Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures during this time of Lent, all of us are reminded to live our lives worthily of the Lord, distancing ourselves from any taints and corruptions of sin. We must strive to resist the many temptations of sin and evil around us, all of which were meant to distract and pull us away from the path towards God and His salvation. That is why this reminder has been presented for us today so that we may leave behind our past sinful way of life, embracing instead the generous love and the bountiful mercy of God that He has constantly presented to us all. All of us as Christians are expected to live a good, just and righteous way of life in the manner that the Lord has shown and taught us through His Church, becoming good and faithful role models to all.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel in which the Lord told His people, the Israelites in exile in Babylon of the hope that He offered to all those who seek forgiveness and reconciliation with Him. He told them all through Ezekiel that even those who had sinned against Him, would be forgiven and receive His grace, love and kindness if they were to seek His mercy, and commit themselves to change their ways of wickedness and sins. As the Lord Himself mentioned clearly that He did not desire the destruction of any one of them, no matter how great a sinner each one of them had been. This is a reminder for all of us just how beloved all of us are by the Lord, and how fortunate all of us are to be the ones whom God shows His generous love to, because it is by His love that we have received this sure hope of salvation.

At the same time, God also reminded His people that even those who were righteous and then committed sin and disobedience against Him would have to account for their sins and wickedness if they fell into temptation and chose to disobey Him. Essentially what the Lord wants to remind each one of us is that, we are responsible for everything that we have done, be it good and just, in accordance with the ways of the Lord, or be it wicked and evil. In the end, we will be judged by all those deeds, good or evil, worthy or wicked before God, the One and only Judge Who will determine our fate in the end. If we have sincerely atoned for our sins and sought the forgiveness from God, then none of those sins will be counted against us, as God by His most wonderful love will erase them all.

On the other hand, as mentioned, if we allowed ourselves to be tempted by sin, disobeying God and doing what is wicked in the eyes of the Lord, then we will be held accountable for those sins, for our failures to obey the Law and will of God, and for all the things which had made us to be unworthy of God, as sin corrupted us and made us to be defiled, unworthy to be in God’s Holy Presence. God indeed certainly loved all of His people, each and every one of us without exception. However, at the same time, sin is a barrier blocking our path towards Him, and unless we get them settled, by entrusting ourselves to God’s forgiveness and mercy, then we may find ourselves on the wrong side of the Day of Reckoning, at the time of the Final and Last Judgment.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist in which the Lord Jesus spoke to His disciples about the way that they should live their lives in following Him and in being truly committed to the path that He has taught and shown them. He told them all that they should be truly genuine in how they obey the Law of God so that they would not merely just be paying lip service in obeying God, but be truly committed in loving Him and in doing His will. And this is easier said than done, as there are indeed many temptations and obstacles that may prevent us from truly being able to obey the Lord wholeheartedly and from following Him, as our own sins and those of our ancestors and predecessors have shown us.

The Lord told all those disciples that they should truly understand and appreciate what the Law of God wanted to teach and show them, in truly being good and loving, righteous and just in the manner that their loving Father, Creator and Master, the Lord Himself, has shown them. All of us should all be genuine in loving one another just in the same way that God has loved us all, even when we have sinned against Him and disobeyed Him. His willingness to forgive us all our sins is an example for each one of us to follow in our own lives, in how we should also forgive one another, and learn to love everyone as the Lord Himself had done. If we have not made peace with our brothers and sisters, how can we truly have peace in our lives? And how can we truly have peace with God and be reunited with Him if we still hold grudge against our brethren?

That is why during this time and period of Lent, all of us are presented with this wonderful opportunity for us to reflect carefully on our path in life, and for us to reconsider our directions and paths, or our actions and way of living our lives, on whether we have truly been obeying the Lord and whether we have been practicing our faith actively and faithfully, or whether we have allowed ourselves to be swayed, distracted and tempted by the many wicked desires and ambitions present around us. Are we capable of turning away from our wicked and sinful past way of life, and embracing God’s love and mercy instead? He has shown the perfect example of love, forgiveness and mercy, forgiving even those who have persecuted Him, and thus, we too should follow in His footsteps and show love and mercy to others as well.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore strive to be good Christians in all things, in each and every single one of our deeds. Let us all make good use of the time and opportunity that God has provided us this Lent so that we may have the genuine transformation of heart, mind, body and soul, coming ever closer to the Lord and deepening our relationship with Him. Let us all no longer persist in our disobedience and rebellious way of life, and instead be truly obedient to Him, loving Him wholeheartedly each day, and doing our best to proclaim Him, His truth and love to all those whom we encounter each day in our lives. As Christians, we should be good role models and inspirations to our fellow brethren around us, and even to strangers whom we meet in our daily lives.

May the Lord, our most loving God and Father, continue to help and guide us in our journey, and strengthen each one of us so that by our perseverance and courage in faith, we will continue to draw ever closer to His loving and holy Presence, and be the light and hope for everyone around us. May our Lenten journey and experiences continue to be good and fruitful, now and always. Amen.