Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, it is important that each and every one of us understand the context of what we have heard from them, and understand how we can apply them to our own respective lives so that each and every one of us may grow ever more committed in each and every moments of our lives in doing whatever it is that He has taught and commanded us all to do. All of us should heed what the Lord told and taught to us with regards to how we should live our daily living as Christians, that is as those whom He had called and chosen from this world, and how we can be better and more attuned to His will, living in a manner that is truly worthy and blessed by the Lord, our loving God. 

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians in which the Apostle spoke to the people of God, the faithful and beloved people of God in that city and region about the matter of how each and every one of them ought to live their lives with commitment and dedication to God, and not to give themselves to immorality and wickedness, temptations and all the other corruptions of the world. He also exhorted them all to live virtuously and not to be swayed by worldly corruptions and desires, living as worthy and truly holy brothers and sisters in the same Christ, Our Lord and Saviour. St. Paul told the faithful people of God in Corinth not to embrace worldliness, and to reject all sorts of wicked things that may lead them astray from the path towards God and His salvation.

However, at the same time, we must also understand the context and situation in which St. Paul made this comment and exhortation upon the faithful in Corinth. We must not understand it literally or else we may misunderstand the intention of those words uttered by St. Paul to the Corinthians as at that time it was commonly understood and thought that the Lord’s Second Coming would be truly imminent, and everything would come to happen within probably one’s lifetime. Therefore that was why St. Paul exhorted that the faithful should refrain from worldly matters and saying that the married should behave as if they were not married to each other, that they might stay focused on the Lord and not on their families.

Putting this context aside, I hope all of us can see how the family is truly an important aspect of Christian life, that St. Paul and the other disciples of the Lord often placed a lot of emphasis and focus on the sanctity and purity of the families of those whom the Lord had called and chosen to be His own people, to be truly exemplary and worthy in each and every one of our works, actions and deeds so that we may continue to be holy and worthy to be truly called as disciples and followers of the Lord in all things. As Christians it is important that we must be the beacons of the light and truth of Christ, in each and every one of our words, actions, deeds and interactions with one another, and often it is our families that are the source of all these witnessing to the truth of Christ.

If our families are not firmly rooted in Christ, in His teachings and truth, then it may be easy for us to be swayed into the path of rebellion, disobedience and therefore fall into the temptations to sin. That is why we need to make sure that each and every one of us, especially in our families, be it as parents or children, or be it as husbands or wives, and even as relatives to one another, we must continue to strive to live our lives most worthily of the Lord so that we can continue to embody our Christian faith in each and every moments of our lives, and we may proclaim the Lord and glorify Him through even the smallest and seemingly least significant efforts and works that we carry out in each and every moments. Our families and each and every one of us should continue to be filled with the grace of God at all times.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard the famous Sermon on the Mount, also known as the Eight Beatitudes in which the Lord Jesus presented to all of His disciples and followers what it truly means for each and every one of them to become His disciples. They should heed whatever that He had told to them and to all the people, in the series of blessings and graces He had proclaimed and presented to all those who have truly obeyed the Lord and lived their lives worthily of the Lord at all times. The Lord praised and blessed all those who have are poor in spirit, those who are hungry and in need, those who are sorrowful, those who have been hated and persecuted, those who acted righteously and sought to make peace, among other things.

Essentially, all of those things help to bring one ever closer to God, helping one to resist the temptations of the world, of all the worldly allures of pleasures and other forms of wicked things that may lead one astray and ever further from the path of God. We are all reminded that as Christians, our lives and our existence should always be focused on the Lord and we ought to have Him at the forefront of all and everything that we do in our everyday living. We must always adhere to the path of God’s grace, and do our very best in each and every moments to be inspirational and exemplary to everyone around us, helping one another to remain true to our faith and obedience to God, to do whatever it is that He has entrusted to us to do.

May the Lord continue to help us in our journey towards Him, giving us the strength and encouragement to continue living our lives faithfully, dedicating ourselves at each and every moments to proclaim His truth and love, His Good News and truth to all the people of all the nations. May the Lord continue to guide and empower each one of us so that we may be willing and able to resist the temptations of worldly pleasures and glory, remaining firmly faithful in our path towards the Lord and His salvation. Let us continue to walk in His Holy Presence, continuing to devote ourselves, our time and efforts to His cause, now and always. Amen.