Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that in God we have our Hope and the Light that will dispel and drive out the darkness and evils surrounding us. We must not and should not be afraid of the forces of evil arrayed against us, and we have to do our best to live our lives in the manner that is truly worthy of God so that by our every actions, words and deeds, we will always proclaim the wonders, the love and the glory of God at all times. We should always seek to trust in the Lord and His Providence, doing our best to follow His path and teachings, becoming good role models and examples for everyone around us in doing so.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Thessalonians, those who belong to the Church of God in the city and region of Thessalonica in northern Greece today. In that passage we heard how St. Paul encouraged the faithful there who have been good and worthy in their way of live as Christians, in caring and showing love for one another, as well as in their warm welcome for the Apostle and his fellow missionaries. St. Paul encouraged the faithful in Thessalonica with the message of hope, reminding all of them that the Lord will eventually come and vindicate them in their good efforts and faithful life, even amidst the challenges and sufferings which they might have to face in their journey and life.

St. Paul mentioned clearly that what the Lord Himself desired is not our destruction and damnation, but for all of us to be saved and brought out from our fated destruction, and He willingly did all of these through His own Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, Who has shown us all the love of God manifested most wonderfully through everything that He has delivered upon us and all the generous love which He has shown us, not just through words alone but also through genuine actions, in Him embracing the least and the worst among us, those who have been abandoned and ostracised even by their own fellow brothers, and ultimately, in what Christ Himself had done in taking up the Cross for our salvation.

Yes, brothers and sisters in Christ, it is important indeed that we should realise just how beloved we have been by the Lord that He has reached out to us with such great love that He has shown us through His Son, that He has  given us this most wonderful hope manifested in us by His most perfect and selfless love, His ultimate sacrifice on the Cross. For it was by that sacrifice that each and every one of us have been brought to a new Hope and assurance of eternal life, for all of us who are still in this world, and for all those who have departed from this world, everyone since the beginning to the very end of time. God will gather all of us to Himself and bring us into the eternal joy and happiness that He has promised and prepared for us.

Therefore, just as we have been reminded to have faith and trust in Him, we are reminded again of what we have ourselves heard from the Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel passage according to St. Luke the Evangelist, in which the story of the Lord’s ministry in the town of Capernaum in Galilee was highlighted to us. In that occasion, we heard how the Lord Jesus cast out the evil spirits and demons that had possessed a man there, and the evil spirits within him recognised the Lord and proclaimed publicly that Jesus is indeed the Holy One of God, the One Whom the Lord had sent into this world to bring about its salvation.

The Lord therefore showed His power and might, ordering the evil spirits to leave the possessed man behind, and those evil spirits obeyed, and the man was therefore healed from his condition. The people were astonished by the power and authority which the Lord Jesus had shown them, and how the evil spirits had to obey His words and leave the man. This no doubt brought about more people to come to believe in Him, and this had been recorded for us all so that we too may believe in the Lord, in His power and providence for us. God will not abandon us in our hour and time of need, and He will always be by our side, providing for us and strengthening us, being with all of us at all times.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore, let us all continue to be faithful to the Lord at all times and in all circumstances. Let us all not be distracted in our efforts to follow Him ever more faithfully, and let us always strive to live lives that are truly worthy of Him. We should continue to do our part in every opportunities provided to us so that by our every actions we may always be attuned to the Lord our God, to His will and to the path which He Himself has shown and revealed to us, and we will continue to proclaim Him to all those whom we encounter in life, from our loved ones and friends, and even to those strangers and others whom we encounter daily in each and every moments.

May the Lord, our most loving and compassionate God continue to guide each and every one of us in His beloved and holy Church, all of us His beloved sons and daughters so that in each and all things that we say and do, in our every interactions with one another, we will continue to be ever more faithful and devoted to Him, and in our every day examples and actions, we will continue to do our very best to glorify Him by our lives. May God bless us all and our every efforts, works and endeavours, now and always. Amen.