Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded of the need for each and every one of us as Christians, as those whom God had called and chosen, of the need for all of us to be clothed in virtue and righteousness, in everything that God Himself had taught us through His Church, and above all, we have to be clothed with the virtue of true and most genuine love of God, which He Himself has shown to us all, and as His beloved and holy people, all of us have to embody this same love in our own actions and in each and every moments of our lives. Without this love in us, we cannot truly call of ourselves as Christians, as those who profess to have the Lord as our Master and King, as our Father and Creator.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in the region of Colossae in Asia Minor, in what is now part of Turkey, where the Apostle continued with his exhortation to the faithful there, reminding them to continue to be faithful to the Lord at all times and to do their best to live in the manner that is truly worthy of being Christians, as the followers and disciples of the Lord. He told them all to be filled with the virtues of compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience, which are indeed important values and virtues that each and every one of us as Christians are all expected to have in us. The faithful in Colossae had been faithful to the Lord and been practicing what the Apostle and the other missionaries had been teaching them, but St. Paul wanted to remind them to continue to do the same nonetheless.

St. Paul also highlighted the importance of love which is the most important hallmark of being a Christian. For without love, one can indeed be faithful and yet that faith will not be genuine, and without genuine love for one another, and for those who have been unloved, neglected and abandoned by the others in the community, then how can we consider ourselves as those whom God, Who is always full of love and compassion, had called and considered as His own beloved children and people? And worse still, if we act in the way that is contrary to what we have been taught and shown by God, then we are bringing scandal and disrepute to the Lord’s Holy Name, His love and kindness, compassion and everything that we should be standing up for.

Then from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist we heard of the important reminders from the Lord Jesus Himself, which He made to His disciples and all those who were assembled to listen to Him, that to be His disciples and followers, one ought to love generously and sincerely at all times, to all and everyone whom they encountered, so that in all that we say, do and in all of our actions and interactions with each other we may truly embody this love within us, love that is truly sincere and unconditional, love that is truly pure and inspired by the same love that God Himself given to each and every one of us. This is what we have been challenged by the Lord for us to do constantly in our lives as Christians, that we may truly be faithful to Him.

Jesus mentioned that loving in the manner that is expected of us as Christians is more difficult than we think, as it requires us to love and care for even our enemies and all those who have hurt and persecuted us. It goes against all the grains of logic and common sense as we are more likely to love only those who have loved us, but as the Lord mentioned, such kind of love, even the pagans and those who are evil and wicked also possess, as it is indeed much easier for us to love those who have loved us as well. But how about loving those who have hurt and persecuted us? It is something much easier said than done, and it is what we have been called to do as Christians, to love just as the Lord had loved us all, most unconditionally and generously.

What the Lord told and reminded us to do is to love unconditionally to anyone, not to love because we seek something in return. Those who love only those who love them, did so likely because they seek some kind of transactional relationship, where they sweek for what can benefit them in such a relationship, and hence, when they are unable to get what they wanted in the other person, they end up not loving and even hating and distancing themselves from those people. And sadly, this can also lead to the rupture and breakdown in relationships, as if our relationships are founded upon such desires and pursuits, needs and transactions will not last forever, and eventually, they may flounder and falter, while love based on true and genuine love for others, will last always, no matter what.

And the Lord Himself has shown us all the way, in how He has shown this most generous and selfless love in patiently reaching out and accommodating even to those who rejected and persecuted Him and His disciples. When He then willingly took up His Cross and was persecuted, tortured and facing the worst kinds of pain possible, did He do it only for those who embraced and accepted, loved and cared for Him? No, brothers and sisters in Christ, He did it for all of us sinners, even for those who have rejected and persecuted Him. He forgave all those who had condemned Him to death and to such great sufferings on the Cross. And He carried His Cross, bore His many wounds and sufferings for the redemption and salvation of all, even the most hardened hearts among His enemies.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, having been inspired by the great example of love which Our Lord Himself has shown us, let us all therefore as Christians aspire and strive to be always full of the same kind of love to everyone, to even those who have hated, persecuted and made our lives difficult. And the more we should also love those who are precious and dear to us, and let our love be truly unconditional and genuine, not loving because we seek for return and benefit for ourselves, but showing instead the pure love that God Himself has shown us, the pure and genuine love for those whom we love and for all others. May the Lord, our ever loving God and Creator, our Master and King continue to inspire and strengthen us all in love, now and always. Amen.