Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, through what we have heard in our Scripture passages today, each and every one of us are reminded that as Christians, that is as God’s beloved people, all of us are called and expected to do our best to sincerely commit ourselves to the Lord, to His path and truth. Each and every one of us ought to live our lives righteously and devotedly, following the Law and commandments of God and being truly filled with love and faith in the Lord. We should not just pay lip service or be hypocrites in how we live our faith, as what quite a lot of our predecessors had done. Instead, all of us are called and even challenged to be truly devoted in all things, and to show our faith in our world today, even when we are faced with challenges and trials in life, and when things and outlook seem to be dim for us.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Tobit, we heard of the moment when the Archangel Raphael, who had been sent to him and his family to help them, revealed himself to Tobit, his son Tobias and his family. The Archangel Raphael had been sent with the mission from God to help Tobit and Sara, who would become Tobias’ wife, from their respective predicaments. And although each one of them had suffered greatly from those hardships, but they still entrusted themselves to the Lord, prayed and asked Him for help and guidance. Tobit in particular remained firm in his faith and his righteous way of life, that despite having been brought into exile with quite a few of his fellow Israelites, but he kept on observing the Law and the commandments of the Lord, and kept alive his commitment and dedication to God.

That was why God sent one of His own Archangels to help Tobit and Sara, and in the process helped Tobit to regain his eyesight and also the honour for his family, and for his son Tobias to get a wife in Sara, whom God had also liberated from the tyranny and depredations from the demon Asmodeus. The Lord brought them out of their misery and hardships, and restored them to a blessed and comfortable, happy and fulfilled existence, as a sign and affirmation of just how dearly beloved each and every one of us are by the Lord. Those who have kept their faith in God and has obeyed His Law and commandments will be blessed, protected and guided by Him, and if we give ourselves wholeheartedly to the Lord, then we shall gain in return even more than what we have generously committed to Him.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard something of the sorts with the account of the moment when the Lord criticised the actions and way of life of the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees, whom the Lord criticised as being hypocrites and wicked in their way of life, and while they were outwardly being pious and devoted, in their very much public show of faith and all of their prayers, but the Lord pointed out the nature of their hypocrisy and lack of genuine faith in God. As He then later immediately compared to the actions and the faith of an old and poor widow who came to the Temple and gave everything she had to the Temple treasury although she only had two small coins that she probably might have needed for her own use and survival. Yet, the poor widow willingly gave from her own heart, to be given to God and for others.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, that is why each and every one of us are reminded and constantly told to keep faithfully the Law and commandments of God, and also to resist the many temptations and all the things which have kept us away from God and from His path. All of us are reminded to keep our faith in God alive in us, and we are all reminded that God should be at the centre and He should be the focus and emphasis of our lives, our every actions and works, and He should be the reason why we carry out our actions in life, in everything we say and do. And by doing His will, and obeying His Law and commandments, all of us can be inspiration and great role models for one another, that our every actions and way of life may bring forth good things not just for ourselves but also for our fellow brothers and sisters in faith, especially to those who are still struggling with hardships and trials in their lives.

Just as the examples of Tobit and Sara, and how they kept their faith and trust in the Lord, and how the Lord helped and strengthened them, and rescued them in the end, let us all be inspired and be strengthened in our faith and resolve to devote ourselves with ever greater intensity and commitment, so that we may be truly faithful to the Lord, in all things, and not just in appearances only. Like those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law that the Lord Himself cricitised, they have allowed worldly ambitions, greed and the desires for pleasures, human praise, fame and renown to corrupt and mislead them down the wrong path in life. That was why they ended up putting their own selfish interests and desires above their duty and obligation to serve the Lord and to do His will. They put their own worldly desires as the focus and the centre of attention of their lives, and this was why the Lord criticised them.

Now, are we all willing to commit ourselves to the Lord anew, with renewed vigour and zeal, and return Him to the centre stage of our lives, and to put Him as the focus and emphasis of our existence, in our every moments in life? Are we willing and able to do what God has called on us to do, to be great and committed disciples and servants of His cause, in doing our best to live our lives as best as we can as Christians, in being great role models and inspirational examples in all the things we say and do, and in our every interactions. Through all of these things, that is how we can lead more and more people to come to the Lord and to believe in Him. It is our duty and obligation to be the beacons and channels of God’s light, truth, love and Good News, and we can do this by living our lives as best as we can, in remaining firmly committed to the path that the Lord had shown us, just like Tobit and many others among our holy predecessors had done.

May the Lord, our most loving Master and Creator continue to help and guide us all throughout our journey in life. And may He empower each one of us so that we may indeed be worthy disciples and followers of His, and that we may be able and willing to commit ourselves wholeheartedly and thoroughly to His cause, and able to give of ourselves generously to Him, just as the poor, old widow in our Gospel passage today had done. May God bless our every efforts, good works and endeavours, now and always. Amen.