Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded that as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people, each and every one of us are called and expected to do what is right and just according to what the Lord has taught and shown us, to obey Him and His will at all times and be inspirations and good role models for one another. We are reminded to do what is pleasing to God as it is what we are truly expected to do, to be worthy of God and to be faithful to Him, to be the beacons of His light, truth and Good News among the nations. And since we have known this fact, truth and the mission entrusted to us, hence, it is imperative that we have to live our lives courageously and worthily as true and genuine Christians.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful in the city and region of Philippi in what is Greece today, we heard of the Apostle reminding the people of God there to live their lives righteously and worthily of God so that in everything that they say and do, they will be good examples and inspirations for one another, to stand apart from the wickedness of those who did not believe in God or those who embraced the ways of the world. At that time, there were many people in the community who had lived wickedly in the manner of the pagans, those who were influenced by the many hedonistic and worldly attitudes and practices of that time, and it was these practices which St. Paul reminded the faithful against doing.

St. Paul wanted to remind all the Christians in Philippi and also all of us who have listened to his message today through the Scriptures that we cannot be idle in the living of our faith, and we should not conform to the ways of the world simply because we live in it. On the contrary, since we have been taught and shown by the Lord Himself through His Church on how we ought to live our lives as Christians, as His holy and beloved people, then we truly ought to show it through our real actions, words and commitments, and not only through empty gestures and proclamations, or empty and meaningless faith that is essentially just a formality. A true Christian is someone who truly acts upon whatever he or she believes in, and this is what all of us should be doing in our lives as well.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of what the Lord Jesus spoke to His disciples and to the people listening to Him, teaching them using the comparison to the planning by those who wanted to build a house or by kings planning before a war so that they could gain the things that they wanted or desired. He used that comparison to show that if mankind can plan well in advance of the things that are to come, then all of us should do the same in preparing ourselves well for what we already know will come for us and will happen to us, just as the Lord has told us and reminded us. We all know that in the end, as we conclude our lives in this world, no matter how long it may be, we will have to account for our lives and for whatever it is that we have done, and for whatever it is that we may have failed to do.

That is why, knowing this, then all of us should very well prepare ourselves and commit ourselves to follow the Lord ever more faithfully in all things, doing our part to live our lives worthily of the Lord as good and faithful Christians, truly faithful in all things and not merely paying lip service to the Lord, and truly embodying our faith in our every moments in life, in our every actions, in our every words and interactions with one another, in our every efforts and endeavours, our every contributions and works, so that in all things, even in the smallest and seemingly least significant things, we will always show true and genuine faith in God, and we will be truly inspirational and good as role models of our Christian faith to one another.

This also means that we should not put the desires and pursuits of worldly glory and ambition, worldly matters and greatness, treasures and riches of the world to be our priority and focus in life, unlike what many others had done in their lives. Echoing what St. Paul the Apostle had told to the faithful in Philippi earlier on that we have just discussed, we too are challenged to live our lives worthily in the manner that God has shown and taught us, and to distance ourselves from all sorts of vices and wicked things, from unhealthy attachments and obsessions for worldly comforts, desires and ambitions, all of which may lead us down the path towards ruin and destruction, as they kept our focus and attention away from the Lord.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have discussed and discerned, let us all ponder these carefully as we continue to progress through life. Are we going to continue living our lives in ignorance of what the Lord our God has entrusted and called us to do? Or are we going to embrace His call and to walk in the path that He has shown to us, following Him to wherever it is that He wants us to go in proclaiming His greatness and truth among the nations? Remember, brothers and sisters, that each and every one of us are important parts and members of the Church of God, and our every works and contributions do matter in advancing the cause of the Lord’s missions and works. Our every contributions and works are important parts of the Church overall missions and works in the outreach to more and more people and to bring God’s salvation to all mankind.

May the Lord continue to strengthen and encourage us all so that we may grow ever more committed in our dedication to the Lord, in our strong desire to love Him and to follow Him at all times. May He empower each and every one of us in our every actions, deeds and efforts, in our every encounter with those people around us so that we may continue to proclaim God’s truth and Good News to more and more people with ever greater zeal and courage, through our own exemplary living and actions, now and always. Amen.