Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Popes)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Lord contained within the Sacred Scriptures, we are all called to put our faith and trust in the Lord, allowing Him to guide each and every one of us down the path of virtue and righteousness, in doing what He Himself has shown and taught us to do, to be truly faithful in all things and at all times, and not merely just being outwardly faithful but within us, we are lacking true and genuine faith and love for God. We are reminded that we should always strive to be honest and genuine in everything we say and do, in being good examples and inspirations in faith and way of life to everyone we encounter in our everyday moments and in all things.

In our first reading today, we heard from the continuation of the Epistle of St. Peter the Apostle, in which the Apostle kept encouraging the faithful people of God and reminding them all that each and every one of them ought to show genuine love in all of their actions, in everything that they are doing so that through everything that they do, they will always show that fundamental Christian love which is at the core of all of our lives and actions, founded upon the ever generous and infinite love of God, and which He Himself has given to us most generously and wonderfully. And because God Himself has taught us how to love, in the same way that He has loved us all, then we too should show the same love to everyone around us, particularly to those dearest and most beloved to us.

Each and every one of us as Christians are called to be the reflections of God’s love, to be the ones to bear forth this love to everyone we encounter just as Christ Himself has shown us the love of God, manifested, made evident and clear for all of us to see and experience, reminding all of us of just how precious and beloved we are in the eyes of the Lord, our most loving God and Father. Each and every one of us ought to be the worthy bearers of the Good News of God, the words of our Lord’s salvation to the nations, and the best way is for all of us to show that love of God in our everyday moments and actions, to be the ones to role model what it truly means to be those whom God had called, chosen and saved.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard of the account of the moment when the Lord Jesus went to the Temple of Jerusalem and saw the wickedness of all the people who were there, the merchants and the money changers, many of whom had been making a lot of profits from their dishonest activities and works, in overcharging the pilgrims and other worshippers for the purchase of the Temple sacrificial animals and goods, as well as for their money changing services. First of all, we must understand why they were likely there in the first place, as the Jewish customs and practices made these two professions very crucial for the daily practices of the Temple as it was back then during the time of the Lord’s ministry.

At that time, the descendants of the Israelites, those descended from the original twelve tribes of Israel had long been scattered away from their homeland in the land of Israel, having been exiled, sent away and scattered all over the various countries and places, among other reasons, that they often no longer regularly practiced their faith and many had adopted the cultures and languages of the places where they lived in. And among those who still made the effort to return back to Jerusalem to worship at the Temple as required by the Law and customs of the Israelites, they likely brought with them the various kinds of money that they used in their places of residence, which according to the Law of the Israelites, were not allowed to be used for the purpose of the sacrificial offerings at the Temple.

That was because those coins likely bore the visage of the pagan gods, idols and rulers of those countries, like the Greek and the Roman coins of those era often did. As such, those coins could not be used to buy the sacrificial offerings, which were also difficult for the pilgrims themselves to bring from the places they lived in. Therefore, this was likely the background behind the proliferation of the merchants and the money changers at the Temple courtyard, thriving from the genuine need of those pilgrims to make the necessary money exchange and purchases to buy the Temple offerings. However, what the Lord lamented and was very vocal against was their greed and immoral attitudes in overcharging the people, among others, which brought about scandal to the Holy Name of God.

And as we heard from the experience that the Lord had with the fruitless fig tree, which He cursed and henceforth was found dried up and dead without any life in it, this is a reminder for all of us that the behaviours of the Temple officials and those corrupt merchants and money changers, which were outwardly faithful and devout, but in their actual behaviour and way of living their lives were in fact being wicked, scandalous and unfaithful, in their efforts to enrich their own pockets and in seeking their own advantages and benefits. This is what the Lord had warned His disciples against, and hence also all of us, that we do not end up being swayed by all these worldly ambitions and desires.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of Pope St. Paul VI, one of the recent Popes who reigned beginning from the time of the Second Vatican Council about sixty years ago, and the predecessor of the much beloved Pope St. John Paul II. Pope St. Paul VI was born as Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini or more commonly known as Giovanni Battista Montini, into a family of rural nobility at the turn of the nineteenth to the twentieth centuries. He was born in what is today part of northern Italy, and entered the seminary at a young age, ordained as priest and beginning a long career afterwards in the diplomatic service of the Holy See and the Roman Curia. He was known for his great organisational skills and he eventually became an acquaintance and assistant to Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli, who would become Pope Pius XII.

The then Monsignor Montini worked in the Secretariat of State together with Archbishop Domenico Tardini as close confidants of Pope Pius XII during the years of the Second World War and its aftermath. He helped to reply the letters to the Pope from various parts of the world in his capacity as an assistant and secretary, as the Pro-Secretary of State of the Holy See, managing the often difficult diplomatic situations at the time, as well as the problems with refugees and food shortage in Rome and its vicinity. And then, afterwards, after the war, Pope Pius XII eventually appointed Archbishop Montini to be the Archbishop of Milan after the death of the previous Archbishop. As Archbishop of Milan, Archbishop Montini, the future Pope continued to work diligently for the sake of his flock, and he was noted for his closeness to the workers and the less privileged.

When Pope St. John XXIII succeeded Pope Pius XII, he made Archbishop Montini as a Cardinal, and in the later preparations for the Second Vatican Council, Cardinal Montini was often involved in its many preparatory sessions. When Pope St. John XXIII passed away early in the sessions of the Second Vatican Council, Cardinal Montini was the clear favourite to succeed him, and he was indeed elected as Pope in the Year of Our Lord 1963, where he continued the good works of his predecessors, reforming the Church through the successful completion and conclusion of the Second Vatican Council, together with other series of reforms to the pastoral approach and governance of the Church.

Through his many efforts in reaching out to the marginalised and in reforming the approaches of the Church in evangelisation and in the interactions between the Church and the world, Pope St. Paul VI helped to bring the Church to more and more people, proclaiming the faith to more of those who have not yet known the Lord, and at the same time also help the world to understand the Church and the Christian faith, its teachings and all the precepts of the Christian faith more clearly. Pope St. Paul VI continued to work hard and to do lots of wonderful deeds throughout his Pontificate, inspiring many of the faithful even to this day through his good examples and commitment to God. He showed us all how we should live our lives as Christians, ever centred on God and not on the many worldly temptations around us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore commit ourselves anew to the Lord in the same way, following the good examples of Pope St. Paul VI and the many other great saints, holy men and women of God, in their lives and examples so that our own lives may truly shine forth, proclaiming God’s truth and salvation to more and more people. May all of us continue to do our part in our own respective ways, in our various callings and missions, to do what the Lord had entrusted to us to do, for His greater glory, and not for our own personal ambitions or worldly fame, satisfaction or pleasures. Let us all shun all the worldly ambitions, our ego and pride, and do our best so that our lives may truly be holy and worthy of God, at all times. Amen.