Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures we are reminded to follow the Lord wholeheartedly and not be easily swayed by sins and disobediences. Each one of us should not be ignorant of our calling and mission to be good and dedicated disciples and followers of our God. To all of us, we have been entrusted with the mission and calling to serve the Lord in whichever opportunities and chances that He has presented us with, and all of us as Christians have been called to do the will of God at all times, to be His faithful followers and disciples, becoming the beacons of His light and truth, proclaiming Him to the whole world and to all around us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, in our first reading today we heard from the Book of Job the words of Job, a suffering man of God who was struck by many unfortunate losses and calamities because Satan was testing him before God to see if Job would abandon his faith in God and betray the Lord. But Job remained firmly faithful to God and refused to be swayed or coerced by Satan’s efforts, and even when his own wife and friends blamed him and told him to abandon the Lord, he also refused to do so. Nonetheless, he did suffer and despaired, thinking of just how insignificant he and his human nature was before God. And I am sure quite a few among us had also experienced something similar like this before at some points in our lives.

What Job spoke of in our first reading today essentially pointed out the limitations of our humanity and our mortal existence. He spoke of the greatness and the glory of God, and how everything happened in this world by God’s will, and nothing can happen in all unless it has been willed by God and unless God had deemed it right to happen. God had dominion over all things and over all of our lives, and we must realise just how small and insignificant we are in truth as compared to the greatness and the vast majesty of God, Who rules over all the whole entire Universe and over all existence. He is infinite, beyond all limits and measures, and the vastness of His glory, wisdom and existence cannot be truly measured by any human parameters.

In essence, Job reminded us all that God Who is our Lord and Master has control over all things, and truly, if we are able to put our trust in Him, there is nothing that we have to worry about. God will provide as long as we do our best to live our lives in accordance with His will, and He will help and guide us in our journey through life. We have to follow Him and entrust ourselves to His cause, and allow Him to guide us down the way. We all have to commit ourselves wholeheartedly and not be distracted by the many other attachments and temptations of the world. Otherwise, as we heard in our Gospel passage today, we may not be truly worthy for the kingdom of God, what God had prepared for all of us, His most beloved ones.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard the Lord Jesus speaking to His disciples regarding their calling and mission, and responsibilities as one of His disciples and followers. He laid it clearly to them how being His followers will often mean that they had to leave behind the comforts of the world, the attachments to their many worldly matters, just as He Himself, the Son of Man, did not even have any place or home to lay His head on. What the Lord told those whom He called to be His disciples, is that in following Him, they have to put their whole attention and focus on Him, and not to let the distractions of the world to be obstacles in the path of their journey towards God and His salvation.

Often times, we allow our preoccupations and attachments to the world to put God aside, ignoring Him and His call for us to follow Him. We often put our many worldly matters, preoccupations, considerations and other things as excuses why we cannot follow the Lord with all of our commitment and heart. When we always make excuses like this, then it is little wonder if we can be easily swayed or tempted, persuaded or coerced to abandon the path that the Lord has shown us in exchange of the path which we may find to be more agreeable or more convenient to us. It is always about us, about our selfish desires and wants, and not about what we should do as a follower of God. As Christians, we should always prioritise living our lives faithfully and courageously in the manner that is truly pleasing to God.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Jerome, a great priest and servant of God, who is one of the four original Doctors of the Church, who is a great disciple of the Lord, and whose life and holiness should inspire us all in how we can live our lives in a more committed way to the Lord. St. Jerome was well-known for his ascetic lifestyle and dedication to God, and he was also remembered for his many theological works and writings, as well as his efforts in compiling the Latin translation of the Greek Septuagint Bible, which would become the Latin Vulgate, the version of the Bible used by many others up to this very day. He was also active in his other contributions to the Church, including as an important and close advisor to the Pope, so much so that he was considered as one of the precursors of the Cardinals that assist the Pope in the governance of the Church today. He was a truly dedicated and holy servant of God, in all the things he has done.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the faithful examples of St. Jerome, his works and commitment should inspire all of us to live our lives worthily of the Lord as well, with focus ever directed towards God and not upon our own personal ambitions and desires. We should also help one another in putting our faith and trust ever more in God, and in doing what we have been all called to do as Christians, as God’s people. Each and every one of us should always be filled with the desire to love the Lord our God and to have constant faith in Him, at all times. We should not easily be swayed or distracted by the many temptations and challenges present all around us. May God be with us always, and may He strengthen all of us in our devotion to Him. St. Jerome, holy man of God, and devout servant of God, pray for us all sinners. Amen.