Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all presented with the words of the Lord reminding us to do the will of God and not to fall into the path of sin and wickedness. Again and again we have constantly been reminded of the dangers of sin and the temptations to sin. Unless we are vigilant and put our conscious effort to reject sin and evil, more often than not we may find ourselves stumbling and falling yet again because we are unable to resist the strong pull and allure of sin which can drag us down the path towards damnation and downfall. This is why it is important that we should continue to remind ourselves to stay steady in our faith in the Lord at all times.

In our first reading today taken from the Book of Proverbs, we are all reminded that the Lord values our actions and obedience to His Law, commandments and will more than our sacrifices and offerings. The Lord honours and blesses the just and the righteous ones, all those who have obeyed His will, followed His ways and dedicated themselves to His cause by their real actions and works, instead of just merely paying lip service or making profession of faith. And yet in our way of life and actions, we are often full of actions that are contrary to God’s teachings and truth, as we often follow the whim of our desires, our pride and ego, the norms and ways of this world among others. These are the things which had prevented many of us from truly being able to follow the Lord wholeheartedly, ending up with us seeking our own personal glory and ambitions.

The Lord said that those who were haughty and wicked, who oppressed the poor and the weak, all those who were selfish and proud, and thinking only of fulfilling their own selfish and wicked desires, all of these will not flourish with Him, and will not have part in any of His inheritance and graces. The Lord made it clear that all of us as Christians are called to distance ourselves from wicked ways, and embrace wholeheartedly instead the path of righteousness and justice, of all the good things that the Lord Himself had taught us to do. God had taught us His ways, and showed us all how to live our lives in the right manner, and it is in the end, up to us whether we want to follow Him or to follow our own path.

And as Christians, it is imperative that we should keep all these things in mind because ultimately how we live our lives truly reflect our faith in God and whether we truly embody what we believe in or whether we are no better than hypocrites who profess to believe in something and yet, we act in the manner and ways that are different from what we claim to believe in. How can we then convince others to believe in God as well, and proclaim His truth and Good News if we ourselves are not sincere in the way how we live our faith? How can we convince others to follow the Lord as well if we do not practice what we profess to be truthful and faithful to? That is why, so many of us Christians through our wicked behaviours and attitudes had scandalised the Lord and the Church, to the point that many were repulsed by us and refused to believe in God.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord when the people told Him that His family members, His mother and other relatives were waiting for Him. The Lord then told them all that His brothers and sisters, His mother are all those who listen to the Lord and do His will. While at a glance it might seem that the Lord had been rude to His mother and family, but in truth, the intention behind those words uttered by the Lord Jesus is that, each and every one of us are equally beloved by God, and all of us who do His will, who are righteous and just, virtuous and good, upright and faithful, all of us will share the fullness of God’s love, grace and compassion. 

Through that the Lord wanted to tell all of His disciples and followers that everyone has equal chance and position before Him. Unlike that of the other kings, lords and all the manners of this world where connections, familial and blood ties bring about fortunes, favours and preferences, the Lord loves each and every one of us generously and equally, and no one are truly beyond God’s love and the comfort of His compassion and mercy. He has made all of those available for us without condition, reaching out ever always to us to lead us all back once again towards Him. He does not want any one of us to be lost from Him, and therefore it is crucial that we ought to remember just how beloved we are and how patient God has been with us, despite our constant disobedience and refusal to heed Him.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all learn to be truly faithful to God in all things, even in the smallest and least seemingly significant ones among our actions, words and deeds. Let our each and every moments in life be filled with actions and words that are truly founded upon the strong foundation of love and faith in God. Let us all continue to go forth ever more courageously and faithfully to proclaim the Lord our God in all circumstances and occasions, throughout all the opportunities that the Lord has provided us with all these while. Let us all be the worthy bearers of our faith in God and let us all continue to live ever more authentically as the disciples and followers of the Lord so that by our lives, our actions and deeds, we will inspire many more people around us to get to know the Lord better through our own examples.

May the Lord, our ever loving God and Creator, continue to be with each and every one of us. May He continue to strengthen and empower us all to live ever more faithfully in each and every moments so that we may always strive to live our lives in each and every moments with great courage and faith, doing whatever we can to lead others to the Lord our God. May God bless our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.