Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded through the Scripture passages we heard of the need for us to remain truly faithful to the Lord and not to be led down the wrong path by those who misunderstood and misrepresented the Law for various reasons. And one of these were the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, many of whom did not obey the Lord as they ought to have done as mentioned in our Gospel today as were many others. They were the elites of the community of the people of Israel, and they had often misused the Law as the means to gain themselves more prestige, power and honour, as well as benefits as the expense of others around them. This means that they had not done what they were entrusted to do as the leaders of God’s people, and serve as good reminders for us not to follow their footsteps.

In our first reading today, all of us heard of the exhortation from St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in the great city of Thessalonica, reminding all of them to remain true to the faith that they had received from him and from the other Apostles and the legitimate teachers of the faith and servants of God, and not to be swayed and misled by those who wanted to twist the truth and misuse Church teachings for their own selfish purposes. The Apostle told the faithful there not to allow those false and misguided ideas such as those held and championed by the Pharisees and their supporters among the early Christian communities that were often divided along these sectarian lines, and these divisions caused harm to the Church at that time.

At that time, and as how it would be in the early days of the Church, there were charismatic and influential people who would claim to have the better knowledge of the truth, or mixed the Christian truth with the other religious beliefs and causing confusion and misled many among the faithful into various heresies and syncretic, unorthodox and wicked false faith and ways, which in many occasions caused divisions among the faithful as mentioned. That is why the Apostles and the many faithful missionaries and leaders of the Church had their work cut out for them in trying to bridge those divisions and keep the unity within the Church’s efforts just as they continued to proclaim the Good News to more and more people during their missions.

St. Paul therefore cautioned the faithful against all those who were leading them astray, exhorting them to remain faithful to the truth of the Church and the Gospels they have received. And the Lord Jesus warned His followers similarly as He told them not to follow the examples set by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law. He told His followers on various occasions to listen to those teachers of the Law, but not to follow the way that they have practiced the Law. And that is because the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law were engrossed in focusing on the petty details in the Law, spending much of their time trying to force others to observe the Law as they had done, a very strict interpretation of this Law which unfortunately led them to be superficial in their faith. As they focused on the external applications of the Law, they became proud and liked to show off their piety to others, and even looking down on those whom they deemed to be less faithful and pious than they were.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is not the kind of faith that God wants from any one of us. Such faith is empty and meaningless, as faith and its actions, done without clear and proper grasp of the Law, and most importantly without the focus on God and without genuine love and commitment to God, are ultimately meaningless and leads to a faith that is stagnant, and even dead. As Christians, all of us are therefore called to keep faithfully God’s commandments, and we are called to love Him first and foremost in our lives. Are we able to focus ourselves on God in this manner? Are we able and willing to trust in God wholeheartedly, and do not allow the temptations and falsehoods of the devil to affect us and lead us down the wrong path, brothers and sisters in Christ?

It is important that we should be good role models and inspirations for everyone around us in how we carry ourselves in each and every moments of our lives, in our every actions and way of living, in how we are truly genuine in believing in everything that God has shown and taught us, in His ever constant and persistent love for each and every one of us, without exception. This means that unlike those who are prejudiced, biased and hateful in the way how they relate to others, we are reminded that we should always show care, concern and love, especially for those who are marginalised and abandoned by everyone, and we should also keep others in mind in all things, and learn to be more humble and caring in everything we do, even in the smallest things.

Let us all therefore renew our commitment, to love and serve the Lord with all of our strength, and commit ourselves day after day, filled with genuine and sincere love for Him, for His truth and putting our trust and faith in Him through His Church. Let us all also hold firmly to the truth and the teachings of the Holy Apostles, all the deposit of faith that have been passed down to us through the Church, and help one another to remain faithful and not be misled by the false ways of the world. It is also important that we should strive to inculcate what we believe in within each and every one of our actions and activities in our daily lives, so that everyone who encounter us and interact with us, will truly experience God and His Presence through our own lives and actions.

May God bless us all and guide us in our journey, now and always, strengthening each and every one of us to be worthy and faithful bearers of His Good News and truth, in showing to everyone around us what it truly means to be a beloved child of God and as someone who enjoys God’s favour and love, as we all have received in various ways from Him. May our ever burning and strong love for God continue to inspire many more people to embrace God’s love in their own lives. Amen.