Liturgical Colour : Green
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as we all gather together as one holy people of God, let us all reflect upon the words of the Sacred Scriptures that we have just heard and received. We are all reminded through them of the need for all of us as Christians to be truly holy, good and virtuous in all things. We cannot be truly called as Christians unless we devote ourselves wholeheartedly and completely to the Lord, following His teachings and ways in all things, in all the opportunities in our lives and in everything that we say and do. All of us must distance ourselves from all sorts of wickedness and evils in our daily living, doing whatever we can to glorify the Lord by our lives and making good use of whatever gifts, talents, blessings and opportunities that He had provided generously and uniquely to each and every one of us.
In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Numbers in which the Lord came down upon the Israelites and gave some of the Spirit that had been resting upon His servant Moses to the seventy elders of the Israelites, and they all began to prophesy and to do wonderful things, just as the disciples of the Lord would do much later through the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Then in that same occasion, the Spirit of God also came upon two of the men in the camp of the Israelites, namely Eldad and Medad, who also prophesy and do things which the seventy elders had done. This elicited comment from Joshua who was the one to succeed Moses in the future, that they should stop the two of them from doing what they had done.
But Moses rebuked Joshua saying that if he was jealous on his behalf, essentially saying that he should not interfere with God’s work and His will. If God so desired that more people would have His gifts, blessings and Spirit, then who were they to stop that from happening? Indeed, God considered all of His people as equal, and that includes all of us as well, as His salvation and love, His compassion and kindness are offered to everyone, to every children of mankind without exception, and as long as each and every one of us are willing to follow Him wholeheartedly, regardless of our backgrounds and affiliations, our differences and whatever it is that we often used to distinguish ourselves from each other. God’s grace and love, His salvation and gifts are not restricted to just a select few, but to everyone.
In our second reading this Sunday, taken from the Epistle of St. James, we heard of St. James speaking to the faithful people of God regarding the matter of doing what is right and just in God’s Presence, and the warning of what those who have been blinded by their riches, power, privileges and all other sorts of things that had kept them from truly being able to follow the Lord faithfully and worthily, instead being swayed and tempted by those various worldly temptations and falling ever deeper into the temptations to sin and disobey God. St. James elaborated on all the vices and wickedness which those people had done, and how they would have to account for all those wickedness, evils and sins. And all these once again served as important reminders for each one of us not to allow ourselves to be swayed by all those temptations and evils in life.
Then, in our Gospel passage this Sunday, we heard of the account from the Gospel according to St. Mark in which the Lord told His disciples in a matter related to what we heard in our first reading today, as they wanted to stop a man who had been proclaiming the Lord’s Name and using His Name to perform miracles and signs even though he did not belong to their group. The Lord rebuked them gently saying that whoever that were not against them, were with them. He also then went on elaborating with a rather vivid imagery and instruction on how to follow Him wholeheartedly and faithfully, saying that if they had allowed any of their body parts to cause them to fall into sin, that they ought to cut them out and keep these from leading them down the path of damnation and ruin.
Did the Lord actually ask us to cut off our hands, feet and eyes? No, that was not His intention. Rather, what He wanted to convey and point out to all of His disciples, including all of us listening to these words from the Gospel today, is that sin is truly something serious and harmful to us, and we should not take sin lightly as sin can lead us all to total separation from God and eternal damnation. In addition, our bodies are themselves not at fault, for the same limbs and parts can be used to perform both good and wicked deeds. What lead them to be used for good or wicked deeds and actions is what is within our hearts and minds. If we do not truly have strong and genuine faith in the Lord, how can we then act in the manner that is pleasing to God and worthy of Him?
All of us are therefore called as Christians to be good and faithful disciples, to be good examples for everyone around us. Each and every one of us are God’s children and His beloved ones, but there are many out there who have not yet known the Lord. It is up to us all therefore to proclaim the Lord our God, His salvation and Good News, His love, kindness and mercy to more and more people out there. How can we convince others to believe in the Lord just like us, if our own actions, attitudes, words and behaviours do not really conform to our faith and belief in God? We must lead by example, brothers and sisters in Christ, to be truly faithful and committed in all the things that we say and do, so that in all these, we may continue to be shining beacons of God’s light and truth, and be truly worthy to be called God’s holy people.
Today, the Church also celebratest the Feast of the Holy Archangels, St. Michael, St. Gabriel and St. Raphael, the three great Archangels named in the Sacred Scriptures. These three Holy Archangels had been sent by God at different moments and times to help us all mankind in our journey towards the Lord and His salvation. St. Michael the Archangel as the Prince and Chief of the Heavenly Hosts led the forces of the Angels of God and all those who fight by our side defending us from the destructive forces of the evil spirits and demons arrayed against us. St. Gabriel the Archangel proclaimed the Good News to us through Mary, proclaiming the coming of the Saviour of the whole world, while St. Raphael the Archangel helped both the faithful servants of God, Tobit and Sara, in their predicament, showing God’s love, mercy and healing.
Each one of them have shown us the guidance and presence of God in our every moments in life, and that God is always by our side, throughout all the things we encounter in life, we may be strengthened knowing that God is journeying with us, with His Archangels and the vast throngs of Heavenly Hosts always surrounding us, keeping us away from the forces of evil and wickedness of Satan. The Holy Archangels showed us all the ever enduring God’s love for us, and consequently, we too should commit ourselves wholeheartedly and to the best of our abilities to the Lord in all things and at all times.
May the Lord continue to strengthen and encourage us all to live ever more faithfully in His Holy Presence from now on. May His Holy Archangels, St. Michael, St. Gabriel and St. Raphael continue to protect and intercede for us, defending us all from the wicked forces of the evil ones always ever ready to strike at us. May the Lord continue to guide us in His path and help inspire us so that our whole lives may continue to be life-giving and ever exemplary and inspirational as good and devout Christians, in each and every moments of our lives, helping many others to come towards God and His salvation, now and always. Amen.
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 