Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, each and every one of us are reminded that we should place our trust in God and not in man, or in the means or ways of this world. If we trust more in our own strength and worldly support and comforts, then sooner or later we will be disappointed and falter because ultimately, no worldly means or support can last us forever, or be truly dependable like that of the Lord. It does not mean of course that if we trust in the Lord that we will not endure difficulties or challenges, but rather, with God by our side, we can be truly assured that He will never abandon us or leave us behind, no matter how hard or difficult the challenges may be like.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Samuel, we heard of the account of the famous battle between David and Goliath, a story which I am sure many of us are very familiar with. In that occasion, Goliath, the great champion of the Philistines was mocking the Israelites and their God amidst the battle between the Israelites and the Philistines, and Goliath was challenging the Israelites to send their champion against him, uttering many blasphemies and vile words especially against God. It was this action which led to David, who was then in the service and employ of King Saul, to be enraged and to want to rise arms against Goliath and challenge him to a duel. David went up against Goliath, not as a fully armoured soldier as the latter was, but with merely just a few stones and a sling.

David was given armour and all the other equipments by the king earlier on, but he chose to take them all off and trust wholeheartedly in the Lord instead, in the wisdom and strength, courage and power that He had given to him. And despite the even more intense taunts and mockery by Goliath, David did not flinch or lose faith, and he went up with great courage against Goliath, and just as we all well know, although he was very lightly armed, but the sling and the stone was accurate, and hit Goliath right in the head, despite all of his heavy armour, and he was defeated and killed. The triumph of David against Goliath is indeed not just merely the triumph of the underdog against someone significantly more powerful, but also as an important testimony of God’s providence and the importance of trusting in God.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus healed a man who had paralysed hand on the Sabbath, only for Him to be severely criticised by the Pharisees who were there observing and following His works. Despite knowing the Law, the Scriptures and the Prophets, all that had been fulfilled in the actions and miracles that the Lord Jesus Himself performed, those Pharisees were so preoccupied by their very strict and rigid interpretation and understanding of the Law that they hardened their hearts and minds, and even though they had witnessed all those signs, miracles and wonders, all of which pointed out clearly that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, the Saviour that God had promised to send into their midst, they refused to believe.

Instead, they accused the Lord severely and harshly of blasphemy against God because He simply did not act and behave in the manner that they expected. They allowed their own ego, pride and arrogance to overcome their sense of faith and wisdom, trusting in their own human judgment, understanding and knowledge rather than trusting in God and His truth. That is why they kept on making it difficult for the Lord to carry out His mission, and the Lord in turn rebuked them all for their lack of understanding and appreciation of the meaning and purpose of the Law of God, which the Lord had given to His people not to make their lives difficult, but rather to show them all how they ought to love God and love their fellow men as they should in a world full of greed, selfishness and ego, and the Lord did exactly all of that.

All of us as Christians should devote our time and effort to serve the Lord wholeheartedly, and commit ourselves thoroughly to His cause. We should dedicate ourselves to work for the glory of God and for the proclamation of His truth in our world, just as what the saints and martyrs had done. And today we can refer to the good examples set by St. Agnes, a great and renowned martyr of the Church, whose dedication to God and commitment to purity and righteousness can inspire us that we may live a better and more Christian lives in our existence in this world. St. Agnes, also known as St. Agnes of Rome was a young Roman noblewoman who lived and suffered, died during the terrible years of the Diocletianic Persecution, also known as the Great Persecution for its particularly intense episode of persecutions against Christians.

St. Agnes was a faithful young woman who had dedicated herself thoroughly to God, committing herself to a holy virginity and dedication to God. However, her great beauty attracted many suitors, who were enraged by her refusal to engage them. Hence, St. Agnes was arrested upon the reports from those men who sought after her, accusing her because of her Christian faith. The Roman prefect, named Sempronius, attempted to get her to be defiled in a brothel, but miraculously St. Agnes was protected by God, and everyone who attempted to defile and rape her were struck blind or were prevented from doing so. And when she was put on the stake to be burnt to death, again even the fires and the heat refused to harm her, and they parted from her. In the end, she was martyred by being stabbed and beheaded. Yet, her inspiration and faith in God lived on, and many were touched by her faith, courage and examples.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have heard and discussed from the Scriptures and from the life of St. Agnes, holy martyr of God, let us all therefore strive in our own respective lives to be truly committed to God, and to trust in Him amidst the trials and challenges that we may be facing in our own lives. Let us all not be discouraged by the opposition and the difficulties we may have to encounter in our paths, just like that of the Lord Himself and St. Agnes, but rather, we should always believe that with the Lord by our side, we can eventually overcome all those challenges and trials. And no matter what, we will be vindicated in the end, when we share the ultimate triumph with the Lord and eternity of true joy with Him. May God bless us all in our every good efforts and endeavours in our lives, now and always. Amen.