Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

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, each and every one of us are challenged to live lives that are truly worthy of the Lord, in doing all that God Himself has taught and shown us to do, and we are reminded that we live in this world not for the glorification of ourselves and our own personal ambitions and desires, but rather for the greater glory of God. We should not be those who seek for personal glory and achievements, all of the things which can lead us astray and distract us from our goal of following the Lord our God with our whole heart and commitment to Him. We are reminded that to be Christians, as the disciples and followers of the Lord, we are the ones who show the truth of God to the world.

In our first reading today, we heard of the words of the Apostle St. Peter in his first Epistle to the faithful and the Church in which he spoke of the new life and existence that each and every one of them had received from their Christian faith and beliefs, and how they all have been freed and redeemed from their past sinfulness and old way of life, the path of sin and idolatry which came from their previous origins and beliefs, especially and likely addressing all those who have embraced the faith and coming from the background of the pagan Roman, Greek and other beliefs, which were quite fundamentally different from the Christian faith and beliefs in their ways. That is why St. Peter reminded the faithful of the fact of how God had revealed to them the truth and Good News He had brought unto them so that they may truly be saved.

And St. Peter also mentioned how through the grace of baptism that they all have received and shared as the new and holy people of God, they had been made holy and pure, purified from their past sins and wickedness in their old way of life, which was full of immorality and debauchery as was common among the pagan beliefs and customs of that time, and by God’s grace they had been made whole and worthy once again. This is why all of us as Christians are reminded through the words of St. Peter to be truly faithful and committed to the Lord, to trust in Him and His words, in His ways and teachings so that we may continue to live our lives worthily in the manner that He has shown and taught us to follow.

This is why we are all reminded to live our lives in the way of the Lord, following the path that He has guided us through so that we will no longer continue to walk the path of selfishness and wickedness, or to indulge in worldly ambitions and desires that can lead us and others around us astray from the Lord. Not only that, but the unfortunate and sad reality of our faith and Church throughout all of its history and even up to the present day is that how many among us Catholics and even more so those who are in the positions of leadership and power, both from the members of the ordained and the laity, have abused their position and privileges, as well as misusing their power for their own benefits and ambitions which caused great scandals and hurts for many others around them, causing divisions and fractures in the united Body of Christ.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard of the words of the Lord to His disciples, particularly to the two among them, the sons of Zebedee, St. James and St. John, who had come to Him with their mother to ask for special favour for themselves. In this occasion, we must understand first of all how St. James and St. John were among the closest of the Lord’s disciples, the inner circle even among the Twelve themselves, together with St. Peter the Apostle. Three of them were often brought by the Lord to the most important events during His ministry, and they were also among the first disciples that the Lord had called and chosen from among the people.

Then, when they came seeking for the special favours and positions, we must understand that their request to sit at the left and right of the Lord when He would restore the kingdom to Israel was a request for worldly power and ambition. Why is that so? That is because in the common understanding among the people of God at the time, they were expecting the coming of the Messiah, the Son of David, Who was prophesied to come from the Lord, and they were expecting that He would reestablish the Kingdom of Israel as how it was during the glorious heyday of the golden age of that Kingdom under King David and King Solomon. Hence, St. James and St. John, and the other disciples, were all likely seeking for special favours, advantages and benefits to themselves by siding with the Lord, and they were all competing with each other for the Lord’s favour and attention.

But the Lord told them all off and reminded them all clearly that following Him was not about gaining worldly glory, benefits and pleasures, and instead, following Him would likely mean to share in His sufferings and trials, all the things that He Himself would have to endure at the hands of all those who would reject and refuse to listen to Him. He was also revealing to His disciples that His coming into this world and His mission was radically different from what the people had in mind or expected of Him, and they should not be seeking for personal ambitions and desires. Instead, they all must be prepared to face challenges and trials, persecutions and rejections just as the Lord Himself would come to experience. This is precisely what being true and genuine Christians is all about, brothers and sisters in Christ.

St. Augustine of Canterbury, whose feast we celebrate today, can inspire all of us in our actions and works as well, since this great saint and man of God had given his whole life to the service and the glory of God. He was a monk who was entrusted with the mission to proclaim the Christian faith in the British Isles, to proclaim the truth of God to those who have lost their path and to those who have not yet heard or known about the Christian faith and truth, the Good News of God. He was sent by Pope St. Gregory the Great to evangelise to the people of the British Isles, especially to England, where he ministered faithfully for many years, as the first Archbishop of Canterbury, establishing the first firm foundation for the Church in England.

Through his tireless efforts, St. Augustine of Canterbury helped to rebuild the English Church that had been through centuries of isolation, abandonment and neglect. Historically, the Christian faith had spread to the British isles through the Romans in the earlier centuries, but the downfall and withdrawal of Roman power and administration, as well as invasions from the Anglo-Saxons had disrupted many of the previously established Christian faith and structures, which St. Augustine of Canterbury had to rebuild once again. He worked hard to gain the trust of the local Anglo-Saxon kings and other rulers, who slowly began to open up to the Christian faith, while facing plenty of rejection and hardships. Nonetheless, through his patient efforts, eventually the faith became once again firmly established in England once more.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have discussed earlier and pondered through the readings of the Sacred Scriptures, each and every one of us are reminded that as Christians we are reminded to put God ahead of ourselves and to centre our lives around Him, and not on our own selfish desires, greed and ego, all of which can cause harm not only to ourselves but also to those around us whose livelihood can be negatively impacted by our selfish actions, causing rupture and divisions even to the unity of the Church. Instead, we are reminded that we should follow the examples of our holy predecessors, especially that of St. Augustine of Canterbury. Let us all be truly dedicated to God, be exemplary and faithful in all of our actions and deeds, now and always. Amen.