Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, each and every one of us have been reminded by the Lord Himself that we should be righteous in all the things that we say and do throughout our whole lives, and we should be exemplary in how we carry out our actions throughout our lives that we may indeed be good and worthy role models, inspirations and strength for one another in faith. All of us have been reminded that as God’s people we must always live in accordance with His ways and adhere closely to Him and the path that He has shown us. We cannot contradict our faith with our wayward and wicked way of life and actions, which would have led us into the path towards our downfall and make us no better than hypocrites and unbelievers.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city and region of Corinth in which we are reminded that first of all, each one of us as Christians must always strive to live our lives away from the corruptions and wickedness of the world. All of us must be faithful to the teachings and ways of the Lord, observing wholeheartedly everything that He has called us all to do in completing His commandments and in walking down the path of righteousness and virtue. We must not give in to the temptations of evil and sin, of the corruptions of the flesh and worldliness which are always all around us, threatening to lead us all down the path towards ruin and destruction.

At the same time, we must also not be divided against each other, fellow brothers and sisters in the same Lord, all of us fellow Christians, holy people of God. As one flock of the Lord’s people, His called and chosen ones, we must strive to live in harmony, respecting one another and caring for our fellow brethren. As what St. Paul had exhorted the Christians who lived in Corinth, each and every one of them must not accuse one another and hand over their fellow brethren to the pagan judges to be punished. They should instead settle their disagreements and divisions within their community, doing the best they could to restore the harmony and peace in the community of God’s faithful people. He reminded them all how those who were wicked and did not follow God’s Law and commandments would have to face the just consequences of their wickedness and be punished for their sins.

Hence, that is why, each and every one of them, and hence, all of us as Christians should keep ourselves away from all sorts of immorality and corruptions of worldly desires, ambitions, from the allures of our human pride, ego and greed, from all the things that can easily lead us astray and bring us all to our downfall if we are not careful and vigilant. All of us have been bestowed with the blessings and grace of God, given and entrusted with His truth and love, and we should therefore commit ourselves to be filled with God’s love and to carry out our lives with great love and compassion for one another instead of with anger, jealousy and hatred. And instead of pride and greed, let us all be humble and be generous in giving and sharing our blessings and riches with one another, that everyone may be truly equally blessed by God.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we are reminded that each and every one of us share in the ministry of the Lord and His Apostles and disciples, whom He had called and chosen from this world to be the ones to proclaim His truth, His messages and Good News to all the people of all the nations. As we heard in that passage, the Lord called and named His twelve most important and trusted among the disciples, the ones who would be known as the Twelve Apostles, except that of the traitor, Judas Iscariot. Each and every one of them were introduced by their names, and they would feature prominently throughout the Lord’s ministry, as they all assisted the Lord in many occasions and became the ones to do part of His many works and actions, being sent out with the other disciples to prepare the way for the Lord.

We have also then heard of part of what the Lord had done in His ministry, as He went about many places, teaching many among the people who have come to seek Him, proclaiming the Good News and salvation of God to them all. He taught them all patiently and showed them His compassionate care and love. There were indeed many things that the Lord had done for the sake of His beloved ones, and He has entrusted the same mission and outreach to His disciples and followers as well. And all of us as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people, those whom He had called and chosen to be His own, we should also strive to do whatever He has commanded and taught us to do, so that our lives, in each and every moments may always be filled with true faith and obedience to God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore continue to do our best to love and serve the Lord, and to do our part in helping and guiding our fellow brothers and sisters around us. Let us all not be distracted anymore by any kind of worldly pursuits, attachments and excesses all around us. Instead, let us all strengthen our commitment to God and our love for Him, and let us all, in each and every moments of our lives be truly inspirational and exemplary, through the many virtuous and good words, actions and deeds we carried out. Let us all be true and worthy bearers of God’s light and grace at all times, in every opportunities that God has presented and given generously to us. Let us continue to walk faithfully in His Holy Presence now and always.

May the Lord, our most loving God and Father continue to bless and guide us in our journey through life so that we may always be strong amidst the various temptations and challenges that we may have to face in our journey together as Christians, as God’s holy and chosen people, and as His disciples and followers, having been entrusted with the important missions to proclaim His Good News and truth, now and forevermore. Amen.