side of the Covenant which God Himself has established with us. We cannot and should not be idle in how we live our lives as Christians, in doing God’s will in each and every moments of our lives. Otherwise, we are no better than unbelievers and hypocrites who say that they believe in something and yet, they do not live their lives or act in the manner according to what they believe in.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Rose of Lima, a renowned and holy woman of God who was also the very first saint from the New World, referring to the Americas. St. Rose of Lima was born in what is today Peru in a family of mixed heritage, during the early decades of the Spanish colonisation of the region. She was born as Isabel Flores de Oliva, and only gaining her later epithet and popular name of ‘Rose’ or ‘Rosa’ from an experience where a servant apparently witnessed her face turning into a rose. She was also well-known for her great beauty which led to many men try to pursue after her as she grew up and became more beautiful. To dissuade all those suitors, St. Rose of Lima rubbed peppers on her face and did other things to discourage those men.

St. Rose of Lima was also determined to lead a life of holy virginity which was opposed by her parents as they wished for her to marry. She dedicated her time and efforts to care for the poor and the needy, those who were sick and dying. She often practiced fasting and abstinence to restrain any worldly desires and temptations, taking upon a vow of perpetual virginity. And according to a well-known story, St. Rose of Lima also wore a heavy crown made of silver adorned with small little spikes on the inside for self-mortification and in emulation of the Crown of Thorns that the Lord Himself wore at the time of His Passion, His suffering and death on the Cross. She devoted herself completely to God with great piety and devotion to the end of her life, as a sign of great holiness and great role model to everyone around her and to many more who listened to her experiences and faith.

May the Lord, our ever loving, compassionate and merciful God continue to bless us and guide us in our journey, and may He continue to empower each and every one of us so that we may always be faithful to Him in all things. Let us all do our best so that our lives, our existence and our every actions and efforts will always bring glory to God and we will continue to inspire everyone around us through our obedience and faith in God, to be faithful like how St. Rose of Lima had been faithful to God. May all of us be restored by God’s love and may His Holy Spirit continue to inflame our hearts so that we will continue to grow ever stronger in our love and commitment towards Him, now and always, forevermore. Amen.