Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, all of us are reminded as always of the nature of our faith as Christians, as those who profess to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the One True Lord and Saviour of all, the One Who has been persecuted, suffered and died on His Cross, and then Risen gloriously from the dead, and ascending into the Heavenly glory as we have just celebrated yesterday in the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. And we are reminded that as Christians, all of us may also likely face similar sufferings, trials and hardships in our path because the world that has hated the Lord and despises His teachings and ways will also likely despise us and hate us all as well.

Yet, as we all heard from our first reading and Gospel passage today, all of us must always have faith and trust in the Lord. We must not allow ourselves to be swayed by the forces of darkness and by all those who seek to dissuade and tempt us away from following and committing ourselves to the Lord and His path. We are reminded that no matter what, the Lord is always ever with us, providing for us and journeying with us. We are never alone, and even after the Lord has ascended in glory to His heavenly Throne, He is still with us, by our side ever always, and the Holy Spirit that He has sent into our midst, dwelling among us and strengthening us and the Church continue to do great wonders in each day and opportunity, inflaming the hearts of countless faithful in their daily struggles in life against sin and darkness.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles on the continuation of the works of St. Paul the Apostle as we continue to follow his missionary journey throughout the then known world and the areas of the Mediterranean region. This time, St. Paul was at the area of Achaia in what is today central part of Greece, where he encountered troubles because of the actions of the Jewish diaspora there who were against St. Paul and his works, after he had ministered there for a period of a year and a half. Contextually, quite a number of the members of the Jewish diaspora sided with the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin which at that time and earlier had opposed the works and teachings of the Lord Jesus, and persecuted openly the Christian followers and missionaries.

Hence, those people who were opposing St. Paul and his works tried to get the local governor Gallio to act against St. Paul by casting false accusations and lies against him before the governor as we have heard in that passage from the Acts of the Apostles. Yet, Gallio the governor refused to act against St. Paul and despite the further efforts of histhe Jewish opponents to prosecute him, they were unsuccessful, and it was told that St. Paul continued to minister to the people of God in that region, in Corinth and elsewhere. All of these were proof and evidence that God was always with His faithful disciples and servants, who had encountered great difficulties and challenges along the way. No matter how difficult it had been for them, but the Lord was always by their side, journeying with them.

Had the Lord not been the foundation and backbone of their efforts and works, then whatever the Apostles and disciples had carried out, no matter how much effort and work they had put in, would have floundered and faltered just as with any other works that solely depended on the strength of men. But because the Lord was with them, and the Holy Spirit strengthened and encouraged them all, giving them all the Wisdom and power to continue despite the great challenges they had to face. That is why we ourselves must also put our faith and trust in the Lord at all times as well, entrusting all of our good works and efforts for His sake to Him, doing everything with prayer and faith, trusting that God will always be with us at every turn of the way.

In our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the powerful reassurance from the Lord Jesus Himself to the disciples, as He told them the reality that they would all likely have to face sufferings, sorrows and mournings amidst their work and commitment to Him, but they should not lose faith or trust in God’s providence as the Lord would always be with them and good times will always come in the end, as the Lord knows well all those who have endured sufferings and hardships for His sake and glory, and He will always provide for them and their needs, protecting and guiding them through the greatest of challenges and trials, and even in the case of intense sufferings and martyrdom, which not few among the disciples of the Lord suffered, they all would all share in the eternal glory with God.

This is why all of us are reminded today that as the Lord’s disciples and followers, we must always be resolute in carrying out the missions and works which the Lord Himself has entrusted to us all, in each and every opportunities and circumstances that He has provided to us. We must always put our trust and faith in the Lord, knowing that with God everything is possible and that nothing is too difficult or impossible for us to do as long as we have God by our side, journeying with us and providing for us, fortifying our resolve and commitment even in the face of the greatest and most difficult adversaries and obstacles. We have to allow the Lord to carry out His good works in us, and we can do this by completely entrusting ourselves to Him and allowing Him to do His works through us by our faith and devotion to Him.

May the Lord therefore continue to help, strengthen and guide us all in our journey, empowering each and every one of us to walk ever more faithfully in our path, in whatever good works and missions that we do, so that we will always be worthy as the holy and devoted disciples of the Lord at all times. Let us all continue to put our trust and faith in God at all times, and be exemplary in our every efforts and commitments, now and forevermore. Amen.